***OFFICIAL*** Last Comic Standing thread (1 Viewer)

[DaVinci]

New season starts tonight!

'Last Comic' returns to NBCBy MIKE HUGHESGANNETT NEWS SERVICE(Original publication: May 30, 2006)After a long pause and mid-course correction "Last Comic Standing" is back.It starts tonight on NBC with stand-up comics competing. Viewers can expect some fun, some failures and a lot of jokes."I'm the biggest fan of stand-up comedy," says Anthony Clark, the show's new host. "I love to watch it when it works."This show sifts through a parade of comics before having the semi-finalists live together. Like the post-show success of "American Idol" candidates, winning doesn't mean everything — after getting this far, most are headed for success."I would say 80 percent (of semi-finalists) have at least tripled or quadrupled their rates," says producer Peter Engel. "Look at Ralphie May. He can't walk through an airport without being mobbed."And May was merely a runner-up. Previous winners — Dat Phan, John Heffron, Alonzo Bodden — have new comedy prestige.That leads to the logical question: If this show works so well, why did it disappear for 20 months from NBC's ratings-challenged, fourth-place lineup?"Last Comic" was a ratings success in the summers of 2003 and 2004. After the second one, NBC concocted a quickie play — a face-off in early fall of 2004, pitting the first-year comics against the second."I fought very hard against it," Engel says. He was also busy on a college tour to talk about his old show, "Saved By the Bell." The third edition went without him.It was a mismatch. The first year had banned any comics who had been on the Jay Leno or David Letterman shows. The second didn't. The second also had people who were fresher in viewers' minds.The second-year comics kept winning, amid low ratings. NBC didn't air the final episode. Bodden won the prize but not the attention.There was general anger and the show didn't return last summer. Since then, other semi-pro talent competitions involving dancers and ice skaters have become hits on ABC and Fox.Kevin Reilly, the network's new programming chief, suggested reviving the show.Reilly has assembled a summer line-up that includes a drama series ("Windfall" starts June 8) and two more reality shows (on June 18, "Treasure Hunters" sends three-player teams around the world to gather clues, and "America's Got Talent" with Regis Philbin on June 21).The basic plan for "Comic" is the same: The early episodes will follow open auditions in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Miami, plus Austin, Texas and Tempe, Ariz. For those, Bob Read and Ross Mark (Jay Leno's talent scouts) will be in charge.Two semi-final rounds will be judged by Kathy Griffin, Garry Marshall and Tim Meadows. Then the finalists will live together.The changes are• There will be no mansion this time. Instead, they'll live on the Queen Mary, the luxury liner docked in Long Beach, Calif.• Challenges will be new. The best one, Engel and Clark agree, has each comic taking turns heckling another one.• Clark is host.Jay Mohr wasn't available this time, Engel says. "We said, 'Let's go in a totally different direction — someone with a more down home, friendly approach.' "That's Clark, who says his Southern roots have been helpful. "I think I was different — sort of hillbilly, but with an urban edge."A native of Lynchburg, Va., Clark starred in "Boston Common" for a year and six years in "Yes, Dear." He did some stand-up at charity events, but marveled at the skill of the full-time pros. "It's different, doing 10 minutes instead of doing an hour and 10 minutes."Now he'll see people who have been pushing hard."There's one woman from New York who has been doing it for 25 years-and she is drop-dead funny," Clark says.After decades of warm-up she gets her chance. She tries to become the last comic standing.

 

[GroveDiesel]

I will never watch a second after finding out how rigged the first one was.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

I will never watch a second after finding out how rigged the first one was.

Really? Explain. I didn't hear about this.

 

[kaso]

I will never watch a second after finding out how rigged the first one was. 

Really? Explain. I didn't hear about this.

I would be interested in hearing this too....

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

I will never watch a second after finding out how rigged the first one was. 

Really? Explain. I didn't hear about this.

I think he's probably referring to the "Dan Naturman" episode.

 

[DaVinci]

I will never watch a second after finding out how rigged the first one was.

Really? Explain. I didn't hear about this.

