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Last Comic Standing
''Last Comic Standing'' is an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, and again in 2014 and 2015. Each season a comedian from an initially large group of hopefuls was picked as a winner. For the first seven seasons, the winner received a cash prize and a television special; for season eight in 2014, the winner won a cash prize, a talent deal with NBC, and a half-hour scripted project developed by Universal Television. Format The show varied its format season by season. For seasons 1–2 and 4–7, NBC talent scouts Ross Mark and Bob Read held open casting calls in various locations around the United States. At each casting call, Mark and Read selected comics to participate in callback auditions in front of live audiences. Mark and Read selected a predetermined number of comics from each callback, who were invited to participate in a semifinal qualifying round. The comics who advanced to the semifinal qualifyin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Talent Contest
A talent show or talent contest is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather than contests, but some are actual contests. In the instance of a contest, participants may be motivated to perform for a reward, trophy, or prize of some kind. For example, a high school might not have many students with any interest in performing in front of the student body for the sole purpose of performing alone and may offer different prizes as an incentive for these students to participate in the contest. Media Since the late 1940s, talent shows have become a notable genre of reality television. Ever since the original airing of ''Doorway to Fame'' in 1947, countless spin-offs have been produced. In order of oldest to newest, here they are: * ''Doorway to Fame'' (1947); * ''The Original Amateur Hour'' (1948); * ''H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alex Theatre
The Alex Theatre is a landmark located at 216 North Brand Boulevard in Glendale, California, United States. It is currently owned by the city of Glendale and operated by SAS. The theater's capacity is 1,400. Architecture The Alex Theatre originally opened in 1925 as the Alexander Theatre, and was designed by architects Arthur G. Lindley and Charles R. Selkirk Associates, although at least one written source attributes it to the architectural firm of Meyer & Holler. Lindley & Selkirk Associates also designed the Hotel Glendale. The unique interior has distinct neo-classic Greek and Egyptian architectural elements, similar to the Greco-Egyptian period of Ptolemaic Egypt. A long walkway and courtyard separating the ticket booth from the lobby was inspired after the famous Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. In 1940, notable theater architect S. Charles Lee was commissioned to redesign the exterior of the ''Alexander''. Lee's portfolio included the Tower Theatre and the L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Runner-up
{{Short pages monitor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alonzo Bodden
Alonzo Bodden (; born June 13, 1962) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and former political commentator. In 2004, he won NBC's reality competition TV show ''Last Comic Standing'' in its third season after being the runner-up in its second season earlier in the year. Bodden debuted his comedy album in 2001, and his hour-long DVD special and his half-hour television special in 2005. He has been a recurring panelist on NPR's quiz radio show '' Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' since 2010, and has appeared as a host and contributor on news platform The Young Turks. Early life Bodden was born and raised in the St. Albans neighborhood of Queens, New York, to an African American mother and an Afro-Honduran father.. Bodden went to Aviation High School in Long Island City, Queens. He went on to work for Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach in the training department in the early 1990s. Career Just for Laughs in Montreal provided the opportunity for Bod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Heffron
John Heffron (born July 19, 1970) is an American stand-up comic. Career John started his comedy career as a student at Eastern Michigan University, skipping night classes to perform stand-up comedy. He got his first gig as an emcee at the Main Street Comedy Showcase on the University of Michigan campus. After graduating, John immediately began working in his field of choice, touring the college circuit performing at more than 80 shows each year. By that time, he was already a seasoned comic with more than four years of experience. The college audience related to his type of humor, which talked about his days in college, the retro music that he and his classmates listened to and the Pop Rocks candy he played with as a kid. This material made him a hit on college campuses, where he recorded his first comedy CD ''Kid With A Cape''. By the age of 25, John was a successful headlining comedian who decided to also put his degrees in communications and psychology to work by taking a jo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Mordal
Dave Mordal (pronounced like "more doll") is a comedian from Elk River, Minnesota. Career He was a contestant on the first and third seasons of NBC's ''Last Comic Standing'' where, as per the ''Arizona Daily Star'', he came to be "best known for his sarcastic humor as a battling comedian". In a July 2003 ''People'' report, Mordal shared his views about the show: "“Ten comics living in a house together. ..It’s just going to be a matter of time before either everybody gets used to it or somebody snaps and kills somebody." He was fourth eliminated in the first season after losing in a head-to-head competition to Dat Phan, the eventual winner of Last Comic Standing season 1. He was first runner-up in the third season. On the show he was known for his great friendship with Rich Vos, with whom he was seen taking baths and ironing. Also notable was the "infamous" rat hunt where Dave caught a rat. He also has made guest appearances on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' and was in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sean Kent
