Wake up and smell the cyclicus, America:  The Digital Age of entertainment is on the verge of a Romanesque collapse. Once mighty empires Blockbuster and Hollywood Video have closed their doors. Netflix is getting all weird and schizophrenic. And the only thing to see at the cinema is the 3D reincarnation of your parents’ childhood, as told by producers who decided to save money by firing all the writers (see don’t see Smurfs in 3D)

If ever there were a time to regress, that time is now. I invite you all to direct your attention to your own backyards.  The local live entertainment scene is thriving in big cities and small towns all across America and if you’re not on board, then you’re missing out on some real, hidden gems.

Case in point: Luna’s Café, a small plate café and juice bar in Sacramento, CA with a maximum fire capacity of roughly 50 people (and an unbeatable plate of nachos). For over 25 years, owner Art Luna has opened his doors to local performers to showcase their talents, designating one night a week to each of the various performing arts – Music, Poetry and Comedy. On a stage surrounded by walls filled with the work of local studio artists, unexpected and largely underrated talent consistently disproves the myth that live theater is dead.

Art is not lost.  It is alive and well in these small rooms all across the country. Keith Lowell Jensen (Comedian and Co-founder, Coexist? Comedy Tour), who spearheads Comedy Night at Luna’s, (Wednesdays at 8pm) explains the magic of these venues, “Stage time is based on quality and nothing else. The audience is required to act civilized, and intelligence is rewarded on both sides of the mic. It’s a formula that seems to result in amazing comedy shows and continued poverty.” Comedy Night at Luna’s has seen the likes of Kelly Pryce (Lopez Tonight), Ngaio Bealum (The Late Late Show, The Sara Silverman Program) and Mike E. Winfield (NBC’s The Office) drop in simply because they like the room and the people that fill it every week. Not to mention a wealth of local talent-on-the-verge, such as Michael O’Connell (Comedians With Disabilities Act) and Nick Aragon, who recently opened for Dana Carvey and Robin Williams.

From the corner of 16^th and O in Sacramento, CA to the far corners of world wide web, there is no longer a requisite city for the cultivation of art. Just ask Plan B, a multimedia improv and sketch comedy troupe based out of Norfolk, VA. Founded by Brendan Hoyle (Artistic Director, Little Theater of Norfolk) and Jason Kypros (Actor/Writer/Comedian) Plan B have taken their craft “Back to basics. We don’t need to go out of town to do what we do. We can do it right here,” says Kypros. Creating videos as well as live sketch and improv comedy shows, Plan B has also found a way to utilize one of comedy’s greatest tools: the ability to create a voice for people who would otherwise remain unheard. “It’s one of those awesome art forms that allows you to talk about things that people don’t normally want to think about. Truth is told in jest.”  Check out the latest dose of truth from Plan B on the web or catch them live, if you’re in the area.

Yes. That’s a mother load of hyperlinks. Because great art is THAT EASY to find, and it’s all around you! In the interest of journalistic integrity I feel it necessary to explain that this call to action, this beacon of artistic hope in a digital sea seemingly devoid of intellect is not delivered to you completely unbiased. Far from it, indeed. I am promoting my friends; my talented, deserving friends who too often go unnoticed for their hard work and dedication to their craft because of the ever-widening, fundamental gap between talent and recognition. And you should be doing the same!  Step out into your own communities, find the gold and share the wealth. Or at the very least, have an honest laugh and go to sleep knowing that for one night, you were part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Instead Baldwin attended Tony Bennett’s 85th birthday gala in New York, telling EW reporters, “I didn’t skip the Emmys because of that… I skipped the Emmys because of this – because I wanted to be here,” adding that he would simply watch the Emmys on YouTube. He followed up by tweeting, “Fox did kill my NewsCorp hacking joke. Which sucks bc I think it would have made them look better. A little.”

The actor had signed up to host the birthday gala long before the Emmy broadcast had been scheduled. Executives at Fox say the decision was made entirely at the Fox Network level, and not by anyone at News Corp.

