New York Comedy Festival is Almost here

By Pamela Mortimer

November 5-9 in New York City promises to be one big belly laugh. The 2008 New York Comedy Festival is taking over the city, hosting a wide variety of events at venues all across the city.

Now in its fifth year, the Comedy Festival has an impressive line up of comedians including headliners Carlos Mencia, Sarah Silverman, Frank Caliendo, Tracy Morgan, Louis C.K., Joel McHale, B.J. Novak, Brian Regan, Craig Ferguson, and Katt Williams.

The current, most up to date list of performers and events includes:
New York morning radio personality Luis Jimenez, John Pinette, The View's Sherri Shepherd, Susie Essman, Paul Mooney, plus special events such as the "The Best Sketch in New York Showcase," "MySpace Secret Stand-Up Show," "The Web Video Cram-Off," "TONY Approved," a stand-up show hosted by Time Out New York's Comedy Editor Jane Borden, and "Funny Business" hosted by David Moore. Also appearing will be New York Post editorial writer Robert A. George, Monica Crowley ("The McLaughlin Group," Fox News Channel). Comedian and author Baratunde Thurston will team up with moderator Lizz Winstead (co-creator of The Daily Show) for the "We Have a Winner" panel, a comedic look at the State of the Union and the 2008 election.

The events will be held throughout New York City, utilizing many of the city’s trademark venues, such as Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theater, Carolines on Broadway, the Avery Fisher Hall,, Town Hall, Hammerstein Ballroom, The UCB Theatre, Paley Center for Media, and the 92nd Street YMCA.

Also included will be the Second Annual Search for "New York's Funniest Stand-Up." The competition focuses on finding a comedian – any comedian – who thinks s/he has what it takes to be crowned "New York's Funniest."

The 2008 "New York's Funniest Stand-Up" competition will begin with an open call at Carolines on Broadway, on Tuesday, October 21, and on Wednesday, October 22. Participants will be given two minutes on the stage to deliver their best stand-up in front of a panel of judges. Participants will be rated on their material, stage presence, and originality. After the initial performances, 30 comedians will move on to the next round where they will perform five minutes of stand-up in one of two semi-final rounds held on Tuesday, October 28 and Wednesday, October 29, at the Stand-Up NY comedy club. Judges will select 5 finalists from each semi-final round. Those contestants will move on to the finals where they will perform for eight minutes in front of a panel of industry judges. The finals will be held at Carolines on Broadway on Wednesday, November 5. The comedian dubbed "New York's Funniest Stand-Up" will receive a cash prize, a guest spot on one of the major festival shows, and a week of stand-up performances at Carolines on Broadway.

The 2008 New York Comedy Festival is produced by United Entertainment Group and Carolines on Broadway. The Festival is presented by The New York Post, Time Out New York, WWOR/My9, and WNYW/Fox 5 The Comedy Festival is sponsored in part by The Alliance for Climate Protection and Energizer.