Comedy Central's(R) New Stand-Up Series "The Half Hour" Premieres Friday, May 11 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT and 11:30 p.m. ET/PT

Rory Scovel And Michael Palascak Star In Back-To-Back Premiere Episodes

Episodes Available Day After Air In SD And HD On iTunes, Zune Video Marketplace On Xbox, Amazon Instant Video And Sony PlayStation Store

NEW YORK, April 24, 2012 -- Comedy Central shines the spotlight on some of the funniest and most unique comedians out there today with the premiere of "The Half Hour," debuting Friday, May 11 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT and 11:30 p.m. ET/PT. The series kicks off with a half hour of irreverent, razor-sharp comedy from Rory Scovel.

The new stand-up series, airing Fridays at 11:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., showcases the hottest must-see breakout talent in their first solo Comedy Central specials. Filmed at Royale in Boston in front of a live audience, "The Half Hour" features comedians Neal Brennan, Na'im Lynn, Joe Mande, David O'Doherty, Garfunkel and Oates (Kate Micucci & Riki Lindholm), Michael Palascak, Jesse Popp, Rory Scovel, Maronzio Vance, Nick Vatterott, Theo Von and Brendon Walsh.

"The Half Hour" website lets viewers get up close and personal with the comedians. Leading up to the series premiere, the site will feature exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from the tapings in Boston, as well as preview clips and extended episode highlights leading up to each episode. Additionally, the site will host a Twitter module where users can check out real-time tweets about "The Half Hour," including tweets from the comedians themselves.

Each episode of "The Half Hour" will be made available the day after air in SD and HD for download-to-own on iTunes, Zune Video Marketplace on Xbox, Amazon Instant Video and Sony PlayStation Store.

"The Half Hour" is produced by Triage Entertainment. John Bravakis, Stephen Kroopnick and Stu Schreiberg served as Executive Producers, and Ryan Polito served as Director. JoAnn Grigioni is the Executive 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 Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIAB).

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