Sex And The City’s Chris Noth Part Of Star-Studded Lineup For One Night Live

It’s a star-studded lineup in support of a worthy cause.

Sting, Sheryl Crow, and The Canadian Tenors will perform at the second annual One Night Live benefit concert on May 21 at the Air Canada Centre, with the proceeds going toward the Women & Babies Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Sex and the City star Chris Noth hosts the event, and in an interview with CityNews.ca Wednesday he explained why he wanted to participate.

“Sunnybrook Women & Babies Centre is a phenomenal place that just needs new facilities. Because you get, just in the centre of Toronto 4,000 babies a year, maybe 1,000 of which are pre-term,” he remarked.

“When you really look at it, you’re talking two to three months of care, and right now they’re a little overwhelmed. The people that work there are very dedicated and devoted. This is raising money for 30 to 40 new private rooms for mothers and their babies. The cause is great, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Noth, known for his role as Big on S.A.T.C. as well as Det. Mike Logan on Law and Order, praised the Canadian health care system for its support of pregnant women and families with pre-term babies. As the father of a one-year-old, he understands how stressful parenthood can be even with a healthy baby.

“You don’t hear too much about pediatrics or this kind of hospital for pre-term babies being on the front list of benefits or for raising money. Having just had a son who’s a year old and having had complications when we were at the very beginning, I know how scary it is for parents. When you’ve got an institution like this that’s impeccable and first rate, it’s something you want to cherish,” Noth explained.

“Pre-term babies in America, parents literally go broke trying to pay for the care, because it’s so immense. It takes months for these little bundles of life that sometimes get born at 25 weeks. They’re barely making it and they have to be there for three months. The equipment and the care that goes into it, and the people that work there, it’s not cheap.

“I’m lucky enough to have a healthy baby, but not everyone is lucky enough to have that,” he went on to say. “If you have a pre-term baby and they have a fighting chance to live you want to have a facility like Sunnybrook at top form.”

The money will go toward the construction of a new facility for births and high-risk pregnancies. Also, the critical care unit for premature babies will be made five times larger. Sunnybrook currently cares for more of the province’s at-risk babies than any other hospital.

“We are thrilled that such mega star talent have thrown their support behind Sunnybrook’s Women & Babies Program,” said Kevin Goldthorp, Chief Executive Officer of Sunnybrook Foundation in a release.

“All of the proceeds raised by the concert will assist in building a new state-of-the-art home for our Women & Babies Program and help Sunnybrook continue to provide the very best care for our smallest patients and their mothers, when it matters most.”

Tickets for One Night Live go on sale Saturday, February 14 at 10am. Ticket prices start at $99 and can be purchased online at http://www.onenightlive.ca or through Ticketmaster.

Law & Order: CI airs weeknights at 6pm on OMNI2.

Actor Chris Noth arrives at the National Movie Awards at the Royal Festival Hall on September 8, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)