American Idol is bringing back its behemoth charity event, Idol Gives Back, for another round in the spring.

The 2007 version raised $75 million for various US and global charities, including programs to fight poverty in Africa. The Idol contestants all sang favorite inspirational songs during the competition portion of the event, and the next night tons of stars took the stage to urge people to pull out their wallets.

The only detail Fox has released about this year's Idol Gives Back is the date: April 9. As Zap2it points out, contestants can probably call that a non-elimination night already.

With no end in sight for the Hollywood writers' strike, Idol could be even more dominant than usual this winter. I'm glad the show's using its huge reach to do some good. What's your take?

Photo courtesy of Fox