"Idol" pitching for charity

from the Denver Post

By Joanne Ostrow

On a conference call to promote "Idol Gives Back" — the charity fundraiser sponsored by ratings monolith "American Idol" that will air next Wednesday night on Fox — executive producer Nigel Lythgoe first was questioned about the condition of a current "American Idol" contestant.

David Cook was hospitalized after suffering heart palpitations and high blood pressure, and was taken to Cedars Sinai Medical Center Tuesday night, Lythgoe said this afternoon. The "Idol" contender is expected back on television's No. 1 show with no residual problems.

Pushing to the charitable point, there are tens of millions of dollars to be raised by fans of the show for worthy causes, Lythgoe said.

"When you see the shots of Kentucky and the starvation going in this very country, it's disgusting," he said.

Last year's first-time "Idol Gives Back" campaign raised more than $76 million. This year's installment, to be broadcast next Wednesday from 6:30-9 p.m. on KDVR-Channel 31, has an even more extensive list of celebrity participants.

The lineup includes Robin Williams, Celine Dion, Forest Whitaker, Billy Crystal, Dane Cook, Kiefer Sutherland, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Jennifer Connolly, Elliott Yamin, Fantasia, Amy Adams, 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. Plus all of the U.S. presidential candidates.

Ellen DeGeneres, initially slated to co-host with Ryan Seacrest, withdrew due to "personal production pressures," Lythgoe said.

If it falls to "Idol" to do good works, "so be it," Lythgoe said. The pitch for charity is "something they should be being told by people other than ourselves, to be honest."

Viewers will see familiar shots of their "Idol" favorites making the case for the needy. Judge Simon Cowell is currently touring with medical trucks in poverty stricken communities in the U.S. Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson have been on the road as well, following stories provided by the charities.

During the show, viewers will be invited make donations via toll-free lines and the Internet. Money raised by the special will be distributed to pre-determined charities: the Children's Defense Fund; The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Make It Right; Malaria No More; Save The Children and the Children's Health Fund.