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Comedy Central
Launched	April 1, 1991
Owned by	Viacom
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Country	United States
Language	English
Headquarters	345 Hudson Street New York City
Formerly called	CTV: The Comedy Network (April 1 – May 31, 1991)
Replaced	Merger of The Comedy Channel And Ha!
Website	comedycentral.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV	Channel 249 (SD/HD) Channel 1249 (VOD)
Dish Network	Channel 107 (SD/HD)
Cable
Available on most cable systems	Check local listings
IPTV
Verizon FiOS	Channel 190 (SD) Channel 690 (HD)
AT&T U-Verse	Channel 140 (SD) Channel 1140 (HD)

Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated.

Since late 2006, Comedy Central has expanded globally with localized channels in Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Latin America, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, United Kingdom / Ireland and Spain.

A channel which serves Asia will launch in 2012.^[1]

History[link]

Creation (1989–1991)[link]

On November 15, 1989, Time Warner, owners of HBO, launched The Comedy Channel as the first cable channel devoted exclusively to comedy-based programming. On April 1, 1990, Viacom (who owned MTV, VH1, and Nickelodeon) launched a rival channel called Ha!^[2] that featured reruns of situation comedies and some original sketch comedy.

The Comedy Channel's programs were originated from the HBO Downtown Studios at 120 East 23rd Street in Manhattan. The format prior to the merger with Ha! included several original and unconventional programs such as Onion World with Rich Hall and Mystery Science Theater 3000, as well as laid-back variety/talk shows hosted by comedians, including The Sweet Life with Rachel Sweet, Night After Night with Allan Havey, Sports Monster and The Higgins Boys and Gruber, the latter of whom performed sketches in between showings of vintage television serials like Supercar, Clutch Cargo, and Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp.

The standard format for The Comedy Channel's shows usually involved the various hosts introducing clips culled from the acts of stand-up comedians as well as classic comedies of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Young Frankenstein and Kentucky Fried Movie, presented in a style similar to music videos. In the early days, certain hours of the day when clips were shown without "host segments" were dubbed Short Attention Span Theater. In 1990, hosts under this title, Jon Stewart and Patty Rosborough, were introduced. Comedian Marc Maron also hosted the series.

While The Comedy Channel broadcast mostly low-budget original programming^[3], Ha!'s schedule featured sitcom and sketch comedy reruns (many of which had been previously licensed for sister network Nick at Nite) as well as complete 90-minute reruns of Saturday Night Live from the sixth through sixteenth seasons.

After two years of limited distribution, the two channels merged into one, relaunching on April Fools' Day 1991 as CTV: The Comedy Network, changing its name to Comedy Central on June 1, 1991 to prevent issues with CTV, a Canadian broadcast television network.^[4] Viacom bought out Time Warner's half in April 2003 for $1.23 billion.^[5] Despite HBO's exit from the venture, the MTV Networks division in charge of Comedy Central is still called Comedy Partners, currently being a partnership of Viacom International, the subsidiary MTV Networks does business as, and Viacom Hearty Ha! Ha!, the subsidiary that owned Ha! and Viacom's original half of the network.^[6]

1991–1997[link]

From the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, much of the programming on Comedy Central, and its predecessors, consisted of comedy films, sitcom reruns, half-hour specials and clip shows featuring comedians. With the exception of the cult favorite Mystery Science Theater 3000, the channel had a relatively small viewership. A notable early success was Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, which after showing promise on Comedy Central was quickly snapped up by the ABC network. Additionally, The Daily Show had got its start with premiere host Craig Kilborn, although it would take a few more years for the show to reach high popularity (and shift toward a focus on political humor) with the introduction of Jon Stewart (who was former co-host of Short Attention Span Theater from 1991).

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist was also a notable original program from this era, as well as the game show Win Ben Stein's Money. Successful non-original programming included Canadian comedy group The Kids In The Hall and British shows such as the U.K. edition of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (predecessor of the U.S. version, featuring much of the same American cast as would later be seen in the U.S.) and the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. Some later seasons of "AbFab", as it was informally known, were partially financed by Comedy Central. Comedy Central also aired nationwide reruns of Seattle's Almost Live! between 1992 and 1993.

[edit] South Park

The channel made a breakthrough when South Park premiered in 1997. Being the first major cable show to carry the TV-MA rating for mature audiences, the show was too controversial to be picked up by a mainstream network.^[7] As word of mouth spread, the number of people who requested that Comedy Central be added to their cable systems increased, and the channel became available in over 50% of American homes by 1998.

