Valentine’s Day is all about hearts, and yesterday’s first annual “Love Rocks” concert, where U2 singer Bono received the “Heart of Entertainment” award for his philanthropic work, was no exception.
Several big name celebrities–including Tom Cruise, Kevin Spacey, Sean Penn, Ray Romano, Drew Carey, No Doubt, Lauryn Hilland R.E.M.–turned out at Hollywood’s Kodak Theater Thursday for the event, which benefited cardiovascular research.
During the concert, R.E.M. performed the ’60s classic “I Got You Babe,” and one of the song’s original performers, Cher, of Sonny & Cher, made a surprise visit to the stage for a duet with R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe. It was Cher‘s first time performing the song without Sonny.
Later, Bono joined R.E.M. on vocals as they performed U2 ballad “One.”
During the V-Day love fest, the compliments were flying. Stipe described Bono as a “singer, songwriter, statesman, fashion plate,” and Tom Cruise said of Bono, “[he] makes us all proud to be human.”
When he made his own speech, Bono challenged his celebrity audience to not only remember those who suffer in the world but to do something about it.
He also proudly dubbed himself “a thorn in the shoe” of President Bush’s administration for urging American legislators to alleviate poorer countries’ suffering.
Bono, whose given name is Paul Hewson, has been a political activist for the two decades that U2 has been in the musical limelight, working with groups like Greenpeace and Amnesty International and helping to increase public awareness of large-scale Third World tragedies like AIDS and debt.
Hollywood.com staffers Stephanie Marcucci and Leigh Johnson contributed to this story.
