LCS 2010: Finale

Really?

Okay, Felipe Esparza is funny. The bit he did tonight about going down to Mexico with his friend was some of the best comedy he's done. And he's unique. And there didn't seem to be a next George Carlin/Robin Williams/Richard Pryor in the group. So, okay. Oh, and my favorites came in second and third. It's not the first time my exacta has been spoiled by a dark horse.

So what else happened?

I thought Iliza Shlesinger had the best performance of the night. High heels, shopping, short women—these are not new topics, but she brought a funny, fresh perspective. And she showed her usual flair for physical humor, impersonating a pugnacious woman taking a punch. I think of her as this generation's Carol Burnett.

Tom Popa was actually quite funny, but for some reason I find myself resisting his humor. He kind of has a cheesy reality show host aura about him.

Kathy Griffin brought her dish, and she had some funny moments.

Hooray for the Best Joke: Kurt Metzger's bit about his father's funeral being ruined by the announcement of Michael Jackson's death. How did this guy not make it into the final ten?

As for the judges ...

I'm guessing Andy Kindler can be funnier. Tonight he made a point with "Last Scientist Standing": Intellectual progress is not the best thing to evaluate by popular vote. (Hmm, does he see stand-up primarily as a way to display his intellect? It can be that, but it can also be a way of having fun and sharing it with a group. Just a thought.)

I just didn't get into Natasha Leggero's rather arch character. Maybe I needed to be more familiar with her shtick.

Greg Giraldo hit some good ideas—the OnStar terrorist bomber commercial, the homeless a cappella singers, food addiction—but he seemed a little rushed. Still funny, though.

Going further downhill ... the documentary shorts and the musical numbers could have been dispensed with. As a host, Craig Robinson was good enough; I'd be happy to see him back next year.

The overall quality of comics, from the semi-finals on, was the best I've seen in the history of the show. The new, more straightforward format served comedy better than in previous seasons, though I missed the "I'm funnier than" showdowns. The action in the house was great back in Season 1 but not so much after that. Sigh. I miss Dave Mordal.

LCS 2010: Final 5

Since the elimination of Rachel Feinstein after the show two weeks ago, the final rounds have been all men. The dearth of women comics (and comedy writers) on television has been in the news off and on for the last few years, but here is the chance for Last Comic Standing to make a small gesture of amends! To bring tonight's show up to an hour, they are having a guest comic, and who better to stand in for women than ... overweight redneck comic Ron White? He does a nice set about drinking, being drunk, and understanding drunkenness. Here's to you, ladies!

Jonathan Thymius has finally been eliminated. He had a good run.

Roy Wood, Jr., starts with a word about his uncle the drunk, suggests wristbands to identify non-racist whites, and laments his constantly being enlisted to lie to the wives of married friends. It's the usual funny, smart set.

Tommy Johnagin tells about his redneck uncle—apparently all comics have comedy-worthy uncles—stealing a portable toilet; accidentally going to a gynecologist as a thirteen-year-old; and hitting a deer with his car. I don't think it's up to the level of his previous routines, but the judges like it.

Myq Kaplan likes to start with a quip about what came before him, and tonight he points out that he is not Tommy Johnagin. (Apparently some feel they resemble one another.) I would have given him more points if he had come out and said, "Let me just start off by saying, I don't have any uncles." But he spins a good set, going from gay rights to women's suffrage to an alternate name for manholes. The judges think his is hilarious, hilarious, and so funny. (And really, with the five most talented comics remaining, there's not much for the judges to say.)

Felipe Esparza goes back to the tough childhood well and adds a bit about his gay brother. Andy takes the opportunity to slam Carlos Mencia as a phony (and Felipe as the real deal). Jeez, are people still going after Mencia? It seems a bit dated. Maybe Andy's saving his newer stuff—a whole run on the movie Avatar—till next week. (Kidding.)

Mike DeStefano says Buddhists don't yell, which would have been the perfect time for a heckler to point out Tiger Woods is a Buddhist, just to test DeStefano's improv mettle. That doesn't happen. DeStefano goes on with funny, dark material about a homeless guy and a $20 bill, the proper hammer to brain someone with, and the relative shooting skills of blacks and Italians.

My ranking of tonight's routines, from the top: Wood, DeStefano, Kaplan, Johnagin, and Esparza. But who would I rank as the best comic overall? Probably I'd have Johnagin edging out Wood. These are five talented guys, though. Was Craig Robinson kidding when he said the five of them would be touring together for the next 297 days?

Next week we learn the winner, and we also get to see the judges do some comedy. Yippee.

LCS 2010: Final 6

In the interim between episodes, NBC or some other lowlife has posted an Internet video of Andy Kindler ranting, Mel Gibson-style, at an LCS contestant. I don't think it's particularly funny, and I wonder if it was Andy's idea, or if the network made him do it.