2000–2003[link]

At 8 a.m. ET on October 30, 2000, Comedy Central modernized its globe logo, by straightening the buildings, modernizing the globe, and removing the transmitter from the logo. The management of the network said that the transmitter of the 1991 logo was said to "communicate the 1950s broadcast era". In 2002, Comedy Central Records was formed as a means of releasing albums by comedians that have appeared on the network.^[8] This unit would ultimately be sold to Fox.

Since 2003, Comedy Central has created a tradition of roasting comedians in tradition of the New York Friars' Club roasts. During these roasts friends of the roastee, along with comedians, take turns making fun of the roastee, the other roasters and occasionally audience members. So far, the roastees have included Denis Leary,^[9] Jeff Foxworthy,^[10] Pamela Anderson,^[11] William Shatner,^[12] Flavor Flav,^[13] Bob Saget,^[14] Larry the Cable Guy,^[15] Joan Rivers, David Hasselhoff,^[16] Donald Trump and Charlie Sheen.

[edit] The Secret Stash

The success of South Park, despite its mature content, encouraged the network to continue to push the limits on adult language. Every Saturday and Sunday morning at 1 am, a movie, comedy special or animated program is shown unedited for language. This is called the Secret Stash. It premiered on July 4, 2003 (with the unedited cable television debut of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut). Though no language is censored on the Secret Stash, most nudity in the programs is still edited out, with the exception of limited nudity allowed in animated programs (such as Drawn Together) Rear Nudity and the occasional topless scene.

2004–2006[link]

In late 2004, it was reported that the top four rated shows on Comedy Central were, in ascending order, South Park, Chappelle's Show, The Daily Show, and Reno 911!. Shortly thereafter, Dave Chappelle backed out of the much-anticipated third season of Chappelle's Show.^[17] Meanwhile, The Daily Show continued to climb in ratings. In October 2005, on the occasion of a new three-year contract for South Park and the launch of Daily Show spin-off The Colbert Report, it was reported that South Park and The Daily Show were the two highest rated shows on Comedy Central. Comedy Central chief Doug Herzog was reported as saying that he hoped to continue to air new seasons of South Park forever, and that The Colbert Report fulfilled a long-held plan to extend the Daily Show brand.

On April 5, 2006, in a controversial two-part episode arc titled "Cartoon Wars Part I" and "Cartoon Wars Part II", South Park touched the issue of the recent protest over the Danish cartoon drawings depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The image of Muhammad did not appear in the episode. On April 13, 2006, Comedy Central issued a statement^[18] which appears to confirm that the network prohibited the show's creators from airing an image of Muhammad. The statement reads, "In light of recent world events, we feel we made the right decision." An anonymous source close to the show indicated^{[citation needed]} that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were informed of the policy several weeks earlier, and wrote this story arc in protest. This is a change of policy for Comedy Central, having allowed South Park to portray an image of Muhammad in an earlier episode, "Super Best Friends". Oddly enough, an image of Muhammad was still briefly visible in the opening credits of the "Cartoon Wars" episodes (the image had been there as a call-back to "Super Best Friends").

2007–2010[link]

On Monday January 15, 2007, MTV Networks International launched Comedy Central in Germany which is available for free throughout Europe. The channel airs 33 shows either dubbed in German or subtitled while also airing locally produced shows.^[19] As of April 30, Dutch channel The Box has been transformed into the Dutch version of Comedy Central during the primetime and overnight hours timesharing with Nickelodeon.^[20] And on May 1, 2007 the channel has launched in Italy replacing Paramount Comedy.^[21]

As of June 27, 2007, CTVglobemedia-owned networks CTV and The Comedy Network have exclusive Canadian rights to the entire Comedy Central library of past and current programs on all electronic platforms, under a multi-year agreement with Viacom, expanding on past programming agreements between the two channels. Canadian users attempting to visit Comedy Central websites will also be redirected to The Comedy Network's website. The Canadian channel will keep its own brand name, but the agreement is otherwise very similar to the earlier CTV/Viacom deal for MTV in Canada.^[22] As of 2011 this Geocaching no longer applies and both the Comedy Central and The Comedy Network website can be access worldwide with the exception of videos which remain only accessible within eaches native country.

In December 2007, Comedy Central picked up a show hosted by Lewis Black called Lewis Black's Root of All Evil.^[23] The show didn't start playing on Comedy Central until March 2008. On January 9, 2008, it was announced the Comedy Central and MTV would put programs online for free starting in February.^[24] On January 24, Scott Landsman became the Vice President of Original Programming and Development at the network.^[25]

On March 27, 2008, the Swedish Radio and TV Authority approved an application from Comedy Central regarding being allowed to air television programs in Sweden. The grant allows Comedy Central to broadcast on the terrestrial television network between January 1, 2009, and March 31, 2014, after which a new request must be submitted in order to continue broadcasting.^[26] The main Comedy Central network in the United States picked up a remake of The Gong Show hosted by Dave Attell,^[27] star of his former self-titled Comedy Central series Insomniac for premiere in July 2008. Another new show called Reality Bites Back^[28] premiered after The Gong Show with Dave Attell.