You can check out Baldwin on his hit NBC series 30 Rock. He was also a recent guest host on SNL’s 2011 season premiere. Check out Alec Baldwin on Inside the Actors Studio, talking about his hit SNL skit, “Schwetty Balls”:

When I heard two months ago that Jim Breuer was coming to the Sacramento Punch Line for 4 shows on September 16^th and 17^th, I immediately picked up the phone and called AmericasComedy.com owner Steven Bloom. After several seconds of thought, he threw me a bone and agreed to let me conduct the interview for AmericasComedy. Two days ago, I sat down with  Jim Breuer by phone. Here’s what happened…

AC: First of all, on behalf of all broke comics, thank you for the new free podcast, Podcast Masters. (www.ThePodcastMasters.com)

JB: (laughs) Thank you. It’s our pleasure.

AC: What made you want to do this show in addition to the Sirius Radio show?

 JB: Well, for a lot of reasons. One is, Pete Correale is phenomenal on the radio. And the two of us are – we’ve got great chemistry, and it’s hard for us to connect on the radio show. He used to be with me on the radio, but it’s very hard to do that. So it’s so much easier for us to just get together and do a podcast. So much easier. We usually do it at a garage or at his apartment or something.

 AC: With the podcast, you also make a point to avoid politics and news, which is something the airwaves could use a lot more of. What was behind that decision?

 JB: That was both of us. You know, we did radio for a while and we know that the radio stations of old, think they need callers to call in and get the show done. You know, it makes them feel good, blah blah blah. But at the end of the day you don’t. That’s why people watch TV. That’s why people go to movies. They don’t want to talk. The only time you get talk is when there’s nothing to talk about. That’s when you go to a caller and it’s like a comedian on stage. I don’t need that “so where are ya from?” It means I don’t have time right now, or I’m in between a bit. We don’t need the callers to keep our time going.

AC: You’ve also invited the public into your private life with the podcast, a lot more than most comics would.

 JB: Yes.

AC: Have there been situations where you feel like that maybe helps or hurts personal relationships?

 JB: No no no, it helps a thousand percent. And I learned that from the best of ‘em. When I was a kid I listened to Stern and when he’d do things where I’m like you know, “why would he do something like that?” and then two days later he gets so personal and says something that I can relate to, it gives you insight on who that person is. I know there’s so many comics I really like, but then when I get to know them on a deeper notion, it’s like telling a friend even though you don’t know them. It always, always, always helps me if you can let them in the door; if you’re willing to let ‘em in a little bit. Or as much as you want, really. People can relate to that.

AC: Have you ever encountered any issues with people feeling they know you more intimately than you desire?

JB: No, ’cause at the end of the day, I still keep everyone at arms length. When I’m out in public when they come up and you know, I’m with the kids or whatever, I’m kind of short. Not a jerk, but I let them know, “hey I’m with my wife and kids. Thanks.” It’s a lot of short thank you’s. Thanks. Thank you. “I’m a fan!” “Thank you.” I don’t need to sit down and have dinner with everyone that comes up and says hello.

AC: Speaking of that, you just came off the Anti-Social Network Tour with Dave Attell, Jim Norton, and Bill Burr. They’re kind of known for their anti-social tendencies.

 JB: (chuckles) Yeah.

AC: You’re kind of the antithesis of that. How did you end up on that tour?

 JB: Jim Norton asked me to be part of it. You know, I’m not gonna lie, I was really hesitant ’cause that’s not the – you know, I’m very clean. I’m very family. So, and the money was just, you could not refuse. (laughs)

AC: Fair enough. How is Bill Burr doing? Was he fun to work with?

 JB: Oh my gosh! Bill Burr was a blast! Bill’s a great guy and I gotta say the coolest part of the tour was, I feel that he’s about to burst. And it’s kinda funny, you know, I’ve been on the road, of course I’ve been very up, I’ve been very down. I’ve been on a low, I’ve been on a high. He hasn’t been on the low yet and he hasn’t been on the tremendous high, but I think he’s about to burst into a high. So it’s kind of exciting to watch someone get ready to get on that balloon.

AC: In your book, I’m Not High, you talk about meeting Steve Harvey on the road and the impact that his advice had on you when you were sort of about to break. What kind of advice do you find yourself giving to other comedians on the road?

 JB: The same thing. It’s just basically, make sure you know why you’re doing this. If you’re in it for the long run and you’re in it for – to be an entertainer, it’s just great. If you’re in it to get a quick – you know, MTV and leather pants, and kangaroo, you’re doomed. A lot of yo-yos are and you know, it’s like bands; Are you in it to make a quick pop at money or are you in it for the long run? That’s the first question you have to answer yourself before you tackle any industry.

