or


[02/01/07 - 11:10 AM]
NBC's Hit Laughfest 'Last Comic Standing' Announces New Host Bill Bellamy and New Talent Scouts Alonzo Bodden, Ant and Kathleen Madigan as the Emmy-Nominated Series Expands Its Search Internationally to Find the Funniest Comedian in the World
Casting calls will also expand to include London, Montreal and Sydney, Australia.

[via press release from NBC]

NBC'S HIT LAUGHFEST 'LAST COMIC STANDING' ANNOUNCES NEW HOST BILL BELLAMY AND NEW TALENT SCOUTS ALONZO BODDEN, ANT AND KATHLEEN MADIGAN AS THE EMMY-NOMINATED SERIES EXPANDS ITS SEARCH INTERNATIONALLY TO FIND THE FUNNIEST COMEDIAN IN THE WORLD

Casting Calls To Be Held in London, Montreal and Sydney, Australia in Addition to Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, San Antonio and Tempe

BURBANK � February 1, 2007 - NBC's unscripted laughfest "Last Comic Standing" will return to the schedule this summer with new host Bill Bellamy, new talent scouts including "Last Comic Standing" alumni Alonzo Bodden, Ant and Kathleen Madigan -- and an all new quest -- to find the funniest new comedian in the world. The Emmy-nominated series broadens its scope this season by searching internationally for the world's funniest comedian, holding casting calls in London, Montreal and Sydney, Australia in addition to Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, San Antonio and Tempe. Celebrity judges will also join the talent scouts as they search for the world's funniest new comic.

The fourth season of "Last Comic Standing" ranked as the #4 summer series overall in adults 18-49, with every telecast ranking in that week's top seven in adults 18-49. The fourth season averaged a 3.6 rating, 10 share in adults 18-49 and 8.1 million viewers overall.

A favorite in the world of comedy over the last decade, comedian and actor Bill Bellamy recently released his debut comedy DVD, "Bill Bellamy: Back to My Roots," which aired as a one-hour special on Comedy Central. He headlined the new season of "Def Comedy Jam," and starred in the romantic television comedy "Getting Played," the drama series "Fastlane," and in the sitcom "Men, Women & Dogs." On the big screen, his credits include "Any Given Sunday," with Al Pacino; "Love Stinks," "Love Jones," "How to be a Player," and most recently, "Neverwas" with Jessica Lange and William Hurt. He was also the voice of Skeeter in Nickelodeon's comedy series "Cousin Skeeter," and hosted "MTV Jams" for five years.

Alonzo Bodden, the jet mechanic-turned-comic who describes his material as "cynically good natured," won season three of "Last Comic Standing." A top headliner at comedy clubs nationwide, Bodden had his own half-hour comedy special on Comedy Central, and has appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn," "Premium Blend" and "The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show." In addition, he appeared in "Bringin' Down the House," "The Girl Next Door," "Angel" and "Grounded for Life."

A familiar face to "Last Comic Standing" viewers, Ant was a contestant in season two and has also made appearances in every other season of the show as well. He is the host of "Celebrity Fit Club" and is a regular guest on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "The Tyra Banks Show." He was also a regular celebrity panelist on "To Tell the Truth," a weekly correspondent on "The Dennis Miller Show" and a featured comedian on Comedy Central's "Premium Blend." His stand-up DVD is titled "Ant: America's Ready."

Called one of America's funniest female comics by Jay Leno, Kathleen Madigan was a contestant on season two of "Last Comic Standing" and was voted Best Female Stand-Up at the American Comedy Awards. A hit at comedy clubs across the country, Madigan starred in her own HBO half-hour comedy special, and in "Comedy Central Presents: Kathleen Madigan," and the "USO Comedy Tour Special." She also starred in Comedy Central's "The World Comedy Tour," and has appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "The Late Show with David Letterman." The St. Louis native has also released two CDs, "Live" and "Shallow Happy Thoughts for the Soul," and recently released a new DVD titled "In Other Words," which debuted as a one hour special on Comedy Central.

Bodden, Ant and Madigan will scout for the best comedians from searches beginning February 26 in Los Angeles and concluding April 2 in Tempe.

The following is the schedule for casting calls, which begin in each city at 9:00 a.m.:

February 26 � Los Angeles, CA � Hollywood Improv (8162 Melrose Ave., LA 90046)

March 7 � Sydney, Australia � Location TBA

March 12 � London, England � Location TBA

March 17 � Montreal, Canada � Location TBA

March 21 � New York, NY � Gotham Comedy Club (208 W. 23rd Street, NY 10011)

March 27 � Minneapolis, MN � Acme Comedy Club (708 N. First Street, Minneapolis 55401)

March 30 � San Antonio, TX � River Center Comedy Club, 849 E. Commerce Street, Suite 893, San Antonio 78205)

April 3 � Tempe, AZ � The Tempe Improv, 930 E. University Drive, Tempe 85281)

"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," "The Next Best Thing"), Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz (Bravo's "Project Runway" and "Top Chef") and Barry Katz ("Action," "Dane Cook's Tourgasm"), and Javier Winnik ("Last Comic Standing," "Treasure Hunters") is the co-executive producer.