In June 2008, Comedy Central picked up sketch comedy show Important Things with Demetri Martin which began airing in February 2009.^[29] On April 1, 2009, Comedy Central began airing in New Zealand as Channel 010 on SKY Digital. On April 6, Paramount Comedy in the UK and Ireland rebranded as Comedy Central. On April 7, 2009, it was announced Comedy Central would air new stand-up comedy specials starring Christopher Titus, Gabriel Iglesias, Pablo Francisco, Jim Breuer, Mitch Fatel and Pete Correale, and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham.^[30] An animated show entitled Ugly Americans has also been picked up by the network.^[31] In 2009, The Goode Family premiered.^[32] Also in 2009, Thomas Lennon announced via Twitter that Reno 911! had been cancelled^[33] after six successful seasons, much to outraged fan disapproval. The network has also played a role in the revival of the animated series Futurama, which Fox had cancelled in 2003. New episodes began airing on Comedy Central in 2010.^[34]

South Park episodes "200" and "201" aired in April 2010, revisiting the issue of the Islamic religious figure Muhammad's perceived immunity to parody, for fear of violent retaliation. The Super Best Friends return, but Muhammad is entirely covered by a black bar reading "CENSORED" through all of his screen time. By the second episode of the two-parter, Comedy Central decided to censor every instance of his name, as well as three entire monologues, from the end of the show. The monologues dealt with the subjects of censorship and intimidation, but did not actually use Muhammad's name. Parker and Stone have since issued a statement to the press, confirming that the "bleeps" were added weeks after the show was finished, and that Comedy Central has refused to let them post the original version to South Park Studios, in addition to retroactively removing the original "Super Best Friends" episode.^[35]

2011–present[link]

On December 10, 2010, Comedy Central introduced a new logo for the network that launched on January 1, 2011, which left behind the previous theme of a world-sized "tower" broadcasting the network/skyscrapers, in favor of an image of two "C"'s, with one of them and the word "Central" turned upside-down within the new logomark. The new logo was designed to represent the network's unique brand of comedy (with some drawing comparisons to the copyright symbol as inspiration for its design and use), and to provide the network with a logo that could be easily used across different platforms, such as social media.^[36][37] This new logo has won several awards.^{[38][dubious – discuss]} Poland was the first who started the international rebrand in Europe on February 20, 2011. The next two countries were the Netherlands and Germany on October 1, 2011. Comedy Central New Zealand rebranded in April 2012.

In 2010, the network announced that Norm Macdonald was developing a new series that he described as a sports version of The Daily Show.^[39] As of April 2011, the show was titled Sports Show with Norm Macdonald and premiered on April 12.^[40] It was cancelled on June 7, 2011.

Viacom 18 launched the channel in India in the early 2012.^[41]

Comedy Central HD[link]

Comedy Central HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of Comedy Central that launched on January 13, 2009.^[42] Cablevision was the first carrier to add it. DirecTV added the HD version on January 21, 2009. Dish Network added the HD version on April 9. 2009.^[43] It was also reported that some Cox Cable systems would get it by the end of January 2009.^[42] Comedy Central anticipated that several more providers would add it later in that year.^[42]

Currently, original shows that air in HD include The Sarah Silverman Program, and newer episodes of South Park, Comedy Central Presents, Reno 911!, as well as the new series Michael & Michael Have Issues and The Jeff Dunham Show. The new season of Live at Gotham and other stand up specials, as well as movies, air in HD as well.^[42]

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report began airing in HD on January 4, 2010.^[44] Many episodes of South Park that were originally made in 4:3 standard definition are cropped to be made 16:9 on Comedy Central HD. Comedy Central HD currently only airs in Eastern Standard Time.

Programming[link]

International[link]

Local versions of Comedy Central include:

Criticism[link]

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (July 2009)

Comedy Central has been a frequent target of criticism from the conservative group Parents Television Council, which accuses them of bigotry and blasphemy,^[46][47] especially within the programs South Park, The Sarah Silverman Program, Halfway Home, and the annual "Roast" special.^[48] PTC has used their criticisms against Comedy Central for their support of the Family and Consumer Choice Act of 2007, which would allow American cable TV subscribers to choose which channels they subscribe to,^[49] and to persuade advertisers to stop advertising on the channel.^[50] PTC founder and former president L. Brent Bozell III has called the channel unfunny, claiming the channel has managed "to reach the top of its field in spite of – or, better put, because of – the network's sheer lack of comedic talent" by its "extensive reliance on shocking or disgusting humor".^[51] The channel has also received criticism from certain parents^[52] for airing advertisements for "Girls Gone Wild". The channel also airs the least cut version of the popular film Not Another Teen Movie, as well as uncut versions of films such as Coming to America, Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

On November 5, 2007, an open letter^[53] was written by VideoSift to protest publicly the blocking of Comedy Central's embedded video content for non U.S. based viewers.

