New York, U.S.A. — Sixteen-time Emmy winner (including a record nine consecutive wins for program) “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart“ is nominated this year in four categories, including Outstanding Variety Series, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series and Chuck O’Neil was singled out for the ninth year-in-a-row for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series.

The show was also nominated for Outstanding Picture Editing for Short Form Segments and Variety Specials. This brings the grand total of Primetime Emmy nominations for the “The Daily Show” to 44. “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” is also a two-time winner of the prestigious Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting.

“The Colbert Report“ received four Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Variety Series, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, a category in which it won its first Emmy in 2008, and director Jim Hoskinson was cited for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series. The show was also nominated for Outstanding Picture Editing for Short Form Segments and Variety Specials. The series has been nominated in the show, writing and directing categories for seven consecutive years and its total number of nominations now stands at 28.  The show has also twice been honored with the prestigious Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting

Comedy Central Digital Media also received a nomination for Outstanding Special Class – Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program for “The Daily Show Correspondents Explain” on thedailyshow.com. The division has garnered one Emmy and five nominations the category.

“6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park” was nominated for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special. The exclusive behind-the scenes documentary by Arthur Bradford shot at the South Park Studios in Los Angeles chronicles the rigorous process of producing the iconic series in under a week.

Three-time Emmy winner “Futurama“ earned a nomination for Outstanding Animated Program for the episode ‘The Tip of the Zoidberg,’ as well as a nomination in the Outstanding Voice-Over Category forMaurice LaMarche.  The series has aired for two seasons on Comedy Central earning two Emmy wins last year and previously aired for five seasons on Fox (1999 to 2003) earning four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Animated Program, taking home the Emmy in 2002.

The 64th Primetime Emmy Awards will be presented in two ceremonies. The first, primarily for creative arts categories, will take place on Saturday, September 15, while the balance of the Emmys, primarily for the performing arts, will be announced before a black-tie audience during a primetime telecast on ABC onSunday, September 23 at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, CA.

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New York, U.S.A – Matt Braunger brings the funny to Comedy Central, and the awkward comes along for a ride in the world premiere of his original one-hour stand-up special, ‘Matt Braunger: Shovel Fighter,’ debuting Saturday, July 14 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

In his first one-hour special, Braunger enthusiastically brings awkward to a whole new level of funny with his descriptive and inventive wit. In front of a live audience at the Gramercy Theatre in New York, he covers his genius business ideas, from a strip club that women will really want to visit, to a frighteningly realistic frozen dinner, to the world’s most needed new airline. With his expressive style and perhaps a little song, Braunger also imparts key life advice, explaining the one sound everyone should learn to recognize, the importance of trusting one’s instincts to be afraid, and why working in a greeting card store may not quite be the worst job on the planet.

The ‘Matt Braunger: Shovel Fighter’ extended and uncensored DVD, featuring 15 minutes of content not seen in the broadcast, will be released on July 17 by Comedy Central Home Entertainment. The bonus features include commercials for ‘Lonelyman Dinners,’ a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the open, and Braunger’s pitch for the stand-up special.

Also on July 17, Comedy Central Records will release the ‘Matt Braunger: Shovel Fighter’ digital album, recorded live at The Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland, OR. The special also will be available on July 17 in HD exclusively on Xbox LIVE and Sony PlayStation Network, and in SD on iTunes and Samsung Media Hub. Pre-order will be available on iTunes on July 9.

Leading up to the on-air premiere, the Comedy Central Stand-Up Web site will feature preview clips from the special, as well as exclusive clips featured on the DVD.

Braunger’s television credits include a recurring role on NBC’s ‘Up All Night,’ a series regular role on ‘MADtv,’ and various roles on ‘The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,’ ‘The Late Show with David Letterman,’ ‘United States of Tara,’ ‘Pushing Daisies,’ ‘Carpoolers,’ ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,’ ‘Acceptable TV,’ and Comedy Central’s ‘Live At Gotham.’ He is also a regular guest on the ‘Chelsea Lately’ roundtable. In 2009, Braunger was named to Variety’s ‘Top 10 Comics to Watch’ and Comedy Central’s ‘Hot 9 in ’09’ lists, and his debut album ‘Soak Up The Night’ was released by Comedy Central Records and named to the iTunes Rewind ‘Top 20 Albums of 2009’ list. His episode of ‘Comedy Central Presents‘ aired in 2010.

