CMT PRESENTS “LARRY THE CABLE GUY’S STAR STUDDED CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA” PREMIERING NOVEMBER 21
10/21/08
Nashville — October 21, 2008 — Larry the Cable Guy comes to CMT with a 90-minute special designed to be a throwback to the old school holiday variety show in LARRY THE CABLE GUY’S STAR STUDDED CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA. Taped in Nashville, the special premieres Friday, November 21 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on CMT. Jack Records/Warner Bros. Records will debut the LARRY THE CABLE GUY’S STAR STUDDED CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA on DVD on November 25, 2008.
Larry, whose inaugural Christmas Spectacular special aired last year on VH1, hosts a lineup of guest stars including Toby Keith, Terry Bradshaw, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Lewis Black and Blake Shelton, via pre-taped segments. Also featured in the special, appearing with Larry in sketches are Tony Orlando, Fred Willard (“Back to You”), NSYNC’s Joey Fatone, Ross Mathews (“The Tonight Show”), ventriloquist Terry Fator, comedians Charlie Callas and Victoria Jackson, Jennifer Aspen (“Rodney”), Nadine Valazquez (“My Name is Earl”) and Angela Little MacKenzie (“Reno 911”). In addition to comedy and sketches, the special includes musical performances from artists Montgomery Gentry, Rodney Atkins and Emily West.
“We had so much fun last year trying to recreate one of those old Christmas specials from the 70’s we thought we’d try doing it every year. Lucky for us, CMT liked it too," says Larry.
With his signature catchphrase, “Git-R-Done”, Larry the Cable Guy continues to sell out theatres and arenas across the United States. Larry has also starred in other films including “Witless Protection,” “Delta Farce,” “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector” and he was the voice of Mater in the Golden Globe winning animated feature film “Cars.” He is a Grammy nominated artist and has three comedy CDs that has been certified gold. Larry’s DVD special “Git-R-Done,” has sold more than 1 million copies and has been certified platinum.
A Parallel Entertainment and Ish Entertainment Production, the special is executive produced by JP Williams, CEO and founder of Parallel Entertainment, Larry the Cable Guy, Tom Forrest, and Ish Entertainment’s Stella Stolper, Michael Hirschorn, and Chris Choun. Producers are Dave Higby, Jennifer Novak and Ben Tyson. Ryan Polito directs. John Hamlin and Margaret Comeaux are Executive Producers for CMT.
For downloadable photos, visit CMT's press-only web site www.cmtpress.com for more information.
CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 87 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.
MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world’s leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company’s portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Atom, GameTrailers and Xfire.
Los Angeles-based Parallel Entertainment, founded and headed by J.P. Williams, who was profiled by New Yorker Magazine in 2006, and was featured in a late 2006 “60 Minutes” profile, produces the Blue Collar Comedy phenomenon, as well as develops, finances and produces a wide range of entertainment projects, including feature films, specials for network and cable, DVD premiere films, as well as television series such as the TBS sitcom “The Bill Engvall Show,” and “Larry the Cable Guy’s Christmas Spectacular” for VH1. Parallel Entertainment financed and produced the motion pictures LARRY THE CABLE GUY: HEALTH INSPECTOR; DELTA FARCE, WITLESS PROTECTION, and BAIT SHOP.
Ish Entertainment was launched in April 2008 by former VH1 execs Michael Hirschorn and Stella Stolper. Ish, which has a first-look deal with MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo, operates as a joint venture with Lionsgate, which handles Ish's international distribution. The first projects to come out of that deal are "Paris Hilton's My New BFF," "50 Cent: The Money And The Power," a docu-series with artist T.I., all for MTV; and "Larry the Cable Guy's Star Studded Christmas Extravaganza" for CMT. Ish Entertainment marries formats and talent focusing primarily but not exclusively on non-scripted programming, continuing a strategy that has helped VH1 launch an unprecedented string of hit shows with top talent. Ish
Entertainment is based in Los Angeles and New York.
# # #
PRESS CONTACT:
Cindy McLean 615-335-8404 cindy.mclean@cmt.com
