Russell Brand Descends on COMEDY CENTRAL(R) in his First-Ever COMEDY CENTRAL Original Stand-Up Special 'Russell Brand in New York City' World Premiering Sunday, March 8 at 10:00 P.M.*

Encore Presentations Air Sunday, March 8 At 12:00 A.M. And Friday, March 13 At 11:00 P.M.

NEW YORK, Feb. 18 -- Hailed by Time Out as "The most exciting comedian of his generation," Russell Brand, announces his first ever COMEDY CENTRAL stand-up special, "Russell Brand in New York City," which premieres Sunday, March 8th at 10:00 p.m. with encore presentations Sunday, March 8 at 12:00 a.m. and Friday, March 13 at 11:00 p.m.

From the theatre at El Museo Del Barrio in New York City comes the latest COMEDY CENTRAL stand-up special featuring the winner of "Best Live Stand-up" at the 2008 British Comedy Awards, comedian, actor and author Russell Brand. From Brand's scene-stealing performances in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and Adam Sandler's "Bedtime Stories" to hosting the incredibly successful "2008 MTV Music Awards" and his run of sold-out shows at the Montreal Just for Laughs comedy festival, Brand has taken the United States by storm. "Russell Brand in New York City" is a truly original, witty and gritty hour of stand-up viewers won't want to miss!

Next, Brand will be seen in Julie Taymor's "The Tempest" and in May 2009, he will begin production on "Get Him To The Greek," a new Judd Apatow-produced comedy, in which Brand reprises his role as Aldous Snow, when the once-sober rock star falls off the wagon before a major gig. Brand's much anticipated award-winning and bestselling biography, "My Booky Wook" will finally be released in the United States on Tuesday, March 10.

"Russell Brand in New York City" was executive produced by Jesse Ignjatovic.

COMEDY CENTRAL offers the best variety of original stand-up specials, taped exclusively for COMEDY CENTRAL, from top comedians at the height of their comedy careers. Past COMEDY CENTRAL-produced, one-hour specials include; "Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff," "Demetri Martin. Person.," "John Oliver: Terrifying Times," "Patton Oswalt: No Reason To Complain" and "Carlos Mencia: No Strings Attached."

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 95 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of VIACOM Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is www.comedycentral.com/.

MTV Networks, a unit 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.

*All Times ET/PT