2010 Tweetrospective

I noticed another comedian or two ending the year by putting a selection of their tweets from 2010 in their blogs.  While this at first seemed redundant, I recently read some disturbing statistics on how few of one's tweets actually get seen.  Since there's a good chance that someone reading a copy-n-pasted tweet of mine here is reading it for the first time, I figured I might as well get in on this.

So here's a (wide) selection of my tweeting from the past year.  If you don't speak Twitter and therefore don't know what hashtags or trending topics are, some of it may confuse you, but I think you'll muddle through okay.  And if you feel, after reading all this, you (for some reason) want to read even MORE stuff I write, feel free to use the link at the right to click your way to my Twitter page and follow me.

Let the nostalgic tweetfest begin.  And in case I don't get to say it before the big ball drops, Happy New Year everybody, and thanks for a fantastic and fun year.

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Fact of the day : If you say the words 'beer can' in a British accent, it sounds like you're saying 'bacon' in a Jamaican accent.

Is it Kardashians or Cardassians? Which are the Star Trek aliens and which are the whores again?

"And bay-bay...talk dirty to AAAAGGHHHH!!" That was my impression of Bret Michaels' brain hemorrhage.


I can't decide whether to watch "Nine", "9", or "The Nines" tonight. Solution: Watching Blake Edwards' "10".

If my toilet was the stone and my plunger was Excalibur, tonight I would have become king.

If you ever meet Eddie Vedder? Don't call him "daughter". He just doesn't like that.

I just had Lasagna and German Chocolate cake. If I'd have had sushi, too, I'd have had the whole Axis.

10 years ago today the final Peanuts strip was published. Knowing the internet, I'm sure the characters live on in erotic fan fiction.

Winter Olympic sport I want to see introduced: Urinary Penmanship. Obviously the men would have an advantage in this event...

Had to get a pulmonary function test done at UCD Med Center today. So I spent the afternoon doing what all comics avoid: sucking and blowing

The problem I have with these rest stops on I-5 is that there's no charge for the gay sex. It's a free exchange. That smacks of socialism.

I have string cheese, microwave rice and frozen dinners. I live like my mom went out of town and left me food I couldn't screw up.

Michael Jackson totally molested children! Am I right? (This is what comedian writer's block looks like).

Where have all the flowers gone? Seriously...where the $#@% are they? What are they planning? I've seen "The Happening", dammit!

For the record? I'm an Ultimate Lover, not an Ultimate Fighter.

I'm smoking a cigar that my grandmother bought me in Mexico. I'm hoping if I'm really good she'll bring back some black tar heroin next time.

Have you ever wanted to slap a song in the mouth and revel in its look of shock and betrayal?

King Kong...ain't got NUTHIN on me! So since you lack any clear evidence, I think I'm done answering your questions, Detective Kong.

Dear internet: if you pluralize one more word by use of an apostrophe, I swear they'll find your body in the #$%$ desert. Thank you.

This is so weird. I just saw a movie where Michael Cera wears a hoodie.

I wish one of my junior high friends was here to see what I was watching and say, "Pssh! More like 'Nick & Nora's Infinite GAYlist'!"

Whenever I see the clock hit 12:34, I always feel like yelling out "1, 2, 3, *4*!" and jamming out a power chord.

Netflix says if I like "The Road", then I'll also like "Cider House Rules". Were there cannibals in "Cider House Rules"?

This one time? At MDA camp?

I'm watching a DVD on how to inject myself with this medication. It's like a Video Professor course for junkies.

I like it when basketball commentators talk about "dribble penetration". Because I'm twelve.

Awesome iPod moment: music on shuffle, My Chemical Romance's "I'm Not Okay" followed directly by Styx's "I'm Okay". I heart life.

Pet peeve: drinking games created by people who understand neither drinking games nor drinking.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...blah blah blah blah blah blah ST. EL-MOS FI-EE-YUH...

Crowd chants at prison b-ball games: "Here we go, car thieves, here we go (clap clap)!" "Here we go, rapists, here we go (clap clap)!"

”All humanity is passion; without passion, religion, history, novels, art would be ineffectual.” Honoré de Balzac. (snicker...."Balzac"...)

In socialist countries, is it called an "ourPhone"?

Why comedy is better than my old job: in comedy, my job is to say all the things that would have gotten me sent to HR in my old job.

"If it feels nice, don't think twice" - James Taylor (helping the spread of venereal disease for over 40 years)

Do vuvulezas make you horny, baby? Do they?

There are key similarities between Conan's prayer to Crom in "Conan" and Cerrano's prayer to Jobu in "Major League".

Wow! There's a new Goo Goo Dolls song out?! I could SO not give a $#@%!

