WhatGives!? at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards
03
Feb
2010
by kerriebrynn
This weekend, I was backstage at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards collecting signatures from all the hottest celebs for the GRAMMY Charities Online Auction. As you can see from our Flickr photos, Joey Leslie and I had a blast!
All the items we gathered (and then some!) are up on eBay at www.eBay.com/GRAMMY, thanks to our friends over at Kompolt who worked extra hard to get them up right after the show for your bidding pleasure. I double dog dare you to bid on the Black Eyed Peas signed drumhead! Or how about the microphone P!nk marked her name on? If you really want a hot piece of celebrity keepsake, then how about that purple electric guitar signed by Lady Gaga? Remember, it’s all to support the GRAMMY Foundation and MusicCares!
Being backstage was an experience of a lifetime. What about you? What was your favorite performance of the GRAMMYs? Did you know that the GRAMMYs even had charities? Most importantly, which items are you going to bid on? 
Tell me in the comments!
Greetings from The GRAMMYs!
30
Jan
2010
by kerriebrynn
@kerriebrynn in front of the GRAMMY Charities - MusiCares & GRAMMY Foundation.
Hey, everyone! I just got back from day one of the GRAMMYs and had an amazing time. If you’re following me on Twitter (which you better be!) you can see that I’ve been overusing “omg!” and “wow!” like none other. But hey, I’ve got a reason to be excited. I’ve got full access to the GRAMMYs!
I got to hang out with the lovely ladies that volunteer for the GRAMMY Charities, and together we wrangled the celebs as they came through for signatures for the GRAMMY Charities’ Online Auction. Today, we a got lot of well known names in music — Green Day, Fergie, Lil Wayne, Fleetwood Mac, Andrea Bocelli, and more! Can you believe that? And the coolest part is that none of the musicians were snobby or annoyed with any of it. Most of them actually take the time to really make the signature special with a cool doodle or a nice sentence or two. They recognize the importance of supporting these two great causes, and it’s very refreshing to see first hand!
Keep up with me and give me witty comments on what I should say to the celebs, I’ll be posting throughout the weekend with more fun stuff from The GRAMMYS!
[ED NOTE: The GRAMMY Charities online auction is a project of StudioGood and Kompolt - part of our Causemedia Group.]
Making A Difference With Music – The GRAMMY Charities
17
Dec
2009
by kerriebrynn
MusiCares® provides assistance to those in need in the musical community while The GRAMMY Foundation® was created in 1989 to further the “understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture.” Together, these two wonderful organizations double the goodness to form The GRAMMY Charities.
The GRAMMY Charities are in the middle of one of their fantastic online auctions this week (check it out, it ends soon!), and the GRAMMY Awards are coming up January 31st, so Kristen Madsen, Senior Vice President of both the GRAMMY Charities is a very busy woman right now. Lucky for us, she took the time to fill us in on all that’s happening!
Kristen Madsen, Sr. Vice President of both the GRAMMY Foundation® and MusiCares®.
First of all, tell people about the VIP experiences you guys have up for auction right now, especially the chance to actually attend the GRAMMY Awards. Exciting!
Right now, we’re offering people a chance to bid on luxury packages to both the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on January 31st and our 20th annual MusiCares Person of the Year gala, which is held two nights before the GRAMMYs and this year honors Neil Young. Some of the fantastic musicians who will be performing on the tribute include, Jackson Browne, T Bone Burnett, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Sheryl Crow, Everest, Patty Griffin, Josh Groban, Elton John, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Lady Antebellum, k.d. lang, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Ozomatli, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Leon Russell, James Taylor, Wilco, and Host Jack Black.
The GRAMMY Charities run online auctions all year round, always with amazing VIP experiences and celebrity signed goodies up for bids. How do you guys always get the coolest stuff?
We are incredibly lucky to have developed a great network of support from the artist community for our programs. One of the easiest ways for them to give back is to open their closets, carve out time on their calendars for fan opportunities, or simply sign unique items for us to auction.
The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards are coming up. What are you looking forward to about the awards?
The GRAMMY Awards show is truly the greatest night in music. It’s a showcase that overflows with the most compelling music of the year. But one of the best moments that happens each year is off-camera, when an artist you would never expect to be sentimental arrives backstage, GRAMMY in hand, and gets emotional in his phone call home to mom. It happens every year.
What do you think it is about music & charity that bring people together?
Musicians are an amazingly philanthropic group of people. They are the first in line to use their craft as a way to help. Think about the billions of dollars that have been raised by mass concerts like Farm Aid and Live Aid combined with the extraordinary grass roots efforts undertaken by local musicians in small towns across America performing for local benefits, and you realize that musicians are incredibly generous and willing to help. Add to that the power of music itself is a healing agent that brings people together in times of need, and you have an undeniable force for good.
I genuinely agree with Kristin. Music uplifts and energizes us. It touches us emotionally and can bring us together no matter what other differences we might have. As a former (and proud!) choir geek, I especially appreciate all that the GRAMMY Charities are trying to do. Find out more about how you can help by visiting www.musicares.com or www.grammyfoundation.com.
