CELEBRITY HELPS FOR HAITI

Since Haiti was tragically struck by a 7.0 earthquake earlier this week, dozens of celebrities have gone to Twitter, YouTube and given interviews, asking the public to help out and donate funds to help the island nation, but Rosie O’Donnell thinks they need to do much more.

The outspoken former “View” moderator said she hopes if a telethon is put together, celebrities will do more than show up and ask the public to dig deep. She believes the stars asking for money need to dig deep themselves.

“I hope [there’s] not another telethon on the air, and if there is one, there should be a demand that every person who participates donates a minimum, because it was very infuriating to me after 9/11, to see millionaires asking the people in the country for their, you know, pennies,” Rosie told a group of journalists on Thursday evening after presenting a Television Critics Association panel on her new HBO documentary, “A Family Is A Family Is A Family: A Rosie O’Donnell Celebration.”

While a Haiti relief celebrity-led telethon appears to be taking shape, Rosie said based on the past, the stars really need to be reaching into their own pockets.

“It’s like, if you’re gonna go on and you’re a millionaire, please give a million dollars. Like, there should be a cover charge to do those, in my opinion,” she said of star’s on telethons. “I think everyone should do what they can and if a celebrity can bring attention to a cause or inspire someone to give…

“I think celebrities should step up and America should stop asking for just their presence at a publicized event,” Rosie added. “They should also demand their money.”

But the SIRIUS XM radio host had praise for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who almost immediately chipped in $1 million toward Haiti relief. And she defended them against critics who suggested the couple have done charitable works in the past for publicity’s sake.

“When you look at Brad and Katrina — somebody asked a question before about what they had done and if they had done it for press reasons, which I think is absurd,” she said. “There are so many other ways for them to get press than to go build houses for those who have lost theirs and in a time when the government was not doing nearly enough.”

“I know that Brad and Angelina gave a million dollars to [help out in Haiti] as well as all they’ve done in New Orleans,” she added.