Celebs sincerely moved by CNN Heroes

There's a famous saying attributed to comedian George Burns : "The secret of acting is sincerity.  If you can fake that, you've got it made."

It's a Hollywood truism, but I really think the stars who turned out for the CNN Heroes show were sincerely moved by the people they honored.  Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Pierce Brosnan, Neil Patrick Harris, Dwayne Johnson and George Lopez were among the celebs who introduced the 10 finalists for "CNN Hero of the Year", each of the nominees an "everyday person doing the extraordinary."

Brosnan introduced nominee Andrea Ivory, a breast cancer survivor who has created a network of mobile mammography vans in Florida to reach women who might not otherwise have access to cancer screening.  I was touched by Brosnan's introduction in which he talked about losing his first wife to cancer.  His openness about that and his admiration of Ivory were really impressive.

Harris went off prompter to talk about how honored he was to participate in the event, and he repeated that to us backstage afterwards.  I loved how Lopez introduced his nominee, Jorge Munoz, affectionately calling him "Jorgito". 

Terrence Howard returned this year just to sit in the audience.  Last year, he introduced 2008 CNN Hero of the Year Liz McCartney, who's been helping rebuild the lives of Hurricane Katrina victims in Louisiana.  I saw Howard at an event a couple of months ago, and tears came to his eyes as  he talked about McCartney's work.  He clearly hadn't forgotten her.

Sure, there are cynical entertainers who show up at a charity event for the exposure.   But the stars at CNN Heroes seemed sincerely happy - almost relieved - to be part of an awards show that is about humanitarian contributions and not self-congratulation.

If you have the chance, watch the show when it's re-broadcast this weekend on CNN.  Like the stars, I don't think you'll fail to be moved.