While this year's "Idol Gives Back" event was two star-studded nights of exciting entertainment and history-making performances, the profound effects of the fund raising are far-reaching. The extravaganza in April raised more than $75 million, and the money has already gone to various charities in the United States and Africa. According to the Associate Press via the International Herald Tribune, five charities in Africa received $6 million each. This includes an innovative anti-AIDS peer education program in which the students meld "What a Wonderful World" with break-dancing, traditional rhythms and African opera. While those who donated might not have known exactly what their money was going to provide, they should know that every donation has had an impact. "It makes a massive difference. Massive," said Martin Edlund of the charity Malaria No More. "A little money goes such a long way." To provide an example of the tremendous need in Africa, Malaria No More and Nothing But Nets (the "Idol Gives Back" beneficiaries) note that it costs $10 to buy and distribute one insecticide-treated net. What is referred to as "Sub-Saharan Africa" needs approximately 300 million of them. As stated on iht.com, "The charities say 'Idol Gives Back' will also have a longer-term impact — it showed a global audience of 60 million hard-hitting images of the mosquito-born disease that is still Africa's leading child killer, claiming one young life every 30 seconds. It's a chance to teach people that malaria is an ongoing problem with a very tangible solution." Melinda Doolittle went above and beyond by visiting Zambia in June with first lady Laura Bush and Malaria No More. The article notes that her fans have followed her lead and, instead of throwing her flowers, they now buy bed nets. Unfortunately, death isn't something that pertains to the elderly in Africa. "In the cemetery there's young people. The youth are dying," said Mzamo Ngemntu, a 23-year-old peer educator in Khayelitsha, an impoverished Cape Town district of a million people. This is most likely why the Global Fund chose the stellar youth programs of the South Africa's Western Cape Province for "Idol Gives Back" funding. The poignant plays about the dangers of sex, drugs, and AIDS have been more effective than other methods of prevention. "If it was not for the Global Fund we could not have done what we are doing today," said Pierre Uys, the provincial health minister. "If you take that away, we are gone. It's holding our health system together." The message that Rajesh Anandan, the head of private sector partnerships at the fund, would like to impart is that those who donated money for "Idol Gives Back" should realize that it's going to competent people who really want to improve their lives. He also is quick to point out that the donation from the event is no small amount. "It's easy to get lost in numbers of billions of dollars a year," he said. "But when you get down to funding things that work and have a real impact, then US$6 million (€4.2 million) goes a long way." Didn't have a chance to donate? You can still do so now, right here on Americanidol.com!

After delivering three consecutive top 5 hits to country radio, Josh Gracin is admittedly most excited about his newest single, “We Weren’t Crazy.” “When we recorded the first album I was on active duty and flying back and forth between Nashville and Camp Pendleton,” said Josh. “It was so busy that I never really got to try my hand at writing. This time around I got to dig in and share my stories as a songwriter. I’m so proud of how this song turned out.” “We Weren’t Crazy” was written by Josh, Tony Lopacinski and Bobby Pinson and produced by Brett James. It was written about Josh’s personal journey from childhood to raising children and having a family of his own. Josh’s self-titled debut CD is certified gold by the RIAA and has sold over 690,000 copies. The first single from the project, “I Want To Live,” was also his first hit – climbing the charts to #4 in country radio. Josh’s second single, “Nothin’ To Lose,” was his first #1 record. His third single, “Stay With Me (Brass Bed),” was a Top 5 hit, giving him three consecutive Top 5 songs in country radio. Josh Gracin fans will be excited to hear that his sophomore CD will be released in 2008. Check out this pic of Josh paying tribute to his status as a Marine during his initial "American Idol" audition!