Facebook just recommended that if I like "Twin Peaks", I might also like "Twin Peaks". (?). That's a statement worthy of Lynch.

Did anyone hear that? It sounded like the wind whispered "Mary". That was weird.

I'm shaving. That announcement was for all the Twitter/Facebook haters out there who ask "Why would I care to know if someone's shaving?!"

I hope you have a big trunk, 'cause I'm puttin' my wheelchair in it.

Yo momma so wonderful, you should buy her roses and a gift card for a day spa. #yomommajokefail

Yo momma in such good shape, she don't look a day over thirty-five. #yomommajokefail

In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. In the United Kingdom, the one-armed man drums for Def Leppard.

I've decided the Encore Action Channel is the male equivalent of the Lifetime Movie Network.

I've decided the new censor replacement for "sh*t" will be "A SyFy Original Movie". E.G.: "Holy [A Syfy Original Movie], I won!"

I just saw Michael Madsen punch James Woods in a Dolly Parton movie. You're KILLING me, Encore Networks...

"American Me" is the "Gone with the Wind" of prison rape films.

Do people in Kentucky snicker every time they see their state's abbreviation? They must just be in a good mood all day long.

Dwight Schrute is my ambassador of kwan.

I'm beginning to suspect that all of Madonna's songs are about intercourse.

I need to add Tyler Perry's "I Wonder When Satan's Coming to Collect that Soul From Me?" to my Netflix queue.

Ran into the same possum outside overnight. If he returns again tomorrow night, I will name him Two Socks.

Just playing the double rainbow video and had to turn down the volume, because it sounds like I'm watching porn.

I don't think "Radio" was acting. Based on his career choices, I'm starting to think Cuba Gooding Jr. is actually retarded.

Netflix streaming now on iPhone. I'll miss you, bathroom reading...

"The Situation" and Bristol Palin both on Dancing with the Stars? Suck it, America haters. This country is AWEsome!

I just brushed my teeth with sunglasses on. Don't think I've ever done that before. I shall write of this in my diary.

"Smurfette? *I* smurfed her! Ohhhh!" -- Andrew Dice Smurf

"Transformer blew? He needed the money....OHHHHhhhhh!" - Optimus Dice Clay

Know how I know you're straight? You like Nickelback. #KnowHowIKnowYoureStraight

Know how I know you're straight? Your jean shorts go down to your knees. To your knees!! #KnowHowIKnowYoureStraight

Know how I know you're straight? Two words: Golf Channel. #KnowHowIKnowYoureStraight

I just ate ice cream sitting in front of a laundromat. Don't think I've done that since I was about 8 years old. #PoorMansTimeTravel

Ever notice Jackson Browne starts playing whenever Jennifer Jason Leigh has sex?

THIS JUST IN: yo mama's so skinny, Bobby Brown slapped her and then said "Oh, sh**, I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else."

I've just thought up a super-villain. He's half pig, half tree, all evil! Can our heroes face the terror of...Porky Pine?!

Good Oprah final season opener: "We're all going to Australia!". Great final season closer?: "We're all going to Hell!" - blows up studio.

One's a tribe of Israel. One's a folk singer. Together - they solve crimes! #SimeonAndGarfunkle

Left a ridiculously big tip for a haircut tonight because I showed up 5 minutes before they closed. I consider that "paying the douche tax".

"Will you repost this? 95% of people won't". Um...you ever consider if 95% won't, maybe they know something you don't?

I've decided that #@$%ing you like a vegetable or a mineral would be more likely to improve my bond w/my creator. #rockretractions

Just call my name. And I'll be somewhere else. #rockretractions

Stacy's mom is old. Ew. #rockretractions

Did you ever know that you're in no way a role model for me? #rockretractions

Now that I think about it, maybe it was the summer of '68. #rockretractions

Girls just prefer to do bland, uninteresting things that they don't find enjoyable. #rockretractions

I was not working as a waitress in a cocktail bar. That much is false. #rockretractions

Billy Jean? Okay, yeah. I actually did hit that. #rockretractions

The time has not yet come, Sister Christian. Please continue holding. Thank you. #rockretractions

After reconsidering, I've decided that rock and rolling all night and partying every day isn't my cup of tea. #rockretractions

You don't have what I need. And you've made it clear that your relationship with him is more than platonic. #rockretractions

Neither your mother nor your father are all right. And neither seems weird at all, actually. #rockretractions

You're not a rich girl. I had no idea your old man had fallen on such hard times. #rockretractions

Contrary to previous claims, I was actually born outside the borders of the United States. #rockretractions

I was mistaken, based on a typo. "Geese" is actually the word. #rockretractions

"Dude, it's not 'Pizza and Understanding'. It's 'Peace, Love and Understanding'. You thought the song was about pizza?" #DialogueIJustMadeUp

I get knocked down. But I get up again. Then I sue the guy who knocked me down, settle out of court, and retire to Fiji.

