NY benefit for terror victims

Two of the biggest stars of US sitcom, Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Cosby, are to head a comedy fundraising gig to help the New York relief effort.

The show in Carnegie Hall will be Seinfeld's first live show in his home town since his 1998 sell-out Broadway performance I'm Telling You for the Last Time.

But he says he's determined to help the city get back to normal.

"We were all shaken up, but you want to fight back, repair the damage and keep going," he said. "There's something about New York that's built to deal. We're not a candy-ass town.

"In the Jewish religion, the basic mourning period is the seven days of Shiva. At the end of that, you're required to attempt to re-engage with the world and your life as it was - and that's where we come in.

"We're not laughing at what happened. We're just laughing, which is how people survive.

"I bumped into Bill Cosby at an airport and told him about the benefitand he said 'I'm there'. I don't think any of us have shared the stage with Mr Cosby before, he's a real comic legend."

The October 8 show will benefit the Twin Towers Fund, set up by New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani to support families of uniformed workers. It already has pledges of $75million in aid.

Others on the bill of the October 8 fundraiser include stalwarts of America's long-running Saturday Night Live show, Will Ferrell and Colin Quinn.

Published: 26 Sep 2001