NEIL PATRICK HARRIS AND DUA LIPA
JOIN ELTON JOHN AND DAVID FURNISH FOR
THE 29TH ANNUAL ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION
ACADEMY AWARDS VIEWING PARTY
For the first time, the famed Oscar
party will be held virtually and kick off
with a Pre-Show Special open to supporters
LOS ANGELES, March 22, 2021 – The 29th annual
Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Pre- Party
will be hosted by Emmy® and Tony Award®-winning actor
and New York Times bestselling author Neil
Patrick Harris alongside Sir Elton John and David
Furnish, with a stripped back performance by GRAMMY®
Award-winning artist Dua Lipa for the virtual event on
April 25, 2021, plus other names to be announced. For
the first time, Foundation supporters worldwide are
invited to attend the famed Oscar party by joining a
60-minute Pre-Show Special produced by Fulwell 73 at
Rosewood London. Tickets for the Pre-Show are currently
on sale via Ticketmaster. The Pre-Party Special will be
powered by Cisco Webex to
securely bring the event live to audiences.
'This year, we are bringing our Oscar
Party into people’s homes for the first time virtually
for an unforgettable evening with David (Furnish),
myself, our dear friend Neil Patrick Harris and the
incredible Dua Lipa plus many fabulous surprise names,'
says Sir Elton John, Founder, Elton John AIDS
Foundation. 'Now more than ever, we need to ensure that
one pandemic does not override another, and we cannot
forget the 38 million people living with HIV globally
who need our care, love and support so we hope everyone
joins us for this special one of a kind Oscar
Pre-Party.'
Since the annual event’s inception in
1992, The Academy Awards Viewing Party has supported the
Elton John AIDS Foundation's efforts to raise millions
for their lifesaving work. With its presence across four
continents, the Foundation is committed to overcome the
stigma, discrimination and neglect that keeps us from
ending AIDS.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected
everyone in unimaginable ways, but the Foundation is
committed to ensure that one pandemic does not override
another. UNAIDS estimates that there will be an extra
half a million deaths from AIDS this year alone in
sub-Saharan Africa due to service disruptions as a
result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the
Foundation will raise money for young people at risk and
living with HIV all over the world. This age group are
smart and savvy and require health care services and
support in different ways than adults do, and the
Foundation will work to ensure that services are
accessible on the platforms that are best suited to
young people. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world
to explore many modes of virtual health care and we need
to ensure that this continues in a digital era to serve
young people affected by HIV.
To bring the event globally, the
Pre-Party Special will be hosted four times to meet the
different time zones of a region’s broadcast of the
Oscars: 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET on April 25 in the U.S.; 7 PM
GMT on April 26 in the U.K.; 7 PM AEST on April 26 in
Australia and New Zealand; and an optional repeat at 7
PM PT on April 26 in the U.S. Each Special per region is
possible to host up to 100,000 attendees through Webex.
This means 400,000 supporters of the Elton John AIDS
Foundation and entertainment fans worldwide will be able
to enjoy the Special for a great cause.
“It’s such an honour to be a part of one
of the most iconic Oscar Parties and I’m really proud to
support the Elton John AIDS Foundation to help tackle
the stigma that exists around HIV as we need to build a
kinder and more accepting world together. And to share
the stage with Elton John will be a dream come true!”
says Dua Lipa.
'Young people represent 25 percent of the
world’s population but are disproportionately affected
by HIV making up 36 percent of new infections,' says
Anne Aslett, CEO of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. 'For
the first time ever, this year, the Elton John AIDS
Foundation’s Academy Awards Viewing Party will be a
special virtual ticketed show and we’ll bring the Party
to your home. Just like the COVID-19 pandemic has forced
the world to explore virtual events, it’s also forced us
to explore many modes of innovative virtual health care
to serve youth affected by HIV so this year, we’re
raising funds to support young people at risk and living
with HIV all over the world so we can continue the best
care suited to youth in this digital era.’
‘We’re honored to partner with this
legendary Foundation which has always been a leader in
addressing inclusion issues such as access to HIV
healthcare, treatment, and research for vulnerable
populations,’ said Jeetu
Patel, Cisco’s Senior Vice President and General
Manager, Security and Collaboration.
‘With the Pre-show Special, we’re proud to be the bridge
for the event taking place online for the very first
time to host more audiences than ever before.
This includes Webex helping to scale up to the
Foundation's goal of reaching 400x
more people this year to advance the Foundation’s
efforts to end AIDS.’
‘The young people affected by HIV today
have already lost parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts
to HIV over the past decade. Now they face the twin
threats of HIV and COVID-19 for their generation. We
need to prevent this catastrophe so that young people
are equipped to deal with the huge challenges that lie
ahead,’ says David Furnish, Chairman of the Elton John
AIDS Foundation.
