Last Friday night’s Hope for Haiti Now telethon proved to be the most effective television fundraiser of all-time, raking in upwards of $57 million for the island nation’s rebuilding and relief efforts.
Coordinated by actor George Clooney, the event featured live music performed in London, New York, and Los Angeles, and a star-studded dais of phone-answering A-listers, from Julia Roberts to Jack Nicholson to Taylor Swift.
The night featured some remarkable, one-of-a-kind musical moments, most prominently a collaboration between Jay-Z, Rihanna, and U2’s Bono and the Edge called Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour).
Other noteworthy performances included Beyoncé’s reworked version of Halo featuring Coldplay’s Chris Martin on piano, Jennifer Hudson doing the Beatles’ Let It Be, a revamped version of A Message by Coldplay, and Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris covering Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. –– Spin.
