President Obama is turning to a handful of Hollywood stars to judge a contest that asks grassroots supporters to create a television commercial promoting health care reform.

Musician Will.I.Am, actor John Cho, actress Rosario Dawson, actor Dulé Hill, “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, actor Brandon Routh, actress Kate Walsh and actress Olivia Wilde will join Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, DNC Executive Director Jen O’Malley Dillon, Rep. Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe and volunteers in helping to pick the 30-second commercial that will air nationally, a DNC official tells CNN.

The contest is being run by Obama’s political arm – Organizing for America – which is housed at DNC headquarters in Washington, DC. It is the latest effort by the president’s political team to try and enlist the grassroots to help pressure Congress to pass health care reform this year.

“We know that compelling videos can touch people in a way that words alone simply cannot,” Natalie Foster, OFA’s new media director, said in an e-mail announcing the contest last week. “The messages that regular people put together will make a bigger difference than any false smears or slick ads the other side can dream up. And who knows — your creative, powerful, or touching video could help tip the balance in favor of health reform.”

OFA will officially announce the names of the judges late Wednesday morning. The contest ends October 18.

From CNN

Americans for the Arts, the leading organization for advancing the arts in America, announces recipients of the 2009 National Arts Awards. The annual awards recognize those artists and arts leaders who exhibit exemplary national leadership and whose work demonstrates extraordinary artistic achievement. They are organizations and individuals—artists, business leaders, and patrons—who understand that the arts enrich people and communities alike.

This year, the following will be honored:

Robert Redford, Lifetime Achievement Award
Salman Rushdie, Kitty Carlisle Hart Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts
Ed Ruscha, Artistic Excellence Award
Sidney Harman, Frederick R. Weisman Award for Philanthropy in the Arts
Rosario Dawson, Young Artist Award for Artistic Excellence
Anne Finucane, Bank of America, Corporate Citizenship in the Arts Award

Rosario Dawson, Young Artist Award for Artistic Excellence
As a critically-acclaimed actress, producer, and co-founder of the nonprofit organization Voto Latino, Rosario Dawson is making both meaningful art and a lasting difference. Discovered as a teenager and cast in the controversial hit Kids, Ms. Dawson has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most sought after leading ladies, yet remains a dedicated advocate for young people. She recently starred in Eagle Eye, Grindhouse, Rent, Seven Pounds, and Sin City. In 2004, she co-founded Voto Latino, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to increase American Latino youth civic participation by both increasing voter turnout and political involvement among this group.

From Art Daily

This week, the Environmental Media Association’s Young Hollywood Board is putting on the gloves and digging deep in support of organic gardening in Los Angeles-area schools. Celebs on the Board, including Nicole Richie, Lance Bass, Rosario Dawson, members of Maroon 5, Amy Smart, Matthew Rhys, Emily VanCamp and Emmanuelle Chriqui, will each adopt an area school, help with the planting, and check in with their gardens during the school year, explains People.

The project is the product of a newly-formed partnership between the EMA and the Los Angeles Unified School District’s School Gardens program, and personal care brand Yes To Inc. The launch event is scheduled for tomorrow morning at Hollywood’s Helen Bernstein High School, and the program will take root over the next several months.

Just how much dirt Richie et al will actually get under their fingernails remains to be seen, but Bass for one is pretty stoked: “Organic gardens are so important, especially in urban areas where many students would otherwise never see any greenery. I hope that the support will help them to grow and flourish in Los Angeles.”

From LAist

Rosario has joined up with Coach to sell the bag of her and 20% of the proceeds from the sale of that bag will go to Rosario’s charity of choice. You can go to Coach.com and just select Rosario’s picture from the thumbnails. Once you do, you’ll see more information about her charity, as well her bag of choice. Check it out and buy a bag while you’re at it!

Perez Hilton posted a new entry from the set of a new PSA shoot for Voto Latino. Rosario, Wilmer Valderrama and Perez will be in the PSA together. Check out Perez’s recap below:

We had to tear Perez away from blogging on Saturday but for a very good cause!

We spent the morning and afternoon with Rosario Dawson and Wilmer Valderrama shooting a Public Service Announcement for Voto Latino.

Now that, hopefully, everyone is registered to vote, we just want to stress the importance of actually getting out there and voting, whether that be on Election Day, by absentee ballot or via the 10 states that allow early voting.

We had so much fun shooting the PSA.

Yes, Perez is playing a priest.

Dios mio!!!!!!

There’s song. There’s dance. And, there’s a really good message.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson were among the celebrities who celebrated the 10th anniversary of V-Day, a global effort to end violence against women and girls.

Alba, who made her stage debut performing Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues,” offered a poem at a private luncheon Thursday sponsored by Glamour magazine. But first the 26-year-old actress warned that she was “popping out” of her dress.

“If you guys don’t know, I’m pregnant,” Alba said as her fiance, producer Cash Warren, beamed. “You’re all women. I think you understand your breasts are engorged and your stomach is getting bigger by the second.”

Ensler founded V-Day, which now reaches 119 countries and has raised $50 million to increase awareness about violence against women.

“It literally started from one woman’s voice … and it’s exponentially grown,” Dawson, 28, said. “It’s about embracing being a female and reclaiming that.”

Dawson, who is a V-Day board member, performed a poem about New Orleans, calling it “the vagina of America.”

Katie Holmes, Val Kilmer, Kerry Washington, Ali Larter, Gina Gershon, Judith Light and Jennifer Beals also attended the event. Cindi Leive, editor in chief of Glamour magazine, said last year’s V-Day luncheon raised over $200,000.

Holmes said her friend Paula Wagner — a longtime business partner of Holmes’ husband, Tom Cruise — inspired her to become a part of V-Day.

“It’s important for women to support each other and communicate with each other and be each other’s friends,” the 29-year-old Holmes said. “We should be working on stopping violence for people, for everyone.”
On the Net:

* V-Day: http://www.vday.org

From the Associated Press

I just saw a commercial for the 2007 ALMA awards, and they announced Rosario as a presenter! Make sure you check out the award show, live on ABC June 5, 2007!

If you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s like to walk a mile in a celebrity’s shoes, now’s your chance. Piperlime, a fresh online shoe shop from Gap Inc, today announced that it will host an online celebrity shoe auction to benefit its exclusive charitable partner, Soles4Souls.Piperlime worked with dozens of Hollywood’s hottest celebrities to autograph and donate their fabulous footwear for the auction, which can be accessed online at Ebay.Com/PiperlimeBidding begins Thursday, May 3 and concludes on Monday, May 14.The auction features new and gently-used shoes donated by nearly 30 influential celebrities and athletes, including Lucy Liu, Jessica Simpson, Mischa Barton, Rosario Dawson