AC: Did you always know that you were in it for the long run?

 JB: Since 6th Grade. And then the first time I walked up on stage, it was over. It was a real comedy club.  I just turned 18 and I had just graduated high school.

AC: What was that moment in 6th Grade?

 JB: It was sketch night, and me, my friend Larry Esposito and Eddie Gonzales wrote a sketch. And we came in 3rd place. We lost to like a KISS, you know, lip syncing contest nonsense. But at the end of the day, I thought we wrote a hilarious sketch and I just knew. We wrote something ourselves. We performed something that we created and to hear the crowd laughing, I just knew it was in us forever.

AC: You incorporate a lot of heavy metal obviously, into your act. The DVD menu for “Let’s Clear the Air” is several minutes of you just riffing and doing impressions of your favorite musicians telling people to make a choice on the menu. It’s a separate performance in itself. How did that idea come about? Did they just stick you in a room and say, “go?”

JB: Yes, yes, yes. Well it’s something that I have and I’ve actually been working on recently, where I have this other side of me that – I used to tour with a band. And that was my first special that came out, the Hardcore special, which actually was inspired after I was touring with this band where I would do stand-up comedy and do it to music and all that. So…it’s not appealing to everyone, but I don’t want to lose that side. I go on tour in comedy clubs and everyone would say “when are you doing the band again? You’re still gonna do the rocker stuff, that’s the best!” And I found at the end of the day, a cool way to separate the two and I’m actually – literally right before you called I was ending a call on a rock-comedy event that I’m in the middle of creating.

AC: So when can we look forward to seeing that?

 JB: I would assume by Summer. I mean, I already did a couple live dates. I’ll do a couple more live dates. And then the actual big release will hopefully be by late Spring.

AC: To switch gears a little bit, the trailer for the new movie that’s coming out More Than Me, plays a lot like a love letter to your Dad. Bringing him on tour during such a turning point in your career and your life, did it accomplish what you hoped it would in terms of your relationship and his health?

 JB: Over and beyond. The one thing that this trailer doesn’t explain is that I’ve been taking him on tour my whole life. My first road gig in my life, he was with me. But this one was a little different because I hadn’t been out in a while, and it was a lot harder to get him around. And the weird thing was, when I went out and we were filming and everything, it was really just a way to launch videos on my website. And you know, we would do it each week almost like a blog.

And then when we were done one of the video guys sat me down and he said, “Jim you know, we’ve got a movie here. You got unbelievable footage. Let me sit down with you for a little bit. I think you have a phenomenal movie.”  And I went, “A movie? Nope. Just make it videos.” And he said, “Will you please just sit down and watch it with me one night?” And he comes over to my house. He drove two hours to my house out in West Jersey, and it really, it almost was annoying ’cause it’s like “ugh, alright how long is this?” And I sit down, and I will never forget watching that for the first time. I underestimated him and I realized, I’ve got – not only do I have a hilarious, but I have a powerful, funny, raw, touching film.

The greatest thing about the movie is, people just don’t expect it. They watch and they’re like “oh, what is this another Breuer tour film?” or is this him and Dad an the antics for the whole film? And then when you sit and you watch it, you’ll realize it’s so much more than that. It’s a film about a father and a child, knowing that that father is not going to be around much longer, and just trying to understand and catch as much as he can before he’s gone. And it just so happens that it’s starring Jim Breuer and Jim Breuer, Sr. And I haven’t seen one human being walking away going “eh, it was alright.” It pounces people.

AC: It’s hard to imagine people walking away, even from the trailer, saying that. Even that is very moving.

 JB: And he is hilarious in it! The best part of watching this film is listening to a packed theater belly-laughing at my father. He just, one scene after the other, beats the snot out of that movie screen! It’s hilarious.

Where do his catchphrases come from, or do you even know? My favorite is “go shit in your bonnett.”

 JB: (Belly-laughs) Oh man, I don’t even know. He’s got so many. Any time I ask for someone, he would say, “he went to go shit and the hogs ate him.” Like…what?! There’s no – what does that mean? He says if someone’s talking too much, he says, “Ok, back on yer perch. Back on the perch. Get back on yer perch.” He’s got poems. I don’t know where they come from, but all I know is when all the Breuers used to get together, there’s ten of ‘em, they almost talk another language with all their sayings and everything. All I know is it traces back to somewhere in Dayton, Kentucky.

