How to sing for their supper

It is said that every generation gets the telethons it deserves. The 1970s sat up through tuxedoed marathons of schmaltz and sobs, live from the Vegas Strip with Jerry Lewis and his kids. The 1980s saw the telethon break free of its loungey restraints and develop into a Godzilla-size, stadium-busting monster with Live Aid.

In recent years, telethons inspired by 9/11, the Indonesian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina were painted in somber tones, set in dark rooms where, safe from the hysteria of live audiences, the celebrity hosts spoke in a whisper.

With Wednesday night’s “Idol Gives Back,” however, charity may finally have been put in the hands of producers who understand just where the national heartstrings lie and just how much tugging they can endure.

If Jerry Lewis sought to kibitz us into giving, Bob Geldof to bombast us into giving and the organizers of the Sept. 11/tsunami/Katrina events sought to shame us into giving, the “American Idol” producers know that there is nothing like a guilt-free song-and-dance to put an audience of potential givers in the mood.

For the crowd at the advance taping of the 2 1/2 -hour spectacle Sunday at the Kodak Theatre, the night was many parts more uplift than downer. Interspersed with the heart-rending films of African orphans and Appalachian poverty and introductions from A-list stars, the performances were clearly the stuff of the most private fantasies.

Opening with a jet-propelled, bring-the-crowd-to-its-feet group number by the current “American Idol” contenders surrounded by the “So You Think You Can Dance” dancers, the lineup of performers was like seeing the “Idol” deities materialize before one’s eyes.

The legions of shrieking decked-out teenage girls in the audience were sent into the stratosphere as appearances by Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Carrie Underwood and Miley Cyrus (with two! performances) unfolded -- not to mention a near-riot-inducing drop-by from Brad Pitt.

Stripped of the mawkish renditions of “Wish You Were Here” that have populated this decade’s fundraisers, the tone was heavily contemporary and euphoric -- far more Rihanna than John Lennon.

The revelation that for an entertainment event to achieve anything charitable it must first entertain may not seem revolutionary. But when one looks back at the latest round of weepers, produced and cast by Hollywood’s greatest, one realizes that in our culture, the genius of “American Idol” may be its ability, perhaps alone on the landscape, to do the obvious; while show business flails for a foothold with esoteric contrivances, “American Idol” merely hits the nail on the head -- flawlessly, to achieve dominance of the Universe.

Just as the show transformed the most hackneyed, antiquated, olde timey of formats -- a singing contest -- into a Goliath, so too perhaps can “Idol Gives Back” remind those who would motivate the masses for a larger good that nothing entertains a crowd like good, old-fashioned entertainment. It keeps viewers in their seats and encourages them to lower their defenses so the messages and pleas for help can get in.

Before the spectacle began, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe declared the show’s intent to raise $100 million for charity. When one looks at the rest of the television lineup, can one imagine any other show -- “Two and a Half Men,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “CSI” or “The Biggest Loser” -- achieving anything on so grandiose a scale? Can one imagine any of them even trying?

“Idol Gives Back” has become part of the Idol Industrial Complex alongside the show itself, the tie-in programs (“Idol Tonight,” “American Idol Extra,” “American Idol Rewind,” “Idol Wrap”), the tours, the albums, the management contracts, the summer camps, the merchandise, the iTunes videos and the Happy Meal treats.

For a show whose premiere seven years ago was largely derided as a desperate attempt by Fox to flog ratings with a “Star Search” rip-off and as an insult to the music world and the death of culture -- the “Idol” has become more than the savior of American culture (and record sales).

With our biggest stars flocking to kiss the ring, it has become American culture. Welcome to the age of “Idol.”

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richard.rushfield@latimes.com