By Amy & Nancy Harrington, Pop Culture Passionistas Too many stars gathered for Autism education, five sons from Sudan bust a move for their Mom, and one of TV’s favorite daughters plays mother to needy kittens–here are this week’s most inspirational pop culture moments. Comedians Get Funny for AutismComedians gathered for a cause during the “Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert for Autism Education” which aired on Comedy Central on Thursday night. Hosted by “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart, the evening featured performances, sketches, and a live auction raising money to help fight the neural disorder that affects one in every 110 children.Stewart was joined on stage by Steve Carell, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams, Tracy Jordan, Tom Brokaw, Julie Bowen, Dax Shephard, and many more. Also on hand was Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the alter ego of writer/comedian Robert Smigel, who’s been the driving force behind the charity and has a son with autism. The highlight of the evening just might have been Chris Rock, who took part in the live auction. The highest bidder, a woman named Desiree, won a live, on-stage phone call by Rock to “curse out her ex.” Desiree seemed thrilled to have Chris give her old beau a verbal beating for posting photos of another woman on his Facebook page.Tina Fey’s swimsuit calendar (featuring her head on scantily clad female models and a Mr. Universe-style body) was given to callers who donated more than $100. Fey joked she made it “because nobody gives money to charity unless they get something in return.”If you missed your chance to donate during last night’s event, have no fear. The online portion of the auction continues through the weekend. At the time of publication, the item with the highest bid is the Jon Stewart “Rally to Restore Sanity” signed poster going for $3,500. His on-screen rival Stephen Colbert is not fetching as much with his “March to Keep Fear Alive” autographed poster (currently at $1,025). Another big ticket item is a copy of Sarah Palin’s autobiography signed by Tina Fey (current bid $1,009).If your pockets are not that deep, you might consider bidding on a Spanish textbook signed by Joel McHale (current bid $127.50), a canned ham autographed by David Letterman (current bid $274.69), or an English Muffin bag signed by “The Daily Show’s” John Oliver (current bid $89).Since 2005 the “Night of Too Many Stars” had raised over $7 million for various Autism education charities.Five Brothers from Congo Inspire on “Dancing with the Stars”“Dancing with the Stars” is good, light-hearted family fare and they don’t usually get too heavy. But on this week’s episode, producers took time out for a very special segment. Five brothers from the Congo surprised their mom Bernadette with a special dance. The Mwano sons are proof that people can overcome adversity. Not long ago, they saw their father assassinated and their earthly possessions were taken. Clearly their spirits remained in tact, and, along with their mother they immigrated to the U.S. with nothing. And thanks to their wonderful mother, they rebuilt their lives. As a treat to her, a big “DWTS” fan, they joined the female pros for a cha cha on the show this week. Their mother was clearly touched. And so it seems were their partners. Lacey Schwimmer, who danced with the youngest boy Tavi tweeted, “What an amazing day… @kylemassey1991 and I are safe and I got to dance with the Mwano family. Tears in my eyes dancing w Tavi! Luv u boys!” At least one mother was happy after the show. Everybody’s favorite TV mom, Florence Henderson found herself in the bottom three and was sent home Susan Olsen Fosters Kittens for Precious PawsSpeaking of Bradys, we were excited to meet one of our favorite childhood TV stars recently, Susan Olsen who played Cindy on “The Brady Bunch.” And our enthusiasm quickly turned to inspiration when Susan told us about a cause near and dear to her heart–Precious Paws animal rescue.Long before she got involved with the organization, Olsen has been saving kittens as an official Bottle Baby foster parent. She explained that process to us, “I would take in the little teeny-tiny kittens and puppies, although it’s almost 99% kittens that come in. And sometimes they don’t have their eyes open and they may still have their umbilical cords. They’re these little things that get left in front of the door at night. The shelter workers will come in the morning and there’s a box full of… kittens. And they don’t have the time to take care of them so they train people in the community to be bottle baby parents.” Then she met Georgyne Lalone, Founder and President of Precious Paws, who also happened to be a former co-worker of Susan’s old “Brady Bunch” co-star Chris Knight. She told Susan how the organization originated following the 1994 earthquake. Susan told us, “She started doing rescue by saving… a feral colony on the Paramount lot. These cats were descendants of the cats I used to feed when I was a little girl growing up at Paramount.”Georgyne asked how Susan could take care of the kittens and put them back into a shelter system, where no one knew what happened to them. Susan said, “Well, as far as I knew there wasn’t any alternative except adopt them all myself. And I’m not going to be the crazy cat lady in the neighborhood. And [Georgyne] said, ‘No, work with me and you’ll usually meet the people who adopt your babies.'” Olsen isn’t the only celebrity chipping in at Precious Paws. An upcoming auction ,which starts on October 28, will feature items donated by a wide range of stars. Fans can vote on everything from “My Fair Brady’s” Adrienne Curry’s BHC Chopper to lunch with Susan and Erin Murphy, who played Tabitha on “Bewitched.” To learn more visit the Precious Paws website. You can read more from the Pop Culture Passionistas at http://www.popculturepassionistas.com.

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