Jerry Lewis no longer the MDA chairman

The Muscular Dystrophy Association says U.S. entertainer Jerry Lewis will no longer serve as its national chairman or appear on its annual telethon.

Lewis, 85, and MDA announced in May his retirement as host of the "MDA Labor Day Telethon." The famous actor-comedian said at the time he planned to make a final appearance on the televised fundraising event this summer and would sing his signature song, "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Lewis said in May: "I'll continue to serve MDA as its national chairman -- as I've done since the early 1950s. I'll never desert MDA and my kids."

However, MDA Chairman of the Board of Directors, R. Rodney Howell, M.D., issued a statement Wednesday announcing Lewis would no longer serve as MDA chairman or perform on any future telethons.

"Jerry Lewis is a world-class humanitarian and we're forever grateful to him for his more than half century of generous service to MDA. We will not be replacing him as MDA national chairman, and he will not be appearing on the telethon," Howell said.

No reason was given for the parting of ways, but Lewis has been battling various health issues in recent years.

Winger to act at Psychological Assoc. convention

Debra Winger is to lead a dramatic reading as part of a panel discussion about addiction during the American Psychological Association convention.

The star of "Urban Cowboy," "An Officer and a Gentleman," "Terms of Endearment," "Shadowlands" and "Rachel Getting Married" will join other professional actors for Saturday's dramatic reading of Act III of Eugene O'Neill's drama "Long Day's Journey into Night" at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, organizers said.

Winger will be reading the part of Mary Tyrone, who is addicted to morphine. Tyrone's husband and sons suffer from alcoholism in the play, set in 1912.

Following the performance, a panel of psychologists will lead a discussion on addiction and audience members will be allowed to give their emotional and professional reactions to the production. Heading up the discussion will be Carlo C. DiClemente, Ph.D., psychologist and addictive behaviors expert, and David Shurtleff, Ph.D. and acting deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

'Source Code' tops DVD sales list

The thriller "Source Code" is the top-selling DVD in the United States, Rentrak reported Thursday.

Coming in at No. 2 on the DVD sales roster for the week ending July 31 is "Rango," followed by "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" at No. 3, "Limitless" at No. 4 and "The Lincoln Lawyer" at No. 5.

Rounding out the top tier are "Insidious" at No. 6, "Arthur" at No. 7, "Gnomeo & Juliet" at No. 8, "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night" at No. 9 and "Unknown" at No. 10.

"Limitless" is the No. 1 DVD rental in the United States for the week ending July 30, Rentrak said.

"The Lincoln Lawyer" is No. 2, "Source Code" is No. 3, "Rango" is No. 4, "Insidious" is No. 5, "Arthur" is No. 6, "Season of the Witch" is No. 7, "Unknown" is No. 8, "Take Me Home Tonight" is No. 9 and "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night" is No. 10.

Brett Ratner to produce Oscars show

Brett Ratner and Don Mischer have been hired to produce the 84th Academy Awards telecast in Los Angeles, it was announced Thursday.

This will be Ratner's first involvement with the Oscar show. Mischer will for the second year in a row serve as a producer and as the telecast director.

"I was so impressed with Brett when I met with him to discuss the Oscar show," Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak said in a statement. "He has an incredible love of film and its history and is a true student of the business of movies. He's unbelievably creative and knows how to take risks that are both interesting and inspiring. Together with Don Mischer -- who, by the way, just earned an Emmy nomination for his work on the 83rd Academy Awards -- I think these two will give us a fantastic Oscar show that you won't want to miss."

"Making movies has been my dream since childhood, and I've been fortunate enough to have made several, but the Oscar show is in a league of its own," Ratner said. "It will be fantastic to work with a live television master like Don to meld the glamour of legendary Hollywood with the enormous talents who thrill moviegoers today."

"The Academy Awards are in a class by themselves, and I'm elated that the academy has asked me to return," Mischer said. "I hope to take the wealth of knowledge I now have about the Oscars, which is a completely unique kind of show, and work with Brett to create an evening that is fast-paced, fun, and memorable to movie fans and Oscar fans everywhere."

Ratner's work includes more than 100 music videos, the "Rush Hour" movies, "Family Man," "Red Dragon" and "X-Men: The Last Stand."

Mischer's producer/director credits include "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial"; "The Kennedy Center Honors"; several Super Bowl halftime shows and the opening ceremonies of both Winter and Summer Olympic Games. He has produced specials with Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Bono, Barbra Streisand, Justin Timberlake and Yo Yo Ma.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 are to be presented Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles, and televised live on the ABC Television Network.

'Mr. Bean' actor hurt in $1 million car crash

British comic actor Rowan Atkinson was hospitalized with minor injuries after crashing a McLaren F1 sports car worth $1 million, TMZ reported.

The 56-year-old "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Blackadder" and "Mr. Bean" star suffered a minor shoulder injury in the mishap in England Thursday night.

Atkinson is "all fine and going home [from the hospital] soon," his representative told TMZ.

Atkinson was taken to a hospital after he lost control of the car, spun three times, ran into a tree and hit a signpost, crushing the back end of the vehicle, the celebrity news Web site said Friday.

TMZ said there are only 100 of this particular model McLaren F1 in the world.

U.K. drunk driving deaths fell in 2010

Police records show the number of road collisions resulting in death due to drunken driving have dropped significantly in London, officials say.

In 2010, there were 250 deaths that were the result of drunken driving, compared to 380 in 2009, representing a 35 percent decrease, the BBC reported.

Serious injuries caused by drunken driving dropped by 18 percent and minor injuries dropped by 19 percent, the Department for Transport said.

Transport Minister Norman Baker says there has been an 83 percent decline in deaths involving drinking and driving within the past 30 years.

"However, we are determined to continue to take firm action against the small minority of drivers who still ignore the limit. That is why we are taking forward a package of measures to streamline enforcement against both drink and drug-driving -- including approving portable evidential breath testing equipment and drug testing devices which will speed up the testing process and free up police time," he said.

The statistics for drunken driving-related deaths and injuries are based on road accidents reported to police across Great Britain.

Teens get prison for gang killing

Three teenagers were given life sentences Thursday for leading a gang attack on a schoolboy who was stabbed and killed in South London.

A judge at the Old Bailey said Dale Green must serve at least 15 years for killing Nicholas Pearton, while Lamarr Gordon was ordered to serve 14 years and Joseph Appiah, 16, was given a 12-year minimum sentence, The Independent reported. Four other teens were given sentences of up to 10 years for manslaughter.

Nicholas, 16, was attacked as he walked home from school in May 2010. He bled to death on the floor of a takeout restaurant.

The attack allegedly stemmed from a feud between rival gangs that led to a fight in school.

Prosecutors said the teens were in the Shanks and Guns Gang, The Sun reported. The attackers chanted "SG boys" and a security camera captured Gordon and Green shaking hands on a bus after the stabbing.

The group behaved "like a pack of wild animals," a prosecutor said.

Gordon got into a fight with prison officers escorting him from the courtroom and ended up being carried out.