Nine reveals details of tonight’s bushfires telethon spectacular
The Nine Network has revealed details of tonight’s live Australia Unites telethon for the bushfires appeal – which appears set to be one of the most significant nights of the TV year.
The show, which begins at 7.30pm and runs for the whole evening, will feature Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Victoria’s Premier John Brumby, along with the Australian cricket team
In also includes A-list celebrities such as Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban; radio stars Hamish and Andy, and Merrick and Rosso; models Miranda Kerr and Megan Gale; TV talents including Rove McManus, Dave Hughes, Kate Ritchie, Ben Mendelsohn, Molly Meldrum and Magda Szubanski.
In a sign of the event’s significance, some of those stars would normally never appear on Nine. Rove McManus hosts his Sunday evening chat show on rival network Ten, for instance.
Sports stars taking part include cricker Shane Warne; Olympic gold medallists Cathy Freeman, Liesel Jones and Grant Hackett; AFL premiership players Chris Judd and Shane Crawford; Melbourne Storm star Billy Slater; Fatty Vautin and Matty Johns of the NRL Footy Show; AFL legend Ron Barassi; tennis player Mark Philippoussis; V8 champs Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander; and Bali bombing survivor and former AFL player, Jason McCartney.
Performers include The Living End, Jessica Mauboy, Colin Hay (Men At Work), Jimmy Barnes, Lee Kernaghan, Shannon Noll, Kate Ceberano, John Williamson and Angry Anderson.
Eddie McGuire will host the coverage from Channel Nine’s Melbourne studios. Lisa Wilkinson, Karl Stefanovic, Tony Jones, Tracy Grimshaw and Leila McKinnon will be on location.
Nine CEO David Gyngell said: “”The sports and entertainment industries have a fine tradition of pulling together when needed, but the level of support for Australia Unites is unprecedented and we thank everyone for their involvement.”
Mumbrella understands that the Nine network will announce its own donation to the disaster appeal during the live show.
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