www.comedychannel.com.au

OCTOBER 2008 HIGHLIGHTS

THE MERRICK & ROSSO SHOW

WORLD PREMIERE Thursday October 2 @ 8.30pm Continues Thursdays at 8.30pm

Merrick and Rosso are back on the box where they belong, with the keys to the Foxtel car - and enough fuel in the tank to really cause some chaos! They’ll finally return to their broadcasting birth place at The Comedy Channel with THE MERRICK & ROSSO SHOW.

So what’s on the cards for the new show?

Each week the boys will front up before a live studio audience with their unique take on anything and everything. From what’s happening in the world of news to the big questions: Can you deep fry a watermelon?

On THE MERRICK & ROSSO SHOW, celebrities will make regular guest appearances from in-studio interviews to recorded comedy pieces to show you a side of them never before seen. Into the mix will go plenty of studio audience interaction and more mayhem and stupidity than is legal in three states.

For perhaps the first time, Merrick Watts and Tim Ross will truly focus the energy and excitement of their legendary sell-out live comedy shows and bring that force to the electric television.

It’s hotter than Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen, is sure to top Brendan Nelson’s approval ratings and it’s ‘wronger’ than an Austrian family get-together. THE MERRICK & ROSSO SHOW will allow nobody to be immune from their parodies and sketch comedy.

Finally, as Merrick and Rosso are keen to point out, “Put simply, the show is Morcambe and Wise meets The Star Wars Christmas Special at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting during The French Renaissance… on a weeknight.”

Buckle up Australia, for a riotous half hour of THE MERRICK & ROSSO SHOW. There won’t be a dry seat in the house.

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JUST FOR LAUGHS – JUST FOR THE COMEDY CHANNEL AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Sunday October 5 @ 6.30pm Continues Sundays at 6.30pm

Showcasing the best of international standup comedy from the Montreal Comedy Festival. Just as Cannes has its film festival and Edinburgh its arts festival so Montreal has an annual celebration of comedy, Just For Laughs.

From its humble beginnings in 1983 as a mere two-day event with 16 performers, it has turned into a two-week extravaganza to which hundreds of stand up acts arrive from all over the world.

These specials are “Just for THE COMEDY CHANNEL” and feature reknown comedians such as Dave Chappelle, Janeane Garafalo, Dane Cook, Jimeoin, Judith Lucy, Drew Carey, Wanda Sykes, Demetri Martin, Arj Barker, Flight of the Conchords and many more… Be sure to book your seat on the sofa for the hilarious Australian Premiere.

HEADCASES Wednesdays @ 9.30pm AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE EPISODES

Cutting edge satirical puppetry that takes a sardonic swipe at topical issues, celebrities and politicians. With a mixed bag of celebrity targets as you've never seen them before!

You’ll see the likes of Amy Winehouse, the Beckhams, Madonna, Heather Mills McCartney and George Bush sent up in the most unforgiving manner; it’s the only show on TV that celebs are desperate not to appear on.

This satirical series uses cutting edge computer graphics and the cream of the crop of writers and voice artists. Think SPITTING IMAGE meets TOY STORY - celebrities and politicians beware – HEADCASES has you in their sights!

AUSSIE GOLD Fridays from @ 7.30pm

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! We know you love The Best of British - our Sunday night spectacular of the UK’s finest comedy classics - so now THE COMEDY CHANNEL is bringing you something a little closer to home.

Each Friday it’s two and a half hours of 24 carat AUSSIE GOLD, a television BBQ of the greatest and timeless Australian comedy favourites! We want you to have the best, so we’ve rounded up a selection of the finest including the landmark show, THE COMEDY COMPANY, JIMEOIN, BIG GIRLS BLOUSE (which includes the early years of Kath & Kim), FAST FORWARD’S FUNNIEST TV SEND UPS, Chris Lilley’s WE CAN BE HEROES, THE

2 ADVENTURES OF LANO & WOODLEY, THE NORMAN GUNSTON SHOW, John Clarke’s THE GAMES, THE NORMAN GUNSTON SHOW and many more to come…

(Hamish & Andy’s) Real Stories SUBSCRIPTION TV PREMIERE

Thursday October 2 @ 9pm Continues Thursdays at 9pm

REAL STORIES is proud of its position as Australia’s fifth best public affairs program. Hosted by the very serious Jennifer Adams, it strives to uncover the unique stories and people so often overlooked by its competitors. Whether they’re delving into the ongoing scourge of Street Accountancy or examining New Zealand’s controversial new water wasting campaign, Real Stories is there.

