CELEBRITIES LINE UP TO CO-HOST JERRY LEWIS MDA TELETHON

TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 15, 2008 —The Muscular Dystrophy Association today announced the co-star lineup for the 2008 Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.

A cadre of familiar faces, and a few new ones, will lead the legendary Telethon broadcast, now in its 43rd year.

• Ed McMahon, a member of the MDA Board of Directors and former host of numerous television programs including "Ed McMahon's Star Search," "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes," and "Macy's Thanksgiving Parade," will serve for the 42nd time as Telethon broadcast anchor.
• Two of the best-known performers on television, Emmy-nominated Tom Bergeron, host of "Dancing With the Stars," and "America's Funniest Home Videos," and Jann Carl, correspondent and weekend anchor for "Entertainment Tonight," will reprise their roles as co-hosts. Bergeron and Carl, both MDA national vice presidents, have a combined total of more than five decades between them in the entertainment industry.
• Popular newsmagazine show host Nancy O'Dell, who joined MDA's efforts to find treatments and a cure for ALS after her mother, Betty, was diagnosed with the disease in November, will debut as a co-host for the marathon fundraiser. The disease claimed her mother in June. O'Dell is currently in her 12th season with "Access Hollywood," and has been the show's co-host since 1999. MDA leads the battle against ALS.
• Daytime soap opera celebrity and "The Biggest Loser" host Alison Sweeney will make her second Telethon co-host appearance. The actress plays one of daytime TV's more popular villains, Sami Brady, on the long-running daytime drama "Days of Our Lives." She authored the well-received book “All the Days of My Life (So Far)” (Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2004), detailing her own weight-loss challenges.
• Popular "American Idol" vocalist and MDA Celebrity Ambassador Ace Young will make his first stint as a co-host. Young, who recently released his debut CD, Ace Young, was a contestant on the fifth season of the hit TV talent show. Young has performed as a guest on MTV's "Total Request Live" and hosted a solo concert at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
• Multiple-award-winning recording artist Billy Gilman will bring his talent and exuberance to the Telethon stage, returning as both performer and co-host. Grammy-nominated Gilman, the youngest singer to reach Number One on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, has served as MDA National Youth Chairman for six years, encouraging thousands of teens and young adults to support MDA's lifesaving mission.
• Comedian and "Master of Malaprop" Norm Crosby will be on hand for co-hosting duties. Crosby also is an MDA national vice president.
• Famed entertainer and MDA National Vice President Tony Orlando, one of the top entertainers who has performed with Telethon star Jerry Lewis, will host the New York City broadcast for the 11th consecutive year. Orlando, whose hits such as “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree” and “Knock Three Times” were among the top songs of the 1970s, served as a co-host and guest entertainer on the national Telethon broadcast for nearly 30 years before moving to the New York broadcast.
• Olympic gymnastics gold medalists Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci will return to co-host the Chicago broadcast of the Telethon. Chicago native Conner first hosted the Chicago broadcast in 1989 and was joined by his wife, Nadia Comaneci, as a co-host a few years later. The two are involved with the Association year-round. Conner serves on MDA's Board of Directors, while Comaneci is an MDA national vice president.

"I'm truly honored to be joined by such an incredible team of all-stars willing to go all out in the fight against muscular dystrophy," said MDA National Chairman and Telethon star Jerry Lewis. "The sheer weight of talent and professionalism these people bring to the show is sure to make this year's Telethon a smashing success."

The national Telethon will feature a steady stream of performances by top entertainers; updates on important research and medical advances in the battle against muscular dystrophy and related diseases; and video profiles and live interviews with individuals and families affected by those diseases.

The broadcast will originate from the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas beginning at 9 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 31, and ending 21½ hours later at 6:30 p.m. EDT, Sept. 1.

The show will be broadcast to nearly 40 million viewers in the United States and Canada by some 180 television stations comprising MDA’s “Love Network.” Millions more worldwide will be able to see the Telethon on the Internet via RealNetworks at mda.org. Check local listings for times and stations.

A new feature of this year’s broadcast is the Jerry Lewis Telethon Online Auction at www.mda.org/auctions. Starting Aug. 21, it features items donated by celebrities, MDA sponsors and other friends of the Association. Hundreds of items are up for bid in such categories as travel, unique experiences, electronics, golf, excursions, sports memorabilia and more. One section carries items from Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary celebration. The auction ends Sept. 4.

In 2007, pledges and donations to the MDA Telethon brought in a record $63.8 million.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat muscular dystrophy and related diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services and far-reaching professional and public health information.

The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.