A Little Idol Worship Goes A Long Way.
Blog by Sean Gehon, Friday, April 27, 2007
Since inaugural American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson exploded onto the scene with her two times platinum selling album Thankful in 2003, the show has gone on to become America’s favourite guilty pleasure. For most television giants, time is money, and there’s never enough money. On Wednesday night, American Idol took a step outside the television norm by bringing some of today’s biggest stars together on the stage of today’s biggest show, to raise money and awareness for relief efforts in both the United States and Africa.
The idea behind Idol Gives Back was to allow Idol to use its popularity in an effort to give money to people who truly need it. With performances from some of today’s most celebrated artists, Idol did their best to make viewers tune in and care about the world we live in today. Annie Lennox, Carrie Underwood, and Josh Groban were among the super star performers lending their talents and support to the cause at hand. It was reported today that Idol Gives Back gave more than sixty million dollars back to the cause in which they were supporting.
Many celebrities attach themselves to a charity simply to save face. In the eyes of the media it’s almost as if having a charity is like wearing the proper gown down the red carpet at the Oscars, it’s just the right thing to do. Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a television show attaching themselves to a charity in this manner, other than Oprah Winfrey and her Angel Network, but that to me is more of a person than a show. In a world full of young stars checking in and out of rehab, fighting over guys, and partying until the wee hours of the morning, it’s finally nice to see celebrities using their star power in a positive way.
I’m not one to pretend I know everything about the world, or that I can even imagine what it’s like to live in a situation less privileged than my own. From what I imagine, the situations mentioned and shown during Idol Gives Back are less than desirable, and I find it hard to believe that even sixty million dollars can make that much of a difference. Sure, sixty million dollars is a fantastic donation and will start to make a difference, I just think it’s the beginning of a mission that requires more money.
Celebrities get paid upwards of twenty million dollars a picture. Imagine making four movies one year, you’ve already maid approximately eighty million dollars in one year. Most people live comfortably on sixty thousand dollars a year. Certainly I’m not asking anyone to give up their entire fortune to charity; I just think it would be a good idea to donate some of their income to those who need it. Think about it: If five celebrities making eighty million dollars a year donated twenty million of their dollars to relief efforts in Africa, that would amount to one hundred million dollars per year to making our planet a better place.
It’s our duty not as celebrities, not as wealthy people, but as human beings to do the right thing and help those less fortunate than ourselves. Having a lot of possessions can be fun, but in the end does it help to make the world a better place? I work in entertainment, and this blog is meant to be about entertainment, but with the state of our world… some things just seem more important. If we’re to take a lesson from Idol Gives Back it should be that there’s more important things in the world than who’s the next American Idol, or who sells one million records… it’s being able to say I helped another human being.
Sean (Jordin Sparks for Idol!)
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