Jerry Lewis, who has hosted the MDA Labor Day telethon since 1966, has been relieved of his hosting duties. He will not be present at this year's event.

Let's be honest here: yes, the telethon is a great event that has raised billions for the fight against muscular dystrophy – but, those are a lot of hours to fill every year and most of those hours are filled with, well, filler. But! Over the course of the last 45 years, there have been many, many memorable moments. Look: John Lennon! KISS! The Jackson 5! Joan Crawford and her daughter – a daughter who would in the future write 'Mommie Dearest.'

So, to commemorate Mr. Lewis's contribution to society (and popular culture), here are five memorable moments from his telethon.

Does it take an Oscar winner to play a character that's already won an Oscar for another actress? No, but it can't hurt. After over half a year of speculation and rumor, Michael Ausiello in Entertainment Weekly has reported HBO's confirmation that Kate Winslet will star in 'Mildred Pierce,' the remake of the 1945 Joan Crawford movie of the same name.

There's a lot to be excited about with this news. For starters, instead of just a two-hour TV movie, HBO is giving the adaptation of James M. Cain's novel time. It'll be a five-hour miniseries which virtually ensures more time to delve into the original story. Then there's Winslet essaying the role. She's such a good actress that it's a certainty she won't do what Joan did with the role. We'll be seeing another Mildred, Winslet's own interpretation of the role.

Wow, not only did this guy have a long career - he acted, wrote, and directed since the mid-1930s - he also romanced Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, and Francine York. Nice.

(Davis and Crawford? Those must have been some conversations...heh.)

Sherman directed many TV shows over the years, including The Waltons, Baretta, 77 Sunset Strip, Trapper John, M.D., Alias Smith and Jones, Medical Center, and Hagen. He also directed the films The Adventures of Don Juan, Mr. Skeffington, The Naked Earth, Bogie, and The Young Philadelphians.

He died of natural causes on Sunday.

Child actor Gary Gray died of cancer on April 4. The LA Times has the obituary.

Gray made his acting debut in Joan Crawford's A Woman's Face, but is probably best known for the many Westerns he was in, including Return of the Bad Men and Rachel and the Stranger. He played Nancy Reagan's (Davis) son in The Next Voice You Hear, appeared in films with Bob Hope and Virginia Mayo, appeared on I Love Lucy, and was in the last Lassie movie that MGM made in 1951, The Painted Hills.

(Oh, the pic? That's Gray on the right. On the left? Dean Stockwell!)