It's clear that "American Idol" is the biggest game in town. Any show that can entice the likes of Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Mariah Carey and Robin Williams to appear on its charity special is most certainly cavorting with the A-listers. "AI" is in that enviable position of attracting a broader demographic of viewers than any show in the country, and that means everyone wants to get in on the action. Alessandra Stanley, writing in the New York Times, points out that even the nation's presidential candidates didn't make the cut in last night's broadcast:

Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain made taped appeals for charity on a special edition of “American Idol” on Wednesday night that didn’t make the cut. The telethon for needy children around the world entitled “Idol Gives Back” drew the likes of Fergie, Bono, Brad Pitt, Mariah Carey and Miley Cyrus, and went too long. The candidates’ contributions were kicked back to Thursday night’s episode.

The show was a long, sprawling two and a half hours that was not as tedious as I expected. (Surprise!) Sure, there were a few gnawing thoughts at the back of my mind as I watched the earnest appeals and heart-wrenching and slickly produced vignettes: how much the dazzling "Idol" set cost, say, and the expense of sending all those celebrities to Africa, and how odd it is that we can make fun of poor and hairy Russians but would never think of making disparaging remarks about other nationalities, and the incongruous experience of having the bitter-tongued Simon Cowell lecture America over our messed-up health-care insurance system.

If anything, the show's superb production values and overall aura of the invincible "AI" clout -- no matter how well-intentioned -- pointed out the severe disconnect between the rich and the poor in this beleaguered world. And it's not just a First World-vs.-Third World thing. While any charity telethon like this can easily start sounding preachy, what I do like very much about the "American Idol" approach is that the producers shined the spotlight not just on destitute people in Africa but on the pockets of poverty that plague our own country.

The performances were nice overall, if only to remind us what the "AI" contestants are ultimately up against: real pros. (To process the fact that 15-year-old Miley Cyrus, strutting about in tight jeans, is actually younger than the still babyish David Archuleta gives new credence to the theory that girls mature earlier than boys.) The only real dog of the evening was Mariah Carey's mumbling interlude; I'm not even sure that she and the choir were singing the same song.

As for the contestants: It was nice to see the Top 12 finalists hard at work on the phones. (We miss you, Amanda Overmyer.) Everyone needed a break from the show's relentless "kick off one person a week" format, so it was nice to let the tension dissipate, if only for one night. And as corny as it was to see Randy Jackson playing bass for Mariah Carey -- that back-and-forth sway looked awful -- it was also nice to see the judges in a different context.

One more thing, and this might tick some people off: "AI" should ease up on the religious references. Closing the show with "Shout to the Lord" might have seemed appropriately inspirational, but it was also potentially divisive. If "American Idol" really wants to think globally, it needs to foster an environment of diversity and inclusion.