RICKY GERVAIS, BILL MAHER, TRACY MORGAN AMONG THOSE TO HEADLINE SIXTH ANNUAL NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 4 – 8, 2009 COMEDY CENTRAL TO SHOOT NEW SEASON OF ORIGINAL HALF HOUR SPECIALS AT THE FESTIVAL OVER 150 COMEDIANS WILL PERFORM AT MORE THAN 10 VENUES ACROSS CITY; TICKETS GO ON SALE AUGUST 5

The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) announced today that Ricky Gervais, Bill Maher, and Tracy Morgan will be among those to headline the sixth annual NYCF. This year’s festival will feature over 150 comedians performing at more than 10 venues throughout New York City over the course of five days, November 4 – 8, 2009. Tickets will go on sale August 5 and can be purchased at the festival website, www.nycomedyfestival.com. Additional talent performing at this year’s festival will be announced at a later date.

“Headlining one of the most prestigious comedy festivals in the world is an amazing honor for me. The fact that it’s at the beautiful and historic Carnegie Hall makes it all the more wonderful. It’s just down the road from my apartment. I can walk to work. (I won’t walk obviously. I’ll take a limo. But I could walk if I had to)” said Gervais of his appearance at this year’s festival.

Comedy Central returns as the national media partner of this year’s festival and will be producing a new season of half hour comedy specials to be taped at John Jay College in New York City, airing in 2010.

“We are thrilled to once again be a part of the New York Comedy Festival,” said Mitch Fried, senior vice president, Live Entertainment COMEDY CENTRAL. “This festival is a natural fit for us. COMEDY CENTRAL has a rich history with the stand-up community and we are home to the largest stand-up library on-air and online. We look forward to a long term relationship with the festival.”

Also returning to the festival for its third year will be “Stand Up For Heroes” a special benefit presented by NYCF and the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF), a national organization that is raising money and awareness for service members injured in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families to assist in their successful reintegration into their communities.

The 2009 NYCF is presented in association with Comedy Central. The festival is produced by Carolines on Broadway and United Entertainment Group. Media sponsors include Time Warner Cable Media Sales- NYC, Time Out New York, the New York Post, Myspace.com, People’s Choice Awards and Travelocity. The Shoreham Hotel is the official hotel of the 2009 New York Comedy Festival.

About The New York Comedy Festival

Now in its sixth year, The New York Comedy Festival, produced by Carolines on Broadway and United Entertainment Group in association with Comedy Central, is the largest festival of its kind in the United States. The festival has featured some of the country’s top comedians, including Bill Maher, Tracy Morgan, Dane Cook, Sarah Silverman, Artie Lange, Katt Williams, Steven Wright, Denis Leary, and Joy Behar, to name a few. In 2007, the festival launched the “Stand-Up for Heroes” event to benefit The Bob Woodruff Foundation, which has featured performances by Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, Conan O’Brien, Regis Philbin, and Bruce Springsteen. For more information on each event and to purchase tickets, please visit www.nycomedyfestival.com.

About Comedy Central:

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 95 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of Viacom Inc.’s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL’s Internet address is www.comedycentral.com. For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit Press Central, COMEDY CENTRAL’s press web site at www.comedycentral.com/press.