Rubi Nicholas, of Denver, CO, Wins Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America 2

Rubi Nicholas, of Denver, CO, Wins Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America 2

Will Host Evening of Mother's Day Programming on Network on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 14 Before Getting a Shot to Develop Her Own Show

NEW YORK, May 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Rubi Nicholas, of Denver, CO, has been selected as the winner of Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America 2, it was revealed tonight by actress and host of the series -- Katey Sagal -- at the conclusion of the hour-long finale on Nick at Nite. The finale showcased Rubi and four other finalists as they competed for the title. Rubi won $50,000 and will host a special night of programming on Nick at Nite on Mother's Day, Sunday May 14 from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET/PT. In addition, she will have the opportunity to develop her own show for the network.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060509/NYTU222 )

As a first generation Pakistani Muslim, Rubi's humor draws upon a variety of experiences -- from being a busy working mom to her interfaith marriage to her unique experiences assimilating her family's culture with American culture. Rubi is an executive at a private corporation during the day and is a novice to the world of stand-up comedy.

"Rubi's ability to incorporate her ethnic heritage, her family life as a corporate woman whose husband is a stay-at-home dad, and the antics of her two little girls is completely refreshing," states Sal Maniaci, Senior Vice President, Development and Original Productions, TV Land and Nick at Nite. "She has the gift of weaving together her story and allowing the audience to experience her life. She truly understands what makes us laugh."

Rubi performed before an audience and a panel of celebrity judges -- Mario Cantone (Broadway's Laugh Whore, Sex and the City), Carol Leifer (The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live) and Alfonso Ribeiro (Fresh Prince of Bel Air, All of Us) -- who named her "The Funniest Mom in America."

After receiving hundreds of entries from moms around the country, Nick at Nite narrowed its selection down to twenty-one women. The women were chosen to perform at the semi-finals in January 2006 at New York City's Laugh Factory, where the final ten moms were selected to appear in the reality series. Beginning April 4, Nick at Nite followed these ten finalists as they lived together in a penthouse suite in New York City. Throughout each 30-minute episode, they received surprise visits from celebrity guests and the series' host -- Katey Sagal -- and competed in a variety of comedic challenges, each underscoring the contestants' talents and personalities. The moms, divided into teams, tackled everything from entertaining an audience of kids to performing for New Yorkers on the go to a sitcom screen test challenge. The lowest scoring performers on each challenge faced off against each other in a head-to-head stand-up comedy battle. Over the course of the series, five moms were eliminated and the five remaining contestants competed in the show's finale, performing stand-up comedy to a packed house on a New York City stage.

On Sunday, May 14, Mother's Day, Rubi will host a night of programming for the network, kicking off with an encore presentation of Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America 2. She will also introduce shows from the network's line-up, all celebrating hilarious moms.

Below is the schedule for Sunday, May 14 (all times ET/PT):

9:00pm Search for the Funniest Mom in America 2 - Finale

In this grand finale, five final moms compete against each other in a stand up comedy showdown for $50,000.

10:00pm Roseanne #31 Sweet Dreams

Roseanne tries to get a few minutes of relaxation in the bathtub, but she ends up getting constant interruptions from her family -- and a fantasy about two hunks.

10:30pm Roseanne# 71 Scenes From a Barbecue

The Conners celebrate Mother's Day with a barbecue with Roseanne's feisty grandmother.

11:00pm The Cosby Show #34 - Clair's Toe

Clair buys a pair of beautiful new shoes and challenges Cliff to a "smoothness" contest to decide who has the most style. Unfortunately, when Clair breaks her toe, she can't fit her bandaged foot into her stylish new shoes. What's more, she refuses any help from Cliff, determined to prove she can function as a lawyer, wife and mother of five, in spite of her broken toe.

11:30 pm The Cosby Show #146 - What's It All About

Exhausted, overworked and with patience worn thin, Clair wonders if she has "anything left to give." Cliff insists that she get away for a few days and sends her off to a secluded cabin in the woods for some rest and relaxation. But the hideaway is hideous: drafty, cold and barely functional! Clair longs to come home to the relative comfort of noise and chaos in the Huxtable house.

In April, 2006 Nick at Nite announced that celebrity comic and writer Carol Leifer (Seinfeld, The Larry Sanders Show, Saturday Night Live) will pen and executive produce the sitcom pilot for Darlene Westgor, who won the chance to develop her own show with the network when she was named Nick at Nite's Funniest Mom in America in 2005. The pilot, tentatively titled Darlene, is based on Westgor's real life as a single, divorced mom living and working in Minnesota. The pilot will be shot in Los Angeles this month. Gil Junger (Ellen, Hope & Faith, 8 Simple Rules ... ) will direct. Sal Maniaci also executive produces on the project and TV Land's Marco Bresaz is executive in charge of production.

Nick at Nite Originals was created in 2003 to develop original programming that meets what the network refers to as the "Four F's" criteria: programming that is Family-Friendly, Funny and Familiar. Nick at Nite Originals produces Fatherhood (June 2004), a show based on Bill Cosby's best-selling book of the same name. Nick at Nite also produced Hi-Jinks, the network's hidden-camera series in which adults play good-natured pranks on kids of all ages, which returns to the network in its second season in February 2006.

For more information about Nick at Nite's originals line-ups, visit http://www.nickatnite.com/. Nick at Nite and all related logos and titles are trademarks of Viacom International, Inc.

Currently seen in more than 88 million U.S. homes, Nick at Nite features timeless hit comedies: "The Cosby Show" - this Emmy Award-winning sitcom is one of the network's highest-rated shows: "Full House" - this popular family comedy launched on the network in October and is one of the highest-rated and most popular syndicated programs in television; and "Roseanne," one of the most talked-about and celebrated sitcoms in television history.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 100 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these brands are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 90 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

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Source: Nick at Nite

CONTACT: Jennifer Zaldivar, +1-212-846-8964, or Vanessa Reyes,
+1-310-752-8081, both for TV Land & Nick at Nite

Web site: http://www.nickatnite.com/

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