TBS Presents a "Very Funny" Festival: THE COMEDY FESTIVAL

Dave Attell, Joan Rivers, Jamie Kennedy, Mitch Fatel, Josh Blue, Ralphie May, Danny Bhoy, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Kate Clinton and Jim David Join Star-Studded Lineup

Comics Join Previously Announced Performers Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Dane Cook, Katt Williams and Tracy Morgan, Among Others

THE COMEDY FESTIVAL, Co-Production with AEG Live, Returning to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas For Fourth Year to Take Place Thursday, Nov. 20, to Saturday, Nov. 22

Tickets On Sale Now

Dave Attell, Joan Rivers, Jamie Kennedy, Mitch Fatel, Danny Bhoy, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Kate Clinton, Jim David and Last Comic Standing's Josh Blue and Ralphie May have joined the lineup of outstanding comic talent slated to appear as TBS Presents a "Very Funny" Festival: THE COMEDY FESTIVAL, co-produced by AEG Live.   
 
Now in its fourth year, THE COMEDY FESTIVAL is a three-day event taking place Nov. 20-22 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  The extensive lineup for the event includes such previously announced performers as Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Dane Cook, Katt Williams, Tracy Morgan, Jeff Dunham, Mike Epps, David Alan Grier, The Kids in the Hall, Russell Peters, Jim Breuer, Andrew Dice Clay, Jim Norton and John Oliver.  TBS will televise several programs from THE COMEDY FESTIVAL, including the variety special Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show, presented by DeGeneres; Laffapalooza, an evening of performances by top comedians hosted by Morgan; and a celebrity roast of Cheech and Chong.  (A complete list of the previously announced acts is attached at the end of this release.)
 
Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased for individual shows and packages online at thecomedyfestival.com, by phone at (877) TCF-FEST or in person at the Box Office at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.  Exclusive VIP packages are available online or by calling The Colosseum box office at (702) 866-1409.  Hotel information can be found at www.caesarspalace.com, while additional festival information and schedule updates is available at thecomedyfestival.com.
 
The following are the acts added to this year's edition of THE COMEDY FESTIVAL:

Thursday, Nov. 20
Josh Blue and Ralphie May from Last Comic Standing - The Palace
Two of the most popular comedians on the series Last Comic Standing, Josh Blue and Ralphie May, are joining forces for a comedy show that is guaranteed to defy stereotypes and break barriers.  Since first appearing on Mind of Mencia and later winning Season 4 of Last Comic Standing, Blue has emerged as one of the hottest comedians in the country.  He previously appeared in Las Vegas at the 2004 edition of The Comedy Festival, winning $10,000 in the Royal Flush Comedy Competition.  In 2006, he became the first comedian to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.  Blue is a diverse and triumphant individual, refusing to bow to any of the challenges that come with living with cerebral palsy.  Veteran comedian May's popularity exploded after the success of the first season of Last Comic Standing.  His special brand of comedy combines the familiar elements of hip-hop and topical comedy with a dash of Southern, down-home flavor and quick wit.  He got his start at the age of 17 by winning a contest to open for comedian Sam Kinison.  Among his late-night appearances, he received a standing ovation for his performance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  He also worked as an actor, writer and producer on ESPN's Mohr Sports starring Jay Mohr.  May's first DVD, Just Correct, went platinum.  He followed it up with Girth of a Nation and his own Comedy Central special.
 
