Which is the root of all evil Oprah or the Catholic Church…Lewis Black Knows

Who better to serve as the ultimate decider on all things evil than Lewis Black? “Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil” pits either two people such as Kim Jong Il and Tila Tequila or pop culture topics such as You Tube vs. Porn against each other in an open debate setting. A rotating group of comedians take the stage and argue who or what is most evil with Black making the final decision. The premiere episode of “Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil” on Wednesday, March 12 at 10:30 p.m. takes on sacred cows Oprah and the Catholic Church with Paul F. Tompkins and Greg Giraldo arguing which is the root of all evil.

The series is created and executive produced by Scott Carter (“Politically Incorrect”, “Real Time with Bill Mahei”) and David Sacks (“The Simpsons”, “Malcolm in the Middle”) and features the following: a fiery monologue by Black introducing the topics; “Opening Statements” – the first opportunity comedians have to state their case; “Debate” – the comedians provide verbal and video evidence to bolster their case and try to debunk each other’s theories; “Inquisition” – Black grills the comedians; “Ripple of Evil” – comedians predict the dire consequences that will ensue if their evil is left unchecked; “Closing Statements” – comedians hit their message home; “Final Verdict” – Black renders his decision. Comedians serving as advocates on the show include Andrew Daly (“MADtv”), Greg Giraldo (“COMEDY CENTRAL Roasts”) Andy Kindler (“Late Show with David Letterman”), Kathleen Madigan (judge on last season’s “Last Comic Standing”), Patton Oswalt (“Ratatouille,” “King of Queens”) and Paul F. Tompkins (“Mr. Show with Bob and David”).

The second episode, Donald Trump vs. Viagra, debuts Wednesday, March 19 at 10:30 p.m. and features comedians Kindler and Giraldo debating which is the root of all evil. Future evil episodes include: Paris Hilton (Giraldo) vs. Dick Cheney (Oswalt); Beer (Daly) vs. Weed (Tompkins); YouTube (Oswalt) vs. Porn (Giraldo); Kim Jong Il (Madigan) vs. Tila Tequila (Giraldo); “American Idol” (Kindler) vs. High School (Oswalt); and Las Vegas (Daly) vs. The Human Body (Oswalt).

Comedycentral.com will feature a comprehensive video archive including exclusive Web-only video from “Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil;” message boards; a “Root” Facebook application; show outtakes and uncensored clips. In addition, each week viewers can participate via interactive polling to weigh-in on who or what they think is the “root of all evil.” Using their mobile phones, viewers can text (standard text messaging rates apply) their vote and the results will be displayed in real time at the end of the show.

“Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil” is sponsored by Alltel.

Lewis Black is one of the most prolific and popular performers working today. He executes a brilliant trifecta as stand-up comedian, actor and author. Black’s live performances provide a cathartic release of anger and disillusionment for his audience. A passionate performer who is more pissed-off optimist than mean-spirited curmudgeon, he’s perfected expressing what the rest of us cannot say in polite company. Receiving critical acclaim, he performs over 200 nights a year to sell-out audiences throughout Europe, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. He is one of few performers to sell out multiple, renowned theatres including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York City Center and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. On February 11, 2007, Black received a Grammy award for “Best Comedy Album” for “The Carnegie Hall Performance” stand-up CD released by COMEDY CENTRAL Records.

In August 2007, he was the first stand-up comedian to perform in concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. In December 2007, he was part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Christmas Show – along with Robin Williams, Kid Rock, Lance Armstrong, Ronan Tynan and Miss USA, Rachel Smith – that entertained U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Kryzistan, Spain and Italy.

In 2006, Black had a break out year as an actor. He co-starred with Robin Williams in Barry Levinson’s “Man of the Year” (Universal Pictures), appeared as “the fake dean of a fake college” in Steve Pink’s “Accepted” (Universal Pictures) and as the harried airport manager in Paul Feig’s “Unaccompanied Minors” (Warner Brothers). In addition, he lent his voice to the role of “Jimmy” in Bob Sagat’s parody, “Farce of the Penguins” (Thinkfilm).

In the midst of a rigorous touring schedule and several TV appearances, Black’s first book, Nothing’s Sacred (Simon and Schuster, 2005) debuted on The New York Times Best Seller List. He’s currently working on a second release (Penguin, June 3, 2008) titled, Me of Little Faith. It is a ferociously funny exploration of religion and faith in which he examines how the rules and constraints of religion have affected his life and the lives of us all. His hilarious experiences with rabbis, Mormons, gurus, psychics, and even the joy of a perfect round of golf give Black the chance to expound upon what we believe and why — in the language of a shock jock and with the heart of an iconoclast.

Lewis Black, Scott Carter and David Sacks are the executive producers with Jo Anne Astrow and Mark Lonow as the co-executive producers. Zoe Friedman and Scott Landsman serve as the executives in charge of production for COMEDY CENTRAL.