Along with touring comedy clubs across the country, Braunger is a regular at the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles. He also has performed at a variety of prestigious comedy festivals, including the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and Chicago, The TBS Comedy Festival Las Vegas, and SXSW. In addition, Braunger won the 2008 ‘Best Of The Fest’ at the inaugural Rooftop Comedy Festival in Aspen and co-founded the popular Bridgetown Comedy Festival, which takes place annually in Portland.

Image Courtesy of  Matt Brunger

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New York, U.S.A. – “The Comedy Awards” (#comedyawards) are back and better than, well, last year, when the second annual event airs on COMEDY CENTRAL on Sunday, May 6 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Some of the biggest names in comedy, including Chris Rock, Kristen Wiig, Ty Burrell,Tracy Morgan, Will Arnett, Hannibal Buress, Chevy Chase, Louis C.K., Tina Fey, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Annie Mumolo, Chris Parnell, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Adam Scott, and Jon Stewart joined the night’s big honorees Don Rickles and Robin Williams to honor and celebrate the world of comedy.

Highlights from the show include:

• Robert De Niro and Jon Stewart presenting Don Rickles with the “Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence”
• Patton Oswalt presenting Robin Williams with the “Stand-Up Icon Award”
• Politically-themed fun as Tracy Morgan contemplates joining the Secret Service and Key & Peele bring out President Obama’s Anger Translator Luther
• Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo (literally) wrestling over their award for “Best Comedy Film”
• The night’s big winner Louis C.K. wondering if four awards is maybe a few too many
• Chris Rock riffing on whether or not the nominees are actually funny
• And much more…

Fans are encouraged to visit www.thecomedyawards.com to vote for their digital favorites in categories including Best Comedy App, Best Comedy Podcast, Best Remix, Mash-up or Supercut and  Funniest Person on Twitter.  Voting for these categories will be open through Sunday, May 6, when “The Comedy Awards” premieres on COMEDY CENTRAL

“The Comedy Awards” is led by its Board of Directors which include such luminaries as: Carol Burnett,James Burrows, Greg Cavic, Stephen Colbert, James Dixon, Budd Friedman, Jim Gosnell, Rick Greenstein, Brad Grey, Caroline Hirsch, Sharon Jackson, Blair Kohan, Martin Lesak, Steve Levine, Jamie Masada, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Conan O’Brien, Peter Principato, Joan Rivers, Jay Roach, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Rory Rosegarten, Michael Rotenberg, George Schlatter, Mitzi Shore, David Steinberg, Jon Stewart, Lily Tomlin, Sandy Wernick and Geof Wills.

The Board of Directors is responsible for the selection of the nominees.  The nominees are then sent out to over 1500 working members of the comedy community to determine the winners.

“The Comedy Awards” has once again joined forces with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) to endow The American Comedy Fund.  Without a union or other protection, many comedians face unique challenges to succeed and survive.

The Fund provides much-needed financial assistance, health benefits and other resources for comedians across the country during times of need, crisis or transition.  The American Comedy Fund is administered by EIF in collaboration with the Motion Picture & Television Fund and The Actors Fund.

Don Mischer, Casey Patterson, EVP, Event Production, Viacom Entertainment Group and Charlie Haykelare the Executive Producers.  Juliane Hare is Producer.  Beth McCarthy Miller, the Peabody and DGA Award-winning and Emmy-nominated Director, directed “The Comedy Awards.”  “The American Comedy Awards” was created by George Schlatter.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.comedycentral.com

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New York, U.S.A. - Hannibal Buress returns to Comedy Central with his laid-back swagger and unexpected point of view in the world premiere of his original one-hour stand-up special, “Hannibal Buress: Animal Furnace,” debuting Sunday, May 20 2012.

In his first hour-long special, Chicago-bred, New York-based Buress brings his celebrated deadpan wit to life’s absurdities with stories of his three-cop jaywalking bust in Montreal, a bloodless airport shoot-out, and various late nights with questionable women.

In front of a live audience at the Gramercy Theatre in New York, Buress re-imagines hardcore rappers as real estate agents, skewers grown men who can’t hold their liquor, and, as an enterprising reporter actually wrote, performs “comedic jokes related to personal stories, current events, the streets, and even food.”

The “Hannibal Buress: Animal Furnace” extended and uncensored DVD, featuring 20 minutes of material not seen in the broadcast, will be released on May 22 by Comedy Central Home Entertainment. The bonus features include “A Week to Kill,” a behind-the-scenes documentary that takes a look at how Buress spent the week before the filming of the comedy special.

