Wyclef Jean and director Gil Green take time to record a message for his Haiti Relief Fund at the Fountainbleau in Miami Beach.

Wyclef has been working tirelessly to raise money for his homeland and has been met with criticisms and allegations over his efforts with his organizationYele Haiti that he addressed on Twitter:

“My commitment to Haiti is a unique and everlasting bond.”

“I formalized that commitment when I formed my first foundation, in 1994. From that day forward, I have spent tireless hours working on behalf of my homeland on development issues as well as human and immigrant rights.

“I have been committed to helping the people of Haiti throughout my life, and that commitment will continue until the day I die.

“It is impossible for me to even comprehend the recent attacks on my character and the integrity of my foundation, Yele Haiti. The fact that these attacks come as we are mobilized to meet the greatest human tragedy in the history of Haiti only serves to perplex me even further.

“I first learned of these baseless attacks when I left Haiti late Friday, where I had been since 12 hours after the earthquake.

“Let me be clear: I denounce any allegation that I have ever profited personally through my work with Yele Haiti. These baseless attacks are simply not true.

“In fact, I have, time and again, committed significant amounts of my own money to support the work of Yele Haiti and other organizations in support of our efforts over the years.

“More than that, I have spent countless hours, days, months and years of my life committed to the country of Haiti, the people of Haiti and the success of Haiti.

“These baseless allegations were first put forward by a fringe website with a history of pursuing sensationalist story lines. The mainstream media’s pursuit of them has required Yele to divert precious resources during this critical time in order to answer various inquiries. That must end.

“I will continue to commit my focus to what is most important right now: Haiti. Right now, Yele is working with its valuable NGO partners, the U.S. Government, the United Nations and so many others to save lives, honor those who have perished and get aid to the millions of Haitians suffering through the worst human catastrophe of our times.

“I will never give up on my commitment.”

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Photos:  Johnny Louis/WENN

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have vowed to help their friend Wyclef Jean raise funds for the victims of Haiti’s devastating 7.0 earthquake that hit yesterday:

“We are devastated by the news from Haiti. We will work closely with our good friend Wyclef Jean to support the humanitarian efforts on the island and help those who have been injured and left without homes and shelter”

The former Fugee member released a statement yesterday:

“Haiti today faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced,”

“I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. Over two million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now. The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible.”

In 2008 his charity Yele Haiti Foundation helped victims of Hurricane Gustav and other tropical storms that hit his homeland.  Other celebrities urging people to contribute to the fund:  Ashton Kutcher, Olivia Wilde, Selena Gomez and John Legend.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this tragedy.

Photo: Apega/ WENN

Gucci is trying out a new concept to appeal to people in these tough economic times by having these Temporary Pop-Up Sneaker Stores.  They will be showcasing their sneaker collection for 2-3 weeks in each location.  The first stop was in Manhattan last night with planned Pop-Up stores in London, Berlin, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Gucci’s creative director Frida Giannini collaborated with Mark Ronson for the Gucci Ronson sneakers.  Icon-Temporary sneakers are priced from $500 to $1,400, and Gucci Ronson shoes, $500 to $600.

What I find really interesting is that they are coming out with 18 styles 16 of which are for men and 2 for women.  Two!!  Wow, don’t go all out for us or anything.  Even more interesting is that the majority of celebs at the Manhattan opening seemed to be women.  I wonder if they were disappointed by the fact they had 2 whole style of shoes to choose from!

At the Manhattan opening:  Mischa Barton, Wyclef Jean, Mary J. Blige, Claire Danes, Leigh Lezark, Rachel Taylor, and Evan Rachel Wood

Photos:  WENN.com

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