2009: 30th Anniversary Seattle International Comedy Competition

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November 2009

That's when the 30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition will play out in venues across the state of Washington as over 30 comics will be whittled down to one champion over the course of that month.

It is an incomparable experience that can test the mettle of even the most experienced performers...but it is also a crucible by which your comedic abilities can be finely honed and shined into brilliance.

Mitch Hedberg was one such champion. So was David Crowe, Matt Weinhold, Lamont Ferguson, Damonde Tschritter, Tom Cotter, Darryl Lennox, Dwight Slade, Kermet Apio, Ross Shafer, Gabriel Rutledge, Drake Witham, Tommy Savitt and many others.

The list of people who have competed but NOT won is filled with names like: Ty Barnett, Patton Oswalt, Aisha Tyler, Brian Posehn...

The competition is accepting entries and if anyone would like information on how to submit yourself for consideration for this competition, let me know (You can pm me.) and I'll get you the info right away.

I can't guarantee you'll be one of the comedians chosen to compete this year, but you'll never know if you could if you don't try.

And when the competition begins, I'll keep everyone on the Seattle subforum on AST well informed.

The thread's been created for information, discussion and for others to follow along.

pg--30 is a nice round number...very memorable...and so, it would be a good year to win this thing...--seattle

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The selection process has started.

If there are any comics among us who were thinking of entering for this year's competition, you want to do that immediately or else you won't even get in the conversation for consideration this year.

I can help anyone who wants info on how to enter. Message me and I'll give you the details.

pg--Should be an excellent year, based on some of the submissions I've seen so far!--seattle

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OFFICIAL ROSTER FOR THE 30TH ANNUAL SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY COMPETITION

The 2009 Seattle International Comedy Competition runs from November 4th to November 29th. It takes 32 comedians on an adventure, criss-crossing Western Washington State...performing in comedy clubs and theaters...hoping to outlast all the others and become the latest champion...

The roster is split into two preliminary weeks of 16 comedians each. Each preliminary week will perform six times over six nights in six different venues and only the top five from each week will meet each other in the semi-finals week. Only the top five from the semi-finals week will go onto the finals week...all ending in the final show of the competition at the legendary Moore Theater in Seattle on Sunday, November 29th.

Here are the comedians competing in this year's event:

PRELIMINARY WEEK ONE (November 4th-November 9th)
1) Cy Amundson (minneapolis)
2) Ahmed Bharoocha (boston)
3) Matt Billon (toronto)
4) Brian Boshes (seattle)
5) Tony Daniel (seattle)
6) Ron Funches (portland)
7) Josh Gondelman (boston)
8) Andy Haynes (new york)
9) Joe Henry (seattle)
10) Marvin Lee (birmingham)
11) Rodger Lizaola (gilroy)
12) Steve Monroe (los angeles)
13) Mark Normand (new orleans)
14) Kevin Richards (seattle)
15) Jose Sarduy (miami)
16) Jane Stanton (vancouver)

PRELIMINARY WEEK TWO (November 10th-November 15th)
1) Mike Baldwin (kansas city)
2) David Cope (new york)
3) Mike Cummings (seattle)
4) Meghan Flaherty (spokane)
5) Solomon Georgio (seattle)
6) Toby Hargrave (vancouver)
7) Paul Hooper (charlotte)
8) Sean Kent (austin)
9) Derick Lengwenus (montreal)
10) Nicole Lucas (seattle)
11) A.J. McKenzie (vancouver)
12) Travis Simmons (seattle)
13) Curt Sudden (caldwell)
14) Nick Sun (sydney)
15) Elaine Thompson (minneapolis)
16) Prescott Tolk (chicago)

Personally, I think this is one of the most competitive rosters in the event's history (although recent roster changes mean it isn't quite as strong as it might have been...)

AST will get exclusive nightly updates during the competition so you can follow along...

pg--As with everything in life, this roster is subject to change...but it looks damn solid to me right now.--seattle

[pg13]

The roster, above, has been updated due to a couple of unfortunate personal circumstances for some of the original choices--but, and I say this with some force, I STILL think this is one of the strongest and most competitive rosters in the event's history.

I can now share the schedule of events for this year's event:

PRELIMINARY WEEK ONE SCHEDULE
WED NOV 4 Columbia City Theater (Seattle)
THU NOV 5 Laughs Comedy Spot (Kirkland)
FRI NOV 6 Auburn Avenue Theater (Auburn)
SAT NOV 7 Historic Everett Theater (Everett)
SUN NOV 8 The Fairhaven (Bellingham)
MON NOV 9 Comedy Underground (Seattle)

PRELIMINARY WEEK TWO SCHEDULE
TUE NOV 10 Comedy Underground (Seattle)
WED NOV 11 The Upstage (Port Townsend)
THU NOV 12 Auburn Avenue Theater (Auburn)
FRI NOV 13 Broadway Performance Hall (Seattle)
SAT NOV 14 Lower Columbia College (Longview)
SUN NOV 15 The Fairhaven (Bellingham)

SEMI-FINALS WEEK SCHEDULE
TUE NOV 17 Comedy Underground (Seattle)
WED NOV 18 Edmonds Performance Center (Edmonds)
THU NOV 19 Liberty Theater (Puyallup)
FRI NOV 20 Skagit Valley Casino (Bow)
SAT NOV 21 Lucky Eagle Casino (Rochester)
SUN NOV 22 Marsons Club Casino (Everett)

FINALS WEEK SCHEDULE
TUE NOV 24 Washington Athletic Club (Seattle)
WED NOV 25 Vashon Theater (Vashon Island)
THU NOV 26 Thanksgiving
FRI NOV 27 Kirkland Performance Center (Kirkland)
SAT NOV 28 Admiral Theater (Bremerton)
SUN NOV 29 The Moore Theater (Seattle)

pg--I am so looking forward to this year's event!--seattle

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The 30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition starts tonight at the Columbia City Theater in Seattle.

The competition has never performed at this venue before, so even the production staff isn't sure what to expect as 16 comics from around the country gather there to begin their six show run in the competition's Preliminary Week One.

AST fans might recognize a few names in this year's roster (including AST's own Ron Funches)...