In June 2012, Buress will headline “Comedy Central Live Presents: Hannibal Buress,” a free live outdoor show also featuring comedians Kevin Barnett and Josh Rabinowitz. “Comedy Central Live Presents: Hannibal Buress” takes place rain or shine on Sunday, June 24, at 7:00 p.m. ET at Red Hook Park in Brooklyn, NY.

One of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch” in 2010, Buress recently won the award for Best Club Comic at the 2012 “The Comedy Awards.” He has appeared on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” and numerous other late night TV shows.

He also has made primetime appearances on “Louie” and “30 Rock,” and will appear on the upcoming Comedy Central series “Kroll Show” and “John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show,” as well as the Adult Swim series, “The Eric Andre Show.” Buress has previously worked on the writing staffs of “30 Rock” and “Saturday Night Live,” and released his debut album, “My Name is Hannibal,” in 2010 on Stand Up! Records.

“Hannibal Buress: Animal Furnace” is executive produced by Buress, John Irwin and Dave Becky, produced by Casey Spira, and directed by Michael Dimich. Anne Harris is the Executive in Charge of Production for Comedy Central.

Image Courtesy of   TheeErin

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New York, U.S.A. - Comedy Central is taking “Futurama” fans on a 50 day multi-platform journey leading up to the series’ seventh season premiere on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. The “Countdown To ‘Futurama’” launches on Facebook on Tuesday, May 1 and for 50 consecutive days will provide fans with exclusive content including preview clips, character designs, episode stills, story boards and more each day. For the countdown kick-off, Comedy Central will post a sneak peek clip from the season premiere episode, “The Bots and the Bees.”

Beginning on Monday, May 7, CC Digital will feature the first of seven weekly podcasts, which will include a week’s worth of “Countdown to ‘Futurama’” content. Hosted by Executive Producer David X. Cohen, who will be joined by a rotating cast of other “Futurama” writers and producers, this all-new feature will provide viewers with inside commentary on each piece of exclusive content along with a first look at images from upcoming episodes, as well as character designs, stills, storyboards and concept sketches. The “Futurama” weekly podcasts will only be available on iTunes.

“Futurama” focuses on the life of Philip Fry (Billy West), a 25-year-old pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself on December 31, 1999 and wakes up 1,000 years later with a fresh start at life at Planet Express, an intergalactic delivery company.

There he meets love interest Leela (Katey Sagal), a sexy cyclops with anger management issues, and best friend Bender (John DiMaggio), a beer-powered kleptomaniac robot. In 2011, the series earned two Emmys for Outstanding Animated Program and Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for Maurice LaMarche.

“Futurama,” created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen, is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television, with Rough Draft Studios, Inc. contributing the animation.
20th Century Fox Television, a division of News Corp, is a leading supplier of entertainment content domestically and around the world.

Image Courtesy of  Futurama

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COMEDY CENTRAL and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival are working together for the first time ever to program comedy performances as well as to produce an original one-hour compilation stand-up special at the festival, it was announced Thursday, April 5, by Jonas Larsen, Senior Vice President, Talent & Specials, COMEDY CENTRAL.

Select performances from Bonnaroo’s Comedy Theatre will be filmed and edited into an original one-hour compilation stand-up special to debut on COMEDY CENTRAL in summer 2012.

Since its inauguration in 2004, the Comedy Theatre at Bonnaroo has become a favorite stop at the festival and has hosted some of the biggest comics touring today. The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is scheduled to take place June 7 – 10 in Manchester, TN. The full 2012 Comedy Theatre line-up was just announced last week and available at www.bonnaroo.com.

“Our relationship with Bonnaroo started with last year’s digital multi-platform experience and has now expanded into producing an on-air comedy special as well as partnering on programming for the Comedy Theatre,” said Larsen. “Needless to say, we are thrilled to take part in this event and to take all the credit for its success.”

“Evolving the Bonnaroo media property onto a major broadcast platform is an important step for us,” saidChad Issaq, EVP of Business Development for Superfly Marketing Group, who oversees partnerships for Bonnaroo. “We look forward to providing plenty of laughs with our friends at COMEDY CENTRAL. I just hope they’ve got a sense of humor, because spending a week down on the farm is no joke.”

In the 11th year of the festival, organizers have just announced one of the most eclectic and striking lineups to date, drawing from an astounding range of music scenes to create what is sure to be another incomparable weekend for the ages.

The breadth of the programming is consistently innovative each year and has become one of the key signature aspects of this legendary festival, whose uniquely open minded yet discerning and passionate community thrives on its intelligent diversity.

