"Heroes for Autism": Art auction for a great cause

Artwork created by cast and crew members on NBC's "Heroes" will be auctioned off April 19 at benefit for Autism Speaks to be held at the Avalon in Hollywood.

Rainn Wilson is on board to emcee "Heroes for Autism," which will include musical perfs by Wendy and Lisa and Band from TV, whose members include "Heroes'" Greg Grunberg and Adrian Pasdar, "House's" Hugh Laurie and "Desperate Housewives'" James Denton. "Heroes" thesps Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia are among those who will have artwork up for grabs at the silent auction. All proceeds will go to Autism Speaks.

The "Heroes for Autism" effort has been spurred by Greg Cohen, who works as a camera assistant on the Universal Media Studios series. A good friend of his has two youngs sons with autism, so the issue is close to his heart.

Outside of his day job, Cohen curates photography and art exhibits, many of them done as benefits. He knew that there were a number of talented artists and photogs in the "Heroes" camp, so it didn't take long for him to pull the pieces together, with help from Autism Speaks, NBC and U execs and the real-life heroes within "Heroes."

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(Pictured above: A Greg Cohen pic that will among the items up for auction.)