The 49th annual MDA Show of Strength Telethon will air this Labor Day weekend with Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley Charles Esten and Nancy O’Dell, among many others.
ABC-TV will air the two-hour national broadcast of musical performances and heartfelt appeals in an effort to raise funds and awareness in support of the MDA’s mission to save and improve the lives affected by muscle disease. Flatts will perform “My Wish,” and Evans will sing her hit single “A Little Bit Stronger.” Both performances were taped from the iconic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville with introductions from MDA Ambassador Bryson Foster, 14.
“As much fun as it was performing for this year’s MDA telethon, getting to meet with Bryson Foster who’s affected by muscular dystrophy was the real highlight of the whole experience for me and the guys,” said Rascal Flatts lead vocalist Gary LeVox. “We’re inspired by him and all that MDA does to help the families it serves, and we’re honored to be part of the progress that’s being made to end these life-threatening diseases.”
Rimes performs her hit single “Give” at the 2014 MDA Show after meeting backstage with “blue” carpet correspondent and 15-year-old MDA Ambassador Abbey Umali of Redlands, Calif.
Paisley also will make a special appeal on behalf of families served by MDA while giving an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at a taping of ABC’s Rising Star.
“Our telethon will offer great entertainment from some of America’s favorite Country artists who are ‘showing their strength’ to inspire millions of viewers to rally behind families who courageously wage a battle against life-threatening muscle disease every day,” said MDA President and CEO Steven M. Derks. “The Show of Strength Telethon provides an incredible opportunity to celebrate everyone who has helped drive decades of progress by MDA in the search for treatments and cures.”
Watch the event, planned to air on ABC-TV, Sunday, Aug. 31, 9pm ET/PT, 8pm CT/MT.

Los Angeles-based Entertainment PR company Different Drummer has hired Andy Peterson to open its new Nashville office. Chris Youngblood has been added to oversee digital/media strategies, while Jeneal Bernhart has been hired as manager of digital publicity.
Peterson previously served as Sr. VP and Creative Director at creative agency Propeller. He has also worked as a Sr. Marketing Director at Warner Bros. Records in Nashville, and Director of Marketing for Rocketown Records. Youngblood was formerly a Director of Communications for the non-profit organization To Write Love On Her Arms. Prior to working with Different Drummer, Bernhart was part of Los Angeles-based publicity company Ginsberg Libby, working with clients including Fox Searchlight and Magnolia Pictures.
“We are thrilled to launch this new chapter for Different Drummer. With the head- snapping shifts in audiences today, the growth of our team will allow us to stay ahead of the curve to ensure that Different Drummer remains the leader in activating aspirational audiences and cause-conscious consumers,” said Corby Pons, co-founder of Different Drummer.
“I have long admired the work of Different Drummer and am excited to lead our marketing team and establish a presence for the agency here in Nashville,” said Peterson. “We have talented, creative assets in place, which will be a great addition to our work serving studios and television networks. I’m looking forward to growing this agency and adding our ‘small batch’ marketing approach to creative products and brands.”