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KATRINA BITS: Game to auction Bentley; ‘ReAct’ downloads; Paramount Parks free passes; Martin launches relief fund; NASCAR holds auction; Bush speech; NBC in N.O. full time.
*The Game will auction off his 2005 customized Bentley Continental GT to raise money for victims of the hurricane. The Compton rapper received the car, valued at over $225,000, as a bonus from high-end car customization company 310 Motoring as part of their sneaker deal with the artist. The shoe, scheduled to be in stores in December, is ironically named "Hurricane." The Bentley will be up for bid at Morgan Freeman's Charity Folks online auction until Wednesday. As of press time, the latest bid was $160,000. Proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross. To view the lots, click here: http://www01.charityfolks.com/charity_auctions_RC_Katrina.asp.
*Live performance tracks from MTV Networks’ "ReAct Now: Music and Relief" telethon to assist Katrina victims are available for purchase across several online music retailers to raise funds for The American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. RealNetworks, Rhapsody, Sony Connect, and Cdigix, FYE and Virgin Digital through MusicNet will provide 26 audio downloads from the Sept. 10 concert, including performances from David Banner ("Cadillacs on 22s"), Maroon 5 ("Don't Let Me Down") and the Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Under the Bridge"). Songs are available for download at the following services: http://www.cdigix.com, http://www.connect.com, http://www.fye.com, http://www.music.msn.com, http://www.real.com/katrina, http://www.rhapsody.com and http://www.virgindigital.com.
*Paramount Parks will offer free admission to the displaced residents of the states devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Effective immediately, residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama will be admitted free of charge to the company's theme parks near Cincinnati, Ohio, Charlotte, N.C., Richmond, Va., Santa Clara, Calif. and Toronto, Ontario in Canada. The offer is valid on any public operating day through the parks' regular 2005 operating seasons. To receive free admission and free parking, residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama must show proof of residency (i.e. valid driver's license, state issued ID card). In addition, host families who are helping hurricane evacuees qualify for a $20 discount on park admission as long as they visit the park with a resident of Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama.
*On Thursday and Friday, Ricky Martin held a collection drive for victims of the hurricane via his charity, Banco Popular. Diapers, clothes and educational toys were donated at various Banco Popular branches to be distributed by the Salvation Army to relief centers in Texas and other areas affected by the hurricane. Martin's also launching the Life for the Katrina Children Relief Fund, with some seed money from Banco Popular, to help organizations give aid to children who survive emergency situations, reports MTV.
*NASCAR teams, drivers and sponsors donated rare, collectible memorabilia for an auction at Overstock.com to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The 10-day auction, ending next Monday, will benefit the American Red Cross and Salvation Army. Sponsored by Race Day Charities, donations came in from champion race car drivers Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Tony Pedregon and Martin Truex Jr. and rock bands, Nickelback and 3 Doors Down, who were born, raised and live in the hurricane-stricken region of Southern Mississippi. The Race Day Charities auctions may be viewed at http://auctions.overstock.com.
*More than 39 million people watched President Bush's address to the nation from Louisiana on Thursday. The speech, carried on the broadcast networks as well as cable channels, averaged 36 million viewers between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., according to Nielsen Media Research. An additional 3.6 million viewers watched the Spanish-language version on Telemundo and Univision, Nielsen said. CBS’ coverage was the most-watched with 11.7 million viewers – thanks to the season premiere of its lead in, “Survivor: Guatamala,” which easily won the night despite earning its lowest numbers for a season premiere since the show’s initial outing.
*NBC News has established a full-time New Orleans bureau to follow the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. NBC News' Atlanta bureau chief Frieda Morris will move over to New Orleans, and a deputy will take over the Southeast bureau, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Martin Savidge will be the first correspondent assigned to the bureau full time; others, including investigative correspondent Lisa Myers, also will report from the city.
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