Wish you were here!
pg--seattle

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30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition
Preliminary Week One--Night One
Columbia City Theater--November 4, 2009
TOP 5 RESULTS

5) Jane Stanton (Vancouver, BC)
4) Matt Billon (Toronto, ON)
3) Andy Haynes (New York, NY)
2) Rodger Lizaola (Gilroy, CA)
1) Jose Sarduy (Miami, FL)

The competition's opening night gala, where the first group of sixteen comics began their Preliminary Week journey...a journey that will send five of them on to the semi-finals and eleven of them home in heartbreak, took place at the gorgeous Columbia City Theater in front of a near sell-out crowd.

This is the first chance that some of these competitors had to check out the skills of their fellow participants...and for many of these comedians, it was their first time being put through the competition wringer...and I think everyone accounted for themselves quite well.

Also receiving solid scores, but not making tonight's Top 5...were (AST's own) Ron Funches, Tony Daniel, Mark Normand, Josh Gondelman and Cy Amundson.

The ball has started rolling, but nothing's been decided yet. Last year, no one who placed in the Top Five on opening night ended up moving on to the semi-finals...so, it's definitely still anyone's game.

Night Two brings the competition across the bridge to one of our favorite venues, Laughs Comedy Spot in Kirkland (who have Bridgetown Comedy Festival veteran Bil Dwyer as their weekend headliner.)

pg--seattle

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30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition
Preliminary Week One--Night Two
Laughs Comedy Spot, Kirkland--November 5, 2009
TOP 5 RESULTS

5) Tony Daniel (Seattle,WA)
4) Matt Billon (Toronto, ON)
3) Rodger Lizaola (Gilroy, CA)
2) Jose Sarduy (Miami, FL)
1) Steve Monroe (Los Angeles, CA)

While the first night of a Preliminary Week has contestants making their opening gambits...where they've had months to imagine what might work best for them to do. The real brain-squeeze takes place from then on, as each comedian tries to manage the impossible number of variables in the competition to try to make just the right adjustments and tweaks to what they did that first night in order to improve their position and their chances for moving on...

Steve Monroe definitely made the biggest adjustment--nearly dropping almost everything from an opening night set that had him missing out on the all-important encore point and placing almost at the bottom of the pack...adding a crowd pleasing audience participation bit that had worked for him when he had been in the competition two years ago...and despite going up last in front of an audience whose energy seemed to be faltering as this very long show continued on, he not only got his encore point tonight...he ended up with the top placement on the night.

Seattle's own Tony Daniel had a very strong showing in a club that he performs at quite regularly. (That's not always a guarantee of success as fellow Seattle comedian Brian Boshes found out, as he stumbled in front of his home club crowd tonight, after faring rather well on the first night.)

Jose Sarduy, Rodger Lizaola and Matt Billon remained strong...while some in the audience had predicted Minneapolis' Cy Amundson to crack tonight's top five for his well-received performance.

Vancouver's Jane Stanton, going up late in the night, seemed to have a brilliant strategy...to not push her set length but to get her laughs and do a short (but legal) length set--except, it turns out, that she hadn't really planned to do that...she just forgot a joke she'd meant to tell.

Hard luck award for the night goes to Marvin Lee. Marvin admits that he panicked a bit when he saw the "courtesy light" given to contestants to help them manage their time. Even though he was not in danger of earning himself an "over-time" penalty, he wrapped a strong set awkwardly...which cost him the encore point...which cost him a place in tonight's top 5.

The competition heads south to the Auburn Avenue Theater in Auburn for a Friday night show with a difference--it will be run as a "tv clean" show. It will be interesting to see how those comics who have to adjust a LOT in their set to meet those standards compare to the comics who naturally work less-blue. It could shake things up quite a bit.

pg--Thunder, lightning, hail, high winds, sheets of sideways rain, street flooding...it wouldn't be a Seattle International Comedy Competition without these things.--seattle

[pg13]

...and the answer is: "Yes, I do feel somewhat awkward in this thread as it appears that I'm talking to myself and that no one else cares."

...and: "Yes, if I still feel that way after a couple more updates, I might just stop bothering to post competition updates here."

30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition
Preliminary Week One--Night Three (TV Clean)
Auburn Avenue Theater, Auburn--November 6, 2009
TOP 5 RESULTS

5) Brian Boshes (Seattle,WA)
4) Jose Sarduy (Miami, FL)
3) Rodger Lizaola (Gilroy, CA)
2) Steve Monroe (Los Angeles, CA)
1) Matt Billon (Toronto, ON)

Every year of the Seattle International Comedy Competition, we seem to run into Biblical-type weather...electrical storms, floods, locusts...that sort of thing... It makes chasing comedy shows that criss-cross the area rather challenging...

On this night, the competition braved more thunder, lightning, high winds, street floodings, road closures, drivers re-enacting the "2012" trailer and even a funnel cloud between us and tonight's venue location--the wonderful Auburn Avenue Theater in Auburn, Washington.

The Auburn Avenue Theater is owned by the City of Auburn's Park & Rec Department and it does run regular comedy shows. I've performed on one of these comedy shows...and the audiences really love comedy...and they really love to participate in the show--which can be challenging.

And, because the theater is run by the City of Auburn, they've asked that shows be clean...and that can be challenging, too.

So, as if the normal challenges of putting your personal artistic expression up against the personal artistic expressions of fifteen of your peers for review and judgment by three specific individuals for comparison and celebration wasn't enough...tonight, we added to the burden we place on the competitors with the challenges of stormy weather, a participatory audience and designating tonight as a "TV Clean" night.

Adapting your material to the standards of what would be allowed on an American network broadcast television show airing before 11pm would, at first glance, seem to be a significant roadblock to how some of our contestants generate their laughs...but to each of their credit, they all managed to stay TV Clean. No one even came close to being penalized for failure to be clean...and the show didn't suffer at all for their efforts.

In fact, this turned out to be the hottest crowd of the competition so far...they loved EVERY comic and their unique personal styles. They even managed to let all of the contestants do their sets--limiting their participation to on-going discussions with our host for the week, Paul Myrehaug...who felt comfortable absorbing their input and keeping the crowd enthusiastic and well-behaved for the contestants.

We've had three shows...and three contestants have made the Top Five in each show, so far... That's a very strong showing for Jose Sarduy, Rodger Lizaola and tonight's top finisher, Matt Billon. Each of them are absolutely dialed in...they know exactly what they want to do and they go up each night and deliver a consistent performance.

