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Comedy Central's Jeff Dunham Show Oct. 22, new book, tour announced

By April MacIntyre Oct 8, 2009, 4:15 GMT

Jeff Dunham - Texan Jeff Dunham was a hit at the summer TCA\'s, poking a big stick at the TV Critics assembled to hear all about his new Comedy Central series. © A. Gilbert / PR Photos

Texan Jeff Dunham was a hit at the summer TCA's, poking a big stick at the TV Critics assembled to hear all about his new Comedy Central series.

“As I drove here today,” Dunham started his TCA presentation, “I realized I was going past the comedy club here in Pasadena called The Ice House, and it was there at The Ice House in 1990 that I did my ninth audition for ‘The Tonight Show’ and was booked to do ‘The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson’ for the first of four times. And if I had known standing there in that parking lot in 1990 that I would be here at this time doing this for Comedy Central, I would have thought, ‘You know what? That just took too fucking long.’”

Dunham immediately wheeled out Walter, who began their man-Dummy assault on the tough crowd.

Walter: Who the hell is the group?

Jeff Dunham: We talked about that earlier today, you know who it is.

Walter: No, I kind of forgot.

Jeff Dunham: Okay, I wrote it down for you.

Walter: Oh, good. Okay. Let’s see, the TV Critics Association Cable Press Tour. That’s it?

Jeff Dunham: That’s it.

Walter: I think our career has peaked. You know, I was thinking to myself just the other day, we’ve had specials on Comedy Central, we’ve opened for the President, but we’ve never done a show for the TV freakin critics. Are you being paid for this gig cash? It is none of that barter crap, is it? We’re not going to get like a year’s subscription to TV Guide for God sake, are we? This is just sad. Let me get this straight: so their job is to get up in the morning, turn on the TV, stuff their pie holes, and then trash the new shows.

Jeff Dunham: I guess.

Walter: This is genius. I want this job. “What’s your dad’s job?” “He tells the world that your dad’s show sucks.” Fantastic.

Dunham surveyed the carbohydrate-laden Critics, arms crossed, and readied again for verbal battle.

Walter: If you’re going to rip our show apart, here are some lame headlines you will probably use. You can use these. “‘Jeff Dunham Show’ cast is kind of wooden.” “Dunham is for dummies.” They love puns in the print business. You know what I mean? “Dunham makes dolls talk, but can’t make audience laugh.” That’s a good one.

Jeff Dunham: Right. What about that one? I wrote that one.

Walter: Oh, yeah: “Jeff Dunham Show” funny as a block of fucking wood. You can use little asterisk signs and stuff on the ‘fucking.’ Okay. Here is another one. “Not funny. Read my lips.” See, because it’s hard to leave my lips.

Lauren Corrao (Comedy Central’s President of Original Programming and Development): I got it.

Walter: If there was somebody here who couldn’t hear, it would sound like, ‘Mom, mom, mom, mom.’

Lauren Corrao: I got it.

Walter: Thanks, Lauren. Okay. Good. You should sit on Jeff’s other knee.

Lauren Corrao: All right.

Walter: Let him stick his hand up your…back.

The ventriloquist with a ribald sense of humor is ready to dazzle in the upcoming, "The Jeff Dunham Show," which premieres on Thursday, October 22.

In the series premiere, Dunham and Walter the Grumpy Retiree visit a licensed psychologist to save their relationship only to learn that he specializes in gay couples, Bubba J drinks beer and shoots guns at a real rifle range, and Achmed the Dead Terrorist promotes his own comedy DVD, "I Kill You I Kill Me." Also in the debut episode, Peanut wants a "hot friggin' famous" Hollywood girlfriend and asks Jeff's publicist (played in a cameo by Dunham's real-life publicist Elaine Schock) to fix him up with guest star Brooke Hogan. However, their date goes awry when Peanut gets all choked up over some guacamole and chips.

Upcoming episodes include Achmed's attempt to become a US citizen by joining the Marines (but he cannot do a push-up to save his life), Peanut developing a new energy drink, and Walter visiting a local tech shop to learn about the latest technology ­ only to end up insulting the entire staff.

Immediately following the second episode of the series, Dunham and his characters make their own cameo on "30 Rock" Friday, October 30. When NBC executive Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) decides that the reason that the ratings for "TGS with Tracy Jordan" are lagging is that the show is out of touch with what middle America finds humorous, the "30 Rock" crew visit Georgia to get tips from Dunham and his dummies about how to relate to the heartland.

Dunham's got a book too.  "All By My Selves: Walter, Peanut, Achmed, and Me," is slated for publication by Dutton in 2010, is a unique autobiography in which Dunham and his creations all tell their versions of his life story.

Upcoming Jeff Dunham tour dates:

Oct 8  Covelli Centre  Youngstown, OH
Oct 9  Lucas Arena  Toledo, OH
Oct 10  Peoria Civic Center  Peoria, IL
Oct 11  Mizzou Arena  Columbia, MO
Oct 23  Sovereign Bank Arena  Trenton, NJ
Oct 24  Glen Falls Civic Center  Glen Falls, NY (2 shows)
Oct 25  1st Mariner Arena  Baltimore, MD
Nov 6  State Theatre  Sydney, Australia
Nov 8  State Theatre  Sydney, Australia
Nov 9  Hamer Hall  Melbourne, Australia
Nov 10  Hamer Hall  Melbourne, Australia
Nov 12  Tacoma Dome  Tacoma, WA
Nov 13  Memorial Coliseum  Portland, OR
Nov 14  Washington State Univeristy  Pullman, WA
Nov 15  Yakima Valley SunDome  Yakima, WA
Nov 27  US Airways Center  Phoenix, AZ
Nov 28  Honda Center  Anaheim, CA
Dec 26  BJCC  Birmingham, AL
Dec 27  Sommet Center  Nashville, TN
Dec 28  Philips Arena  Atlanta, GA
Dec 29  Thompson Boling Arena  Knoxville, TN
Dec 30  Bi-Lo Center  Greenville, SC
Dec 31  Time Warner Cable Arena  Charlotte, NC