By SAMANTHA ETTUS
09-SEP-05

As Ellen DeGeneres said on Monday, she could not do a "normal" show in these extraordinary circumstances, and likewise I can't do a "normal" column. Most celebrities spend their lives entertaining and we have come to expect them to appear for fundraisers or telethons. Yet it can be even more effective when they serve as examples and inspirations with their dramatic generosity. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, there are many celebrities who have already been generous with their hearts and their wallets amidst the largest natural disaster our country has ever witnessed. This week Celebrity Assets takes a look at five celebrities whose generosity is particularly notable.

Celine Dion
Though she has no personal ties to the geographic areas hit hardest by Katrina – in fact, she's not even from the U.S. – Dion and her partners in her Las Vegas show donated one million dollars to victims of the devastation. Dion, a native Canadian, has set a terrific precedent for those relatively untouched by the maelstrom. Unlike most of the other donors, however, she chose to make a political statement with her money, criticizing the Bush administration on Larry King Live and questioning their seeming inability to effectively help those in their own backyard.

John Grisham
Attorney turned best-selling author, Grisham and his wife eclipsed the generosity of most other celebrities by giving an astounding five million dollars to relief efforts in Mississippi. The couple maintains a residence in that hard-hit state and put their money where there heart is. Grisham, typically private about his philanthropic efforts, was vocal about this one in the hope that it would inspire others to follow suit.

Ellen DeGeneres
DeGeneres has a natural platform from which to inspire others to help and she has been using it wisely. On Monday she dedicated the opening episode of her talk show's newest season entirely to a discussion of the hurricane and the devastation that lay in its wake, encouraging viewers to help out in any way possible. In addition, she just announced plans to launch a celebrity telethon and a hurricane relief fund to help victims, a group which includes her own family.

Oprah Winfrey
Winfrey has more influence than any other celebrity, so in addition to donating one million dollars to relief efforts, she also turned her cameras on the horrors, devoting two shows this past week to her experience on the ground with hurricane survivors and doctors describing in detail the public health impacts of the hurricane. According to Winfrey, her experience with the victims shed light on a tragedy she soon realized was actually far worse than anything portrayed in the press.

George Clooney
Clooney is a role model for countless young actors and we hope that many will follow in his generous path. As a United Way board member, Clooney turned his commitment into action by pledging $1 million to the United Way Hurricane Katrina Response Fund. Clooney boasts a politically active background: his father, Nick Clooney, is a Cincinnati newscaster who ran unsuccessfully for a Senate seat, and he has become a prominent voice bringing to light difficult class issues stemming from the tragedy as a columnist for The Cincinnati Enquirer.

While these five celebrities were quick to act and set examples with their generosity, there are numerous other celebrities who have been actively involved in the relief efforts. While many have pledged their time to benefit concerts and telethons, others have chosen to take on a more personal involvement with varying results. One has to wonder whether the fuel it took to fly John Travolta and Kelly Preston's private plane to Louisiana was more costly than the 400 tetanus vaccines they personally dropped off. And Sean Penn's valiant efforts to personally save stranded hurricane victims fell short when his boat was riddled with leaks before he ever managed to save anyone. Still, it's hard to fault a star for trying, even if their efforts sometimes seem misguided.

(Samantha Ettus is the author of "The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do" (Random House). Contact her at Samantha@celebrityassets.com.)