If others in this week want to dislodge any of these three from their expected place in the semi-finals week, they're going to have to step their game up...and step it up quick, because there are only three more shows to get the scores they need.

Steve Monroe has definitely put his stumble on the first night of the week behind him with another strong Top Five finish tonight. He's got no room for error, though, as he hopes to keep his first night's score as his drop score. (Contestants are allowed to drop their lowest score of the week.)

Speaking of putting his stumbles behind him, Seattle's Brian Boshes tumbled to last place in his "home club" of Laughs Comedy Spot on Night Two but got up, brushed himself off and earned himself his first Top Five finish with a strong, compelling performance tonight.

It had to be strong, because it forced the adorable Josh Gondelman, who this crowd clearly bestowed its favor upon with one of the loudest "encore point" cheers of the week so far, just out of the Top Five. Josh was one tenth of a point behind Brian and took 6th place.

Meanwhile, Kevin Richards, Ahmed Bharoocha, Ron Funches and Mark Normand continue to do great work, just outside of the podium placements.

So strong was the night, with hot crowds and every comic hitting at the top of their game, that Andy Haynes said "I came off stage thinking that I've just had the set of my life...and then I end up taking 12th."

Welcome to the Seattle International Comedy Competition...that's what it's like, sometimes.

We're expecting more cats & dogs-level of rain tonight as we head north towards Everett, Washington...where the competition continues at the gorgeous Historic Everett Theater--one of my favorite venues in the competition and a great place to do comedy. No TV Clean restrictions tonight...just a comedy show on a Saturday night that might make or break someone's chances in moving on to the semi-finals from this Preliminary Week.

It might just.

pg--If things go the way they're going, it's going to be a mad scramble between 10 comics all fighting, with equal claim, for one spot in the semi-finals. Yikes!--seattle

[Jimes]

...and the answer is: "Yes, I do feel somewhat awkward in this thread as it appears that I'm talking to myself and that no one else cares."

...and: "Yes, if I still feel that way after a couple more updates, I might just stop bothering to post competition updates here."

Peter,

I think you are talking to yourself but people DO care about what you are saying.

You are offering fascinating analysis that we cannot get anywhere else. I imagine almost all of the people reading this are not attending the shows (but are still interested in what is happening) so there's not much for us to say...

[SnarlaT]

I too care deeply and passionately and am most appreciative, just like my old friend Jimes. Thanks, Peter!

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...sorry if my last post seemed like I was fishing for positive feedback--I just didn't want to be wasting everyone's time with this stuff...

30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition
Preliminary Week One--Night Four
Historic Everett Theater--November 7, 2009
TOP 5 RESULTS

5) Jane Stanton (Vancouver BC)
4) Rodger Lizaola (Gilroy, CA)
3) Steve Monroe (Los Angeles, CA)
2) Matt Billon (Toronto, ON)
1) Jose Sarduy (Miami, FL)

The Historic Everett Theater is over 100 years old and you can feel the sawdust, smell the gaslights and understand that countless performers have sweated out whether or not the audience would enjoy what they were offering them on that stage. On this fourth night of Preliminary Week One of the 30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition, I don't think any of our sixteen performers need to wonder if their efforts were enjoyed...as over 400 comedy-loving patrons packed into the Historic Everett Theater and showed their appreciation for everyone involved.

The usual suspects in the Top Five for this week remained there, switching around a little bit to allow Jose Sarduy to claim his second nightly win of this week. Jose, Matt Billon, Steve Monroe and Rodger Lizaola are simply dialed in and are firing on all cylinders with their performances and their consistent presence in the Top Five each night is turning the final two nights of this week into a twelve-way shoot out for one remaining spot to move on to the Semi-Finals from this week.

The current occupant of that slot, Vancouver's Jane Stanton, lays claim to that slot with a solid Top 5 performance tonight...keeping Seattle's Brian Boshes from making his second straight Top 5.

Mark Normand probably had his most comfortable set of the entire competition for a 7th place finish tonight. He told me that tonight's set felt better because he stopped thinking about what he thought he SHOULD do for the competition's sake but instead concentrated on doing the things that he WANTED to do...and that came across to the judges in a boosted level of confidence and comedic strength.

Of course, it took until the fourth show to realize that this might have been the best strategy to take from the beginning...but it might not be too late, depending on how the final two shows go...

With his strongest showing to date, Marvin Lee handled going up last on a long show with a command of the stage and a control over the audience that are signs of his years of experience.

Kevin Richards has maintained a strong, steady pace throughout the week--if you factor in the difficulties in going first, which he did on the first night...and he had another solid performance on this night. He's still in the hunt.

I think one of the stories of this week is how strong Ron Funches has been every single night...and audiences fall in love with him...and then he simply doesn't get the scores to put him into the Top 5 for the night...ever. He's not scoring badly, he's right there, just heartbreaking inches from making the Top 5...but so far, he hasn't gotten a break. He's definitely a favorite of the other comics in the week...as he keeps pounding out killer sets every night.

Andy Haynes, who for the week is in 6th place...right on the cusp of making it to the semi-finals or not, is hoping that he won't have to do what he did two years ago in this competition, as he went into the last night of his Preliminary Week in 12th place and managed to leap all the way up into 5th place by winning that last night of the week.

Tony Daniel and Josh Gondelman remain forces to be reckoned with, with good scores that could be married to good results in the next couple of nights to put them into the mix.

Cy Amundson and Ahmed Bharrocha, meanwhile, would need a little more help than that, scores-wise...but go out every night and deliver excellent performances--which helps to make this entire week one of the most enjoyable shows that I've had the pleasure to be part of presenting to any audience...and it's been strong every night, so far.

Tonight...we head up to The Fairhaven Martini Bar in Bellingham, Washington...a place where many comedy competition dreams have died. Who survives tonight may well end up in the fight of their life on Monday night, the last night of this week, which takes place at the Comedy Underground in Seattle...

pg--Sorry for the delay...baby duty last night. --seattle

[nixonjames]

I was dying for an update ha.
I've been doin an open mic hosted by Gondleman pretty regular and see Baroocha around all the time so just wanna keep tabs. Yes please keep these coming these are awesome!

