<b>Taylor Swift</b> To Raise Money For Tornado Victims With Public <b>...</b>

Taylor Swift is turning her last tour rehearsal into a benefit to raise funds for tornado victims in the U.S. before she heads out on a new trek around the globe.

Nearly 300 lives were lost when severe storms swept across America last week and the Love Story hit-maker has vowed to help by inviting more than 12,000 fans to join her for a show in Tennessee on May 21st.
The event, called Speak Now... Help Now, will give fans a glimpse of the superstar's new world tour before it officially kicks off in Nebraska on May 27th.
Swift tells the Associated Press, "I was watching the coverage of the tornadoes backstage at rehearsals, and I wanted to do something for the families affected by the damage. I've never opened a rehearsal to the public before, but I felt that inviting my fans to the last rehearsal for the Speak Now tour would be a great way to raise money."

"We will probably still be doing some fine-tuning to the show that night, since this will be a true rehearsal, but I feel like it is so important for me and my fans to help if we can."

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Taylor Swift Opens Rehearsal to Benefit Tornado Victims - CMT

Taylor Swift Opens Rehearsal to Benefit Tornado Victims Taylor Swift will help raise money for tornado victims by selling tickets to the final rehearsal for the U.S. portion of her Speak Now tour. The concert will take place on May 21 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, where Swift has been rehearsing for five weeks. All proceeds will be donated to tornado victims in the Southeast. Ticket information and additional details will be available on Monday (May 9) on Swift's website. "I was watching the coverage of the tornadoes backstage at rehearsals and I wanted to do something for the families affected by the damage," she said. "I've never opened a rehearsal to the public before, but I felt that inviting my fans to the last rehearsal for the Speak Now tour would be a great way to raise money. ... We'll probably still be doing some fine-tuning to the show that night, since this will be a true rehearsal, but I feel like it is so important for me and my fans to help if we can."

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<b>Taylor Swift</b> Turns Concert Rehearsal Into Tornado Fundraiser <b>...</b>

For the first time ever, Taylor Swift is letting fans watch her rehearse for her upcoming Speak Now World Tour -- and it's all for a good cause.

To benefit victims of the recent tornadoes in the Southeast, the 21-year-old singer is letting 13,000 fans get a sneak peek of her upcoming tour during Speak Now...Help Now! on May 21 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

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"I was watching the coverage of the tornadoes backstage at rehearsals, and I wanted to do something for the families affected by the damage," the country superstar tells Us Weekly in a statement.

One hundred percent of ticket sales from the dress rehearsal will go directly to help tornado victims. This isn't the first time Swift has lent her star power to a worthy cause; earlier this year, the "Better Than Revenge" singer supported relief efforts in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

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"I've never opened a rehearsal to the public before, but I felt that inviting my fans to the last rehearsal for the Speak Now Tour would be a great way to raise money," Swift says. "So, tickets will be available for people to come see us in the Bridgestone Arena, where we've been rehearsing for the last five weeks."

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More details regarding the fundraiser will be available beginning May 9 on the singer's official website. In 2010, DoSomething.org ranked Swift the world's 3rd most philanthropic celebrity on their annual Celebs Gone Good list.

The North American leg of Swift's Speak Now World Tour kicks off May 27 in Omaha, Nebraska.

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MET Fashion Face-Off: Taylor Swift vs. Blake Lively - The Hollywood Gossip

Taylor Swift and Blake Lively both looked stunning at the MET Institute Costume Gala last night. But who will emerge victorious in this Fashion Face-Off?

The Gossip Girl actress, whose red hair recently raised eyebrows, typically wins raves for her style, and did so again Monday (with her blonde locks back).

She may have some competition from a gorgeous-looking Swift, though. Let your votes do the talking as you partake in our latest style showdown ...

Who looked better, Taylor or Blake? Vote on the best look from the MET Costume Institute gala here!

View Results »

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OFFSTAGE: Taylor Swift Isn't "Mean" at All, Director Says - CMT

(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)

Although Taylor Swift's new single, "Mean," brilliantly calls out someone who cruelly points out her flaws, video director Declan Whitebloom told me that the country singer was a pleasure to work with. He believes that Swift effortlessly embodies beauty and she has incredible taste in the audio as well as the visual. "After I wrote my treatment, her management called me to tell me she liked it, because it was so evocative of the one already in her mind," Whitebloom said in his charming British accent. "We got on really well. It's rare when you connect with an artist that quickly, but we share a quirky, offbeat sense of humor." They must have been on the same page, because from the way Whitebloom described the video, conventional it ain't. "She was keenly involved in writing the treatment, casting and wardrobe. And she stayed for both the 15-hour shooting days, even when she wasn't in the scenes," he told me. They shot it last month at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, with a big cast, period costumes and about nine different sets. Whitebloom talked about vignettes from all different time periods, from the vaudevillian to kind of an O Brother, Where Art Thou? type of scene. "It's going to be almost like watching a Broadway show," he promised. "You may even need to watch it several times to take it all in." It sounds like Swift does almost everything in the video, but what I'm most looking forward to is seeing her play the ganjo. And asking over and over, "Why you gotta be so mean?"

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Taylor Swift's "Mean" Music Video - The Gossip Girls

Ushering in the weekend with a brand new offering, Taylor Swift excitedly debuted the music video for her hit single "Mean" on Friday night (May 6).

The country superstar did her part to build up anticipation, as she tweeted to her millions of followers, "The 'mean' music video premieres on CMT in a half hour here in Nashville! 10pm eastern, 9pm central!"

The music video release comes just as Miss Swift also announced plans to turn her final dress rehearsal during the "Speak Now" tour into a charitable event aimed at helping tornado victims in the States.

Being held on May 21 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, 13,000 fans can try to get tickets on Taylor's website beginning May 9 - with all of the proceeds going straight to disaster relief.

Of the initiative, the 21-year-old told, “I was watching the coverage of the tornadoes backstage at rehearsals, and I wanted to do something for the families affected by the damage. I’ve never opened a rehearsal to the public before, but I felt that inviting my fans to the last rehearsal for the Speak Now Tour would be a great way to raise money. So, tickets will be available for people to come see us in the Bridgestone Arena, where we’ve been rehearsing for the last five weeks.”

She added, “We’ll probably still be doing some fine-tuning to the show that night, since this will be a true rehearsal, but I feel like it is so important for me and my fans to help if we can.”

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<b>Taylor Swift</b> Launches 'Speak Now....Help Now!' - Entertainment <b>...</b>

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In an effort to help tornado victims in the southeast, Taylor Swift is doing something she's never done before. The country superstar is letting 13,000 fans into the final dress rehearsal for her upcoming "Speak Now" tour. Swift is calling the fundraiser "Speak Now....Help Now!" ?I was watching the coverage of the tornadoes backstage at rehearsals, and I wanted to do something for the families affected by the damage,? Swift said. The final tour rehearsal will be held May 21 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The North American portion of the tour kicks off May 27 in Omaha, Neb. Ticketing information for the "Speak Now....Help Now!" fundraiser will be available May 9 at http://www.taylorswift.com/ . One hundred percent of ticket sales will go to tornado victims. Copyright 2011 by WSMV.com. All rights reserved.
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