Comedy Central announces The Comedy Awards

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COMEDY CENTRAL and MTV Networks Announce \'The Comedy Awards\' First Annual Event to be Held in New York City on Saturday, March 26

Television Event To Honor The Best Comedy Films, Actors, Television Series, Stand-Up And Digital Content To Air Across Multiple MTV Networks Including COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Nick At Nite And VH1 On Sunday, April 10

Prestigious Board Of Directors To Include James Burrows, Billy Crystal, Will Ferrell, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Grey, Seth MacFarlane, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Jay Roach, Ray Romano, Phil Rosenthal, Among Others

COMEDY CENTRAL And MTV Networks Partner With The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) To Establish The American Comedy Fund, Benefitting Working Comedians

NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2011 - COMEDY CENTRAL and MTV Networks, both divisions of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), have tapped New York City to host "The Comedy Awards," the first-ever multi-network, multi-platform, annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy, it was announced today by Doug Herzog, president, MTV Networks Entertainment Group.  A night for comedy of all kinds, "The Comedy Awards" will be taped at New York City\'s Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday, March 26 and will premiere on Sunday, April 10, 2011, simultaneously across MTV Networks\' COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, VH1 and Nick At Nite.

Comedy elite including James Burrows, Billy Crystal, Will Ferrell, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Grey, Seth MacFarlane, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Jay Roach, Ray Romano, Rory Rosegarten, Phil Rosenthal and many more are among the first to join "The Comedy Awards" Board of Directors which will be responsible for selecting the nominees.  The winners will be chosen by an invitation-only voting body comprised of 500-1000 members from the comedy community -- including writers, producers, performers and directors.  The event will also feature several special awards that will include the voice of the fans through online voting at the event site thecomedyawards.com.

In conjunction with the launch of "The Comedy Awards," the MTVN Entertainment Group has joined forces with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) to establish The American Comedy Fund.  Without a union or other protection, many comedians face unique challenges to succeed and survive.  The fund will provide much-needed financial assistance, health benefits and other resources for comedians across the country during times of need, crisis or transition.  The American Comedy Fund will be administered by EIF in collaboration with the Motion Picture & Television Fund and The Actors Fund.

"The Comedy Awards" will pay homage to the genre and honor the year\'s best comedy actors, films, television series and digital content.  The event will celebrate the talented writers, directors and performers who have literally changed the laugh track of our lives: the pioneering legends who pushed boundaries; the TV shows that we rushed home to watch;; the movies that are indelibly etched into our collective pop culture memory and the stand-up comedians that make us think while we laugh.

"The Comedy Awards" will take its place among MTV Networks\' rich history of successful tent-pole events, such as MTV\'s "Video Music Awards," Nickelodeon\'s "Kids\' Choice Awards" and the COMEDY CENTRAL Emmy-nominated Roast franchise.

Don Mischer Productions\' Don Mischer and Charlie Haykel, alongside Casey Patterson, SVP, event production, MTVN Entertainment Group, are the executive producers.  Elizabeth Porter and Jonas Larsen are the executives in charge for the network.  

About Don Mischer Productions

Don Mischer is an internationally acclaimed producer and director of television and live events.  He has been honored with 13 primetime Emmy® Awards, a record nine Director\'s Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, three NAACP Image Awards, a Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting and Europe\'s prestigious Golden Rose of Montreux.

Mischer has consistently chosen to produce programs which share the best of human experience, whether it be through the work of our most acclaimed artists or the celebration of our greatest monuments and national events.  As a producer-director, his credits range from Super Bowl Halftime Shows (with Bruce Springsteen, Prince, The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney); Opening Ceremonies of both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games; and The Kennedy Center Honors; to Obama\'s Lincoln Memorial Inaugural Concert; Hong Kong\'s Handover to China 1997; and specials with James Taylor, Sting, Bono, Beyonce, Baryshnikov, Fergie, Willie Nelson and Barbra Streisand among others.

Mischer\'s long and illustrious body of work ranks among the best and most-watched in the world of entertainment.

About COMEDY CENTRAL

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 95 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 and 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.

About MTV Networks

MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world\'s leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products.  The company\'s portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 400 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., TeenNick, AddictingGames, Shockwave, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, SPIKE, TV Land, Atom, and GameTrailers.