American Idol: Episode 33 of Season Nine--The Results & Recap

Television Review

American Idol: Episode 33 of Season Nine--The Results & Recap

Idol Gives Back Night Really Gives Back

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

I will come out and say it--I am glad that Tim Urban got sent home from "American Idol" last night. Not just because it was long overdue, and not because he was by far the worst, but because it wasn’t a shocking upset. Sending a surprise strong contender home would have seriously detracted from the point of the night – to showcase the reach that "American Idol" and its charity leg, Idol Gives Back, has in this country and abroad.

Had a contestant favored to win the competition got eliminated (I won’t name names, but you know who I’m thinking of), the bloggers and writers would likely spend more time trying to figure out why that happened, while expressing their outrage over the event. None of that is important on Idol Gives Back night. Tim is going home, we can all rest easy with regards to the "American Idol" competition because finally, it was time. Joining Tim in the bottom three were Aaron Kelly and Casey James, neither of whom deserved elimination this week. I won’t say that I wasn’t nervous about a pending Casey elimination as I saw him standing beside Tim in the Bottom Two, but thankfully, the right decision was made. Thank you, America.

In a year already filled with tragedy across the world, Americans have become a bit accustomed to the idea of telethon programming. Musical heavyweights perform, famous people film videos of them helping out in the world, and donations are requested. However, even though we as a country have risen to the occasion and helped out tremendously this year, and because we have watched heart-wrenching telethons already this year, Idol Gives Back was still an important event.

Last night, legends including Elton John, Annie Lennox, Jeff Beck (performing brilliantly with Joss Stone), and relative newcomers such as Carrie Underwood and the Black Eyed Peas shared the stage in a power-packed line-up to spread awareness of the Idol Gives Back and Save the Children charities. My favorite performance of the night came toward the end, with the Mary J. Blige All-Star Band, featuring Randy Jackson, Travis Barker, Orianthi and more performing a very modern (the judges would be proud) version of “Stairway to Heaven.” All of the performances are available on iTunes, and all net proceeds from iTunes performances will benefit Idol Gives Back. Philanthropic iTunes purchasing has been one of my favorite attributes of Idol Gives Back and other telethons of the year; these tracks understandably become best-sellers and that $1.29, when multiplied thousands and thousands of times over, goes a long way.

An even better reason for Tim to get eliminated last night? We didn’t have to sit through his swan song – the show already had run 20 minutes late, and no Idol contestant can rightfully take the stage after Elton John.

All in all, Idol Gives Back night was a beautiful night, and one that I hope remains an annual tradition as long as the show remains on the air. Sometimes, we need a night to realize how fortunate we are, and how we have the ability to touch lives even by doing something as small to us as donating $10 for a mosquito net, or spending $1.29 for a track on iTunes. Tonight’s stories moved me to tears many times over, and I sincerely urge you to visit AmericanIdol.com and see how you can help out. Already, over $15 million have been raised for this wonderful cause, but they still need more help.

Next week, the show resumes its normal pace, and audition judge Shania Twain returns to mentor the Top Six, who will be singing Shania Twain songs. I thought that was a little weird for a theme, but I suppose there’s only six of them, so it’ll be fine.