Saturday, January 29, 2011

José Carreras Asks Celebrities To Do Their Duty

(Photo: Getty Images)
"Opera singer Jose Carreras says celebrities have a duty to use their popularity to give something back to society. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Carreras -- one of the Three Tenors -- said one of the perks of fame was its ability to help important things get done. 'It is our duty to use our popularity in order to give as much back to society as we receive from it,' he said. Carreras was honored with the WEF's Crystal Award recognizing those 'who have used their art to improve the state of the world' for his work in the fight against leukaemia, a disease he has suffered from in the past. But he said all he had done was to 'attempt to turn my gratitude into something tangible.'
Carreras is the latest in a long line of celebrities to make their way to the Swiss ski resort for the annual forum. Back in the event's glitzier heyday, before the sobering effects of the global financial crisis, stars such as Angelina Jolie, Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas could frequently be spotted schmoozing with the world leaders and business moguls for whom Davos is a regular date in the diary." [Source]