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...and hello to any update-wanters visiting from the Roadcomics.com site. Reports of my having been assassinatored have been greatly exaggerated...

30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition
Preliminary Week One--Night Five
The Fairhaven Martini Pub, Bellingham--November 8, 2009
TOP 5 RESULTS

5) Cy Amundson (Minneapolis MN)
4) Rodger Lizaola (Gilroy, CA)
3) Andy Haynes (New York, NY)
2) Steve Monroe (Los Angeles, CA)
1) Jose Sarduy (Miami, FL)

So, I have to explain Bellingham to you. If you were a working comic in Seattle, you probably got a call early on a Sunday evening from comedy booker (and Seattle International Comedy Competition Executive Producer) Jon Fox asking if you can haul your ass an hour and a half North of Seattle to do a Sunday night show at The Fairhaven in Bellingham for a show that starts in an hour and a half.

(To his credit--he often offered you a step up in pay--if he'd need a host, he'd pay you feature money. If he needed a feature, he'd pay you headliner money. And if he needed a headliner...well, I don't know what he'd do, because Fox never headlined me in Bellingham.)

You'd race to get there only to find out that whatever time the show was scheduled for, promoted towards or listed as...the actual show wouldn't start for an hour or more later, because that's when people show up--an hour or more after they know they're supposed to be there...

The bar itself is great. A good rock band-style stage...a great staff...good food... Can't complain about the facilities--although, the room is shaped in a "7" shape...with a long throw center left and a short throw center right and nothing but the dj booth straight on. A set-up like that challenges your ability to hold a crowd together.

...if they had a crowd that was CAPABLE of holding together...because in the dozen or so times I've performed there, and nearly as many times helping run competition shows there, I've yet to see a Fairhaven crowd that paid attention to what was happening on stage. People demand to sit in the front row...and then have loud conversations over the top of the person on the stage (who HAS A MICROPHONE!!!)

If a comic says anything about anything they know, they yell back whatever they know about it...or it merely starts a NEW conversation between audience members that has nothing to do with what the comic is talking about... And if a comic talks about anything they don't know--current events, less than the most obvious pop culture references, places other than Bellingham--or about things they don't care about--current events, things you'd have to had read, the comic on stage--they stare blankly for a second before abandoning the comic's efforts to once again talk amongst themselves.

BECAUSE OF THIS...many comics over the years of comedy at The Fairhaven have abandoned their sets and tried to engage the audience with crowd work--which has had the side effect of training the audience that what comedy "is"...is a guy on stage saying horrible things to (and about) the people in the front few rows and then everyone laughs and pays attention. That weird masochism is what they expect, what they come for...and if that's not what you're doing, as a comic, they struggle to understand why you won't simply call that talky bitch sitting next to them (usually their girlfriend) a fucking whore.

...deep breath...

So...imagine what happens when you bring in 16 comedy competition contestants from across the country for the second-to-last show of their preliminary week, where they know that if they don't get a good score at The Fairhaven in Bellingham, that their competition might end at the end of the week...and that means no prizes and no chance to compete in the semi-finals or possibly the finals. They've spent four nights trying to massage scores out of easily offended judges in pristine venues like theaters and a dedicated comedy club, in front of audiences who really want to let them do what they do and who appreciate all of their efforts...

What happens?

You toss them into this rowdy, rock bar and see who explodes first...that's what happens.

Oh, and on this particular Sunday night in Bellingham...that's EXACTLY what happened.

...AND IT WAS GLORIOUS!!!

Oh, sure, Jose Sarduy won the night. He's simply undeniable this week, earning his third nightly win and making him a lock to finish the week in first place...no matter what he might do on the sixth and final show of the week on Monday at Seattle's Comedy Underground.

And yes, both Rodger Lizaola and Steve Monroe didn't have to change their strategy up much...and they both made yet another Top Five.

And the curse of the bullet struck down Matt Billon. He went up first, before the room warmed up and found himself outside of the Top Five for the first time this week.

But the main story of the night was how plump full of crazy this Sunday night in Bellingham turned out to be...

Let's start with Ahmed Bharoocha. He's an excellent comic, based out of Boston...he was part of the Great American Comedy Festival this year...and he's been doing good work this week, just not getting the scores he was looking for... He's made some minor tweaks to his polished competition set here and there, but no major changes.

Until last night...then, it was like a demon possessed our friendly Ahmed and, in an explosion of confidence, unlimited humor and a bold who-gives-a-shit attitude, he destroyed with the comics in the back of the room. The comics couldn't believe that Ahmed was doing pedophile jokes with a fervor unknown to our impression of Ahmed, gained over the past four days... And they recognized quickly how this audience was responding to Ahmed's not giving a shit but just going up there and ripping it on whatever material he wanted to do--they were loving it.

Suddenly, any comic whose sphincter was tightening over the demands of the competition was given license to let loose the shit they've been holding back... Attitude, shock value and a little edge was put back on the menu... That helped comics like Andy Haynes, who were already there...but, perhaps, it helped no performer more than Minneapolis' Cy Amundson.

Cy, a great performer who thought he was ready for whatever this competition threw at him--he'd been honing his competition set in anticipation for doing his best in his first trip to perform in the Pacific Northwest--has, possibly, been the most frustrated contestant of this week. (...although Marvin Lee and Joe Henry might also have claim to that particular throne.) He's done good work and not received good enough scores. He had a hell of a set at Laughs in Kirkland on Night Two, but didn't make the nightly Top 5. He'd even warned me that he was on the verge on unleashing this week's legendary "snap set."

A "snap set" is when a contestant figures they've got nothing left to lose...and so, they lose it. All thoughts about what material might be the best to do go right out the window--and sometimes, the comedian does a snap set PURPOSEFULLY to make the WORST choices they think they could make...to do exactly what they know the judges don't want, what audiences won't accept.

The irony is that by exhibiting the freedom inherent in a snap set and being able to put some real emotion behind material that speaks to your mind set, rather than doing the act you've wrung out all of the quirks from...you often get good scores...which makes a comic realize "Holy shit, I could have been doing THAT...THIS ENTIRE TIME!"

We thought that maybe you could call what Ahmed did as a snap set--but it also might just have been his "bar" set. Hard for me to know, because I haven't seen him perform enough to know everything that he's got.

