BRAVO INKS DEAL WITH PRODUCTION PARTNERS INC FOR THREE "FUNNY GIRLS" STAND-UP COMEDY SPECIALS

JOAN RIVERS, PAULA POUNDSTONE AND CAROLINE RHEA HIT THE STAGE FOR THREE ORIGINAL COMEDY SPECIALS PREMIERING FALL 2006 ON BRAVO

PASADENA, Calif. -- July 13, 2006 -- Bravo has inked a deal with Production Partners Inc. to produce "Funny Girls," a series of irreverent Bravo stand up comedy specials. Joan Rivers, Paula Poundstone and Caroline Rhea pull out all of the stops and leave audiences in tears -- of laughter that is. From Joan's advice on landing a rich husband to Caroline's take on silent births and Paula's hilarious analysis of her troubled past, these ladies define modern stand up comedy. The announcement was made today by Frances Berwick, Executive Vice President of Programming and Production for Bravo, during the network's session at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Pasadena, CA.

"Bravo continues to present talented female comedic voices and we have enjoyed the success of such prior stand-up specials as 'Kathy Griffin: The D-List' and 'Kathy Griffin: Strong Black Woman,'" said Lauren Zalaznick, President, Bravo. "We are thrilled to once again bring three nights of distinct and downright hilarious comedy to Bravo viewers."

"It's great to add these three true talents to the Bravo stage," said Berwick. "Joan Rivers, Paula Poundstone and Caroline Rhea are all icons of comedy that each have a razor-sharp ability to blend their self-deprecating humor with hilarious observations of life and pop culture."

Comedy legend Joan Rivers takes the stage in a biting new one-woman show and tells it like it is to everyone from the old to the ugly in the original one-hour stand up special "Joan Rivers: Before Melissa Pulls the Plug." Pushing the envelope way too far as usual, Joan gives child-rearing tips and ponders on where she went wrong with Melissa. She also tells the women in the crowd how to land a good (rich) man and reveals some of the secrets of what it means to be an A-list Hollywood funny woman.

Paula Poundstone makes a triumphant return to primetime television in her first new comedy special in over ten years, "Paula Poundstone: Look What the Cat Dragged In." Paula's quirky brand of humor has been a gaping hole in the American comedy landscape for far too long, and the audience delights in her comic genius and quick wit. Not one to shy away from her troubled past, Paula tackles poignant moments on her children and her alcoholism with a laugh.

Fresh off hosting NBC's "The Biggest Loser," Caroline Rhea discusses her attempts to get pregnant after 40 and the best parts of dating a younger man in the original one-hour stand-up special "Caroline Rhea: Rhea's Anatomy." Celebrities beware (especially those named Tom Cruise) as Caroline hilariously demonstrates how she'd even the score during a silent birth.

The "Funny Girls" comedy specials are produced for Bravo by Production Partners Inc. Executive Producer is Sandy Chanly. Production Partners Inc, has produced a number of Bravo specials including, "Kathy Griffin: The D-List" and "Kathy Griffin�Is Not Nicole Kidman" as well as the popular HBO series, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Fat Actress" for Showtime.

Bravo is the cable network that plugs people into arts, entertainment and pop culture with original programming, acclaimed drama series, movies, comedy and music specials, and by showing a whole different side of celebrities. Currently available in more than 80 million homes, Bravo is known for breaking exciting new personalities, shaking up the way we look at style, media, fame and Hollywood, pulling back the curtain on the creative process and making influential and inventive original programming. Its critically acclaimed original programming includes the Emmy nominated "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," 13-time Emmy nominated "Inside the Actors Studio," "The Real Housewives of Orange County," "Top Chef," "Celebrity Poker Showdown," as well as the 2004 Emmy winner for Outstanding Reality Program "Queer Eye," and the four time Emmy-nominated hit competition series "Project Runway."

Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been a NBC Cable Network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information visit www.bravotv.com