Stars Align for 'We Are the World' Remake

By Sam Brand Posted Feb 2nd 2010 12:42AM

We are still the world if Quincy Jones and an all-star squad of contemporary music stars have anything to sing about it. On Monday, Jones, Lionel Richie and Wyclef assembled what appears to be the entire VIP section from Sunday night's Grammys to re-record the monster selling single ($63 Million in sales!). Can "We Are The World – 25 For Haiti" bring home that kind of bacon in the Internet Age? We are about to find out...

On Monday night, The Jonas Brothers, T-Pain, Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion, Kanye West, Brian Wilson and dozens of others showed up at Henson Recording Studios, the same studio where the original was recorded 25 years ago.

Last time, the cause was starvation in Africa, in particular the devastating Ethiopian famine of 1984-85. This time it's Haiti, where last month's earthquake killed nearly 200,000 and left as many as 1 million Haitians homeless.

And this time the world has Justin Bieber.

And Lil Wayne, Harry Connick, Jr., Snoop Dogg, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand (rumor has it she gets a solo), Josh Groban, Usher, and... Jeff Bridges?

Him too, and plenty of other A-listers whose voices will grace the music and whose faces will appear in a video, directed by Paul Haggis ('Crash,' 'In the Valley of Elah'), set to air on NBC during the Fri, Feb. 12 Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Nicole Richie tweeted her excitement. "I was 4 years old in a studio watching my dad record We Are The World, & today I get to do it again," she wrote Monday afternoon.

The elder Richie spent two weeks in 1985 at Michael Jackson's Encino estate penning the track with the King of Pop. Quincy Jones, who also has a famous daughter involved in the remake – Rashida Jones, produced the song along with Grammy-winning producer Michael Omartian.

As of 2009, 20 million copies of "We Are the World" have been sold, making it the best-selling single of all-time.

No Michael Jackson this time. No Kenny Loggins, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan or Paul Simon either.

At least that's the word as of now. Several stand-ins were present at Monday's shoot whose silhouettes will reportedly be replaced by famous counterparts in post-production.

Could it be original supergroup members Bette Middler, Dan Akroyd and Cyndi Lauper getting a 21st century encore?

We think not.

Comments

(47)

Tuesday 16 February

By India

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I for one is not liking the new idea of the version of we are the world ... I understand they are trying to raise money fo Haiti cool find another way .... or just make a total different song for haiti .. leave the old version the way it was .... adding rapper and all these non talented singer is just crap ... Ray charles and Michael Jackson and other that died made that song for what it is today this is just just plain wrong in my opinion

Saturday 06 February

By WTF

where is britney, madonna, maraih carrey, beyonce ,alicia keys, jay z,justin timberlake,whitney houstan,lady caca,taylor swift,carrey underwood,eminem and even prince!!!!!!!!!!!!where are you people!!!!!!!!!!!!your good enough to show up to grammys but not haiti fund raiser?????????the list of celebs is worse then dog poo!!!!!!!1NICHOLE RICTHIE OMFG!!JUSTIN BEEVER, washed up tony braxton thats the best you can doo??????please get them off the embarrasment train now!!!!!!!!

Saturday 13 February

By scott

We Are The World Remake is going to suck A@# they choice the worst singers to be in it, Justin Bieber start off the song. They gave this boy a solo and he been fames for what a few months. They have Miley Cyrus, the Jonas brothers, Lady Gaga and Snoop Dogg for god sake. Don’t get me started Lil Wayne, T-Pain in it to. I this the best they could fine why did they get all the B and C list singer where are the A list singer. Did they not ask or what Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie sad just sad I am DISGUSTED

Friday 12 February

By John N.

I would donate to Haiti, many times over before I bought this song. Horrible and terrible song, out of sync with the video and the producers made a point of not including anyone from the original. Why was Michael Jackson in the video, he is gone, you can stop adding him into everything.

We Are the World Remake is going to suck A@# they choice the worst singers to be in it, Justin Bieber start off the song. They gave this boy a solo and he been fames for what a few months. They have Miley Cyrus, the Jonas brothers, Lady Gaga and Snoop Dogg for god sake. Don’t get me started Lil Wayne, T-Pain in it to. Is this the best they could fine why did they get all the B and C list singer where are the A list singer. Did they not ask or what Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie sad just sad I am DISGUSTED with this train wreck.

Friday 19 February

By Banana

didnt care for the remake but loved seeing 3T it was nice for them to be involved in something like that

Friday 26 February

By mackenzie

who was the little kid in the front in the blue singing

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