This year Lewis celebrates 44 years of staying up all night with a bunch of his celebrity friends to raise money to help find cures for muscular dystrophy, ALS and other related diseases.

“I’m determined to keep fighting for a cure for muscular dystrophy because my kids deserve to live long and healthy lives,” Lewis said. “The Telethon gives us the chance to help put an end to these debilitating diseases, while entertaining and educating the American public.”

Among the stars joining the comedian this year are Dolly Parton, Wynonna, Reba McEntire, Tony Orlando, Train, Bo Bice, Terry Fator, The Grascals, Neal McCoy, George Wallace, Lee Greenwood, Joshua Bell, Frankie Moreno and Three Dog Night.

The show kicks off Sunday night at 9 p.m. EST from the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas and will be carried by 180 stations in the U.S. and Canada, as well as on MDA’s Web site.

In a first this year, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube will all offer a behind-the-scenes look at the show during broadcast.

Visit MDA.org for more info on the telethon and the organization’s mission.

Friday, September 4
Cher, The Pussycat Dolls, Missy Elliott – “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” – rerun
Backstreet Boys, Chris Franjola – “Chelsea Lately” – rerun
Melissa Etheridge – “The Bonnie Hunt Show” – rerun
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – “Late Show with David Letterman”
Pet Shop Boys – “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”
Maxwell – “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Ben Harper & Relentless7 – “Last Call with Carson Daly” – rerun

Saturday, September 5
Foo Fighters – “Austin City Limits” – rerun
The Killers – “Saturday Night Live” – rerun

Monday, September 7
George Lopez, Mario Cantone, Lewis Black – “The View” – rerun
Mariah Carey – “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” – rerun
Smokey Robinson – “The Tavis Smiley Show”
Sarah Colonna, Michael Yo, Guy Branum – “Chelsea Lately”
Tracy Morgan, Diane Birch – “Late Show with David Letterman”
Eric Hutchinson – “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” – rerun
Jimmy Buffett – “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” – rerun
Selena Gomez, Darius Rucker – “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” – rerun
Juliette Lewis – “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson”
Jo Koy, Lissy Trullie – “Last Call with Carson Daly” – rerun