Last Comic Standing 5, Episode 3: Down Under

We’re back with another episode of Last Comic Standing and a third hour of try-outs from “around the globe.” Incidentally, although this is only the second night of original episodes on NBC, last week’s two-hour premiere was considered Episodes 1 and 2. Just in case you’re reading this and wondering how you blacked out for a week.

NBC has got to be happy with the ratings for the two-hour premiere, even if the first hour didn’t do quite as well as the second – no doubt due to the other programming it was up against that night. The ratings may have been only 2.8, but it has been reported that it is nearly a 49% jump over the episode of Deal or No Deal that ran the hour before the show started. It also won in the 18-49 demographics for the final hour, meaning that NBC execs are probably wondering why they ever thought Father of the Pride was such a great idea.

A couple of minor notes came up that are of interest to fans: first off, Alonzo stated in his blog on at TV Guide that there would be no house this year and only head-to-heads. Wow! That’s a great idea! It’ll be just like… uh… Season Three, actually.

Uh-oh. Did Alonzo put them up to this? I just imagine him in a Darth Vader cloak, manically laughing at the prospects for the winner here.

Seriously, considering what little was done with the Queen Mary (aka the “house” from last year) and how the whole house situation in Season Two kinda sucked the life out of the show, perhaps this is for the best. It worked the first year, but it seems that the edge on competition over “living together without driving each other crazy” has turned what could have been fun, humorous situations in the house into just another drive to get more camera-time. That’s when people stopped being funny. Just ask Stella.

No, wait, she was never funny anywhere. Forgot.

Besides, as long as we still have competitions to put the comics together and show them working with and against each other, then we’ll still get the best of the “house” effect without the hot-tub. That is, as long as there’s no hot-tub competition. Don’t put anything past these guys. I mean, Top Chef has a hot-tub this season, for cryin’ out loud! “God, that woman sucked as a chef, but did you see her in the hot-tub when she was boiling that lobster?!” Yikes.

The other bit of news is actually from the rumor-mill, stating that the five finalists of this season will be going on tour together in August. That’s been an idea kicked around since Season One, but maybe this time, for the first time, love won’t hurry away… wait, I slipped into Cabaret for a second there. Well, you get the idea, anyway. That there may be a tour for LCS, I mean. Not that I’ve been watching ANT too long.

Let’s hope for the best.

As for this week’s show, NBC starts their programming for the night with an hour-long recap of the two-hour premiere from last week. Does this mean we’ll be getting repeats of the previous week’s show every Wednesday before the next original episode like has occurred in some seasons of the past? Possible. After all, not everyone has BRAVO to see the repeat eight times during the weekend.

The new episode begins with the try-outs moving out to L.A. on February 26. This actually was the first try-out of the season, even though we already saw three other cities last week on the program, but that’s the way the wind blows when it comes to editing. Another reason may be as that… well, we’ll get to that in a minute.

Bill Bellamy is on the street outside the Hollywood Improv, talking to people waiting in line and runs into a woman named Jamie who admits that she’s never done stand-up before. Bill, in only a half-joking fashion, tells her that she is “gonna get smoked.” Rightfully so, although we don’t have the pleasure of seeing such, as the camera cuts to inside the Improv where ANT, Alonzo Bodden and Kathleen Madigan are judging the comics.

Jon Reep comes out and does a fairly old joke about smoking and chain-smoking sections of a restaurant. He moves on to how riverboats are just doublewides on the river. It’s not very good, but the judges ask him to come back anyway.

He’s followed by Maggie McCoy, who is Irish and evidently hyperactive. It’s part of the act, but it doesn’t seem to really go anywhere and ANT pretty much flat-out says the same. Alonzo agrees and they pass on her. She leaves as Alonzo introduces a montage of comics who are “train wrecks.” This includes Joseph Neibich doing a poor slavery gag that causes ANT to practically drool while waiting for Alonzo’s reaction. Alonzo states that he isn’t offended as a black person, but rather as a comic. Neibich is followed by Anthony Brownino who screams while talking about playing Beethoven’s Fifth in his car, and Julius Mogyorossy, who had appeared in the previous season as an Indian who swears. Julius does the same act again and gets the same cold reaction as last time.

Lizzy Cooperman is next and does a gag about the homeless that is a bit blah. She is asked to come back. Outside in the line, Bill talks to Big E, a small comic waiting to perform. Big E mentions riding a bike to L.A. and Bill is surprised, but it’s just a way to seem more hip actually. Back inside, Stephen Glickman strikes me as the first comic on the show tonight who makes me laugh while talking about bad advice he got from his mom. ANT and Alonzo like him as well and ask him to come back. Dan McGowan follows him and does an “old song” that is actually funny, but the judges seem really, really upset for such a dumb, ol’ gag and tell him to leave. Don’t know why they were upset over an old song when we’ve been getting mostly old gags so far.

Iva La’Shawn is on stage next and it mentions she is from Springfield, Ohio. Coming from Fairborn myself, I have to go with the hometown girl here. Her bit about crackheads wanting their bologna is good enough to get a return for the showcase later from the judges. Also moving on is Dante who does a funny bit about appearing in movies so bad that “you get the DVD of it while you’re still filming.” One person NOT asked to come back is Chad Lehrman who begins a joke about being “edgy” but is cut off by Alonzo and ANT before he can get to the punchline. Chad tries to keep it going by – it appears to me at least – jokingly telling the judges that “if you don’t want to see edgy comedy, then get the hell out of the room!” ANT, Alonzo and Kathleen stomp off, while Kathleen complains, “This is offensive!” I agree - walking out on the talent when he’s trying to do his act IS pretty offensive. It certainly wasn’t funny. They must have still been smarting over the lack of funny people so far in L.A. at this point in the try-outs.