Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Between the comedians and the song choices, I’m still not sure what type of mood American Idol was trying to set for last night’s Idol Gives Back episode.

Executive Producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz said Idol was taking a more low-key approach to this year’s Give Back, recognizing that the economic situation was much different when the last charity drive aired two years ago.

She didn’t say anything about turning the show into the schizophrenic mess it became.

And I’d still prefer former Idols — say, David Cook, Elliott Yamin, Kris Allen, Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken, to name a few — singing songs that fit the occasion to many of the musical selections we got Wednesday night.

“Shake the Body,” featuring Fergie prancing around in snakeskin, still has me mystified.

But none of that should detract from the mission, to help the needy here and abroad.

And the former Idols who assisted in the mission — by traveling to places of need, by donating time in a food bank, or by donating items to the Idol Gives Back auction — should be commended for their efforts. Photos of some of them appear below.

You can help out by simply downloading performances from this week’s Idol episodes. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Gives Back cause.

For more on other ways to contribute, go here.

In the meantime, enjoy the photo gallery, courtesy of FOX.

For more on David Cook’s trip to Ethiopia, including what he had to say about the experience, go here.

And here’s a link to the photo gallery from Wednesday night’s performances.