Taylor Swift New Song Ronan Debuts at Stand Up to Cancer Telethon 2012

Culture

It's an historic week when network TV channels play the same programming not one, two, or three, but four nights in a row. The DNC dominated the airwaves earlier in the week, and on Friday night televised Americans will fight a different battle; the war on cancer. "The Stand Up to Cancer" telethon is already receiving massive amounts of attention, mostly for its celebrity lineup. 

The star generating the most buzz for the event is Taylor Swift who is set to debut a new song "Ronan" written for a 4-year-old boy who died last year of neuroblastoma. Swift is said to have been inspired after reading the blog of Ronan's mother; she is credited as a co-writer. 

The evening's lineup is jam packed with celebrity appearances including Tom Hanks, Justin Timberlake, Sofia Vergara, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Michael Douglas, Jessica Biel, Eric Stonestreet, Ray Romano, Felicity Huffman, Rocco DiSpirito and Maura Tierney, Jessica Biel, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Seth Rogen, Emma Stone and Gwyneth Paltrow. The celebrities will be manning a phone bank and donators will have the opportunity to talk to them when they call in.

Paltrow, who lost her father to cancer in 2002, is an executive producer for the fundraiser. 

In addition to the much talked about performance by Swift there will also be performances by Coldplay, Tim McGraw, and Alicia Keys. If Keys is anything like she was at Thursday night's VMA's she will bring the house down.

Since it began in 2008, Stand Up to Cancer has raised more than $180 million. The telethon will air from 8-9 p.m. EDT from Los Angeles on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, HBO, Showtime, VH1, TBS, Starz, and more.