or


[07/18/05 - 12:00 AM]
Comedy Central(R) and Parallel Entertainment Strike Multi-Program Blue Collar Production and Development Pact

[via press release from Comedy Central]

Comedy Central� And Parallel Entertainment Strike Multi-Program Blue Collar Production And Development Pact

Agreement Calls For A Third Blue Collar Comedy Tour Concert Film, An Annual Summer Event Franchise, Three Stand-Up Specials Featuring Up-And-Coming Blue Collar Talent And Pilot/Presentation Pick-Up For "The Naked Trucker" Featuring David Koechner And David Gruber

NEW YORK, July 18, 2005 -- COMEDY CENTRAL and J.P. Williams' Parallel Entertainment, the independent management and production company that represents Blue Collar comedians Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Ron White and Larry the Cable Guy, have reached an agreement with COMEDY CENTRAL on a multi-project development and production pact that will result in a third sequel to the enormously successful Blue Collar Comedy Tour Movie as well as several original specials and a series pilot, it was announced today by Lauren Corrao, executive vice president, original programming and development, COMEDY CENTRAL and J.P. Williams, owner and CEO, Parallel Entertainment.

"Given the extraordinary popularity and ratings success of Blue Collar comedy on COMEDY CENTRAL, this agreement to extend and broaden our relationship with J.P. Williams and Parallel Entertainment was a top priority for the network," said Corrao. "All of us look forward to collaborating with J.P., Jeff, Bill, Ron, Larry and all of the emerging talent being developed for the Blue Collar comedy franchise in the years ahead."

"It has been a wonderful experience working with COMEDY CENTRAL and this has really been a win/win situation for both of us," said Williams "We look forward to building on our past successes and are excited about the new projects we are developing."

COMEDY CENTRAL was the home of the Network Television Premiere of "Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie" which scored big in its debut in November 2003, drawing over 2.1 million viewers and later became the most-watched movie in COMEDY CENTRAL history when 2.9 million viewers tuned in March 2004 during COMEDY CENTRAL's "Redneck Weekend." In February 2005, "Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again" shattered the first Blue Collar movie's ratings delivery when over 6.1 million viewers caught its premiere. "Blue Collar Comedy Tour, One For The Road," will shoot in Washington, DC at the Warner Theater next March with an expected debut date sometime in the second quarter of 2006.

The COMEDY CENTRAL/Parallel Entertainment pact also calls for an annual 1-2 hour summer-themed Blue Collar comedy special event featuring Foxworthy and his regular Blue Collar cohorts as well as three original stand-up specials featuring up-and-coming comics from the Parallel Entertainment stable. In addition, a pilot of the long-running Los Angeles-based stage show "The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show," featuring Dave "Gruber" Allen ("Freaks and Geeks") and David Koechner ("Saturday Night Live") will be developed at the COMEDY CENTRAL Stage in Los Angeles. "The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show" has a country/rock art-house feel, featuring a naked trucker and his ne'er-do-well sidekick, Gerald "T-Bones" Tibbons, backed by a hell-raising band. They sing songs and weave tales of being on the road in pursuit of the American Dream.

J.P. Williams has been the owner and CEO of Parallel Entertainment for the past thirteen years and currently manages the careers of Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy and David Koechner. Williams most notable producer credits include several one-hour specials for COMEDY CENTRAL and HBO as well as "Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie," which has sold more than three million DVDs. Williams also produced the sequel "Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again," which had its world premiere on COMEDY CENTRAL and was the network's third most-watched telecast ever. The sequel has sold more than 2.6 million DVDs since its release on December 7, 2004. He is also an executive producer on the WB hit comedy show "Blue Collar TV" and executive produced a special for the WB Network called "Mobile Home Disasters," which starred Bill Engvall.

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 87 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL is a registered trademark of Comedy Partners. COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is http://www.comedycentral.com.





  [july 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· BLUE COLLAR TV (WB)
· FREAKS & GEEKS (NBC)
· MOBILE HOME DISASTER (CMT)
· NAKED TRUCKER & T-BONES SHOW, THE (COMEDY CENTRAL)





[05/25/13 - 08:18 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: "Shark Tank" Tops Night of Repeats
Back-to-back rebroadcasts are the number one and two shows of the night among adults 18-49.

[05/24/13 - 02:13 PM]
Thursday's Cable Ratings: "Swamp People" Tops Demos, Viewers for History
Plus: numbers for AMC's "Showville," Showtime's "Last Days Here" and GSN's "Minute to Win It."

[05/24/13 - 01:35 PM]
Mike Darnell Votes Himself Out... of Fox Broadcasting Company
The longtime President of Alternative Entertainment has announced that he will be departing the network at the end of June.

[05/24/13 - 12:11 PM]
Blake Shelton Organizes "Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert" at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City on May 29
The concert will be televised live at 9:00/8:00c on NBC as well as on cable networks Style, G4, Bravo, E! and CMT.

[05/24/13 - 11:36 AM]
Syfy's "Paranormal Witness" Returns for Its Third Season on June 5 at 10 PM ET/PT
The new season begins with "The Long Island Terror," featuring intense demonic activity at a house in Long Island, NY.

[05/24/13 - 11:35 AM]
Chris and Heidi Powell and Twin Participants David and Rebecca Live Tweet During "Extreme Weight Loss" Season Premiere, May 28
They'll all be up on @realchrispowell, @realheidipowell, @DavidEWL3 and @BeccaEWL3, respectively.

[05/24/13 - 11:20 AM]
GSN Announces the Season Two Champions of "The American Bible Challenge"
The cable channel details the winners of the show's sophomore run.

[05/24/13 - 08:46 AM]
"Rookie Blue" Opens at #1 at 10pm with Its 2nd Biggest Audience Since 2010
ABC spins the numbers for Thursday, May 23.

[05/24/13 - 08:32 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX Opens Summer on Top in Demos
"Hell's Kitchen" and "Does Someone Have to Go?" hand the network victory in adults 18-49.

[05/23/13 - 11:26 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, May 23
Updates include: Clive Owen, Steven Soderbergh to bring "The Knick" to Cinemax; Neil LaBute's "Full Circle" sets cast; and Stephanie Sengupta departs The CW's "Reign."

[05/23/13 - 06:23 PM]
The CW Books "Cult" Revival for June 28; "The Hunt" Renamed "Capture"
They'll join previously announced summer originals "Breaking Pointe," "Perfect Score" and "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"

[05/23/13 - 04:27 PM]
Wednesday's Cable Ratings: Pacers/Heat Opener Dominates for TNT
Plus: numbers for VH1's "Off Pitch," Oxygen's "Best Ink" and TLC's "The Town That Caught Tourettes?"

[05/23/13 - 03:01 PM]
NBC Completes Best May Sweep in Nine Years As Network Finishes 0.1 of Rating Point Out of First
NBC further spins the numbers for the May sweeps period.

[05/23/13 - 03:00 PM]
Syfy's "Killer Contact" (Formerly "Notorious Hauntings") to Premiere July 16 at 10 PM ET/PT
Viewers will follow a team of paranormal investigators as they research the otherworldly activity at historical sites.

[05/23/13 - 02:34 PM]
Kelly Osbourne Hosts Fan-Generated Special "Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown," Premiering Friday, June 28 on Disney Channel
Leading up to the special, fans can get in on the action by voting for their favorite "Phineas and Ferb" music videos on DisneyChannel.com.