More celebs get soaked for ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
As the donations keep pouring in, so, too, do the number of celebrities accepting the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
Like the rest of the world, Hollywood has been gripped lately by the recent online craze, which aims to increase public awareness while raising funds to help combat the debilitating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease.
There's been debate by some about the effectiveness of the charitable campaign, but the numbers tend to shed some light on the cause's impact.
The ALS Association says it has received nearly $23 million in public donations over the last three weeks because of the challenge. The association received just $1.9 million during the same period last year.
"Our top priority right now is acknowledging all the gifts made by donors to the ALS Association," said Barbara Newhouse, President and CEO of The ALS Association, in a statement to the press. "We want to be the best stewards of this incredible influx of support. To do that, we need to be strategic in our decision making as to how the funds will be spent so that when people look back on this event in ten and twenty years, the Ice Bucket Challenge will be seen as a real game-changer for ALS," she added.
Undoubtedly, endorsements from stars like Tom Cruise have helped add to the cause.
Cruise took part in the challenge with his "Mission Impossible 5" director Christopher McQuarrie. Like almost every other celebrity, perhaps with the exception of Charlie Sheen, Cruise didn't reveal the exact monetary amount he was planning to give, but he did say that his donation was on behalf of the entire cast and crew of his latest action flick so it should be a substantial sum:
"The Office" star John Krasinski shocked wife, Emily Blunt, in one of the more hysterical ice bucket videos:
"Modern Family" star Jesse Tyler Ferguson took a page from Charlie Sheen and got to the point in his clip:
Funnyman Kevin Hart let an expletive slip when he went under the bucket:
One of Hart's nominees was LeBron James, who took part in the challenge along with many other famous athletes like Kobe Bryant, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, who caused quite a stir with his skimpy attire, or lack thereof:
Musicians such as Keith Urban, Ricky Martin and Michael Buble are also joining the cause:
Members of the hip-hop community have been getting the ice, and we're not talking about expensive jewelry:
Even supermodels are getting their hair wet. Take Gisele Bundchen, who Forbes recently listed as the world's highest paid model:
More and more stars from CBS are taking part, including "Two and a Half Men" star Jon Cryer, "2 Broke Girls" actress Beth Behrs and CBS News' very own Bob Schieffer:
One-time heads of state haven't been able to resist the challenge. Former President George W. Bush was doused by wife and former first lady Laura Bush, before writing out a check for an untold sum to the ALS Association. Bush also encouraged his presidential predecessor Bill Clinton to take the challenge. We'll see if he accepts.
Find out more about the ALS Association here.
