Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 30: Tila Tequila

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 28: Damian Marley

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 27: Famke Jannssen & Jason Schwartzman

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 26: Joseph Fiennes

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 25: Michelle Krusiec

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 24: Kim Kardashian

Hollywood celebrities urge human rights in Myanmar (Burma)

"Stars including Will Ferrell and Jennifer Aniston call for release of the Southeast Asian country's Nobel-winning Aung San Suu Kyi and establishment of democracy there.

By Richard C. Paddock, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 23, 2008

Dozens of Hollywood celebrities have joined together to call attention to the repressive military regime in Myanmar and the plight of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent more than a decade under house arrest.

In more than 30 public-service spots that are being released online daily this month, actors and artists including Will Ferrell, Sarah Silverman, Ellen Page and Sylvester Stallone call for Suu Kyi's release and the establishment of democracy in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

"A human rights crisis is happening right now in the Southeast Asian country of Burma," Ferrell says in the first of the series. "Every now and again a single person or event captures the imagination and inspiration of the world. This moment belongs to Burma and to Aung San Suu Kyi."

Myanmar has been ruled by military regimes for nearly all of the past 46 years. Suu Kyi's political party won a landslide victory in a 1990 election and she was slated to become the country's next leader, but the regime threw out the results and arrested her. Suu Kyi, who will turn 63 next month, is the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Most recently, the reclusive regime has come under harsh international criticism for refusing to accept foreign aid for victims of Cyclone Nargis, which killed at least 78,000 earlier this month and left hundreds of thousands more without adequate food, water or shelter.

The Web-based celebrity campaign, called "Burma: It Can't Wait," began May 1 but has been overshadowed by the cyclone, which struck Myanmar two days later. Organizers hope to raise Myanmar's profile in the same way that activists have put Chinese control of Tibet and the Darfur genocide on the map.

Another goal of the project is to sign up a million new members for the U.S. Campaign for Burma, a Washington-based organization that promotes democratic change in Myanmar.

The videos can be found at uscampaignforburma.org.

Some of the spots are sketches that try to draw attention to the troubled nation by injecting humor, such as one featuring Jennifer Aniston and a recalcitrant Woody Harrelson, who refuses to leave his trailer. "I'm not coming out until Burma is free," he shouts.

Others are serious, such as one directed by Anjelica Huston in which comedian Eddie Izzard praises the young people of Myanmar who led protests against the regime last year. "We must use our freedom to help them get theirs," he says.

Huston said in an interview that she took part in the project to highlight the injustices of the regime. "I am particularly drawn to the idea of this small, extraordinarily beautiful country that has been suppressed in this terrible way for so long and the fact that the leader of the democratic party has been shut up under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years," Huston said.

The campaign has attracted such celebrities as director Judd Apatow, Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona, actor Joseph Fiennes, singer Sheryl Crow, action star Steven Seagal, actress Felicity Huffman and producer Norman Lear.

One 90-second video features Iranian artist Davood, who is shown in time-elapsed photography painting a portrait of Suu Kyi. Only at the end does it become clear that she is wearing handcuffs.

In another, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" star Eric Szmanda and alumna Jorja Fox play a card game called "Forced Labor," in which he holds the cards of a Burmese soldier and she is dealt the hand of a civilian, who suffers rape, torture and murder.

"I don't think I like this game," Fox says.

"No one does," Szmanda replies.

Szmanda, who visited refugees along the Thai border and briefly crossed into Myanmar last year, said he was stunned by the heart-wrenching accounts of civilians who escaped the regime.

"Something came over me while I was there. I didn't feel a sense of pity, I felt a sense of urgency," he said. "I had a chance to meet a lot of former political prisoners who are now living on the border of Thailand. It's unbelievable what some of them had to do endure for nine or 10 years."

Actress Rosanna Arquette, who appears in a spot condemning the destruction of 3,200 villages by the regime, said she was moved to participate in the project because of the plight of Suu Kyi.

