George Clooney and Julia Roberts gave up their time to man the phones

In a unique broadcasting event America: A Tribute to Heroes was shown on 35 separate broadcast and cable networks simultaneously with no ad breaks.

Research shows 60 million viewers tuned into the entire show to watch performers such as Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel and Sting.

Pledges were taken over the phone in the studio by stars including Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz and Sylvester Stallone.

Actors involved

Jim Carrey Tom Cruise George Clooney Cameron Diaz Robert De Niro Clint Eastwood Calista Flockhart Kelsey Grammer Julia Roberts Tom Hanks Will Smith Robin Williams Brad Pitt Meg Ryan Jack Nicholson Adam Sandler Goldie Hawn Danny DeVito Al Pacino John Cusack Salma Hayek Chris Rock Sylvester Stallone Sarah Jessica Parker Conan O'Brien Cuba Gooding Jr Lucy Liu Jimmy Smits Dennis Franz

Brad Pitt, Meg Ryan, Will Smith, Robert de Niro and Al Pacino were also among the celebrities giving up their time to help the cause.

The stars told poignant stories of innocent people killed and heroic acts, while former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali appealed to people not to target all Muslims in the wake of the attacks.

Behind the scenes a further 38,000 volunteers manned the phone lines and monitored donations coming in from the website.

The Band Aid single and Live Aid event, organised by Bob Geldof in 1985, raised around �40m for famine relief in Ethiopia.

A CD of music from the America: Tribute to Heroes night is now expected to be released featuring performances such as Bruce Springsteen's My City in Ruins, Neil Young's rendition of Imagine and Wyclef Jean's version of Bob Marley's Redemption Song.

Many stars have themselves donated sums to help the victims of the attack.

Musicians involved

U2 Bon Jovi Mariah Carey Sheryl Crow Celine Dion Paul Simon Bruce Springsteen Stevie Wonder Neil Young Enrique Iglesias Wyclef Jean Billy Joel Alicia Keys Willie Nelson Dixie Chicks Faith Hill Billy Joel Tom Petty

Actress Julia Roberts donated $2m (�1.37m) and actor Jim Carrey sent $1m (686,000).

Computer giant Microsoft has pledged $10m (�6.86m), media company Vivendi $5m (�3.43m) and United Parcel Service $4m (�2.7m), to name just some of the corporate donors.

The live special was broadcast from two studios in New York and Los Angeles, although producers refused to reveal the exact locations because of security fears and there was no audience.

The United Way's September 11th Fund will benefit from the donations.