After a two-year hiatus, 48-year-old Cracked magazine has officially relaunched with Michael Ian Black as its editor-at-large and an older demographic of 18-to-34-year-olds — what it calls the "adult comedy market" — as its target:

Acquired in 2005 by entrepreneur Monty Sarhan, CRACKED spent the last year-and-a-half on hiatus while undergoing a total re-design and "re-imagining" as a humor magazine for a new generation.

The magazine's editorial roster includes Neal Pollack and writers from the Daily Show, Saturday Night Live and Chappelle's Show, as well as a parody of ESPN The Magazine.

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The full release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CRACKED MAGAZINE RE-LAUNCHES

48-year-old humor and parody magazine 're-imagined;' Hits newsstands nationwide today

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Comedian/Actor Michael Ian Black to serve as Editor-at-Large;

Magazine features writers from The Daily Show, Saturday Night Live & Chappelle's Show

August 15, 2006 [New York, NY] — CRACKED Magazine, the 48-year-old national publication, officially re-launches today as a general humor magazine for 18- to 34-year-olds. Popular actor/comedian Michael Ian Black (VH1's I Love the ... series; NBC's Ed) will serve as an Editor-at-Large.

The all-new CRACKED leaves behind its illustrated past and debuts a new look, a new editorial direction and a roster of high-profile talent—including author/satirist Neal Pollack and writers from such popular shows as Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show and Chappelle's Show.

Acquired in 2005 by entrepreneur Monty Sarhan, CRACKED spent the last year-and-a-half on hiatus while undergoing a total re-design and "re-imagining" as a humor magazine for a new generation. The all-new CRACKED features articles, parodies, magazine spoofs, pranks, recurring columns and a completely new section called "But Seriously..." with news, reviews and interviews covering the world of comedy.

The new CRACKED has almost doubled in size — from 48 pages to 80 full-color pages on glossy paper. With a cover price of $3.99, the new CRACKED will be available nationwide. It is being distributed by Curtis Circulation, the largest distributor of magazines in North America.

Sarhan, who serves as CEO and Editor-in-Chief, discussed the magazine's new look and its re-launch. "We're extremely happy to debut the all-new CRACKED. And while the new CRACKED is different than its previous incarnation in many ways, it is the same in one essential way: our mission continues to be parodying politics, pop culture and society. The way in which we go about fulfilling that mission is what is entirely new and different," said Sarhan. "The new CRACKED is smart, relevant, sarcastic, clever and biting. Our goal is 'intelligent irreverence,' and we have evolved CRACKED into a best-of-breed humor magazine."

"When CRACKED was at its peak, it was relevant and funny. It held a mirror up to society and pop-culture. We are getting back to that mission, albeit in a fresh and interesting way, because the times we live in demand that kind of commentary and voice," adds Sarhan.

The first issue of the all-new CRACKED features a spoof of ESPN's popular magazine, an article on celebrity idiots, a periodic table of the '80s and a variety of general humor pieces on pop culture, war and politics.

Along with the new CRACKED's humor section is coverage of headlines and headliners from the world of comedy — a section of news, reviews and interviews demonstrating the new CRACKED's commitment to be “the Rolling Stone of comedy." The first issue also contains interviews with Rob Corddry and Ed Helms of The Daily Show and South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.

"In many ways, comedy is the new rock 'n' roll. It's the voice of a generation. We see comedians becoming respected political commentators, people getting their news from The Daily Show and publications like TIME, Newsweek and The New York Times featuring more and more humor," said Sarhan. "All of these factors point to the need for a magazine covering comedy — and CRACKED is that magazine.”

CRACKED fans have been getting a taste of the new editorial formula since Sarhan and his team re-launched their website, CRACKED.com, late last year. The website features new content daily, including comics, videos, links, blogs and general humor pieces. In the eight months since its re-launch, CRACKED.com has become one of the top destinations for original humor content on the Internet.

CRACKED's new creative, editorial and business team includes experienced individuals from the publishing world—from companies such as Universal Studios, Dennis Publishing, American Media, Marvel Entertainment, Wenner Media and National Lampoon. In addition to Sarhan, who serves as Editor-in-Chief and CEO, the new CRACKED team includes Editors-At-Large Michael Ian Black and Neal Pollack, Chief Operating Officer Marc Liu, Publishing Director Larry Durocher, Jr., Editors Justin Droms, Jack O'Brien and Jay Pinkerton, and a business team that includes Darren Kane and Sebastian Nagy-Gyorgy.

About Cracked Entertainment, Inc.

Based in New York, Cracked Entertainment publishes CRACKED Magazine (www.CRACKED.com), one of America’s oldest and most well-known comedy magazines, both in print and online.

About CRACKED Editor-at-Large, Michael Ian Black

Michael Ian Black is an actor, comedian, writer and director who is perhaps best known as the lead commentator on VH1’s I Love The… series and for his role as bowling alley manager Phil Stubbs for four years on NBC’s hit comedy-drama Ed. He appears regularly to discuss current affairs on CNN. Black also co-founded two acclaimed sketch comedy groups—The State and Stella—both of which became the basis for television shows. In addition, he was a series regular on You Wrote It, You Watch It, and has guest starred on ABC’s NYPD Blue and Spin City. He also executive produced, wrote and starred in the Comedy Central series Viva Variety. Most recently, Black wrote and directed the upcoming feature, The Pleasure of Your Company, starring Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher.

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