Round one results

The results are in, and Marylee, Kevin and I are advancing to the semifinals.

It was a terrific crowd at the Bean, which was jammed. If you're coming to one of these sessions, be sure to reserve your table well in advance... and come a little early if you care about where you sit.

Two observations:

1. Jeffrey Yu, who headlined, is jaw-droppingly funny. If you haven't caught his act, put it on your must-do list.
   
2. The toilet paper holder in the Laughing Bean's bathroom is a carved wooden figure. Am I the only one who thinks he bears a more than passing resemblance to a scowling Paul Martin?

And once again, if you're taking part in the contest and want to be able to post to this blog, just leave a comment or drop me an e-mail at rob at robcottingham dot ca.

Round 1: This Friday at the Laughing Bean...

David has the schedule for the competition up on his site. Here's the lineup for this Friday night, July 8th, at the Bean:

Greg Savoie, Rob Cottingham, Kevin Amos, Paul Decarey, Marylee Stephenson, Jennifer Steel, Carol MacDonald.
Headliner: Jeff Yu, winner of the 1st Annual Search for the Funniest Comic with a Day Job Contest.

By the way, I'm happy to link to any and all contestants and headliners, so if you have a site, let me know - rob at robcottingham dot ca.

And as I mentioned in the comments on the previous post, if you're competing and want to add your own entries to this blog, let me know and I'll add you to the roster. (The usual rules your mom taught you apply: no flames unless they're really damn funny and called for, nothing libellous, blah blah blah mutual respect and privacy of all concerned.)

How to find Vancouver's funniest comic with a day job

1. Set a date. Or a series of dates. Say, July 8, 15, and 22, and August 5 and 12, for the first round; August 19 and 26 for the semi-finals, and September 2 for the Grand Finale.
2. Pick a venue. Say, for the sake of argument, the Laughing Bean Coffee Co., 2695 E. Hastings, two blocks west of Renfrew.
3. Call up rent-a-judge and order two from their People Involved in the Comedy Biz catalogue. Tell them that criteria for judging include audience response, writing, originality of material and delivery.
4. Offer prizes. Great prizes! Like, for first prize, $200 and a headline spot at the Bean, make second prize $100, and make third prize $50 and a Laughing Bean gift certificate.
   
5. Charge a reasonable entry fee - 15 bucks is about right. It'll cover the cost of prizes, incidentals and the organizer's time. Have contestants bring it with them the night they perform. Remind them that exact change is good for their karma.
6. Tell anyone who wants to enter to e-mail the contest organizer, David Granirer.
7. Tell anyone who wants to come that they're more than welcome. Ask for the most modest of cover charges - maybe five bucks a head - and suggest they reserve in advance by calling 604-251-5282. Let them know things start at 8 p.m.
8. Make sure everyone knows to check back at this blog for updates.