The producers picked the final 10, not the judges. Drew Carey and Brett Butler, who were 2 of the judges, flipped out.Link

Scott wasn't exactly appeased. A polished and superior comic who deals heavily in deadpan irony, his suspicions that "Last Comic Standing" is anything but a competition metastasized this week when celebrity judges Drew Carey and Brett Butler, superstars of the club circuit who eventually earned their own network sitcoms, both scalded the network for what looks so increasingly like a cruel charade.

"I thought it was crooked and dishonest," Carey told the Hollywood Reporter after the Las Vegas semifinals last weekend. "It was like somebody at NBC cast the show ahead of the event in Vegas. And they had 1,100 people in the audience who saw how blatantly it was cast. If this happened on 'Survivor' or any other reality TV show, it would be a major scandal."

On her Web site, Butler wrote, "As panel judges, we can say that (a) we were both surprised and disappointed at the results and (b) we had NOTHING to do with them."

For its part, the network says the judging is only one of the criteria for a spot on "Last Comic Standing" and that the final decisions are made by the show's producers, advice that is available in the fine print of the credits from last year's show. Sure, everybody's familiar with that. It further shadows NBC's position that one of the show's producers, Barry Katz, according to the Reporter, is also the manager of two of the 10 finalists, Gary Gulman and a comic named Ant. The casting of Ant in particular riled Carey.

"I don't know how in the world Ant got picked out of these 20 [semifinalists]," Carey said. "The only thing I could think of was that he's gay and would add to the personality mix in the house."

 

[Fiddles]

ill check this out

some good comics on the past seasons.

 

[Fiddles]

I will never watch a second after finding out how rigged the first one was.  

Really? Explain. I didn't hear about this.

I think he's probably referring to the "Dan Naturman" episode.

that was total bs. that guy was hillarious.

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

I will never watch a second after finding out how rigged the first one was.  

Really? Explain. I didn't hear about this.

I think he's probably referring to the "Dan Naturman" episode.

that was total bs. that guy was hillarious.

Yeah, he's good friends with my brother. It's too bad he didn't get picked.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Interesting. Didn't watch the show that religiously, but Carey is right: that Ant dude was not funny.

 

[Kiddnets]

Missed the first season - loved the second though - the third was a train wreck. Pitting two seasons against each other was a stupid idea.

They should ban all pros and go the AI route with fresh new talent - I would love to see a bunch of funny nobodies getting a chance instead of these retreads.

Should be a good show for the summer. When does it start?

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

They should ban all pros and go the AI route with fresh new talent - I would love to see a bunch of funny nobodies getting a chance instead of these retreads.

Stand-up and singing are completely different skills. Even the best comics usually suck when they first start performing. If you took a bunch of amateurs it would be a disaster.

 

[Fiddles]

Missed the first season - loved the second though - the third was a train wreck. Pitting two seasons against each other was a stupid idea.

They should ban all pros and go the AI route with fresh new talent - I would love to see a bunch of funny nobodies getting a chance instead of these retreads.

Should be a good show for the summer. When does it start?

dude its in the second line of the first post

 

[GroveDiesel]

I will never watch a second after finding out how rigged the first one was.

Really? Explain. I didn't hear about this.

The producers picked the final 10, not the judges. Drew Carey and Brett Butler, who were 2 of the judges, flipped out.Link

Scott wasn't exactly appeased. A polished and superior comic who deals heavily in deadpan irony, his suspicions that "Last Comic Standing" is anything but a competition metastasized this week when celebrity judges Drew Carey and Brett Butler, superstars of the club circuit who eventually earned their own network sitcoms, both scalded the network for what looks so increasingly like a cruel charade.

"I thought it was crooked and dishonest," Carey told the Hollywood Reporter after the Las Vegas semifinals last weekend. "It was like somebody at NBC cast the show ahead of the event in Vegas. And they had 1,100 people in the audience who saw how blatantly it was cast. If this happened on 'Survivor' or any other reality TV show, it would be a major scandal."

On her Web site, Butler wrote, "As panel judges, we can say that (a) we were both surprised and disappointed at the results and (b) we had NOTHING to do with them."