"She has done so much and she is still a prisoner," Arquette said in an interview. "And the world doesn't really know. There are no Americans there to help. It's really like a creepy secret."

Jack Healey, the former head of Amnesty International who helped raise that group's profile through celebrity concerts, had a key role in organizing the Burma project. He said one of his goals is to give Suu Kyi the kind of profile that Nelson Mandela had while he was imprisoned in South Africa.

"We want her to be the Mandela of her time," he said. "Maybe by the end we will all know who she is."

Fanista, a new "social commerce" shopping website, underwrote and produced many of the spots and offers customers a 10% rebate that they can donate to the U.S. Campaign for Burma.

In his spot, Stallone talks about his fourth "Rambo" movie, which was released earlier this year and casts the Myanmar dictatorship as the villain. The film depicts "atrocity de-mining," in which civilians are forced to walk ahead of the army at gunpoint to uncover hidden land mines. The regime banned the movie.

"While it is flattering to be part of a movie that is giving the Burmese people hope and it is cool to say 'I'm banned in Burma,' these people need real hope," Stallone says in the 80-second spot. "Let's do something we can be proud about."

richard.paddock@latimes .com"

article from Los Angeles Times

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 23: Maradonna

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 22: Felicity Huffman

The filmmakers from creative production company Shilo (www.shilo.tv) recently collaborated with an extraordinary group of individuals and organizations to create a powerful animated 90 second PSA. The piece, entitled "Burma Viral", uses footage of warplanes bombing Burma with flowers as a dramatic call-to-action. As the US Campaign for Burma is doing in our 30 day "Burma: It Can't Wait" campaign, the filmmakers at Shilo are inviting viewers to visit their Burma Arts Board website, noneofusarefree.org, where one can send messages of support to the people of Burma. We are happy to support our fellow artists and activists as we all lend a hand of support in honor of Burma's continuing struggles against the notorious practices of their oppressive military government.

BURMA VIRAL

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 21: Sylvester Stallone

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 20: Ellen Page

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 19: Steven Seagal

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 16: Mana

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 15 - Rosanna Arquette

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 14: Thich Naht Hanh

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 13 - Judd Apatow

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 12: Graffiti Wall

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 11: Jackson Browne

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 10: Davood

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 9: Wally Langham

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 8: Voices

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 7: Eric Szmanda / Jorja Fox

Cyclone Update and Why Burma Needs a Million Supporters

"Many, many thanks to the hundreds of supporters that have donated money to help victims of the cyclone in Burma.
Sadly, news reports are indicating that the military regime is hampering relief efforts. The headline of USA Today reads "Cyclone Aid Hurt by Junta in Burma." It appears the regime is delaying travel visas for aid workers and letting aid supplies sit unused at airports. Considering this is the same military regime that continues to carry out a scorched-earth war on civilians in eastern Burma that has destroyed 3,200 ethnic minority villages -- and refuses real access to aid agencies that could help -- we are not suprised. It now appears that the death tolls have reached over 22,000 -- and perhaps up to 63,000.

We have spoken with some people inside Burma and they are very angry at the military regime. Everyday Burmese are furious that the military regime turned out tens of thousands of troops to attack peaceful Buddhist monks and demonstrators in September-October 2007, but failed to adequately warn its own people of the oncoming cyclone -- a real humanitarian disaster.

The regime's lack of response to the cyclone begs the question: how has the military regime gotten away with destroying Burma for so long? If you look at our website or at burmaitcantwait.org, you will see that we, the Human Rights Action Center, and Fanista.com have organized a 30-day video campaign to educate Americans and others around the world about the military regime in Burma. The goal of this campaign is to mobilize 1 million people to sign up to take action, so that the regime can no longer crush the Burmese people behind closed doors. Just as the world came together to help free Nelson Mandela and South Africa in the 1980s, we are now organizing an effort to help Burma's imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma.

