NBC’s ‘Red Nose Day Special’ Preview

With music by Elton John and Blake Shelton, comedy from Tracy Morgan and appearances by more than 60 other celebrities, the “Red Nose Day Special,” to air live Thursday night on NBC, promises to be as starry as a Hollywood awards show — only the winners are children’s charities around the world.

Julia Roberts, Kobe Bryant, Tyler Perry, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Anna Kendrick, Seth Rogen, Celine Dion, Bono, Ellen DeGeneres and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges are among those expected to appear during the two-hour show, to air from Universal Studios near Los Angeles. The show starts at 9 p.m. Eastern.

A U.K. tradition that launched in the U.S. last year, Red Nose Day aims to raise money and awareness for organizations such as Save the Children and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Viewers are encouraged to participate by buying red clown noses at Walgreens and hosting their own “fun-raisers .”