Cynthia Garrett

Jann Carl of "Entertainment Tonight" and VH-1 host Cynthia Garrett will contribute their talent and enthusiasm again this year as national co-hosts of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.

This Labor Day weekend's show marks the fourth year as co-host for Carl and the third for Garrett. Both popular TV personalities bring unflagging energy to their roles during the live 21H-hour broadcast from CBS Television City in Hollywood. Both approach their duties -- which they perform as volunteers -- with the kind of vim and vigor they show naturally in their professional careers.

Telethon viewers across the country will see Garrett and Carl welcome sponsors and other special guests, introduce family profiles and tell viewers about MDA programs.

For Carl, the experience of the Telethon itself is her motivation for returning to the show.

"Once you're there with Jerry and you feel his passion and you meet the families and you meet the children, then you're hooked. And you're there until a cure is found," she said.

Carl, who co-hosted the Los Angeles segment of the Telethon for eight years and is an MDA national vice president, has earned three Los Angeles Emmy Awards and many humanitarian awards for her philanthropic work. She's a weekend anchor, substitute weekday anchor and senior correspondent on "Entertainment Tonight," which she joined in 1995.

Jann Carl

"Once you're there with Jerry and you feel his passion and you meet the families and you meet the children, then you're hooked."

Carl has interviewed such show business celebrities as Sean Connery, Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford and Dustin Hoffman. She's a graduate of the University of Missouri, with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

Garrett began her television career by producing and hosting a pilot late-night show and convincing talents such as Dennis Rodman and Little Richard to be guests. Shortly afterward, she began filling in as host of ABC's late night "In Concert" and later joined VH-1 in New York.

As a VH-1 on-air personality and VJ (video jockey), she hosts many of the network's specials, premiere interviews and big events. Her skill and ease on live television earned her the top hosting spot on VH-1's 1996 Grammy Awards special. She has interviewed Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Madonna, Julia Roberts, Michael Jordan and Bette Midler, among dozens of others.

While Garrett, an MDA national vice president, will continue to demonstrate her finesse in interviewing on the Telethon, it was MDA's mission that drew her to the annual event. When she was 15, a cousin died of muscular dystrophy.

"I wanted to do something that stimulated my heart and my soul a little," she said, adding that Jerry Lewis is "impressive."

"A lot of people aren't even aware of the impact that he's had in the history of film and in the industry," she said of MDA's national chairman. "He's actually taken his celebrity and given something back. And that just blows me away. It's awesome to be in the presence of someone like him because it's inspirational."

Garrett graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in broadcast journalism and then earned her law degree from the University of Southern California Law School.

Jann Carl inteviews the Lovrien family of San Diego on the 1998 MDA Telethon.

Besides their strong commitment to the Telethon, both broadcasters dedicate their time to MDA in many other ways. Garrett has taped numerous public service announcements, sponsor acknowledgments and tributes for the Telethon and for MDA Hop-a-Thons, fund-raising events involving day-care centers and preschools.

Garrett also has been emcee at several of MDA's Muscle Team events across the country, in which local professional sports figures team up with children served by MDA and honor them with special achievement awards. This year she hosted MDA's largest Superdance, at Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, N.Y. The 12-hour Superdance, now in its 16th year, is a joint effort between the high school and neighboring St. Joseph Hill Academy.

Carl has been involved with many local MDA events in the Los Angeles area. She's served as an emcee for several years for A Night Under the Stars, a gala event held since 1987 that brings celebrities and community leaders together to help MDA. In addition, she's host for the Aisles of Smiles Food Industry Gathering, a weekend of activities in the San Diego area to kick off the five-week program in which grocery retailers, brokers and manufacturers benefit MDA.

Although local events year-round keep community dedication to MDA strong, Carl says the Telethon allows everyone to participate.

"We've come such a long way and it's only because of everybody, everywhere that calls in," Carl says. "It's 'Call in early and call in often.' This is what we like."