But Cy took the stage...and you could tell that he was fighting back snap set urges. He TRIED to do his competition stuff as best as he could...and the audience was not giving him a chance. They were talking, they weren't paying attention...and Cy could feel his last chance to really earn a score that could keep him in the hunt slipping away.

SNAP!!!!

Cy turned on the crowd. He called them a bunch of faggots who all worked at JC Penney.
He launched into a tirade, and any chance he could to sneak in a shot at the people in the audience...he took...

...and they LOVED HIM FOR IT!

Cy, thinking he had been unprofessional, thinking that he lost control...was bewildered and flabbergasted to find his name being called at the end of the night to take his first podium finish...and to hear the crowd react strongly in his favor.

Forget it, Cy...it's Bellingham.

Now...a number of comics cranked up the dirty, thinking that's what the crowd wanted...and to some degree it worked. But how do you explain the fact that in the middle of all of this craziness, Josh Gondelman--who was perhaps a little more forceful in his presentation than at recent theater-based shows, but didn't significantly alter his approach--managed to collect the audience's attention AND win great scores from the judges...enough to put him just ahead of Ahmed and just behind Cy, in sixth place for the night???

Again, forget it, Josh...it's Bellingham.


So...five nights done...one night to go for this week...

The die has been cast for some of our contestants. As I said above, there's nothing that Jose could do that could dislodge him from placing first for the week. He could go up on stage on Monday, not tell a single joke...just drop trou and unload a deuce on the stage...go over time in doing so...AND STILL, he'd take first for the week. (I'm hoping he doesn't do that, though...rather a bad thing to leave for whoever has to go up after him.)

Two others have locked their way into the semi-finals...and one more is a virtual lock.

Yet, only five comedians are mathematically eliminated from contention. That means, there are eight comedians (one of them a virtual lock) fighting for two (but really only one) slots in the semi-finals.

Currently in the fifth and final slot that moves on is Andy Haynes. Andy knows very well what it is like to have people come back from nearly being mathematically eliminated to somehow make it into the next week...because two years ago, he did JUST THAT.

In the 28th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition, Andy Haynes was in 12th place for his preliminary week going into the last night of the week at the Comedy Underground. I did the math and I saw that if Andy won the night...and if everyone ahead of him in the standings had their worst sets of the week...then Andy could do the nearly impossible and leap up from 12th to 5th for the week.

Andy won the night. Everyone ahead of him had their worst sets of the week. Andy made the semi-finals.

It can be done...and Andy knows that. And now, Andy goes to the Comedy Underground again on the last night of his preliminary week...but this time HE'S the one in 5th place, looking at comedians in 6th through 11th place who could, conceivably, take his spot away if any of them have the set of their lives and if he stumbles.

And, after last night...nobody's discounting ANYTHING or ANYONE.

We'll all know more after tonight, won't we?

pg--Wish you were here...because this is an excellent group of comics and this'll be the last time we see a few of them this year that we'd sure like to see more of...--seattle

[pg13]

...I actually wrote one HELL of a recap on the official www.seattlecomedycompetition.com website, and today is a tight schedule day (as we're starting Preliminary Week Two tonight)...so, hope you don't mind a quick cut & paste!

30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition
Preliminary Week One--Night Six
Comedy Underground--November 9, 2009
TOP 5 RESULTS

5) Josh Gondelman (Boston, MA)
4) Rodger Lizaola (Gilroy, CA)
3) Ron Funches (Portland, OR
2) Andy Haynes (New York, NY)
1) Jose Sarduy (Miami, FL)

There wasn't a lot of mystery going into the sixth and final night of Preliminary Week One of the 30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition.

Based on the consistency of their performances, it was a lock that Jose Sarduy, Matt Billon and Rodger Lizaola were moving on to the semi-finals...and it would take a miracle to dislodge Steve Monroe from advancing, himself.

There was, however, one question that needed answering. Who would join them? Who would lay claim to the 5th and final Golden Ticket to get to tour Wonka's Chocolate Factory? It was certainly up for grabs and there were a number of hands scratching and clawing at it.

Thanks to a strong showing in Bellingham, Cy Amundson from Minneapolis was one of those scrambling for it...but he drew "first position" tonight, and this was a devilishly difficult audience to warm up. It wasn't going to be Cy.

Would it be Seattle's Kevin Richards, who was quietly stock-piling decent but not showy scores? Could he repeat the "Andy Haynes 2007" miracle...and leap frog everyone else with a win on the last night of the week to make the semi-finals? Well, Kevin drew "last position" tonight, and this was an audience that got tired and a bit fragmented towards the end...and while Kevin did his normal solid job, there would be no miracle on this night. It wasn't going to be Kevin.

Would it be Seattle's Tony Daniel, who was trying to shake-off a rough night in Bellingham to build on the strong scores he'd managed earlier in the week? He would need those above him to stumble on this night like he had the previous night...and they didn't. It wasn't going to be Tony.

Would it be Vancouver's Jane Stanton--the only woman in this week, who delivered powerful and unique comedy that made the fact that she was the only woman in this week totally irrelevant? She had been in that 5th position only 30 hours earlier...it wouldn't take very much to get her back in that position at the end. But, there were a couple of people who managed very strong sets on this night--the kind of sets that change standings and separate them from all the others...and Jane wasn't one of those on this night who had that kind of set. It wasn't going to be Jane.

Who DID have "that kind of set?" Josh Gondelman from Boston for one. His almost-absurdly friendly and kind persona rang like a bell through the noise and clutter of this event all week...and he's been getting good scores without ever having made at Top 5...until tonight. Tonight, he earned the right to walk on stage and get his picture taken as someone who was tops in the minds and scores of the judges for the night. But despite a week's worth of great work, it wasn't enough to propel him into the semi-finals. It wasn't going to be Josh.

Another comedian making his first appearance in the Top 5 this week was Portland's Ron Funches. Would it be Ron? Ron has definitely been the favorite of the comics in the back of the room this entire week, but he kept getting scores that kept him just off the podium on each night and in the middle of the pack for most of the week. This night, in this club, for these industry-based judges...it all came together for Ron...and he made the Top 5...and he earned a score that might have given him his OWN "Andy Haynes 2007"-style miracle.

