Hope for Haiti telethon raises $80m

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PLEASE HELP: George Clooney appears during the Hope For Haiti Now telethon in Los Angeles.

SINGER OF SONGS: Justin Timberlake performs during the Hope For Haiti Now telethon in Los Angeles.

REDEMPTION SONG: Christina Aguilera performs during the Hope For Haiti Now telethon in Los Angeles.

NO LAUGHING MATTER: Muhammad Ali and comedian Chris Rock appear during the Hope For Haiti Now telethon in Los Angeles.

PLEA FOR HELP: Madonna performs at the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief in New York.

HELLO? Mel Gibson mans the phones during the Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief.

PERSONAL PLEA: Shakira performs during the Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief.

PLEASE PICK UP: Rose McGowan waits to answer the phone in the Hope For Haiti Now telethon in Los Angeles.

GENTLE PLEA: Sting performs at the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief.

I'M YOUR FRIEND: Jennifer Aniston mans the phones during the Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief.

BLIND FAITH: Stevie Wonder performs at the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief.

WINNING SMILES: Cindy Crawford, Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts wait to answer phones during the Hope For Haiti Now telethon in Los Angeles.

PHONE BANKING: Celebrities work on the phone bank during the Hope for Haiti Now telethon in Los Angeles.

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Haiti relief effort

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The Hope for Haiti Now telethon, led by George Clooney and Haiti-born rapper Wyclef Jean, raised more than US$57 million (NZ$80m) for relief to the earthquake-ravaged country.

Organisers called it a record for public donations in a disaster relief telethon, and said the figures were still "preliminary" as they exclude donations by corporations and large private donors and sales figures on website iTunes.

Organisers said the Hope for Haiti Now album was the biggest one-day album pre-order in iTunes history and was currently No. 1 on iTunes' album chart in 18 countries.

The two-hour telethon featured more than 100 celebrities singing songs, telling tales of loss and survival in Haiti and taking donations by phone. It was broadcast on television networks around the world, online and on mobile carriers.

Singer Alicia Keys kicked off the benefit singing Prelude to a Kiss. US rapper Jay-Z debuted a song with U2's Bono and The Edge, and R&B artist Beyonce sang her Halo with Coldplay's Chris Martin on piano.

Actors including Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington and Nicole Kidman told stories of Haitians who had survived and heroic tales of rescue efforts.

Proceeds will be split among relief organizations including the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the UN World Food Program, Oxfam America, the Red Cross, UNICEF and Yele Haiti Foundation.

The January 12, magnitude-7 quake killed up to 200,000 people, Haitian authorities said, and left up to 3 million people hurt or homeless and clamoring for medical assistance, food and water in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.

- Reuters