Hot as Blank Stars Added to The Comedy Network's MATCH GAME, Premiering October 15

− Host Darrin Rose is in good company as Canadian comics Seán Cullen and Debra DiGiovanni are added as regular panellists −
− Guests panellists include Scott Thompson, Tom Green, Caroline Rhea, Andy Kindler, Yvette Nicole Brown, Janeane Garofalo, Jeremy Hotz, Lainey Liu, Keisha Chanté, Greg Grunberg, and more −
− MATCH GAME airs Monday to Friday at 8 p.m. ET/PT beginning October 15 −

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TORONTO, Sept. 13, 2012 /CNW/ - It's a perfect match! Following the recent announcement of Darrin Rose as the host of the retro-classic game show MATCH GAME, The Comedy Network revealed today the two regular panellists as well as a blanking hilarious lineup of Canadian and international guests. Appearing as regulars on the original Comedy series are fan-favourite and multiple award-winning comedian, actor, author and screenwriter Seán Cullen, and beloved stand-up comic and three-time Canadian Comedy Award-winner Debra DiGiovanni. Currently filming in Montréal, MATCH GAME is set to air exclusively on Comedy, Monday to Friday at 8 p.m. ET/PT beginning October 15.

** Media Note ** - Download photography for MATCH GAME at BellMediaPR.ca/Comedy

Joining the esteemed regulars throughout the series are an eclectic mix of Canadian comics and international talent. The list of upcoming MATCH GAME guests includes:

• Actress, producer, director and "Grand Empress of sci-fi" Amanda Tapping, @amandatapping, (SANCTUARY)
• Stand-up comedian and LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN regular Andy Kindler, @AndyKindler
• Montréal-born actress Anna Hopkins (Barney's Version)
• Stand-up comedian and actress Caroline Rhea, @CarolineRhea, (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)
• Improv star Colin Mochrie, @ColinMochrie, (Whose Line Is It Anyway?)
• American actor, political commentator, and stand-up comedian D.L. Hughley, @RealDlHughley (The Original Kings of Comedy)
• Award-winning comedian, writer, and columnist DeAnne Smith, @DeAnne_Smith
• Stand-up comic and VIDEO ON TRIAL regular Eddie Della Sieppe, @EddieDellaSiepe
• Canadian Comedy Award-winner and Gemini-nominated comedian Elvira Kurt (PopCultured)
• Gemini Award-winning actress Emily Hampshire (MADE IN CANADA)
• Actress and rising comedian Emma Hunter (InSecurity)
• Television writer, award-winning comedian, and stand-up veteran Fraser Young, @young_fraser, (COMEDY NOW!)
• Writer and comedian Graham Chittenden, @grahamchit (COMEDY NOW!)
• Actor Greg Grunberg, @greggrunberg, (HEROES, ALIAS)
• Stand-up comedian, actress, activist, and writer Janeane Garofalo
• Internationally renowned stand-up comic Jeremy Hotz, @JeremyHotz
• Author, humourist and radio producer Jonathan Goldstein, @J_Goldstein, (WireTap)
• Actor, comedian, and Newfoundland-native Jonny Harris, @jollyharris, (MURDOCH MYSTERIES)
• Award-winning singer-songwriter and actress Keisha Chanté, @KeshiaChante
• Stand-up comedian, actor, and voice artist Kevin McDonald (KIDS IN THE HALL)
• ETALK reporter and gossip maven Lainey Lui, @laineygossip
• Canadian choreographer and VIDEO ON TRIAL panellist Laura Cilevetz, @lauracilevitz
• Canadian Comedy Award-winner Laurie Elliot, @ThaFloatingHead (THE RED GREEN SHOW)
• E! host Leah Miller, @leahmiller, (SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA, MUCHONDEMAND)
• 2009 Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off winner Mark Little, @markmarklittle, (PICNICFACE)
• BEING HUMAN's "Sally Malik," actress Meaghan Rath, @MeaghanRath
• Stand-up comedian and writer Nile Seguin, @nileseguin, (This Hour Has 22 Minutes)
• Comedic everyman and MTV LIVE co-host Paul Lemieux, @paultheintern
• SANCTUARY's "Dr. Will Zimmerman," actor Robin Dunne, @RobinDunne
• Globetrotting stand-up comic Ron Josol, @ronjosol
• Comedian, actor, and writer Ryan Belleville, @ryanbelleville, (The SeÁn Cullen Show)
• Comedian, dancer, actor, host, and writer Sabrina Jalees, @SabrinaJalees, (VIDEO ON TRIAL)
• Actor, comedian, and KIDS IN THE HALL vet Scott Thompson, @ScottThompson_
• Stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and radio host Steve Patterson, @patterballs, (The Debaters)
• Actress Tara Spencer-Nairn, @TSpencerNairn (CORNER GAS, THE LISTENER)
• Actor, rapper, writer, comedian and talk show host Tom Green, @tomgreenlive, (THE TOM GREEN SHOW)
• COMMUNITY's "Shirley Bennett," actress and comedian Yvette Nicole Brown, @yvettenbrown

