MTV Announces Premiere of Nick Cannon Presents Wild'n Out  7/15/05

New Sketch Comedy/Improv Series, Created and Hosted by Nick Cannon, Set To Premiere Thursday, July 28, in the 10 Spot

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- MTV: Music Television announced today that "Nick Cannon Presents: Wild'n Out," a new sketch comedy/improv series created and hosted by the actor/comedian, will premiere on Thursday, July 28 at 10:00PM ET/PT as part of MTV's "10 Spot" line-up.

The series will feature two teams of hot, up-and-coming comics who go head-to-head in a series of "improv battles." Each week Cannon's team will challenge a celebrity guest and their team to a fast-paced war of words and wit. The show combines the best elements of classic comedy series -- hilarious improv, topical sketch comedy, and performances from fledgling comedians eager to make their mark in the genre -- with an urban feel that Cannon's fans have come to expect from his film and TV projects.

"Our audience has grown up with Nick Cannon, from his days at Nickelodeon to his current status as a music and movie star," commented Tony DiSanto, Senior Vice President of Production Development & Animation for MTV. "With 'Wild'n Out,' they'll get to see a whole new side of Nick as he flexes his improv and sketch comedy skills alongside this great cast he helped assemble. We're thrilled to be in business with Nick, and to bring our viewers comedy and hip hop in a fresh new way."

In the premiere episode of the series, sketches include a fashion show with the improv teams offering hilarious style commentary as members of the audience are chosen to walk the "runway"; and each team captain playing a club bouncer trying to guess which celebs the other improv team members are impersonating -- and deciding whether to let them into a hot club. Guest stars include comedian Orlando Jones and rap legend Biz Markie, with a musical performance from Cassidy. As always, the show closes with the 2 teams locked in a freestyle rap battle to the DJ's beat, as points are awarded for every funny punch line.

"I created this show to be the desired destination for true fans of both comedy and hip hop," added Nick Cannon. "Wild'n Out has all of the elements of ground-breaking programming, in the same vein that In Living Color and Def Comedy Jam affected a generation. MTV is the perfect home for this program as they have become an institution for today's young tastemakers."

In addition to Cannon's involvement in every episode, artists like Kanye West, Ying Yang Twins, Common, and Christina Milian will stop by to participate or perform in each episode. Also, DJ D-Wrek, Nick Cannon's DJ, will be behind the 1's & 2's trying to keep the order - and keep the music pumping.

Tony DiSanto and Tony DiBari serve as MTV's Executive Producers for "Wild'n Out," and Karen Frank serves as Co-Executive Producer. Liz Gateley is the Development Executive. Rod Aissa is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development. Andrew Hoegl, Jonathon Singer and Michael Goldman also serve as Executive Producers. Nick Cannon is the creator and Executive Producer of "Wild'n Out."

Cannon was last seen in a cameo role alongside Jennifer Lopez & Richard Gere in the film Shall We Dance. On August 5, 2005, he will be seen starring in the feature story he created and also exec produced for Miramax titled The Underclassman. Later this Fall, Nick will be seen in FOX's romantic comedy Roll Bounce, which hits theatres September 23rd. Nick has also completed filming on the highly anticipated crime drama Even Money, starring opposite Kim Basinger, Danny De Vito, Ray Liotta and Forest Whitaker. Currently, Nick is lending his voice to the animated feature Monster House with Kevin James. SOURCE MTV

-0- 07/14/2005