Back to the show. We have a new ad: A woman and a man lounging in beach chairs, side by side, reading their Kindles. The imagery reminds me of another ad campaign. Sure, she's reading, but he isn't—everyone knows men don't read. He's waiting for the Cialis to kick in.

And saints be praised, we have two musical bits, both of which work. I'll get to one later. The other involves Craig Robinson asking for a drum roll and getting one—on a steel drum. Droll drum roll.

We eventually learn that Rachel Feinstein has been eliminated. Looking back on last week, her naïve/sarcastic character rant about Las Vegas not being the center of the universe's sweetness may have run a bit long. In light of the elimination of Feinstein and Adomian, it looks like people are not into characters.

With only six performing, there's time for each to have a little pre-recorded skit before their bit of stand-up.

Jonathan Thymius has a cute little film about his side business, the Comedy O Gram. His on-stage stuff is the usual: slow, baffling, and sporadically hilarious. (Best line: "Birds.") The judges are puzzled and admiring.

Next up is Roy Wood, Jr., who [We interrupt this blog for a bout of antenna wrestling. Channel 2's broadcast seems to be at war with, well, the atmosphere. Jeez. I mean, would you buy a car if it doesn't get along with, um, roads? So I'm up there, twisting the rabbit ears back and forth, and random unfunny digitized bits are popping up on my TV. Communication is not happening. When I finally start getting a coherent signal, the judges are congratulating Roy for being his usual brilliant self. Luckily NBC makes the episode available for replay on the Internet.]

As I was saying, Roy Wood, Jr., tries to get his mom to wear a sling on her arm to garner sympathy. I give that one polite heh. OK Roy, but our hearts already went out to you when you told us you were from Alabama, our world's third world. In his stand-up bit, Roy talks about a guy who thinks there's a racist conspiracy to short him on chicken nuggets. Then he switches to octomommery: These women who take fertility drugs and end up with multiple births shouldn't keep all the babies; they could go on a show called Last Baby Standing! Pretty funny. In his critique, Andy works in a reference to "Dance Your Ass Off," which is a callback to that video I mentioned earlier. Did Andy do that on his own, or was he "encouraged"?

Myq Kaplan's film is a little song he performs, accompanying himself on guitar. Pretty funny stuff. His stand-up is about cell phone avatars, final (non-)burial instructions, and a run on one of the Final Destination movies. (He kind of assumes people haven't heard of the movie series, but isn't it popular among young audiences?) A lot of Kaplan's humor is, "This is how clever I am. See me being clever? I overwhelm you with my cleverness and my superiority to most of the world." Luckily, he really is quite clever. Natasha delivers an interesting critique—that he would win Last Comedy Writer Standing—which a lot of people probably felt was a put-down; I took it to be a slightly left-handed compliment.

Tommy Johnagin's intro plays up his middle-America roots; he's from St. Louis, and thus America's comic. He does a rapid-fire routine that goes from pregnancy to baby care to a run on masturbation. The judges all think he was very funny, and Andy likes his posture.

Mike DeStefano's little film shows him getting a manicure and pedicure. At the mike, he talks about heroin addiction, has a "good one" about a submission to a Chinese restaurant suggestion box ("free Tibet"), and disses a Blackberry addict. I loved the judges' comments: Natasha—your core audience is in prison; Greg—one of the few likable violent people; and Andy—best set yet.

Felipe Esparza is introduced with a clip on his East L.A. workout routine, which is pretty funny. He talks about Arizona's anti-illegal immigrant law and custody sharing.

My rankings, from top to bottom: Johnagin, Wood, Kaplan, DeStefano, Esparza, Thymius. Yes, I'm hammering on Jonathan Thymius every week. But it would be a pleasure to see his act; I just rank him below these other talented comics.

One more comic will be eliminated. Next week will be the final performance show. (Although I am hoping in the finale Robinson, Kindler, Leggero, and Giraldo will all get a chance to do a bit of stand-up; I'd like to see what they've got.)

LCS 2010: Final 7

So ... the comics eliminated were James Adomian, Laurie Kilmartin, and Maronzio Vance. Adomian was my slight favorite last week, but apparently John Adams jokes are not comedy gold.

Seven comics this time, and the judges are back! (Apparently with ten comics performing the producers realized there wouldn't be time to pick up the judges' reactions, but with seven comics they can squeeze the judges in.)

Mike DeStefano starts off the night with a routine that flows nicely. His first joke is about ridiculously expensive soap—which must be so good it can wash out shame; and that leads to him talking about his childhood and his difficulty expressing emotions; and that leads to some relationship jokes. Everyone loves Mike's jokes and persona.

Roy Wood, Jr., talks about soccer, student loans, and black-latino relations. That last bit is especially smart and insightful, and I worry that the general public won't get it. (It involves remembering that there was a civil rights struggle.) The judges like his material and his soothing voice.

Myq Kaplan spends most of his routine making fun of dumb people (who think if someone is smart they must be gay [?]) and emphazising that he is gay-friendly but not actually gay. I've been slowly warming up to Myq and like his set tonight, as do the judges.

