‘Idol’ Gives Back. Will you?
Carrie Underwood arrives Sunday at the Kodak Theatre for the taping of Idol Gives Back.
American Idol is a show about numbers, really. It’s about the 29.4 million — give or take — votes that are cast each week for the contestants. It’s about the three judges. The Top 24. Then 12. And the bottom three.
But it’s also about one other number — $76 million. If you don’t skip through the chatter on your DVR, you’ve heard Ryan Seacrest repeat the magic $76 million number week after week. That number, as you probably know, is how much producers claim was raised during last year’s Idol Gives Back effort.
The Idol charity organization played off the huge popularity of the show — and a red carpet full of celebrities — to help boost funding for nine poverty-related charities in the U.S. and Africa. Randy, Paula and Simon, as well as Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood and many others, made trips to different areas where the money was to be used.
But whatever happened to all that cash? And how much money has been used just to promote (and promote, again and again) this charity effort? It seems like overkill. (Click here to read a New York Times breakdown of the $76 million.)
Musicians including Underwood, Fergie, Sheila E., Annie Lennox, John Legend and many others arrived Sunday at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles for the taping of this year’s Idol Gives Back effort, which airs Wednesday. (If you remember from last year, this could mean nobody will be going home this week …)
While I’m a huge fan of the show, I probably won’t be giving back through Idol Gives Back. It’s not that I don’t believe in charity, I just don’t know how I feel about Idol directing me on how to spend my charitable giving. Plus, this show already has a great deal of influence on my life.
What about you? Will you be giving back? Do you wonder what happened to all that money?
American Idol, Idol Gives Back, Carrie Underwood, Ryan Seacrest, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson
April 7th, 2008 at 10:04 am
I believe there is another show on Thursday and they’ll send someone home then. Hopefully we’ll be spared the whole drama of safe/not safe on Wednesday night.