But, for one thing... Andy Haynes, the miracle boy from 2007 himself, was the comic who was in 5th place in this year's event when the night began...and he was the third comic who had "that kind of set" on this night. He didn't need a miracle this time...he earned his way into the semi-finals with another Top 5 finish, just when he needed it most. It would be Andy Haynes joining Steve, Matt, Rodger and Jose in the semi-finals.

Oh, yes...Jose Sarduy. He had already locked-up first place for the week going into this sixth show...he didn't have anything to prove, he didn't have to do anything to maintain his chances of moving forward. All he did do was win his fourth nightly win of the week with yet another undeniable performance. As ESPN's Stuart Scott might say, you can call Jose "butter"...as he is definitely on a roll.

So, here they are:

Top Five For Preliminary Week One
5) Andy Haynes
4) Matt Billon
3) Steve Monroe
2) Rodger Lizaola
1) Jose Sarduy


PICTURE: L-R: Rodger Lizaola (2nd), Andy Haynes (5th), Paul Myrehaug (host),Steve Monroe (3rd), Jose Sarduy (1st) and Matt Billon (4th)

...and now, we start over from scratch with sixteen other talented performers who we will be sending off on their own comedy adventures in Preliminary Week Two... That adventure begins with a single step--tonight, at the Comedy Underground for Night One of Preliminary Week Two.

pg--Preliminary Week One was a great bunch of very funny people and it was a shame to send any of them home. Week Two has a lot to live up to... --seattle

[comedypace]

Thanks for the updates!

Joel Pace
Heffron Talent International /
"The Comedy Zone" Comedy Clubs
224 Westinghouse Blvd.
Suite 605
Charlotte, NC 28273
www.heffrontalent.com
704-295-4242 Office
704-295-7572 Fax
comedypace@gmail.com

[pg13]

Hey Joel... Sorry to make you switch sites to get the updates, but between the competition and the new baby and my inability to stay out of discussions that just make my brain hurt...I felt it was the only move to make. Look around this place when you have the chance...the people here love great comedy with a passion bordering on disturbing (sometimes) and there are a few of us here who are actively doing comedy, too...which makes it a lot of fun.

Anyway, you wanted an update, so here it is...

30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition
Preliminary Week Two--Night One
Comedy Underground--November 10, 2009
TOP 5 RESULTS

5) Paul Hooper (Charlotte, NC)
4) Derick Lengwenus (Montreal, QC)
3) David Cope (New York, NY)
2) Travis Simmons (Seattle, WA)
1) Solomon Georgio (Seattle, WA)

After a fun week with the 16 comics of Preliminary Week One, we brought the other 16 comics on this year's Seattle International Comedy Competition roster together at the legendary Comedy Underground in Seattle for the start of THEIR six shows over six nights in six different venues. They have the added challenge of facing comedy industry judges--including the head of Uproar Records and Jeff Singer from the Just For Laughs comedy festival--before they've even had the chance to see what the OTHER comics in their week are about.

In most years, the difference between the comedians in Preliminary Week Two, compared to those in Preliminary Week One, is that Preliminary Week Two often has more of the out-of-town based "heavy hitters." Those comics coming in from outside the Pacific Northwest who think they might have a good chance of moving on to the semi-finals will choose Preliminary Week Two so they don't have a dead week in between their Preliminary and the Semi-Finals (as Week One comics do.)

Certainly, there are some definite heavy hitters from out-of-town this week...but the hometown comics definitely got some mad love on this night...as top honors were taken by the first ever winner of "The Stranger" Gong Show and People's Republic of Komedy member Solomon Georgio, from Seattle...second place went to "The Big Funny" Travis Simmons, from Seattle...and third place went to David Cope, another People's Republic of Komedy member, recently transplanted to New York from Seattle (and Portland before that.)

David had a whirlwind day...he missed his flight from New York, got on another flight that didn't get him to SeaTac Airport until 9pm (and the show started at 8pm.) Luckily, he drew a performance order spot late enough in the show to make the 20-30 minute drive from SeaTac to the Comedy Underground...goes up and knocks out a performance that puts him on the podium.

Also receiving solid scores, but not making tonight's Top 5...were Sean Kent (who took the bullet, going up first, and started things off strong...ending up 6th for the night), Curt Sudden, Mike Baldwin, Prescott Tolk and Mike Cummings.

One show under their belts, the 16 comics head West...in a state that doesn't have much more "West" to head than Seattle...but we've found a place in beautiful Port Townsend, an intimate venue called The Upstage that will be hosting tonight's Night Two of Preliminary Week Two.

....and the exciting thing is...at this point in time of the week, still, anything can happen!

pg--seattle

[pg13]

Very tired...long drive to and from the show tonight...so, only quick update this time...

30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition
Preliminary Week Two--Night Two
The Upstage, Port Townsend--November 11, 2009
TOP 5 RESULTS

5) Solomon Georgio (Seattle, WA)
4) Elaine Thompson (Minneapolis, MN)
3) Paul Hooper (Charlotte, NC)
2) Travis Simmons (Seattle, WA)
1) Sean Kent (Austin, TX)

We're not doing as much driving this year compared to other years--we're not going over the mountain pass at all...not even once. Tonight, we headed West...about as far West as one can go in Washington State...to Port Townsend--Washington's Victorian Seaport and Arts Community for a show at a lovely restaurant/bar called The Upstage.

With audience members looking down on the show from the second floor and sitting on the stairs, the show had its share of challenges. A wonky mic stand, a crowd that wasn't always easily corralled and a sense that people 'round those parts were a wee bit more conservative than you'd find in Seattle...those were some of the challenges.

Of course, the competition presents its OWN challenges--like the ability to go up early in the show and get good scores...or the ability to clearly make your case for getting the all-important encore point and not leave it murky enough for the host to consider not giving it to you...or what to do when the unexpected happens, like if the names are called out of order, or if there is an equipment delay, or if a tray of drinks is dropped during your set...

All of those were in force tonight in this second night of Preliminary Week Two...and yet, our intrepid group of sixteen comics managed to survive...some, to thrive.

Travis Simmons, Paul Hooper and Solomon Georgio made a second Top 5 appearance on this night...while Sean Kent, who was just out of the Top 5 on night one, managed to push his way all the way up to the top....and Elaine Thompson, who placed last on Tuesday, picked herself up, dusted herself off and managed to snag 4th spot on this night.

