DeGeneres, Leary, Peters & More to Take Part in TBS' 'A Very Funny Festival: Just For Laughs'

A Whirlwind of Comedy Prepares to Descend on Chicago for a Second Year as TBS PRESENTS A "VERY FUNNY" FESTIVAL: JUST FOR LAUGHS - Ellen Degeneres, Cedric the Entertainer, Denis Leary, Russell Peters, Greg Giraldo, Jim Norton, Aziz Ansari and Bob Odenkirk Lined Up for Festival Taking Place June 15-19, 2010, With More Exciting Talent to be Announced Soon.

Tickets Go on Sale at 10 a.m. (CT) March 29 for Week-Long Event, A Co-Production of Comedy Giants TBS and Montreal's Just For Laughs

Five nights. Twelve venues. More than 100 comedians. The laughter is returning to Chicago this summer with the second annual edition of TBS PRESENTS A "VERY FUNNY" FESTIVAL: JUST FOR LAUGHS, scheduled to take place Tuesday, June 15 - Saturday, June 19, 2010. Ellen Degeneres, Cedric the Entertainer, Denis Leary, Russell Peters, Greg Giraldo, Jim Norton and Aziz Ansari are among the extraordinary comic talents slated to appear. Also on the roster are the wildly popular Lucha VaVOOM show and The Not Inappropriate Show, a sketch show for kids featuring Bob Odenkirk and some of LA's hottest sketch performers. The Festival once again brings together the unprecedented comedy forces of TBS and Montreal's Just For Laughs. Tickets for Festival performances will go on sale at 10 a.m. (CT) Monday, March 29, with additional programming to be announced soon.

TBS will give viewers around the country a chance to get in on the fun by presenting three television specials from the event. Leading the pack will be Ellen's Somewhat Special, Emmy-winner Ellen Degeneres' fourth variety show for TBS, which will be taped Wednesday, June 16, at The Chicago Theatre. Cedric the Entertainer will host Cedric the Entertainer's Urban Circus (Working Title), which will also tape at The Chicago Theatre Friday, June 18. A third show being taped for TBS will be announced at a later date.

Denis Leary brings The Rescue Me Comedy Tour to The Chicago Theatre on Saturday, June 19. Russell Peters' The Green Card Tour is set for Saturday, June 19 at the Rosemont Theatre. The Nasty Show hosted by Greg Giraldo with special guest Jim Norton is scheduled for two shows on Friday, June 18, at the Vic Theatre. And Aziz Ansari's The Dangerously Delicious Tour is set to perform at the Vic Theatre Thursday, June 17.

Wednesday, June 16, Park West joins the growing list of festival venues this year as it welcomes two performances of Lucha VaVOOM, an action-packed comedy and wrestling show with a touch of eye-popping burlesque and variety acts from around the globe.

Friday and Saturday afternoons, Mercury Theatre will host The Not Inappropriate Show, a sketch comedy show made especially for kids ages 6 and up, starring Bob Odenkirk, Kate Micucci and members of The Groundlings and Upright Citizen's Brigade.

"Last year, we partnered with Just For Laughs to bring the biggest names in comedy to Chicago," said Dennis Adamovich, senior vice president of brand and digital activation/general manager of festivals for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "We're honored to be returning for a second year as we bring together a wider variety of comedic talent from some of the top names in the business, along with fresh faces and truly one-of-a-kind performances."

"We were thrilled with the response from Chicago comedy fans during the inaugural edition of the Festival last summer," said Bruce Hills, chief operating officer of Just For Laughs. "We're looking forward to our second edition, which will again be filled with the world's funniest comic stars, the best of the Chicago comedy scene and tons of surprises along the way."

In addition to In addition to The Chicago Theatre, Rosemont Theatre, Park West, the Vic Theatre and Mercury Theatre, sites slated to be home to this year's Festival include Lakeshore Theater and a roster of venues featuring grassroots programming to be announced later.

Last year's edition of TBS PRESENTS A "VERY FUNNY" FESTIVAL: JUST FOR LAUGHS proved to be a landmark event for Chicago, which is home to a rich comedy heritage that includes an abundance of improv and sketch troupes and some of the most familiar names in the business. Five nights of comedy - 67 different shows featuring more than 100 comedians - took place at various venues across the Chicago area, many of them selling out, including performances by DeGeneres, Bill Engvall, George Lopez (four shows), Jimmy Fallon, Jim Breuer and Danny Bhoy (two shows), Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, Andy Dick and Jim Jefferies. Also selling out were The Nasty Show (two shows), An All-Star Comedy Show hosted by Russell Peters and more than 10 shows in the grassroots series, including Susan Messing and The Improvised Shakespeare Company