TBS Presents a "Very Funny" Festival: THE COMEDY FESTIVAL
TBS Celebrates the Year's Best Comedy Movies With FUNNIEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR: 2008,
One-Hour Special Hosted by Comedian and Master Impressionist Frank Caliendo
Show Taping at Caesars Palace and Rio in Las Vegas During Week of THE COMEDY FESTIVAL,
Premieres on TBS Saturday, Nov. 29, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
Fans Voted Online at tbs.com to Choose Year's Top Comedies
THE COMEDY FESTIVAL, a Co-Production with AEG Live, Returns to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
For Fourth Year Thursday, Nov. 20, through Saturday, Nov. 22
The year's best comedy movies will take center stage on TBS this month as the network presents an all new special, FUNNIEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR: 2008. Hosted by comedian and master impressionist Frank Caliendo (Frank TV, Fox NFL Sunday), this one-hour collection of hilarious movie scenes from the past year will climax with the announcement of the film online fans have chosen as the year's funniest. Throughout the show, Caliendo will infuse his famous impressions into introductions of the films.
FUNNIEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR: 2008 is being taped at Caesars Palace and Rio in Las Vegas during the week of THE COMEDY FESTIVAL. The special premieres on TBS Saturday, Nov. 29, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), immediately after the premiere of ELLEN'S EVEN BIGGER REALLY BIG SHOW, a variety showcase presented by Ellen DeGeneres.
FUNNIEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR is produced by Robert Dalrymple Productions, with Dalrymple serving as executive producer. Dalrymple also produces TBS's enormously popular FUNNIEST COMMERCIALS OF THE YEAR specials, with this year's edition slated to premiere Saturday, Dec. 23, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).
During the build-up to FUNNIEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR: 2008, comedy fans went online at tbs.com to vote on which movies they think delivered the most laughs. Clips from their top choices will be featured throughout the special, grouped into such themed segments as "Painfully Funny," "Animal Behavior," "Love Hurts," "Car Trouble" and "Say What?" The movies in the running to be named this year's funniest are Burn After Reading, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Smart, Hancock and Tropic Thunder, to name a few.
Caliendo can currently be seen on TBS Tuesday nights at 11 p.m. (ET/PT) in his late-night sketch comedy series Frank TV. Named by Variety in 2007 as one of 10 comics to watch, he has cultivated fans through almost every means possible. His presence on YouTube and MySpace resulted in what one blogger called "The Caliendo Effect," marking the shift from traditional entertainment outlets to the Internet, where his videos have been watched by more than 10 million fans.
Caliendo's spot-on impression of President Bush earned him an invitation to perform during the 2007 White House Correspondents Dinner, where he brought down the house. Sports fans know him for his weekly picks on Fox NFL Sunday, which he delivers as a wide variety of characters and personalities, including his famous John Madden impression. Late-night comedy fans remember him as a regular cast member on the popular MADtv sketch comedy series, as well as from his regular appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Caliendo is currently performing to sold-out crowds in theaters across the country on the Frank TV Stand-Up Comedy Tour, sponsored by TBS.
Robert Dalrymple is a Peabody and Emmy�-winning television producer whose most recent productions include Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials for CBS, in conjunction with IMG Media; the American Cinematheque Specials for TNT and AMC; and Showtime's adaptation of Sam Sheppard's True West. He also co-founded and executive-produced the Screen Actors Guild Awards� for NBC and TNT.
Dalrymple is perhaps best known for Billy Joel's tour in Russia, Billy Crystal's first comedy special from Russia and the CBS production of pianist Vladimir Horowitz's return to Moscow after 62 years. He won Emmys for Free to Be a Family and a documentary on Itzhak Perlman's tour of Russia and was nominated for The King & I � Recording a Hollywood Dream. His television movies include Howard Hughes � His Woman and His Movies, Shame, Baby Brokers and A Christmas Romance.
