American Idol 2010 | Season 9

'Idol Gives Back' certainly has given back, but this year's tally is not quite as high as in previous years.

The Wednesday night 'American Idol' charity broadcast -- which featured performances by Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, Mary J. Blige, Elton John and the Black Eyed Peas -- raised nearly $45 million for several charities, according to a Fox press release.

But that's down from the $70 million raised during the first 'Idol Gives Back' in 2007 and the $60 million raised in 2008. 'Idol Gives Back' took 2009 off owing to the recession.

Yep, it was the end of the road for Tim Urban and his devoted followers, the "Turbanites," last night, as the 20-year-old Texan was voted off 'American Idol' after surprising many viewers by making it all the way to the Top 7.

His delightful smile, his gracious behavior when facing criticism from the judges and his general genial 'tude were the big topics when Urban answered questions in today's weekly post-'Idol' exit press conference. He also revealed his thoughts on that infamous stage slide, whether or not he can be the next Donny Osmond and his favorite performance from his weeks on the 'Idol' stage.

Read the interview after the jump.

It's the end of an era.

Today, the SomethingPitchy panel sat down to discuss all of the week's hottest 'Idol' topics, from the elimination of Tim Urban (tear!), to Crystal vs. Lee to an otherwise bloated edition of 'Idol Gives Back.'

Joining host Andy Scott in the studio were Rickey Yaneza (Rickey.org), Rae Votta (AOL Music) and Jim Cantiello (MTV News), with special guest Melinda Green (TopIdol) on Skype.

Watch the video after the jump, and be sure to follow us on twitter @somethingpitchy.

I should have known better.

In its early days, watching 'American Idol' was a rewarding experience for me. My favorite contestants, among them Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, were always female, and they almost always went on to win the whole kit and kaboodle. (Yes, I even preferred Jordin Sparks to Melinda Doolittle and Lakisha Jones.)

And then season 7 happened. Just like the rest of America, I went boy-crazy, only instead of falling for David Cook or David Archuleta, I went for Michael Johns, an impossibly good-looking 28-year-old from Australia who had the voice to back it all up. And for a while, it was smooth-sailing as usual: Michael grew week after week, and officially found his groove during Dolly Parton week with a soulful take on the underrated 'It's All Wrong, But It's All Right.' Which is why his elimination one week later (during 'Idol Gives Back' week, no less) was so shocking and, at the risk of sounding dramatic, painful. Mistake number one? Probably.

Due to slipping ratings, 'Idol' may be trying to get Paula Abdul back on the judging panel, InTouch Weekly is reporting.

"Although still immensely popular, ratings are way down this season compared to when Paula was on the panel, and executives fear the loss of even more viewers when Simon Cowell leaves after this season," the magazine reads, citing an insider who says, "They want Paula back," perhaps as a fifth judge.

A few different rumors on who will judge 'Idol' have been going around recently. Aside from Miss Abdul, the most notable name is season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert.

Who went home on tonight's 'Idol Give Back' special? Tim Urban, at long last, was eliminated from the 'American Idol' Top 7.

It seems odd that 'American Idol' would combine a benefit for worldwide charities with the shattered dreams of one of its contestants, but that's exactly what viewers got tonight with the 'Idol Gives Back' special -- a more than two-hour long event with performances by an array of guest musicians (Elton John, Mary J. Blige, Carrie Underwood and more) that culminated in the elimination of Urban.

Shockingly, Casey James received a significantly low number of votes for his performance this week, placing him in the bottom three for the very first time. After Aaron Kelly joined James, Urban rounded out the bottom three.

Watch Tim's elimination after the jump.

'American Idol's' season 9 may be about to get a little "dirrty" -- and no, those two 'r's' are not a typo.

MTV.com is reporting that Christina Aguilera will be performing on the 'Idol' finale on May 26th.

The platinum-haired diva, known for her impressive vocal range, announced her appearance during a radio interview on Atlanta's Star 94 FM on Tuesday.

"I am on the finale show of 'American Idol,'" Aguilera told the DJs, although Fox has not yet confirmed the news.

The performance would come a week before Aguilera's new album, Bionic, drops on June 8, followed by a July tour. Dates have not yet been announced.

Update: Lady Antebellum will now be performing on 'American Idol' next Wednesday, April 28. Apologies for any confusion.

This isn't the pop-country group's first 'American Idol' encounter; Lady Antebellum performed with season 8 winner Kris Allen on a cover of The Beatles' 'Hey Jude' during a concert last weekend.

To get in the giving mood for tonight, check out Lady Antebellum's AOL Sessions performances of 'Need You Now,' 'American Honey,' 'Hello World' and 'I Run to You.'

'Idol Gives Back' airs tonight (Wed., April 21) at 8PM ET.

'American Idol' is certainly no stranger to shocking eliminations. Just ask season 1's Tamyra Gray or season 5's Chris Daughtry.

But of all the eliminations that sent our jaws to the floor, none was more shocking than the booting of season 3's Jennifer Hudson.

By then, Hudson -- whose 'Idol' journey was admittedly rocky from the start (she had already been in the bottom 2 before, and only made it to the Top 12 as a wild card pick) -- was finally finding her groove, and seemed destined to land in the final 3 alongside rivals Fantasia Barrino and LaToya London; and considering she got the boot just two weeks after her performance of 'Circle of Life,' which earned the most votes that week (according to host Ryan Seacrest) Hudson's elimination felt premature and downright confusing.

Inspirational Songs week failed to, well, inspire any truly great performances.

But Crystal Bowersox did break down in tears, Siobhan Magnus decided to take on two of the world's biggest divas -- Mariah and Whitney -- at once and Michael Lynche used his second extra week in the competition, post-save, to sing a Nickelback song (??).

Mentor Alicia Keys will perform tonight as part of 'Idol's' charity event 'Idol Gives Back,' which raises money for a multitude of organizations.

Despite the special show, the results from last night will still be announced as usual. One of the Top 7 will go home.

Who do you think it should be?