As the only round-the-clock major U.S. music festival, Bonnaroo packs an unparalleled amount of entertainment options into its four days. The event has offered its attendees the amenities and community spirit of a small city, with 24 hours of activities including a comedy theater, cinema festival, broo’ers festival, silent disco, salon, sustainable gardening lessons, arcade, Internet cafes, restaurants, yoga classes and hundreds of high quality food and craft vendors.

Rolling Stone magazine called the 2011 event “epic,” saying the weekend was full of “surprise and wonder.” Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield intoned, “If Woodstock were like this, we never would have left.”

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Paul F. Tompkins returns to COMEDY CENTRAL in the world premiere of his original one-hour stand-up special, “Paul F. Tompkins: Laboring Under Delusions,” debuting Saturday, April 21 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Before achieving success as a comedian, actor, and writer, Tompkins toiled in the ranks of the common working man, and he shares some of his incredible experiences in this all-new special.

Using his trademark storytelling style, Tompkins recounts his stint as a disgruntled hat salesman, his evolution into a sticky-fingered video store clerk, and how hosting VH1′s “Best Week Ever” led to inadvertently donning women’s undergarments.  With his fist raised high, Tompkins delivers a rousing hour of comedy to a raucous audience at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA.

The “Paul F. Tompkins: Laboring Under Delusions” extended and uncensored DVD with 30 minutes of material not seen in broadcast will be released on April 24 by COMEDY CENTRAL Home Entertainment.

The bonus features include: “Director’s Commentary by a Director,” a series of musings on the full special from Tompkins, impersonating a famous director; an additional 16 minutes of show in the form of “Danny Boy Encore;” and “The Pod F. Tompkast: Episode 16 – Behind the Scenes,” featuring insights into the voicing of The Great Undiscovered Project: Part 16 and podcast guest Gillian Jacobs.

The extended and uncensored version of “Paul F. Tompkins: Laboring Under Delusions” will be available for download on April 24 on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, Samsung Media Hub and in HD exclusively on Xbox LIVE and Sony PlayStation Network.

Leading up to the on-air premiere, COMEDY CENTRAL Stand-Up will feature preview clips from the special, as well as exclusive content from the DVD release.

Tompkins’ first hour-long COMEDY CENTRAL special, “You Should Have Told Me,” debuted in 2010 and is currently available on DVD.  He has been featured on the network’s series “Key and Peele,” “John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show,” “The Sarah Silverman Program,” “Live At Gotham,” “COMEDY CENTRAL Presents,” “Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil,” “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn” and “Reel Comedy.”

In addition, he has been seen on “Up All Night,” “Community,” and “Weeds,” and was the host of VH1′s “Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins.”  Tompkins received an Emmy nomination for his work on HBO’s “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” and his latest CD “Freak Wharf” went immediately to the top of the iTunes comedy charts.

Tompkins is also an internationally touring comedian featured regularly at prestigious comedy festivals.  His groundbreaking “Tompkins 300″ tour originated in 2009 from a grass-roots campaign on Facebook and brought him to various cities throughout the United States and Canada.

In 2010, Paul launched “The Pod F. Tompkast,” which Rolling Stone named the best podcast on its “10 Best Comedy Podcasts” list.  Tompkins presents his monthly live variety event, “The Paul F. Tompkins Show,” to sold-out audiences at Largo in Hollywood and also performs monthly at the “Dead Authors” show at UCB Theater in Los Angeles in support of the nonprofit organization 826LA.

“Paul F. Tompkins: Laboring Under Delusions” is executive produced by Tompkins, David Martin and Neal Marshall and directed by Marcus Raboy. Jonas Larsen and Toni Magon are the Executives in Charge of Production for COMEDY CENTRAL.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/sketchartists/

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“The Comedy Awards,” the annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy, has announced that legendary comedian Don Rickles will be honored as the recipient of the prestigious “Johnny Carson Award For Comedic Excellence” at this year’s ceremony. “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart will present him with the prestigious award.

The “Johnny Carson Award For Comedic Excellence” is presented annually in honor of iconic comedian and talk show host Johnny Carson, to an individual who embodies the same comedic excellence of the renowned and beloved comic powerhouse.

Rickles, who credits Carson for giving him his first big break and was a frequent guest and guest host on “The Tonight Show,” appearing over 100 times during Carson’s tenure, is being honored for more than 55 years of outstanding work in stand-up comedy, paving the way for countless entertainers.

He is the second recipient of this award, following David Letterman, who was presented with the honor by Bill Murray at last year’s inaugural ceremony.

