Luxist Gift Guide 09: VH1 Behind the Music

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed)
Dec 14th 2009 at 9:03PM

Katharine McPhee tries on a headpiece from Carolina Rodriguez.

As time runs out to get your shopping done, consider giving two gifts in one. With VH1 Save the Music Foundation's "Big Shopping" online shopping experience, it's a cinch. Browse the amazing group of retailers, and shop guilt-free knowing that a portion of your purchase will be donated to this amazing charity.

Behind the Music has been fighting to restore music education in public schools for over ten years. To date, the foundation has restored and sustained over $45 million in new musical instruments, reaching 1.4 million public school kids in 1,700 public schools in 100 cities across the nation. Research shows that music programs help students develop critical thinking and self-discipline skills, and increase their self-esteem, SAT scores, and even school attendance. As more and more programs are cut across the nation, now is the time more than ever to support Behind the Music. And with the VH1 Big Shopping event, it's never been easier.

We stopped by the gifting suite pre-launch event at the W New York – Times Square, and saw celebs out in full abundance to support the cause.We spoke to the gorgeous Katharine McPhee, whose new album drops January 5th, about why she decided to support the event. "I think it's really important to keep the arts in our society, and it starts with children," she tells Luxist. "I've always been a fan of VH1's Save the Music program, and what they do for keeping music in schools." Although McPhee's new album is very lush and very grownup, she's still all about the kids, and recently came back from teaching a songwriting course to schoolkids in Arkansas.

We spotted Nigel Barker pick out some jewelry from ShopTwigs.com for his wife, and fellow America's Next Top Model pal Miss J try out some firming eye gel ads from skyn ICELAND, scents from Demeter, and nail polish from Zoya. And how could we miss Twilight's Billy Burke try out the luxurious sheets, from the W Hotel's new bedding collection. He was having trouble pulling himself away from the soft new bedding, designed exclusively for the hotel by Anki Spets.

Click through the gallery below to discover some of the highlights of the sale, and then head to www.vh1bigshopping.com. From a studded messenger bag to a kid's DJ deck, it's a one-stop shop to get all of your holiday shopping done.

Gallery: Vh1 Save the Music

Nigel Barker at VH1's Save the Music Foundation Big Shopping Event

Miss J gets glam at the W Hotel-Times Square

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the gifting suite and sample some products for the purposes of this review. Opinions in this article are 100% my own.

Tags: katherine mcphee, KatherineMcphee, nigel barker, NigelBarker, vh1