Ellen DeGeneres will once again join Ryan Seacrest as co-host of IDOL GIVES BACK, a music celebration raising awareness and funds to benefit various U.S. and international charities. DeGeneres will host from the Kodak Theatre with Seacrest hosting from the AMERICAN IDOL stage in Los Angeles Wednesday, April 9 (7:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Having garnered a prestigious Governor’s Award Emmy for raising an incredible $76 million last year, this year’s IDOL GIVES BACK will be bigger and more ambitious than ever. Maroon 5, Heart, Gloria Estefan, Boyz II Men and The Clark Brothers join previously announced international talent and sports figures including Bono, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Fergie, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, John Legend and Snoop Dogg. Additional artists scheduled to appear to be announced.
“Everyone knows it’s better to give than to receive,” said DeGeneres. “That’s why I want to give you some advice. You get the advice and I get the joy of giving – it’s a win-win. Here it is: Give yourself a treat and watch IDOL GIVES BACK. Again, you get the joy of giving and an amazing line-up of artists get to give us an incredible show. Last year, we were able to giveaway over $76 million. You give, you get. Get it?”
John Mayer // Elton John // Idols 08 // Daughtry // Jonas Brothers // Rascal Flatts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.. It's about learning to dance in the rain."
Amazing that Elliott had a baby named after him....good thing it was a BOY otherwise there would be another Fantasia in the world. EEK
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Favorite quote from 2007: Some people are like a Slinky ... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.
Originally posted by Gidget: Amazing that Elliott had a baby named after him....good thing it was a BOY otherwise there would be another Fantasia in the world. EEK
LOL That was so sweet.. and he got all choked up...
Originally posted by Gidget: Amazing that Elliott had a baby named after him....good thing it was a BOY otherwise there would be another Fantasia in the world. EEK
LOL That was so sweet.. and he got all choked up...
I thought that was sweet too.. and then he was saying, "I'm a Godfather", or something like that. I wonder if he will help the little guy out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.. It's about learning to dance in the rain."
American Idol Spotlights Malaria Crisis During Idol Gives Back, April 9, On FOX
American Idol and FOX announced that this year’s Idol Gives Back, airing Wednesday, April 9 (7:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, will raise awareness and funds to fight malaria in Africa for the second year in a row as part of its star-studded event.
Malaria No More is honored to once again be named a beneficiary of Idol Gives Back, which last year raised more than $76 million, including $9 million for Malaria No More and over $8 million for other malaria-related causes.
In 2007, funds raised for Malaria No More by Idol fans and corporate sponsor ExxonMobil provided life-saving bed nets to more than one million mothers and children in Angola, Mali, Madagascar, Uganda and Zambia.
Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease that claims over one million lives every year; an African child dies every 30 seconds of the disease.
"Heroes" regular Greg Grunberg, "House" star Hugh Laurie, "Desperate Housewives'" James Denton and the other members of the Band from TV will be rockin' the house on Fox's second "American Idol Gives Back" special April 9, reveals Grunberg.
"It's sort of a top-secret thing, which I just blew," says the actor, who plays drums in the band that includes Chris Kelley, Bob Guiney, David Anders, Bonnie Somerville, Brad Savage, Jesse Spencer, Rich Winer and Barry Sarna. "We're pre-taping it on April 6, and I'm so incredibly nervous to play at the Kodak Theater in front of all these people."
Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson of “American Idol” fame made a low-profile visit to Goshen Elementary School to meet students and shoot video for the upcoming “Idol Gives Back” fundraiser show.
The stars visited 40 lucky Goshen students, asking their names and ages, and giving each a hug. Abdul even led them in a dance routine in the cafeteria.
“The students were very excited” about the March 14 visit, Principal Marty Frolli said.
“She showed it could be fun way to work out and get exercise.”
Robin Williams, Celine Dion, Forest Whitaker, Billy Crystal, Dane Cook, Kiefer Sutherland, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Jennifer Connolly and Amy Adams, plus American Idol veterans Elliott Yamin and Fantasia, will appear along with the previously announced Bono, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Fergie, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, John Legend, Snoop Dogg, Maroon 5, Heart and Gloria Estefan.
Much of the Idol Gives Back festivities will tape on Sunday, April 6 and tickets are available to the general public via the American Idol website.
Despite reports that they were tying the knot in New Orleans, the Hollywood power couple apparently wasn’t even in the Big Easy this weekend.
So if he’s not getting married, what is Pitt up to? I’m told the star will be at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood Sunday to appear on American Idol’s big charity fundraising event, Idol Gives Back. A portion of Idol Gives Back will shoot on Sunday to air three days later during the live broadcast April 9.
Originally posted by BigNLiddle: Pitt Stop in Hollywood for Idol Gives Back?
Despite reports that they were tying the knot in New Orleans, the Hollywood power couple apparently wasn’t even in the Big Easy this weekend.
So if he’s not getting married, what is Pitt up to? I’m told the star will be at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood Sunday to appear on American Idol’s big charity fundraising event, Idol Gives Back. A portion of Idol Gives Back will shoot on Sunday to air three days later during the live broadcast April 9.
