Telethon

Who will defend Jerry Lewis the actor? Not I. Can't stand him. Who will defend Jerry Lewis the telethon man? I will. Who has done more? Which of us can say our motivations are purely altruistic? How shall we blame him as the source of mistaken attitudes that almost all of us have held? And who, in fear and trembling because he knows he can never fathom the life of Ben Mattlin, will chide that accomplished man that his letter is overwrought and overwritten? I will. I am a teacher.

The major broadcast networks and a variety of cable channels are holding telethons for Hurricane Katrina victims this weekend. Now PBS is getting into the act too, with an event planned Sept. 17. The Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert and Auction will be televised from New York and will feature appearances by Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, Bette Midler, Dianne Reeves, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Cassandra Wilson and others.

This is no mere telethon, said Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, just before jumping up once again to join in a spirited dance. "It's a statement of brotherhood." To say the least. Here's a sampling of the action at "L'Chaim to Life!

Young artists are invited to design a poster advertising a televised auction to raise money for the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center. Simi Valley students in grades one through 12 may enter the contest. The deadline for submission is Monday at 3 p.m. First-place winners from each grade school category--elementary, middle and high school--will win a $100 savings bond.

NBC's two-hour tsunami relief concert Jan. 15 raised $18.3 million for the American Red Cross, the network announced Friday. Earlier in the month, local NBC stations raised $10.5 million for UNICEF in a separate telethon for victims of the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Indonesia, Thailand and other countries, according to Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Universal Television Group.

When Home Box Office Inc. aired its Comic Relief telethon special March 29, organizers promised to get viewers' pledges out to the nation's homeless within six months' time. Bob Zmuda, one of the creators of the all-star special to aid the nation's homeless, said last week that the organization will beat its deadline by more than a month. The special, headlined by Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams, grossed $4.2 million in viewer pledges and corporate contributions. It netted $2.