Coldplay Donate Money to Terminally Ill Fan’s Campaign

Say what you will about Coldplay, but one thing that you can not argue is how dedicated their fans are and how they are dedicated to them in return.

Last week, the band did something that only a handful of bands have done in the past; donated money to a fan. Members of the band donated £10,000 ($17,000) to a fundraiser organized by the family of a terminally ill fan.

Jody Duff, a long-time Coldplay fan, is battling motor neurone disease, a progressive neurological condition that has confined him to a wheelchair. Through his Just Giving page, he raises funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association to help others who suffer the same disease as him.

Duff’s campaign which had a goal of raising £25,000, caught the attention of the band who would go on to contribute to the fundraising campaign. But, when you though having one of your favorite band contribute to the campaign was all, they didn’t stop there. Coldplay continued to tweet their many followers on Twitter, urging them to contribute to the campaign.

According to U.K, paper, The Mirror, Duff was shocked when he saw the money in the Just Giving account. This wasn’t the first encounter that Duff has had with his favorite band. When the British-based band performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall earlier this month, he got to spend sometime with frontman Chris Martin.

“Chris was genuinely interested in learning about motor neurone disease,” Duff told The Mirror. At that same show, Martin dedicated “Fix You,” Duff’s favorite song, to him while also inviting him backstage.

If Duff isn’t already a die-hard Coldplay fan than this definitely sealed his loyalty

Ryan Lewis and Family Start “The 30/30 Project”

Ryan Lewis might be known as “that guy that stands next to Macklemore,” but the producer who is now a Grammy-winner along with his friend, is beginning to make a name for himself. Though the legacy he is trying to start might not be completely music related, it is related to something that is close to Lewis; a charity to help raise money to build health centers around the world to benefit people living with HIV.

Lewis revealed on Tuesday through his website, the one he shares with Macklemore, that his mother, Julie Lewis, has been living with the deadly disease for 30 years. In honor of her survival, Lewis and his family have begun to raise money for a project called “The 30/30 Project.”

The video begins with Lewis outlining the last couple of years that led to his international success after “Thrift Shop” made him and Macklemore a household name. After the typical, often told success story, the video shifts to the untold, behind-the-scenes story no one has ever heard before.

That’s where he begins to tell the untold story of what helped motivate him and about the strongest woman he knows; his mother. The narration continues with Lewis’ two sisters, his mother and his father speaking about how lucky she was not to fall victim of the disease unlike those who sadly passed away. After giving birth to her oldest daughter, Lewis’ mother was given a blood transfusion that was HIV positive at a time that blood was not being tested beforehand. Though her two youngest children (Ryan’s other sister and himself) had a 25% chance of getting the disease, they were lucky as well.

The project’s final goal is to reach $100,000 for the first health care center in Malawi and for those wanting to donate, an IndieGoGo campaign has already been started in an attempt to help achieve Julie Lewis’ goal to help out big. As of now, the fundraiser has received over $30,000 with 29 days still to go.

Fall Out Boy Fans Gather to Make a Musical

A few months ago, word got out that there was a Panic! at the Disco musical in the works, and no, the musical was not endorsed by the band at all, but still it piqued fans’ interest.

Now it seems, that another group of fans are thinking about turning another band’s music int a potential musical. This time, the band would be Fall Out Boy.

The musical which has been titled, Hand Of God, and currently, those fans are looking to raise money through go to crowdsourcing site, IndieGoGo to somehow make their goal of $800 for this project.

The summary of the project can be read below or you can visit the IndieGoGo page for more information about it.

“Short Summary

“Allison joins a group of dark, subculture junkies headed by playgirl Jamie when she returns to college after a year in Americorps. Her world gets darker and darker as she learns that there is more to living on the fringes than sad poems. A Fall Out Boy musical filled with drugs, lying, and emotional turmoil. Fun for the whole family.”

We’re a group of teenagers about to embark on our first full-length film project: a jukebox musical set to the music of Fall Out Boy. We’ve got a cast, a crew, and a screenplay, but we don’t have any budget at all. So we’ve come to the internet in the hopes that you’ll be as excited about getting this movie made as we are! 