About Seán Cullen
Expect the unexpected with Seán Cullen, a nimble master of improvisation and an accomplished impressionist who delights in the absurd. The 25-year veteran of the Canadian comedy scene has made multiple appearances on THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO and THE LATE LATE SHOW. Other select credits include LAST COMIC STANDING (Season 6 finalist), THE SEÁN CULLEN SHOW, COMEDY CENTRAL PRESENTS, COMEDY NOW! and Just For Laughs. Cullen performs live on stage at comedy festivals across the globe and starred in the acclaimed Mirvish production of The Producers, and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and Peter Pan. A prolific writer, he is the author of five popular young adult novels and has written and lent his voice to numerous animated series such as ALMOST NAKED ANIMALS, JIMMY TWO-SHOES and the upcoming ROCKET MONKEYS. Cullen has earned three Gemini Awards, three Canadian Comedy Awards, an ACTRA Award, a Rocky Mountain Book Award, an Arthur Ellis Book Award and was twice nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award. Simply put, Cullen is considered the best "BLANKETY BLANK" around.

About Debra DiGiovanni
Debra DiGiovanni began her career in 2000 and in just over a decade she's made leaps and bounds in the comedy world. Already with two Canadian COMEDY NOW! stand up specials for CTV/Comedy (2005/2008), in 2009 she taped her first set on Comedy Central with LIVE AT GOTHAM recorded in New York City. From there, DiGiovanni went on to win a Gemini Award for best-televised individual comedy performance of 2009 with her Halifax Comedy Festival special. DiGiovanni's a favourite at the Montréal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, with four galas under her belt (2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012). She was also a finalist on the fifth season of LAST COMIC STANDING - making it to the Top 8.

MATCH GAME is based on FremantleMedia's international format, with local versions having been shown across the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France and Mexico.

MATCH GAME is produced by Zone3 in association with Bell Media. Executive producers are Isabelle Bourduas and Michael Kronish. Martha Kehoe is producing. Sarah Fowlie is Director, Independent Production, Comedy. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Catherine MacLeod is Vice-President, Specialty Channels, Bell Media. Rick Brace is President, Specialty Channels and CTV Production. Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
The Comedy Network on Twitter
The Comedy Network on Facebook
Darrin Rose on Twitter
Darrin Rose on Facebook
Debra DiGiovanni on Twitter
Seán Cullen on Twitter

About Zone3 
MATCH GAME Canada is produced by Montréal-based Zone3, Québec's top production house. The company focuses in three main areas: television production, film production, and live entertainment production. Zone3 was founded in 2000 by André Larin, Michel Bissonnette and Vincent Leduc, all of whom have held key positions in the Québec television and broadcasting industry. Michael Kronish and Isabelle Bourduas are the executives in charge of English language production. Zone3 is owned by Telesystem Ltd. and CDP TélécomMédias.

About FremantleMedia Enterprises
FremantleMedia is one of the leading creators and producers of entertainment brands in the world. FremantleMedia is part of the RTL Group, Europe's largest television and radio broadcast company, which is in turn 90 per cent owned by Bertelsmann AG, one of the world's major media and entertainment companies. FremantleMedia's worldwide production arm is responsible for many of the world's highest rated prime time entertainment, drama, serial drama and factual entertainment programmes. FremantleMedia Enterprises is the brand extension arm of FremantleMedia, offering a one-stop-shop for all Licensing, Distribution and Home Entertainment around the world. The FremantleMedia Group (which includes FremantleMedia North America, UFA, FremantleMedia UK, FremantleMedia Australia, Original Productions, @radical.media and Ludia amongst others) has operations in 22 countries, one of the most comprehensive global networks, creating over 9,200 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 60 formats and managing over 300 individual titles. FremantleMedia has some of the world's most sought after and long running formats in its catalogue, and globally produces such programmes as: Idols (co-produced with 19 Productions in the US), Hole In The Wall, Got Talent (co-produced with Syco in the UK and the US), The X Factor (co-produced with Syco in the UK and the US), Take Me Out, Family Feud, The Price is Right, Farmer Wants A Wife, Gute Zeiten Schlechte Zeiten, and Neighbours.

About The Comedy Network
Canada's first and favourite specialty comedy service, The Comedy Network airs comedy of all kinds, 24-hours-a-day, across multiple platforms, including a revolutionary broadband service at thecomedynetwork.ca. Launched in October 1997, The Comedy Network broadcasts, uncut and uncensored, an eclectic mix of scripted, stand-up, sketch, improv, and animated comedy - as well as topical comedy talk shows, game shows and classic situation comedies. The Comedy Network is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company, and is available in nearly six million households across the country.

SOURCE: Comedy Network

Andrea Allen, The Comedy Network, 416.384.5375 or [email protected]
Christy Sullivan, The Comedy Network, 416.384.3624 or [email protected]