Now in its fourth year, THE COMEDY FESTIVAL, a co-production with AEG Live, is a three-day event taking place Nov. 20-22 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The extensive lineup for the event includes such previously announced performers as Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Dane Cook, Katt Williams, Tracy Morgan, Jeff Dunham, Dave Attell, Jamie Kennedy, Mike Epps, David Alan Grier, The Kids in the Hall, Russell Peters, Kate Clinton, Jim Breuer, Andrew Dice Clay, Jim Norton and John Oliver. TBS will televise several programs from THE COMEDY FESTIVAL, including the variety special ELLEN'S EVEN BIGGER REALLY BIG SHOW, presented by DeGeneres; LAFFAPALOOZA! Hosted by Tracey Morgan, an evening of performances by top comedians; and CHEECH & CHONG ROASTED, a celebrity-filled skewering of the legendary comedy duo. (A complete list of the previously announced acts is available at thecomedyfestival.com.)
This year, for the first time, the excitement of THE COMEDY FESTIVAL also will be just one mouse click away. TBS's thecomedyfestival.com Web site will utilize cutting-edge technology to give fans the opportunity to choose from four simultaneous video streams direct from the event.
Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased for individual shows and packages online at thecomedyfestival.com, by phone at (877) TCF-FEST or in person at the box office at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Exclusive VIP packages are available online or by calling The Colosseum box office at (702) 866-1409. Hotel information can be found at www.caesarspalace.com, while additional festival information and schedule updates is available at thecomedyfestival.com.
About THE COMEDY FESTIVAL
With more than 70 performances and events over a three-day period, THE COMEDY FESTIVAL's goal is to bring together the biggest names and cutting-edge comedy talent in a broad range of programming, from star-level performances and special events to stand-up and sketch comedy. TBS presented three prime-time specials from last year's edition of THE COMEDY FESTIVAL, including Ellen's Really Big Show, Blue Collar Comedy: The Next Generation and Frank Caliendo: All Over the Place. In addition, last year's event featured performances by Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock. Past television highlights include a 2006 airing of the 20th anniversary of Comic Relief, starring Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams; A Salute to the Troops and USO, with special guests Kid Rock and Carmen Electra; and 2005's Earth to America, with Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Larry David, Steve Martin and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
About Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is the world's best known resort-casino, celebrating the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome, in an 85-acre destination location that sets the standard for entertainment, dining and luxury. Reigning at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, Caesars Palace is adding a $1 billion expansion with the new Octavius Tower, a larger pool area and more meeting space to open in mid-2009. The property ranks among the world's top luxury resorts known for their originality and beauty and features 3,348 hotel guest rooms and suites, 24 unique restaurants and cafes, 4.5-acre Garden of the Gods pools and gardens, the 50,000 square foot Qua Baths & Spa and 240,000 square feet of premium meeting and convention space. The 4,300-seat Colosseum spotlights renowned headliner entertainers such as Bette Midler, Cher, Elton John and Jerry Seinfeld. The magnificent theatre sits just steps away from celebrity chef restaurants and the acclaimed Forum Shops at Caesars. More information is available at caesarspalace.com or by calling (702) 731-7110 or (800) 634-6001. Journalists can download information and photos at media.harrahs.com.
About AEG Live
AEG Live, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance, touring for a variety of programming and multi-media production. One of the largest concert promotion and touring companies in the world, AEG Live is comprised of special event, broadcast and exhibition divisions and operates and owns numerous state of the art venues nationwide. Current AEG Live tours and productions include Bette Midler The Showgirl Must Go On and Cher at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas; and Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, an international tour of the artifacts of King Tut. Recent and current promoted concert tours include Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Prince, Bon Jovi, Hannah Montana, Spice Girls, Kenny Chesney, Paul McCartney and American Idols Live. AEG Live also co-produces the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Goldenvoice, the company's southern California-based regional promotion division, created and operates the award winning annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Additional information is available at www.aeglive.com.
About TBS
TBS, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is television's top-rated comedy network. It serves as home to such original comedy series as My Boys, The Bill Engvall Show, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, 10 Items or Less and Frank TV; hot contemporary comedies like The Office, My Name is Earl, Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, King of Queens, Seinfeld and Friends; specials like Funniest Commercials of the Year; special events, such as The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas and Just For Laughs: A "Very Funny" Festival in Chicago; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
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