Heartfelt appeals, and tunes, on telethons

Two appearances on two different telethons for Hurricane Katrina survivors last night, and Kanye West never mentioned George Bush.

Still, the president wasn't forgotten on an evening when Black Entertainment Television hosted its relief fund-raiser ''S.O.S: Saving OurSelves," while the major networks and various cable channels aired the hour-long ''Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast." Both were presented commercial-free.

''George Bush hates midgets," comedian Chris Rock said during the ''Shelter" concert, before returning to a prepared statement about reaching out to hurricane victims. It was one of the lighter moments during that show, which featured standout performances from Alicia Keys, Neil Young, and U2, joined by Mary J. Blige, on a thrilling rendition of the band's classic, ''One."

Many songs leaned toward a reverent tone, such as Rod Stewart's cover of the Impressions' ''People Get Ready," and Young's elegiac ''When God Made Me." Other musicians opted for songs that referenced the affected areas. Foo Fighters, with lead singer Dave Grohl adapting a John Fogerty howl-and-growl, performed Credence Clearwater Revival's ''Born on the Bayou." Paul Simon sang his own ''Take Me to the Mardi Gras."

Bracketing the musical moments were brief appeals and comments from celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, a New Orleans native, and Morgan Freeman, who still lives in Mississippi. Working the phones were a phalanx of familiar faces including Jack Nicholson, Ben Affleck, and Cameron Diaz.

Its format was similar to the Sept. 11 telethon, aired days after the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Both events were executive produced by Joel Gallen.

BET's ''Saving OurSelves" was more of a traditional telethon, hosted by Steve Harvey and Queen Latifah. With African-Americans, especially in New Orleans, profoundly affected by the storm and its aftermath, the show was offered as a personal appeal for black people to help black people.

''We're here to support each other," said rapper and Def Jam Records president Jay-Z, who along with fellow hip-hop mogul Sean ''Diddy" Combs, presented a check for $1 million. ''It's like when your brother gets into a fight, and your whole family comes out to jump [the assailant]. We jumpin' 'em now."

Overall, the show had a far looser -- sometimes too loose -- feel than the competing telethon. There were performances by Patti LaBelle, John Legend, and Mississippi rapper David Banner, whose song ''Cadillac on 22's" was particularly poignant when he uttered its line, ''Pray to the Lord for these Mississippi streets." There was even a phone call from former president Bill Clinton, who should learn to be as brief in his comments as he is sincere.

New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis played and talked about his city, which he called ''the cultural gem of America." Even more affecting were video clips of hurricane survivors allowed to use the show as an electronic bulletin board to contact family and friends.

Still, as the evening wore on -- the program ran an hour beyond its allotted two-hour slot -- the show was not without its stranger moments.

At a time when hundreds of thousands are struggling to survive, rapper The Game performed his hit ''Dreams" while wearing a watch with a diamond-encrusted face the size of a buttermilk biscuit. In a taped segment, Bernie Mac launched into a tasteless and wholly inappropriate imitation of a thirsty person finally getting a drink of water. When the camera cut back to Harvey and Latifah, both looked stunned.

A better moment came when Rock, doing double telethon duty, joked ''George Bush hates albinos," another reference to West's anti-Bush diatribe last week. For some reason, Rock's comment seemed to irritate Star Jones and her husband Al Reynolds, which made it even funnier.

As for West, he performed his Grammy-winning ''Jesus Walks" during the ''Shelter" concert, although he seemed to be experiencing mysterious microphone problems at the beginning of his song.