In the most shocking elimination episode of American Idol ever, no one was booted off the popular reality show.
Apparently the producers wanted to end its inspiring two-hour fight against poverty special, Idol Gives Back, on a high note, so the record-setting 70 million votes received from viewers Tuesday night were not tallied. Instead, they will be added to next week's votes and two Idol hopefuls will be sent packing Wednesday.
Last night's star-studded event, which was co-hosted by comedian Ellen DeGeneres from a separate location, the Disney Hall in L.A., kicked off with a medley of hits from Earth Wind and Fire and featured performances from Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Josh Groban, to name just a few.
The most memorable moments came thanks to Annie Lennox, who belted out a powerful version of Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water backed by a full orchestra, and Celine Dion for her duo with Elvis Presley.
No the King of Rock 'n' Roll did not rise from the grave to appear on Idol. Instead, through the magic of computers, a virtual Elvis was projected onto the stage for a cool, yet kind of creepy, performance of If I Can Dream with Canada's superstar songstress.
The funniest moment of the night has to go to comedic actor Jack Black for his ridiculous performance of Kiss From a Rose, which the song's author Seal jokingly called the best rendition he had ever heard.
Simon Cowell also praised Black saying, "You were better than Sanjaya (Malakar)," before the TV cameras flashed on recently ousted Idol contestant who, in good spirits, was shown clapping and laughing at his own limitations.
U2 singer Bono, known for his relentless fight against poverty throughout the world, also lent his voice to the Idol campaign, which aims to help kids living in poverty in the U.S. and Africa.
The Irish rock star, who appeared in a prerecorded segment, met with the Idol finalists to speak to them about the ONE Campaign to Make Poverty History.
"People say you can not end poverty... but we can and we will," he said, adding nothing is as satisfying as helping others. "I have been in front of 70,000 people ... and I can't think of any feeling better except the feeling that you can save somebody else's life."
He also prepared the young singers for a performance of American Prayer, a song about the AIDS crisis in Africa which he co-wrote with Dave Stewart, which they sang during the show's finale.
Bono was just one of dozens of celebrities including Madonna, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Bacon, Teri Hatcher and that guy who plays House, who urged viewers to call in donations in pretaped videos which aired in between touching segments shot in the world's poorest areas.
Among those the hardest to watch was the footage of a two women dying of AIDS in Africa as Cowell and Idol host Ryan Seacrest looked on in shock and disgust at the conditions they were forced to live in.
But, while it was at times difficult to take in, Idol Gives Back was a huge success. By the end of the show, it had raised over US$30 million, thanks to corporate and individual donations and News Corp, which gave 10 cents for the first 50 million calls, or US$ 5 million, received Tuesday night.
Among the charities which will benefit from American Idol's fundraiser are Save the Children, UNICEF, Malaria No More, The Global Fund and Nothing But Nets.
Go to www.americanidol.com to give.
