AMERICA VOTES FOR WHO THEY WANT TO BE NBC'S "LAST COMIC STANDING" AFTER FINAL FIVE PERFORM ON TUESDAY, JULY 18

Laughfest Heats Up as Final Five Comedians � Michele Balan, Ty Barnett, Josh Blue, Chris Porter and Roz � Compete To Be The Funniest

BURBANK, Calif. � July 14, 2006 -- Viewers will vote for the comedian they think should be NBC's "Last Comic Standing" after the five finalists � Michele Balan, Ty Barnett, Josh Blue, Chris Porter and Roz � perform on an episode airing Tuesday, July 18 (9-10 p.m. ET).

Phone numbers will be announced during the episode for each comic so viewers can call in and vote, and viewers can also vote online after the show at www.NBC.com/LCS. Each Tuesday from July 18 through August 8, viewers will vote for their favorite comic and one will be eliminated every week. Then the winner of the competition � the "Last Comic Standing" � will be revealed in the finale on Wednesday, August 9, winning an exclusive NBC talent contract and their own comedy special on Bravo.

With an average 3.7 rating, 10 share in adults 18-49 and 8.2 million viewers overall, "Last Comic Standing" is this year's #4 original summer series in adults 18-49. "Last Comic" has nearly doubled NBC's 18-49 average in the Tuesday 9 p.m. ET hour for last summer, delivering a 95 percent increase.

"Last Comic Standing" is produced by Peter Engel Productions, Magical Elves and NBC Universal Television Studio. The executive producers are Peter Engel ("Saved By the Bell," "City Guys"), Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz (Bravo's "Project Runway" and NBC's "Treasure Hunters") and Barry Katz ("Action," "Dane Cook's Tourgasm").