New York Comedy Festival

By Jacob E. Osterhout

Thursday, August 13th 2009, 11:33 AM

Andy Samberg at the 135th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 2, 2009, in Louisville. The 'Saturday Night Live' comedian is appearing at the New York comedy festival.

Go ahead, laugh it up.

On Wednesday, the New York Comedy Festival announced the addition of “Saturday Night Live” comedian Adam Samberg, actor/comedian Dane Cook, and “Howard Stern Show” regular and public nuisance Artie Lange to their already formidable lineup.

These big-name comedians join over 150 other performers including “30 Rock” star Tracy Morgan, British “Office” star Ricky Gervais, talk show host Bill Maher, and comedians Mike Epps, Bill Burr, Patton Oswalt, and Mike Birbiglia.

For those who missed last year's festival because of the pre-election jitters, this year's laugh fest, which runs from November 4th to the 8th at ten venues throughout New York City, should maintain a subtler political bent.

As well as the stand-up comedy shows, the festival will also feature panel discussions at the Paley Center for Media with lineups yet to be announced.

In its sixth year, the New York Comedy Festival, presented in association with Comedy Central, has become one the premiere American comedy events of the year.

Tickets go on sale August 17th (nycomedyfestival.com).

The New York Times; Arts Beat; Culture News and Views

August 12, 2009

By Dave Itzkoff

If a certain presidential election distracted you last November from the New York Comedy Festival, you have no excuse for missing out this year, especially now that all the nation’s political disputes have been completely resolved. On Wednesday, the festival’s organizers announced the lineup for this year’s festival, which will run from Nov. 4 through 8, and it’s a formidable crop: Andy Samberg, the “Saturday Night Live” star; the sometime film actor Dane Cook; the “Howard Stern Show” regular (and “Joe Buck Live” hijacker) Artie Lange; as well as Patton Oswalt, Mike Birbiglia, Bill Burr and Mike Epps have been added to the bill. They join the previously announced headliners Ricky Gervais (who performs on Nov. 5 at Carnegie Hall), Tracy Morgan (Nov. 6 at Carnegie Hall) and Bill Maher (Nov. 8 at Avery Fisher Hall). More than 150 comedians are expected to perform over the course of the festival; panel discussions at the Paley Center for Media are also planned, with those lineups still to be announced.