FUNATICAL is a new and exciting multicultural comedy mega-event that launches in Los Angeles on December 9th, 2010 with five shows throughout the southland from L.A. to Orange County. It continues on to New York City in late January 2011 and stops in Washington, D.C. early in March! Join the fun and check out the shows in town, at the world-famous Comedy Store (WeHo), the Beyond the Stars Palace (Glendale), the Los Angeles Theatre Center (downtown LA) and the Caspian (Irvine).

The tour features hilarious comedians who poke fun of stereotypes, American and Middle Eastern culture and current events, which they lampoon with humor and satire. There's the hysterical and very physical stand-up Max Amini aka the ironic Iranian; Mike Batayeh, who with his elastic facial muscles and shrewd humor lampoons all of our worst Arab stereotypes, while making fun of everyone else in the bargain; Tissa Hami, a national headliner in a hijab who stops at nothing to skewer our sacred cows, Muslim and otherwise; Noel Elgrably, the only Middle Eastern Jewish comedian featured in the New York Arab American Comedy Festival; plus one of the greatest female comedians ever to come out of Iran—Elham Jazab, who can explain why "Persian girls don't buy Persian rugs; we marry them," and tell you the difference between Al Qaeda and Hezbollah; not to mention Omar Regan and Samson Koletkar, the world's only known Indian Jewish comic. Last but not least comes Ara Basil, the hilarious yet shrewd, politically-astute Armenian comedian.

FUNATICAL is coproduced by a team of Muslims, Jews and Christians and the tour includes the world's only Indian Jewish comedian, a black Muslim convert, an Arab Jewish performer, famous American Muslim comedians, a Jordanian Catholic, a half Iranian/half black performer, Hindus, a half Persian/half Russian, an Armenian Orthodox, and an Iranian Bahai.

For venues, dates, tickets and showtimes, visit: www.funaticalcomedy.com

Presale tickets for the L.A. shows are on sale now. Limited seating VIP tickets (front row seats, comedian meet-and-greets) are available presale online ONLY. General Admission tickets will sell out quickly
as the buzz surrounding the tour grows. GET YOUR TICKETS FOR L.A. SHOWS TODAY to get $5 OFF door price!

More Background

All comedy tours are equal, but some are more equal than others. The new *FUNATICAL: Taking Comedy to the Extreme* tour's motto is 'We Come in Peace', and features multicultural comedians who are Arab, Iranian, South Asian and American of different faiths. Tissa Hami and Max Amini with Mike Batayeh hosting and co-starring Ara Basil, Noel Elgrably, Elham Jazab, Samson Koletkar and Omar Regan.

Produced by PlanetPix Media & Entertainment Group, the "FUNATICAL" tour launches in Southern California on December 9th at the World Famous Comedy Store. The tour continues on to New York City in January 2011 and the D.C. area in early March. The tour features comedians who poke fun of stereotypes, culture and current events, which they lampoon with humor and satire.

All things being equal-this is a prodigious tour. For the first time, the United Religions Initiative (URI), a United Nations NGO, is supporting an interfaith comedy tour. URI is a global interfaith peace-building organization that is currently active in 72 countries around the world. The comedy tour includes dozens of partners and supporters on both coasts including Levantine Cultural Center and Beauty and the East TV.

According to a recent article published in the LA Times (9/9/10), statistics support the belief that Islamophobia is on the rise in America, and that the temptation to view Muslims through the prism of extremism remains ever-present. These perceptions are linked to the 'Ground Zero Mosque" debates in New York and pastors and elected leaders whose dangerous rhetoric has undone years of interfaith work.

"FUNATICAL" creator and executive producer Samira Atash states, "We're presenting this comedy tour to bring people together to laugh and forget about issues like the 'Ground Zero Mosque' or 'Burn a Quran Day'--we want to counter extremism that exists in all religions as well as bigotry that exists in America against those who "look Muslim". We want to challenge stereotypes using stereotypes to show how silly and wrong they can be. "FUNATICAL's animated character "Mustlaufa Dajeeni' is an example of that."

Atash notes that 'FUNATICAL' is coproduced by a team of Muslims, Jews and Christians and the tour includes the world's only Indian Jewish comedian, a black Muslim convert, an Arab Jewish performer, famous American Muslim comedians, a Jordanian Catholic, a half Iranian/half black performer, Hindus, a half Persian/half Russian, an Armenian Orthodox, and an Iranian Bahai. The tour's coproducers include Jordan Elgrably, the creator of the long-running "Sultans of Satire" comedy show, which featured Ahmed Ahmed, Maz Jobrani and Aron Kader from the "Axis of Evil Comedy Tour," and Max Amini, comedian and founder of 'Exotic Imports' comedy tour.

FUNATICAL's West Coast tour includes dates at the Comedy Store on Dec. 9, Beyond the Stars Palace Theatre in Glendale Dec. 10, and the Los Angeles Theatre Center on Dec. 11, 2010. A wrap party follows the LATC performance, and there is a concluding show at the Caspian in Irvine on Dec. 12.

Information and tickets online at www.funaticalcomedy.com.