Holy Simon Cowell in a tutu!

This is how much American Idol special last year raised for charity from the Associated Press... $129 million. Awesome! I love American Idol because of it's simple American Dream reality dumbness but I love more that they were able to do this and raise so much. I wonder if they'll be able to pull this off again:

The American public donated more than $54 million to ''Idol Gives Back,'' and corporate and matched funding brought it to $75 million, according to organizers. The money was being distributed roughly equally among the following projects in the United States and Africa.

AFRICA

Malaria No More. Will support bed net distribution, education, and monitoring to fight malaria in Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Uganda, and Zambia.

http://www.malarianomore.org

Nothing But Nets. Will purchase and deliver long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets to children and their mothers, provide education on malaria prevention, and train local community health workers to carry out the programs on their own.

http://www.NothingButNets.net

Save the Children. Will address major killers of children, including diarrhea and pneumonia. Serving approximately 400,000 children and more than 500,000 people in Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Mozambique, Sudan and Uganda.

http://www.savethechildren.org

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Will provide support for its program focused on strengthening and expanding HIV prevention, treatment and care in South Africa's Western Cape Province.

http://www.jointheglobalfund.org

U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Will allow UNICEF to provide over 800,000 children with health care services. Additionally, nearly 500,000 students will receive an education along with school supplies.

http://www.unicefusa.org

UNITED STATES

Save The Children Federation. To expand programs in poor areas of Appalachia, the Southwest and the Gulf Coast, helping more than 11,000 children in 25 educational sites in four states.

http://www.savethechildren.org

Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Will help fund Power Hour, an after-school homework assistance program.

http://www.bgca.org

America's Second Harvest. Serves 9 million hungry children each year. Funds will be used to distribute 250 million servings of fresh fruits and vegetables and provide grants to support more than 200 community food banks.

http://www.secondharvest.org

Children's Health Fund. Will, among other projects, fund three new mobile medical units, including in New Orleans and have a special focus on the youngest victims of Hurricane Katrina.

http://www.childrenshealthfund.org