Third Annual South Beach Comedy Festival Kicks Off With a Star-Studded Line-Up

Third Annual South Beach Comedy Festival Kicks Off With a Star-Studded Line-Up

http://www.southbeachcomedyfestival.com

Performers Include Dave Attell, Louis CK, Jeff Dunham, Susie Essman, Kathy Griffin, Andres Lopez, Jeffrey Ross, Katt Williams, Among Many Others

The Four-Day Multi-Cultural Comedy Festival Will Take Place On January 16-19, 2008

Free Stage On Lincoln Road Will Once Again Feature Live Up-And-Coming Stand-Up Showcases

Local Comedy Competition Finals hosted by Big 105.9FM's Paul Castronovo and Young Ron

NEW YORK, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Laughter will be as plentiful as the sand on South Beach when the third annual SOUTH BEACH COMEDY FESTIVAL returns. The four-day culturally diverse Festival will be sponsored by Kia and Taco Bell and takes place Wednesday, January 16 through Saturday, January 19, 2008. COMEDY CENTRAL is the national media partner of the Festival.

Now in its third year, the SOUTH BEACH COMEDY FESTIVAL delivers another bold line-up featuring today's top performers including one of the hottest stand-up acts, pimp extraordinaire Katt Williams. The Festival will also welcome back the Emmy(R) Award-winning "D-Lister" Kathy Griffin - whose sold- out shows during the first-year of the Festival were the talk of the town.

Joining Williams and Griffin will be COMEDY CENTRAL's Insomniac Dave Attell; smart and brash funny man Louis CK; CreationNation's Billy Eichner; "Curb Your Enthusiasm's" Susie Essman; Raul Gonzalez, popular co-host of "Despierta America," Univision's live morning news/entertainment show; international Colombian comedy sensation, Andres Lopez, who will be performing his latest Spanish show, "Me Pido La Ventana"; comic balladeer Stephen Lynch; the "The Meanest Men In Comedy Tour" with Jeffrey Ross and Ralphie May; and the raucous and irreverent Kristina Wong. In addition, the festival will feature another strong line-up of up-and-coming comedians nightly on its outdoor, free stage on Lincoln Road. The complete line-up can be found at the end of this announcement.

"COMEDY CENTRAL applauds the SOUTH BEACH COMEDY FESTIVAL for its ongoing efforts in showcasing and celebrating such a diverse group of comedic voices," said Mitch Fried, senior vice president, promotion marketing, COMEDY CENTRAL. "We are thrilled to once again showcase great, young, up-and-coming talent on the Free Outdoor Stage on Lincoln Road. This year, we have bulked up the talent roster to meet the audiences growing appetite for free, outdoor comedy."

"We are very proud to host the best talent working today, as well as the next generation of talent. Knowing that we are bringing laughs to South Beach is a lot of fun for us, and is very gratifying," said Raul Mateu, SVP & Managing Director of the William Morris Agency in Miami Beach and Festival Director of the SOUTH BEACH COMEDY FESTIVAL.

Performances take place at the Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason Theatre, Lincoln Theater, Colony Theater, and Lincoln Road Stage--which is home to the Festival's outdoor, nightly free, comedy stage.

In addition to presenting headlining performances, the Festival's annual best new comedian contest in partnership with the South Florida Improv Comedy Clubs returns and has joined forces with two of the biggest names in radio, Paul Castronovo & Young Ron from BIG 105.9FM's "The Paul & Young Ron Show" to create the "So You Think You Are Funny Comedy Contest".

"Working in collaboration with COMEDY CENTRAL and the South Florida Improv Comedy Clubs, we have had tremendous success in introducing new talent gathered from the local comedian contest. The previous two winners have gone on to appear on COMEDY CENTRAL," said Mateu. "We're really excited to be collaborating with 'The Paul & Young Ron Show' to find the next best comic in South Florida."

The open call performance takes place on January 6th at The Improv Comedy Club in Coconut Grove, with a semi-final round on Wednesday, January 9. The five (5) aspiring comedians will face off at the live finals in front of an audience at the Colony Theatre on Friday, January 18.

Video clips of all the semi-finalist performances will be streamed on the CBS4 website (cbs4.com), where viewers can vote for their favorite comedian- helping to determine who makes it to the finals.

The 3rd Annual SOUTH BEACH COMEDY FESTIVAL is sponsored by Kia and Taco Bell.

Tickets to the performances range from free to $75 (each event is separately priced) and can be purchased through ticketmaster.com. For additional ticketing information, please visit the Festival's website at: http://www.southbeachcomedyfestival.com/.

Press/Media can access high-resolution images and biographies of all the Festival comedians and performers at: http://www.southbeachcomedyfestival.com/press.php.

About the WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY

Founded in 1898, the WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY is the leading talent and literary agency in the world, with principal offices in New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville, London, Miami Beach and Shanghai. The Agency represents clients in all segments of the entertainment industry, including Motion Pictures, Television, Music and Personal Appearances, Broadway Theatre and Theatrical Touring, Book Publishing, Commercial Endorsements, Sports Marketing and Corporate Consulting. The William Morris Agency can be found at http://www.wma.com/.

About FANTASMA PRODUCTIONS

FANTASMA PRODUCTIONS is a diversified entertainment firm specializing in concert promotion, production, management, special events and consulting. President Jon Stoll founded the company in 1972 and has grown it into one of the United States' most prominent entertainment promotion companies.

About COMEDY CENTRAL

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 91 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B) MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is www.comedycentral.com.

For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit Press Central, COMEDY CENTRAL's press Web site at www.comedycentral.com/press.