‘I've always been a huge supporter of the
Elton John AIDS Foundation and could not be more honored
to host this year's virtual gala with my close friends
Elton and David,' says Neil Patrick Harris. 'Coming off
the back of working on ‘It’s a Sin’ about the AIDS
epidemic in the 80s, this cause resonates more deeply
with me than ever. The tireless work done by the
Foundation to help end the AIDS epidemic is incredibly
inspiring, and I'm proud to have a small part in the
effort to continue raising awareness for the movement.'
The 29th annual Elton John
AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party is
supported by Rosewood London.
Global pop superstar Dua Lipa firmly
solidified her position as both a critical success and
top radio performer when she released her GRAMMY®
Award-winning #1 UK sophomore album Future Nostalgia in
2020 to worldwide acclaim. The album was the follow up
to her eponymous 2017 debut, which is certified
platinum, spawned 6 platinum tracks, and made Dua the
first female artist in Brit Awards history to pick up
five nominations, with two wins for British Breakthrough
Act and British Female Solo Artist. Future Nostalgia
landed on the year-end “Best Of” lists of everyone from
Rolling Stone and Billboard, to the New York Times and
Pitchfork. It is certified platinum in the US & UK and
spawned multiple worldwide hit singles including the #1
hits “Break My Heart” and US 3x platinum lead single
“Don’t Start Now,” which broke her personal best record
of weeks at #1 at US Top 40 radio. In addition to
breaking radio records, Dua is also a dominate force on
streaming platforms, topping Spotify’s artist chart as
the most streamed female artist on the platform and is
currently the second biggest artist overall with over 60
million monthly listeners. Future Nostalgia now has 7
billion streams across all platforms worldwide. Dua
received 6 nominations at the 2021 GRAMMY® Awards,
including Record, Song and Album of the Year. She is now
a three-time GRAMMY® winner, having received awards for
Best Pop Vocal Album this year and for Best New Artist
and Best Dance Recording in 2019.
Fans can purchase tickets to the Oscar
Pre-Show special for $19.99 via Ticketmaster at https://shops.ticketmasterpartners.com/elton-john-aids-foundation.
Please visit www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org for
additional information.
###
Follow the Elton John AIDS Foundation:
Facebook: @EltonJohnAIDSFoundation
Twitter: @ejaf
Instagram: @ejaf
TikTok: @eltonjohnaidsfoundation
About The Elton John AIDS Foundation:
The Elton John AIDS Foundation was
established in 1992 and is one of the leading
independent AIDS organisations in the world. The
Foundation’s mission is simple: an end to the AIDS
epidemic. With the mobilisation of our network of
generous supporters and partners, we fund local experts
across four continents to challenge discrimination,
prevent infections and provide treatment as well as
influencing governments to end AIDS. www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org
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About Fulwell 73:
Fulwell 73, set up in 2005 by lifelong
friends Ben Winston, Leo Pearlman, Ben Turner and Gabe
Turner, strives to make top-quality television and film
productions. In January 2017 it was announced that James
Corden would be joining the company with immediate
effect as a fifth full partner.
The company first came to the public’s
attention in September 2007 with the release of its
debut feature In the Hands of the Gods (Lionsgate).
Since then Fulwell’s theatrical film
releases include: the most successful sports documentary
of all time, The Class of 92 (Universal
Pictures); the huge box office hit One Direction 3D:
This is Us (Sony/Columbia), I Am Bolt (Universal) and
critically acclaimed and award winning independent
features such as The Guvnors (Metrodome). Fulwell
is currently in production on their first studio feature
film Cinderella for Sony Pictures, based on an
original idea from James Corden, written and directed by
Kay Cannon, starring Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel, Billy
Porter, Pierce Brosnan and many more.
Recent television productions include Sunderland ‘Til
I Die for Netflix, Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer and Jack
Whitehall’s Sporting Nation for BBC, Quibi’s Cup
of Joe, the hit documentary Bros: After the
Screaming Stops for BBC, Carpool Karaoke: The
Series for Apple, Auschwitz Untold: In Colour for
Channel 4 and the hit Gavin & Stacey Christmas
Special for BBC One. It is also the producer of
multi Emmy and Critics Choice award winning, The
Late Late Show with James Corden, with CBS
Television Studios.
About Rosewood London:
Rosewood London, centrally located in the
heart of London on High Holborn and housed in the
original headquarters of the Pearl Assurance Company,
showcases a sensitive renovation of the 1914 Edwardian,
Grade II-listed building. Combining English heritage
with contemporary sophistication, the retained Belle Époque
architectural features include the original carriageway
entrance to the grand courtyard and a spectacular
Pavonazzo marble staircase, which rises over seven
storeys. The hotel has the feel of a stylish London
residence and houses 263 guestrooms and 45 suites
including the Grand Manor House Wing, an exclusive
seven-bedroom suite with its very own postcode. Tony Chi
and Associates created the interiors of the public areas
including 11 event spaces and the Mirror Room, serving
elegant, innovative cuisine and afternoon tea. The
Martin Brudnizki-designed Holborn Dining Room and
year-round outdoor terrace offer British classics with a
twist whilst Scarfes Bar serves creative cocktails
alongside live jazz.
For more information: rosewoodhotels.com/London
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