Joan Rivers Hosts Comedivas, with Kate Clinton, Suzanne Westenhoefer and Jim David - Augustus Ballroom
Joan Rivers is both hosting and appearing in this showcase that offers outstanding comedy from some of the country's best comedians.  Rivers is a force of nature and one of the hardest working celebrities in the world.  She is a comedienne, best-selling author, Tony-nominated actress, playwright, screenwriter, motion picture director, columnist, lecturer, syndicated radio host, Emmy®-winning television talk-show host, jewelry designer, red-carpet fashion laureate, businesswoman and, most importantly to her, mother and grandmother.  Suzanne Westenhoefer is known as America's first openly gay comedian and has been delivering gay material to straight audiences since the early '90s.  Her comedy special A Bottom on Top premiered on LOGO last year and is currently available on DVD.  In addition, Westenhoefer was the first openly lesbian comedian to star in her own HBO Comedy Special, earning her a Cable Ace Award, and her performance on Late Night with David Letterman marked the first by an openly lesbian comedian.  Kate Clinton is a faith-based, tax-paying, America-loving political humorist and family entertainer who still believes that humor can get people through peacetime, wartime and scoundrel time. This year, she brings her new show Hilarity Clinton '08 nationwide. It follows her 2007 show, Climate Change, which has just been released on CD, her eighth comedy collection.  In 2006, Kate Clinton celebrated her 25th Anniversary of performing with a 50-city It's Come to This tour, which premiered on LOGO this past year and is now available on DVD, combined with readings from her book What the L?  Clinton also performed in Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour this year.  She has performed in The Vagina Monologues and Nothin' Like A Dame, and she replaced Dick Cavett as the moderator on Broadway in The Rocky Horror Show.  She is the recipient of the GLAAD Media Pioneer Award and recently received the In the Life TV Pioneer Award.  Jim David, known as the "Mouth of the South," has performed his outrageous and biting comedy in such shows as Comedy Central Presents Jim David, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, Out on the Edge, Comedy Central's USO Tour and The View.  His successful CDs include Eat Here and Get Gas and Live from Jimville.  He is a three-time winner of the Manhattan Association of Clubs and Cabarets Award for Outstanding Comedian and writes regularly for HuffingtonPost.com.  He performs his one-man show South Pathetic at theatres around the country.
 
Triple Threat Comedy with Jamie Kennedy, Mitch Fatel and Danny Bhoy - Augustus Ballroom
Three of the comedy world's most innovative comedians - Jamie Kennedy, Mitch Fatel and Danny Bhoy - come together in this late-night showcase.  Jamie Kennedy got his big break landing gigs at the Laugh Factory and the Improv, which led to his being cast in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet and Wes Craven's Scream, the latter earning him a Blockbuster Award for Best Supporting Actor.  He later headlined his own successful comedy series, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, which ranked as one of The WB's highest rated shows.  Most recently, Kennedy joined the cast of CBS's Ghost Whisperer opposite Jennifer Love Hewitt.  In September of 2008, Kennedy released Heckler, a critically acclaimed comedic feature documentary which played at both the Tribeca and AFI Film Festivals.  Mitch Fatel is the #1 most-requested comedian on Sirius Satellite Radio.  One of the few performers to appear on Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist twice, his episodes are still in demand and traded around the country.  In 2006, he took home honors as Best Comedian at the prestigious HBO Aspen Comedy Festival.  He received rave reviews for his stand-up special on Comedy Central.  And his CD, Miniskirts and Muffins, has been one of the Top 10 comedy CDs on iTunes.  Scottish-born comedian Danny Bhoy began standup in 1998.  A year later, he won The Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award, Britain's biggest competition for comedy newcomers.  He has since appeared at The Edinburgh Festival, The Melbourne Comedy Festival and The Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival.  Last year, he released his first DVD, Danny Bhoy Live at the Sydney Opera House.
 
Saturday, Nov. 22
Dave Attell - The Palace
Dave Attell, who was named one of the 25 Funniest People in America by Entertainment Weekly Magazine, brings his caustic wit and rapid-fire delivery to TCF.  In 2001, Attell used this love of booze and laughter to create and host the hit series Insomniac with Dave Attell, which was followed by several hour-long Insomniac specials shot overseas.  Once back in the states, he headed out on a 35-city theatre tour, ending in Las Vegas, where he hosted a two-hour special for Comedy Central.  Attell has made numerous appearances on the late-night television circuit.  He also appeared in Chris Rock's cult film Pootie Tang and on such television shows as Arrested Development, Ed and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, as well as his own half-hour stand-up special, Comedy Central Presents Dave Attell. When not on the road, Attell makes regular appearances at The Comedy Cellar in New York City.
 
About THE COMEDY FESTIVAL
With more than 70 performances and events over a three-day period, THE COMEDY FESTIVAL's goal is to bring together the biggest names and cutting-edge comedy talent in a broad range of programming, from star-level performances and special events to stand-up and sketch comedy.  TBS presented three prime-time specials from last year's edition of THE COMEDY FESTIVAL, including Ellen's Really Big Show, Blue Collar Comedy: The Next Generation and Frank Caliendo: All Over the Place.  In addition, last year's event featured performances by Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock.  Past television highlights include a 2006 airing of the 20th anniversary of Comic Relief, starring Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams; A Salute to the Troops and USO, with special guests Kid Rock and Carmen Electra; and 2005's Earth to America, with Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Larry David, Steve Martin and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.