As we mentioned a few short weeks ago, Elliott Yamin has released a holiday album, and it's available NOW! We're offering you a chance to listen to two of his holiday songs: "This Christmas"-Windows media "This Christmas"-Real media and... "Warm Me Up"-Windows media "Warm Me Up"-Real media Also, Elliott fans should take note that there is still plenty of time to catch him on his fall/winter tour. Check out the dates below to see if he's coming to a city/venue near you! Oct 26 2007 Rocketown Nashville, Tennessee Oct 28 2007 House of Blues Orlando, Florida Oct 29 2007 Culture Room Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Oct 30 2007 State Theatre Tampa, Florida Nov 1 2007 House of Blues Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Nov 2 2007 The N Club Greensboro, North Carolina Nov 3 2007 Orange Peel Asheville, North Carolina Nov 5 2007 Maryland Theater Hagerstown, Maryland Nov 7 2007 Celtics Game Boston, Massachusetts Nov 8 2007 Whitaker Center Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Nov 9 2007 Hooligans Music Hall Jacksonville, North Carolina Nov 11 2007 The Norva Norfolk, Virginia Nov 12 2007 Crocodile Rock Cafe Allentown, Pennsylvania Nov 14 2007 World Diabetes Day - NY New York, New York Nov 17 2007 Le National Montreal Nov 19 2007 Mod Club Toronto Nov 20 2007 Highline New York City, New York Nov 21 2007 Webster Theatre Hartford, Connecticut Nov 23 2007 Revolution Hall Troy (Albany), New York Nov 24 2007 Roxy Boston, Massachusetts Nov 26 2007 9:30 Club Washington DC, Washington DC Dec 1 2007 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Feb 23 2008 Weinstein JCC Richmond, Virginia Fans and critics alike have been thoroughly enjoying Elliott's shows. Rachael Recker of the Grand Rapids Press reported of his show at The Intersection that "the gems of Yamin's set came in the form of hard-grooving, raw and soulful R&B tunes, which suit his double-layered voice: one-part crystalline, one-part gravely/breathy morning voice." Check out our exclusive interview with Elliott to find out what it was like for him to put together his debut album!

Country music’s two best-selling new male artists of 2007, Bucky Covington and Jason Michael Carroll, will kick off their co-headlining Raisin’ The Bar tour tonight in Corpus Christi. The concert tour will span 20 dates from Texas to New York before wrapping December 8 in Baltimore. Bucky is 2007’s best-selling debut country artist. His self-titled CD opened at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with not only 2007’s biggest unit debut from a new country artist, but also the best first week sales and highest Top 200 debut for any new male country artist since Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992. His current single, “It’s Good To Be Us,” is climbing the country radio charts on the heels of the Top 5 success of his first single, “A Different World.” Subject to change, a current list of tour dates is as follows: October 25 Concrete Street Amphitheater Corpus Christi, TX October 26 Cowboys Dance Hall San Antonio, TX October 27 Mo’s Place Katy, TX October 28 Cain’s Ballroom Tulsa, OK November 1 Trocaderos Night Club Minneapolis, MN November 2 Val Air Ballroom W Des Moines, IA November 3 Waverly Beach Menasha, WI November 9 Northern Lights Theatre Milwaukee, WI November 10 The Intersection Grand Rapids, MI November 16 Longbranch Saloon Raleigh, NC November 17 Wildhorse Saloon Nashville, TN November 23 Coyote Joe’s Charlotte, NC November 24 The Blind Horse Saloon Greenville, SC November 28 Uncle Ron’s Wild West Saloon Lincoln, NE November 30 Beaumont Club Kansas City, MO December 1 Billy Bob’s Texas Fort Worth, TX December 5 Northern Lights Clifton Park, NY December 6 Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse Burgettstown, PA December 7 Crocodile Rock Café Allentown, PA December 8 Rams Head Live! Baltimore, MD We sat down with Bucky recently and gave him a chance to answer questions that came directly from YOU, the fans! Check back soon for the exclusive interview. In the meantime, check out his transformation gallery!

With the new season of "American Idol" on the horizon, the MyIdol Message Boards are chalk-full of fun conversations about Idol sightings, new music, theme nights, and alumni news. Check out the "Idol Grapevine" for a taste of what's being discussed! LaKisha and Fantasia are in the Broadway play. La Toya is on tour (currently) in San Francisco. For anyone who loved the movie, GO SEE THE MUSICAL--words can not describe how AWESOME it is! –Rosequeen49 I love Jordin because she is so close to my age and she has a lost a talent as well!!! The only thing about Jordin is that I don't really listen to the pop music but I think Jordin has converted my because I just LOVE!!!!!!! TATTOO!!!! Can't wait for her CD! –dancegirl7123 My favorite Idol sighting was seeing Taylor at Workplay, B'ham AL, after the Idol concert....Elliott and Bucky joined in...maybe Ace too?? But Taylor was UNREAL....so fired up--it was Hot! –nadiahayes Out of all my CD's it is rare to find one where EVERY song is good. Daughtry is one, I love every song one, Kelly's is a close second. –DaughtryDaze My favorite performance by a returning Idol alumni has to be Kat's when she was invited back to last season's finale to perform "Love Story." –yumkatyum I really want a performer this year. I want someone who uses the whole stage and rocks it out. –picklerclarkson1 I would love if the Idols had to sing singles from past Idol finalists and winners!! Then the mentors could be the actual Idol who sang the song!! -JennyBabii I think this year's tour was the best of all the ones I have seen, and I have seen nearly all of them. I liked the way the singers interacted with one another and the way the singers were grouped into twos and threes to sing together--great staging. –Dancecrazy I've seen Taylor in concert three times, and each time was SO memorable and different...-KayForTay America voted for the top 49 men of 2007 (askmen.com). Ryan Seacrest was voted #27, and Simon Cowell was voted #38. Congratulations to both of them! -ph115 I love everything that Bo did also, except there was one song I don't like - and once again not because of Bo - it was the song, and that is "Remedy." –scorp59 I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!! I've already started playing my AI game on my son's Game boy....I usually don't start up with that 'til December, and the commercials are airing all the time!! –NotUrGirl