We made it through rain and fog to return home, catch some z's...and then do it all again in Auburn for "TV Clean" night...which is yet another challenge facing our contestants...

pg--If you're ever considering dining at the Upstage, I heartily recommend the pub steak...with an amazing sauce and yummy carrots...and hopefully you'll get Nicole as your waitress, as she did a good job taking care of me all night.--seattle

[pg13]

Yes, we know that there really can't be seven people in a top five...that there can't be a tie for both 4th and 3rd. (I'm talking to YOU, Embiggen...quit being so Embittered!) This makes people feel good about themselves and it keeps the anticipation level high throughout the announcements of the Top 5...or Top 7...or, what was it in Longview last year, Embiggen...nine???)

30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition
Preliminary Week Two--Night Three (TV Clean)
Auburn Avenue Theater, Auburn--November 12, 2009
TOP 5 RESULTS

5) Paul Hooper (Charlotte, NC)
TIE 4) David Cope (New York, NY)
TIE 4) Sean Kent (Austin, TX)
TIE 3) Derick Lengwenus (Montreal, QC)
TIE 3) Prescott Tolk (Chicago, IL)
2) Travis Simmons (Seattle, WA)
1) Mike Baldwin (Kansas City, MO)

The competition makes a return visit to the wonderful staff and cool performance space at the Auburn Avenue Theater in Auburn, Washington. Compared to last week, where we had torrential rains, accidents, and major police activity police activity that made even GETTING there an adventure...this was a pleasant little drive to a place where at least the production staff knew what to expect...

Of course, the contestants in this week had not been here the previous week, so they didn't know what to expect. And, of course, the contestants in this week had not had to try to massage their acts into something that would be suitable for a show being run under "TV Clean" restrictions... And, of course, compared to last week's eager-to-please crew (none of whom were penalized for having violated TV Clean restrictions), THIS week's crew features a few more stubborn, dare I say belligerent types, who chafe at even the hint of being held back from their pure expression of their artistic freedom.

It really wasn't THAT bad...but it was interesting to see the choices that were made... Some chose to do different material--I think Elaine Thompson, from Minneapolis, had one of the best TV Clean sets...when compared to her non-TV clean set...not that it was funnier than what she normally does, she just an entirely different set of equally funny things to offer. That impressed me--but the judges, who haven't seen her before, didn't have the option of comparing what she did on this night to what she'd done on other nights...they compared what she did to what others did...and it didn't get Elaine into the Top 5 on this night.

And, as I had for the first week's TV Clean show, I took note of those performers who came close to what I imagine the TV Clean line to be...and of those who crossed it. I thought there were a few who came close to the line...one who slipped up with only one word... Two of tonight's three judges didn't think anyone had crossed the line. One thought a few had...and not always the ones that I thought. So, all in all, the TV Clean rules were handled the same way that TV Clean tends to work in the real world--it's all a matter of interpretation, and something that's ok for one standard setter may not be ok for another...making it a minefield that every comic who chooses to walk through it will have to walk knowing that even thought they think they know where the mines are, they might explode one they couldn't have guessed was there.

Luckily, I don't think the penalties given to anyone for TV Clean violations impacted the final results... This is simply an excellent week of top quality performers and they're all deserving of Top 5 honors on any given night.

However, on this night...one person earned some separation with a top score that was significantly higher than anyone else behind him...and it is someone who earned himself some validation after a bitter pill that he had to swallow the previous night, where he didn't get an encore point that he felt he'd earned...and that person is Mike Baldwin.

Mike's style could remind some here a little bit like Seth Galifianakis (yes, SETH), as far as Mike's voice and cadence...but married to quirky and well crafted material. He struggled a bit in a room that wasn't paying him his full attention...but here in Auburn, where everyone was listening very closely and really giving each comedian their full chance to perform at their best, Mike shined brightly.

Meanwhile, Travis Simmons keeps scoring Top 5 appearances. Sean Kent, David Cope, Paul Hooper and Derick Lengwenus are repeat members of the Podium Club... And we're happy that Prescott Tolk earned his first time back to the stage at the end of the night--as he's been doing good work with scores that have kept him just out of the Top 5.

Half the shows are done...and it is STILL anyone's week to win. The next three shows will definitely be a challenge--two of them are in venues that the competition has never been before, and who knows what the audiences there will be like--or if there'll be an audience for our contestants at all...and the final night of the week is the rowdy rock bar in Bellingham that crushed a number of dreams for contestants in the previous week (and from previous years!)

Tonight, the competition returns to Seattle for a show on Capitol Hill--at the Broadway Performance Hall. Saturday, the competition heads to Longview--and to all of the AST Peeps in Portland, I'd encourage you to make the trip to Longview, buy some tickets and support former Portland-er David Cope...and these other great comedians...as I understand that ticket sales for the Longview show are slow...and no one wants to do a theater show for a minimal audience...it sucks all the fun out of it...

And this is such a great bunch of comics! They deserve a great audience...and audiences deserve a show this good!

Come cheer on Seattle's Nicole Lucas and Mike Cummings or Australia's Nick Sun or Spokane's Meghan Flaherty or Idaho's Curt Sudden or Canada's AJ McKenzie and Toby Hargrave! You haven't read their names in these reports, but they're doing excellent work and are definitely still in the hunt for joining the five from Preliminary Week One in next week's semi-finals!

pg--I'm not a shill, I'm a huckster.--seattle

[pg13]

One of the selling points for going to see a comedy show...as opposed to, say, going to the movies...is that at a comedy show--nobody knows what's going to happen. Sure, comedians have an "act"...but it comes out differently every night... And things happen...unexpected avenues are explored based on random things that no one could have predicted and probably can't ever be duplicated. Every comedy show is a unique and wonderful snowflake...lost to the world the moment it lands...

Our show, tonight, was DEFINITELY one of those nights. Wish you would have been here.

30th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition
Preliminary Week Two--Night Four
Broadway Performance Hall, Seattle--November 13, 2009
TOP 5 RESULTS

5) Toby Hargrave (Vancouver, BC)
4) Derick Lengwenus (Montreal, QC)
3) Sean Kent (Austin, TX)
2) Solomon Georgio (Seattle, WA)
1) Travis Simmons (Seattle, WA)

The Broadway Performance Hall, connected with Seattle Community College on Capitol Hill in Seattle, is a gorgeous 295 seat theater in one of the hippest neighborhoods of Seattle. Getting the hipsters to come to a comedy show there on a Friday night proved to be a little more difficult than expected however...so, contestants in this year's event were encouraged to take advantage of more liberal guest list policies to help generate a pretty decent sized crowd of comedy loving audience members.

