Kick the Year Off Right! January is Stand-Up Month on COMEDY CENTRAL®

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- This January COMEDY CENTRAL is yielding its airwaves to the funniest people in the world!  Stand-Up Month is back and the only all-comedy channel is giving viewers new stand-up specials every weekend starting January 9, from such superstar comedians as Louis C.K., Denis Leary, George Lopez and Nick Kroll.  Also on tap during COMEDY CENTRAL's Stand-Up Month celebration is the return of the flagship stand-up series "COMEDY CENTRAL Presents" and the ever-popular "Stand-Up Showdown," a marathon countdown of the top 20 comics as voted on by viewers.

COMEDY CENTRAL's weekly stand-up specials kick off on Sunday, January 9 at 10:00 p.m. with "Louis C.K.: Hilarious."  In his "Hilarious" Network Television Premiere special, C.K. brings viewers into the world of single fatherhood and life after forty in this cinematic concert event.  C.K. tells viewers all that he's really thinking in one of the most politically incorrect and honest performances ever seen.  Viewers should tune in and let C.K. give them a dose of his "Hilarious" reality in this new premiere.

On Sunday, January 16 at 10:00 p.m., catch the World Premiere of "Denis Leary and Friends Present: Douchebags and Donuts."  Leary, the notorious Golden Globe-nominated star of "Rescue Me," returns to his stand-up roots with this provocative one hour special taped live at NYC's Town Hall.  Not since "No Cure for Cancer" has Leary unleashed his trademark foul-mouthed rants quite like this.  Along with COMEDY CENTRAL rising star and roaster Whitney Cummings, and his "Rescue Me" costars Lenny Clarke and Adam Ferrara, Leary dispenses a blistering one-two punch to douchebags everywhere and delivers the comedy event of the new year.

Returning in its 15th season on January 21, "COMEDY CENTRAL Presents" is sharper, fresher and more hilariously irreverent than ever.  Filmed in New York City with today's hottest young comedians, including Tom Segura, Michael Kosta, Natasha Leggero, Kyle Kinane and Jessi Klein, viewers are sure to rock with laughter in back-to-back new episodes every Friday night at 11:00 and 11:30 p.m.  Can't wait until January 21?  Don't fret!  In anticipation of the new season, COMEDY CENTRAL is giving viewers a special half-hour sneak peek, "COMEDY CENTRAL Presents Best of 2011," featuring selected highlights from the upcoming season on Friday, January 14 at 11:00 p.m.

George Lopez fondly remembers the days when his grandmother used to smack him upside the head in the Network Television Premiere of "George Lopez: Tall, Dark & Chicano," debuting on Saturday, January 22 at 10:00 p.m.  Watch as the dashing "Lopez Tonight" host breaks down everything Latino, from El Nino to the original fruit roll-up and Sonia Sotomayor.  By the end, viewers will finally understand why Brad Pitt is (secretly) Hispanic.

"Stand-Up Month" has been leading up to this: Who made it to the final showdown?  All January long, viewers can vote for their favorite comics online at Jokes.com to decide the 2011 "Stand-Up Showdown" champion!  Starting at Noon on Saturday, January 29, COMEDY CENTRAL will count down the top twenty comedians as chosen by viewers.  The winning comedian will be crowned at the end of the night.

Immediately following the reveal of the "Stand-Up Showdown" winner on Saturday, January 29 at 10:00 p.m., rising star Nick Kroll ("COMEDY CENTRAL Presents," "The League," "I Love You, Man") blows the doors off the time-honored one hour format by weaving in hilarious short films, as well as appearances by his infamous characters Fabrice Fabrice, Bobby Bottleservice, El Chupacabra and Oh, Hello (featuring John Mulaney, "COMEDY CENTRAL Presents," and "Saturday Night Live") in his first one hour stand-up special.  This seminal comedy event marks the arrival of an exciting new voice in stand-up, and is definitely not to be missed.

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.

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SOURCE COMEDY CENTRAL Corporate Communications