Rachel Feinstein does a nice character bit about a drunk propositioning her in Vegas. The judges all love her, though Natasha points out that some viewers may find her Deepak Chopra reference obscure. (See: John Adams.)

Tommy Johnagin jokes about hot girls being dull, a breakup that turned him into a stalker, and a car that wouldn't start because the starter was broken. Natasha like him but didn't think he brought his best material; Greg and Andy approve.

Felipe Esparza is pretty funny while leaning heavily on ethnic humor. Natasha points out that his jokes were "easy" (possibly a nice way of saying they bordered on lazy or clichéd?), and Andy says even if one doesn't like the jokes, one has to like the guy delivering them. Greg loves the set.

And Jonathan Thymius (who I thought would be one of the three eliminated) brings his brand of slow comedy. He has one of the funniest jokes of the night, about going to a massage parlor and getting a more plausible, realistic ending (which Andy cites). But he also has some gags that don't quite work. Natasha calls him silly, gross, and weird, while Greg says he's funny to watch. Early in the series Thymius was one of my favorites, but I'm cooling to him.

How would I rank tonight's routines? From top to bottom, I'd go with DeStefano, Johnagin, Wood, and Kaplan bunched tightly together; followed by Feinstein; followed by Esparza and Thymius, also closely ranked. But even my least favorite bits were funny. One comic will be eliminated, but I have no idea which one.

LCS 2010: Final 10

Tonight each of the final 10 comics does 2½ minutes of comedy, and the TV audience votes on its favorite; the 3 lowest vote-getters are to be eliminated.

Laurie Kilmartin takes a very long time getting around to a punch line about the "other" woman (with whom her husband was having an affair) being a bad speller. Are we laughing yet? She goes on to talk about her 3-year-old son, and finishes with a darker ending to The Little Engine That Could. Seemed pretty weak.

Felipe Esparza tells a whole series of unrelated jokes, including one about an encounter with a cop which I just didn't get. He leads off with the best—a gag about sharing bunk beds with his brother, and the brother sharing the upper bunk with a wife. Again, not a strong set.

Roy Wood, Jr., does an extended bit about a sports fan mistaking his Izod logo for a Florida Gator; for me the humor didn't build but petered out. He then questioned the popularity of swimming as a sport, and he described his failure as a Career Day speaker (he made the mistake of telling the truth). The last bit was the best, which is how a routine is supposed to work.

Maronzio Vance comes up with an original bit about Pay Attention Man and his sidekick Didn't He Tell You; the bit could have been developed a bit more, but maybe Vance didn't want to invest all his time in one gag. Instead, he goes with a bit which says, in essence, "If you can spell chlamydia, you must have it! Har har!" I'm sure the 12-year-olds in the audience were laughing their heads off.

Rachel Feinstein talks about her mother and grandmother being experts on rap. Apparently middle-aged and older Jewish ladies taking an interest in rap is just a scream. For some.

Tommy Johnagin talks about his mother and his grandmother, and how his grandfather drove a car into a beauty salon. And then he finishes with a couple of ugly stripper jokes.

Jonathan Thymius takes a slow approach to his 2½ minutes; at one point the room goes completely silent. He fiddles with the microphone, does a few weak gags, belches, and pretends his failure is due to lack of juggling equipment.

James Adomian goes after Aesop for being judgmental, and does an extended imitation of Paul Giamatti as a self-loathing John Adams.

Mike DeStefano talks about a friend with too much self-esteem, does a black guys/white guys joke, and tells an anecdote about his work as a drug counselor.

Myq Kaplan talks about his grandmother's work in the grammar police; being a vegan; street musicians; and the correct way of pointing.

It seems like everyone brought their B material this week. Maybe they all figured their chances of continuing were 7 out of 10. I thought Adomian was the best this week (though how much of the audience will make sense of the John Adams material?). Who will be eliminated? Probably Thymius; his style seems like the worst fit to the short time allowed. Maybe Kilmartin and Esparza, but I'm a poor judge of what will be popular.

This was a strong field, despite the weak material tonight. I'm sure each of the 10 could give a very solid 15-minute routine.

Other than the brief time allowed per routine, this format may be the best at sorting out the talent. But I will miss the old format of comics declaring, "I know I'm funnier than ...", followed by an elimination duel between the least respected comic and one or more of their adversaries. Season 1 is still my favorite, with Rich Vos and Dave Mordal scheming (unsuccessfully) against Dat Phan. (Perhaps that whole rivalry was a put-on.) Comics were thrown into odd competitions to try to get an exemption from the showdown. Sometimes these tested their mettle as a comic, and sometimes (often) these were just stupid. One of the better ones was when comics were turned loose in a department store to gather material for prop comedy; the routines were judged, of course, by Carrot Top. Regardless of these side contests, many comics stayed in the overall competition by keeping their heads down. It wasn't fair or a pure measure of comic talent; often it was cheesy and embarrassing; but it was kind of entertaining.

