Television and comedy star Ellen DeGeneres will host “Idol Gives Back” from the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles Wednesday, April 25 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on Fox. The star-studded evening is part of a two-night “American Idol” fundraiser special to benefit relief programs for children and young people in extreme poverty in America and Africa.
An illustrious group of celebrity participants includes Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Gwen Stefani, Earth, Wind & Fire, Il Divo, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Josh Groban with the African Children’s Choir, Jack Black, Helen Mirren, Rascal Flatts, Quincy Jones, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox and many more.
“Idol Gives Back” will raise awareness and funds for Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF) an organization that provides relief programs to help children and young people in extreme poverty in America and Africa. Corporate sponsors of “Idol Gives Back” are led by News Corporation, Ford, Coca-Cola and AT&T. Allstate and ExxonMobil will make matching contributions to Save the Children and Malaria No More, respectively, via CPEF.
On the “Idol Gives Back” performance show Tuesday, April 24 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), the Top 6 finalists will sing “life anthem” songs of compassion and hope, in keeping with the “Idol Gives Back” theme. After the show, viewers will vote for their favorite singers via toll-free numbers and text messages, as usual, and corporate sponsors will donate money to the charity.
The special two-hour results show Wednesday, April 25 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) will feature live performances from the “Idol Gives Back” stage as well as Walt Disney Concert Hall, where DeGeneres will serve as host. Viewers will be able to make their own donations via toll-free pledge lines and the Internet. Ford will contribute generously by producing a very special music video that will air on Wednesday night. This video, as well as other music segments from the night, will be available for download after the show. One hundred percent of the money generated will be contributed to “Idol Gives Back.”
