Global Comedy Phenomenon JEFF DUNHAM December 28, 2010

Global Comedy Phenomenon JEFF DUNHAM Headlines the Allstate Arena
on his 2010 International “Identity Crisis Tour”
Tuesday, December 28th!

Dunham success includes biggest live global comedy tour, six million DVDs sold, TV & internet sensation and new autobiography, “All By My Selves,” makes New York Times
Best Seller list in first week!

In the world of contemporary entertainment, comedian Jeff Dunham is a paragon of business savvy and success. Recently named for the second year in a row to the Forbes magazine Celebrity 100 list of the most powerful entertainers, he was identified as the highest-grossing live comedy act in the world for 2009 by the concert industry trade magazine Pollstar, which also rated him the top box office touring comedian in North America for 2008 and 2009.

Dunham and his rogue troupe of comedic sidekicks have conquered yet another of many mediums as his publishing debut, “All By My Selves: Walter, Peanut, Achmed, And Me,” hit #33 on the New York Times best sellers list its first week out. The unique autobiography has also earned an immediate five stars from rave customer reviews on Amazon.com, and good notice from the California Literary Review, which observes, “In this well-written book, he’s funny, self-deprecating, socially relevant, and multi-vocal.”

His four DVDs from his top-rated and record-setting Comedy Central specials and series have sold a phenomenal six million copies. Dunham’s wide and varied line of merchandise items are hot sellers at national chains like Wal-Mart, Kmart, Hastings, FYE and other stores and outpace industry sales averages at his live shows. And he boasts a half a billion Internet views of his video clips worldwide.

The tale of his rise to the top of the entertainment industry will soon be told in his own words — with commentary by his comedic characters — when his unique autobiography “All By My Selves: Walter, Peanut, Achmed, and Me” is published by Dutton on November 2, with an accompanying audio book narrated by Dunham released the same day by Image Entertainment. It details how Dunham became a reigning king of comedy. As The New York Times Magazine noted in recent feature story on his amazing success, “’Huge’ is an understatement.” He’s a one-man industry — albeit with the help of his suitcase sidekicks that are an essential element of his many achievements — with an earning power that was hailed as “spectacular” by USA Today. .

It all began with his first public performances for a mere $5 a show as a fourth-grader in his Dallas, TX hometown, followed by years of intensive touring on the comedy club circuit from his college years into adulthood (hilariously recounted in “All By My Selves”). And the momentum shows no signs of slowing down. His $45 million “Identity Crisis” North American tour plays venues seating 7,000 to 10,000 some four nights a week, winning rapturous standing ovations at every show. Dunham just returned from his maiden tour of South Africa where he drew nearly 30,000 fans, and made his second tour of Europe earlier this year. His triple-platinum DVDs in South Africa have outsold all other international comics there, the holiday special hit #1 on the Danish Entertainment Chart, “Spark” reached #2 on the Dutch DVD charts, and when “Spark” and the Christmas DVD were released in the U.K. they were the only titles by an American in the nation’s comedy Top 20.

Dunham built his loyal audience by gathering fan contacts from his earliest days in the comedy clubs, and was an early adopter of using the Internet and digital communication tools for promotion and marketing. His Facebook page was
recently listed as the fourth “Most Explosive” page on the site by AllFacebook.com, a popular industry blog, after he added nearly 300,000 fans in one week. He currently boasts more than 4 million Facebook fans and is the #1 comedian on MySpace. When his iPhone app released last July, it was so immediately popular that it hit Apple’s Top 10 apps the first day it was available. He also boasts platform partnerships with YouTube (where he’s racked up a half billion view
counts, with one video of him and Achmed garnering over 100 million), Amazon.com and iTunes as well as an exclusive deal with Caesars Palace and AEG Live to appear at the popular Las Vegas casino and resort hotel’s Coliseum venue multiple times a year.

Dunham has indelibly etched the vivid and believable personalities of his comedic crew like Walter the Grumpy Retiree, Achmed the Dead Terrorist, the beer-fueled redneck Bubba J and the manic purple creature Peanut into the consciousness of the nation and comedy fans around the globe. And their trademark phrases like “Silence! I keel you!” (Achmed) and “On a steek!” (José Jalepeño) have become integrated into the modern lexicon. Jeff Dunham epitomizes the commercial triumph of creativity, and adds to that a keen marketing and business sense that have made him a multi-million dollar international enterprise.

Showtime: 7:30PM Tickets: $45.50 Call: 800-745-3000 Log onto: www.ticketmaster.com
The Allstate Arena is located at 6920 North Mannheim Rd. Chicago, IL 60018

To request an interview or additional press materials, please contact Debbie Keller at [email protected] or 480-839-9474 and Visit: www.jeffdunham.com

Catch Jeff Dunham on Comedy Central on the following dates…
Spark of Insanity: Friday November 26th at 7:30PM / Saturday November 27th at 6:30PM
Very Special Christmas Special: Friday November 26th at 9:00PM and 1:00AM / Thursday December 23rd 10:00PM
Arguin’ With Myself: Thursday December 23rd at 9:00PM and 2:30AM

Official Website: http://www.ticketmaster.com