“Don Rickles is an American treasure. Together with the John W. Carson Foundation we are thrilled to be honoring him at ‘The Comedy Awards’ this year,” said Casey Patterson, Executive Producer, “The Comedy Awards” and EVP, Event Production, Viacom Entertainment Group.

Rickles commented, “I’ve been blessed with many highlights in my career but guesting with Johnny Carson on ‘The Tonight Show’ was particularly memorable for me as they were more than just appearances, they became events.  Carson was Mr. Magic. He always made me feel that my talent was something special. To receive an award bearing Johnny’s name means everything to me as he will go down in history as the greatest in his field.”

The “Johnny Carson Award For Comedic Excellence,” the first and only award sanctioned by the Carson family, will be presented during the taping of the second annual “The Comedy Awards” at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday, April 28.

As the host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” for nearly 30 years, Johnny Carson became a beloved comedic icon and a welcome guest in the homes of Americans across the country.

His legendary career earned him the title “The King of Late Night,” propelling him to become one of the biggest names not only in comedy but in all of entertainment.  With such a respected position in the industry, the “Johnny CarsonAward For Comedic Excellence” is an honor bestowed upon those that exemplify Carson’s generous, pioneering spirit and love of laughter.

It is befitting that Rickles will receive this special award, in its sophomore year, as one of Carson’s oldest friends.  Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment of his breakthrough, Rickles believes the ball really started rolling on the night of October 7, 1965, during his first appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”

His freewheeling performance that night became the talk of the show business industry and caused nationwide comment among the press and public. Regarded as one of the world’s top entertainers, Rickles has appeared in top showrooms and concert halls across the U.S. and internationally.

He began his career in the early 1950s and quickly became known as an “insult” comedian for the way he would respond to hecklers in the audience and his undiscriminating way of making fun of people from all walks of life, leading to the monikers “The Merchant of Venom” and “Mr. Warmth” (coined affectionately by Johnny Carson). With support from fan and friend Frank Sinatra, Rickles became a popular performer in Las Vegas, where he first started in 1959 and has been a headliner ever since.

Rickles has been featured in numerous movies, beginning with “Run Silent Run Deep,” which was his first film after graduating from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He has graced the silver screen with many memorable roles since, including the cult-favorite “Kelly’s Heroes,” “The Rat Race” and, perhaps most famously, as casino manager Billy Sherbert in Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” and as the beloved “Mr. Potato Head” in Pixar’s “Toy Story” franchise.

He has appeared on numerous television series includingKathy Griffin’s “My Life on the D-List” and “Hot in Cleveland,” and has found success in the publishing world, having written two best sellers for Simon & Schuster. Rickles continues to be very active on the stand-up comedy scene and is still a popular performer in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and other venues around the country.

“The Comedy Awards,” now in its second year, is dedicated to celebrating the art of comedy with an historic, one-night-only celebration honoring the most talented writers, directors, actors and stand-ups, who provided the laugh track to our lives this past year.

The ceremony will take place at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday, April 28 and premiere on COMEDY CENTRAL on Sunday, May 6. “The Comedy Awards” also will air on COMEDY CENTRAL’s international channels across Europe, New Zealand, India, Israel and Africa.

A full list of previously announced nominees for the 2012 “The Comedy Awards” and more information about the show and its prestigious Board of Directors can be found at www.thecomedyawards.com.  “Modern Family,” “Bridesmaids,” “30 Rock,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” and Louis C.K. lead the nominations and fans can vote for “Breakout Performer of the Year.”

Previously, Robin Williams was announced as the recipient of the prestigious “Stand-Up Icon” award, which will be presented to him during this year’s ceremonies.  A complete list of the nominees for the digital categories can also be found at www.thecomedyawards.com and fans can vote for Best Viral Original on “The Comedy Awards” page on YouTube (www.youtube.com/ComedyAwards).

Click here to view a highlight reel from last year’s show.  Follow “The Comedy Awards” on Twitter @TheComedyAwards.

“The Comedy Awards” is led by its Board of Directors, which include such luminaries as: Carol Burnett,James Burrows, Greg Cavic, Stephen Colbert, James Dixon, Budd Friedman, Jim Gosnell, Rick Greenstein, Brad Grey, Caroline Hirsch, Sharon Jackson, Blair Kohan, Martin Lesak, Steve Levine, Jamie Masada, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Conan O’Brien, Peter Principato, Joan Rivers, Jay Roach, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Rory Rosegarten, Michael Rotenberg, George Schlatter, Mitzi Shore, David Steinberg, Jon Stewart, Lily Tomlin, Sandy Wernick and Geof Wills.

