EPIX PRESENTS “COMEDY UNBOUND” – A NEW COMEDY SHOWCASE THE LAST WEEKEND OF EVERY MONTH

New Uncensored Specials from: Jim Norton, Lewis Black, Kevin Smith, Jim Jefferies, Sherri Shepherd, and Eddie Griffin plus Ben Stiller’s All-Star Comedy Roundtable with Chris Rock and Jim Carrey, moderated by Bill Hader

 

Comedy Block also includes the Best of Amnesty International’s Secret Policeman’s Ball featuring Fred Armisen, Russell Brand, Hannibal Buress, David Cross, Bill Hader, Rashida Jones, Seth Meyers, Bob Odenkirk, John Oliver, Sarah Silverman, Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig and more.

 

New York, NY – June 28, 2012 – EPIX, the premium entertainment network, today announced a new monthly comedy showcase “EPIX Comedy Unbound” kicking off with the EPIX Original Comedy Event Jim Norton: Please Be Offended on June 30. To air the last weekend of every month, “EPIX Comedy Unbound” builds off a base of EPIX alumni comedians who will return to the network with new specials, including Lewis Black and Kevin Smith, plus the addition of new comedians to the EPIX stage with specials from Jim Jefferies, Sherri Shepherd, and Eddie Griffin. High-profile comedy events will also be a part of the showcase, such as the annual All-Star Comedy Roundtable presented by Ben Stiller featuring Chris Rock and Jim Carrey, moderated by Bill Hader, taped live at the 2012 Nantucket Film Festival.

 

“Since the launch of the network, we have had great success with our original comedy specials with strong response and demand from our viewers across all platforms,” said Mark Greenberg, CEO and President, EPIX. “We are deepening our commitment to comedy by featuring the best of today’s stand-up comedians in our showcase and giving them free reign to push the envelope and bring our viewers uncensored comedy the way it was meant to be seen.”

 

“My experience with EPIX has been unlike any other network. I’ve worked closely with the EPIX team throughout the entire process, including promotion, which is an incredibly rare luxury for a performer,” said Jim Norton.

 

“EPIX is fantastic. They are all about comedy and do a great job finding out who has a nice following, who is liked on Twitter, and who is respected. There is a nice fraternity and sorority of comedians that EPIX has been building specials for and putting on the air,” said Kevin Smith.

 

EPIX works with each comedian to increase accessibility and engage fans with interactive online chats via EPIX Live and live tweeting from the comedians during show premieres.

 

New specials in “EPIX Comedy Unbound”:

 

Jim Norton: Please Be Offended – Premieres 6/30 at 10PM ET

In his first EPIX comedy special, comedian and bestselling author Jim Norton, a regular on Sirius/XM’s “The Opie and Anthony Show” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” performs unfiltered and uncensored in front an audience of rabid fans in Cleveland, Ohio. Addressing such things as the increasing amount of privacy invasion, the hypocrisy of people who are appalled by this, and the oversensitivity of everyone about almost everything, Norton, in his self-deprecating style, proves that being offended can often be hilarious.

 

All-Star Comedy Roundtable presented by Ben Stiller with Jim Carrey and Chris Rock, moderated by Bill Hader

Ben Stiller brings together some of his favorite comedians and performers for a unique, spontaneous and very funny conversation in the 4th Annual All-Star Comedy Roundtable – with guests this year including Jim Carrey, Chris Rock and host Bill Hader. The event was shot live June 22 at the Nantucket Film Festival by Red Hour Films in association with Spotted Dog Entertainment for broadcast on the network.

 

Best of Amnesty International’s Secret Policeman’s Ball

The best comedy segments from the Amnesty International Secret Policeman’s Ball held at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall in March including Fred Armisen, Russell Brand, Hannibal Buress, David Cross, Bill Hader, Rashida Jones, Seth Meyers, Bob Odenkirk, John Oliver, Sarah Silverman, Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig and more.

 

Jim Jefferies Fully Functional

Caustic, charming, controversial, Jim Jefferies is a globally renowned Australian stand-up, acknowledged as the fastest rising and most hilarious comic to claw his way to the top of the comedy world – hailed by critics and loved by legions of fans. In his latest show, Fully Functional, Jim tells about living on the edge, through his true-life stories in which he has good intentions wrapped up in deviant behavior… from a threesome in Montreal to God at a party, to meeting a rock icon at a Q Magazine Awards – as only Jim can do, Fully Functional shocks and surprises.

 

Sherri Shepherd It’s My Time To Talk

Emmy award winning talk show host Sherri Shepherd of ABC’s The View returns to her roots of stand-up comedy and tells everything she’s been thinking, but unable to say without being interrupted, in her new stand-up comedy special entitled “It’s My Time To Talk.”  Sherri tells all the thoughts going on in her head when she was the “shocker elimination” on Dancing With The Stars as well as the numerous brain farts while doing Hot Topics on The View. With comical precision, Sherri tries to convince herself that she’s still a mini-skirt wearing, low cleavage, thigh high boot mama meanwhile her body is screaming reading glasses, Lipitor & orthotic shoes.  Sherri has an edge that lets everyone know that she is a grown woman, while being so likeable that every member of the church wants to follow her on Twitter. Learning that being a newlywed presents its own shocking experiences, Sherri is going to tell how to do it all scared!

 

Jay and Silent Bob Go Down Under

EPIX films the adventures of Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes (a.k.a. Jay) in their travels to Australia for a new special.

 

Lewis Black

The articulate, angry voice in America is coming back to EPIX with some of his friends: Kathleen Madigan, John Bowman, Jeff Stilson and other special guests.  Since he will be filming and performing at the City Winery in Chicago, a city and winery he loves, just before the political conventions, he will focus not only on the Democrats and the Republicans but also on the city of Chicago itself.  Knowing Lewis, he will express the opinions and emotions all three evoke in him and in us.  Will those emotions and opinions be nice?  Sometimes.  Will they be angry?  Probably.  Will they be funny?  Definitely!

 

Plus new a special from Eddie Griffin

 

About EPIX

 

EPIX is the newest premium entertainment network delivering the latest movie releases, classic library titles, plus original films, comedy, music and sports events on TV, on demand, online and on devices. Launched October 2009 as the first multiplatform premium network with online accessibility for subscribers through EpixHD.com, EPIX pioneered the development and proliferation of TV Everywhere for American consumers. EPIX was the first premium network to launch on Xbox consoles, first on Android tablets and phones, first on Roku® players and is available to authenticated subscribers on hundreds of devices including Apple® iPads®, iPhones®, Samsung® Smart TVs and Blu-ray™ players and more. Today EPIX remains the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up from new Hollywood hits to original programs on all platforms and provides more movies than any other premium network.

 

EPIX is a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.

 

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EpixHD.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHD and on Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/EpixHD.

 

Contacts:

For EPIX                                                                                              Sloane & Company

Jamie Colunga                                                                                    Erica Bartsch

JColunga@EpixHD.com                                                                       ebartsch@sloanepr.com

212-846-1843                                                                                     212-446-1875