TV NEWS ON APRIL 9

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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

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.