AceShowbiz - Actor Ian Somerhalder is urging his Hollywood pals to come together and organize a star-studded telethon to help raise funds for the state of Louisiana following the devastating BP oil spill in April. The "The Vampire Diaries" star hails from Covington, which is near to the coastline where oil is washing up daily, after failed efforts by British Petroleum bosses to stem the leak.

Somerhalder took a trip back to his home state recently and was shocked by the damage along Gulf Coast. The actor is now appealing to screen stars to come together and raise much-needed cash to help the people of Louisiana, after seeing the huge success of George Clooney's Hope for Haiti Now telethon earlier this year.

In a video diary for E! Online, he says, "Coming from the entertainment world, I'm really shaken by how quiet Hollywood is. And I say that out of respect for my peers and colleagues, but I'm really bummed that no one is really coming up to help the situation. I think a telethon is a good way to funnel money into these channels. We need to set one of those things up to really paint a picture of exactly how much devastation is here."

"This is ground zero right now. I'm looking at this slick of oil. I've been watching pelicans die. This place is going to need money, that is the bottom line - money in the right hands to replant these marshes. (It) really breaks my heart...," he adds.

Clooney's Haiti telethon raised a massive $57 million (38 million pound sterling) to help rebuild the country following January's earthquake.