Former US President Bill Clinton is expected to participate with scores of top Hollywood entertainers in a telethon Friday night originated in the United States, the United Kingdom and earthquake-ravaged Haiti, raising money for Haitian people to start recovery, it was announced.

As one of the first biggest events in television history, the live event, which is called "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" will be held in Los Angeles, New York, London and Haiti and will be broadcast on all major and international networks.

Starry celebrities from music, film, television, sports and politics are announced to present at the event and it is believed to collect a massive amount of money to help the people from the Caribbean nation, which was struck by a massive earthquake on January 12. Governmental statistics show about 200,000 people have been killed during the disaster.

George Clooney will host the Los Angeles portion of the telethon, while Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean will lead the New York City show and CNN's Anderson Cooper will report from Haiti. The event will begin at 5:00 PM (0100 GMT) California time.

The celebrities slated to present include Beyonce, Madanna, Bruce Springsteen, Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, former boxer Muhammad Ali, among others. Aside from being broadcast on ABC, CBS, CNN and a number of national or international channels, the show will also be streamed online. Proceeds will benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation and the new Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation.

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2010)