LCS 2010: Semi-Finals Day 2

So tonight one of our sponsors is a diabetes test; and we also have a repeat of the Plavix commercial (for people who've had a heart attack and don't want another). Good to know the show is staying true to its audience.

And Craig Robinson has trouble staying in the spotlight, because OMG the lights are being run by a cigar-chomping chimp! Can this show get any more cutting-edge?

Among the judges, it's Greg Giraldo's night to shine; he's sharp and interacts well with the comics. Andy's funny too, and Natasha is lively and cheerful. And I suspect she (and probably the other judges, though I'm not paying as close attention) wears the same low-cut outfit as Day 1 so that if they want to the producers can dice and slice and move "Day 1" acts to "Day 2" and vice-versa.

At one point I want to call the judges the Sanhedrin, but that feels vaguely incorrect.

Roy Wood, Jr., starts things off. In his audition I liked his writing, but tonight he brings the whole package, writing and delivery. He talks about bad dates, and cryptic wedding invitations, and how men prepare for the possibility of sex on a date, and how women prepare for the possibility of fighting off sex on a date. All original and funny stuff, and I already want to see him in the final ten.

Fortune Feimster tells a story that revolves around her less-than-stunning looks (and her status as a lesbian). I like her, but I'm only lukewarm on the material, which isn't much more than, hey everybody, look at me, I'm a lesbian stereotype.

Jerry Rocha (from Dallas) does some OK gags, the best of which is an impersonation of a customer service woman at a credit card company.

Guy Torry jokes about Obama; claims to be tripolar; and makes fun of Hillary Clinton in the Iowa caucuses, which manages to be both a dated and obscure reference. The audition joke about the girlfriend with hot sauce in her Louis Vuitton purse may have actually been funnier. Anyway, the judges are unimpressed, and Torry kind of goes off, knowing he's doomed.

Jacob Sirof starts off saying, "That was awkward," acknowledging Torry's meltdown. He makes fun of motorcycle jackets, and then he does an extended bit about breaking into a friend's home and hugging the sleeping friend. I think it was supposed to be about discomfort with possibly gay behavior or something. Maybe I'll wake up tonight understanding the joke and laugh.

Nikki Glaser talks about the advantages of having a baby when you're a teen (your parents are still young enough to raise the kid themselves) which I thought was pretty funny. She then tells some abortion jokes which are probably supposed to be edgy but just feel awkward.

Taylor Williamson is a sort of shlubby fellow who reminds me a bit of Max Wright (though there's not really much resemblance). He tells some strange jokes about a labradoodle and about a camel with tiny humps which I kind of like even though they are puzzling and kind of feel like a misfire.

Nick Cobb does a bit about being stoned when his girlfriend dumps him. I think the jokes are OK, but the judges prefer his other material.

Mike Vecchione talks about his Catholic upbringing, his father's gambling problem, and street hoods using babies as jewelry. Pretty funny.

Cristela Alonzo says she's from the Mexican part of Texas, i.e., Texas. Maybe you have to live in Texas to get the joke. Growing up, she felt sorry for girls with common names; if you were Jennifer, for instance, the kids would have to use a nickname to distinguish you from the other Jennifers—and who wants to be called "mustache Jennifer"? Again we have an instance where the judges prefer a comic's other material.

Kurt Metzger does a bit about Tiger Woods's press conference and throws in a jab at Lady Gaga. Metzger is my favorite comic, but this isn't quite his best.

Laurie Kilmartin continues her bad mother act, and she does a funny bit about a Russian boyfriend.

Tommy Johnagin jokes about babies, pregnancy, and kissing. Say, aren't those in reverse chronological order? Anyway, he aggressively presses the judges to know if he's a finalist. They love his act and his ambition.

Claudia Cogan tells jokes about temp workers. Not great.

Maronzio Vance asks why you get a credit check when you apply for a job; after all, one of the reasons for having a job is to improve your credit. His grandfather once told him to just show up somewhere and start working. (If he isn't picked for the finals, will he show up there anyway?)

Jason Nash imitates baby monitor noises (not too funny) and discusses the proper use of "f* it" by a three-year-old (very funny). The judges are familiar with his act and all love him.

James Adomian complains about a friend who insists he watch "Lost"—all 200-or-so hours. He's also into Gary Busey's weirdness. The judges think he's fantastic and want him to do impressions.

Carmen Lynch talks about Latinos who want to be her boyfriend; they are much shorter than she is and follow her around. I found myself laughing, then thinking, "Hey wait, was that racist?" I like Lynch's deadpan style and wish she had used some other material.

Finally, Brian McKim talks about a place with fine food and adult toys, and he tells pee jokes involving five-year-olds in Phoenix. He's pretty funny, but this is probably the end for him, which is a shame, because he and his wife have a nice blog at sheckymagazine.com.

The comics are called out in groups.

