A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

THIS OVERGROWN KID WHO, DECADES AGO, REPRESENTED IRREVERENT YOUTH LONG BEFORE HIPPIES AND PUNK ROCKERS: Tom Shales reviews Jerry Lewis' performance at his annual MDA telethon, which raises all sorts of questions to ponder:

• Is it unfair to even review critically such a broadcast, given the overall good it does in the world?
• What ever happened to telethons? I feel like local stations used to broadcast more of them. Is it a combination of the dearth of local ownership of network affiliates and the increased focused on the bottom line? Is it that the Internet has made regular charitable giving easier and reduced the need for such broadcasts?
  
• Can I get through a Jerry Lewis post without referencing The Day The Clown Cried and Spy magazine article on same?
• Shales writes "Big stars like Joan Crawford (seen in a clip on the MDA Web site) don't come on anymore, but then, there aren't big stars like Joan Crawford anymore, are there?" Is this a bad thing? (Do enjoy the MDA's full list of celebrity appearances from 1966-2009. Including KISS! The Jackson Five! And a favorite of mine, below the fold.)