TV Telethons Announced for Katrina Victims

[TexasStooge]

TV Telethons Announced for Katrina Victims; Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon Will Also Help Out

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (ABC News/AP) — Hurricane Katrina telethons reminiscent of benefits for tsunami and 9/11 victims will feature artists including Wynton Marsalis and Green Day, while Jerry Lewis' annual Labor Day fundraiser also will join in.

Lewis said his telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association would include celebrity appeals for hurricane relief. MDA will donate $1 million as well to help victims in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, he said.

"I need the American people to know I don't want you to forget my (MDA) kids because that suffering is ongoing," Lewis told a Beverly Hills news conference on Wednesday. But he called on donors to divide their compassion in half.

"If you want to send me 20 bucks for my kids, send 10. Send the other 10 to these people in this trouble," the actor-comedian said.

The broadcast begins at 9 p.m. EDT Sunday and ends at 5:30 p.m. EDT Monday (check local listings for station).

A special 800 phone number will be used for the Katrina donations, with proceeds going to the Salvation Army in the hard-hit states.

Additionally, "A Concert for Hurricane Relief" will air on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC at 8 p.m. EDT Friday, NBC Universal Television Group announced Wednesday.

The hourlong special, hosted by Matt Lauer in New York, is scheduled to include performances by Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr. and Tim McGraw, all with ties to the affected areas, NBC said. Leonardo DiCaprio and other celebrities are expected to participate.

Viewers will be encouraged to donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Another aid effort was announced by MTV Networks, starting with a Saturday, Sept. 10, music special airing on MTV, VH1 and CMT and intended to raise funds for the American Red Cross and other organizations.

Besides Green Day, scheduled performers include Ludacris, Gretchen Wilson, Usher, Alicia Keys, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews Band, Rob Thomas, David Banner and Linkin Park's Chester Bennington.

The special also will be available on MTV2, mtvU and VH1 Classic, as well as broadband video networks MTV Overdrive and VSpot.

[Miss Mary]

Similar thing in Cincinnati:

http://www.wkrc.com/events/story.aspx?c ... 812E72CC95

In an unprecedented move, all seven Greater Cincinnati broadcast television stations are coming together to produce a telethon, Tri-State Together: Katrina Relief, to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina, through the Red Cross. The 60-minute special will air simultaneously on all seven local stations at 7 pm on Friday, September 2nd.

This is the first time in Cincinnati broadcast history that all seven television stations will unite for a single broadcast to raise money. In a joint statement issued by station General Managers, Richard Dyer of WLWT-TV, Bill Fee of WCPO-TV, Christopher Sehring of WKRC-TV , John Long of WXIX-TV, Elliott Block of WBQC-TV, Susan Howarth of CET, and Jon Lawhead of WSTR-TV, the stations committed to a unified effort to help the victims. “Watching the coverage of the hurricane devastation naturally makes you ask yourself, ‘what can I do?’ That is why we’ve come together, to rally with the Tri-State to generate badly needed help for those hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina.”

During the telethon, viewers will be encouraged to call a special phone number which will link to operators on site in the CET studio. All monies raised by the telethon will benefit the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The special will be broadcast live from CET studios in Over-The-Rhine.

[therock1811]

As I said yesterday, I am proud of the fact that even though we're 800 miles away, Cincinnati is stepping up, and this telethon tonight will be another example of that.

[KG4HPN]

"I need the American people to know I don't want you to forget my (MDA) kids because that suffering is ongoing," Lewis told a Beverly Hills news conference on Wednesday. But he called on donors to divide their compassion in half.

"If you want to send me 20 bucks for my kids, send 10. Send the other 10 to these people in this trouble," the actor-comedian said.

I have been too upset and heartbroken to even cry through all of this, but this did it. Jerry's Telethon has been an institution in my home since I was a toddler. My Granny and I made candy and watched it every year, and every year I've donated. That Jerry would say what he just did..., with his compassion (and passion) for finding a cure for these kids. He always asks people to give as much as they can to his kids and now he's only asking for half...

-Jet

[TexasStooge]

I've been watching the MDA Telethons since I met my best friend in 6th grade diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy.

[Brent]

ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, The WB and UPN will join forces next week for a primetime special entitled Shelter From The Storm: A Concert For The Gulf Coast, to raise funds for those impacted by the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina." Friday, Sept 9, 8pm.