COMEDY CENTRAL® Honored With Twelve Primetime Emmy® Nominations

NEW YORK, July 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- COMEDY CENTRAL earned twelve nominations in the 2010-2011 Primetime Emmy® Awards competition, it was announced today by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS).

Fourteen-time Emmy-winner (including a record eight consecutive wins for program) "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," the network's unique news parody series, is nominated this year in four categories: Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series and Chuck O'Neil, singled out for the eighth year-in-a-row for Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series and Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Series.  This brings the grand total of Primetime Emmy nominations for the "The Daily Show" to 40.  The series' Web site, thedailyshow.com, also received a nomination for Outstanding Special Class – Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program, the site's third overall nomination.  "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" is also a two-time winner of the prestigious Peabody® Award for Excellence in Broadcasting.

"The Colbert Report," with Stephen Colbert assuming a dismissive, Bill O'Reilly-like persona while commenting on the issues of the day, received three Emmy Award nominations: Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series, a category in which it won its first Emmy in 2008, and director Jim Hoskinson was cited for Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series.  The show has been nominated in each of these categories for six consecutive years and its total number of nominations now stands at 24.  The show has also been honored with the prestigious Peabody® Award for Excellence in Broadcasting.

Four-time Emmy-winner "South Park," the adult animation phenomenon, home to Kyle, Stan, Kenny and Cartman, received its eleventh Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program, nominated for "Crack Baby Athletic Association."  It too has won the prestigious Peabody® Award for Excellence in Broadcasting.

In its return to original episodes after approximately an eight-year break, "Futurama" earned a nomination for Outstanding Animated Program for the episode "The Late Philip J. Fry," as well as a nomination in the Outstanding Voice-Over Category for Maurice LaMarche.  The series previously aired for five seasons on Fox (1999 to 2003) earning four Emmy® nominations for Outstanding Animated Program, taking home the Emmy in 2002.

"Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism Education" was nominated for Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Special.  This marks the first Emmy nomination for the biennial/bi-coastal event which raises funds to help ease the severe shortage of effective schools and education programs for autistic children and adults.  Jon Stewart hosted the event, an evening filled with live performances and sketches from a roster of comedy all-stars.

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards will be presented in two ceremonies.  The first, primarily for creative arts categories, will take place on Saturday, September 10, while the balance of the Emmys, primarily for the performing arts, will be announced before a black-tie audience during a primetime telecast (NBC) on Sunday, September 18 at the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles, CA.

The following is a complete list of COMEDY CENTRAL's nominations.

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Steve Bodow, Head Writer, Tim Carvell, Head Writer. Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Rich Blomquist, Wyatt Cenac, Hallie Haglund, JR Havlan, Elliott Kalan, Josh Lieb, Sam Means, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Daniel Radosh, Jason Ross, Jon Stewart, Writers.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
Chuck O'Neil, Director, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL DIRECTION, CAMERAWORK, VIDEO CONTROL FOR A SERIES
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, "Episode 15135"
Andre Allen, Technical Director. Tom Dowling, Tim Quigley, Phil Salanto, Rich York Camera. Paul Ranieri, Video Control.

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL CLASS – SHORT-FORMAT LIVE-ACTION ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: "The Daily Show Correspondents Explain" - thedailyshow.com
Rachel Maceiras, Senior Producer, Nick Poppy, Judi Stroh, Producers.

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report
Barry Julien, Head Writer. Stephen Colbert, Tom Purcell, Rich Dahm, Michael Brumm, Rob Dubbin, Opus Moreschi, Peter Gwinn, Jay Katsir, Frank Lesser, Glenn Eichler,  Meredith Scardino, Max Werner, Eric Drysdale, Scott Sherman, Dan Guterman, Paul Dinello, Writers.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
Jim Hoskinson, Director, The Colbert Report

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM (For Programming One Hour or Less)
South Park, "Crack Baby Athletic Association"

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM (For Programming One Hour or Less)
Futurama, "The Late Philip J. Fry"

OUTSTANDING VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE
Maurice LaMarche as Lrr & Orson Welles, Futurama

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SPECIAL
Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism Education
Eric Slovin, Head Writer. Russ Armstrong, Andrew Blitz, RJ Fried, Brian Huskey, Anthony King, Dan Mintz, Jason Reich, Craig Rowin, Andy  Secunda, Robert Smigel, Writers.  Additional Material Written By Anthony Jeselnik, Adam Moerder

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.

SOURCE COMEDY CENTRAL Corporate Communications