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Hollywood hosts benefit for Pulse nightclub
Activists in Sao Paulo, Brazil carry lit candles and flags at a vigil paying tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub massacre.
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Singer Lance Bass speaks onstage at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's 42nd Anniversary Vanguard Awards Gala.
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Musician Melissa Etheridge performs at the Apple Store Soho in 2012.
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Musician will.i.am is pictured behind the scenes at a photo shoot to launch the Lexus NX Striking Angles campaign.
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Rapper El-P of Run the Jewels performs at the 2015 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
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A memorial on South Orange Ave., down the street from Pulse Nightclub.
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Friday night in Hollywood is party time — concerts, nightclubs and cocktails. But at least one party will have a purpose.
onePULSE: A Benefit forOrlando will help the Orlando nightclub where a gunman murdered 49 people and injured dozens of others in June. The benefit will be held at NeueHouse, an upscale, private social club and work space.
The evening's headliner hadn't been announced on Friday morning because event organizers want it to remain a surprise — possibly until the concert itself.
Lance Bass, formerly of the boy band NSYNC, will emcee the show. The lineup includes performances and speeches — some live and some piped in via video feed — by El-P, Melissa Etheridge, will.i.am and dance troupe Eclipse.
The event will also feature a video message from PresidentBarack Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Shaila Arora, who is helping organize the benefit, tells KPCC the performers were chosen because they've either done something to help the Pulse victims or because they've previously supported LGBT issues.
Some survivors and families of the victims are expected to attend.
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The event will start at 7 p.m. with an introduction by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Those who can't go to the show can bid on items in a series of online auctions that launched Thursday. Donated items include VIP tickets to "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert in New York City, tickets on Virgin Atlantic to London and a chance to meet Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas at one of their shows on the Future Now tour. More items will be rolled out in the coming weeks.
The money raised will go to the onePulse Foundation, which was formed by Pulse owner Barbara Poma to help employees. The nonprofit says it will contribute 90 percent of funds raised to the National Compassion Fund, a group that distributes funds directly to victims of mass crimes. The rest of the money will go toward establishing an Orlando memorial for the victims of the massacre.
Those who want to help can also donate an amount of their choice by texting PULSE to 91999.
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