LAS VEGAS, Sept. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With just three words, MDA Telethon co-host Nigel Lythgoe (American Idol + So You Think You Can Dance) today confirmed that his long-time friend, Ryan Seacrest, has agreed to make a special appeal for the MDA Labor Day Telethon that will be telecast by more than 150 television stations and streamed worldwide at mda.org on Sunday, Sept. 4, between 6 p.m. and midnight.

"He said yes!" is how Lythgoe let MDA Executive Producer Jerry Weinberg know that the multifaceted entertainment personality wants to tell America about the Muscular Dystrophy Association's extraordinary summer camp program that annually serves thousands of young people with progressive muscle diseases.

Seacrest, host of American Idol, E! News and On Air with Ryan Seacrest, the nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show broadcast by Clear Channel Radio, also serves as an executive producer for many popular programs, including Keeping up with the Kardashians and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

Final production details are still being worked out with the jet-setting television production company executive, explained MDA's Weinberg, "but we are very confident that Ryan Seacrest will find a way to help advance our lifesaving mission with a special message for the tens of millions expected to tune in to the MDA Labor Day Telethon.

"Ryan has an amazing ability to communicate effectively with many generations of television viewers.  Having him on our 2011 Telethon is a significant development for the families we serve," added Weinberg.

About MDA

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research.  The Association also provides comprehensive healthcare and support services, advocacy and education.  See the award-winning MDA "Make a Muscle, Make a Difference ®" PSA, as well as MDA VNR announcing Monday's launch of a 24-week Phase 2 clinical trial of a potential therapeutic for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

In addition to funding more than 300 research projects worldwide, MDA maintains a national network of some 200 hospital-affiliated clinics; orchestrates hundreds of support groups for families affected by neuromuscular diseases; facilitates extraordinary local summer camp opportunities for thousands of youngsters fighting progressive muscle diseases.  Known globally for the MDA Labor Day Telethon, the Association is the first nonprofit organization to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Medical Association "for significant and lasting contributions to the health and welfare of humanity."

SOURCE Muscular Dystrophy Association

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