COMEDY CENTRAL® Gets Animated at Comic-Con® International 2010 in San Diego with 'Ugly Americans' and 'Futurama' Panels and COMEDY CENTRAL Live @ Comic-Con from the House of Blues

NEW YORK, July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- COMEDY CENTRAL will have a presence at San Diego Comic-Con again this year.  The schedule includes: an "Ugly Americans" panel on Friday, July 23 from 10:00-11:00 a.m., a "Futurama" panel on Saturday, July 24 from 12:45-1:30 p.m. and, capping it all off on Saturday, July 24 from 7:00-9:00 p.m., the network will present, COMEDY CENTRAL Live @ Comic-Con, a free comedy event as part of COMEDY CENTRAL's House of Comedy Live from House of Blues series, hosted by Pete Holmes ("Ugly Americans") and featuring talent from COMEDY CENTRAL's newest shows.  

• Friday, July 23: "Ugly Americans" panel (Room 25ABC)

10:00-11:00 a.m.  Join David M. Stern (Showrunner and Executive Producer), Dan Powell (Executive Producer), Jeff Poliquin (Supervising Producer), Devin Clark (Producer and Series Creator), Aaron Augenblick (Director of Animation), Matt Oberg (voice of Mark Lilly), Kurt Metzger (voice of Randall Skeffington) and Randy Pearlstein (voice of Leonard) for a behind-the-scenes look, a sneak peek into the return of new episodes in October, Q&A and more of COMEDY CENTRAL's new original animated series.  One audience member will be selected to be drawn into an upcoming episode.

• Saturday, July 24: "Futurama" panel (ballroom 20)

12:45-1:30 p.m.  Join the cast and crew in celebrating "Futurama's" triumphant re-return to the airwaves!  World-premiere footage will offer an exciting and informative glimpse of Comic-Con in the year 3010.  Panelists include Executive Producers Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, cast members Billy West, John DiMaggio, Katey Sagal, and Maurice LaMarche, writers Ken Keeler and Patric M. Verrone, and director Crystal Chesney-Thompson and animation Producer Claudia Katz.

• Saturday, July 24: COMEDY CENTRAL Live @ Comic-Con from the House of Blues

7:00-9:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m.)  Comedian Pete Holmes ("Ugly Americans") will host a special evening of free comedy including exclusive sneak peeks from COMEDY CENTRAL's new shows and more with performances by "Ugly Americans" cast members Maria Bamford, Kurt Metzger, Matt Oberg and Randy Pearlstein; Chris Gethard and Horatio Sanz, stars of the new series "Big Lake," premiering Tuesday, August 17; Nick Swardson, whose new series "Pretend Time with Nick Swardson" premieres Tuesday, October 12; and Adam DeVine from the forthcoming series "Workaholics" (1Q 2011).  The House of Blues is located at 1055 5th Avenue and attendees must be 18 to enter and 21 to drink.  

"Ugly Americans," a new original animated comedy series, with two million total viewers, returns with new episodes on October 6 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.  The series follows Mark Lilly (voiced by Matt Oberg), a social worker at the "Department of Integration," as he helps new citizens, both human and "other," adapt to hectic life in New York City.  There are easier tasks than weaning vampires off blood, socializing land-whales and housebreaking werewolves, but Mark is up to the challenge.  Between his stressful job, a zombie roommate and a demon girlfriend, Mark's lucky if he can sneak in a few minutes of sleep.  But who can sleep when there's a drop-dead gorgeous mermaid sitting at the bar?

David M. Stern, Series Developer and Executive Producer, began his career writing for "The Wonder Years" during its first three seasons.  He went on to serve as a producer on "The Simpsons" during the first four seasons where he wrote many memorable episodes.  He has served as a co-executive producer on the premiere season of the USA hit series 'Monk," as well as a co-executive producer on the Fox series "Oliver Beene."

Series-creator Devin Clark has been involved with a broad range of television projects including work with HBO, MTV, Nickelodeon, TCM and The Cartoon Network, applying his design and narrative skills to everything from network graphics to traditional cartoons.  His films and animation have been featured in Stash magazine, Animation Block Party, Rooftop Films, Ottawa Film Festival, Platform and Atom Films.

Stern and Daniel Powell are the Executive Producers of "Ugly Americans."  Aaron Augenblick serves as Animation Director, with animation by Augenblick Studios and Cuppa Coffee.  Lisa Leingang is the executive in charge of production for COMEDY CENTRAL.

Currently, new episodes of "Futurama" air on Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. ET/T on COMEDY CENTRAL.  The Emmy® Award-winning animated sci-fi comedy series made an out-of-this-world return on Thursday, June 24, 2010 with 2.9 million total viewers, becoming the highest-rated and most-watched season premiere for an animated series on cable with the exception of "South Park."  

The series follows the life of Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a pizza delivery boy who accidentally stumbles into a freezer on December 31, 1999 and wakes up a thousand years later.  In his future home of New New York City, Fry goes to work for the Planet Express Intergalactic delivery company, where he befriends Bender (John DiMaggio), a booze-fueled robot, and sets his romantic sights on Leela (Katey Sagal), a sexy cyclops who enjoys beating him up.

"Futurama," created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen, is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television, with multi-Emmy® Award-winning Rough Draft Studios, Inc. contributing the animation.  

20th Century Fox Television, a division of News Corp., is a leading supplier of entertainment content domestically and around the world.

In February 2010, COMEDY CENTRAL, the preeminent brand in comedy, and Live Nation, the world's premier live entertainment company, announced the launch of COMEDY CENTRAL's House of Comedy Live from House of Blues, a COMEDY CENTRAL branded stand-up showcase in House of Blues venues nationwide.  

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 98 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.

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, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., TeenNick, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, SPIKE, TV Land, Atom, GameTrailers and Xfire.  

SOURCE COMEDY CENTRAL Corporate Communications