Surprise! We normally don't do live blogs for the American Idol elimination episodes, but tonight is different, because it's also time for the Idol Gives Back special! FOX. 8:00 PM ET. Two-plus hours. Ready? More inside, plus your open thread.

As mentioned above, tonight's show is live on FOX, starts at 8:00 PM ET, and is scheduled to run for two hours (though Ryan Seacrest mentioned last night that it will probably go long, so adjust your DVRs accordingly). In addition to the results of the voting following last night's Top 7 performance episode, it's the Idol Gives Back charity special. There will be tons of performances! And other cool stuff! Here's a description of what we can expect, courtesy TVGuide.com:

One of the Top 7 singers is slated to be eliminated in an "Idol Gives Back" episode, which features performances by Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lennox, Elton John, Jeff Beck, Joss Stone and Mary J. Blige. The initiative raises funds for U.S. and global charities, including Children's Health Fund, Feeding America, Malaria No More, Save the Children's U.S. Programs and the United Nations Foundation. Queen Latifah emcees the performance portion of the show.

While you wait for the action to begin, feel free to chat in the comments below. If you're new to Idol—or want a refresher on everything—here are some helpful links:

If you haven't participated in one of our live blogs before, don't fret-it's easy! All you need to do is tune your TV to FOX, watch the show, and discuss all the action with everyone else in the comments. It's really as simple as that. If you don't have a commenter account, just sign up for one (it literally takes seconds) and we'll get you approved and in on the action right away.

See you in the comments!

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