Comic Relief; The Best of Comedy for the Best Causes

Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Comic Relief telethon for the homeless, a collection of the best humor from past performances includes stand-up by its hosts--Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and Billy Crystal--along with other top comedians. 300,000 first printing.

Comic Relief, the organization and the TV program, began in 1986 as a fund-raising vehicle for charities dealing with homelessness. The idea was to put on a stand-up comedy TV pledge drive. Seven of the big laff riots have aired to date, also a number of other programs, fund-raisers all, notably including a 24-part cable series derived from the big shows. This is a sampler of routines drawn from the seven basic broadcasts, and it, too, is a fund-raiser. Contributors include such stars as Billy Crystal, Garry Shandling, Dennis Miller, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robin Williams. In between the routines are stories of homeless individuals helped by Comic Relief^-supported charities. Deprived of the comics' distinctive attitudes and vocal styles, the comedy loses something, but there are certainly enough stand-up fanatics to guarantee readers for this collection. Ray Olson

This volume commemorates the tenth anniversary of Comic ReliefTM, the hilarious telethon that has raised more than $35 million for the homeless. First printing: 300,000 copies.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.