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Lewis MDA Telethon Raises Record $65 Million

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 2, 2008

Jerry Lewis raised a record $65 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in his annual Labor Day telethon, a benefit that also made a pitch for those inconvenienced by Hurricane Gustav.

This year's 22-hour telethon added a special plea for MDA-registered families forced to leave their homes because of the hurricane, which made landfall Monday in Louisiana. The storm affected nearly 5,000 MDA families needing services in their new location, the organization said.

The 2008 haul for the 43rd annual fundraising blitz was $1.2 million more than last year's total.

Lewis, 82, said he was prepared not to exceed the 2007 number because of the sluggish economy.

"Each year I tell myself, 'This has got to be it. There's no way we can do better.' Then, the following year, I'm astounded to see that generosity driven by love and compassion has a greater capacity than I thought possible," Lewis said.

Winehouse Feared To Have Brain Damage
Troubled pop star Amy Winehouse may be suffering from brain damage brought on by drug overdoses, according to published reports.

The singer has overdosed twice in the past 12 months, the first in August 2007 after a binge on crystal meth, heroin and cocaine. She was also hospitalized in July after a 36-hour marijuana marathon that left her in convulsions.

Now doctors are worried that the most recent overdose has left her permanently disabled, according to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper. Winehouse has "displayed symptoms normally associated with schizophrenia," and has been warned that one more overdose will kill her.

When Winehouse was taken to the hospital in July, her father, Mitch, explained the emergency trip as a "bad reaction to medicine." That's false, said a friend of the "Rehab" singer.

Her father's "'explanation' for Amy's hospital dash in July was just simply untrue," the Winehouse pal said. "She had smoked an inhuman amount of hash which resulted in acute cannabis poisoning. You have to take a tremendous amount of pot to suffer that severe reaction. It is thought she had been smoking it for 36 hours."

Law Makes Case For Afghan Peace

Jude Law is visiting Afghanistan to promote peace in the war-ravaged country.

Together with director Jeremy Gilley, the Oscar-nominated Law has returned to Afghanistan to help maintain momentum for Peace Day - an annual day on Sept. 21 urging a global cease-fire and nonviolence.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted Peace Day in 2001, after a lobbying campaign by Gilley that he documented in the film "Peace One Day."

"When I left Kabul last year, I was hugely moved not by the conflict that I have read so much about, but by the people's courage and the people's sense of hope," Law told reporters in Kabul on Monday.

"It seemed that they really want to make this day, the Peace Day, work. And they did," Law said. "People recognize the day, because they recognize that lives could be saved."

Today's Birthdays

Football Hall-of-Famer Terry Bradshaw is 60. Tennis great Jimmy Connors is 56. Actor Keanu Reeves is 44. Actress Salma Hayek is 42. Singer K-Ci (Jodeci) is 39. Comedian Katt Williams is 35.

Sources: The Associated Press, New York Daily News

CORRECTIONS

It is the policy of The Tampa Tribune to correct all errors of fact. To report an error, call (813) 259-7600.

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