'Stand Up to Cancer' raises more than $109 million

The star-studded "Stand Up to Cancer" telecast raised more than $109 million in pledges for cancer research over the weekend, organizers of the charity event said Sunday.

The show — broadcast live without commercials by more than 30 networks and streamed by Yahoo and Hulu — featured performances by The Who, Dave Matthews Band, Ariana Grande, Lupe Fiasco, Jennifer Hudson and Common and appearances by dozens of celebrities, including Jennifer Aniston, Jon Hamm, Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Reese Witherspoon, Will Ferrell and Gwyneth Paltrow, the show's executive producer.

“The fight against this insidious disease is very personal for me," said Paltrow, who lost her father, Bruce, to cancer in 2002. "Everyone knows someone who's been affected by cancer."

According to the American Cancer Society, in the United States in 2014, more than 1.6 million new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed, and more than 580,000 deaths attributed to the disease. In 2012, 8.2 million people worldwide died of some form of cancer, it said.

The funds pledged during Friday's telecast will be directed to collaborative cancer research utilizing Stand Up to Cancer's scientific model in both the United States and Canada.

Ferrell provided some comic relief, reprising his "Anchorman" character Ron Burgundy.

"I love Stand Up to Cancer," he said. "But we shouldn't stop there. As a society we need to stand up to Libras and Pisces and Tauruses and Capricorns."

Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric, who helped launch the charity in 2008, co-hosted the biennial event. The previous three telecasts raised a combined $261 million.

Stand Up To Cancer,  which is an Entertainment Industry Foundation initiative, is still accepting donations at its website, SU2C.org, and via telephone at 1-888-90-STAND (78263).

Watch a replay of the full telecast below: