Comic D.L. Hughley Makes Hilarity Paramount

Media Contact:

Kristen Gleason
Director of Marketing
The Paramount Theater
215 East Main Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.979.1922 ext. 103
kristen@theparamount.net

For Immediate Release

May 18, 2007

A seasoned actor and one of the most popular and highly-recognized stand-up comedians on the road today, D.L. Hughley has proved himself to be one of the hardest-working men in showbiz.    From the mega-hit film Original Kings of Comedy to NBC’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, his late-night Comedy Central show Weekends at the DL to his sitcom The Hughleys, to national and international performances on the road, Hughley does it all. 

In a performance featuring opener David Raibon, Hughley will bring his stand-up act to Charlottesville on Friday, June 1 at for a special 9 pm show.

Special Media Sponsor for this performance is WUVA -- 92.7 Kiss FM.

With an innate ability to make people laugh, D.L. Hughley began his career as a comedian working in small clubs, citing his appearance on HBO's Def Comedy Jam as one of his earliest breaks in the business.  Hughley spent four successful years as the co-creator, executive producer, and star of his own TV show The Hughleys.  That sitcom, as well as the mega-hit film Original Kings of Comedy launched Hughley into stardom.  Based on the 1999 tour featuring Hughley, Bernie Mac, Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer, the Spike Lee-produced docu-film garnered close to $40 million at the box office and was one of the highest selling DVDs in 2001.

As a result of his work on HBO and his quick rise in popularity among the audiences he constantly kept in stitches, D.L. was chosen as the first host of Comic View on Black Entertainment Television.  Hughley’s comedy specials on Comedy Central and HBO include Shocked and Appalled and the NAACP Image Award-nominated D.L Hughley Going Home.  Other TV appearances include The Best of Def Comedy Jam, Def Jam's Comedy All-Stars, NBC's Later, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and Politically Incorrect.

On the big screen, Hughley starred in the drama Shackles, playing a high school teacher hired to teach at a school for inmates who discovers a talented but troubled young poet.  In addition, Hughley appeared alongside Bill Bellamy, Shemar Moore, and Morris Chestnut in The Brothers.

Grammy-nominated in the category of "Best Spoken Comedy Album" for The Original Kings of Comedy, Hughley has also produced the comedy CD Notes from the GED Section.  

Although keeping busy with television and film, Hughley remains a huge draw in the standup comedy arena, sandwiching appearances between his television shows and movies. Speculating on why audiences seem to respond to him so easily, Hughley thinks “there’s a lot of material in my act that is positive and real, which is what is what my show is all about.  I just want to be great at making people laugh - everybody wants to be great at something.  From the moment I picked up a microphone, I knew that this is what I was supposed to do!” 

  “One of the most beautiful things in the world I've seen or heard is people laughing, even when there seems to be so little reason for them to laugh. That's a great thing to me.”

Appearing with Hughley on June 1 is David Raibon.  You may not think a former cop would have much of a sense of humor, but this former policeman from Houston does. Raibon first wandered into a comedy club while moonlighting as a security officer.  After performing in Dave Rabe’s well-known play Streamers, Raibon realized he had chops, and left Houston in 1995 to pursue stand-up comedy and acting.

 Raibon has made appearances on such television shows as Just Shoot Me, Six Feet Under, The District, Without A Trace, NYPD Blue, Punk’d, My Name is Earl, Las Vegas, had a recurring guest star role on the hit series, The Shield, and can also be seen in the Brian DePalma film, The Black Dahlia.

Tickets for D.L. Hughley’s Paramount performance on Friday, June 1 are $39.50, $49.50, $59.50, and $64.50.  Half-price student rush tickets and group discounts are also available. 

Tickets and may be purchased online or through The Paramount’s Box Office at 434.979.1333.