This 8-part mockumentary series was created by Hamish Blake, Andy Lee, Ryan Shelton and Tim Bartley, and features a multitude of well known cameos – Tony Martin (The Late Show), Cassandra McGrath (Wolf Creek), Peter Helliar (Rove Live), Catherine McClements (Water Rats), Derryn Hinch (Radio Broadcaster), Stephen Curry (The Castle), Rove McManus (Rove Live) and Francis Greenslade (The Micallef Programme) to name a few.

HBO Comedy Half-Hour PREMIERE Mondays at 10pm from October 6 Live, unpredictable and very funny, HBO COMEDY HALF-HOUR showcases leading comedy talents.

Monday October 6 – Ray Romano Monday October 13 – Kathy Griffin Monday October 20 - Janeane Garofalo Monday October 27 - Jeff Garlin

MADtv (Series 11)

SUBSCRIPTION TV PREMIERE SERIES Tuesdays @ 9.30pm from October 7

A COMEDY CHANNEL favourite MADtv is one of the most hilarious and irreverent comedy shows on TV. Based on the humor of the popular MAD magazine MADtv features celebrity impersonations, music video, commercial, movie and TV show parodies, musical guests, and the occasional mock cartoons. Series 11 also features special guests such as Pamela Anderson, Christopher Meloni, John Cena (WWE), Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Jaime Pressly, John Leguizamo, Ray Romano and Queen Latifah.

3 CINEMA COMEDY Mondays and Saturdays at 8.30pm We’ve hand-picked these all-time favourite comedy films for your viewing pleasure each Monday and Saturday night.

Includes 3 COMEDY CHANNEL PREMIERES

Saturday October 4 – Brewster’s Millions (1985) - PREMIERE Richard Pryor, John Candy Richard Pryor is brilliant as Montgomery Brewster, a minor league baseball pitcher who discovers he has to blow $30 million in 30 days as a condition to inherit a much greater fortune. But there’s a catch: he will forfeit everything if he reveals to a soul the real reason he seems to be throwing away all that cash.

Monday October 6 – The Craic (1999) Jimeoin & Alan McKee Winner for the 1999 Australian Box Office Achievement Award for Australian Movie of the Year, THE CRAIC is the story of two Irish actors fleeing 1988 Belfast to illegally enter Australia after a confrontation with a leader of the IRA.

Saturday October 11 – Drop Dead Fred (1991) - PREMIERE Rik Mayall, Marsha Mason, Carrie Fisher A comic fantasy about an ineffectual young woman who leaves her unfaithful husband and returns home only to be oppressed by her overbearing mother. Everything changes when Elizabeth is revisited by her imaginary childhood friend, "Drop Dead Fred."

Monday October 13 – Analyze This (1999) Robert De Niro & Billy Crystal Mob boss Paul Vitti is having anxiety attacks and is forced to track down a psychiatrist to help him get to the bottom of the problem.

Saturday October 18 – Three Amigos! (1986) - PREMIERE Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short When a villainous bandit terrorizes a small Mexican village three unemployed Hollywood actors are invited to replay their singing cowboy fighter roles - mistakenly believing that they are as heroic in person as they are onscreen.

Monday October 20 – Back To School (1986) To help his discouraged son get through college, his obnoxious, self-made millionaire father enters the school as a student. Stars Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman & Robert Downey Jnr.

Saturday October 25 - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) Michael Caine, Steve Martin Two con men compete in a winner-takes-all bet to steal the fortunes of a naive American soap heiress, with the loser leaving town.

Monday October 27 – Flying High (1980) Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Leslie Neilsen (AKA Airplane!) In this spoof on disaster films the passengers on a flight from Chicago are poisoned by their fish dinners and the plane must be landed by a shell-shocked veteran who has a drinking problem. Just don't call him Shirley!

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Real Time With Bill Maher EXCLUSIVE AUSTRALIAN TV PREMIERE EPISODES Thursdays at 9.30pm

Bill Maher is one of the most politically astute comedians in America and REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER has received multiple Emmy nominations as well as nominations from the Writers’ Guild of America and Producers’ Guild of America. Some of the outstanding guests who have appeared on the show include George Clooney, Michael Moore, Robin Williams, Drew Barrymore, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner, Pat Buchanan, Ben Affleck and George Carlin.

Each week, Bill’s hilarious opening monologue, incisive interviews and stimulating panel discussion - as well as his extremely popular “New Rules” segment - serve to wrap up the week’s most important events in a way that makes you think, as well as laugh.

Get ready for biting and hilarious commentary; there will also be some feisty discussions in the lead-up to the USA election. It’s REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER – exclusively on THE COMEDY CHANNEL.

*All events are correct at the time of printing and all programming is subject to change. All times are AEST.

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