Today, you will see a video by comedian and actor Eddie Izzard, directed by Oscar-winning actress Anjelica Huston. The powerful, moving video explains that the young people in Burma have led the effort to end military rule in Burma. Yesterday, we posted a video by Julie Benz, which explained the military regime's attacks on civilians in eastern Burma. You can also see four previous videos at www.burmaitcantwait.org There will be one every day for 30 days, and today is the 6th day.

We urge you to share these videos with as many people as possible, to help people understand how and why this started in the first place. Then, urge them to sign up for the campaign of one million. Burma needs you."

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 6: Eddie Izzard

Burma: It Can't Wait - Day 5: Julie Benz

Burma: It Can't Wait. Day 4 - Sarah Silverman

Burma: It Can't Wait. Day 3 - Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen

Burma: It Can't Wait. Day 2 - Jennifer Aniston

Will Ferrell for Burma

Will Ferrell Video Kicks Off 30 Day Effort for US Campaign for Burma

Dear US Campaign for Burma Supporters,

We are thrilled to announce that today, a video by actor Will Ferrell is kicking off a 30-day campaign to help the US Campaign for Burma build one million voices of support for human rights and democracy in Burma.

Every day for 30 days you will be able to tune into our website www.uscampaignforburma.org or www.burmaitcantwait.org (or YouTube, Myspace, and many more sites) to watch a new celebrity video about Burma. Instead of watching one single video with limited information, viewers will be able to learn a great deal about the people of Burma's courageous struggle for human rights and democracy. Each video is different -- some are deadly serious while others have a light touch. Most of these are meant to be different than a typical public service announcement -- more like a short movie or skit.

The videos include many of the top actors in Hollywood and others in music, such as Jennifer Aniston, Woody Harrelson, Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Eric Szmanda, Anjelica Huston, Ellen Page, Sheryl Crow, and more. Make sure you come back each day to find out who are all the celebrities helping us.

Since you already know about Burma, can you tell as many people as possible to watch the videos and join our effort? They are a fantastic tool to educate people and spur them to take action.

Every single video closes by encouraging viewers to join the US Campaign for Burma's one-million person effort for Burma.

Why do we want one million people to sign up? Here is why: we are facing a military regime that has locked up the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi, brutally cracked down against hundreds of thousands of peaceful monks and civilians, recruited more child soldiers than any other country in the world, and destroyed 3,200 ethnic villages -- bordering on genocide. Yet, too few people have taken action to stop these abuses, and not enough have basic knowledge about Burma.

We have seen in history what happens when not enough people take action. Nelson Mandela was locked up in near-obscurity for nearly two decades before millions of people rallied to the cause of freedom for South Africa. We shouldn't wait that long to build a strong effort for Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi has called on us to help, saying "Please, use your liberty to promote ours." Just as millions of people -- including celebrities -- came together to help free Nelson Mandela and South Africa in the 1980s -- we are asking for your help now.

Tell your friends about these videos, watch them on one of dozens of sites on the internet, including our website www.uscampaignforburma.org or at www.burmaitcantwait.org. Then, encourage them to sign up to be one of the million. After they sign up, they will receive timely alerts from us asking them to email people in the US Congress or United Nations, host film screenings, and consider organizing events for human rights in Burma. Working together, we can be a powerful force for change.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Supporting human rights does matter, and together we will do our part to help Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma. It can't wait.

Hitting the Junta

"CELEBRITY ACTIVISM:

Celebs are trying a new tactic to win the freedom of Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. Can their viral video possibly have an impact?

Kim Kardashian is an unlikely face for the campaign to free Burma. The reality TV star is better know for her sex tape and various other … well, assets. But she's one of more than 30 celebrities—some famous and some infamous—who have teamed up on a series of new video spots that human rights organizations hope will be a call to arms. The goal? To free Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy activist confined by Burma's military regime to house arrest for 12 of the past 18 years.

