Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon Help Hurricane Victims  9/2/05

Robert De Niro closed the set of his The Good Shepherd movie early yesterday (31AUG05) so that he and stars Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie could help raise cash for victims of Hurricane Katrina at a telethon.

American TV network NBC in New York staged an hour-long telethon - a precursor to its official national fundraiser tomorrow (02SEP05) - and the stars dashed to pick up phones and encourage people to give.

Jolie, Damon and De Niro joined actress Ali Larter and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis at the Red Cross centre in New York, where the show was staged.

Americans gave more than $7 million (#3.3 million) during the telethon.

Marsalis, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana - which was caught in the eye of the storm - was delighted with the generosity of Americans, but urged them to give more.

He said, "It's like seeing something very sacred to you violated and there's nothing you can do about it. It's very moving... New Orleans is like the soul of our country, so we have to help."