  [february 2007]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· ACTION (FOX)
· ANGEL (WB)
· CELEBRITY FIT CLUB (VH1)
· DANE COOK'S TOURGASM (HBO)
· FASTLANE (FOX)
· GROUNDED FOR LIFE (WB)
· LAST COMIC STANDING (NBC)
· MEN, WOMEN AND DOGS (WB)
· PROJECT RUNWAY (FREEFORM)
· TO TELL THE TRUTH (SYNDICATION)
· TOP CHEF (BRAVO)
· TREASURE HUNTERS (NBC)
· TYRA BANKS SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)





[07/10/25 - 05:03 PM]
Meagan Good Returns to Lifetime to Executive Produce and Star in the Alluring New Thriller "I'll Never Let You Go" Alongside Antonio Cupo and Thomas Cadrot, Premiering August 16 on Lifetime
Good stars as Emily Westover, a poised and successful art gallery director whose life takes a dark turn after a brief, impulsive affair with a magnetic Italian artist, Carlo (Cupo).

[07/10/25 - 12:01 PM]
"Virgin River" Is Returning for Season 8
"On behalf of myself and the whole 'Virgin River' family, we're eternally grateful to Netflix and to the fans for allowing us to continue on this journey with these beloved characters," said showrunner Patrick Sean Smith.

[07/10/25 - 12:00 PM]
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Schedule Update: New York Mets to Visit San Francisco Giants on July 27
Karl Ravech will call the action with analyst Eduardo Pérez, analyst and five-time World Series Champion David Cone and reporter Buster Olney.

[07/10/25 - 11:04 AM]
Paris Berelc to Co-Star and Executive Produce Upcoming Tubi Original YA Romantic Comedy Film "Kissing Is the Easy Part"
Fawzia Mirza (The Queen of my Dreams) is set to direct the film, which is based on the popular Wattpad webnovel (currently at 31.9 million reads) of the same name by Christine Duann adapted by Rebecca Webb.

[07/10/25 - 10:30 AM]
HBO Orders Untitled American History Sketch Comedy Starring and Executive Produced by Larry David and Higher Ground
President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America's 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion. ...But then Larry David called.

[07/10/25 - 10:10 AM]
Apple's Acclaimed Sci-Fi Series "Murderbot" Lands Season Two Renewal
The season one finale of "Murderbot" premieres globally this Friday, July 11.

[07/10/25 - 10:06 AM]
AMC Networks Returns to Comic-Con International with Dynamic Lineup of Fan-Favorite Series Panels, Screenings, A Shudder Fan Activation & More
Panels include a return to Hall H for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, featuring an exclusive first-look at the official trailer from the third season, premiering Sunday, September 7 on AMC and AMC+.

[07/10/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Marc Maron: Panicked" - Official Trailer - HBO Max
He's mining for gold in a river of panic.

[07/10/25 - 09:55 AM]
"The Great Food Truck Race" Hosted by Tyler Florence Returns with New Roster of Competitors and Epic Culinary Challenges
The new season premieres Sunday, August 3 at 9pm ET/PT and streams next day on HBO Max.

[07/10/25 - 09:39 AM]
Peacock Announces September 4 Premiere Date for "The Paper"
The series premieres on Peacock with four episodes on September 4, followed by two new episodes every Thursday through September 25.

[07/10/25 - 09:34 AM]
MGM+ Unveils "Let The Devil In" Premiere Date
Premiering August 31, the four-episode documentary series is about a decades-old tragedy that destroyed one family and ignited the darkest fears of a small New Jersey town.

[07/10/25 - 09:01 AM]
Prime Video Adds Broadcast Veterans to NBA on Prime Game Coverage Lineup
The broadcast team includes award-winning play-by-play announcers Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan, Michael Grady and Eric Collins.

[07/10/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Starz Releases Key Art and Trailer for Timeless Romantic Drama "Outlander: Blood of My Blood," Premiering Friday, August 8
From the battlefields of World War I to the rugged Highlands of 18th century Scotland, two fated couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, intersecting in surprising and unforeseen ways.

[07/10/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases Trailer and Key Art for Season Two of "Sausage Party: Foodtopia"
All eight episodes of the animated comedy will be served all at once in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Prime Video August 13.

[07/10/25 - 08:13 AM]
Star Designer Bobby Berk to Host Newly Greenlit HGTV Series "Junk or Jackpot?" (wt) Produced by John Cena
Executive produced by actor, wrestler and entrepreneur John Cena, the six-episode season follows collectors as they discover the true monetary value of their massive and unusual collections.