Jay Leno Raises $100,000 in Gulf Aid
Late-night host Jay Leno brought comedy and cash to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to help the area recover from the BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
More than 1,000 people watched Leno perform Saturday night at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi to raise money for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Tickets were $40 to $150.
At the end of the show, Leno presented an oversized check for $90,336 to foundation president Rich Westfall. Leno chipped in some of his own money, topping off the evening's fundraising total at about $100,000.
Leno is among several celebrities to come to the aid of the Gulf coast, which is losing a large share of its annual tourism money this summer.
Earlier this summer, Jimmy Buffett held a free concrt in Alabama, attended by tens of thousands of people dressed in Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats.
Two weeks ago, President Obama and his family spent a weekiend vacationing on the Florida Panhandle, even swimming in the Gulf to show others how safe it is.
CBS/ AP More than 1,000 people watched Leno perform Saturday night at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi to raise money for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Tickets were $40 to $150.
At the end of the show, Leno presented an oversized check for $90,336 to foundation president Rich Westfall. Leno chipped in some of his own money, topping off the evening's fundraising total at about $100,000.
Leno is among several celebrities to come to the aid of the Gulf coast, which is losing a large share of its annual tourism money this summer.
Earlier this summer, Jimmy Buffett held a free concrt in Alabama, attended by tens of thousands of people dressed in Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats.
Two weeks ago, President Obama and his family spent a weekiend vacationing on the Florida Panhandle, even swimming in the Gulf to show others how safe it is.
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Gulf 8/23/10
An attempt to remove the drilling pipe from the ruptured well that unleashed the Deepwater Horizon spill begins today. It's not clear who ordered BP to produce a plan to fish out the blowout preventer. The rumor is US officials "will take custody" of all equipment soon.
There is an environmental controversy over the possibility of an additional 1000 barrels of oil released during this process. One barrel equals 42 US gallons. The total in gallons would be around 42,000 gallons in a worst case scenario.
This would equal about half the Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts oil spill in 2003. On April 27, 2003, Bouchard Barge 120 hit an obstacle in Buzzards Bay, creating a 12-foot rupture in its hull and discharging an estimated 98,000 gallons of No. 6 oil. The oil is known to have affected an estimated 90 miles of shoreline, numerous bird species, and recreational use of the bay, such as shell fishing and boating.