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| Mark Wahlberg, CGG |
Last night at the world premiere of director M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening in NYC, the stars were looking fab strutting their stuff on the red carpet. And CGG was there, of course not to ask what they were wearing, but what these guys were passionate about.
Mark Wahlberg plays a science teacher in the film, which probably wasn't a tough stretch as the actor is super passionate about young people in real life. We asked him about The Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, and he explained, "We're just trying to create opportunities for kids. I grew up in a very tough neighborhood- there was a lot of crime and a lot of drugs, and I made a lot of bad choices. And I was fortunate. But a lot of other kids weren't, and I just want to create opportunities for kids growing up in environments like that."
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| Ashlyn Sanchez, CGG |
Speaking of youth passion, we spotted 11-year-old Ashlyn Sanchez, who plays his daughter in the film. She told us about her dedication to raise money for kids with cancer. Her school is part of Mac's Project, which recycles bottles and uses the money to treat kids with cancer at the LA Children's Hospital.
Young people were the theme of the evening, and Zooey Deschanel was no exception. She told us about one of her favorite organizations, PS Arts, which provides arts education in California. "I know that I would not be the person that I am today without arts education, and that it teaches kids to be creative and think creatively."
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| CGG |
The movie, in which Mark and Zooey are a married couple trying to flee mysterious mass suicides (scary!) , features the wind and the environment a lot. When we talked with Night, he told us, "I've been thinking more and more about what we're doing to the world, and as a kid growing up you go 'oh my gosh, this is our world and it's our turn to take care of it.' We're getting our report card right now about how well we're doing and we're not doing so well, so that's been on my mind a lot."
We think it's great that Night is bringing up important issues in a creative way and are glad to see him tackle the themes in his films.
Thankfully, the premiere even made some small changes to the usual Hollywood extravagance to make a difference. Even the passes were eco-friendly!
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| CGG |
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I hear Donnie works with his brother's foundation as well. Love that they do stuff in the family!
Has anyone seen the movie? Is it scary?
M.Night Shyamalan is the coolest director since Hitchcock. he's great.
I love that the organizers chose to make the passes environmentally friendly - it's such a small detail but makes a big difference!
He was a bit of a mess back in the day ... no shirt wearing hip hop wannabe. Now he's an A-list actor ... Amazing what you can do if you dedicate yourself to it!
I've never heard of her before - but it's great to hear she's already using her budding star power for good. I love the way her something covers not just one cause but two ~ the environment and cancer treatment. Not to mention she's also absolutely gorgeous!
that little girl is wonderful! How young to be caring about such things! What a gift!
Ha to that writergirl! I totally forgot about his album.
I hope that the twist to the happening is that the Funky Bunch is behind it all. They're just tired of living in Mark's shadow.
I'm super pumped that Night made the cause so accessable- I know that sometimes I just feel so lost and that I can't make enough of a difference. I love that he made his worries part of his art.
PS- I heard that John Leguizamo said "I love non-profits!" when told about CGG, and when Mark Wahlberg heard what it's about, said "God bless you."
NICE!