Scott Aukerman to Host; Other Acts Include Joe Mande and Dan Telfer

Norwalk, CT, February 25, 2011: Patton Oswalt will headline an evening of comedy as the celebrated Comedy Death-Ray (CDR) comes to the IGN Theater at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) on Friday, March 18. Showtime is 6:30pm! CDR, which regularly features up-and-comers as well as comedy greats including Aziz Ansari, Zack Galifianakis, Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, and Sarah Silverman among many, many others, was created by former Mr. Show writers and performers Scott Aukerman and B.J. Porter. Aukerman will host CDR at C2E2 and other comedians who will perform include Joe Mande and Dan Telfer.

Headliner Patton Oswalt is a critically-acclaimed comedian who's appeared on Showtime's United States of Tara, Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program, and Flight of the Conchords on HBO. Additionally, he's been a contributor to Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Lewis Black's Root Of All Evil. Perhaps most significant to C2E2 attendees, Patton voiced Remy the Rat in Pixar's Oscar-winning Ratatouille and has also leant his voice to cartoons ranging from WordGirl to Aqua Teen Hunger Force. No stranger to the geek world, Patton was a recurring character on the SyFy series Caprica, and his stand up regularly comments upon, critiques, and dismantles topics from comic books to Star Wars. In later 2010, Patton penned the controversial article "Wake Up, Geek Culture. Time to Die" in Wired Magazine.

Tickets to Comedy Death-Ray at C2E2 are free for C2E2 VIPs, $10 for C2E2 ticket holders, and $25 for the general public. Tickets are on sale beginning today, Friday, February 25 and may be purchased at www.c2e2.com. The Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo is a major pop culture event which was launched last year and which is owned and operated by ReedPOP, which also organizes New York Comic Con (NYCC). NYCC has grown enormously in the years since it was launched and C2E2 is also expected to see significant growth this year. C2E2 will take place March 18 � 20, 2011 in the West Hall of the McCormick Place Convention Center.

Comedy Death-Ray made its debut on October 1, 2002 at L.A.'s M Bar. After two years the show moved to Los Angeles's fabled Upright Citizens Brigade where it has remained and where it has become renowned for showcasing extraordinary comedic talent. As noted, the show is hosted by Scott Aukerman who also hosts Comedy Death-Ray Radio, a weekly radio program that features many regulars from the stage show.

"This evening of comedy truly shows how inclusive and how wide-reaching we are," notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for ReedPOP and Show Manager for C2E2. "C2E2 embraces every element of art and entertainment in the pop culture world. From Rick Bayless to Patton Oswalt; from Eliza Dushku to Brian Michael Bendis, we are able to showcase the very best that there is in a world that includes illustrators, writers, actors, creators, chefs, and comedians. The pop culture world is expansive and our goal at C2E2 is to deliver as much of it to our fans as possible. Our Comedy Death-Ray evening with Patton Oswalt will be a huge event and it will provide the type of quality entertainment that defines our show."

ABOUT PATTON OSWALT: In 2009 Patton won critical acclaim in Robert Siegel's feature film Big Fan, which made its debut at Sundance in January '09 and was distributed by First Independent Pictures. He will be next seen in the upcoming film Young Adult, starring opposite Charlize Theron.

As a comedian, Patton has shot three TV specials and two critically acclaimed albums. In August 2009 he released his 3rd album, as well as a new Comedy Central One Hour Special My Weakness Is Strong which was distributed through Warner Brothers records and has received a Grammy nomination for "Best Comedy Album."

Currently a series regular on Showtime's United States of Tara, Patton has also appeared as a guest star on The Sarah Silverman Program on Comedy Central and Flight of the Conchords on HBO. He is also recurring on SyFy's new series Caprica. Patton is a regular contributor to Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Real Time with Bill Maher and Lewis Black's Root Of All Evil. Patton appeared in Steven Soderbergh's feature film The Informant and Observe and Report with Seth Rogen.

Patton provided the voice for Remy, the rat, in Pixar's Oscar winning Ratatouille. He also voices characters on Word Girl and Neighbors from Hell. Patton has also appeared in more then 20 films, including Magnolia, Starsky and Hutch and Reno 911!: Miami. Patton starred in The Comedians of Comedy, which was shot as an independent feature film, a TV series and a long running tour. He tours regularly and extensively, headlining both in the United States and UK. In addition, he is seen performing/reading at events by McSweeney's and The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and has a regular, bi-monthly show at the new Largo at the Coronet Theater in Los Angeles.

On TV he played Spence on The King of Queens on CBS for nine seasons, as well as appearing on Seinfeld, Reaper, Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job!

Patton's first published book Spaceship Zombie Wasteland has recently been released and is now on the New York Times Best Seller List for January 2011.

ABOUT SCOTT AUKERMAN: Scott Aukerman got his start as a writer and performer on the HBO cult classic series Mr. Show with Bob and David. He currently hosts the podcast Comedy Death-Ray Radio with Scott Aukerman, and the TV program Comedy Death-Ray for IFC. He is the co-creator and producer of the web series Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, which has been seen over thirty million times.

ABOUT JOE MANDE: Once named "Best New Comedian" by Time Out New York, Joe Mande has performed all over the country at colleges, clubs and festivals. He has appeared on Comedy Central's Live at Gotham and VH1's Best Week Ever. In March, his book Look at This F*cking Hipster based on his popular blog, was published by St. Martin's Press. He most recently wrote for this year's MTV Movie Awards, as well as the Reggie Watts pilot for Comedy Central.

ABOUT DAN TELFER: Starting as an improviser at Chicago's IO Theater when he was 18, Dan spent the next several years doing long-form improv, writing high-concept political-mythology plays with Theater Oobleck, and doing solo performance at the Live Bait Theater. Eventually throwing these hats all into the stand-up ring, Dan spins whimsical flights of fancy with stories from his quirky life. He became a fixture of Chicago's Lakeshore Theater, where he opened for Paul F. Tompkins, Janeane Garofalo, and many more until he was booked as a headliner himself. Maria Bamford and Brian Posehn went on to take Dan on the road as their featured opener.

Paste Magazine dubbed him the "Best of What's Next" and went on to also list him as one of the 10 Best Comedians of 2010. In April of 2010 Dan was featured on the front page of The Onion, who said Dan was "hitting Chicago's comedy glass ceiling."

His first CD, Fossil Record, is a split release with Paul F. Tompkins and Greg Proops on AST Records. It was named one of the Best Comedy Albums of 2010 by The Onion.

ABOUT REEDPOP: ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing celebrations of popular culture throughout the world that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers and fans. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East & West, Star Wars Celebration V, New York Anime Festival (NYAF), and UFC Fan Expo. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan based group of professionals producing shows for other fans, thus making them uniquely qualified to service those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Asia and Europe.