American Morning
Trapped violinist finds music amid quake ruins
By Chuck Johnston, CNN
(CNN) - Blind violinist Romel Joseph laid in what he called his "grave" for 18 hours.
The concrete support beams of his music school in Haiti pinned his legs and feet. Buried in the rubble of the five-story building, Romel realized he was trapped and would not be able to get out on his own.
He was overwhelmed by the hot air. He began to have a conversation with God.
"I said, 'I would like to know if you are here. I'm really hot ... and don't have much time to live so if you are here, I'm really hot and I need some cool air.' And believe it or not, the next thing I know, there's cool air that got in."
He began to pray every hour, for 20 minutes or so, and then came his music.
First he pictured himself playing a Tchaikovsky concerto. And then every hour another concerto.
"I know I picked the Brahms, the Franz, the Sibelius. I picked several," Romel remembers. "I know a lot of concertos for violins. And I picked the longer ones."
Why Jonathan Demme loves Haiti
By Alina Cho, CNN
Jonathan Demme has had a love affair with Haiti for more than 20 years. So when he heard about the earthquake, he wanted to help.
"I almost went last weekend. I've got my shots, I get on a plane, I'm going to go down, I'm going to help. What am I going to do?"
The Academy-Award winning director's passion for Haiti came first through art.
Walking by a gallery in the mid-1980's he says, "I was really overwhelmed by the creativity of these paintings, the excitement of the music and I thought, 'Wow, Haiti. This is very interesting.' And I bought a painting."
That eventually led him on a trip to Haiti to find more paintings. What he discovered was a country full of people who were as vibrant as their art. It was 1986.
Dr. Frist back from Haiti
Aid is finally flowing into earthquake-stricken Haiti. Up to 140 flights a day are bringing supplies into the country. But it's still an uphill battle to meet the overwhelming need for food, water, shelter and medicine.
Former Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist just came back from Haiti where he performed life-saving surgery on earthquake survivors. He joined us live on Monday's American Morning.
Complete coverage: Haiti earthquake
Searching for life two weeks after Haiti earthquake
The Haitian government has officially called an end to search and rescue operations in the wake of the devastating earthquake. But rescue teams are still out there, searching for miracles.
On Saturday, 11 days after the earthquake, a 24-year-old man was pulled alive from the rubble of a hotel. So what are the chances more rescues will be made?
On Monday's American Morning we talked to two men who have been leading some of the rescues in Haiti – Dennis Cross, fire captain of the L.A. County Search and Rescue Team; and Larry Collins, L.A. County Fire Dept. Search Team manager.
Related: Families to Haiti: Keep searching
'Hope for Haiti' to dominate the airwaves
Programming Note: Watch "Hope for Haiti" starting at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, January 22, on CNN and CNN Live.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/01/22/clooney.george.gi.art.jpg caption="It took only a phone call from George Clooney to get the "Hope for Haiti" telethon started."]
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
If you're looking to watch "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" on Friday night, you won't have any trouble finding it.
The two-hour, star-studded telethon is set to be one of the most widely distributed prime-time televised benefits in history, appearing simultaneously on more than 25 networks - including CNN, where Anderson Cooper will report live from Haiti during the event.
Other networks airing "Hope for Haiti" include ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT. The show will even air on the Discovery's eco-lifestyle television network, Planet Green.
MTV is presenting the benefit, which will be helmed by Oscar-winning actor George Clooney in Los Angeles, California, and musician Wyclef Jean from New York. CNN's Anderson Cooper will report live from Haiti.
Plenty of entertainers have joined the roster to raise awareness about the earthquake in Haiti that has left tens of thousands dead and many more homeless and injured.
Haiti contributions deductible on 2009 taxes
There is some good news today from Congress concerning your contributions to the relief effort in Haiti.
A new Senate bill allows you to deduct those donations during this tax season, instead of having to wait for next year. Our Gerri Willis has the details.
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