Don Mischer, Casey Patterson, EVP, Event Production, Viacom Entertainment Group and Charlie Haykelare the Executive Producers.  Juliane Hare is Producer.  Beth McCarthy Miller, the Peabody and DGA Award-winning and Emmy-nominated Director, will once again direct “The Comedy Awards.”  “The American Comedy Awards” were originally created by George Schlatter.

Image Courtesy of   s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

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Greendale Community College’s most famous study group will have a new member beginning in 2013 (and it’s not Beetlejuice) as Comedy Central has reached a multi-year deal with Sony Picture Television to license the critically-acclaimed comedy series “Community,” it was announced today by David Bernath, Executive Vice President, Program Strategy & Multiplatform Programming/Dean of Students for Comedy Central and Sony Pictures Television. The all-comedy channel will launch the series with three seasons beginning in the fall of 2013.

“Within the chaos of the current media landscape we are fortunate that we live in a timeline where ‘Community’ comes to Comedy Central,” said Bernath. “Our staff is celebrating with a game of paintball in the offices today.” “Community is a perfect fit for the Comedy Central audience,” added John Weiser, president, US distribution for Sony Pictures Television.

Currently in its third season on NBC, “Community” stars Joel McHale as a fast-talking lawyer whose degree has been revoked and who now attends Greendale Community College sitting at the center of a study group comprised of a band of misfits who, adventure-by-adventure, learn more about themselves than their course work.

Also among the series stars who comprise the study group are comedy legend Chevy Chase as “Pierce,” a man whose life experience has brought him infinite wisdom; Gillian Jacobs as “Britta,” the 20-something dropout with something to prove; Yvette Nicole Brown as “Shirley,” a sassy middle-aged divorcee; Danny Pudi as “Abed,” a pop culture junkie; Alison Brie as “Annie,” a high-strung perfectionist; Donald Glover as “Troy,” a former high school football star trying to find his way; Jim Rash as “Dean Pelton,” the Dean of Greendale Community College; and Ken Jeong as Senor Chang.

“Community” is a Krasnoff Foster Entertainment, Harmonious Claptrap, Russo Brothers, Universal Media Studios production, in association with Sony Pictures Television. Russ Krasnoff, Dan Harmon, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Garrett Donovan, Neil Goldman and Gary Foster serve as executive producers.

Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry’s leading content providers, producing and distributing programming worldwide in every genre including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment, and for every platform: broadcast and cable television, first-run and off-network syndication and digital distribution. Internationally, SPT produces 6,000+ hours of programming annually in over 70 countries.

SPT is a leader in local language productions, and sells SPE-owned formats around the world. SPT’s worldwide television networks portfolio is a key strategy in SPE’s long-range commitment to the global marketplace, with 119 channel feeds, which are available in 161 countries reaching more than 715 million households worldwide.

Additionally, SPT owns multiplatform premium video service, Crackle, 2waytraffic, Embassy Row, Sony Movie Channel, and is a part owner of cable channel GSN,  3D channel 3net, FEARnet, the premier horror/thriller website and VOD service, and national media sales company ITN Networks, Inc.

Available in 99 million homes nationwide, Comedy Central, the only all-comedy network, is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned unit of Viacom.

For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit Press Central, Comedy Central’s press web site at www.comedycentral.com/press and follow us on Twitter @ComedyCentralPR for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

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The stars of the COMEDY CENTRAL hit series, “Workaholics,” will get some time off as Adam, Blake, Ders and Karl, head down South to host a massive house party at Icenhausers in Austin on Friday, March 16 during SXSW.

The Workaholics House invites fans to hang out, party, listen to live music, play games, and interact one-on-one with the stars of the show. The house is located at 83 Rainey Street and is open from 1:00 pm to 2:00 am. This event is open to the public and a SXSW badge is not required to gain entry.

The Workaholics House will host an outdoor stage with on-going live musical performances by bands including: Reptar, Youngblood Hawke, Party Supplies, Action Bronson, Freddie Gibbs, Cool Kids, Statik Selektah, Trash Talk and the Wavves, among others.  There will also be a special performance by the stars of “Workaholics” as they transform into their gangster rap group, The Wizards. In partnership with LRG clothing company, fans will receive t-shirts and other product give-aways.