On April 21, 2010, Comedy Central censored the South Park episode, "201", in response to a death threat issued by users of a radical Muslim website over the episode's planned depiction of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, which led several newspaper columnists to condemn the network's actions as tantamount to abetting terrorism. Since then, as a result, neither "201" nor the episode that preceded it have been aired.

References[link]

http://www.tv.com/a-new-futurama-teaser-is-out-but-will-the-show-be-as-good/story/22087.html?tag=news_list;title;0 Retrieved 4/02/10

External links[link]

• ComedyCentral.com
• ComedyCentral Latin America
• ComedyCentral Germany
• ComedyCentral India
• ComedyCentral Italia
• ComedyCentral Netherlands
• ComedyCentral Poland
• ComedyCentral Hungary
• ComedyCentral Sweden
• ComedyCentral Ireland
• Comedy Central New Zealand
• Comedy Central UK
• Paramount Comedy Spain

v t e Viacom Inc. Corporate directors George S. Abrams · Philippe Dauman (CEO) · Thomas E. Dooley · Ellen V. Futter · Robert Kraft · Alan C. Greenberg · Charles Phillips · Sumner Redstone (Chairman) · Shari Redstone · Frederic Salerno · William Schwartz MTV Networks MTV Networks Company, Inc. MTV · VH1 · Nickelodeon · Comedy Central · CMT · Spike · more... BET Networks BET · BET Gospel · BET Hip-Hop · Centric · BET UK Paramount Motion Pictures Group Paramount Pictures Corporation: Paramount Pictures · Paramount Vantage · Paramount Classics · Republic Pictures · United International Pictures (50% with NBCUniversal's Universal Studios) MTV branded labels: MTV Films · Nickelodeon Movies Other units: EPIX (co-owned with Lions Gate Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) Television stations KGBS-CA (Tr3́s) · KHMM-CA (Tr3́s) · KMMK-LP / KMUM-CA / KMMW-LP (Nick Jr) · KZMM-CA (Tr3́s) Viacom Music Group Comedy Central Records · Nick Records Miscellaneous assets Viacom International · Viacom 18 (India)  · Viacom Entertainment Store  · Bellator Fighting Championships  · MovieTickets.com  · URGE See also Template:MTV Networks Europe · Viacom (1971–2005) · National Amusements · Gulf+Western Annual Revenue: $17.3 billion USD ( 10% 3Q 2005) · Employees: 38,310 · Stock Symbol: NASDAQ: VIA, NASDAQ: VIAB · Website: viacom.com

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Gabriel Iglesias
Born	(1976-07-15) July 15, 1976 (age 35) San Diego, California, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television
Years active	1997–present
Genres	Comedy
Subject(s)	Mexican American culture, race relations, satire
Website	Official website

Gabriel J. Iglecias (born July 15, 1976), known professionally as Gabriel Iglesias, is an American standup comedian and actor, known for his shows I'm Not Fat… I’m Fluffy and Hot & Fluffy. He employs storytelling, effected voices and sound effects in his act, whose other trademarks include references to his weight and his use of Hawaiian shirts. He has been called a "comedy genius" by Hector Saldaña of the San Antonio Express-News.

Early life[link]

Gabriel Iglesias was born Gabriel J. Iglecias in San Diego, California. He is of Mexican-American heritage. His mother placed a letter "c" in his surname in retaliation for his father's absence during his birth, though he does not use this spelling in his every day life, preferring to use the one with the "s". He and his mother lived in Riverside, Corona, Santa Ana, Baldwin Park and Compton before settling in Long Beach, where Iglesias spent most of his life growing up.^[1]

Career[link]

Before going into comedy, Iglesias worked for a cell phone company in Los Angeles. Although his family urged him to remain in that job for its financial security, he insisted on trying his hand at comedy. When maintaining both occupations proved too difficult to handle, he decided to take the risk of doing comedy full time, against the advice of his mother, who cautioned him against such a move. Iglesias nonetheless left the phone company, which eventually resulted in his being evicted from his home and losing his car. Despite this, he persisted with comedy.^[2]

