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"Russell Brand, Coldplay and Jon Stewart are to headline the Secret Policeman&amp;#039;s Ball benefit show in New York City. The legendary charity comedy show will be held in the United States for the first time ever on March 4 at Radio City Music Hall.   Stephen Colbert and Mumford &amp;amp; Sons will also be on hand for the Secret Policeman&amp;#039;s Ball to raise money for Amnesty International. The first official Secret Policeman&amp;#039;s Ball was held at Her Majesty&amp;#039;s Theatre in London in 1979 and featured members of Monty Python appearing in skits as well as musical performances from Pete Townshend and &amp;#039;Glad to Be Gay&amp;#039; singer Tom Robinson. Comedy icons Rowan Atkinson, Peter Cook and Billy Connolly and musicians Bob Geldof, Sting and Bono appeared in the ensuing series of Secret Policeman&amp;#039;s Balls throughout the 1980s. Amnesty International spokesman Andy Hackman said that the Secret Policeman&amp;#039;s Ball will be reinvigorated by its move across the Atlantic. &amp;quot;For us, it&amp;#039;s iconic and a very special thing, and has provided the opportunity to really celebrate the presence of freedom of expression and free speech, and how we can move people and how we can bring people together, and just how powerful that is,&amp;quot; Hackman declared. The last Secret Policeman&amp;#039;s Ball gala took place in London in 2008 and featured headliners Graham Norton, Kristen Schaal, Mitchell and Webb and Katy Brand. &amp;gt; Russell Brand &amp;#039;ignored Katy Perry&amp;#039;s marriage plea&amp;#039; &amp;gt; Coldplay to play charity concert in Los Angeles Watch Pete Townshend perform &amp;#039;Won&amp;#039;t Get Fooled Again&amp;#039; at the 1979 Secret Policeman&amp;#039;s Ball below:      "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/news/a362084/coldplay-russell-brand-for-secret-policemans-ball-in-new-york/>