3rd Annual SOUTH BEACH COMEDY FESTIVAL
January 16-19, 2007

-- Colony Theater, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

-- Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater, 1700 Washington Avenue

-- Lincoln Theatre, 541 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

-- Lincoln Road Stage, Eucild Avenue and Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Wednesday, January 16

Kathy Griffin at The Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason (8PM)

Known for simultaneously self-deprecating herself and dishing celebrities, Griffin won an Emmy(R) Award for her reality show, "My Life on the D-List" on Bravo. She is also widely recognized as the acerbic Vickie Groener on the NBC sitcom "Suddenly Susan." In addition to comedy specials for HBO and Bravo, Griffin has hosted awards shows, provided voices for the animated series "Dilbert" and "The Simpsons," and has been featured in several films.

Kristina Wong at the Colony Theater at 8pm

With more street cred than you can shake a pair of Hammer pants at, Kristina Wong swoops into town to riff on notions of freedom in times that would make Joe McCarthy gasp. In a benefit performance for Miami Light Project, Wong will perform a satirical spoken word homage to "save the world in five minutes", a "Flashdance" tribute, and an explanation (or un- explanation) of why she prefers life in the almighty closet. Bidding paddles will be provided for a live auction of gentrified neighborhoods. Presented by Miami Light Project.

CreationNation's Billy Eichner at the Colony Theater at 10:30pm

Familiar to TV audiences from Comedy Central's "The Showbiz Show with David Spade," the star, writer, and co-creator of one of New York's hottest shows, "Creation Nation: A Live Talk Show," Billy Eichner brings his wacky ideas and twisted takes to the stage.

Louis C.K. at the Lincoln Theatre (8PM)

Emmy(R) Award-winning veteran TV comedy writer Louis C.K. made his TV stand-up debut on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," for which he also wrote for many years. He has also worked as writer and producer for "The Dana Carvey Show" and "The Chris Rock Show" and has made several films including "Pootie Tang" and Chris Rock's "Down To Earth," which he co-wrote.

Thursday, January 17

Katt Williams at The Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason (8PM)

Having started his career in the comedy clubs of Florida, Katt Williams returns on the wings of the success of his HBO stand up special, "The Pimp Chronicles."

Stephen Lynch at the Lincoln Theater (8PM)

Wielding an acoustic guitar and a pocketful of jokes in the form of ballads, fresh-faced Stephen Lynch lends his pleasant pipes to the raw view from an un-evolved 30-something-year-old man's perspective of life and love.

"The Meanest Men In Comedy Tour" with Jeffrey Ross and Ralphie May at the Colony Theater (8PM)

Jeffrey Ross's blistering performances at celebrity roasts honoring mega- stars inspired New York Magazine to crown him "The Meanest Man in Comedy" and MTV to introduce him as..."a one-man verbal assault unit". Ralphie May, the larger than life star of the first season of "Last Comic Standing", doesn't shy away from such touchy topics or ethnic jokes, especially when he believes what he is saying is true. Miami audiences get a taste of both men as they together host "The Meanest Men In Comedy Tour" at this year's Festival.

Friday January 18

Jeff Dunham at The Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason (8PM)

Playing the straight man to his posse of puppets - a woozle named Peanut, a bitter old man named Walter, a dead terrorist named Achmed and Jose Jalapeno - a talking jalapeno pepper on a stick, Jeff Dunham and his sidekicks present timely and cutting edge material.

Raul Gonzalez at the Colony Theater (8PM)

Returning to the Festival having left last year's audiences wanting more, the young comic shares his newest show, "Gordura de mi Vida".

"Paul and Young Ron's 'So You Think You are Funny Comedy Contest'" at the Colony Theatre (10:30PM)

Working in collaboration with COMEDY CENTRAL, the IMPROV and WFOR/CBS4, the Festival's local search has become a breeding ground for new talent - and for some lucky performers ... an excellent opportunity to be discovered by Comedy Central. Previous winners include Malik Sanon and Flip Schultz, both of whom have appeared in prime time on Comedy Central.

Susie Essman at the Lincoln Theatre (11:59PM)

"As Susie Greene, she is perhaps the most lyrical purveyor of profanity on television," says the Los Angeles Times about Susie Essman, the streetwise spitfire behind the character she plays on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." In addition to be a veteran of the comedy circuit, she has appeared on Comedy Central in many incarnations, in her own comedy special on HBO, and has also worked in films such as "Keeping The Faith" and "Punchline" and on stage including in the off-Broadway hit, "The Vagina Monologues." Currently, she is host of the new Bravo reality series "Better Half."

Saturday, January 19

Andres Lopez at The Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason (7:30PM)

Considered the pioneer of stand-up comedy in his home country of Colombia, "The Ball of Letters-La Pelota de Letras" creator and star brings his energized humor narratives to the South Beach stage.

Dave Attell at the Lincoln Theater (11:59PM)

Recognized from numerous TV appearances including his own HBO show, "Insomniac with Dave Attell" on Comedy Central, Attell was named one of the "25 Funniest People in America" by Entertainment Weekly magazine. To this year's Festival he brings his famous caustic wit and rapid-fire delivery centering on his love of booze and laughter.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: COMEDY CENTRAL

CONTACT: Aileen Budow, COMEDY CENTRAL, +1-212-767-3952,
aileen.budow@comedycentral.com; or Lisa B. Palley, SOUTH BEACH COMEDY
FESTIVAL, +1-305-642-3132, lpalley@bellsouth.net

Web site:

http://www.comedycentral.com/
http://www.comedycentral.com/press
http://www.wma.com/
http://www.southbeachcomedyfestival.com/
http://www.southbeachcomedyfestival.com/press.php
http://www.cbs4.com/

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