Iglesias often references his weight in his comedy, often saying, "Oh, I’m not fat, I’m fluffy", a term he says was popular among overweight people in the 1940s, which he decided to use in his act. He also references different "Levels of Fatness" in his act, having once described "Five Levels of Fatness", and eventually adding a sixth, called "Oh, Hell no!" in 2009.^[2] He also employs voices, sound effects and storytelling in his act, and his other trademark signatures include his Hawaiian shirts and a "nice-guy veneer".^[3]

In 2000, after Iglesias had turned 20, he appeared in season 6 of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That in 2000, co-starring with Amanda Bynes and Nick Cannon.^[2]

Iglesias appeared on the Galavision TV show Que Locos!. He subsequently was guest-starred on the ABC sitcom My Wife and Kids.^{[episode needed]} His stand-up has been featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live!,^{[episode needed]} The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,^{[episode needed]} The Late Late Show,^{[episode needed]} Good Morning America,^{[episode needed]} Showtime at the Apollo^{[episode needed]} and BET'S Comic View.^{[episode needed]} On the big screen, he has appeared in the independent films El Matador and The Surfer King, in which he played the role of Aokee, a water park concession manager.

In 2007 Iglesias voiced an entire Mexican family in "Padre de Familia", a sixth season episode of the Fox TV animated comedy Family Guy. That same year, he began voicing a recurring set of identical twin characters on The Emperor's New School, a Disney animated series that he describes as his favorite voice work.^[2]

Iglesias was a contestant on the fourth season of reality TV series Last Comic Standing in 2006, surviving elimination to become one of the final eight comics. He was disqualified at that point for having used a smuggled BlackBerry to communicate with family and friends, which violated the rules of the show.^[2][4]

In November 2009 Comedy Central released the DVD of the show Gabriel Iglesias: I'm Not Fat... I'm Fluffy.^[5]

In 2011 Comedy Central debuted Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution, a standup showcase series with Iglesias produces and hosts. Hector Saldaña of the San Antonio Express-News praised Iglesias and the other comedian he assembled for the show, calling it "one of the all-time funniest comedy package tours" and Iglesias a "comedy genius".^[3]

Awards and honors[link]

On February 10, 2012, Iglesias was presented with several awards by the city of El Paso, Texas, including the key to the city, a resolution from the El Paso County Commissioners, Congressional Recognition from Congressman Silvestre Reyes, and the Beacon of H.O.P.E Award from the nonprofit organization Operation H.O.P.E, during a luncheon fundraiser that raised an estimated $5,000.^[6]

Personal life[link]

Iglesias lives in Whittier, California.^[7] He lives with his girlfriend and his stepson.^[2]

Credits[link]

• 2011: Conan
• 2009: Just for Laughs
• 2009: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
• 2008: Kickin' It
• 2007: Gabriel Iglesias
• 2007: Live at Gotham
• 2006: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson
• 2003: Comedy Central Presents: Gabriel Iglesias
• 2002: Tonight Show with Jay Leno
• 2002: My Wife and Kids, Nabu
• 2000: Premium Blend Season 3, Episode 8
• 2000: All That
• 2011: Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution

Discography[link]

• We Luv Fluffy (2009)

Filmography[link]

• El Matador (2003)
• The Surfer King (2006)
• Hot and Fluffy (2007)
• Comedy Central's Stand Up Picks - Part 3 (2008)
• I'm Not Fat... I'm Fluffy (2009)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Gabriel Iglesias at the Internet Movie Database

Matthew "Matt" Braunger is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian. Outside of performing stand-up, Braunger is most notable for being a cast member on MADtv during its final season in 2008-2009 and for co-starring in the web series IKEA Heights.

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Braunger was born August 1, 1974 in Chicago, Illinois. However, his family moved to Portland, Oregon when he was young. After graduating from Portland's Grant High School,^[1] Braunger studied theater at Manhattanville College, in Purchase, New York. After earning his bachelor's degree, he moved to Chicago to develop his career in comedy.^[2]

Career[link]

Comedian[link]

Braunger has been featured at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal 2007, The Las Vegas Comedy Festival 2007, South By Southwest, and most recently won “Best Of The Fest” at the inaugural Rooftop Comedy Festival in Aspen.^[3] His debut stand-up comedy album 'Soak up The Night' was released digitally on July 14, 2009 on Comedy Central Records. The album is also available in vinyl for a limited time, through Braunger's website.

Braunger has performed his stand-up act on television programs such as The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show and Live at Gotham on Comedy Central. He will also have a Comedy Central Presents special slated to air on April 9, 2010. In recent months he has also become a frequent panel guest on Chelsea Lately.