Group 1: Jacob Sirof, James Adomian, Jerry Rocha, Claudia Cogan, and Guy Torry. Torry's no fool; he's carrying his luggage. Adomian is announced as the finalist.

Group 2: Carmen Lynch, Tom Shillue, Roy Wood, Jr., Jason Nash, and Kurt Metzger. Wood deservedly gets the finalist slot, though it's a shame to lose Metzger.

Group 3: Laurie Kilmartin, Nick Cobb, Fortune Feimster, David Cope, and Cristela Alonzo. Kilmartin gets the nod.

Group 4: Nikki Glaser, Taylor Williamson, Tommy Johnagin, and Brian McKim. It's Johnagin.

Group 5: Maronzio Vance and Mike Vecchione. Vance is the finalist.

(Shillue in Group 2 and Cope in Group 3 were actually edited out of the show, but were identified by McKim in his blog and can be seen in a few group shots.)

LCS 2010: Semi-Finals Day 1

NBC has been flogging The Event. A lot of strange things have happened, but none is the event! My best guess: It's that stupid capital "E" that turns around, ominously. Yes, that's right; The Event is a bit of trick typography. This show is penciled into my must-not-watch list.

I was hoping Craig Robinson might get to do a short stand-up bit, but no luck. Instead, he sits in a chair and pets a long-haired white cat. A well-brushed cat, I might add; otherwise, with every stroke there would be a cloud of cat hair floating down to the stage floor. Hey, a lot of people have cat allergies. Hope all you comics have had your allergy shots!

Tonight we see the first group of semi-finalists. Each does a short bit and then receives a critique from the three judges. I think this is new to Last Comic Standing, but probably matches what's done on a lot of other reality shows I don't watch. The problem is, every comic we see is fairly talented, so we hear a lot of "hilarious," "very funny," and "great material" from the judges. Kudos to them for not coming up with a lot of phony critiques, but they must have felt like broken records by the end of the evening.

First up is Myq Kaplan, who makes fun of religion—in particular, religious homophobia. It's funny, but yikes!—is it too edgy for broadcast TV?

Jamie Lee (who was identified as being from Dallas) talks about rooming in New York with a model who does coke. She also talks about being in a relationship with a comedian. Pretty good stuff.

Mike DeStefano continues to lean on his Italian ethnicity and rough upbringing. In the old neighborhood, even the Chinese guys had Italian names. Quite funny, but how far can he go doing a "character"?

Kyle Grooms talks about Jersey being hated, and about Detroit being worse off than Haiti. Not bad, but it would have been a lot funnier a decade ago.

Shane Mauss goes dark with a bit about a horrible amusement park accident inconveniencing the people waiting in line. It's better than his previous Seinfeldian bit, though somewhat in the same spirit. Is "I'm a jerk" all he has?

Adrienne Iapalucci talks about her mother; and again she explains that she doesn't hit kids. (She just manipulates them into hitting each other.) Funny and a bit edgy.

Felipe Esparza talks about the creepy people he sees on the bus and makes fun of his own looks. Just a wan smile from me.

Jonathan Thymius slouches up to the mike and does a funny/gross gag about stomach surgery. He does a joke about his wife, and then does a slow-developing ventriloquism bit. I love this guy's delivery, even though half his material keeps getting mail from AARP.

Lil' Rel does an extended bit about his mother's funeral, portraying some stereotypical characters from the black church. I'm only slightly amused.

Jason Weems contrasts the greeter when he enters a certain chain store with the racial profiler security officer who inspects his package as he leaves. He also tells a VCR joke (needs updating?) and describes an encounter with a, um, racially-aware kid. The material's funny but a little out of date.

Ryan Hamilton tells a funny skydiving story. If you dig skydiving, you laugh; otherwise, meh.

Paula Bel commiserates with the Obamas, talks about life without health insurance, and jokes about pedophile priests. Funny, but that last bit was on a trite topic.

Jesse Joyce improves over his monkey roadkill bit from the tryouts, but his story about getting caught in a traffic jam that he had caused is a little thin on laughs and even a bit hard to understand.

Rachel Feinstein talks about a guy with big hips and other men with a strong feminine/feminist side. OK.

Kirk Fox tells a long story about an infirm upstairs neighbor with a gun. Pretty good payoff—not great.

Amanda Melson talks about working for an employer who wants to be edgy and cool—the clothing drive for the homeless should not include any unfashionable jeans, fer gawd's sake. I smiled.

Chip Pope makes a halfhearted joke about office work, then talks about growing up poor and gay. (They couldn't afford a closet for him to come out of.) He does a passable Paul Simon impression.

Alycia Cooper talks about airport security checks and Tiger Woods's mistresses. There's some talent there, but I wasn't greatly amused.

David Feldman talks about his two daughters and the bad choices they are already making at a young age. He also talks about women who don't listen. I give the first bit a thumbs up for edginess; otherwise, so-so.

