<i> Idol Gives Back</i> Raises At Least $22 Million
The British Prime Minister also announced his country's donation of 20 million mosquito nets.
Fox's Idol Gives Back raised at least $22 million for charity Wednesday night, thanks to corporate sponsorship and donations from the viewers who gave by calling into the show and through AmericanIdol.com, according to TheHollywoodReporter.com .
The special attracted a wide array of famous people - from artists to athletes. At the event was Brad Pitt, Bono, Annie Lennox and Eli Manning among others. The show was filmed Sunday night at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.
Charities that will receive a portion of the $22 million from Idol Gives Back will be Children's Defense Fund, the Global Fund, Make It Right, Malaria No More, Save the Children and the Children's Health Fund. Corporate sponsors that made up a great deal of the amounts headed to these organizations include News Corp., ExxonMobil, Allstate and Ford.
In addition to the corporation's donations, Ryan Seacrest, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson donated their salaries for the night.
The largest shocker of the night was the announcement made by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who said that his country would provide 20 million mosquito nets to Africa (a value of $200 million).
