It was the end of an era Sunday night as the first Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon was held without comedy legend Jerry Lewis at the helm. The good news is that this year's show raised almost $61.5 million for the MDA, up about $2.6 million from 2010.

However, the absent Lewis was on the minds of many, and Nigel Lythgoe, who co-hosted this year's telethon with Jann Carl said he was sad that his predecessor didn't participate, but that the MDA needs to move on to ensure the fundraiser continues.

Lythgoe also told the Associated Press that he'd been expecting Lewis to show up, either during the telecast, or to pre-tape his signature song 'You'll Never Walk Alone.'

"I was fully expecting him to turn up at any point and join that six hours -- and I'm sorry he didn't," Lythgoe said. "And hopefully another year he might. I mean, he knows that he is always welcome on the telethon. It's his baby."

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to eat a little crow from one of my previous posts. The Jerry Lewis telethon made a whopping 65 million dollars this year for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Obviously, people are still watching.

Apparently, the show also pitched help for any MDA-registered families that are victims of Hurricane Gustav. It's a good idea and a brilliant P.R. move by Lewis and company. It did get me thinking: why should all that money only benefit those with muscular dystrophy? Why can't next year's donations go towards fighting cancer or some other charity?

It's amazing what passes for donations at the Jerry Lewis telethon these days. Apparently, the gun found in the big guy's luggage was one of them.

Now, I guess I have to go through this again. For the Muscular Dystrophy Association, cash is preferred. Checks are accepted. Firearms must be donated via a special table located in the back. I wonder what else people can donate? Marijuana or pornography, perhaps?

This does beg the question of such as thing as bad publicity. I don't know if this incident hurts the telethon's donations. On the other hand, is the 82-year-old comedian or his telethon even relevant anymore? In my youth, everybody watched the telethon for celebrity appearances. Now, it's difficult to remember even when it airs.

Lewis did say that the gift was from an engraver at last year's telethon and he didn't travel since then. What do you think? Is the story flimsy or believable?