Gay and Straight Celebs Support 4th Annual BID 2 BEAT AIDS

Begins Dec. 1 (World AIDS Day) -- Madonna, Liza, Beyonce, Bass, Lane, Phelps, Spelling... 

Released by: Ron Lasko @ Spin Cycle PR, x. 11

New York - (11/24/2008) - 4th Annual Celebrity Memorabilia Auction Honors World AIDS Day BID 2 BEAT AIDS begins December 1, 2008 to benefit LIFEbeat featuring memorabilia from Madonna, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Yoko Ono, Lindsay Lohan, Rosie O'Donnell, Erasure, Melissa Etheridge, Debbie Harry, Alan Cumming, Harvey Fierstein, Beyonce, Cynthia Nixon, Ann Bannon, Rufus Wainwright, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, David Hyde-Pierce, Scissor Sisters, Tori Spelling, Liza Minnelli, Nathan Lane, Jennifer Hudson, Lance Bass, The B52's, John Waters, Alan Cumming, Joan Rivers & hundreds more!

December 1, 2008 (World AIDS Day) -- Bidding begins at noon EST on eBay for BID 2 BEAT AIDS, a massive annual auction of rare and autographed items from stars in music, film, Broadway, sports, and television. Sports fans can bid on a meet and greet with Olympic champion Michael Phelps or a signed baseball from Cal Ripken, Jr.; concert-goers can snag VIP seats and backstage meet & greets with Tony Bennett, Jewel, Bernadette Peters, Aimee Mann, Duncan Sheik, or Michael Feinstein; TV lovers can bid on tickets to see The Letterman Show followed by a meet & greet with Paul Shaffer; and Broadway fans can visit backstage with Hairspray star Harvery Fierstein. There's even a tour of the Howard Stern Radio Show studio to bid on! Proceeds benefit LIFEbeat, the Music Industry Fights AIDS to support its ongoing AIDS/HIV programs nationwide. Sponsors of this 10-day eBay auction include MTV and Borders.

LIFEbeat has amassed over 700 items for BID 2 BEAT AIDS. Items include: CDs autographed by Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Fall Out Boy, Carly Simon, Jennifer Hudson, Bon Jovi, Lindsay Lohan, and Amy Winehouse; signed books by Madonna, Lance Bass, Tori Spelling, Ann Bannon, and Oscar De La Hoya; posters signed by Jake Gyllenhaal, Owen Wilson, Patti LuPone, Debbie Harry, Melissa Etheridge, Liza Minnelli and Matthew McConaughey; DVDs signed by Sarah Silverman, Will Ferrell, and Steven Spielberg; photos signed by Rufus Wainwright, Linda Evans, The Osbournes, Joan Collins, and other autographed memorabilia.

The centerpiece of the auction is a one-of-a-kind celebrity autographed "Lend-A-Hand to LIFEbeat" card series. Stars traced their hands on special paper, adding an artistic touch and signature. Cynthia Nixon, Gina Gershon, James Earl Jones, Natalie Cole, Bob Saget, Jack Klugman, Drew Lachey, Sean Hayes, Taylor Hicks, David Hyde-Pierce, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr, Deborah Gibson, Jerry Mathers, George Wendt, Pete Best, Paige Davis, Faith Evans, Frankie Valli, John Lithgow, Alan Cumming, John O'Hurley, Maroon 5, Robin Thicke, Nathan Lane and over 100 others have participated in this unique project.

LIFEbeat- The Music Industry Fights AIDS, is a national non-profit organization dedicated to reaching America's youth with the message of HIV/AIDS prevention. LIFEbeat mobilizes the talents and resources of the music industry to raise awareness and to provide support to the AIDS community. In 2007, LIFEbeat observed fifteen years in the fight against AIDS. For more information visit: www.lifebeat.org

Every item in BID 2 BEAT AIDS comes with a certificate of authenticity, and was obtained directly from the performers, their agents, or other professionals in the industry. Bidders can be assured that they're getting the real deal! For more information on BID 2 BEAT AIDS , including a complete list of participating artists and images of many of the items, visit www.Bid2BeatAIDS.com.

RAINBOWAUTHORS.COM OFFERS GAY WRITERS A CHANCE TO SHINE 

(Los Angeles, CA, 11/12/08)— RainbowAuthors.com, a Chances Press LLC website, powered by Wordclay, announced the contest details for their 2008 RainbowAuthors.com Book of the Year Award which will promote independently published gay and lesbian books.   “We’re excited to announce the details for what we hope will become an annual award,” Michael Perronne, RainbowAuthors.com founder said.  “We hope to find America’s next great gay author.  The current political climate, including the passing of Proposition 8 in California banning gay marriage, reminds us just how crucial it is still today for the voices of gay and lesbian authors to be heard.”   Writers who complete the publishing process, including the free publishing option, for their book by December 15, 2008 and then send an email to contest@rainbowauthors.com with their contact information and a 250 word synopsis of their book will automatically be entered.  Fifteen first round finalists will be chosen based on their book synopsis and notified by Jan. 1, 2009.  Each finalist will be requested to send via email the first three chapters of their book.
 

By January 10th, five authors will be selected and asked to send via email a complete copy of their book manuscript.  The winner will be announced on or before March 1, 2009.

One winner will be chosen based on the following criteria during an editorial review conducted by RainbowAuthors.com staff: 1)Originality- Does the book have a good “hook?” 2)Writing Quality- How well-written is the story?  Does it draw the reader in and keep them? 3)Editing Quality- Is the book well edited and free or near free of typos/grammar mistakes? 4)Cover Design and back cover copy text- Cover design and writing quality of cover text.
 

The winner will receive the following: 1)RainbowAuthors.com will distribute a press release to selected gay media announcing the winner’s book being chosen as the Book of the Year. 2)The winning title will be promoted on RainbowAuthors.com and GayBookStoreOnline.com. 3)The winner will receive ten copies of their book for their own promotional purposes.   RainbowAuthors.com offers gay and lesbian writers the opportunity to take control of their writing careers and publish independently. Numerous a-la-carte choices to publish, edit, design, publicize, and distribute their books, including a free publishing and sales option, are offered.  Books must not have been published before or be a previously self-published book for which the author still holds all the publishing rights.  

For more information, please visit www.rainbowauthors.com.   About RainbowAuthors.com RainbowAuthors.com, a Chances Press LLC website, partnered with Wordclay, an Author Solutions, Inc (ASI) company, offers gay and lesbian authors with a self-publishing website dedicated to their specific audience.  RainbowAuthors.com aims to be the destination website for all gay and lesbian authors looking to publish their work independently.   Media Contacts- including to request interviews: info@rainbowauthors.com