"We Are The World" for Haiti victims

Star-struck singers, rappers and actors, including Barbra Streisand, Kanye West and Miley Cyrus, checked their egos at the door on Monday to record a new version of "We Are The World" for Haiti earthquake victims, 25 years after the song raised awareness of the famine in Africa.

This year’s recording took place in the same studio as 1985, on the lot of the former A&M (now Henson) Studios. Jones was back behind the producer’s podium, alongside the song’s co-writer, Lionel Richie; original engineer Humberto Gatica was behind the dials. R&B singer Mya started a rumor (and immediately took it back) that the song’s original bridge — memorably sung by its other co-writer, Michael Jackson — would remain. But there were nods to 2010, too: Lady Gaga producer RedOne polished the backing track with a more contemporary sound, and Crash director Paul Haggis was on hand to shoot a new video. “The eyes of the world are finally on Haiti,” he said. “We cannot allow it to be forgotten again.”

Streisand, Celine Dion and Tony Bennett appeared to inspire the most stares. Fifteen-year-old Canadian heartthrob Justin Bieber, who sang the opening line originally performed by Richie, joked that he would ask his new friend, R&B singer Akon, to get the telephone number of Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls.