TBS will also air benefit for Katrina victims

After an eight-year absence from the airwaves, Comic Relief will return to HBO this fall to lend a hand in the ongoing recovery of areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina last year.

HBO and its Time Warner sibling TBS will simulcast the "Comic Relief 2006" concert live on Saturday, Nov. 18, from Las Vegas. Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal, who hosted the first eight events, dating back to 1986, will take up those duties once again.

Money raised from the show will go help Katrina victims rebuild their homes and "address causes that kept victims from escaping."

"Disasters like Katrina devastate the environment and cause suffering for all forms of life, both human and animal," says Bob Zmuda, Comic Relief's founder and president. "Comic Relief is determined to address these tragedies by benefiting everyone from the elderly to children and pets."

The three-hour show will include live segments from New Orleans and showcase the work of Crescent City filmmaker Kenny Morrison. Other performers are still being lined up.

In its 20 years, Comic Relief has mounted some 80 benefit shows, including eight concerts televised on HBO, that have raised better than $50 million for programs aiding the homeless. The last HBO event aired in 1998.