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BONO TO APPEAR ON "IDOL GIVES BACK" ON BEHALF OF ONE: THE CAMPAIGN TO MAKE POVERTY HISTORY

"AMERICAN IDOL" SPECIAL TO RAISE MONEY AND AWARENESS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST EXTREME POVERTY IN AFRICA AND THE U.S. TUESDAY, APRIL 24, AND WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, ON FOX

As part of his ongoing efforts to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa, U2's Bono will participate in the IDOL GIVES BACK fundraising special airing Wednesday, April 25 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The two-night special begins airing Tuesday April 24 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

The Irish singer will meet with the six AMERICAN IDOL finalists to talk about the work of ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History (www.one.org) and how the IDOL audience can help. The IDOL contestants also will perform "American Prayer," a song written by Bono and Dave Stewart about the AIDS emergency in Africa.

Bono joins an illustrious group of celebrity participants on the special, including Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, Earth, Wind & Fire, Il Divo, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Josh Groban with the African Children's Choir, Jack Black, Helen Mirren, Rascal Flatts, Quincy Jones, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox and many more.

IDOL GIVES BACK will raise awareness and funds for Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF) and other organizations that provide relief programs to help children and young people in extreme poverty in America and Africa. Corporate sponsors of IDOL GIVES BACK are led by News Corporation, Ford, Coca-Cola and AT&T. Allstate and ExxonMobil will make matching contributions to Save the Children and Malaria No More, respectively, via CPEF.

On the performance show Tuesday, April 24 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), the Top 6 finalists will sing "life anthem" songs of compassion and hope, in keeping with the IDOL GIVES BACK theme. After the show, viewers will vote for their favorite singers via toll-free numbers and text messages, as usual, and corporate sponsors will donate money to the charity.

The special two-hour results show Wednesday, April 25 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) will be a star-studded evening featuring live performances from the AMERICAN IDOL stage as well as the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, where Ellen DeGeneres will serve as host. Viewers will be able to make their own donations via toll-free pledge lines and the Internet. Ford will contribute generously by producing a very special music video that will air on Wednesday night. This video, as well as other music segments from the night, will be available for download after the show. Proceeds from the money generated will be contributed to IDOL GIVES BACK.

CPEF is a new charitable organization established to raise money and awareness to help combat extreme poverty in the U.S. and throughout the world, particularly in Africa. CPEF's mission is to use the power of entertainment to drive positive change to achieve its vision of creating a just world free from poverty. CPEF is inspired and supported by the UK charity that invented Red Nose Day.

CPEF is a supporter of ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History, a new effort by Americans to rally Americans -- ONE by ONE -- to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE is a coalition of over 2.4 million people and more than 100 of the nation's leading relief, humanitarian and advocacy organizations joining together to help save lives in Africa and the world's poorest countries.

In the United States, CPEF has selected Save the Children, America's Second Harvest � The Nation's Food Bank Network, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Children's Health Fund as beneficiaries. These organizations deliver support to poor children in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country, providing them with medical care, food and grocery products, health and life skills, literacy programs and obesity prevention, among other important initiatives.

In Africa, funds will be dedicated to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, Malaria No More, Nothing But Nets, Save the Children and The U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Each organization will receive funds to support efforts to battle poverty through various health and education programs, including delivering medical supplies and providing clean water. These organizations also aim to control and prevent malaria through practical resources and programs, including providing life-saving bed nets and other activities tied to Africa Malaria Day on April 25.

AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Nigel Lythgoe, President, 19 Television; and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.