You might need to sit down for this..

Last night I watched part of American Idol by my own free will. I know, what is happening to the world!? This is precisely my question. I remained on the channel my television lit up with when I turned it on because of the subtitle: American Idol Gives Back. I have recently been fascinated by the extreme philanthropic nature of reality television, marked most notably by Oprah's Big Give. I even wrote in one of my class reflections a critique I have of this system in which the upper class employs the middle class to give to the lower class embodying and perpetuating the reliance of all other people on the upper class. In a more questioning sense: Are these shows a reflection of society's growing tendency toward charity or are we using charity to pull on the heartstrings of America to improve ratings and ultimately make money for corporations. By which are we actually helping anyone or just expanding the gap between the rich and the poor? I won't even begin to discuss the ethnic and gender issues I have with all of this.
Another moment of confusion with this particular episode (American Idol Gives Back, aired April 9) was the final moments. What I assume to be this season's remaining contestants filled the stage, all wearing white to sing a powerful version of Shout to the Lord. When did a show titled to embody the complete contradiction of Christianity (creating an idol out of someone other than God) become Christian? Out of all the songs demonstrating a philanthropic nature, why was this chosen? To be even more complicated when Ben Stiller runs out on an empty stage in an empty theatre (in what I again, not being completely up to date with current television, guess to be a parody to the Matt Damon and I believe its Jimmy Kimmel show never having time for him joke). Ben Stiller obviously curses several times, mocks Seacrist and leaves in a huff. How did this little fit help American Idol give back?
I guess my real questions are: What are we promoting in these shows? Who is really benefiting? What messages are being sent? Will television's need to seemingly randomly 'give back' end now that the writers have been back on the job long enough to start up our favorite non-reality shows again?