Environment – Hell&Lula sounds like a cross between a bedroom-electronic project and glam-rock stadium extravaganza. Something like if VHS or Beta clashed with Foxy Shazam and ended up strutting down Hollywood Boulevard while wearing their environmentalism and social advocacy on their collective sleeve. The up and coming Los Angeles quartet—comprised of MAK (vocals), Devon Culiner (guitar/programming), Russell Henson (bass/synth) and Alex Vega (drums)—is currently raising money to convert its touring school bus into a Cool Bus run on waste vegetable oil. MAK told The Daily Activist that he found the 1996 International school...

Celebrity Charities – Last thursday night, Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am hosted a benefit concert at the Hollywood Palladium to support his namesake education program, the i.am Angel Foundation. Bringing in support from the rest of the Black Eyed Peas (excluding Fergie), Stevie Wonder (who played piano, harmonica and sang classics like “My Cherie Amor” and “Superstition.”), Ne-Yo, K’Naan, and Flo Rida, the “Trans4mation Experience” event raised $5 million for the foundation. During the performances, videos played bringing attention to students in U.S. neighborhoods, including Boyle...

Celebrity Charities – After six years of negotiations and setbacks, Madonna’s mission to provide schools and education to children in Malawi will literally break ground on March 30th and is projected to be completed in June 2013. Things have changed since the Raising Malawi charity began: the design of the schools will be simpler, the charity will be able to reach double the original number of students, and Raising Malawi is now also working with an agency called buildOn to co-develop the schools. “This remains a very big priority in my life and I am excited that with the help of buildOn we can maintain our ongoing...

Celebrity Charities – Benefit shows certainly have their place in rock and roll history – The Concert for Bangladesh, Live Aid, Farm Aid, The Concert for New York City, to name just a few. But 2012 may have already established itself as the year of the benefit show, as major acts like Jay-Z, Coldplay, Mumford and Sons, My Morning Jacket, and The Swell Season have all announced major headlining shows where proceeds will be donated to the band’s favorite causes. Check out some of the concert info and charity specifics below. Artist: Jay-Z Dates: February 6 at 8pm and February 7 at 9:30pm Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York City,...

LGBT – Singer Adam Levine’s promiscuous sex life might be the talk of the tabloids, but once again, he’s championing for the love lives and marriage rights of others. The frontman for pop-rock group Maroon 5 just told the media that he and the band would change the location of their Grammy after party because the original place does not support LGBT rights. The anonymous owner of the unnamed establishment was apparently a vocal and strong financial proponent for the infamous Proposition 8, which invalidated and illegalized all marriages not between men and women in the state of California in 2008. Levine explained to...

Celebrity Charities – For its 20th annual Academy Awards Viewing Party, the Elton John AIDS Foundation is bringing in a special musical guest. Los Angeles indie pop group Foster the People will perform at the event, which takes place on February 26. Sir Elton and David Furnish will host their annual Oscar watching party, which supports his namesake charitable foundation. Established in the United States in 1992 and in the United Kingdom in 1993, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has raised more than $225 million to help those afflicted with HIV/AIDS in more than 55 countries. The organization helps create HIV prevention programs, tries to...

Celebrity Charities – Chris Daughtry has certainly evolved from a mere American Idol winner into a celebrity with a full-fledged rock band. And now that he and his group have four chart-topping singles, four Grammy nominations, and more than seven million album sales to their name, Daughtry is giving back in a way that only a rock band can. The members of Daughtry will donate $1 from every ticket sold to Malaria No More on their upcoming spring tour in support of their third album, Break The Spell. The humanitarian NGO leads awareness campaigns, supports international advocacy, and rallies leaders and investors to help end malaria...

Celebrity Charities – January 12 marked the two-year anniversary of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince. And yet, with all the money donated, all the medical supplies transported, and all the relief efforts completed, there’s still work to be done. According to the UN Human Development Index and Disaster Emergency Committee, Haiti was one of the poorest countries in the world before the natural disaster, the lowest ranking in the entire Western Hemisphere. We at The Daily Activist have written about numerous ways to help Haiti and support relief efforts as well as ways that celebrities...

Celebrity Charities – Award winner actors and singers team up with the J/P Haitian Relief Organization (JP HRO), and describe what “home” means to them, in the new “Help Haiti Home” PSA campaign. JP Hro was set up by Sean Penn to help bring relief to people in Haiti “quickly and effectively,” by helping to support hospitals, community organizations, and U.S. Government organizations. The PSA features Miley Cyrus, Sarah Silverman, Sean Penn, Eric Dane, Ed Norton, LL Cool J, Zooey Deschanel, Rainn Wilson, and Pras. Read More Here. Click here to learn more about JP Hero. Click here to donate to...

Celebrity Charities – After reports that the federal government would be cutting $30 million in heating assistance to residents in Maine this year, Stephen King announced that the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation would match donations raised by his Bangor, Maine radio station, to pay for the heating of low-income residents. “This economy is terrible and Tabitha and I both worry so much about Bangor because it is truly a working-class town and we are always looking for ways to help,” said King in an interview with Bangor Daily News. The Bangor radio station is trying to raise $70,000 to aid the local residents, whose...

Civil Rights – Actor Christian Bale, in China after filming his Nanking film The Flowers of War, was harassed and roughed up after trying to visit Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng. Guangcheng is a civil rights activist currently under house arrest for (not surprisingly) criticizing among other things the Chinese government’s abortion policies. In addition, he is blind. His house is monitored by a dozen guards, and has been since his release from prison in September of last year. Bale’s visit was to bring attention to the activist’s plight, which he has effectively done. Especially since it has been caught on tape....