Snoop Dogg, President Bush, Chuck Norris, Star Jones and Ask-a Ninja Among Others to be Lampooned

National Lampoon, the most widely recognized brand in comedy, and maniaTV, the leading independent provider of premium internet television, today announced the premiere of National Lampoon’s new sketch comedy television show “The Lemmings”. What began thirty seven years ago as an off-Broadway sketch comedy show starring the likes of John Belushi, Christopher Guest, and Chevy Chase, is now reborn as a weekly one-hour internet television comedy bonanza.

“This is something we have been building towards for years, to finally re-launch the `Lemmings’ to a new generation of viewers and fans,” stated Daniel Laikin, National Lampoon Chief Executive Officer. “We have been very focused on building our creative team at National Lampoon, and this introduces a new generation of writers and talent to our audience. At the same time, we have proven that we can successfully integrate our sponsors’ messages into the content and show through brand integration. It’s exciting to both entertain and generate profitable revenue at the same time.”

“We are excited to be partnering with National Lampoon to push the limits of sketch comedy history,” said Amber J Lawson, maniaTV Head of Comedy. “What better way to leverage the reach, creativity, and interactivity of the web than to make people laugh at the lampooning of today’s political leaders, celebrities, and society?”

“The Lemmings” comedy sketches leverage editing and design techniques to integrate seamlessly and without commercial breaks. “The Lemmings” is led by a talented cast of characters with a myriad of TV, film, and stand-up experience, and is executive produced by Jay Leggett (“In Living Color,” “Without A Paddle”), maniaTV Head of Comedy, Amber J. Lawson and National Lampoon Editor-in-Chief Scott Rubin.

This week’s premiere episode features Snoop Dogg’s hip-hop spelling bee, a parody of life inside a cubicle, talk show spoofs from Chuck Norris and Star Jones, and an introduction to a new kind of erectile dysfunction known as ‘penalis’. In addition, the talented troupe dishes large helpings of political satire with politicians in church, an Obama/Clinton debate that takes place on a subway platform, and a fiery exchange on “irrelevant crossfire.”

The show, which is part of maniaTV’s Comedy On Demand series, stars National Lampoon Lemmings comedy troupe members: Jen Cain, Mark Gagliardi (“According to Jim,” “How I Met Your Mother”), Sitara Falcon (Club Fiji), Lamont King, Andie Bolt, Melissa Van Der Schyff, and Tommy O’Rourke. National Lampoon writers Mike Rosolio, Andy Goldenberg, and Susan Wrege will also make cameo appearances in selected skits.

The first of the thirteen episode series can be seen by going to http://www.maniatv.com/shows/national-lampoon-lemmings with new shows premiering each Monday.

The National Lampoon Lemmings Comedy Troupe premiered “America 2.0” in October 2007 in Los Angeles at the renowned Acme Theater. “America 2.0” is a multi-media sketch show that skewers the madness of modern American life from left to right and from the ridiculous to the sublime. Following a successful residency at the Los Angeles Improv, a nationwide tour is currently being booked for Fall 2008 that will include colleges, theatres, casinos, and corporate events across the country.

National Lampoon’s “Lemmings,” originally formed in 1973, instantly became an off-Broadway cult sensation, launching the careers of some of the biggest names in American Comedy and a hugely popular record album, “Lemmings.” John Belushi, Christopher Guest, and Chevy Chase were just a few of the megastars who got their start in the National Lampoon groundbreaking live production. Similar to its 1970s counterpart, the re-formed National Lampoon Lemmings Comedy Troupe showcases the very best young sketch comedians working today.

National Lampoon has been a dominant force in the US comedy world for almost 40 years, and is currently active in a broad array of media and entertainment segments. These include feature films, television programming, online and interactive entertainment, home video, audio, and book publishing. The Company also owns interests in all major National Lampoon properties, including National Lampoon’s Animal House, the National Lampoon Vacation series and National Lampoon’s Van Wilder. National Lampoon reaches nearly one in four of all 18- to 24-year-old college students in America today. The Company has three core operating divisions: National Lampoon Films, which includes production along with theatrical and video distribution of feature films; College Marketing Division; and National Lampoon Networks, providing humor content through a number of platforms. These include its National Lampoon College TV network, the National Lampoon Humor Network – the most trafficked humor sites on the web, Toga TV.com – the company’s broadband channel, the Drunk University Network, and the National Lampoon Video Network, which includes channels on YouTube, AOL, Yahoo, Joost, and a number of digital video platforms across the Internet. These are all anchored by the award winning comedy website www.nationallampoon.com

The maniaTV Network launched in 2004 as the world’s first Internet TV network. The company produces, sells and distributes made for internet programming targeting the 18- to 34-year-old audience while delivering innovative branded entertainment opportunities to leading brands and advertisers. With a state-of-the-art production studio in Hollywood, maniaTV produces groundbreaking, award-winning programming for 8+ million viewers each month. maniaTV’s programming slate ranges from music and comedy, to drama, video gaming, and action sports. Leading shows include Dave Navarro’s Spread Entertainment, Tom Green Live, National Lampoon’s Lemmings and Arcade. maniaTV delivers unique brand experiences within each show and has served over 50 of Advertising Age’s Top 100. Through its visionary market leadership and focus on premium content and distribution partnerships, maniaTV is redefining television for the 21st Century. We like to call it “Television 2.0”.