Photo: Getty Images

The long, hellish silence is over. Unleash the tweets!

“These carbs are attacking me. I can’t stop,” posted Ryan Seacrest a couple of hours ago with a picture of a half-eaten muffin and bagel.

It was revealed yesterday that the Keep A Child Alive campaign had exceeded its $1 million fundraising goal by $125. Today the New York Post reports we can all thank billionaire pharma exec Steven Rahr , a.k.a. Stewie Rah Rah, for his $500,000 donation, which brought the celebs back to life. The story says the celebs “persuaded” Stewie to donate the money. He has donated to other charities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

We’re sure KCA is happy not just for the donation, but to bring this disastrous campaign to an end.

[Image via NY Observer.]

Ah well. They had good intentions.

As we reported yesterday, the “digital death” campaign for Keep a Child Alive has been a bust. At about 1p.mEST today, the tracker reported that only $183,533 of the $1 million goal has been raised since Wednesday. And the participating celebs are still largely silent (the last tweet from Lady Gaga pitifully reminds everyone: “@ladygaga is still dead. Text GAGA to 90999 and donate $10 to help children fighting HIV/AIDS. http://buylife.org“)

Comments on our site and coverage on others point out that by pulling the celebs off of social media, the campaign has done itself a disservice, gagging a major fundraising tool.

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Celebrities will “die” on Twitter and Facebook starting Wednesday for the “Buy Life” campaign, which seeks to raise $1 million for Keep A Child Alive, a charitable organization that provides medical care and other services for families affected by H.I.V. and AIDS in Africa and India. The effort coincides with World AIDS Day.

Among the famous who are temporarily taking their “digital life” are Lady Gaga, the organization’s co-founder, award-winning singer and songwriter Alicia Keys, and Kim Kardashian, who will promote anything it seems, including a good cause.

The organization was already selling t-shirts with a bar code that can be scanned for a donation. With this, Keys told the New York Times that the organization is using technology and the commoditization of celebrities to benefit the organization.

“You’re always texting your friends,” said Keys. “Now, you’re going to text to Buy Life.”