Wait, that's all we get? Yep, we've been listening to severely truncated stand-up for an hour and forty-five minutes, and it's time to announce the finalists.

The semi-finalists are organized into groups; each group will have one finalist announced.

Group 1 is Amanda Melson, Felipe Esparza, Alycia Cooper, and two guys who are carefully kept off-camera. (One of them is named Joe List, according to Brian McKim's blog. [Update July 17: The other is Jeff Maurer, according to McKim.]) Of the three on-camera comics, I'd probably go with Amanda Melson; but the finalist is Felipe Esparza.

Group 2 is Paula Bel, David Feldman, Myq Kaplan, Kyle Grooms, and two more off-camera guys. (They turn out to be the comedy duo of Stuckey & Murray.) Feldman had the best material, I thought, though I wouldn't complain if Bel were promoted; but Kaplan is the finalist. Well, if you like seeing organized religion smacked in the teeth (and there are definitely times when I can go for that), Kaplan's your guy.

Group 3 is Rachel Feinstein, Kirk Fox, Adrienne Iapalucci, Jason Weems, and Shane Mauss. I'd probably rank them Iapalucci, Mauss, Feinstein, Fix, and Weems. Feinstein is the finalist.

Group 4: Lil' Rel, Ryan Hamilton, Mike DeStefano, Jamie Lee, Chip Pope. Easy pick: DeStefano, though eventually I want to see more than Italian tough-guy jokes.

Group 5: Jesse Joyce and Jonathan Thymius. Thymius is my overall favorite for the night, and he goes to the finals.

My ranking of the finalists: Thymius (best), DeStefano, Feinstein, Kaplan, and Esparza. But every one of the semi-finalists tonight gave me at least one smile. A talented group.

LCS 2010: New York Day 2

This week's sponsor: Hebrew National Hot Dogs. Because we're in New York? And a housepaint that eliminates odors you don't even know you have. At last I have something to cover up the smell of that dead squirrel behind the paneling.

This week's montage: Jew jokes, from humdrum stereotypes to the anti-Semitic. These seem to be told mainly by gentiles, and Andy no like. I'm more or less with Andy. Ethnic/racial humor told by people within the ethnicity/race can be funny and sharp. (It can also be lazy and trite.) Told by people outside the group, such humor trends offensive.

We're shown a few people who audition but don't make the evening show: a comedy robot (who probably deserved better; he seemed to have at least as much potential as the gorilla-costumed Mel Silverback from a few years back); a mock religious couple whose ironic gag triggers the montage described above; and a couple of other forgettables. On to the evening show!

Kyle Grooms auditions with an OK Obama impression, but he's better in the evening show, making fun of his own name ("Kyle" is not a name to intimidate anyone) and glasses. He gets a ticket to the semi-finals.

Nikki Glaser tried the show four years ago and wasn't ready. This time she brings some pretty good relationship humor. She tells about public displays of affection making her jealous; one time she was getting seriously cheesed off with one couple—the guy was carrying the woman—until she realized he was putting her into a wheelchair. Nikki gets a ticket.

Jerry Rocha, a Latino from Dallas, lays on the ethnic humor. He says he's thirty-two and dating a twenty-year-old girl, which makes him older than her parents. Which is both offensive and pretty damn funny. He goes to semis.

Traci Skene goes with the relationship jokes. In her audition she suggests that if hair care products are meant to attract men, they should smell like meat. (Maybe "bacon" would have been a funnier word choice for her.) In the evening show she tells about doing a comedy gig during a snowstorm. The audience is all married couples who have nothing better to do; all the unmarried couples are at home having sex. No ticket for her; I have to believe she just missed the cut.

Ryan Hamilton from Idaho jokes about New Yorkers' ignorance of the interior; anyone not from the East or West coast must be from the Midwest. He gets a ticket.

Calise Hawkins talks about being a bad single mother—she has a three-year-old. Unfortunately the bad mother slot has already been filled, so Calise is done.

Myq Kaplan's boob joke is apparently enough to get him to the semis.

Brian McKim has a funny/gross bit about his flu shot giving him license to, say, lick the buttons in an elevator. He gets a ticket. By the way, he's married to Traci, who didn't get a ticket. No sex for him tonight.

Carmen Lynch tells about her therapist warning her not to regress, saying as illustration, "After all, you can't put the egg back in the chicken." Now she's obsessed with getting a chicken and trying to shove an egg into it. Her deadpan style is very funny, reminding me of Aubrey Plaza of Parks and Recreation. She goes to semis.

Mike Vecchione tells sports jokes. We think of drugs and sports going together, but cocaine and fishing is a no-go. He also has a funny observation about the fencing uniform (something about beekeeping). He gets a ticket.

Rob O'Reilly probably thinks too much. His audition is about puns, and in the evening show he insists you can compare apples and oranges—they're both fruit, after all. Not funny enough for the semi-finals.

