Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Four former American Idol contestants are in Atlanta this evening to help raise money for a good cause.

The event is the first-ever Rally Idol.

The goal: raising money to fight childhood cancer.

Haley Reinhart is one of four former American Idol contestants serving as a judge for Rally Idol tonight in Atlanta.

They’ll be performing for Bo Bice, Lauren Alaina, Anthony Federov and Haley Reinhart, names that should be familiar to any Idol fans.

Those four will serve as judges for the event, though one can imagine they won’t be dealing out any Simon Cowell-type critiques.

Haley said she got involved through working with Bo on other benefits. The American Idols spent today hanging out with the Rally Idols, watching them rehearse and meeting them backstage.

“They’re the sweetest kids,” Haley said. “They have a lot of conviction, a lot of strength and fire. When they’re singing, I can see it. In general, they seem very mature. I’m sure because of everything they’ve been through. It really astounds me honestly.”

Four of the Rally Idol contestants — Andrew, Tori, Bailey and Mary — have battled cancer themselves. The fifth — Jenna — lost her sister to cancer.

“You can tell they really have a message and really want to speak to the audience,” Haley said.

Haley just laughed when asked which Idol judge she’ll be most like. After all, this evening’s event isn’t about picking a winner.

“We’re here to encourage them,” Haley said. “We want them all to be Rally Idols because that’s what they are.”

You don’t have to be at the show to help out with the cause. You can meet the Rally Idols and donate to the cause by visiting the Rally Idol website.

By the way, I couldn’t talk to Haley without asking her about new music. After all, it’s been nearly two years since she released her post-Idol debut album, “Listen Up.” I’ll be posting what she had to say about that topic sometime soon, so keep checking back.