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TBS and MySpace Offer Rising Comedians a Chance to Shine In Multi-Platform Comedy Initiative "Stand Up or Sit Down Comedy Challenge"


WEBWIRE

October 25, 2006 - TBS is teaming up with MySpace, the leading lifestyle portal, to give new comic talent the chance to bask in the spotlight in STAND UP OR SIT DOWN COMEDY CHALLENGE. The online comedy competition invites amateur or rising comics to submit video samples of their work through the MySpace profile at http://myspace.com/StandUpOrSitDown. Beginning this week, MySpace users have the opportunity to vote for the top finalists, five of whom will then be invited to perform in a one-hour special hosted by comedian George Lopez and filmed at The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. The special will premiere on TBS on Friday, Nov. 17, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT).

Following the TV special, viewers can return to MySpace to vote for their favorite comedian, with the winner being announced live on TBS during a break in the network’s simulcast of the Comic Relief 2006 special Saturday, Nov. 18. The winning comedian will receive $50,000, a development deal and other prizes. STAND UP OR SIT DOWN COMEDY CHALLENGE is executive-produced by Robert Hartmann, Judi Brown-Marmel and Stu Schreiberg, for Levity Productions.

“STAND UP OR SIT DOWN COMEDY CHALLENGE is a multi-platform comedy extravaganza that encompasses television, online/broadband and live entertainment, while also providing a dynamic partnership opportunity for TBS, MySpace and other partners,” said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks. “We are proud to be a part of this extensive initiative and look forward to searching for, finding and showcasing very fresh and very funny talent.”

“MySpace is all about enabling creative communities to express themselves while interacting with fans and friends,” said Josh Brooks, vice president of content and programming, MySpace. “TBS offers our comedians an incredible platform for exposure and we expect to see impressive submissions from our pool of unique and talented comics.”

STAND UP OR SIT DOWN COMEDY CHALLENGE invited fresh comic talents to submit videos, up to five minutes in length, of their funniest material for the qualifying round, which ended Oct. 11. Fifteen qualifying-round winners will be chosen by a panel of judges from MySpace and The Improv comedy clubs.

Then, From Oct. 23 through Oct. 30, MySpace visitors will be able to watch the 15 qualifying-round winners on the contest profile page on MySpace and choose 10 favorites to continue on to the semi-finals. Those 10 semi-finalists will perform live at The Improv comedy club in Los Angeles, with their performances featured on MySpace. From Nov. 7-12, MySpace visitors will be able to view their performances and vote to choose the five finalists.

Once selected, the five finalists will be flown to The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas, where they will perform Thursday, Nov. 16, in front of a live audience for a one-hour TBS special, hosted by comedian George Lopez, to air the next night. Following the telecast, viewers will be invited to go to MySpace to vote for their favorite.

The winner of the STAND UP OR SIT DOWN COMEDY CHALLENGE competition will be announced during a break in TBS’s telecast of Comic Relief 2006, which the network is simulcasting with HBO. The winner will take home $50,000, a development deal and other prizes.

To be presented from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as part of the second annual edition of The Comedy Festival, Comic Relief 2006 will be hosted by Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams. In addition to announcing the winner of STAND UP OR SIT DOWN COMEDY CHALLENGE competition during Comic Relief 2006, TBS will also present a short video clip of the winner’s performance from the competition.

STAND UP OR SIT DOWN COMEDY CHALLENGE and Comic Relief 2006 are part of HBO and AEG LIVE’s The Comedy Festival, taking place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Tuesday, Nov. 14-Saturday, Nov. 18. TBS is serving as title sponsor the five-day event, which will feature more than 50 performances, events and screenings. The mission of The Comedy Festival is to bring together the biggest stars and cutting-edge comedy talent in a broad range of programming, from star-level performances and special events to stand-up, sketch comedy and film.

MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture, and making a positive impact on the world. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities and member forums, MySpace has created a connected community. As the second ranked web domain in terms of page views*, MySpace.com is the most widely used and highly regarded site of its kind and is committed to providing the highest quality member experience and will continue to innovate with new features that allow its members to express their creativity and share their lives, both online and off.

TBS, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is television’s “very funny” network. It serves as home to such hot contemporary comedies as Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, Seinfeld and Friends; original comedy series, like the upcoming scripted comedies My Boys and 10 Items or Less; specials and special events, like The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas, for which TBS serves as title sponsor; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and a leading provider of programming for the television industry.

*Among the top 2000 domains comScore Media Metrix, September 2006. More information on comScore Networks is available at http://www.comscore.com/.



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