(At this point, Steve and Jim share a private moment regarding their aging parents, in which Jim offers to get Steve a copy of More Than Me, and Steve graciously accepts.)

 JB: And you’re gonna laugh, hard. You know, it also teaches you like… it’s part of life. So instead of – you know, you gotta look at it, you gotta laugh, you gotta go out swingin’. It kind of has that message and it shows you. You’ll see. I don’t want to give too much away. You’re gonna friggin’ love it.

AC: You also talk a lot about a unique way of trying to keep your parents healthier pretty much, it looks like, by just pestering them like a little brother. Is that something that’s doctor recommended or is that something you came up with on your own?

JB: (Laughs) No no no, that’s something I came up with on my own. A doctor’s never gonna realize – and that’s another thing it teaches you in the film, and in life – we’re so in-the-box with the “professionals” and the “experts.” You’re your own expert. You know what makes your mother tick. I know what makes my father tick. I know how to get him exercising. No one’s gonna know better than you. No doctor’s gonna go, “You know what would get him going, is you pretending to hit him in the nuts.” (Laughs). He freakin’ loves it! We go nonstop playing.

Yesterday I had him out in my driveway and I was tossing Nerf balls at his head, because he needed to exercise his arms so he can take off his shirt and stuff. So I’m railing a Nerf ball at his head, which if it hit him, it doesn’t hurt. But the whole object was, “If I hit your head, it’s 10 points and you’re gonna have to block it.” So he’s just trying to block his face and I”m like, “It’s a 3-2 count and it looks like the new kid from the Washington Nationals is back on the mound. He’s got a 90mph blazer whipped at the head – Oh NICE SAVE!” And people watching it think I’m torturing him. He freakin’ loves it! Loves it. It’s no different than playing with your friends, or a kid.

AC: Like a kid that understands what you’re doing and goes along with it anyway.

 JB: That’s all.

AC: So if the Heavy Metal Comedy Tour was about recalling your youth and kind of defining your roots in comedy, and Let’s Clear the Air was about the transition with your family life, what do you hope for people to take away from the Heavy Metal Family Man Tour?

 JB: (Feigning sarcasm) Well the Heavy Metal Family Man Tour will mix the two. (Laughs). Heavy Metal Family Man is – I’m taking that hard rockin’ rock, keeping it just as hard and heavy and cool, and now just bringing the family element to it because it’s a missing link. You know I got to metal concerts and I’m dying to bring my daughter ’cause she loves AC/DC. But at the same time -

(As if on cue, one of the First Daughters of family-rock-comedy makes an audio-appearance, to which the Heavy Metal Family Man calmly responds, then seamlessly transitions back to our conversation – the very essence of the graceful balancing act that has defined Breuer’s career in recent years.)

JB: – if you see the beginning of an AC/DC concert, I’m not even going there. Because you know, they take a microphone and it’s a whole, imagine what they’re doing to two, three girls with the microphone. And it’s “oohhh, yeah!” And you don’t want the little one to see this. “What are they doing? why are they shoving the microphone down their throat? Why are they sitting on it?”

And yet, the concert and music’s freakin’ great. So I created that, but so I could bring my kids. I’m gonna have a great time. They’re gonna have a great time, and I don’t have to worry about people taking their clothes off and dropping the F-bomb every ten seconds. (accurately inaudible Ozzy f-bomb impression) You know, I can’t take my 8 year old to see that yo-yo.

AC: You’ve said before that comedians usually have a secret desire to be rock stars. It seems like you get to live out that fantasy by bringing the band with you. What made you choose comedy as your outlet, over being a musician or a rock star?

 JB: It’s my real calling. You know, at the end of the day, I’m funnier than cool. (Laughs) Although I would have loved to be cool, I’m glad I’m not. I probably would have been such a yo-yo. And I think that’s why the new tour will work too, because in the past when I would do the rock stuff, part of me was taking myself a little serious. But now, I know it’s just full blown, “Listen, you’re not serious. Let’s just have fun, and keep it funny.”

AC: On your website you have a really funny video called “Jim’s Inner Thoughts” What is Google Slam and how can we help you dominate it?

(after some confusion over which video was being referenced)

 JB: Oh the Google thing! Google approached me and asked me if I would make a video, hoping it would go viral. That was their whole concept. That was 100% Google, and I used my production company to film it. I think I watched it once. Is it funny?

