Bradley Cooper was announced Thursday as an executive producer of a Sept. 9 star-studded telethon to support collaborative cancer research efforts funded by Stand Up To Cancer, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.
“No one is ever fully prepared to deal with the overwhelming and complex journey that comes with a cancer diagnosis,” said the Academy Award- nominated actor, who lost his father, Charles Cooper, to lung cancer in 2011.
“Stand Up To Cancer works tirelessly to support those at the forefront of the fight against cancer,” he said. “SU2C’s mission, to ensure that all cancer patients become cancer survivors, is one that is very close to my heart. I am proud to join forces to make this vision a reality and to be part of this movement that is dedicated to getting lifesaving treatments to cancer patients faster.”
The biennial telecast will broadcast live from the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, with additional stars and performers to be announced in the coming weeks.
ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC are donating one hour of simultaneous commercial- free primetime for the telecast, along with a host of cable networks, including Bravo, Comedy Central, Discovery Life, HBO, MLB Network, National Geographic, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, STARZ, TBS, VH1 and WGN America.
In addition, the show will stream live on Yahoo and MLB.com, and will be available on Hulu.
Since it was launchd in 2008, more than $370 million has been pledged to support Stand Up To Cancer’s collaborative cancer research model, according to the EIF.
Organizers say SU2C has brought together more than 1,100 research scientists from 131 institutions in seven countries to work together on 19 “Dream Teams” and six Translational Research Teams, and has also funded 36 early-career scientists carrying out high-risk, potentially high-reward projects.
SU2C-funded researchers have planned, launched or completed more than 160 clinical trials involving over 8,000 patients, and work by SU2C-supported researchers has led to FDA approval of two treatments, according to the EIF.
“Stand Up To Cancer has come so far since 2008,” said SU2C co-founder Katie Couric, who will also participate in the telecast. “This effort has shown the true power of teamwork.
“I am so grateful for the continued support of the entertainment community, companies, organizations, our nonprofit collaborators and everyday people who have been touched by this disease, just as I have been,” she said. “Thanks to their commitment, compassion and generosity, scientists are developing more effective therapies for so many cancer patients.”
The first four SU2C telecasts took place on Sept. 5, 2008, Sept. 10, 2010, Sept. 7, 2012, and Sept. 5, 2014, and were made available to more than 190 countries. The first Canadian-inclusive SU2C telecast aired in 2014.
— Wire reports