[edit] MADtv

Braunger joined the cast of MADtv in 2008 as a feature performer, for the fourteenth season. He created the Careco character which was featured in the Coach Hines sketches for that season. Braunger's most popular impressions included Andy Griffith and Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. He was a featured member of the cast when Fox announced the cancellation of the show from its Fall 2009 line up.

Characters and Impersonations[link]

Other projects[link]

Braunger and comedian Matt Dwyer hosted a weekly comedy podcast called "MATTs Radio" on mattsradio.com, they taped their final episode on September 30, 2010.

Braunger is currently starring in an untitled sitcom pilot for Comedy Central created by Braunger and The Office writer Brent Forrester.

Filmography[link]

Movie appearances[link]

Television appearances[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Matt Braunger at the Internet Movie Database
• Official site
• MATTs Radio
• MADtv fan site

Wyatt Cenac
Cenac at the launch of Earth (The Book)
Born	(1976-04-19) April 19, 1976 (age 36) New York City, New York[1]
Occupation	Actor comedian, writer
Years active	1995–present
Website
http://www.wyattcenac.com/

Wyatt Cenac ( /ˈwaɪ.ət sɨˈnæk/) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer.^[2] He is currently working as a correspondent and writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Cenac was born in New York City, and attended high school in Texas at the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas.^[3] While in elementary school, he became friends with comic book writer Brian K. Vaughn,^[4] who also introduced him to comic books. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before moving to Los Angeles to further his career.

Career[link]

Wyatt Cenac at Pitchfork Music Festival, 2010.

Having previously worked for three years as a writer and story editor on King of the Hill, Cenac garnered public attention in a The Doomed Planet comedy sketch in which he did an impression of then-senator Barack Obama, discussing possible campaign posters.^[5] He was considered for a role on sketch show Saturday Night Live in which he would have portrayed the Democratic presidential candidate, but was passed over in favor of Fred Armisen.

In June 2008, Cenac was hired as a correspondent and writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. After making several comedic appearances along with other correspondents, Cenac filed his first field report on July 21, 2008, concerning Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.^[6] He continues to integrate satirical Black-oriented material in his Daily Show segments, including "Rapper or Republican".^[7] In October 2009, he worked with rapper Slim Thug on the music video "Still a Boss", a parody of how the recession is affecting the rap community. Cenac appeared in the lead role in the indie movie Medicine for Melancholy, an independent film released in 2008 that explores issues of African-American identity and gentrification in San Francisco.^[8][9]

Cenac plays the voice of Lenny and Michael Johnson in the Nickelodeon animated series Fanboy and Chum Chum.^[10]

Cenac guest starred on the MC Frontalot album Solved.

Cenac has a hour-long comedy special entitled "Comedy Person"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Wyatt Cenac at the Internet Movie Database
• Wyatt Cenac official website
• Medicine for Melancholy podcast with Wyatt Cenac at GreenCine Daily

Donald Glover (Childish Gambino)
Glover at PaleyFest 2010
Born	Donald McKinley Glover (1983-09-25) September 25, 1983 (age 28) Edwards Air Force Base, California, U.S.
Residence	Silver Lake, California, U.S.
Other names	Childish Gambino
Occupation	Actor, writer, comedian, musician
Years active	2002–present
Home town	Stone Mountain, Georgia, U.S.
Website
http://www.iamdonald.com/

Donald McKinley Glover^[1] (born September 25, 1983) is an American actor, writer, comedian, and musician. Glover first came to attention for his work with Derrick Comedy. He is best known for being a writer for 30 Rock, and for his role as college student Troy Barnes on the NBC comedy series Community. In 2011, Glover signed to Glassnote Records under the stage name Childish Gambino; his first studio album, Camp, was released on November 15, 2011.

Early life and education[link]

Glover was born on September 25, 1983 on Edwards Air Force Base, California^[2] to parents Beverly and Donald Sr. and raised as a Jehovah's Witness in Stone Mountain, Georgia.^[3] Contrary to a persistent rumor, he is not related to actor Danny Glover.^[4] In addition to a biological brother and sister, Glover grew up alongside foster children taken in by his parents.^[3] Glover attended Rockbridge Elementary School and DeKalb School of the Arts before studying at New York University, graduating with a degree in Dramatic Writing in 2006.^[5]

Career[link]

TV and Film[link]

Glover is known for his work on the NBC show Community with Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. Glover was a writer for the NBC series 30 Rock from 2006 to 2009, where he also had an occasional cameo appearance. He was presented the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Candace Comedy Series at the February 2009 ceremony for his work on the third season of 30 Rock.^[6]

In 2008, rumors surfaced that Glover was to become a cast member of Saturday Night Live and that he would portray Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Glover denied the SNL rumors on his Facebook profile, stating, "Just to let people know. I was NOT asked to SNL. I just auditioned and there's been a rumor spreading around the web. Just trying to clear the air."^[7]

Glover's stand-up special aired on Comedy Central on March 19, 2010.

