Ring In The New Year With New Stand-Up Specials January Is "Stand-Up Month" On COMEDY CENTRAL

Stand-Up Specials From Christopher Titus, Dave Chappelle, John Leguizamo And Jim Gaffigan Premiere Every Sunday Night At 10:00 P.M.* Beginning January 8

New Episodes Of "Premium Blend" Premiere Every Friday Night At 9:00 P.M.

Beginning Today Viewers Can Go Online And Vote For Their Favorite Stand-Up Comedian With The Winner To Be Revealed During The "Stand-Up Showdown Finals" On Sunday, January 29

NEW YORK, January 3, 2006 -- Laugh out loud with COMEDY CENTRAL this month as every weekend is filled with the best new stand-up comedy around including stand-up specials from renowned comic stars Christopher Titus, Dave Chappelle, John Leguizamo and Jim Gaffigan, new episodes of "Premium Blend" every Friday night and COMEDY CENTRAL's annual "Stand-Up Showdown" competition.

Each Sunday night at 10:00 p.m., COMEDY CENTRAL premieres a different stand-up special from comedians such as Christopher Titus, Dave Chappelle, John Leguizamo and Jim Gaffigan. Every Friday at 9:00 p.m., don't miss an all-new episode from the ninth season of "Premium Blend" featuring the best rising stand-up stars in the country and host Damon Wayans. Plus, beginning today, viewers can go online and vote for their favorite stand-up comedian as part of COMEDY CENTRAL's annual "Stand-Up Showdown Finals," a day-long count down of the top twenty-five viewer-selected comedians that lead up to the winning comedian's stand-up special Sunday, January 29 at 8:30 p.m.

COMEDY CENTRAL's Sunday Night Stand-Up specials kick off January 8 with "Christopher Titus: Norman Rockwell is Bleeding." In this special, Christopher Titus returns to his comedic roots and pokes fun at domestic issues such as raising kids and overbearing relatives.

On Sunday, January 15, join in the fun as Dave Chappelle imagines a world where landlords collect rent to feed their drug habits and a black Santa Claus delivers presents to America's youth during the COMEDY CENTRAL premiere of "Dave Chappelle's Stand-Up Special."

Sunday Night Stand-Up continues with "John Leguizamo: Sexaholix?A Love Story," premiering January 22. The inimitable Leguizamo takes the Broadway stage, telling his audience all about the time his grandfather fell off the toilet, why his neighbor refused to leave her apartment and how Latin women are similar to blow-up dolls.

As the side-splitting month of January comes to a close, the "Stand-Up Showdown Finals" will commence. Beginning today, January 3, viewers have the opportunity to go online and vote for their favorite stand-up comedian. On Sunday, January 29 COMEDY CENTRAL counts down the top twenty-five viewer-selected comedians by airing their specials in the annual "Stand-Up Showdown Finals." It all leads up to a half-hour special from the winning comedian at 8:30 p.m., followed by the COMEDY CENTRAL premiere of "Jim Gaffigan: Beyond The Pale" at 9:00 p.m.

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 87 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL is a registered trademark of Comedy Partners. COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is http://www.comedycentral.com.