THE FIRST INSTALLMENT OF THE ALL-STAR COMEDY JAM HOSTED BY CEDRIC "THE ENTERTAINER" SET TO PREMIERE ON SHOWTIME - WEDNESDAY JUNE 17TH

THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF THE SERIES TO BE FILMED AT THE UPCOMING 13TH ANNUAL AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL

NEW YORK CITY, June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal teams up with the pioneering Producer and CEO of Codeblack Entertainment Jeff Clanagan to present the ALL-STAR COMEDY JAM series. Featuring some of the most celebrated stand-up comics, the series will provide sidesplitting, no holds barred hilarity on topics ranging from America's new president to shopping at Target.

The ALL-STAR COMEDY JAM series recaptures the spirit of past successful franchises like The Kings of Comedy series, and features some of today's hottest urban comics. It also provides the up-and-coming comedians with an opportunity to showcase their creativity and perform alongside the stalwarts of comedy.

On his partnership with the NBA Legend, says Clanagan, "I am thrilled to collaborate with NBA's most distinguished athlete on these multi-star live comedy events. This partnership will help expand Codeblack's reach into television and further cement our desire to both develop and produce exciting entertainment projects from their inception as a live event through to their subsequent telecast."

Given Shaquille O'Neal's entrepreneurial aspirations this project marks a natural evolution of his brand. "I am excited to partner with a veteran like Jeff Clanagan and I am thrilled to be venturing into the comedy and television world."

At the inaugural show, filmed before a spirited crowd in Phoenix, AZ, the night before this year's NBA All-Star Game, the Original King of Comedy Cedric "The Entertainer" performs 30 minutes of his latest material in between comedy sets by fellow comedians such as Tommy Davidson (In Living Color), Kevin Hart (Soul Plane), Aries Spears (Mad TV), and DeRay Davis.

The ALL STAR COMEDY JAM series, directed by Leslie Smalls, premieres on SHOWTIME on Wednesday JUNE 17th, and kicks off Showtime network's LAUGH OUT LOUD comedy initiative that has become a hub for diverse, no-holds barred comedy for premium television audiences.

The highly anticipated second installment of the ALL STAR COMEDY JAM series will be filmed live at the 13th annual American Black Film Festival on June 26th in Miami and premiere on SHOWTIME in January, 2010. Comedy genius DL Hughley will host this stand-up special alongside some of the industry's most talented and sought after comedians - Earthquake, Arnez J, Lavell Crawford and Melanie Comarcho.

For more information on All-Star Comedy Jam, visit www.allstarcomedyjam.com.

ABOUT CODEBLACK ENTERTAINMENT LLC

Codeblack Enterprises LLC is the first African American-owned new media & entertainment company. Codeblack Enterprises' reach is all-encompassing, from production and national distribution of feature films to its innovative e-commerce arm. The company's portfolio consists of Codeblack Entertainment and Codeblack Interactive. Codeblack Entertainment is the first African American-owned film studio, engaged in the business of producing, acquiring, marketing and distributing quality content to today's urban consumer across a variety of traditional and digital platforms. The studio, which is both independent and vertically integrated, was created out of the necessity for the positive representation of African Americans in film. Codeblack Interactive focuses on distributing content across digitally interactive platforms, including global distribution to mobile and digital carriers such as Codeblack TV, a broadband on-demand channel, by which viewers can download, stream and deliver Codeblack properties over the internet. The company's home on the Web is http://www.codeblack.com/default.aspx.