Amid the variety of celebrities to
dazzle the red carpet was David Toovey, the 18-year-old CEO of The Oak Tree
Foundation. With a gleaming smile and twinkling eyes, he said he was delighted
to be presenting The Good Karma Award for the 2008 MTV Awards. “The Oak Tree
Foundation is a youth-run aid and development agency,” he said. “Our mission is
to empower developing communities through education in a way that is
sustainable.”
Nominations for the Good Karma Award
included hip hoppers, Bliss ’n Esso for their work in South Africa documenting extreme poverty, The
Earth Hour initiative, the Sea Shepherd crew of the Steve Irwin, Movember, and
the young people of Australia
who believed in the National Apology.
The winner of the MTV Good Karma
Award 2008 was the Earth Hour initiative. The initiative, which began in Sydney, is part of the
fight against global warming. Its aim is to reduce electrical consumption with
the help of businesses and residents who switch off their lights for an hour on
March 31. The initiative has since gathered momentum in cities al over Australia and abroad, as far as Denmark and Israel.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the MTV
Awards without the bevy of stars. Local celebrities filing down the red carpet
were Anthony Mundine and his daughter, Deni Hines in a silver outfit by New
Zealand designer Zambezi – “I paid for it myself!” she bellowed – and there was
just enough room on the carpet for the five towering finalists from Australia’s Next Top Model. We also saw
the debut appearance of five-piece Sydney pop group Amy Meredith, head to toe
in tight black leather with studded embellishments, which to the surprise of
many have neither an Amy nor a Meredith in the band. International stars
included rappers 50 Cent, Dizzy Rascal, Wyclef Jean and Irish pop star Brian McFadden who perhaps felt the slightest bit
out of his league alongside these Americans. “There’s not much hip hop in Ireland,”
he said, with a flash of his pearly teeth.
Source:
South Sydney Herald May 2008 www.southsydneyherald.com.au