'American Idol' Fights Poverty

from Zap 2 It

Borat will appear, along with Stefani, Groban, Pink, Bublé, Lennox and Il Divo

As "American Idol" viewers already know, Ryan Seacrest announced on Thursday (March 8) that the wildly popular FOX talent show will raise funds and awareness for poverty this April.

"Idol Gives Back" will be a two-night special airing on Tuesday, April 24 and Wednesday, April 25.

"'American Idol' has given so much to this network and we don't take that for granted," says FOX Entertainment President Peter Liguori. "To quote a famous superhero, 'with the gift of power comes great responsibility,' which is why we feel so fortunate to partner in this special television event, giving back."

On the Tuesday, Top Six finalists will sing songs within the theme "Life Anthems," songs about compassion and hope. Viewers will vote as usual that night, but as an added twist, the "Idol" sponsors -- Coca-Cola, AT&T among others -- will donate a certain amount of money to organizations that provide relief programs to help children and young people in extreme poverty in America and Africa.

The Wednesday results show will be expanded to two-hours and will feature artists including Gwen Stefani, Josh Groban, Pink, Michael Bublé, Annie Lennox and Il Divo. Sacha Baron Cohen will also make a plea in his Borat character. FOX will turn that episode into a telethon, urging viewers to make donations via toll-free lines and the Internet.

Nigel Lythgoe, Ken Warwick and Cecile Frot-Coutaz, "Idol" executive producers, observe, "This is going to be a television event unlike any other. We are planning two nights of amazing, star-studded entertainment, and we're using the power of 'American Idol' to raise needed awareness and funds. Our fans can give directly if they want, but they can also impact the lives of people in this country and in Africa just by voting as they do every week. It's that easy and it's that important."

The Charity Projects Entertainment Fund will distribute the funds to Save the Children and a variety of other anti-poverty organizations in the United states and to international organizations including U.S. Fund for UNICEF, The Global Fund, Save the Children, Nothing but Nets and Malaria No More.