the buzz log

Charity interrupted the regularly scheduled, mildly ruthless Fox competition on Wednesday night. "Idol Gives Back" earned the lion's share of the audience, but without the tantalizing cruelty of cutting a contestant, the series had its lowest viewership in two years.

Perhaps fans decided to skip the telethon and just donate directly. So far the tally is more than $20 million. Pledges are still being counted, but the $100 million goal is still a ways away. The upside: Among the causes promoted, malaria and Save the Children (+168%) inspired folks to search.

Brad Pitt was the most anticipated celebrity, and sure enough the audience reached a hysterical pitch when he came onstage. Yet it was '80s diva Annie Lennox who emerged as the Search highlight of the night. Her soulful, grand-piano rendition of "Many Rivers to Cross" drove her numbers up more than 1,000%.

The contestants, otherwise known as "the help," sang a few songs when they weren't on phone duty. The producers didn't integrate the wannabes with the real celebs. Too bad—we suspect Carly Smithson probably would've clawed at Fergie's blue eye shadow for the chance to sing with her beloved Heart.

Still, they were hardly far from people's minds. Folks were dreamy over Jason Castro's Hawaiian riff on "Over the Rainbow." Heck, some even looked up ukeleles.

An E-Poll/Reuters survey predicting the winner was among the Buzz's most popular "Idol" stories. The 1,100 respondents didn't say anything shocking: David Archuleta is still the frontrunner, and David Cook is deemed most talented. Do fans' online habits mesh with polling responses? Take a look...