Three "Idol" alumni are using their talent and popularity for a very good cause this holiday season. Anthony Fedorov, Justin Guarini, and La Toya London (a.k.a. "London") will be a part of The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation's HELP IS ON THE WAY FOR THE HOLIDAYS IX benefit concert. This is a kick-off event to ring in this festive season in San Francisco. Beneficiaries of this year’s concert are Meals of Marin and Positive Resource Center. Joining these AI alum will be other talented performers in many different arenas, including Broadway, TV, Film, Recording, Jazz and Dance. This one-night-only gala benefit concert will take place on Sunday, Dec. 2 at the HERBST THEATER, 401 Van Ness Ave. in SF.

Today marks the release of SEE THE LIGHT, the second album from Bo Bice! Recorded in his hometown of Nashville with producer Frank Liddell, the new disc was previewed in late September by the already-loved single “Witness.” This sophomore effort by Bo goes deeper into the spectrum of music the Alabama-born singer has a passionate drive to write and sing. On SEE THE LIGHT, he promises we are getting to hear “the genuine BO.” “This time it was just total freedom. We had no inhibitions about what this was going to be; we just went in and did whatever we wanted to. The freedom shines through.” SEE THE LIGHT is the kind of classic American album that's heard all too rarely in these days of careful calculation and tight formatting. Bo is the kind of artist who can't find enough musical roads to travel, and he demonstrates it on this broad-reaching 10-song set that spans the crunchy, Southern-fried rock of "This Train," "Got Money" and "Whiskey, Women & Time," the funky groove of "Witness," the swampy soul of "Take the Country Out of Me" and stark, emotional ballads such as "Only Words" and "Sinner in a Sin." In the vein of doing things differently for this album, Bo and his management decided to take a chance when looking for a director for “Witness,” the album’s first single and video. Rather than going with an established director, they turned to Ramon Boutviseth and decided to take a chance on a “guy from North Carolina.” Boutviseth came to Bo’s management’s attention after he won an online contest directing a video for another of their artists; he previously was a finalist in a similar contest for Incubus. Scheduled to be filmed in Nashville, the clip will incorporate performance footage into a story line inspired by the song’s lyrics. “We were looking at video treatments and when we got to this one, it made the most sense,” Bo says. “And it’s great that we’re able to support an up and coming artist.” Take a look back at some of the pics of Bo from season four, when he won over the viewers and solidified his place as one of the first true rockers on "Idol!" Photo # 1 Photo # 2 Photo # 3

Nearly five years after sharing the American Idol stage, Season 2 finalists Josh Gracin and Carmen Rasmusen will reunite on November 2 for a reception and concert to benefit Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build project in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Both Idols have been very active since their time on Season 2. Josh, who recently celebrated his birthday, has been making his mark on the country charts with numerous hit singles, while Carmen has been keeping busy with different projects as well! Bringing the two Idols in concert together already has Season 2 fans abuzz on the MyIdol boards and you can join in on the conversation here!

Bo Bice's new album, See the Light, is hitting stores October 23rd, and the excitement on the MyIdol Message Boards is palpable. His fans are discussing everything from the album track titles, the cover picture, and what the preliminary buzz is on some of the best songs. Want to add your own thoughts? Join in on the chat! Check out this pic of Bo, rockin' out during season four!

(AP) - Carrie Underwood is photographed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 9, 2007. The former 'American Idol' winner admits to having a few butterflies before the release of her second album, 'Carnival Ride,' which follows her debut album, 'Some Hearts,' that sold 6 million copies. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)