Before the racy cable comedy Secret Diary of a Call Girl officially kicks off its third season on Monday, February 1, Showtime will present a half-hour special called Billie and the Real Belle Bare All on the preceding Monday, January 25, at 10pm ET.

True to the title, the pre-season premiere event features series star Billie Piper participating in an interesting conversation with the real-life inspiration for her call-girl character Hannah Baxter/Belle de Jour, namely U.K. research scientist Dr. Brooke Magnanti.

If you’re a fan of Human Giant alum and current Parks and Recreation star Aziz Ansari, you should be thrilled to learn he has an hourlong standup comedy special premiering on Comedy Central this Sunday, January 17, at 10pm ET.

Enticingly titled Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, the program precedes the extended and uncensored DVD release on January 19.

Basic cable’s TBS has a nice treat in store for fans of House of Payne and Meet the Browns mastermind Tyler Perry.

On September 9, the network will air the hourlong special presentation The Tyler Perry Show to help the entertainment mogul spread the word about has new comedy feature flick I Can Do Bad All by Myself, which hits theaters across America on Friday, September 11. Follow the jump for more details.

TBS’ entertaining A “Very Funny” Festival: Just for Laughs event continues tonight at 10pm ET with David Alan Grier: Comedy You Can Believe In, another new hourlong standup special taped in Chicago, this time hosted by In Living Color veteran and Chocolate News mastermind David Alan Grier.

Part of TBS’ recent five-day comedy festival held in Chicago through a partnership with Just For Laughs, Comedy You Can Believe In features an all-star lineup to die for, including Bruce Bruce (Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector), Mark Curry (Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper), Marina Franklin (Chapelle’s Show), Ralph Harris (Last Comic Standing), Jo …read more

Ultra popular, Emmy-winning actress, comic, and daytime talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres kicks off the second day of TBS’ televised A “Very Funny” Festival: Just for Laughs tonight, June 27, with another one of her always entertaining variety specials. Saturday Night Live alum Martin Short got things started last night with his own special called Let Freedom Hum: An Evening of Comedy Hosted by Martin Short.

The “Very Funny” Festival: Just For Laughs is a comedy event sponsored by TBS in collaboration with Just For Laughs, which has been running comedy festivals for 25 impressive years. The current extravaganza was filmed live …read more

Saturday Night Live veteran Martin Short is back on the small screen tonight to host TBS’ latest comedy special, Let Freedom Hum: An Evening of Comedy Hosted by Martin Short.

Slated to appear during the taped hourlong event are standup comics Jeremy Hotz, Greg Giraldo, Kathleen Madigan, Tom Papa, and John Pinette.
Join the festivities tonight, June 26, at 10pm ET, only on basic-cable network TBS.

Photo: Newscom

Feeling down for whatever reason?
If so, Family Ties, Back to the Future, and Spin City icon Michael J. Fox may have just what you need to lift your spirits, then, when ABC presents the special Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist at 10:02pm ET tonight.
The fan favorite will travel around the world to share stories of hope and optimism with people from all walks of life.
Among the more familiar guests he’ll chat with are his wife of 20 years, actress Tracy Pollan; seven-time Tour de France champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong; comedian and actor Bill Murray; talk …read more

Not too long ago, I wrote about Comedy Central’s January-long Stand-Up Month event. Well, at 10pm EST tomorrow night, January 11, comedian Dane Cook kicks off the network’s Sunday Night Stand-Up specials with the world television premiere of his comedy concert Dane Cook: Rough Around The Edges.
Filmed live at Madison Square Garden before 40,000 fans, the “in the round” performance features Cook riffing on topics ranging from Save the Children ads to the aphrodisiac qualities of a motorcycle helmet.
Preview the special in a few uncensored clips at the end of this post, and don’t forget to catch the following …read more

Basic cable’s Comedy Central has tons of laughs in store for fans of the stand-up brand of comedy.
The network recently announced that come January 2009, it will devote four whole weeks to special programming and events for Stand-Up Month, all centered around comics who like to tell their jokes from behind a live microphone.
In addition to new stand-up specials from Dane Cook, D.L. Hughley, Katt Williams, and Kevin Hart, premiering every weekend, starting on January 11, viewers can look forward to brand-new episodes of COMEDY CENTRAL Presents, premiering each Friday night at both 10pm and 10:30pm EST, from January 9 …read more

At 8pm EST tonight, the three major broadcast networks ABC, CBS, and NBC will do something different that they’ve also done in the last two weeks during the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. All will air the same star-filled special called Stand Up to Cancer, a one-hour program that aims to publicize the worldwide campaign to help make cancer history.
Entertainers who intend to appear include Casey Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Abigail Breslin, Josh Brolin, Mariah Carey, Ciara, Keyshia Cole, David Cook, Katie Couric, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Dana Delany, …read more