2008 JERRY LEWIS MDA TELETHON
WHO:
MDA National Chairman and Telethon star Jerry Lewis, joined by anchor Ed McMahon and co-hosts, Tom Bergeron, Jann Carl, Bart Connor, Norm Crosby, Billy Gilman, Nancy O’Dell, Tony Orlando, Alison Sweeney and Ace Young.
This year’s on-air talent includes Celine Dion, 3 Doors Down, Kid Rock, Sugarland, Ludacris, Reba McEntire, Will Downing, Billy Bob Thornton, Lance Burton, Bo Bice, George Wallace, Gloria Gaynor, Joshua Bell, Menudo, Maureen McGovern, John Ondrasik, Pat Monahan of Train, Ronn Lucas, Starship, Terry
Fator and more.
Co-host Nancy O’Dell, of the popular newsmagazine show "Access Hollywood" is joining the show for the first time. O'Dell's mother, Betty Humphries, 74, received an ALS diagnosis in November and died this June.
Thousands of business and community leaders, along with some 250,000 volunteers nationwide, will appear on the Telethon or work behind the scenes of the marathon 21½-hour show.
WHAT:
The 43rd annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon will feature video profiles and live interviews with adults and children with muscular dystrophy and related diseases, medical and scientific research updates, and a steady supply of top entertainment.
WHEN:
The network show airs from 9 p.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 31, to 6:30 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 1. Broadcast times vary in some areas. Check local listings for start times.
WHERE:
The national broadcast originates from the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, with some live segments broadcast from New York and Chicago. Telethon stations across the country also contribute live segments for their local viewers during each hour of the show.
The Telethon reaches 40 million viewers in the United States and Canada via some 180 television stations in MDA’s “Love Network.” The show also can be seen worldwide on the Internet via RealNetworks at www.mda.org.
In conjunction with the Telethon, thousands of grass-roots MDA fundraising events will be held at shopping malls, civic centers, recreation facilities and other public gathering sites nationwide.
WHY:
To support MDA’s vital programs of research, services and education for children and adults with a form of muscular dystrophy or a related disease.
In 2007, pledges and donations to the MDA Telethon brought in a record $63.8 million. |
