Tom Bergeron and Yvette Nicole Brown Set for MPTF Telethon ‘Lights, Camera, Take Action!’

Tom Bergeron and Yvette Nicole Brown are ready to say Lights, Camera, Take Action!

The two are back on board to host and produce MPTF’s fundraising telethon as it returns for a third straight year to help Hollywood crew members in need of assistance. The two-hour telecast — set to air live on KTLA in Los Angeles from 7-9 p.m. on Dec. 8 — will feature stories, songs and celebrity guests in a quest to raise emergency funds for entertainment workers.

The inaugural telecast garnered more than $850,000, while last year’s raised more than $750,000. The MPTF team has set a goal of $750,000 for the December outing.

“I can truly say the industry is in a unique and challenging position right now as we find our footing for the future, and it’s up to all of us to band together and help those who might be hurting along the way,” Brown said in a statement, referencing a business that is still adjusting to a new normal after historic strikes and a global pandemic.

Added Bergeron: “I can’t wait to jump back into the studio with Yvette again and get the word out about all the important work being done to help those who really need it. We’ll have songs, laughs and probably a few tears with those we’ve helped and the many who keep this mission going. Plus, it’s live TV so be sure to watch and see what happens.”

Organizers have teased a few of those moments with the reveal of industry talent that is confirmed to attend and appear in some capacity: Camilla Belle, Cedric the Entertainer, Clark Gregg, Colin Farrell, Cooper Koch, Diane Schuur, Ellen K, Emily Hampshire, Henry Winkler, Ike Barinholtz, Jay Ellis, Jessica Betts, Jimmy Jam, Jimmy Kimmel, Jonathan Nolan, Josh Margolin, Keegan-Michael and Elle Key, Ken Jeong, Kyle Bornheimer, Lisa Loeb, Max Greenfield, McG, Melissa Gilbert, Morgan Freeman, Howie Mandel, Rob Morrow, Spencer Garrett, Tiffany Smith, Tony Goldwyn, Virginia Madsen, Walton Goggins, Whoopi Goldberg, Will Forte, William Shatner and more to be announced.

The producing team for MPTF’s Lights, Camera, Take Action! also includes TV guru Phil Rosenthal (Everybody Loves Raymond) and writer-producer David Wild (Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince). Presenting sponsors include City National Bank and UCLA Health.

“Our organization’s founder, Mary Pickford, recognized at the very inception of the film industry in Hollywood that for most of the workforce, employment would be unpredictable and that successful careers would be difficult to carve out,” said MPTF’s president and CEO Bob Beitcher. “These past few years, with the pandemic and then the strike-related work stoppages, have not only demonstrated Mary’s insight but also highlighted the need for an organization like MPTF that ‘takes care of our own’ in times of financial crisis.”