I may have been a tad bit cynical about American Idol's big fundraiser show, Idol Gives Back, but the folks at the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences were clearly impressed. The Academy is giving American Idol its very first Emmy -- a special Governors Award -- for "harnessing the power of television to educate and inform viewers."

Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said, "I'm really pleased that the Academy recognized the fact that this was more than a TV show."