AC: It’s very funny. I enjoyed it.

JB: (Laughs) I watched it once and I don’t know what happened to it! All I know is, I got paid to do this thing, hoping it would go viral and I don’t even know where to find it? So I can find it on my own website?

AC: (Laughs) You can, on the front page, right at the bottom.

 (You can also vote for it here http://www.demoslam.com/ and help it go viral.)

 AC: So how much of your own social networking do you do? Do you have a management company that Tweets?

 JB: No, all that is guys I hired and I know. They’re all within my town and my community. One kid, Eric, who does all my editing, he did filming of everything I’ve ever done, editing of all the stuff I’ve ever done, and I met this kid when he was 16. I literally waited – he went to college, took editing, he came out – I said, “when you come out, you come to me for a job.”

And then I just started expanding. I’m very involved. Like I said, I just came out of a meeting over there today, and I said we need to make a couple videos in the next two months. We need to make Heavy Metal Man, we’re gonna make Bingo. We’re gonna do some kid videos, some sketches and home videos I want to start going up in the next 2-3 months on the Facebook page and YouTube.

AC: Very cool. The Facebook page sounds like it’s you making the posts, about the Jets game last night or to thank the city you’ve just been in. Has that influenced the way you connect with your fans? Do you ever run into people that think they know you from Facebook?

 JB: (Laughs) Yes. And I have to say, the guys  (working) on the Facebook – it’s really funny because he’ll run competitions that I don’t know about. I’ll have people going “Jim, it’s me Ralph, from Facebook! Thanks for the tickets!” I’m like, “What?” He goes, “I’m the one that won the contest!” (Laughing) “Oh! Yeah, yeah. Yeah, the contest.”

And I call Eric going, “You gotta tell me when you do the contests, man. These guys are coming up on me and I don’t know what’s goin’ on!” But I will say that Facebook is where, I’ve found, where I communicate with my audience. And I think I personally write back, I’m gonna say to about 98% of people. That’s where I talk with them the most.

(We are joined by the lovely Amy, who says we’ve been having too much fun and it’s time to hang up now so Jim can get to his next interview on-time. Jim was quite punctual for our call, which we appreciated very much, so we tell him we understand.)

 AC: Thank you so much for talking to us.

 JB: Thank you.  And remind me (chuckles) Facebook me. I’m serious. Facebook me and remind me to bring a copy of More Than Me. Promise?

AC: Promise.

Jim Breuer will be at the Sacramento Punch Line Comedy Club September 16^th and 17^th, with two shows each night at 8pm and 10pm. Tickets are available through http://www.punchlinecomedy.com  

Some things only get better with age, and Williams is one of them. While his lightning-quick wit and improvisational reflexes remain firmly intact, the only thing that appears to have slowed is his heart rate. Healthy for Williams (who recently recovered from open heart surgery) and beneficial for the audience, who will now be able to catch every word of his previously supersonic cadence.

No one is safe and nothing is off limits, from Michael Jackson to the Catholic Church, to AIG and raccoons who hate recycling. Williams also offers many creative solutions, such as the self-methane-powered car and the Apple iHeart. So grab a case of water (the amount it takes to keep him hydrated on stage) and let Williams take you on a simulated LSD trip…literally.

So, watch this video and then tell us what you think below:

Despite decades of experience and credits to her name, Joan Rivers is not immune to the waxing and waning nature of a long distance comedy career – excuse me, acting career. Rivers also makes it clear that comedy was always just a means to a paycheck. Her real passion, and therefor biggest critical vulnerability, always has been and always will be acting.

PIECE OF WORK follows Rivers throughout a tumultuous year as she prepares and promotes a very personal one-woman show, struggles to book stand-up gigs, and competes against daughter Melissa Rivers on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice.

Along the way Rivers recalls a past filled with struggle (Joan was widely criticized for her epochaly racy act), love found and love lost (husband Edgar Rosenberg committed suicide in 1987), fallen idols (she still blames Johnny Carson for getting her blacklisted from NBC late-night) and the people who helped her survive it all.

Perhaps the biggest surprise – or perhaps not for Celeb Apprentice viewers – is the unbreakably tight bond between Rivers and her daughter, Melissa. Gone is the highly marketable drama, and what’s left is a distinctly sincere support system. Behind the curtain of the Tough Broad routine is a candid portrait of an insecure young woman, still seeking perfection from herself, and praise from her public after all these years.

