2012 Comedy Awards Honors Don Rickles; Yet More MeTV Affiliates Announced

Monday, April 09, 2012

2012 Comedy Awards Honors Don Rickles; Yet More MeTV Affiliates Announced

The Comedy Awards, the annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy, announced that legendary comedian Don Rickles will be honored as the recipient of the prestigious "Johnny Carson Award For Comedic Excellence" at this year's ceremony. The Daily Show's Jon Stewart will present him with the prestigious award. The "Johnny Carson Award For Comedic Excellence" is presented annually in honor of iconic comedian and talk show host Johnny Carson, to an individual who embodies the same comedic excellence of the renowned and beloved comic powerhouse. Rickles, who credits Carson for giving him his first big break and was a frequent guest and guest host on The Tonight Show, appearing over 100 times during Carson's tenure, is being honored for more than 55 years of outstanding work in stand-up comedy, paving the way for countless entertainers. He is the second recipient of this award, following David Letterman, who was presented with the honor by Bill Murray at last year's inaugural ceremony.
The Comedy Awards, now in its second year, is dedicated to celebrating the art of comedy with an historic, one-night-only celebration honoring the most talented writers, directors, actors and stand-ups, who provided the laugh track to our lives this past year. The ceremony will take place at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday, April 28 and premiere on Comedy Central on Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

As a reminder, here are the nominees for television:

COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock (NBC)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Happy Endings (ABC)
Modern Family (ABC)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR - TV
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS - TV
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl (Fox)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family (ABC)

COMEDY DIRECTING - TV
30 Rock (NBC)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Louie (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
The Office (NBC)

ANIMATED COMEDY SERIES
Archer (FX)
Family Guy (Fox)
The Life & Times of Tim (HBO)
The Simpsons (Fox)
South Park (Comedy Central)

COMEDY WRITING - TV
30 Rock (NBC)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Louie (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)

LATE NIGHT COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

BREAKOUT PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Zooey Deschanel (New Girl, Fox)
Josh Gad
Donald Glover (Community, NBC)
Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly, CBS)
Jason Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live, NBC)

SKETCH / ALTERNATIVE COMEDY SERIES
Childrens Hospital (Adult Swim)
Louie (FX)
Portlandia (IFC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Tosh.0 (Comedy Central)

MeTV Network announced affiliation agreements with Morgan Murphy Media-owned KXLY, Spokane & KAPP, Yakima. KXLY-TV will carry MeTV over the air on channel 4.2 and KAPP-TV will carry MeTV over the air on channel 35.2. Both stations are scheduled to launch the classic TV network this fall and carry MeTV on cable channels in their respective DMAs. MeTV is now cleared in more than 78% of the country and has more than 120 affiliates.
MeTV of course features a wide range of programming which audiences and advertisers find comfortable and engaging. MeTV's library includes almost 100 series from Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, CBS Television Distribution, NBCUniversal Television as well as independent series owners and producers. MeTV's line-up include some of the most beloved television programs ever produced, including: M*A*S*H, Perry Mason, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Bob Newhart Show, That Girl, Gunsmoke, the original Star Trek and Hawaii Five-O series.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, April 1

St. Denis Medical - "Anything to Push Zaluva" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ron's teasing makes Joyce question whether her friendship with a pharmaceutical rep is genuine; Alex has trouble letting Serena take on a new task; Matt finds a mentor in Bruce.

Night Court - "Hot to Trot" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Abby's friendship with her ex-boyfriend's mother leads to romantic complications; when Julianne's wealthy aunt passes away, the gang vies for a piece of her inheritance.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Love At First Swipe" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
C.J. and Janine receive marital advice from an unlikely source; Peanut seeks help with his newfound online lover.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Failure 2 Launch" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Assisted Living is the new situation comedy by Tyler Perry about three generations who must make a new start in the rural backwoods of Georgia.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 31)

Tuesday, April 1

Adam Scott (Ghosted/Veep/Parks and Recreation/Party Down) - Catch Adam on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Kevin Bacon (I Love Dick) - Kevin is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Amanda appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ike Barinholtz (The Studio/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He will also be on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9:30pm on Bravo.
Vinny Thomas (Platonic), Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Lopez vs Lopez/Corporate) - Vinny, Paul and Aparna are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio/Bupkis) and Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Chase and Kathryn are guests on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9:30pm on Bravo.
Will Ferrell (The Office) and Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls/Joey) - E! News has interviews with Will and Jennifer at 11pm on E!.
Román Zaragoza (Ghosts) - Román talks about Ghosts on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny talks about Dying for Sex on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Michael Angarano (Laid/I'm Dying Up Here/Will & Grace) and Michael Cera (Life & Beth/Arrested Development/I Was a Sixth Grade Alien) - Michael and Michael talk about Sacramento with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) - Hannah talks about Hacks on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Tasha Smith (Survival of the Thickest/Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse/The Tom Show/Boston Common) and Tone Bell (Survival of the Thickest/Fam/Disjointed/Truth Be Told/Bad Judge/Whitney) - Tasha and Tone talk about the new season of Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn is dishing on her new comedy series The Studio on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer and Freddy Rodriguez chat about their podcast Dos Amigos on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Brenda Song (Running Point/Dollface/Dads/The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) - Brenda talks about Netflix's Running Point on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Paul Walter Hauser (The Afterparty) - Paul is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.