Crystal Joins De Niro on 9/11 Memorial Board

Thu., Jul. 17, 2008 3:00 PM PDT by

Billy Crystal AP Photo/Matt Sayles

Billy Crystal is clearly in a New York state of mind.

The Emmy winner has joined the board of directors of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, a foundation raising funds for the still-in-the-works local memorial to the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Crystal, who was born on Long Island and who performed at a benefit concert to raise money for the city a month after 9/11, joins fellow Big Apple native Robert De Niro on the now 45-member board.

The organization has privately raised more than $350 million to go toward a memorial at the WTC site, a project that has attracted no end of creative, logistical and financial controversy.

Earlier this month, a group of victims' relatives told the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that it was imperative that the public tribute to the 2,751 people who died in the city be completed by 2011, in time for the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

Joseph C. Daniels, president and chief executive of the memorial foundation responded in a statement:

"We believe it is both possible and essential that the memorial be open to the public by the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Given the complexities in rebuilding the site, we understand that public access to the memorial will be challenging at that time. However, we will be exploring all options to mitigate the impact of ongoing construction."

The Port Authority has said that the entire project, which includes the 1,776-foot-tall Freedom Tower, two smaller office towers and a transit hub, could end up costing more than $15 billion.

Read More

Print Share 4 Comments
filed under charity, death, money

4 Comments

Now loading...

Add Your Comment!

Guests

E! Online members

Register | Forgot password?

Play nice and have fun. And please, no HTML tags or special characters including [&*#()!@$].
You've got 1000 characters left.

Post Comment

BIG PICTURE

Big Easy Brad A bundled-up Pitt readies for some Button-down press on the Today show in New Orleans

More Photos

E! News Now

  • Dunst Takes On Trespasser

    "Spider-Man" star Kirsten Dunst has filed for a restraining order against an alleged stalker. Get the details.

  • Katherine Heigl's "Ugly Truth"

    Gerard Butler teaches the "Grey's Anatomy" star a thing or two about men and dating in this new romantic comedy.

  • Breaking: Hudson Suspect Arrested

    Police have obtained an arrest warrant for Jennifer Hudson's estranged brother-in-law. Get the latest.

  • Fey Laughs It Up in "Vanity Fair"

    Funnygal Tina Fey is flirty and fabulous as she takes us on the set of her "Vanity Fair" photo shoot! Sneak a peek.

Fashion Police

Sienna Miller, Kiera Knightley

Buddy SystemSienna gets zero friendship points for not telling Keira something looks out of place on her dress

More Photos

Our Partners

Shop

Get Your E! News Now

Text ENEWS to 4INFO (44636) for daily celeb news alerts

Standard messaging rates apply.

Did you know you can grab smokin' hot E! Online news, review and gossip through our RSS service?

New to RSS feeds? Learn more >>

Birthdate:

Enter your full birthdate:

has been subscribed to the E! News Now Newsletter.

To change your settings, go to your preferences.

E! News Now

  • Dunst Takes On Trespasser

    "Spider-Man" star Kirsten Dunst has filed for a restraining order against an alleged stalker. Get the details.

  • Katherine Heigl's "Ugly Truth"

    Gerard Butler teaches the "Grey's Anatomy" star a thing or two about men and dating in this new romantic comedy.

  • Breaking: Hudson Suspect Arrested

    Police have obtained an arrest warrant for Jennifer Hudson's estranged brother-in-law. Get the latest.

  • Fey Laughs It Up in "Vanity Fair"

    Funnygal Tina Fey is flirty and fabulous as she takes us on the set of her "Vanity Fair" photo shoot! Sneak a peek.