What do you think? Are you a fan? Have you seen the DVD? Put your comments below:

In honor of the two year anniversary of his death, I’d like to share my first experience with George Carlin.  I was half way through my freshman year at Humboldt State University, in the small hippie-laden town of Arcata, CA.  I’ve always been a pretty good writer, as far back as grade school. I was doing ok in my English 102 – Creative Writing class, but at that time I thought I was in college to study Graphic Design.  I quickly discovered how much it would cost just to earn a degree that might get me an unpaid internship…if I was lucky. By the semester break, I had no idea what I was doing there. A nearby relative was kind enough to invite me for a home-cooked meal and while I was waiting for the dinner bell, I made the best discovery of my life.

Browsing the book shelf, I came across Carlin’s first book, “Brain Droppings.” Ever the SNL junkie, I’d heard the name of the famous first host before, so I sat down on the couch and started reading. By the next morning I’d read it cover to cover and started over again. I was completely fascinated by his use of language, lyrical rhythm, and a level of intelligence that comedy rarely rises to.  Carlin did not cater to an ignorant or lazy audience. In fact he made fun of them right to their faces, often in a way that was so irresistibly funny that they didn’t even realize they were laughing at themselves.

Carlin’s message, as I understood it, was to unite everyone by excusing no one.  We’re all dishonorable, filthy, moronic, trifling creatures at our core; it’s our level of acceptance of that fact that separates the people who should be left to their dive bars and Taco Tuesdays, from the people who should be taken out back and water-boarded with their own lattes while they Tweet their own demise from their iTouch. “Touch this!” echoes the little Carlin in my head, as he grabs a handful of manhood.

I began studying Carlin that day, and I haven’t stopped since.  I dropped out of college and moved to Los Angeles to write comedy.  And now that he’s gone I can only hope to help carry his torch well into the future, where we have surely mastered time-travel, and I can humbly hand it back to him.  George Carlin, you were the tits. On behalf of all the motherfuckers and cocksuckers of comedy, we salute the fucking shit out of you.

Here is a tribute to Mr. Carlin. You were a hero to many:

Second and third place were decided via coin-toss at the judges table, with Second Place going to Ellis Rodriguez and Third Place to Mike Betancourt. Rodriguez took the stage with a clear and auspicious plan: win the ladies, win the house. Mission accomplished, Ellis. Betancourt took quite the opposite approach of charismatic alienation. The only way to feel offended by Betancourt is if you didn’t feel like a target to Sacramento’s own version of Joe Rogan.

Other notable performances include Mikhail “The White Russian.” With a widely cross-cultural perspective and effortless audience-report, Mikhail is one Russian you shouldn’t feel guilty about keeping an eye on. In fact, I encourage it. Veteran comic Rick Pulido also showed off his muy grande cajones by stepping outside of conventional stand-up during the first round to attempt the commitment-driven character of Robot Prop Comedian. The late Andy Kaufman would be proud, Rick… Come to think of it, Tony Clifton has been making appearances recently… And Pulido was wearing sunglasses… Nah! Couldn’t be.

Congratulations to all the winners! The Inaugural NorCal Lightning Comedy Competition hosted by Jennifer Rutherford was sponsored by Good Times Events and The Cool Crowd. Special thanks to Tre Restaurant and Lounge and the secret panel of judges who shall remain nameless.

Photos by Aljohn Tabion

The show’s eight competitors – (in no particular order) Mike Betancourt, Rick Pulido, Khulani Malone, Mikhail “The White Russian”, Matt Byrd, Nate Darling, Ellis Rodriguez and Sean Peabody – were selected by a secret panel of anonymous judges. “I have nothing to do with that selection,” Jennifer says. “All eight of them, I have to say, are wonderful comedians as well as people.”  SacramentoComedy.Com Chief Editor Steven Bloom agrees, “These are eight of the top Feature-level comedians in Sacramento. I’ve seen them all. It’ll be hard.”

Especially hard with a cash prize at stake for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place says Jennifer, “Thanks to the generous donations of lots of local sweethearts.” *

Competitors will be given four minutes in each of two Lightning Rounds. No glorified introductions. No obligatory host-driven transitions. Just comedy; fast, furious and funny. So grab a date, leave the umbrella at home, and check out Jennifer Rutherford’s NorCal Comedy Lighting Challenge!