What they saw tonight, they'll probably be talking about for quite some time.

For one thing, they saw sixteen comedians...each with their own style and approach to comedy...and each hitting on all cylinders and really bringing the funny with them. This is a damn good show...and the audience did appreciate everyone who took the stage on this night.

And, with scores as close as they are, almost every comedian was trying their best to impress both this audience and the judges in whose hands (and scores written by those hands) their chances in the competition rest.

Almost every comedian.

One comedian had a far different agenda in mind on this night. One comedian couldn't give a damn about the scores, about the judges, about the competition...about anything other than doing HIS comedy, HIS way...given this opportunity.

And thus, the legend of Nick Sun was born...and it will be a tale that will be told for years to come, when stories are shared about what memorable things have happened in the Seattle International Comedy Competition.

Nick, who came all the way from Sydney Australia to compete in this event,...who is in the running, in the middle of the pack, having not yet made an appearance in the Top 5 for any night...but definitely with decent scores (save for the night that he went up first, but that could certainly be his drop score...and everyone struggles going up first) that have him in contention for possibly moving on to the semi-finals...has NEVER shown any sign of neediness...NEVER shown any sign of worrying about how he might best please the judges...or how he cares about how audiences react to him or what he does...

Nick Sun just goes on stage and says what's on his twisted mind...and what is on his mind is often unexpected, unfiltered and usually REALLY funny. Not every judge thinks so, but that doesn't matter to Nick.

Tonight, in the Broadway Performance Hall, Nick went up right before the half-time intermission...with a crowd that was a little tight, a little too polite, a little too sober for true comedy abandon--but they were positive and enthusiastic about what the contestants were offering them. Nick didn't pander to their sensitivities, he didn't shy away from finding humor in where some audience members might be uncomfortable...he just dove in.

And it was working. Had he closed his set at about the 6:30 mark, he'd have gotten another night of decent scores...but, he saw the flashing courtesy light and mistakenly thought that he'd already gone "over time"--which incurs a minor time penalty.

Nick then unleashed his true feelings about comedy competitions, about how they can suck the enjoyment of comedy out of someone participating in one, how he really didn't care how he did with the judges because he'd already booked some gigs for what would be the semi-finals week anyway...AND IT WAS HILARIOUS. The crowd ate this up...because it was a balloon, filled with tension, that needed popping.

And pop it he did. Had he closed his set after doing this, about the 7:35 mark...twenty five seconds before the major time penalty kicked in...he'd probably get top marks...and with the minor time penalty, he'd probably still hang on to a Top 5 position...but, instead...Nick chose to make the night memorable.

He announced that he wasn't going to stop. He didn't care about the scores, didn't care about the timing light or the penalties he was incurring... He wanted to "work some shit out"...and proceeded to KEEP GOING.

Some of what he did, as he kept going, was funny, some of it wasn't quite worked out yet and wasn't working for the audience...but the simple fact that he had basically taken the whole competition hostage was what made the night memorable. Given the chance to do a 5 minute set, he ended up doing just under 12 minutes.

Granted, had there been another contestant waiting to go follow him, this might have been terribly unprofessional and unfair...but Nick was just delaying an intermission, he wasn't hurting anyone...and he was definitely entertaining this audience...AND the judges.

But, going THAT long...he ends up not receiving ANY score for his efforts tonight.

...not that Nick gave a damn about his scores, anyway.

Now, there were others that had great sets and got good scores. This was probably the best set of the competition turned in by Seattle's own Nicole Lucas...and many thought she'd be on the podium on this night, but her scores didn't put her up there. Same with David Cope, who definitely had a strong set...only a couple of blocks away from where he'd been a recurring performer at Seattle's "Laff*Hole" alt-comedy showcase for years, before he moved to New York...but David, too, fell short of making the Top 5.

Instead, Canadian Toby Hargrave introduced himself to a podium position...making his first Nightly Top 5 after hovering close to the Top 5 all week. (And, after counting up the judges' scores, that's an honor he would NOT have received had Nick Sun not gone long...as Nick's scores WERE strong enough to put him into the Top 5 for the night...but, obviously, getting a 0.00 means taking last place for the night.)

Those joining Toby have become familiar with the Top 5--Derick, Sean, Solomon (who, along with Nicole and Nick, probably got the biggest "encore point" cheer of the night...) and Travis, have all made previous Top 5's.

Travis, in particular, had placed second every night this week...until tonight, when he finally gets the honor of being the winner of the night.

Two shows remain for this group of comics. Saturday night at the Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington...where there are rumors of slow ticket sales, which means performing in a huge theater to a small crowd...which could make things VERY interesting, as it's hard to judge a comedy show without a "critical mass" of audience members...and then Sunday night at The Fairhaven in Bellingham, the rowdy rock bar that crushes competition dreams every night.

When this song ends and the mad musical chairs scramble begins for the chance to move on from this week to the semi-finals...it will be vicious and no one can possibly know who will grab a seat and who will fall on the floor.

One thing's for sure though...it'll be hard to top THIS show on THIS night for leaving a lingering impression on an audience...or for making a statement by a performer...or by earning your reputation, thousands of miles from home.

And, now, it's been done...so, trying this trick in the future will be a waste of everyone's time. The snowflake has melted, it's moment has gone...

...and you should have been there to see it happen right in front of you.

pg--Nick Sun is a very funny comedian. If you get the chance, go see him perform...you might like him and what he does. (I know that I do.) Just don't expect him to care about whether or not you do.--seattle

[SnarlaT]

"One of the selling points for going to see a comedy show...as opposed to, say, going to the movies...is that at a comedy show--nobody knows what's going to happen. Sure, comedians have an "act"...but it comes out differently every night... And things happen...unexpected avenues are explored based on random things that no one could have predicted and probably can't ever be duplicated. Every comedy show is a unique and wonderful snowflake...lost to the world the moment it lands..."

Peter, LOVE this description so much that I'm going to save it. I've tried to articulate this exact thing to people but have fallen short.