Idol gives back

Who would ever guessed that Idol would take in over $60 Million??!! I watched the show, it was great!

What did they take in $60 million for? Was there some kind of special telethon or something?

Kids in Africa.

Wow. The show actually serves a purpose?

This time it really did. And it was also for kids here in America, too.

Wow, I missed the show but I'm glad to hear American Idol has at lest a shred of social responsibility. Good for them! It would be nice if they could do this every season, pick a cause and do a special fund raiser....

Why don't they just not have an American Idol, and give food and clothing instead of money?

Because money = food and clothing? They're not handing them dollar bills, the money is used to fund things such as schools and the groups that provide the food.

The point of fundraisers is to empower the everyman to do something helpful. People are more inclined to give money when a cause is shoved in their face than when they have to go hunting for the organization (there already are organizations and fundraisers to aid Africa and the victims of Hurricane Katrina, but most people don't know about them or are just not prompted to think about donating). Also, people are more likely to give when people they like/look up to encourage it. Oh, and selfish as it is, most people want something in return for doing something - a show or perhaps to see their favorite contestant not get kicked off (hence the voting itself raising money).

No American Idol would mean: A) no money to donate - that show is damn popular and gets a lot of sponsors because of it. And B) no way to get the word out. Millions of people watch American Idol, and that's millions of people being made aware of the cause. Popular shows like this are going to exist anyway, so it's better that they try and do something good while they're on.