Reese Witherspoon Teaches Troubled New Orleans Kids
Actress Reese Witherspoon is jumping on the Hollywood charity train…in New Orleans, Louisiana that is. She surprised children at a school by showing up to volunteer as a teacher for the day. The Academy Award winner visited the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School in New Orleans, where local troubled and at-risk kids learn to become community leaders. The visit was filmed for the upcoming ‘American Idol’ charity television special called ‘Idol Gives Back.’
Mariah to duet with late Marvin Gaye on “Idol Gives Back” Mariah will be performing “What’s Going On” on the “Idol Gives Back” special as a duet with the late Marvin Gaye via a video performance. The show will air on April 9th on Fox.
John Mayer // Elton John // Idols 08 // Daughtry // Jonas Brothers // Rascal Flatts
In a Wednesday conference call with reporters, American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe offered updates on this year’s “Idol Gives Back” fundraising effort, to air Wednesday, April 9. For starters, Lythgoe cleared the air on talk that Mariah Carey would perform a duet with the late Marvin Gaye, a la Celine Dion and Elvis Presley a year ago. “Unfortunately, it’s not [happening],” he shared. “We couldn’t get the rights to music with Marvin, so we had to cancel it.” (Chalk up one unsettling/eerie bullet dodged.)
Lythgoe also addressed the breaking news that Ellen DeGeneres would not be able to shoulder half of the hosting duties for the evening. “Ellen, we were told, couldn’t do it due to a personal production pressure,” he said. Filling her shoes/sneakers will be… Ryan Seacrest! Will the seemingly busiest man in show business be worked even harder? Lythgoe shrugged off the notion. “We’ve got a lot of co-hosts, so it isn’t like last year,” he explained. “There are a lot of really good people coming on that stage to introduce people.”
John Mayer // Elton John // Idols 08 // Daughtry // Jonas Brothers // Rascal Flatts
IDOL GIVES BACK, the historic Emmy Award-winning television event and music celebration airing Wednesday, April 9 (7:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, will raise awareness and funds to benefit six charities. including: the Children's Defense Fund, The Global Fund, Make It Right, Malaria No More, Save The Children, U.S. Programs and the Children's Health Fund.
This year's event, beginning at a special 7:30 PM start time, will be bigger and more ambitious than ever. Robin Williams, Celine Dion, Forest Whitaker, Billy Crystal, Dane Cook, Kiefer Sutherland, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Jennifer Connolly, Elliott Yamin, Fantasia and Amy Adams join previously announced international talent and sports figures Bono, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Fergie, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, John Legend, Snoop Dogg, Maroon 5, Heart and Gloria Estefan.
During the show, viewers will be able to make donations via toll-free lines and the Internet.
“Desperate Housewives” star Teri Hatcher is gearing up for a visit to “American Idol.”
The primetime star will be stepping on to the “Idol Gives Back” stage, lending her star power and her voice, to a worthy cause, Rush & Molloy of the New York Daily News reported.
The actress will do back-up duties for The Band From TV, which features Teri’s “Desperate Housewives” co-star James Denton, “House’s” Hugh Laurie, “Heroes’” Greg Grunberg and “Cashmere Mafia’s” Bonnie Somerville.
“It worked, I think, because it actually made sense,” Cowell says. “A guy named Richard Curtis (the writer-director of the movie ‘Love Actually’) had pushed for this kind of awareness for years in the U.K., and he wanted to do something similar in America. ‘American Idol’ seemed the obvious place to go for the kind of awareness he wanted. That was his main priority; yes, we want to raise money, but most importantly, we want to raise awareness.”
As a music executive and a television producer and personality, Cowell allows that visiting underdeveloped regions is far from his norm. Still, he deemed it essential for “Idol Gives Back.”
“If you’re going to talk about it, you’ve actually got to witness it. Otherwise, you genuinely don’t know what you’re talking about.
But even as “American Idol” and Fox Broadcasting prepare for their second annual star-studded “Idol Gives Back” appeal on Wednesday, officials at the charity have declined to release a formal accounting of last year’s effort. A spokesman for the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund, the organization that oversaw the fund-raising and distribution, said its financial statements were being audited and would be released by the federal financial reporting deadline for charities in May.
Because Comic Relief had considerable experience in raising and distributing money for charity, the “American Idol” producers relied on its infrastructure, through the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund, which was overseen by a group of American and British trustees.
This year, however, the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund is not involved in the project. Instead it will be more directly overseen by the producers of “American Idol” under a new charity, which has taken the name of the fund-raiser, Idol Gives Back.
Last year’s money was roughly evenly distributed between charities working in Africa and those working in the United States, she said, but this year more of the money will go to domestic charities.
It was a night with no shortage of celebrities, including Miley Cyrus, Carrie Underwood, Robin Williams, Snoop Dogg, Fergie and many others, but the biggest treat for the audience at Sunday night’s taping for American Idol’s second annual Idol Gives Back broadcast was none other than Brad Pitt himself.
