IN CELEBRATION OF WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, SHOWTIME(R) TO PREMIERE "WHY WE LAUGH: FUNNY WOMEN"

Documentary Premieres Thursday, March 21st at 8:00 PM (ET/PT)

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 20, 2013) - To commemorate Woman's History Month, SHOWTIME will premiere WHY WE LAUGH: FUNNY WOMEN, an insightful documentary featuring personal in-depth interviews and live performance footage from some of the most prominent female voices in comedy and entertainment, on Thursday, March 21st at 8:00 PM (ET/PT). Narrated by legendary comic Joan Rivers, FUNNY WOMEN sheds light on the legacy of the female comedian and the dedication, courage and passion required to be successful in the male-dominated stand-up comedy business.

Rivers states, "FUNNY WOMEN is about the legacy that comediennes are carving out in this industry and I am happy to be part of a project that explores the huge dedication and passion that my fellow comediennes and I share for the craft."

Nearly 30 of the industry's top funny women participated in the project, sharing personal perspectives and experiences including Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Griffin, Lily Tomlin, Janeane Garofalo, Sandra Bernhard, Brett Butler, Rita Rudner, Kym Whitley, Holland Taylor, Merrill Markoe, Jane Leeves, Kim Wayans, Kathleen Madigan, Robin Schiff, Tig Notaro, Kathy Najimy, Amy Hill, Aisha Tyler, Sheryl Underwood and many more. These audacious women have broken the mold and have created a new and more inclusive landscape that expands beyond the comedy club stage.

WHY WE LAUGH: FUNNY WOMEN follows in the path of the critically acclaimed 2009 Sundance Film Festival documentary, WHY WE LAUGH: BLACK COMEDIANS ON BLACK COMEDY, which was co-written and produced by Codeblack Films' Quincy Newell. Newell produced FUNNY WOMEN along with entertainment veteran Sheila Ducksworth. Jeff Clanagan of Lionsgate's Codeblack Films and Joan Rivers serve as Executive Producers.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) and FLIX(R), as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2(TM), SHOWTIME(R) SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME(R), SHOWTIME BEYOND(R), SHOWTIME NEXT(R), SHOWTIME WOMEN(R), SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE(R) and THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD(TM), THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND(R), FLIX ON DEMAND(R) and THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) ON DEMAND, and the network's authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME(R). SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks(TM), a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel(TM). All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV(R).