For its part, the network says the judging is only one of the criteria for a spot on "Last Comic Standing" and that the final decisions are made by the show's producers, advice that is available in the fine print of the credits from last year's show. Sure, everybody's familiar with that. It further shadows NBC's position that one of the show's producers, Barry Katz, according to the Reporter, is also the manager of two of the 10 finalists, Gary Gulman and a comic named Ant. The casting of Ant in particular riled Carey.

"I don't know how in the world Ant got picked out of these 20 [semifinalists]," Carey said. "The only thing I could think of was that he's gay and would add to the personality mix in the house."

Exactly. Not only did the "judges" not have any say anyway, but one of the producers who picked winners was the manager for several of the participants. What a total joke. Not only was Ant not funny at all, but Dat Phan just told the same jokes over and over again. I saw a standup special with him on Comedy Central and he was still telling the exact same set of jokes as he told on Last Comic Standing. It was pathetic. Apparently he is living off of about 15 minutes of jokes relating to him being Asian.

The subsequent seasons were even worse. The comics were abysmal.

 

[Kiddnets]

Missed the first season - loved the second though - the third was a train wreck.  Pitting two seasons against each other was a stupid idea. 

They should ban all pros and go the AI route with fresh new talent - I would love to see a bunch of funny nobodies getting a chance instead of these retreads. 

Should be a good show for the summer.  When does it start?

dude its in the second line of the first post

Got it thanks - I tend to skim long posts and miss some info

 

[bigbottom]

I will never watch a second after finding out how rigged the first one was. 

Really? Explain. I didn't hear about this.

The producers picked the final 10, not the judges. Drew Carey and Brett Butler, who were 2 of the judges, flipped out.Link

Scott wasn't exactly appeased. A polished and superior comic who deals heavily in deadpan irony, his suspicions that "Last Comic Standing" is anything but a competition metastasized this week when celebrity judges Drew Carey and Brett Butler, superstars of the club circuit who eventually earned their own network sitcoms, both scalded the network for what looks so increasingly like a cruel charade.

"I thought it was crooked and dishonest," Carey told the Hollywood Reporter after the Las Vegas semifinals last weekend. "It was like somebody at NBC cast the show ahead of the event in Vegas. And they had 1,100 people in the audience who saw how blatantly it was cast. If this happened on 'Survivor' or any other reality TV show, it would be a major scandal."

On her Web site, Butler wrote, "As panel judges, we can say that (a) we were both surprised and disappointed at the results and (b) we had NOTHING to do with them."

For its part, the network says the judging is only one of the criteria for a spot on "Last Comic Standing" and that the final decisions are made by the show's producers, advice that is available in the fine print of the credits from last year's show. Sure, everybody's familiar with that. It further shadows NBC's position that one of the show's producers, Barry Katz, according to the Reporter, is also the manager of two of the 10 finalists, Gary Gulman and a comic named Ant. The casting of Ant in particular riled Carey.

"I don't know how in the world Ant got picked out of these 20 [semifinalists]," Carey said. "The only thing I could think of was that he's gay and would add to the personality mix in the house."

Exactly. Not only did the "judges" not have any say anyway, but one of the producers who picked winners was the manager for several of the participants. What a total joke. Not only was Ant not funny at all, but Dat Phan just told the same jokes over and over again. I saw a standup special with him on Comedy Central and he was still telling the exact same set of jokes as he told on Last Comic Standing. It was pathetic. Apparently he is living off of about 15 minutes of jokes relating to him being Asian.

The subsequent seasons were even worse. The comics were abysmal.

But dude, that 15 minutes of material was carefully honed using algorithms, calculus, and a sprinkling of astrophysics.

 

[phrozen]

bump for the show.

Looks like they cut ties with Comedy Central and Jay Mohr.

 

[phrozen]

I saw Gabriel Iglesias' stand up on Comedy Central Presents. That dude is hilarious.

 

[Punk]

lol @ Skippy from Family Ties trying to get back on TV

and @ "I'm sweating like Ryan Seacrest at a showing of Brokeback Mountain"

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Buckstar is a suck.

