Day: April 8, 2011

The Comedy Awards, airing Sunday on multiple Viacom networks, aren't just about celebrating great work by comedians and comedic actors over the past year. They're also a chance to help out our fellow comedians in need. MTV Networks and Comedy Central have helped launch the American Comedy Fund, which will be administered by the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), The Actors Fund and Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) to provide much-needed social services, emergency assistance, health care, insurance, housing, and employment and training services for those comedic performers who qualify during times of need, crisis or transition. In this letter, the chiefs of these three organizations spell out why it's important to give money to the American Comedy Fund in this time of global economic crisis. I've reprinted it in full after the jump. "Knights of Comedy: An American Dream or Impossible Dream" From Bob Hope in the sixties to Steve Byrne and Ryan Dalton performing comedy for American service members over the Christmas holiday in a tent at Camp Marmal, Afghanistan, comedians have had a long history of donning Don Quixote‚Äôs ‚Äúhelmet of membrino‚Äù as their battle gear to perform on the front lines and entertain our troops abroad during wartime.   Comedians have also been the first in line to perform and to help raise millions of dollars for Americans in need back at home, from Comic Relief...