Stars sign for Katrina aid

2006-02-08 11:12

Jackson - How much would you pay for a hat signed by Darth Vader?

Mississippi Magazine is hoping a lot.

The publication kicks off its Hats of Hope fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina relief on Tuesday by auctioning off celebrity-signed baseball caps on eBay. Among the signatures is the voice of Darth Vader, Mississippi native James Earl Jones.

After the hurricane, editor Kelli Bozeman said the staff wanted to find a way to help raise money for people in need, using the magazine's circulation of 40 000 across the United States. Bozeman said the idea for the celebrity signed hats came from editorial director Patty Roper.

"We hope to get as much money as possible to help rebuild the coast because it is such an important cause right now," said Bozeman.

Star-studded concert

The khaki-coloured caps feature a red heart with a black Mississippi logo. Hats without celebrity signatures can be purchased from the magazine for $15m.

Proceeds go to the Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund started by governor Haley Barbour.

Besides Jones, fellow Mississippi natives LeAnn Rimes, Sela Ward, Steve Azar and Mary Ann Mobley have signed caps for the cause.

Ward attended the star-studded benefit concert Mississippi Rising in Oxford, Mississippi, this past October. Proceeds from that event helped raise an excess of $15m for the Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund.

Bozeman said several celebrities who participated in the Oxford event also agreed to sign caps. Though the hats were not signed at the event, "Rising" organisers helped Bozeman track down celebrities, including the event's host and Tallahatchie county resident Morgan Freeman.

String of celebrities signing

"Mississippi is my home. I didn't choose her, she chose me," Freeman said, while hosting the event.

Other celebrities signing caps include: George Clooney, Jay Leno, Rush Limbaugh, baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, Nascar champion Bobby Allison, Trading Spaces co-star Laurie Smith, Kathy Ireland, Debbie Allen, Marilu Henner, Gary Collins, Deidre Hall, Peter Reckell and Edsel Ford 2.

Government leaders lending their signatures for the cause include Barbour, US senator Thad Cochran and Trent Lott, US republican Bennie Thompson, Chip Pickering, Gene Taylor and Roger Wicker, Jackson Mayor Frank Melton and former Mississippi first lady Pat Fordice.

The auction runs until February 14.

- AP