 

[Punk]

That lisp is killing me

 

[phrozen]

Buckstar is a suck.

you will see plenty more of him. I am sure he will be at each of the 6 last comic auditions.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Buckstar is a suck.

you will see plenty more of him. I am sure he will be at each of the 6 last comic auditions.

He's got a Carrot Top thing going on.Oh, that's not good, by the way.

 

[phrozen]

theo, what a ########

 

[phrozen]

kaitland..call me

 

[PC Load Letter]

I'm a half hour behind but who does Anthony Clark have naked pictures of?

 

[phrozen]

that chris porter dude it pretty funny

 

[Punk]

I'm a half hour behind but who does Anthony Clark have naked pictures of?

Jay Leno

 

[Punk]

that chris porter dude it pretty funny

 

[Punk]

that chris porter dude it pretty funny

I liked Josh McDermitt and Ty as well from that group.

 

[phrozen]

that chris porter dude it pretty funny

I liked Josh McDermitt and Ty as well from that group.

 

[PC Load Letter]

I'm still behind but a couple comments..

Poor Skippy...

Isn't the lisp girl an Amy Poehler character?

I don't know how I feel about these ringers. If I've seen you on Comedy Central or VH1, you shouldn't be allowed to audition.

ETA: Theo from Real World? <_< YGBFKM.

 

[phrozen]

I'm still behind but a couple comments..

Poor Skippy...

Isn't the lisp girl an Amy Poehler character?

I don't know how I feel about these ringers. If I've seen you on Comedy Central or VH1, you shouldn't be allowed to audition.

ETA: Theo from Real World? <_< YGBFKM.

for better or worse, ringers have been part of the show since season 1. I don't mind them being on the show. Of course I am bias since I am a big fan of Rich Vos, Jim Norton and Gabriel Iglesias.

 

[PC Load Letter]

I'm still behind but a couple comments..

Poor Skippy...

Isn't the lisp girl an Amy Poehler character?

I don't know how I feel about these ringers. If I've seen you on Comedy Central or VH1, you shouldn't be allowed to audition.

ETA: Theo from Real World? <_< YGBFKM.

for better or worse, ringers have been part of the show since season 1. I don't mind them being on the show. Of course I am bias since I am a big fan of Rich Vos, Jim Norton and Gabriel Iglesias.

I dunno if I'd call Vos a ringer cuz the only place I'd ever seen (heard) him was O&A. Norton is hilarious but I was glad he didn't make it because he was too famous, IMO.I can't stand Juilo Iglesias and his stupid little chuckle.

 

[phrozen]

I'm still behind but a couple comments..

Poor Skippy...

Isn't the lisp girl an Amy Poehler character?

I don't know how I feel about these ringers.  If I've seen you on Comedy Central or VH1, you shouldn't be allowed to audition.

ETA:  Theo from Real World?  <_< YGBFKM.

for better or worse, ringers have been part of the show since season 1. I don't mind them being on the show. Of course I am bias since I am a big fan of Rich Vos, Jim Norton and Gabriel Iglesias.

I dunno if I'd call Vos a ringer cuz the only place I'd ever seen (heard) him was O&A. Norton is hilarious but I was glad he didn't make it because he was too famous, IMO.I can't stand Juilo Iglesias and his stupid little chuckle.

Vos did have a Comedy Central Presents before he went on LCS. As far as Iglesias, he has a Comedy Central Presents stand up special too, and I found it to be very funny.

There are some other notable ringers that have been on the show but I cannot recall them at the moment.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Which guy is the one that said: "You know, they say, 'You are what you eat.' I don't think that's true, because I don't remember eating a 27-year old loser who lives with his dad!"

 

[phrozen]

Which guy is the one that said: "You know, they say, 'You are what you eat.' I don't think that's true, because I don't remember eating a 27-year old loser who lives with his dad!"

yeah he was funny. Josh was his first name, I forget his last McDermott maybe?I'm glad he advanced to the next round.

