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JB Smoove brings the Ruckus to the stage as he reunites with Russell Simmons to host “Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus.” The six half-hour episode series kicks off with two back-to-back episodes on Thursday, January 26 at 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central.

Simmons and Stan Lathan, the duo that created the genre-defining comedy show “Def Comedy Jam” and the previous Comedy Central hit “Russell Simmons Presents Stand-Up At El Rey,” have once again joined forces for the stand-up series “Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus.” Each episode features the ever-talented Smoove and new material from a mix of rising stars and long time favorite comics, with music by DJ Cassidy. As a new added bonus, viewers will also see Smoove at his best – performing in filmed sketches woven into each episode. Other comics appearing in the series filmed at the Edison Ballroom in New York City include: David Arnold, Mike Britt, Capone, Dov Davidoff, Nore Davis, Earthquake, Ian Edwards, Damn Fool, Kareem Green, Tiffany Haddish, Leslie Jones, Damien Lemon, Tony Roberts, Tony Rock, Owen Smith, Chris Spencer, Rob Stapleton, and Wil Sylvince.

Executive producers are Simmons and Lathan, Lathan directed the series, Colored TV produced the series and JoAnn Grigioni is the Executive In Charge Of Production for Comedy Central.

cc.com/ruckus will be the digital home for “Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus.” The site will feature previews from upcoming episodes, highlights and sketches from past episodes as well as an exclusive digital series of video interviews of the cast members hosted by Tony Rock. cc.com/ruckus will be the go-to-guide for information on Smoove, all of the featured comics and the series.

Previously, Smoove was the host of “Russell Simmons Presents Stand-Up at the El Rey” and on Saturday, January 21 Smoove’s first one-hour Comedy Central original stand-up special, “JB Smoove: That’s How I Dooz It” will premiere at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. He has also expanded his comedy footprint with the launch of www.TheRuckus.com, a comedy based website focused on original and branded comedy content.

By Tamara Jenkins

Roller skaters, gymnasts, dancers, a contortionist and a man on stilts were the backdrop for Cedric the Entertainer’s Urban Circus. The adult themed circus was taped for television on June18^th at the Chicago Theatre as part of TBS’s Just for Laughs Comedy Festival held in Chicago June 15-19.

Chicago comedian Lil Rel warmed up the crowd with jokes about his family and poked fun at female in the audience by referencing her “Flavor Flav” sunglasses she bought from the beauty supply store.

A live band brought the noticeably slimmer “ringmaster” aka Cedric the Entertainer dancing to the stage and he went right into jokes about the current recession “American’s went from Gucci to Forever 21”.

The impressive circus talent line up included JB Smoove ( from the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm), Sommore ( The Original Queens of Comedy) and Russell Peters.

Standout moments included JB Smoove’s take on self protection by getting the “jump on people” and Sommore’s desire to pimp the game Queen Latifah style-“who else has a Jenny Craig commercial and a Pizza Hut commercial at the same time?”

Surprise guest Jerry Seinfeld helped recreate Cedric’s driving a space shuttle skit from the Original Kings of Comedy tour. The evening also featured performances by Chicago dance group the Footwork Kingz, street performers Chicago Boys and steppers from the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. The circus will air June 23rd on TBS.

Photos by Dan Locke