Idol Gets to Give More than $60 Million

Thu., Apr. 26, 2007 6:56 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

The usual tens of millions of people voted for their favorite Idols this week, but it was the war on poverty that reaped all the rewards.

American Idol's special two-night Idol Gives Back event raised more than $60 million for charity, Fox announced Thursday after a week in which no aspiring pop star was sent home but the theme of making dreams come true was in full force.

The hit show's major sponsors, including Ford, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Allstate and ExxonMobil, pledged to match each vote with a certain amount of cash and, as of Wednesday, fans had shown their love for Melinda, Blake, Jordin, etc. by texting or phoning in a record 70 million-plus votes.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which owns Fox Broadcasting, kicked in $5 million after promising 10 cents for each of the first 50 million votes that came in.

Additional donations can still be made either via the Internet or through a specially set up phone line and the final amount raised for the recently formed Charity Projects Entertainment Fund will be announced on next Tuesday's show, during which the final six contestants will perform rock music with the help of guest Jon Bon Jovi.

Wednesday night featured performances by Earth, Wind & Fire, Rascal Flatts, Josh Groban, Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion (in what turned out to be a controversial pseudo duet with Elvis Presley), Il Divo and, of course, Idol's final six, who sang the new Quincy Jones-penned ballad "Time to Care" and then closed the show with "American Prayer."

Ellen DeGeneres, who said she would make a personal donation of $100,000 hosted the musical extravaganza portion of the event live via satellite from Los Angeles' Walt Disney Concert Hall. Ryan Seacrest held down the fort, as usual, over in Hollywood.

Celebs who appeared in either live or pretaped form included Bono, Madonna, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Hugh Laurie, Helen Mirren, Eric McCormack, Teri Hatcher and a whole lot more, many of whom lent themselves to a montage of A-listers lip-syncing to the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive."

In fact, the night was so jam-packed with star power, two hours weren't enough to fit everybody in. Taped segments featuring Pink and former Idol guest coach Gwen Stefani were reportedly cut from the broadcast and will air instead on an upcoming episode of the ratings juggernaut.

The money raised from Idol Gives Back will eventually be split domestically among Save the Children, America's Second Harvest—The Nation's Food Bank Network, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the Children's Health Fund, and, in Africa, among the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, Malaria No More, Nothing But Nets, Save the Children and UNICEF.

The Bono-championed ONE Campaign announced that more than 70,000 people signed up for the cause after the U2 frontman's plea for more aid to fight "brutal, stupid poverty" aired Wednesday night.