Stars announce Stand Up to Cancer Canada, to air on CBC
Dan Aykroyd, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Kyle MacLachlan open up at launch in Toronto
Actors Dan Aykroyd, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Kyle MacLachlan were in Toronto to help announce the upcoming Stand Up to Cancer Canada broadcast special.
CBC is joining forces with dozens of Canadian and U.S. broadcasters this fall to simultaneously air the star-studded cancer research telecast from Hollywood and — for the first time — Toronto.
The telecast, called Stand Up to Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada), airs Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, featuring well-known faces from the entertainment world in a special hour of commercial-free programming.
The full list of attending celebrities will be released closer to the event, but veteran Canadian comedian Dan Aykroyd promised it would be fun.
"We are putting on a show and it's going to be big," Aykroyd exclaimed.
Along with Ferguson and MacLachlan, Aykroyd is an SU2C celebrity ambassador.
Each man shared their personal reasons for getting involved at the official announcement at the MaRS research facility in downtown Toronto.
Ferguson’s husband, Justin, had Hodgkin’s lymphoma and has been cancer-free since 2000. MacLachlan lost his mother to ovarian cancer in 1986.
Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Emmy-winning producer Joel Gallen are signed on to executive produce the Hollywood broadcast.
Three previous SU2C television specials in the U.S. drew an extraordinary lineup of actors, recording artists and athletes, raising $261 million US for cancer research.
Stand Up To Cancer Canada
All funds pledged to SU2C by Canadians will be directed to fund the creation of Canadian-led research teams and awareness programs.
This year's telecast will feature cutaways to a live event in Toronto with film stars attending the Toronto International Film Festival.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada; two out of five Canadians are expected to develop cancer in their lifetimes.
"CBC is privileged to participate in an event that encourages our country to band together to fight this disease, which affects so many Canadians," said Sally Catto, general manager of programming for CBC Television.
Major Canadian organizations including Genome Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research are already collaborating with SU2C Canada to support cancer research and awareness.in the country.