Sheryl Underwood

Sheryl is pulling out all of the stops this weekend. The audiences have been terrific and the shows have had a great tempo and energy to them.

Vince Morris and my old friend Sherman Golden have been excellent as well.

I had thought there would be some significant competition for Sheryl this weekend with other events, but thus far it has not materialized.

The radio guys loved Sheryl this week. It's nice to see a professional comic also do what professional comedians are supposed to do on the radio.

Post Showcase

So we do this showcase yesterday. The day session was for Wendy's, who is doing an online contest that could result in the winner being on the Ellen Show, and then the evening session which was basically a showcase for the HBO Aspen Festival.

The comedians who performed in both sessions did pretty much what they were asked to do, and the feedback we received might indicate that at least one or two of the people who took the time to audition might get some good news. Pretty hedgy a statement isn't it. It has to be I suppose.

I still wonder why more comedians don't come out to audition. Is that their fault or ours? I don't know. I do know that most comedians take a long time to learn how to audition, so my thinking is that if you have a chance to audition you should take it. Performing in front of no audience or an audience of comedians can be very disorienting. If you are really to raw and stink, it won't really matter because no one will remember you anyway, so get your name on the list and get out there.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback.

Have you thought about coming to check out the Wendy's / HBO / Las Vegas Comedy Festival auditions tomorrow?

If you are a local comic and aren't throwing your hat in the ring, them shame on you. Sure you might not get selected, but if you aren't practicing for showcases, then you aren't working to advance your career.

Sheryl Underwood is in this week, and I think this is a show that you should consider if you haven't been by to see us in a while. Not many know that she peppers her material with her conservatism, and for some that makes her a bit different than some of her peers in the urban comedy community.

Pat Dixon rocked last weekend. He has done some movie reviews here in the local market with 99x, as he does in a number of other markets around the country. I hope that our friends at 99x understand that we needed to have him appear on other stations to help promote the show. That's not a Pat decision, but more of a judgment call on our part. We hope to see him back in Atlanta soon.

Where is The Punchline?

Katrina still dominates much of the news and you may recall that a week or so ago I noted how people tend to think about disasters in terms of what they are most familiar with. Medical folks think about the looming public health crisis, lawyers think about the legal angles, builders think about the task of well, rebuilding.

I am nevertheless stunned about the reports that are coming of the gulf region. Firefighters being used as props; rescue helicopters being grounded so that they can be used as a backdrop for press conferences; and the list goes on.

Some stories, like those about the press being shut out from reporting the news of the recovery efforts or of a person commenting that some people are "better off" being in a shelter make you think that you are reading the Onion and not a regular newspaper. It makes you think that what is to be protected is the reputation of an elected official, rather then the people who are in need. It makes me as a comic think, "where's the punchline?"

There will be investigations and commissions and studies that will result from this natural disaster. There will be plenty of work for the medical people, the lawyers, the builders, the teachers, and yes - even the comedians.

John Caponera....

John Caponera starts tonight and I hope you considering coming out to see his show. He is a seasoned professional with more than 20 years of experience performing. His show and his material is as vital as ever with much material that a wide section of audience can identify with.

Tuesday Already

This past weekend went by in a blur. Some of that admittedly was because there always seemed to be one eye on the television seeing what was happening on the gulf coast. I don't know about you, but I think it will be some time before I can honestly say that I am not thinking about this in some way. When you think of the logistic hurdles that these folks are facing, or how there are families which have been torn apart with limited hope that the reunion will be quick or certain - it can be overwhelming.

I read an interesting article today about how when people accept that their life has changed they usually wind up ahead of folks in the long run, especially those folks who don't believe that there has been a change and keep living the same way. It is an interesting thing really. If you lost everything what would you do?

Lewis Black was great this weekend was was Josh Sneed and John Bowman. It is an interesting thing how few and far between the sure thing ticket sellers are. I know that there has been a change in the comedy industry, driven largely by the Kings of Comedy and Blue Collar that pulls acts out of clubs an in to concerts. It is hard to be critical of the participants in that process, but I can tell you how nice it is to see acts like Lewis back on our stage. We hope to see him again soon.

Katrina Again....

We, like so many, are just stunned at the loss. Stunned at what seems to be a massive failure on the part of our elected officials, starting at the very top, to be prepared. How it is possible on the eve of the fourth anniversary of 9/11 that something like this could happen in one of our own cities? Some have suggested this could not have been predicted. I think that is wrong, it has been predicted repeatedly.

We will do something. We have too.

What you read above were my first thoughts on Friday, as I was personally starting to get a handle on what was being spoken and written about what we are all watching. My partners and I are exploring what needs to be done by us to help. I know that my family will be looking at what we can take out of our own home to give, as surely there is a person who needs it more.

I do want to make a comment about that sentiment, about someone needing it more. While we have watched the footage of what is happening all along the gulf coast some person succumbed to a terminal illness in the midwest. Some family lost a parent in a car accident in the northeast. My point is that there is a great loss all around us on a daily basis and in some way each of those losses is real and just as devastating. Humor has always been a way for people to start to put the pieces back together again. I am sure that even in these darkest of hours there are moments, even if fleeting, there is humor.