THE SHOWTIME LAUGH OUT LOUD COMEDY PLATFORM RETURNS THIS DECEMBER WITH FOUR NEW SPECIALS

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL PRESENTS: ALL STAR COMEDY JAM - LIVE FROM SOUTH BEACH, hosted by D.L. Hughley, Kicks Off Action on December 5th at 11:00 PM ET/PT

LOS ANGELES, CA - (December 1, 2009) - The SHOWTIME LAUGH OUT LOUD comedy platform continues this December with four new stand-up specials by some of the world's best and brightest comedic talents. The action begins on Saturday, December 5th at 11p PT/ET with the premiere of SHAQUILLE O'NEAL PRESENTS: ALL STAR COMEDY JAM - LIVE FROM SOUTH BEACH, hosted by noted comic D.L. Hughley ("The Hughleys," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip").

The specials are part of the network's LAUGH OUT LOUD comedy initiative that has become a hub for diverse, no-holds-barred, unedited comedy for premium television audiences. Previous specials include Mo'Nique ("I Coulda Been Your Cell Mate"), Dave Chappelle ("For What It's Worth"), Sarah Silverman ("Jesus Is Magic") and George Lopez ("Why You Crying?").

The SHOWTIME LAUGH OUT LOUD December line-up is as follows:

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL PRESENTS: ALL STAR COMEDY JAM - LIVE FROM SOUTH BEACH -Saturday, December 5th at 11:00 PM ET/PT

Hughley hosts the second installment of the ALL STAR COMEDY JAM Series, LIVE FROM SOUTH BEACH. He is joined by fellow talents Earthquake ("Everybody Hates Chris"), Arnez J ("BET's Comic View"), Melanie Comarcho ("Def Comedy Jam") and Lavell Crawford ("Chelsea Lately").

EDWIN SAN JUAN'S PACIFIC RIM COMEDY - Thursday, December 31st at 8:00 PM ET/PT

One of the world's leading Filipino comedians, Edwin San Juan has assembled a selection of the best Asian comedians, including San Francisco's Joey Guila; direct from the Philippines, Bernadette Balagtas; Canadian native Ron Josol, making his debut performance; Los Angeles-based Dan Gabriel; and Paul Ogata, who hails from Hawaii.

MAZ JOBRANI: BROWN & FRIENDLY - Thursday, December 31st at 9:00 PM ET/PT

Maz Jobrani, a multi-talented Iranian-American actor, writer, and comedian, known for countless film and television roles, and his stand-out performance in the hit tour The Axis of Evil, has announced his first headlining tour of the United States, BROWN & FRIENDLY. One of the industry's few Iranian-American comedians, he takes pride in breaking down stereotypes about Iranians and the Middle East in general and tackles everything from politics, race, religion, and stereotypes.

GOIN' NATIVE: THE INDIAN COMEDY SLAM - Thursday, December 31st at 10:05 PM ET/PT

Hosted by legendary Native American comedian Charlie Hill, GOIN' NATIVE showcases the world's best Native American Indian comedians. This historical special features legendary Native American comedians for the first time all on one stage - Charlie Hill, Larry Omaha, Howie Miller, as well as four up-and-comers making their mark on the Native American comedy scene: Marc Yaffee, Jim Rule, Vaughn Eagle Bear and JR Redwater.

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