OSLO, Norway – American superstars Tom Cruise (search) and Oprah Winfrey (search) will host December's traditional Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, honoring the 2004 laureate, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, organizers told the AP Wednesday.
"They really wanted to do it, right from the start," concert organizer Odd Arvid Stroemstad said by telephone Wednesday. "They clearly know what the Nobel concert is, and what the Nobel Peace Prize is about."
As masters of ceremony for the Dec. 11 concert in the capital, Oslo, Winfrey and Cruise will share the stage with plenty of high-profile entertainment.
Entertainers booked to play the show include British teen soul singer Joss Stone, opera vocalist Andrea Bocelli (search), jazz singer Diana Krall (search), pop singer Cyndi Lauper (search) and Patti Labelle, along with several Norwegian artists.
Stroemstad said other celebrities are likely to be added to the roster before the final lineup is announced
All those who perform do so for free, but organizers will cover their travel expenses, lodging and food.
The Nobel concert will be carried live in more than 100 countries, and traditionally draws some of the biggest names in show business. Last year, the event was hosted by Hollywood husband-and-wife Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones (search).
The 64-year-old Maathai, Kenya's deputy environment minister, became the first African woman to win the coveted peace prize, which was announced Oct. 8.
She was honored as founder of the Green Belt Movement, which has sought to empower women, improve the environment, including by planting 30 million trees, and fight corruption in Africa for almost 30 years.
Maathai will receive the 10 million Swedish kronor (US$1.3 million) prize at a solemn Dec. 10 ceremony in Oslo, followed by a torch-light parade and banquet in her honor, and, the next day, the Nobel concert.
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