Celebs Gone Good on VH1

So, how'd we look on TV? Last night was the television debut of CGG, when Top 20 Celebs Gone Good premiered on VH1, counting down the twenty most charitable celebrities of 2009. Months ago, we started with a list of 100 big stars who’ve shined this past year – actors, musicians, and athletes who’ve gone above and beyond to do good. From this 100, we left the voting up to you, and the 20 celebrities with the most votes made it to our countdown.

In case you missed it, here were the top 10:

1. Matt Damon
2. Oprah
3. Angelina Jolie
4. Lance Armstrong
5. Wyclef Jean
6. Shakira
7. Brad Pitt
8. Alicia Keys
9. Ashley Judd
10. Leo DiCaprio

Were you surprised at the list? Turns out 2009 was the year of the undercover do-gooder – celebs who gave their time, money, and yes, their fame, to helping out their cause, even if it didn’t mean getting tons of publicity or recognition. Head over to the VH1 website to watch highlights.

What did you think of the show? Be sure to let us know in the comments! And for more info on Matt’s work, check out his charity, water.org.

Shakira gets political

via Straits Times

She’s usually penning pop songs, but Shakira recently wrote something a little different - an op-ed for the super-prestigious The Economist on childhood education. In the article, Shakira calls for world governments to support the Global Fund for Education. The Fund is an effort of the Millennium Development Goals which aims to reduce poverty by ensuring that every child is able to complete primary school. As we’ve covered in the past, Shakira’s Barefoot Foundation has done tons of work in her native Columbia, opening schools and health centers for impoverished kids. Shakira sees childhood education as a vital way for countries to break free of poverty and conflict, and she writes that “the education of a child is the most powerful form of national security.”

Click here to read Shakira’s article in The Economist. Then, read more about the Millennium Development Goals and how you can take action to end global poverty.

Madonna in-vests in Brazil

via MSNBC

Having just recently broken ground on a girls’ school in Malawi, Madonna is wasting no time in taking her Raising Malawi organization international. On a recent trip to Brazil, Madonna took time out to tour the Dona Marta shantytown in Rio. Accompanied by the governor of the Rio de Janiero state and a whole lotta bodyguards, the material girl even rocked a bullet-proof vest, just to be safe. She also announced plans to spend $10 million of her charity’s money to build a school in the impoverished neighborhood, one of the poorest and most dangerous areas in Brazil.

Are you schooled on education issues? Read our 11 facts about education around the world. Then, do something here at home – you could organize an instrument collection drive, or start a tutoring program at your school to offer homework help.

Lucy lights her cause

via TV Guide

Lucy Liu is helping UNICEF light up New York. Yesterday, the action-star actress light the iconic Fifth Avenue Snowflake, which hangs high above the famed shopping destination. The Snowflake has been there for 25 holiday seasons, bringing awareness to UNICEF’s mission to help children around the world gain access to health care, education, and basic necessities. Lucy, who’s also a UNICEF Ambassador, said the Snowflake “reminds me that every day, there are 24,000 children worldwide dying from preventable causes.”

The holiday season is the perfect time to kick your do-gooding in to high gear. Read about a DS Club’s holiday collection drive for inspiration, then hold your own – you could collect coats, gloves, and other warm-weather gear to donate to a local homeless shelter, or collect food for Feed the Need – we’re trying to raise a million pounds!

Quote of the day: Kristen Stewart

via People

“If you really feel like you need to do it, then you should do it. Afterwards, if you're told that you made a mistake and you admit it, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You only live once. I say be extreme. Go for it. I think that's the point of Twilight."

- Kristen Stewart. Any Twilight fan knows that vampires don’t eat – find out what they’ve been doing with their food!

Big Papi's big event

via MLB

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David “Big Papi” Ortiz is putting down his bat and picking up a golf club to help out his favorite cause. The MLB star is hosting his second annual celebrity golf tournament in his native Dominican Republic to benefit the David Ortiz Children’s Fund. Last year’s tournament raised a massive $300,000 for the fund, which provides kids in the Dominican Republic and the Boston area with access to vital health care services. Some fellow baseballers hitting the links this year include Alex Rodriguez, Pedro Martinez, and Jason Varitek.

Can’t make it to the DR? The event will also have an online auction with sports-themed tickets, memorabilia, and trips. Follow David’s lead and use healthy living to raise some cash for your cause – you can hold a healthy bake sale or write and sell a healthy living cookbook, then donate the proceeds to an organization that’s working to support health and fitness.

Harris gets honored

via CBS

NPH is a CGG! Neil Patrick Harris, star of How I Met Your Mother, is going to be honored by the Trevor Project, an organization that works on crisis and suicide prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. The Trevor Project also operates a 24-hour helpline and an online support forum. You might remember the Trevor Project from when Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, made a big donation to the org. Daniel said he was inspired by the disturbing fact that LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.

Says Neil: “everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to live their lives proudly as exactly who they are.” Want to follow Neil’s lead? Our 11 questions with a helpline staffer has more info on what the Trevor Project does, and we have some great ideas on how you can take action to support gay rights.

Quote of the day: Taylor Swift

via Ask Men

“I don’t feel as if I need to make some giant statement. When you start over-thinking everything, you stop being who you are and start being who you think you should be… I’m just going to continue to be who I am.”

- Taylor Swift. We love Taylor's down-to-earth attitude. Want to make your own statement? Check out our huge action matrix and get going!

Jordin wants you to x texting

via JustJared

Friend of DoSomething.org Jordin Sparks is giving safe driving the thumbs up. The American Idol singing sensation and her mom have added both their thumbprints to a pledge banner, promising not to text while driving. The banner is making its way across the country as part of the X the TXT tour, which asks teens and their families to vow to give up this dangerous habit that has claimed lives here in the U.S. Says Jordin: “sending a text isn’t worth taking a life.” Anyone who signs the pledge also gets a thumb ring to remind them not to text when they’re behind the wheel.

Don’t know why texting while driving is so dangerous? Click here to read the scary facts. Then, when you’re not driving, use texting to do good and fight dating abuse. And for more info on the X the TXT tour, check out the official Facebook page.

Jake eyes his cause

via People

Just don’t call him four-eyes. He may be an A-list actor, but Jake Gyllenhaal is still like a lot of us – he wears prescription glasses. So Jake is lending his support to New Eyes for the Needy, an organization that gives out vouchers for folks in the US to receive free eye exams and glasses, and also donates prescription glasses to people in developing countries.

We love the idea of a celeb using their own life as an inspiration to do good - and we think dreamy Jake would look even cuter in glasses! Check him out (sans spectacles) in the clip below, then get involved – hold a collection drive for eyeglasses at your school, community center, or house of worship.