 

[PC Load Letter]

I'm still behind but a couple comments..

Poor Skippy...

Isn't the lisp girl an Amy Poehler character?

I don't know how I feel about these ringers. If I've seen you on Comedy Central or VH1, you shouldn't be allowed to audition.

ETA: Theo from Real World? <_< YGBFKM.

for better or worse, ringers have been part of the show since season 1. I don't mind them being on the show. Of course I am bias since I am a big fan of Rich Vos, Jim Norton and Gabriel Iglesias.

I dunno if I'd call Vos a ringer cuz the only place I'd ever seen (heard) him was O&A. Norton is hilarious but I was glad he didn't make it because he was too famous, IMO.I can't stand Juilo Iglesias and his stupid little chuckle.

Vos did have a Comedy Central Presents before he went on LCS. As far as Iglesias, he has a Comedy Central Presents stand up special too, and I found it to be very funny.

There are some other notable ringers that have been on the show but I cannot recall them at the moment.

Bill Dywer (orangutan kid) has been around forever. I really like him, but he's a seasoned vet.I like Doug Benson a lot and have only seen him on BestWeekEver, so I'm not sure if that counts.

 

[phrozen]

I'm still behind but a couple comments..

Poor Skippy...

Isn't the lisp girl an Amy Poehler character?

I don't know how I feel about these ringers.  If I've seen you on Comedy Central or VH1, you shouldn't be allowed to audition.

ETA:  Theo from Real World?  <_< YGBFKM.

for better or worse, ringers have been part of the show since season 1. I don't mind them being on the show. Of course I am bias since I am a big fan of Rich Vos, Jim Norton and Gabriel Iglesias.

I dunno if I'd call Vos a ringer cuz the only place I'd ever seen (heard) him was O&A. Norton is hilarious but I was glad he didn't make it because he was too famous, IMO.I can't stand Juilo Iglesias and his stupid little chuckle.

Vos did have a Comedy Central Presents before he went on LCS. As far as Iglesias, he has a Comedy Central Presents stand up special too, and I found it to be very funny.

There are some other notable ringers that have been on the show but I cannot recall them at the moment.

Bill Dywer (orangutan kid) has been around forever. I really like him, but he's a seasoned vet.I like Doug Benson a lot and have only seen him on BestWeekEver, so I'm not sure if that counts.

I was trying to remember where I saw Benson before he is great on that show.

 

[PizzaDeliveryGuy]

The dude w/ Palsy was killin me.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

that chris porter dude it pretty funny

Which guy was this?

 

[phrozen]

that chris porter dude it pretty funny

Which guy was this?

this guy

 

[PC Load Letter]

I've seen the "Dank you" guy before somewhere (possibly even this show, lol).. I love the Steven Wright weirdo delivery.

 

[phrozen]

the big headed guy named mike is great

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

that chris porter dude it pretty funny

Which guy was this?

this guy

No doubt that dude was funny. One of my early faves.

 

[phrozen]

pardo is def a ringer

 

[snogger]

The dude w/ Palsy was killin me.

From next weeks previews:

I just want to let you know you all are going to hell for laughing at me

His line about his mom being able to tell he is drunk:

"You are walking striaghter then normal, you got the key in the lock on the first try and, BTW, your naked"

 

[bigbottom]

There were a lot of good bits last night, but I don't remember all their names. The guy that talked about being stoned in kindergarten had me rollin'. The bit about the guy's girlfriend accidentally losing his number off her cell phone was also funny. I also liked the dude with the moustache from Austin that did the Mexican gynecologist impression. That one stupid line slayed me. And as much as I didn't want to like that dude from Brooklyn (Joey Gay?), his bit about the lazy terrorists was pretty good.

 

[Fiddles]

that chris porter dude it pretty funny

Which guy was this?

this guy

No doubt that dude was funny. One of my early faves.

ok fellas when are we doing the last comic standing draft?

 

[Idiot Boxer]

that chris porter dude it pretty funny

Which guy was this?

this guy

No doubt that dude was funny. One of my early faves.

The bit about women being responsible for high gas prices is already a classic.