Hollywood heartthrob George Clooney has led a galaxy of stars in a telethon fundraiser for Haiti'searthquake victims.
The telethon, one of the biggest such events since the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was broadcast on Friday across every major US television network, and continues at the time of writing.
The concert took place as a vital port in the Haitain capital reopened Friday night Haitian time.
Featuring some 130 celebrities and presented by music channel MTV, the telethon "Hope for Haiti Now" came as the Caribbean nation struggled to recover from the deadly January 12 disaster.
Haiti is "a tragedy that reaches across all borders, all boundaries," Clooney said, and "at the core of every religion is the belief that we take care of one another".
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"The Haitian people need our help. They need to know they are not alone," he said.
Star acts lined up for the telethon included Madonna, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay and Jennifer Hudson who will unveil "a song you never heard her sing before".
"We're gonna have some amazing performances and I think that's gonna make it last a little longer than just a telethon," Clooney said.
The event aired across MTV, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, HBO and other major networks.
Joining in hosting the program were CNN's star reporter Anderson Cooper in Haiti and rapper Wyclef Jean in New York.
Facebook and MySpace were helping to drum up aid, while donors could also go online at HopeForHaitiNow.org, organisers said.
Stars donate huge amounts
Clooney says he will donate $US1 million ($A1.11 million)of his own money.
Hollywood megastar Leonardo DiCaprio announced on Thursday that he was also giving one million dollars to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie donated one million dollars earlier to help aid group MSF's operations in Haiti.
The 7.0-magnitude quake killed at least 75,000 people and left half a million homeless.
Friday's telethon had few parallels over the last decade, said Charity Navigator, an organisation monitoring charities across the United States.
A telethon was held in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against New York and the Pentagon.
Also hosted by Clooney, the event was simulcast across 35 network and cable channels, raising about $US150 million ($A166.37 million).
Another big telethon took place after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, but that was broadcast only on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and less major channels. About $US40 million ($A44.37 million) was raised.
NBC and its affiliated networks broadcast a telethon in aid of victims of the Asian tsunami in 2005, raising $US18 million ($A19.96 million).
