Backstage at 'Idol Gives Back'

A moving taped piece is shown with Jennifer Connelly in NYC with the message that 1 billion people don't have access to clean water. This is followed by a performance from Snoop Dogg, which really has me terrified about what this night will entail. Snoop’s brand of music doesn't exactly inspire me to donate money.
 
Then it's the first of several taped segments with celebrities asking people to donate. There are dozens of these peppered throughout the show from Kobe Bryant, Keith Urban, Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen DeGeneres, The Beckhams, The Jonas Brothers (which elicits massive screams inside the Kodak), Kiefer Sutherland, Adam Sandler, Dolly Parton and Jim Carrey among others.
 
Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul then take to the stage to introduce a segment they taped in Goshen, California. Backstage Paula tells me about the “witching hour” which she says is between 3 PM and 6 PM on school days. This is where many kids who don't have after school programs get into trouble. We also talk about shoes, which is way less important than helping out kids in need.
 
Ryan comes back on and says he is "headed to the ‘Idol’ studios" which is basically BS and just a way to make it seem like he is running back and forth between both places which he is not. To get from the Kodak to the “Idol” stage would take at least 20 minutes door-to-door. This part was actually live on Wednesday night.
 
John Legend then performs at his piano joined by Fergie. Legend barely gets any face time. Fergie then introduces Heart and they all burst into "Barracuda."  Being a "Heart" fan and never actually seeing them in person, I sneak into the studio to hear them perform and walk in just as Fergie is doing cartwheels on stage. The crowd is loving it. Backstage, I feel up Fergie's belly to confirm that she is definitely not pregnant. Her tummy is flat as a board. She tells me she has been working out extra hard to get in shape for tonight so people will stop saying she looks preggers. That really has to suck!  Why are we so baby bump obsessed right now? 

Heart comes back to do interviews and I get the sense this is something they don't enjoy or at least don't very often. Neither of them are big "American Idol" watchers but tell me they are thrilled that their music is used all the time. I tell them that Carly Smithson would die to meet them and sing with them and implore them to try and come to the finale. Nigel are you reading this? Give them a call!
 
In the night's longest and dumbest bit, Billy Crystal introduces Miley Cyrus and pretends like he doesn't know who she is. He calls her Mee-lee Sear-rus and expects people to laugh. I'm wondering at this point if the writers are still on strike. Miley then launches into a song which our producer Celeste swears she was lip-synching. She returns later in the show to sing another song and introduce a taped piece of her and dad Billy Ray down in Kentucky. Backstage, she tells me Simon Cowell still scares the heck out of her even though she's a huge superstar now. 
 
Bono appears in a taped piece about AIDS workers in Tanzania. This is followed by the appearance of Eli and Peyton Manning on stage, who introduce their taped segment at a school in their hometown of New Orleans.
 
In the night’s most emotional taped segment, Annie Lennox visits underprivileged children in South Africa. At one point she has a breakdown during the taping. She then comes on stage to sing and play piano to "Many Rivers To Cross," which brings many folks to tears and was by the far the only truly moving performance. Her voice is phenomenal. Backstage she tells me this is something she has been doing for over a decade, taking a camera with her to devastated areas. She shows me some photos of children who have been helped which sadly I knew would never make it to air on our show.  
 
Jimmy Kimmel comes on stage and makes some jokes about Simon before introducing his taped piece. Simon visits NYC and a mother struggling to provide health care to her children.  Simon then hits the stage and introduces Carrie Underwood's performance. She seems a bit overdressed in a gown worthy of the Oscars but she does look beautiful.  Backstage, she talks about Ramiele Malubay performing the song "Alone" by Heart two weeks ago. She says this is a lesson she learned early on -- never sing a song another “Idol” has performed unless you are 100 percent sure you can do it better. 
 
Gloria Estefan and Sheila E take to the stage for a fun performance of "Get On Your Feet" and the SYTYCD dancers return too. Somehow they managed to change clothes from they time they hit the stage to the time they get backstage which is strange because it wasnt that long.  
 
Kimmel's chick Sarah Silverman than comes out to introduce Forest Whitaker and his wife Keisha's taped piece about malaria and the importance of money to buy $10 mosquito nets.  Sarah somehow manages to insult Forest's wife in a way only she can that sort of makes it okay.  
 
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown appears in a taped segment to pledge that Great Britain will donate $200 million for the malaria nets. So, now the show is assured of making more money this year.
 
In the first “thank goodness it’s not live” moment of the evening, Reese Witherspoon comes to the stage. As she begins to talk, no sound comes out. Someone forgot to turn her mic on. Reese jokes to the crowd "pretend you didn't see me" and they do it all over again. She intros a taped piece of her down in New Orleans.
 
Dane Cook appears to intro a taped segment with Alicia Keys which is starting to look similar to all the other stories.   
 
Robin Williams comes to the stage for a somewhat funny sketch where he pretends to be the winner of "Russian Idol." This bit goes on for way too long and you should be glad they trimmed it down in editing. Or make that Paula should be glad because there was pretty nasty joke at her expense that got cut out.  
 
David Spade walks out to intro his buddy Brad Pitt in a taped segment about his "Make It Right" foundation. Then, Brad appears on stage only to find no one can hear him. Someone forgot to mic the poor guy up. I really was thrilled they left this snafu in. A rare real moment from a celebrity.How is it that they forgot to mic up the two biggest stars on the show. I see a conspiracy.  
 
With his mic hot and ready, Pitt introduces a taped music video of Daughtry singing (ala last year's Carrie Underwood video "I'll Stand By You”).
 
This is followed by taped messages of John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton asking folks to donate. This is actually edited out of Wednesday's show and wound up airing on Thursday's results show.  A lame music montage also gets cut from the show of stars lipsynching to the Monkee's "I'm A Believer."  
 
Then it’s time for Mariah Carey looking very dressed down in tight jeans and a black tank top.  She performs “Fly Like A Bird” while Randy Jackson plays bass. 
 
The night ends with the Top Eight “Idols” dressed in white performing :Shout To The Lord” as confetti rains down on them and feels very much like the finale does -- which is a good thing considering the finale has moved to the Nokia Theater.