The organizers of "Burma: It Can't Wait," a mashup of human rights experts, Hollywood and the social-shopping Web site Fanista, are calling the campaign a new kind of public service announcement: there's no direct mail, no talking heads. Rather, over the next month they'll tap into the viral power of the Internet to mass-circulate videos from celebs like Jennifer Aniston and Ellen Page—educational vignettes they hope will garner the support of 1 million fans. Fanista, meanwhile, will offer its support by routing a portion of its customers' purchase payments toward the cause. "We really wanted to get into the hearts and minds of a new generation," says Jack Healy, the brain behind the concept and the founder of the Human Rights Action Center.

Viral video is certainly the way to do that. Just ask comedian Sarah Silverman; her satire about "f---ing Matt Damon"—obviously of a much lighter nature—exploded in the blogosphere earlier this year, banking millions of hits on YouTube and becoming an overnight sensation. Her take on Burma is lighthearted as well. In a short video she explains to a friend why she wants to become a doctor there (the country ranks 190th out of 191 in public health care), in between chatter of who got laid the night before. Funny? Of course: it's Sarah Silverman. Mildly trivializing? To anyone in the know, absolutely. But for the Tila Tequilas of the world? Maybe not. "That's the beauty of the Internet," says Dan Adler, the founder of Fanista and a former agent for the Creative Artists Agency in Hollywood. "It allows for the exchange of information to the broadest and widest set of people, to raise awareness among people that might not otherwise know about the issue."

And, of course, the power of celebrity can certainly get people watching. Whether it's Jessica Simpson in Iraq, Scarlett Johansson for Barack Obama or Bono in Africa, stars bring their causes to the public, and, undoubtedly, the public listens. Burma, organizers hope, will be no different. The trailer for the campaign, released exclusively to NEWSWEEK, comes just days after the 61-year-old Suu Kyi, the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal—the highest civilian honor the U.S. legislature can bestow. Meanwhile she remains confined. But because of restrictions on the flow of information in Burma—at one point the junta cut all Internet access in the country—little is known about her situation from the ground. The celebs in the video hope that their contribution—however superficial it might seem—will at least draw attention to her plight. "How else can you remind the world, without images, without daily reporting?" asks Maureen Aung-Thwin, a leading Burma expert who is not associated with the project. "This is such an underreported cause and devastating situation," says Sylvester Stallone, who spent six months on the border of Burma while filming "John Rambo" last year. "The celebrity, I hope, will cause the viewer to pause and think."

That sounds good in theory. But beyond that pause, how much can a famous face really help? Nobody would disagree that there's hardly a better way to get the attention of the celebrity-obsessed public than to have the rich, beautiful and famous make a plea for their support. But a 2005 poll by market research firm GMI, which surveyed 20,000 people around the world, found that 79 percent of Americans don't believe a celebrity endorsement has an effect on how valuable they think a product is. "There are people who genuinely do good," says Rachel Weingarten, a New York-based publicist and the head of GTK Marketing group. "But there's a tendency for celebrities to overshadow the cause."

Of course, many would argue that it doesn't matter if the celebs are just in it for the photo op—as long as their appearances spread the word. The many stars of Project (Red) might not be experts on Africa, but their faces have helped sell the campaign's products, which, in turn, have raised millions of dollars for the Geneva-based Global Fund. P. Diddy's "Vote or Die" slogan might have enlisted shameless (and unregistered voters) like Paris Hilton to pose on the red carpet, but it got kids talking about politics. "I always felt that celebrity endorsement can be a turnoff to people," Silverman tells NEWSWEEK. "But I also think that if you're given an opportunity to bring light to something … people would care about if they only knew about it, it's kind of douchey not to." Adds documentary filmmaker Joshua Seftel, "If it's helping people, who cares [if it's genuine]?" "

from Newsweek International