Sean Kent is a stand-up comic who stars on A&E's unscripted comedy ''Modern Dads''. He won the 2011 San Francisco International Comedy Competition and the 2009 Seattle International Comedy Competition. Originally from Austin, Texas, Kent resided in Los Angeles during his development as a comic, moving back to his hometown in 2011 with his partner, Rachel Dory, and their two daughters. He is also known for his stand-up comedy appearances on Showtime and Nickelodeon, and as a series regular on the NBC show ''Last Comic Standing'' (seasons 1 & 3). His comedy has been critically acclaimed by ''Rolling Stone'' and XM Radio, who called his debut CD "An instant classic". Early years Kent attended Hyde Park Baptist Private School in Austin, where he lettered in Varsity Basketball and Cross Country. He was almost expelled several times but he still graduated in 1992. After high school, Kent attended the University of Texas at Austin but dropped out in 1994 to move to Los Angeles and p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rich Vos
Rich Vos (born June 30, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor. Since 2011, he has been the co-host of the podcast ''My Wife Hates Me'' with his wife, comedian Bonnie McFarlane. Early life Vos was raised in a Jewish family who lived in an "all black neighborhood" in New Jersey. Vos's parents divorced when he was young and he did not graduate from high school. He became a fan of stand-up comedy from watching television as a child and cites acts featured on '' The Ed Sullivan Show'' as a big influence. Career Vos began his stand-up career in 1984, choosing to pursue it full-time as he "failed at everything else", and developed his act in local clubs. In 1995, Vos became the first white comic to perform a set on '' Def Comedy Jam'' on HBO, a show usually featuring African American comedians. In July 1999, Vos hosted at the Woodstock '99 festival, later calling it a highlight of his career. In 2000, Vos received the Bistro Award for Outstanding Achievement as Com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ralphie May
Ralph Duren May (February 17, 1972 – October 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his extensive touring and comedy specials on multiple media platforms. Early life May was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and raised in Clarksville, Arkansas. He was the youngest of four children. At age 17 he won a contest to open for Sam Kinison, whom he considered his idol. May explained, "The joke that he liked the best was talking about the drummer ( Rick Allen) from Def Leppard. 'After he lost his arm, I felt bad about listening to him. Not that I'm prejudiced against handicapped people, it's just the fact that if I applauded, it was insulting to him, like "Ha! Ha! Look at my use of two hands!"' Kinison suggested that May move to Houston to further develop his comedy routine. May graduated from the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Career In 2003, May was chosen to participate in the first season of ''Last Comic Standing''. He finished in s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dat Phan
Dat Phan (born January 25, 1975) is a Vietnamese-American stand-up comedian. He first rose to fame in 2003 after defeating runner-up Ralphie May to win Season 1 of ''Last Comic Standing''. In Fall 2004, he returned for the third season dubbed "Battle of the Best" which featured contestants from season 1 against season 2. He and May were eliminated in the fifth round. Early life Phan was born in Saigon. He immigrated to the United States as a child with his mother and nine other siblings. They suffered financial hardships throughout his childhood. He grew up in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, California then spent his teenage years in Santee, California, a suburb of San Diego. He dropped out of Grossmont College to pursue comedy. He was later voted into Grossmont College's Walk of Fame. Career In 2003, he entered the first season of NBC's stand-up comedy competition reality show, ''Last Comic Standing''. According to the show's host Jay Mohr, Phan nonetheles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Immunity (reality Television)
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s with shows such as '' The Real World'', then achieved prominence in the early 2000s with the success of the series ''Survivor'', '' Idol'', and '' Big Brother'', all of which became global franchises. Reality television shows tend to be interspersed with "confessionals", short interview segments in which cast members reflect on or provide context for the events being depicted on-screen; this is most commonly seen in American reality television. Competition-based reality shows typically feature the gradual elimination of participants, either by a panel of judges, by the viewership of the show, or by the contestants themselves. Documentaries, television news, sports television, talk shows, and traditional game shows are generally not class ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Friars Club Of Beverly Hills
The Friars Club of Beverly Hills (also known as the Friars Club of California) was a private show business club started in 1947 by comedian/actor Milton Berle, among other celebrities who had moved from New York. It was forced to change its name in 2007 after losing a lawsuit with the New York Friars' Club, and later closed. Its building, designed by modernist architect Sidney Eisenshtat, was demolished in 2011. History The modern history of the club began in 1947, when Milton Berle got a group together at the old Savoy Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, including actors Bing Crosby, Eddie Cantor, Jimmy Durante, George Jessel, Ronald Reagan, and Robert Taylor. The Friars Club of California was originally established as a spinoff from the New York Friars' Club as a non-profit, membership only club. In 1961, the California club moved into a distinctive, almost windowless building at 9900 South Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills designed by architect Sidney Ei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