From the minds of the hilarious and irreverent Internet sketch group Mail Order Comedy, “Workaholics” is a single camera comedy featuring three friends who work together as telemarketers from 9 to 5 and live together from 5 to 9. Dress codes, deadlines and waking up before noon are not things these guys are used to. They do their jobs and sometimes they even do them well, but they show up late, leave drunk and always live for the day…even if they don’t know what day it is. The third season of “Workaholics” debuts on May 29 at 10:30 p.m.

“Workaholics” is co-created by Mail Order Comedy’s Blake Anderson, Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Kyle Newacheck and 5th Year’s Dominic Russo and Connor Pritchard. The series stars Anderson, Devine and Holm and is directed by Newacheck. Kevin Etten serves as the show runner.

“Workaholics” is executive produced by Mail Order Comedy, Etten, 5th Year’s Russo and Pritchard, Avalon Television’s Richard Allen-Turner, David Martin, Jon Thoday and Isaac Horne as well as Gigapix Studios David Pritchard and co-executive produced by Avalon’s Dan Lubetkin. Seth Cohen and Jackie Phillips are the Executives in Charge of Production for COMEDY CENTRAL.

Available in 99 million homes nationwide, COMEDY CENTRAL (www.comedycentral.com), the only all-comedy network, is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned unit of Viacom. For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit Press Central, COMEDY CENTRAL’s press web site at www.comedycentral.com/press and follow on Twitter @ComedyCentralPR for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

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We were lucky to sit down with Arthur Bradford, the director of “6 Days to Air: Behind the Scenes of HumancentiPad.” Bradford was kind enough to give us information about the time he spent with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, producers of the show “South Park,” along with the writers and animators of the show.

Bradford was approached by Stone sometime after the release of “The Book of Mormon,” written by Stone and Parker. Stone was interested in doing a documentary on “The Book of Mormon” because he found the process of creating a show interesting. However, because of difficulties in trying to get all the necessary clearances with actor’s equity, they decided to focus the documentary on “South Park” instead.

Around this time, the show’s 15-year anniversary was coming up, a factor which helped in persuading them to actually shoot the documentary. It was also a way for Bradford to learn the processes behind creating a “South Park” episode. Bradford had previously pitched the idea to Stone after “How’s Your News?” was rejected, but Stone declined the idea.

They did not want cameras inside the writing room, thinking it would be too intense. Bradford wanted this documentary to be different. He did not want to simply go in there and ask typical questions. He wanted to earn their respect, and create a documentary that showed the talent of these two people.

Still, the idea of having cameras in the writing room was a hard one for Stone and Parker to agree to, so surveillance cameras were placed around the room to monitor everything that took place. The new season required seven new episodes of “South Park.” Bradford stayed for five out of the seven episode plannings and focused the documentary on the HumancentiPad episode.

He watched as Parker chugged lots of Red Bull while pulling all-nighters, and even until the Wednesday the show aired, Parker was still working on the script. Although Parker and Stone are known for being crazy and eccentric, they also have the ability to inspire people. They have big hearts, and the HumancentiPad episode is a great instance of this.

They were aware that Steve Jobs was ill with pancreatic cancer, and decided to change his portrayal out of respect, from a satirically negative one to a positive one. Something that Parker denies is that a lot of the show is a reflection of his life. This is visible in a new episode, in which Stan turns 10 and suddenly everything that he found amusing is no longer appealing to him.

Parker’s 40th birthday was around this time, and he felt as if he hit a tough point in his life, which is arguably the highlight of his career. The documentary aired on October 9, after the first episode of the new season on Comedy Central debuted. Bradford is continuing to film with Stone and Parker, and is expecting to have another documentary released, possibly in the next year.

This documentary will further explore the animated show, along with “The Book of Mormon,” in hopes of answering questions. It will also include shooting away from the studio and exploring Colorado, where the show is based in. To Bradford, this is a learning experience where he wants to investigate the drive that pushes Parker and Stone that allows them to continue writing and pulling all-nighters.

The shooting of the film has also helped Bradford in his writing. Parker gave him advice regarding his strategy for writing a great episode. Instead of writing a very linear sequence, he switches the “ands” to “buts,” which can help make the flow of story more interesting.

The story then sounds more like: this happened, but then this happened, therefore, this happened. That is the strategy Parker uses when he writes a story – and so far, it looks as if it has been a successful strategy.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.facebook.com/southpark

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Comic Con is considered the biggest pop culture event in the East Coast. It is where some of the biggest names in Comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys and movies are hosted. This huge event kicks off on Thursday, with an introduction to the main panels.

Thursday’s special event will begin with a concert featuring Tom Morello, guitarist of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, as his Nightwatchman acoustic solo act. He will be accompanied by the Freedom Fighter Orchestra, and if that’s not enough, DJ.Z-Trip will perform along with Tom Morello.

