TBS To Roast Cheech And Chong
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Source: Turner Networks

November 17th, 2008--Cheech & Chong, the stoner pair who dominated the comedy scene in the 1970s and ’80s and recently reunited for their Light Up America tour, will take their place in THE COMEDY FESTIVAL hot seat to be roasted by close friends and fellow comedians in TBS’s one-hour comedy event CHEECH & CHONG ROASTED. Emmy®-winning comic actor Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond, ‘Til Death) will host the festivities, which are set to feature scorchingly funny testimonials from such scheduled roasters as comedian Tom Arnold, television journalist Geraldo Rivera, comic magicians Penn & Teller and That ‘70s Show’s Wilmer Valderrama, comedian Greg Giraldo, The Rev. Al Sharpton and Tommy Chong’s wife, actress Shelby Chong, with special appearances by actor Steve Carell and comedian Andy Dick.

CHEECH & CHONG ROASTED will take place in The Palace at Caesars Palace Friday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m. (PT), with the show premiering on TBS Sunday, Nov. 30, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). Robert Morton (Late Show with David Letterman, Chocolate News) will serve as executive producer with Ben Feigin of Anonymous Content and Josh Klein of The Group Management. John Moffitt (Bill Maher: The Decider, Mr. Show with Bob and David) is directing.

Cheech & Chong – aka Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong – made a name for themselves with their drug-laced humor, which kept audiences rolling in the aisles with such comedy routines as “Earache My Eye,” “Basketball Jones,” “Santa Claus and His Old Lady” and “Sister Mary Elephant.” They transferred their success to the big screen with a number of hit movies, like Up in Smoke, Nice Dreams and Things are Tough All Over. After several years working on solo careers, the pair recently hooked up again to take their comedy on the road with an American and Canadian tour.

CHEECH & CHONG ROASTED host Brad Garrett earned five Emmy nominations and three Emmys for his work on the long-running series Everybody Loves Raymond. He can currently be seen in the comedy series ‘Til Death. Named Best Comedian by the Las Vegas Review Journal in 1989, he has appeared in numerous television series and films, including Mad About You, Seinfeld, Clubland, Sweet & Lowdown and Don King: Only in America, and provided voice work in such films as Ratatouille, A Bug’s Life, Riff Raff, Underdog and Casper.

The following is a complete list of the celebrities ready to roast Cheech & Chong with their comic barbs:

Tom Arnold: Actor, stand-up comedian and comedy writer; wrote extensively for and appeared occasionally on the hit series Roseanne, and starred in his own comedy series, The Tom Show. Additional credits include Nine Months, True Lies, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Happy Endings, The Kid & I, The Great Buck Howard, Good Dick, The Year of Getting to Know Us, Best Damn Sports Show Period, and he can currently be seen in Gardens of the Night.

Geraldo Rivera: Host of FOX News’ Geraldo at Large; veteran foreign correspondent who has been on the frontlines in virtually every international conflict since 1973; additional credits include 20/20, Good Morning America, The Geraldo Rivera Show, Rivera Live; recipient of more than 170 awards for journalism, including a Peabody Award.

Penn & Teller: Comedy duo famous for their magic and sleight of hand; currently appearing at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas; stars of the hit series Penn & Teller: Bullshit; headlined a long-running hit on and off-Broadway; credits include Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular, Penn & Teller’s Home Invasion, Penn & Teller’s Invisible Thread, Don’t Try This at Home, Behind the Scenes, The Unpleasant World of Penn & Teller and Penn & Teller’s Phobophilia, as well as the film Penn & Teller Get Killed; books include Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends, How to Play with Your Food and How to Play in Traffic. Penn also created and produced the documentary film The Aristocrats.

Wilmer Valderrama: Actor best known for his role as Fez on That ‘70s Show; currently provides the voice for Manny in Disney’s Handy Manny series; served as creator, producer and host of MTV’s Yo Momma; credits include Fast Food Nation, Unaccompanied Minors, and the upcoming big-screen adaptation of CHiPs.

Greg Giraldo: Provocative comedian and actor; credits include the current IFC series Z Rock, The Root of All Evil, Good Day to Cross a River (CD), The Stand Up Show with Greg Giraldo, Common Law and numerous celebrity roasts including Pamela Anderson, Howard Stern, Bob Saget, Jeff Foxworthy and Katt Williams; two comedy central stand-up specials.

The Rev. Al Sharpton: Activist, politician and religious leader from New York; came to prominence in the 1980s over his protests against racial injustice and police brutality; serves as a spokesperson for society’s downtrodden, a commitment he took to a new level when he ran for President of the United States in 2004.

Shelby Chong: Actress and wife of Tommy Chong; credits include Cheech & Chong’s The Corsican Brothers, Things are Tough All Over, Cheech & Chong’s Nice Dreams, Far Out Man, The Spirit of ’76, Dead On; Relentless II and Best Buds.

Steve Carell: Golden Globe-winning, Emmy-nominated best known for his role in the series The Office and in such movies as Get Smart, Evan Almighty and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Additional credits include the movies Dan in Real Life, Little Miss Sunshine and Bewitched, as well as the series The Daily Show.

Andy Dick: Cutting-edge comedian and actor; best known for co-starring roles on NewsRadio and Less Than Perfect; creator and star of the Andy Dick Show; credits include Zoolander, Road Trip, Inspector Gadget, The Cable Guy, Get Smart, Reality Bites, Employee of the Month and Fired!, as well as the recent DVD Danny Rhone: First Time Director and the CD Andy Dick: Do Your Shows Always Suck?

Now in its fourth year, THE COMEDY FESTIVAL, a co-production with AEG Live, is a three-day event taking place Nov. 20-22 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The extensive lineup for the event includes such previously announced performers as Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Dane Cook, Tracy Morgan, Jeff Dunham, Dave Attell, Jamie Kennedy, Mike Epps, David Alan Grier, The Kids in the Hall, Russell Peters, Kate Clinton, Jim Breuer, Andrew Dice Clay, Jim Norton and John Oliver. TBS will televise several programs from THE COMEDY FESTIVAL, including the variety special ELLEN’S EVEN BIGGER REALLY BIG SHOW, presented by DeGeneres; LAFFAPALOOZA! Hosted by Tracy Morgan, an evening of performances by top comedians; and CHEECH & CHONG ROASTED, a celebrity-filled skewering of the legendary comedy duo. (A complete list of the previously announced acts is available at thecomedyfestival.com.)

This year, for the first time ever, the excitement of THE COMEDY FESTIVAL will be just one mouse click away. TBS’s thecomedyfestival.com Web site will utilize cutting-edge technology to give fans the opportunity to choose from four simultaneous video streams direct from the event.

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased for individual shows and packages online at thecomedyfestival.com, by phone at (877) TCF-FEST or in person at the box office at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Exclusive VIP packages are available online or by calling The Colosseum box office at (702) 866-1409. Hotel information can be found at www.caesarspalace.com, while additional festival information and schedule updates is available at thecomedyfestival.com.