Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Re-make of "We are the World" will debut at Olympics Opening Ceremonies.

Stars perform at the "We Are The World 25 Years for Haiti" recording session held at Jim Henson Studios on Feb. 1 in LA. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Handout)

How different is the "We are the World" remake from the original version, which shined a light on famine in Africa 25 years ago?

Well, Lil Wayne is singing Bob Dylan's verse this time around and Justin Bieber is singing Lionel Richie's opening line. And as far as the sound goes, mtv.com said it has a "modern Southern hip-hop bounce to it."

As if that isn't confusing enough for your grandparents, the video is being shot in 3-D.

The remake has been in the works for a while but changed its focus last month after the earthquake in Haiti. "We Are The World - 25 for Haiti," recorded in a Hollywood studio on Monday (they wanted to take advantage of the star power in town for the Grammys), will now have a Haiti angle. All profits from the single will go to the earthquake victims.

The original song, which featured Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles and Diana Ross, raised $63 million.

Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie brought back the "We Are the World" project 25 years after Richie wrote the song with Michael Jackson.

The very large cast of very large stars was surely hard to manage. Kanye West reportedly showed up to the Jim Henson Studios with an entourage complete with girlfriend Amber Rose and a film crew. In 1985, Quincy Jones did his best to get his talent in line by hanging a sign over the studio entrance that said, "Check Your Ego at the Door."

While the orginal recording was sold to raise money in the fight against world famine, the remake will be sold to benefit victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. Many stars have already started talking about the experience, and it sounds like it will match up to the original.

Nicole Richie was there with her father, Lionel Richie, when he worked on the original. This time she was there with husband Joel Madden and their son, Sparrow. She wrote on her Twitter Monday, "WOW. Brian Wilson stood next to me & I got to hear him sing right into my left ear. Can you say AWESOME!"

Quincy Jones, singer Lionel Richie and producer Rickey Minor at the "We Are The World 25 Years for Haiti" recording session held at Jim Henson Studios on February 1, 2010 in Hollywood, California. (January 31, 2010 - Photo by Handout/Getty Images North America)


Meanwhile young singer Justin Bieber said he could barely keep his eyes off Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. He Tweeted, "Singing We Are The World right now with celine dion next to me!! Everyone is here!! I'm meeting everyone!! This is insane! Ok ok chill."

The full list of all 81 choir singers hasn't yet been released, but here are some of the stars we know were there.

-Celine Dion
-Jennifer Hudson
-Justin Bieber
-Vince Vaughn
-Kanye West and Amber Rose
-Julianne Hough
-will.i.am
-Wyclef Jean
-T-Pain
-Randy Jackson
-Gladys Knight
-Brandy
-Keri Hilson
-Faith Evans
-Rob Thomas
-Nancy Wilson
-Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls)
-Harry Connick Jr
-Katharine McPhee
-Robin Thicke
-Josh Groban
-India.arie
-Usher
-Carrie Underwood
-Fergie
-Jason Mraz
-Anthony Hamilton
-Trey Songz
-Musiq Soulchild
-Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland)
-Kristian Bush (Sugarland)
-Nicole Richie
-Joel Madden
-Snoop Dogg
-Tyrese
-Miley Cyrus
-Nick Jonas
-Joe Jonas
-Kevin Jonas
-Jordin Sparks
-Enrique Iglesias
-Jeff Bridges
-LL Cool Jnico
-Natalie Cole
-Toni Braxton
-Barbra Streisand
-Lady Gaga
-Jay-Z
-Eminem

The video for the song will debut Feb. 12 on NBC during the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.

Mandy's Mind - I can't Wait!! For Celebrity News please subscribe to follow my alternate blog MandysMind.com.


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