Things will start to pick up on Friday, with a selection of panels to choose from, ranging from animations to movies and graphic novels. Locke and Key, which was such a big success at the San Diego Comic Con, will be premiering this year in NY. It will not be airing on Fox, airing instead at NY Comic Con for a one-time screening.

Later that day EA will display its new massive multiplayer online game, The Secret World, where characters will explore and discover dark cultural secrets, while also gaining skills that will be unique to the player itself. Comedy Central will be there to celebrate South Park’s Year of the Fan, in which a trivia game will give fans a chance to win South Park themed memorabilia.

Also showing up are Kevin James and James Mewes for a live performance of their podcast Jay & Silent Bob Get Old. The event will be ending with Corbin Bernsen, David H. Lawrence XVII, Diamond Dallas Page, Joe Eckardt, Marco Mannone, Vitaly Bokser and FrankieMuniz speaking about a family super hero, the Pizza Guy.

Saturday continues with DC: Talent Search, where professionals will explain what requirements are needed to become a DCE artist. Marvel will host a panel featuring all the biggest games to be released from Activision in 2012, which includes trailers, surprise reveals and a Q & A with the creators.

We expect to see the premier of the new Johnny Depp/Tim Burton film too. Lyndsy Fonseca, Maggie Q, and Shane West will speak about season two of Nikita, where Nikita and Michael are on the run with a black box full of dark government secrets. Attending is also the producer of the Marvel Vs. Capcom Franchise, Ryota Niitsuma, to discuss the launch of the new game next month.

The Death Valley cast, along with producers of the show, will discuss the difficulties of combining horror and comedy in one. Later that evening, cast members of AMCs The Walking Dead will talk about season one, and what to expect for season two, along with a sneak peak at said new season.

Saturday night will finish with sneak previews, and never before seen footage for two of the most anticipated movies of the fall and summer, respectively: Boy Wonder, and Marvel’s The Avenger.The Sunday introduction includes meeting the stars of Conan the Barbarian: Jason Momoa, Rose Mcgowan and Stephen Lang.

Also, the franchise that began in the 1980’s, Voltron, will feature all new toys and merchandise, plus an inside look at the new Voltron video game. There will also be a chance to get an exclusive look at some of Capcom’s upcoming releases: Dragon’s Dogma and Asura Wrath. There will also be a chance to hear about the latest on Dead Rising 2.

There is still a lot more coming up at comic con, so stay tuned for the latest news and updates.
CarlaVanWagoner / Shutterstock.com

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The Daily Show host Jon Stewart appeared on Fox News Sunday to talk about media bias with host Chris Wallace. The Comedy Central man held his own during the interview boldly calling out Fox News for their constant stream of misinformation.

Early in the interview, Wallace flashed a previous quote of Stewart’s calling Fox News a “relentless agenda-driven 24 hour news opinion propaganda delivery system,” and asked Stewart, “Where do you come up with this stuff?”

Stewart responded, “Uh, it’s actually quite easy.”

Later, when Wallace argued that a clip about Sarah Palin from the Daily Show was political commentary, Stewart told Wallace, “You’re insane… Here’s the difference between you and I. I’m a comedian first. My comedy is informed by an ideological background, there’s no question about that. But the thing that you will never understand…is that Hollywood, yeah, they’re liberal, but that’s not their primary motivating force. I’m not an activist. I am a comedian.”

“Do I want my voice heard?” Stewart continued later. “Absolutely, that’s why I got into comedy. Am I an activist, in your mind? A partisan ideological activist?” Wallace responded, “Yeah.” “Okay, then I disagree with you,” Stewart said. “You can’t understand, because of the world that you live in, that there is not a designed ideological agenda on my part to affect partisan change because that’s the soup you swim in. And I appreciate that, I understand it. It reminds me of in ideological regimes, they can’t understand that there is free media other places because they receive marching orders.”

Later in the exchange, Stewart clearly got riled up and angry at Wallace about the misinformation that Fox News feeds its viewers.  “The embarrassment is that I’m given credibility in this world because of the disappointment that the public has in what the news media does,” he said.

“I don’t think our viewers are the least bit disappointed with us,” Wallace said. “I think our viewers think, finally, they’re getting somebody who tells the other side of the story.”

“Who are the most consistently misinformed media viewers?” Stewart shot back, his voice rising. “The most consistently misinformed? Fox, Fox viewers, consistently, every poll.”

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/nostri-imago/

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