Jason Weems questions Magic Johnson's claim (at Michael Jackson's memorial) that eating chicken with Jacko was the best moment of his life. He gets a ticket. That makes two comics using Michael Jackson's death as a career stepping stone. Such a brutal business.

Adrienne Iapalucci portrays herself as a kid-hating racist, but in a funny enough way (she avoids blacks on the street, which is a problem when she runs into her black boyfriend; she doesn't beat kids, but she can make 'em flinch) to move on to the semis.

Nick Cobb's audition (whispering is creepy) is as funny as his bit on the evening show (for men, getting down on one knee is good; two knees is bad; with many illustrations), and he gets a ticket.

That's eleven winners tonight. On to the semi-finals next week.

I had thought there would be a show devoted to auditions by special invitees (people not from Los Angeles or New York), but apparently those folks were seeded into the LA and NY shows (hence the comics from Texas, Idaho, and other parts). I wonder if the show paid for their transportation. Or perhaps they were told they had a very solid shot at the semis if they brought something close to their A games.

LCS 2010: New York Day 1

So this week we have a commercial for - let me see if I can get this straight - medication for people who have already had a heart attack. It's supposed to prevent another attack, or reduce circulatory blockage, or something. And it takes half the commercial to list the potential side effects. Last Comic Standing, these are your viewers.

And we start with another musical bit by Craig Robinson. Sigh. If we're going to do music, why not have Loudon Wainwright III as host? Actually, the more I think of it, that's a brilliant idea! Who thought of that?

This week we get some vigorous dancing by Natasha; Greg gets a lot more lines; and Andy is no longer irritating. Folks, I think we have a good panel of judges!

The montages this week are: stereotypical Italian-Americans; and dummies. --No, wiseacres, I am not being redundant.

So who made it to the evening show?

Jamie Lee from Dallas talks about judgmental people: her grandma, and those guys who make rude comments as women walk by (there's got to be a term for them). Good enough for a ticket to the semi-finals, say the judges.

Mike DeStefano paints himself as a tough Italian guy from the streets, and he's pretty funny. The show even does a little clip with DeStefano and three friends sitting at an outdoor café table, à la The Sopranos (which was often the funniest show on television). DeStefano gets his ticket.

Roy Wood, Jr., does a joke in his audition linking current events with his relationship issues: How long will it take to get our troops out of Iraq if it takes him three years to get a crazy girlfriend out of his apartment? Clever. In the evening show he imagines the trouble Facebook and Twitter would have caused in years gone by. I'm not loving his delivery, but the writing is so good that I can't argue with the judges giving him a ticket.

Kurt Metzger auditions with a riff on the sell-your-gold-for-cash commercials. In the evening show he tells a story about Michael Jackson's death being announced at Metzger's own father's funeral. Both bits are very funny. This guy is my favorite so far, and he's going to the semis.

Amanda Melson auditions with a joke about preachers using quotation fingers, or something. I didn't get it; maybe the funny part was edited out. In the evening she talks about a stupid new-agey yoga class - not exactly an original target for humor. Here's what I also don't get: She's identified as being from San Antonio, but in part of her act she does a mock-Puerto Rican accent. Is she pandering to the New York audience, or is San Antonio more cosmopolitan than I realized? At any rate, she gets a ticket.

Jim David auditions with some jokes about the gay "lifestyle" (presumably he's gay). In the evening show he takes on automated airline reservation systems. The bit is sort of funny, but not good enough to get him to the semis.

Tommy Johnagin tells jokes about bad relationships and gets a ticket. OK, I guess.

Alycia Cooper talks about the bad economy, the bad sports teams in DC, and the things she does to avoid airline bag fees. Another ticket to semi-finals, and another comic I don't feel like rooting for or against.

Flavia Masson auditions with a joke about a Brazilian bikini wax producing something that looks like Hitler's mustache. I'm not laughing, but that's enough for the judges to invite her to the evening show, where she talks about how dramatic and stupid her housemaid is. The judges correct their mistake and don't invite her to the semis.

Jesse Joyce jokes about being a Big Brother and about what traumatizing roadkill monkeys make. I'd have passed him up, but he gets the red ticket.

Claudia Cogan auditions with her fantasy of being a nasty stripper with a coke nosebleed, and her evening bit is about inappropriate LOL's in instant messages. Not brilliant, but I like her; she's an ambitious comic. She gets a ticket.

In the audition Jared Logan hates people who bum cigarettes from him, and that disdain gets him to the evening show. There, he talks about how his fellow subway passengers find his "pardon me" off-putting; they seem to think he's kind of a douche. I'm not sure, but they may be right. No ticket for him. He should get together with Flavia. The lower classes can't hurt them as long as they have each other.

So nine people move on. More New York next week!

LCS 2010: Los Angeles

Wait, am I actually going to blog a TV show? How undignified. Well, at least I'm going to pick a critics' favorite, right? What? A reality show? Well, I suppose there are a few that qualify as worthwhile entertainment on a slow day. Let me just prepare a plate of cheese and fruit and open a bottle of crisp, modestly assertive wine. There. Now, what have we got? Last Comic Standing??? I'm killing me, I really am.

