Comedians angry with Jerry Lewis' telethon end (brought in about $2.5 billion)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: CBS

A Labor Day ritual, The Muscular Dystrophy telethon goes on the air Sunday night.

However, for the first time in 45-years, Jerry Lewis will be a no show.

Snip: Yet Sunday night's MDA telethon ushers in new, younger hosts. That the 85-year-old, who's inspired a generation of comedians, is being pushed aside has the country's funny men angry.

"After all these years, you're telling me there's no presence, Jerry lewis has no presence on his own (show)?" asked David Letterman on air recently.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/04/eveningnews/main20101566.shtml

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[Oceansaway]

1. kinda like the repukes...if your old

or poor....they wanna kick ya to the curb......

[Le Taz Hot]

12. That's not only "pukes,"

it's our society. Over 50? You turn invisible, especially if you're female.

[bitchkitty]

16. +1

[Rhiannon12866]

2. They did the same thing to Bert Parks...

:(

[pacalo]

4. And that was when I lost interest in the Miss American pageant.

[janet118]

10. My favorite Bert Parks role . . .

came after he left Miss America Pageant. He sang Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" during a cameo in the movie The Freshman. Surrealistic high point in a funny film.

[pacalo]

3. I'm with Harry Shearer: Jerry should have been given one last homerun lap with

a valedictory salute.

This is disrespectful & shameful.

[Bluebear]

5. Totally agree

[No Elephants]

6. Isn't Jerry Lewis supposed to be too ill? Great amount, though.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. Did MDA raise an equivalent to last year's total?

[Curmudgeoness]

18. It seems that they raised more than last year....2.6 mil more

"According to MDA officials, the 46th annual Labor Day weekend event raised nearly $61.5 million, about $2.6 million more than last year, reports the Associated Press."

from: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/09/mda-telethon-raises-615-million-without-jerry-lewis/1

[Contrary1]

21. I read a comment left after another report...

that the reason behind the total being more this year is that they rolled the corporate and private donations in together. That was not the way it was handled while Jerry was there.

Don't know if that is true or not, I'll do a bit of research and try to find out.

[Curmudgeoness]

22. There is always some way to play with the numbers, isn't there?

Adds to the meaning of the Twain quote "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics".

[alphafemale]

8. They could have brought him on as an honorary or something.

This IS shameful.

I'll never donate again.

Not ever.

[whopis01]

13. I am sure sentiments like that are heart breaking to Jerry Lewis

The point of the telethon is to raise funds to help those with MD.

If you feel that making a point about the MDA's treatment of the founding host outweighs continued support of those truly in need then your decision is logical.

I am certain themost important thing to Jerry Lewis would be to see the MDA telethon continue to raise money for those it helps.

[WinkyDink]

9. Soap operas, as well. But this is no country for old men....or old women, either.

[SpiralHawk]

11. Sailing to Byzantium by William Butler Yeats

- wonderful poem...


THAT is no country for old men. The young
In one another's arms, birds in the trees
- Those dying generations - at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.

An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
Nor is there singing school but studying
Monuments of its own magnificence;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.

O sages standing in God's holy fire
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me
Into the artifice of eternity.

Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

[UTUSN]

14. Main thing is that Labor Day is its own thing without being diluted by Jerry

But then, I belong to the faction: Cynical-Jerry-kept-failed-career-on-life-support-with-charity.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. Something I have wondered about for years

How much have they raised and how much does it take to cure this disease? Does all the money go to research? Yes I know what they say on the telethon but seriously, how much do they need?

[Curmudgeoness]

17. Sadly, I ask this same question about all medical research charities.

Billions of dollars pour into these charities, and nothing is ever accomplished. And if there is a breakthrough, it is never a breakthrough from the charity---it is always big drug/medical corporations who make all the money on the treatments. I just don't get it.

[Desertrose]

19. Think about it...if they find a "cure"...

then how much money would stop going into all the various things that benefit financially from these diseases.(Thinking mostly about cancer here.)

Cancer is a BIG BIDNESS...they find a cure and that would would put a lot of people - not to mention the pharmaceutical companies making all the treatments/meds- right outta business.

[JackDragna]

20. If someone found a cure for cancer, you cannot possibly imagine the windfall they'd get.

The right to market and produce the drug would be enormous. On top of that, there's tons of research being done by institutions pharma and medical companies cannot control.

[GoneOffShore]

23. Tempest meet teacup.

[Scurrilous]

24. K & R

:thumbsup:

[loyalsister]

25. End of a pity era?

We can only hope.

"If it's pity we'll get some money. I'm just giving you the facts. Pity ... if you don't want to be pitied for being a cripple in a wheelchair, don't come out of the house." - Jerry Lewis.

In my perfect scenario, the next telethon would be hosted by an adult who has MD. The goal would be to provide independent living resources and scholarships to people who have MD.