CELEBRITIES NEAR AND FAR DO THEIR PART TO BEAT COVID-19
AS millions around the world strive to take part in the #AloneTogether movement to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, celebrities near and far are helping to send the message out that the biggest contribution everyone can make is to stay at home.
Sunday just saw the country’s pair of major networks, ABS-CBN and GMA, raising funds for Filipinos whose daily wages have been put on hold by the Luzon-wide lockdown, but in every call the artistas make for donations, they also make a louder plea for everyone to stay home and be safe.
The same message is echoed by National Artist Ryan Cayabyab who ingeniously mounted “Bayanihan, Musikahan,” which goes on Facebook live nightly at 8 p.m. While entertaining enternetizens who are getting bored by the day from quarantine, his free concert series has also raised some P3 million as of this writing to help less fortunate Filipinos amid the crisis. Starting off singing out netizen’s requests himself, he has since guested the likes like of Ebe Dancel online with Zsa Z Zsa Padilla, Martin Nievera Nieve and Lea Salonga among amon others lined up in the following f days. The Maestro Maes has since made an OFfiCIAL OFfiC FB PAGE BAYANIHAN, Musikahan, Mus which“aims to promote p solidarity and entertainment ent among Filipinos Fili amid the coronavirus na ( COVID- 19) threat… th while rais(ing) fu funds for the most vulnerable n sectors at this time.” t
Farther away, besides Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, British heartthrob Iris Elba and his wife testing positive for Covid-19, “Game of Thrones” actor Kristofer Hivju, Olga Kurylenko, Italian actor Luca Franzese, Thai heartthrob Matthew Dean and 51 year old Asian-American actor Damiel Dae Kim are also among the infected.
Kim even went as far as talking about Asian racism and xenophobia in his 10-minute Instagram video where he said, “Please, please stop the prejudice and senseless violence against Asian people. Randomly beating elderly, sometimes homeless Asian-Americans is cowardly, heartbreaking and it’s inexcusable.” His call came amid reports from around the US that there have indeed been attacks recorded by police against Asians ever since the Covid- 19 pandemic began.
“Yes, I’m Asian. And yes, I have coronavirus. But I did not get it from
China, I got it in
America.
In New York City. Despite what certain political leaders want to call it, I don’t consider the place where it’s from as important as the people who are sick and dying. If I did, I would call this thing the ‘New York virus,’ but that would be silly, right?”
Other stars such as “Wonder Woman 1984” lead Gal Gadot rallied fellow personalities Kristen Wiig, Jimmy Fallon, Natalie Portman, Will Ferrell, Sia, Norah Jones, Chris O’Dowd and many more to create an uplifting version of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” “Hey guys . Day 6 in selfq u a r a n - tine. And I’ve got to say that these past few days got me feeli n g