A quarter of a century after he told the world's biggest stars to "check your egos at the door," Quincy Jones is remaking the classic "We are the World" as a benefit for Haitiann earthquake victims.
Jones and Lionel Richie, who wrote the song with the late Michael Jackson, plan to assemble talent from Grammy weekend to stay an extra night and come to the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles Monday for the recording. Artists invited for the updated version include include Usher, Natalie Cole and John Legend, with more big names to come, according to Billboard.
Jones and much of the star-studded crew from 1985 had already planned to mark the 25th anniversary with a bash, but after the Jan. 12 quake devastated Haiti, he decided to rerecord it, with proceeds going to Haitian relief.
The original version benfited victims of famine in Africa and featured the talents of Richie, Jackson, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Billy Joel and several other superstars. The song has since been used for other humanitarian causes and has raised an estimated $63 million over the years.
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12 killed as many as 200,000 and left millions homeless. Cowell is just the latest star to get involved in the ongoing relief effort. A telethon hosted by George Clooney airs Friday on all major networks, and will feature performances by Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Keith Urban and Alicia Keys.
Clooney has personally donated $1 million, as have Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen gave $1.5 million.
