In This Crazy Political Year, Politicon Plays Up The Funny, Puts Odd Couples Together, Captures The Nation's Mood

LOS ANGELES, May 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Politicon, the Unconventional Political Convention, recognizing the unique nature of the current political season, will showcase diverse comedy, along with provocative, news-making clashes of personalities as the democracy and entertainment fan-fest finalizes its programming lineup. The jam-packed convention will be held Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26, at the Pasadena Convention Center. 

Gov. Sarah Palin faces off with Democratic Strategist James Carville in a battle of strong wills. Carville will also conduct a no-holds-barred Q&A with Larry Wilmore from The Nightly Show, fresh off his newsworthy stint hosting the White House Correspondent's Dinner. Glenn Beck will be in the spotlight, as will Bill Nye and a team of his associates from the Planetary Society.

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox, who has been vocal in his opposition to Donald Trump's foreign policy, will sit for a Q&A with comedian Al Madrigal. Writer/provocateur Ann Coulter will debate Democratic pundit Van Jones and panel discussions will examine everything from a retrospective look back at the early days of The Daily Show to "Is Donald Trump a Psychopath?"

A nonpartisan event for fans of politics and topical entertainment, Politicon brings together politicians, pundits, comedians and entertainers from across the cultural spectrum for a weekend of comedy, panels, book signings, radio and TV broadcasts, debates, podcasts, interviews, film screenings, meet & greets, and much more.

A full listing of the one-of-a-kind panels, speeches, performances and debates at Politicon are available now at politicon.com/lineup. But here are some highlights:

• Added to the comedy lineup are Darrell Hammond and Jay Pharoah from Saturday Night Live. The two comedians, who have earned great acclaim for their spot-on impersonations of political figures, will perform stand-up and will participate in panels;
• Conservative pundit Dinesh D'Souza will engage in a debate with left-wing activist Cenk Uygur; sparks will fly;
• Comedian Hal Sparks, blogger Xeni Jardin and pop culture journalist Touré examine the move to legalize weed in a panel sponsored by Huffington Post;
• Barbara Boxer, retiring U.S. Senator from California, sits for an "exit interview" with politics and policy columnist Ron Brownstein;
• Pollster and pundit Frank Luntz will conduct the world's biggest focus group;
• And other panels will examine LGBTQ issues, gun rights, conspiracy theories, how media impacts politics and sessions focusing on Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Also confirmed to participate in this year's Politicon are Clay Aiken, Elisha Krauss, Wendy Davis, Tomi Lahren, Upright Citizens Brigade, Eugene Robinson, Lizz Winstead, Jon Ronson, Paul Begala, and many more.

2016's Politicon also marks the return of Democracy Village, a space dedicated to politically incorrect comedy, socially charged music, interactive games, photo booths, and more. Politicon will also bring back The Art of Politics exhibition, featuring provocative art pieces from across the political spectrum.

Politicon will also host a special Daily Show retrospective panel, detailing the early years of the iconic show and featuring correspondents, writers, and producers including Madeleine Smithberg (Executive Producer/Showrunner and co-creator), Brian Unger, Frank DeCaro, Beth Littleford, J.R. Havlan, Stacey Grenrock-Woods, Vance DeGeneres, and more. Oh, and Hollywood offerings from the classic A Face in the Crowd, to CBS's new summer series Brain Dead will also have their moment.

Tickets are available for purchase at: www.politicon.com

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