Doors open at 6pm. Show starts at 7pm. $5 cover charge.

* Event sponsors include Good Times Events and The Cool Crowd

Just 9 months after her first performance, Sacramento comic Jennifer Rutherford has already run two comedy rooms, first at the La Casa Restaurante

“It’s the opportunity of knowing that every week I have somewhere to work my material. We didn’t really have an open mic on a Thursday night, so I felt like there was a need – for a lot of very talented local comedians – the need to get time behind a mic to get better. This is our college course that you can’t take anywhere.”

A relative late comer to the game, Jennifer modestly describes her transition into stand-up comedy.

“I slipped, tripped and here I am.”

While enjoying unemployment with some Karaoke, Jennifer had a chance encounter with a comedian who invited her to a show.

“He asked me if I’d ever thought about doing comedy before, and three days later I was on stage.”

With a background in sales, taking the stage to do stand-up was nearly a lateral move for Jennifer.

“I was a commercial lighting sales representative… I had to entertain architects and electrical engineers, and get them excited about lighting so I always used humor to do that, that’s for damn sure.”

Modest, however, does not describe her on-stage persona.

“I’m a bitch.”

…And a MILF according to many of her fans, some of whom she shares with 15 year old son, Alex, who performs stand-up locally as well.

“I’m 40 and I have no filter anymore. Married and divorced three times, I’m raising a 15 year old teenage boy on my own whom I love dearly, and he also does comedy. It’s a lot of fun.”

Jennifer recalls a high point after a recent performance at the Punchline Comedy Club.

“I had so much adrenalin on that stage. Oh my god, I was shaking when I came off stage because I was just like ‘wow, 250 people laughing!’ No drug can ever get you that high.”

So besides that, why does she do it?

“I love doing stand-up comedy. It’s just so much fun. Even when they’re not belly rolling, just to watch the amusement on their faces, and to sit back and think ‘wow, in this 5 minutes they didn’t think about their laundry and their problems and stresses at work or at home. You know, I made them forget, even if it’s just for a five-minute open mic. I love life. I love it!”

With the highs can also come challenges.

“You know here (at Tre Nightclub) we went through game 1, 3 and 7 of the NBA finals. That was pretty crazy. But I just decided every time they’d scream at the bar, I’d be like ‘Yay for us!’ So we pretended that the screaming and applause was for the comedy. So bless their hearts, but… its open mic.” *

And inevitably, some weird anomalies.

“I had a drunk woman once, I did a guest spot and it was my fourth time on stage. And this woman was giving the host fits. Everyone was like ‘oh God.’ And evidently she’d even been there before and given him problems. So about a minute and a half into my set, she stands up. And there’s two other women in the audience who are ready to kick her ass, like really ready to throw down. And I gave them a couple seconds to kind of rubberneck, and then I was just like “Alrighty, back up to the stage! Remember me?”

As for the future…

“I’m very grateful I started this business at 40 and not 20. I would have been chewed up and spit out by now. One thing I learned pretty early on is that I need to perfect my craft and grow, and the only way you can do that as a comedian is time. There’s no crash course. There’s no ability to have an hour’s worth of material at the snap of a finger. So yeah, I want to branch and grow, but I’m willing to put in my time.”

Come see Jennifer put in time as she hosts Open Mic Comedy Night every Thursday at Tre Nightclub. Doors open at 6pm. Comedy starts at 7pm.

And make sure to check out the NorCal Comedy Competition, hosted by Jennifer Rutherford. Friday, July 16^th, also at Tre!

* In fairness to Tre Nightclub, the televisions are typically off during performances. But in the case of depriving rowdy basketball fans, Jennifer laughs. “I did not want to be the culprit.”  Comedy events at Tre Nightclub sponsored by The Cool Crowd and Good Times Events

So it makes perfect sense that Mandel would be well suited to replace David Hasselhoff as a judge on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”  As he tells Lynn Elber of the Associated Press, “As much as I love seeing somebody undiscovered and unique, there’s something to be said for the insanity and the train wreck. I’m mesmerized by something I don’t understand because it looks like it’s bad.”  Read the full article for more of Howie’s take on all stuff weird and wild.

Then come see Howie Mandel perform at the California State Fair on July 22nd, where you can be the judge! You may even be able to convince him to bring out Bobby, of Bobby’s World… but you didn’t hear that from me…