In May 2010, Glover started a campaign on Twitter to be allowed to audition for the role of Peter Parker in the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man film, encouraging his supporters to retweet the hashtag "#donald4spiderman".^[8] The campaign, originally started to see how far social networking could carry a message, quickly gained a large following.^[9] The call for Glover to be allowed to audition for the role was supported by Spider-Man creator Stan Lee.^[10] Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis, who announced an African-American version of Spider-Man a year later, said he had conceived of the character before Glover's campaign went viral.^[11] Bendis gave credit to Glover for influencing the new hero's looks; on seeing him dressed as Spider-Man on Community (a nod to the campaign) Bendis said, "I saw him in the costume and thought, 'I would like to read that book.'".^[12]

In June 2010, it was announced that Glover would receive the Rising Comedy Star award at the Just for Laughs festival in July.^[13]

Glover was featured in Gap's 2010 Holiday ad campaign.

On March 16, 2011, Glover hosted the mtvU Woodie Awards held live at South By Southwest.

On March 24, 2011, Glover taped his one hour comedy special Weirdo for Comedy Central; it aired on November 19.^[14][15]

Donald appeared at the 2011 Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 9 in the 'This Tent' as Childish Gambino and June 11 at 'The Comedy Theater' with Bill Bailey performing stand up. Comedy Central streamed the comedy live on their website.^[16]

Derrick Comedy and other projects[link]

Glover is a member of the sketch comedy group Derrick Comedy, along with Dominic Dierkes, Meggie McFadden, DC Pierson, and Dan Eckman. Derrick's YouTube videos gained the group nationwide attention^{[citation needed]} and have contributed to Donald Glover's recognition, as well as his newfound success in the television business. The group wrote and starred in a feature-length film, Mystery Team, released in theaters in 2009.

In January 2012, Donald made a cameo as himself in the YouTube webseries (Episode 12) "The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl". He was on the show to meet the main character who is a big fan of Donald Glover and was taken backstage at one of his concerts.^[17]

Music[link]

Childish Gambino in concert at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City (October 17, 2010)

Donald Glover DJs and produces his own music under the moniker "mcDJ". His music is of the electronic/remix variety and is often made available for free download via his official site. His current album releases include Love Letter in an Unbreakable Bottle and Utterances of the Heart.

Glover raps and performs under the stage name Childish Gambino,^[18] a name he found from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator.^[19] He released an album entitled Sick Boi on June 5, 2008. On September 17, 2009, Childish Gambino released the album Poindexter. A pair of mixtapes entitled I Am Just A Rapper, and I Am Just A Rapper 2 were released in close succession in early 2010. Robert Scahill added his producing expertise helping with the majority of the tracks. The track listings for those albums consist of the name of the song "he" raps, followed by the song he raps over. His third album, Culdesac, was set to be released on July 2, 2010, but a couple of last minute additions caused the album to be delayed for a day. The album was made available on July 3.^[20] Glover has stated in interviews that on Sick Boi and Poindexter he felt he had to hide behind gimmicks, such as pink hoodies, but with his subsequent projects, he has touched on more personal subject matter, including family, schoolyard bullying, troubled romantic relationships, suicidal thoughts and alcoholism. He has disowned his 2005^[21] album, The Younger I Get, as the too-raw ramblings of what he calls a "decrepit Drake."

On December 1, 2010, Glover released the first track off of his EP titled "Be Alone". He released the next track, "Freaks and Geeks", as well as a five-song track list, on February 11, 2011. On February 25, Donald released the dates for the IAMDONALD tour and also his very first music video for "Freaks and Geeks".^[22] The music video was shot by Dan Eckman, the director of the DerrickComedy troupe. This song would later be used in an Adidas commercial featuring Dwight Howard which brought the song, and Donald, more recognition. On March 8, 2011 Donald released his newest EP via his official website.^[23]

On May 4, 2011, in an interview with TheHipHopUpdate, Glover revealed that he was working on an LP, to be released in September.^[24]

During the weekend of the 2011 San Diego Comic Con, Donald performed with his band and his DJ, SoSuperSam, at the House of Blues in San Diego.^[25] Donald performed a new song from his LP and explained why he had not used Twitter or Tumblr in a while.^[26]

On July 25, 2011, Donald Glover announced that his new album would be entitled Camp. On October 8, 2011, during his Orlando concert, he announced Camp would be released on November 15, 2011.

On August 20, 2011, at the Los Angeles Rock The Bells concert, he gave an interview to allhiphop.com, and announced to the crowd that he had signed with Glassnote Records.^[27] This means that his music will be published onto physical media for the first time including cds and vinyl.

