Comedy Central Insider Blog

There's not a lot that's funny about being stationed away from loved ones, but COMEDY CENTRAL hopes to bring some laughter to the troops with the launch of "PVT Jokes," a new military outreach partnership with the USO that delivers comedy kits to forward operating bases (FOBs) as well as U.S. military hospitals at home and overseas. The partnership was announced today by the USO (United Service Organizations, Inc.) and COMEDY CENTRAL.

With the goal of reaching more than 200 FOBs and U.S. military hospitals at launch, "PVT Jokes" began distributing kits this week that include CD and DVD donations from COMEDY CENTRAL Records and COMEDY CENTRAL Home Entertainment. Each kit will feature COMEDY CENTRAL DVD titles, including the "COMEDY CENTRAL Roasts" of Flavor Flav, Pamela Anderson and William Shatner, "COMEDY CENTRAL Presents Southern Gents of Comedy" and "Best of COMEDY CENTRAL Presents" stand-up; as well as CDs from comedians including George Lopez, Dane Cook, D.L. Hughley, Norm Macdonald and Harland Williams. More information can be found at http://www.comedycentral.com/pvtjokes/index.jhtml.

I'll admit it, I fit most of the primary white stereotypes. I can't dance very well, I get to the movies real early, and I've lived a life of unchecked privilege that prevents me from ever truly knowing the meaning of adversity. But, you know, at least I've never fallen off a damn cruise ship.

There's another clip after the jump, and you can see the rest of D.L. Hughley's Unapologetic when it makes its Comedy Central debut Saturday, January 17 at 10p/9c.

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Slobbering
for a piece of that coveted 18-34 year old pie who everyone knows gets its news
from comedy shows, CNN is launching a show featuring Original King of Comedy
DL Hughley. It's set to premiere on October 25, just in time to fine-tune
itself for election day. Working Title: That OTHER Other News Show That's
Not the Daily Show or Colbert but Features a Black Comedian.

Says CNN/U.S. representative Jon
Klein: "D.L. is a very thoughtful, well-informed guy with unpredictable views,
and I’ve always admired his comedy. The basic premise of the show is, what if a
guy like him was let loose in the CNN building for a weekend after the lights
went off?"

Look, I know you're basic cable,
but there's no need to slam the guy as public access.

Already the claws are coming out from beleaguered right-wing pundits, claiming that Hughley, a noted "Bush Basher," just exposes more of the media's ingrained left-wing bias. Actually, it's more of a case of "we need to appeal to that 18-34 demographic who gets their news from comedy shows. Get me Anderson 360, but make it more 'urban'!"

D.L. Hughley gives a thoughtful and substantive interview. [Beacon News]

The German version of The Office is getting the big screen treatment. It will be all techno and have 700 cuts per minute. [Hollywood Reporter]

I hope one of the shows on this Fall TV preview will fill the empty void in the pit of my soul. [AV Club Part 1, Part 2]

Kal Penn works the DNC, but not as a celebrity. As a yellow-jacket guy. [Videogum]

Jeff Garlin, Natasha Leggero, Duncan Trussell and Tim Heidecker to perform comedy show at cemetery. Spooooky. [Metro Mix]

I like this show more when it’s completely depressing and bleak. [Funny Or Die]

Mike Birbiglia welcomes incoming freshmen of Middle Tennessee State University. [Sidelines]

Adam Schlesinger is working on songs for The Colbert Report Christmas Special. I could do his job. Jingle Bells, Obama smells, etc. [Paste]

Create Your Own It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia T-Shirt and win cool things. [College Humor]

Brandon T. Jackson on Tropic Thunder and Teens of Comedy Tour. [Washington Post]

Paul Mercurio wants to spin as good as a spin-expert guy. [Punchline Magazine]

This Friday's Live at Gotham will be hosted by DL Hughley, so we've got three new exclusive clips of DL talking about the highs and lows of life as a stand-up. In this first one, he tells a story about a charitable gesture gone awry.

After the jump, you'll find two clips of DL offering advice to aspiring stand-ups.

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25 things I learned about business from South Park. [Inside CRM]

Simpsons actors salaries vs. Simpsons characters salaries. [Mainstreet]

Mike Birbiglia interview. [Indy Week]

Rob(?) Belushi interview. [The Star]

Colbert Report invades FL town in search of wizards. [St. Petersburg Times]

Dave Attell interview. [Columbus Dispatch]

DL Hughley interview. [Edmonton Journal]

Rob Smigel interview. [UGO]

Another Rob Smigel interview. [LA Times]

Adam Sandler interview. [OC Register]

Showtime picks up Diablo Cody series. [Reuters]

Comedians attempt 50-hour standup record. [Reuters]

Photos from Lewis Black's book premiere. [Punchline]

RIP Second City founder Paul Sills. [Chicago Tribune]

Simpsons already did it. [Best Week Ever]

Robert Smigel interview. [AV Club]

Citizen marketing bar raised to the heavens. [Videogum]

More on the Sasquatch comedy tent. [Dead-Frog]

Tina Fey interview. [IGN]

Judd Apatow wants Eric Bana for his stand-up movie. [/Film]

Rob and Carl Reiner interview. [Jerusalem Post]

John Hodgman was the funniest guy at Book Expo. [Vulture]

Chicks in the City. [YouTube]

D.L. Hughley to host BET awards. [Punchline]

The new season of Live at Gotham is starting on June 6, so we got two of the show's hosts to record all new episodes of the Comedy Central web-series Politibits. First up, Jim Norton:

After the jump, check out a Politibit from D.L. Hughley.

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The Onion AV Club has an interview up today with comedian and actor D.L. Hughley. In it, Hughley talks about the demise of Studio 60 and the backlash he received after making fun of the Rutgers women's basketball team:

AVC: The point [Gina McCauley's] trying to make is that while you have the
right to say what you want, she also has the right to vocally disagree
with you. So you agree with that.

DLH: Of course I do! I don't negate her right to say what she
said. But look, people like her have systematically killed an industry.
Every year, a television show comes on, black activists get together
and go, "This show is stereotypical. We don't want it on." Anything
from The Secret Diary Of Desmond Pfeiffer to Homeboys In Outer Space to Booty Call to Barbershop
to whatever. Now studios don't even make black television shows any
more, because they're so tired of this controversy. This is the same
woman who had a problem with Hot Ghetto Mess—the whole purpose of which was to be satirical,
to get people to look at themselves and go, "Wow, we don't want to be
that." I don't see the world the way she does. My gig is to call it
like I see it, and I'll do it until the day before forever.

For more with D.L., check out the complete interview.