What We Need & What You Get

Whatever amount we get, the budget will be divided something like this:

• 46% Lighting/Set Design
• 36% Sound Equipment
• 18% Camera Accessories

The current budget accounts for necessities only. If we go over our needed amount, we’ll get a higher quality microphone, better sets, and maybe a fog machine. Everyone on the crew is volunteering their time, so none of the money will end up in anyone’s pocket.

The Impact

Without the help of people like you, this film won’t get made. We have a group of excited, hard-working crew members. We just need the money to do what we love and give you the best quality product we can!

Other Ways You Can Help

If you can’t donate, you can help us spread the word about the film! Share the link to the website, tell your friends about it, or even make flyers, if you’re really excited! Just help us spread the word. We’re relying on word-of-mouth to build up hype, so any assistance there is appreciated.”

Music for Relief’s “Concert for the Philippines” Announce Acts

Who would have imagined that months after Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines that bands and musicians from all over would be gathering together to try to help those unfortunate victims get back on their feet?

Well, it shows just how much those artists wanted to help and give back to those that lost everything due to a natural disaster; something they had no control over. Last month, it was revealed that a long compilation had been released with all proceeds going to the Philippines’ Red Cross.

Today, it was revealed that Linkin’ Park would be headlining “Concert for the Philippines” to help out. The band announced that The Offspring would also be joining the fundraiser which will be held in Los Angeles early next year.

Music For Relief, Linkin’ Park’s not-for-profit organization, is known for doing such things. Last time they sprang into action was when that huge earthquake/tsunami hit Japan a couple of years ago. The band put on a show in L.A. for fans who donated to relief efforts and that seems to be the same format for this fundraiser.

The first 300 fans who donate at least $250 to Music for Relief’s Typhoon Relief will get GA tickets to the “Concert for the Philippines” which will take place on Jan. 11th at Club Nokia. The top 75 fundraising fans will get special VIP perks such as meet and greets, reserved seating, a pre-party, parking and commemorative merchandise.

So far, the only bands to be hitting the stage for the fundraiser are Linkin’ Park and The Offspring, but apparently more artists will be joining them at the show.

If you want anymore information about the show or want to donate or help out just head on over here.

Veronica Mars is Back

UPDATE:

In less than 24 hours, the Veronica Mars Movie has officially met the $2 million dollar goal that was set by Warner Brothers to finance the movie.

Dear CW, does this prove to you that you shouldn’t have killed the series for one of your super crappy replacements?

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The year was 2007 when The CW decided that it would be best to cancel their hit show, Veronica Mars to make space for shows like America’s Next Top Model and others that people probably don’t even remember. While back then the network got their way, to the dismay of “marshmallows” around the world, but it looks like the fans behind the pop culture hit are getting the last laugh.

After years of rumors and speculation of a possible movie to end the series the right way, it was finally confirmed by Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell and creator of the series, Rob Thomas, on Twitter that there will be a movie. The catch? Warner Brothers said that if they could come up with $2 million for production then they would take responsibility for all the press and promotion for the film.

Thomas decided to start a Kickstarter page where fans could help by donating any amount money that they could to help support. Thomas said that once the goal has been met that they would instantly start pre-production, meaning filming will start this Summer and make it in time for a 2014 release date.

The Kickstarter page also has a message from Bell who has also been updating fans all day via her Twitter about the campaign.

She writes on the page:

“I am currently the happiest blonde in a hamster ball the world has ever seen. We have been waiting so long to make this movie dream a movie reality, and it’s because of YOUR commitment, YOUR persistence, that we finally have a chance.”

She continues, “we just have one more step to go. You have banded together like the sassy little honey badgers you are and made this possibility happen. I promise if we hit our goal, we will make the sleuthiest, snarkiest, it’s-all-fun-and-games-‘til-one-of-you-gets-my-foot-up-your-ass movie we possibly can.”

If you are a fellow marshmallow and want to donate to “The Veronica Mars Movie” Campaign, head over here to do so.

So far, the campaign has raised over $900,000. So Warner Bros, get your stuff ready, it’s go time.