Las Vegas Weekly

August 29, 2008 · 1:30 PM

Jerry Lewis takes on a $63 million challenge with annual telethon

By Robin Leach

In just a little more than 21 hours, hometown comedy actor Jerry Lewis has to reel in more than the record $63.8 million he raised last year for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The 43rd annual Labor Day telethon gets underway at 6 p.m. our time on Sunday live from the South Point resort casino and will run until 3:30 p.m. our time on Monday. It will be broadcast on 180 TV stations in the U.S. and Canada and via RealNetworks on the Internet around the world.

Despite a serious neck injury, sidekick Ed McMahon will serve as the show’s broadcast anchor. Jerry and Ed will be joined by entertainer Tony Orlando in New York and Olympic gold gymnastics medalists Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci in Chicago. In Vegas, they will be backed up by Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron and Entertainment Tonight weekend anchor Jann Carl as co-hosts. Access Hollywood host Nancy O’Dell makes her debut on the telethon as a co-host along with Biggest Loser host, Days of Our Lives villain Alison Sweeney, American Idol vocalist Ace Young, country music recording artist Billy Gilman, comedian Norm Crosby rotating duties throughout the long night hours.

There will be a steady stream of top Strip entertainers dropping by to help Jerry, including a number of our locally based magicians: Eric Buss will feature his Symphony of Snakes, Nathan Burton will perform his Toilet Illusion that wows at the Flamingo and a new version of Andre Kole’s No Feet illusion, plus Jason Byrne. A new feature this year is the online auction. Dozens of Jerry’s friends, sports stars and Hollywood celebrities have donated memorabilia and other personal items that can be found at www.mda.org/auctions until Sept. 4.

You can go down to the South Point anytime during the telecast to help support the cause -- and tune in and make a donation to one of America’s most worthiest of charity causes.

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