In September 2011, Childish Gambino played at the BruinBash festival at UCLA. On September 20, he released his first official single, "Bonfire". It received much praise on blogs and music message boards.^{[citation needed]}

On November 15, 2011, he performed "Heartbeat" from his album Camp on Conan.

On January 11, 2012, Childish Gambino announced on his website that a new mixtape would be coming out soon. Pictures of Stone Mountain appear to be the cover for his mixtape. On April 2, he released a new song, "Eat Your Vegetables", through his website IAmDonald.com. He said that he has recorded 25 songs for the mixtape and that it will be released "extremely soon." Because of his frequent use of the word on his site and Twitter account, many believe the new mixtape will be titled "Royalty". This was later cleared up by Donald on the BET show, 106 & Park, on May 1, where he stated that "Royalty" was just the name he gave to the group of his friends/musicians that he travels and performs with. On May 14, Funkmaster Flex premiered "Unnecessary", featuring Schoolboy Q. On May 16, Gambino released an untitled track (dubbed "We Ain't Them" by fans) through his website, produced by himself and frequent collaborator Ludwig. On May 22, Donald appeared on Das Racist's radio show "Chillin' Island" where he premiered a new song, "Tell Me", which featured Himanshu Suri, aka Heems from Das Racist. On May 26, Donald released another untitled track (dubbed "Black Faces" by fans) through his website, featuring Nipsey Hussle and produced by Boi-1da. On May 30, he released a third track through his website which he named "Silk Pillow" (via his Twitter account), featuring Beck and produced by both Glover and Beck.

Tours[link]

IAMDONALD Tour[link]

The IAMDONALD tour made 23 stops in 33 days, beginning with Ames, IA on April 16, and finishing with Minneapolis, MN on May 19. In between, this included performances in music venues in cities such as Las Vegas, Houston, Washington, and Atlanta. The tour's shows in New York at the Bowery Ballroom on May 10, and in Brooklyn at Williamsburg Music Hall on May 14, both sold out in three hours after tickets were released on March 4.^[3]

Sign-Up Tour[link]

The Sign-Up Tour was Donald's next pre-tour. He visited 11 cities over the course of 38 days in October and November 2011.^[28]

CAMP Tour[link]

Donald's next tour will be nationwide. He made a website for the tour called "Camp Gambino" on November 19, four days after his album released.^[29] The tour will also feature special guest Danny Brown. The tour will make 20 stops during the course of 32 days along a dates in California in December.^[30] As reported on his website on March 14, 2012, several dates on the CAMP tour have been postponed due to a fractured foot Donald Glover suffered on March 10, while performing in Tampa, Florida. The tour will now begin in Austin, Texas on April 5 and end August 3 in Detroit, Michigan.

Filmography[link]

Discography[link]

As Childish Gambino[link]

Studio albums[link]

Independent Albums[link]

• Sick Boi (2008)
• Poindexter (2009)
• Culdesac (2010)

Extended Plays[link]

• EP (2011)

Mixtapes[link]

• I Am Just a Rapper (2010)
• I Am Just a Rapper 2 (2010)
• Unknown Title (2012)^[38]

Singles[link]

• Break (AOTL) (2011)
• Untouchable
• It's On
• The Longest Text Message
• Eat Your Vegetables (2012)
• Unnecessary (ft. ScHoolboy Q) (2012)
• Tell Me (ft. Heems) (2012)
• Black Faces (ft. Nipsey Hussle) (2012)
• Silk Pillow (ft. Beck) (2012)

Collaboration Songs (as featured artist)[link]

• Who Dat Pt. 2 with J. Cole & Spencer Datt (2011)
• Womyn 2 with Heems (2012)
• Level Up (International Remix) with Sway (2012)
• Tricks with Ludovin (2012)
• Giants with Josh Osho (2012)

mc DJ[link]

• Love Letter in an Unbreakable Bottle
• Utterances of the Heart
• Fuck Yaselves
• The Works
• New Year's Eve Mix
• Illin-Noise
• Apple Sauce: Fiona Apple Remix Album
• A Charlie Brown X-mas EP

As An Actor[link]

• "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" from 30 Rock: Official Soundtrack (2010)
• "101 Rap", "Somewhere Out There" from Community: Music from the Original Television Series (2010)
• "Troy and Abed's Christmas Infiltration Rap" Community (2011)

References[link]

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (May 2012)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Donald Glover

• Donald Glover at the Internet Movie Database
• Donald Glover on Twitter
• Official website
• Derrick Comedy's Official Site
• Review of Childish Gambino at Starland Ballroom