"You awake? Yeah, you're probably always awake, aren't ya. Are you going to explain to me what this is all about? You know you stuck me here with a bunch of crazy misfits...." Hold it. That's the promo for Persons Unknown, which comes after LCS. Quit stalling.

OK, what sort of person watches LCS? Let's look at the commercials. Fast food - a couple of different varieties. A chain restaurant. Food containers. Cockroach poison. A refrigerator. Diabetes medication. Cable TV. Satellite TV. Pills for erectile dysfunction.

This is not a flattering picture. I must be an outlier in the audience. Yes, that's it. On to the show...

The new host is Craig Robinson. I liked Jay Mohr and tolerated Anthony Clark; wasn't crazy about Bill Bellamy. Robinson could surpass the others, if he gets good writing ... which doesn't seem to have happened in this first episode. The opening musical bit is a little weak - way too much money in the tip jar - though it's nice to see Robinson has some keyboard skills.

Three judges this time: Andy Kindler, who occasionally seems to think this is his show; Natasha Leggero, perky and energetic; and Greg Giraldo, who comes up with a few good lines but mainly serves as a tiebreaker. They seem to know a lot of the comics, a few of whom tank the audition; but the judges invite them to the evening show anyway. Fine. Just keep me entertained as a viewer. Strict fairness is overrated.

We get two hours of Los Angeles auditions. Lots of talent. Let's review the ones who made it to the evening show.

Day 1:

Felipe Esparza tells jokes about his ethnicity. Early in the show, there's a montage of audition failures by people who play off their racial makeup. It's an easy shtick to lean on (Dat Phan won Season 1 doing so), but it gets old pretty quick. On top of this, Esparza jokes about being an unwanted child, which is a little edgy. I can't imagine Steve Schirripa, a judge from a previous season, approving of a joke about an unwanted kid. But in the end Esparza gets his ticket to the semi-finals.

Fortune Feimster auditions with a long joke about small-town Southern mannerisms that doesn't amuse me. The judges like it, and in the evening show she gets a ticket.

Rob Delaney I don't get. He tells a boob joke in the evening show and doesn't make the cut.

Lil' Rel is another one I don't get, but his crazy teacher joke gets him a ticket.

Kevin Small from Dallas does a Baptist hick shtick and bombs.

Laurie Kilmartin does an edgy "I'm a bad mother" bit good enough for a ticket.

Jacob Sirof riffs on anti-Semitism (he's Jewish) and moves on to the semis.

Kirk Fox tanks the audition. In the evening he jokes about sharing a bed with his girlfriend. He and I are both surprised when he gets a ticket.

Taylor Williamson has a funny audition talking about life in New York. His family intermarriage jokes in the evening are good enough for him to move on.

David Feldman tells political jokes - pretty good ones. I can't remember any political humor from previous seasons - nothing that succeeded, anyway. But Feldman gets a ticket.

Amy Claire jokes about dating a doctor. Maybe he will console her for not making the cut.

Maronzio Vance jokes about being poor. Funny enough to go to the next level.

Cathy Ladman tells some jokes about Hitler on the History Channel that I thought were very funny, but she did not graduate to the semis.

Guy Torry has a girlfriend who keeps hot sauce in her Louis Vuitton purse. Apparently this is funny enough to move him on.

Shane Mauss does a Seinfeld imitation in the evening show and gets his ticket. Really?

Day 2:

Chip Pope from Pampa, Texas, auditions with a B-52's imitation. In the evening he gets his ticket based on an off-color CSI joke. Um, go Texas?

Paula Bel is another comic with a weak audition who gets invited to the evening show because the judges are familiar with her (better) material. In the evening she goes kind of Paula Poundstone, which is good enough to get an invite to the next level.

Jimmy Dore riffs about gays against gay marriage. Not funny enough.

Christina Paszitsky's humor about folks from the old country doesn't win her a ticket.

Tiffany Haddish is awfully cute, but her falsies gag isn't quite funny enough. Sigh.

James Adomian plays the blue-collar card and wins a ticket.

Rachel Feinstein talks about dating and sex and her mom's crazy haircut. Good enough for the judges!

Chris Fairbanks talks about smoking, caffeine, and other addictions. Apparently we won't be making a habit of him.

Jonathan Thymius tells an old drug joke and an old ex-wife joke. He has great delivery, though, and the judges give him a ticket.

Cristela Alonzo from San Juan, Texas, uses some ethnic humor, but she tells a funny lying-on-my-resume joke and also shows a flair for physical comedy. Good enough to move on.

Jason Nash has a fresh take on kids who are annoying. The judges give him a ticket!

So that's eighteen people moving up to the next level. New York is next, followed by (if I understand right) auditions by special invite for comics in flyover country. Then the semis.

OK, this has been more stenography than blogging. I'll try to improve next week.