Now witness the power of this fully armed and operational adult contemporary station!

Do redneck androids dream of sexy electric sheep?

"Greed, for lack of a better word, leads to shitty ill-advised sequels."

I just watched six Vietnamese guys climb out of one BMW. So that's what the circus looks like in Saigon...

Hey, want to hear my impression of me eating at a Vietnamese restaurant? "Viet nom nom nom..." Thank you, Internet, good night!

I smell sex and candy here. #MarcyPlaygroundSongsAboutMichaelJacksonsBedroom #ImSoSorry

I'm off to shave. You can watch live on my web cam for just $1.99 per minute. Platinum members will have stubble mailed to them.

Know when to walk away. Know when to run. If there's no time for either, learn how to fake a seizure. That usually clears the room.

From a neuro-linguistic view, 4g phones are an easier sell than 3g phones because "4g" sounds like "orgy".

Sweet, it's a Cops "Grand Theft Auto" episode! That's almost as good as Shark Week!

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. But they don't outweigh yo momma. 'Cause yo momma so fat.

I'm envious of guys named Scott, so I'm founding my own country and naming it Mikeland.

Things TV has taught me: 1) All handicapped people work as computer hackers, 2) all gay people work at galleries.

"The cow says, 'AAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!'". #SeeNSayPetaEdition

When captured by police, Randy Quaid tried to deny his identity by doing a Schwarzenegger voice & saying "My name is not Quaid!"

The Sting In My Pants #moviesinmypants

The Longest Yard In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Raise the Titanic In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Batman Begins In My Pants #moviesinmypants

The Battle of the Bulge In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Clear and Present Danger In My Pants #moviesinmypants

The Firm In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Glory In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Not Without My Daughter In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Gross Anatomy In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Hot Fuzz In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Lethal Weapon In My Pants #moviesinmypants

The Long Kiss Goodnight In My Pants #moviesinmypants

A Mighty Wind In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Outbreak In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Scent of a Woman In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Looking for Mr. Goodbar In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Searching for Bobby Fischer In My Pants #moviesinmypants

That Thing You Do In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Biggs: "Luke, at that speed you're not going to be able to pull out in time." Luke: "That's what SHE said..."

This evening I ate a Lunchables, drank chocolate milk, then took a nap. I'm back in kindergarten.

"The joker is the only foo' who'll do anything for you!" -- Mr. T singing Juice Newton at a karaoke bar.

"Oh, Vladimir Putin THIS somewhere tonight, baby..." #RussianFederationBedroomTalk

3 things better with the volume muted: CMT, Telemundo, the Star Wars prequels.

Best I can figure, George Lucas was molested somewhere between Empire and Jedi. Everything since 1980 has been a cry for help.

70s humor: "Fill it to the rim." "With Brim?" "AAAAAHHHH ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!"

I'm writing a new romantic comedy called "Sleepless 'N Cialis". Maybe "romantic" is the wrong word...

I just killed a mosquito by swatting it with the book "I Killed". #ironykicksass

Kid at the DMV mimed a gun & pretended to shoot out my tires. So I mimed a guy flipping off a kid at the DMV.

Drinking a Guinness and eating cookies. This is what snacktime is like for schoolchildren in Ireland, btw.

#rememberwhen you made that inevitable life transition from Tonka trucks to jerking off?

If you can read this, thank a teacher. iff u cn reed this thanck teh enturnett.

When I think about you, I sext myself...

There's a homeless guy wandering through my complex with a full garbage bag slung over his shoulder. I've named him Recession Santa.

I am Sarah McLachlan of the Clan McLachlan. I was born in 1518 in the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel. And I am immortal.

"You down with AT&T? (Yeah you know me!)". #bandsellouts

"Light Beer right now. There is no other beer I want to drink". #bandsellouts

Passing Arco Arena on the way to the airport. It's so empty and quiet. It's like a Kings game is going on.

Just passed a sign for McGeorge law school, wondering if Spanish-speaking law students call it McJorge.

The two old ladies I rode with in the shuttle spent the whole drive talking about casinos. Slots are the new grandkids.

On a Super Shuttle headed home. Does this mean if we see any crime going down on the way we have to stop and fight it? #SaveUsSuperShuttle

The Boy in the Stryper Pajamas #FailedRockBandMovies

Hannah and her Twisted Sisters #FailedRockBandMovies

The Bridges of Megadeth County #FailedRockBandMovies

Faster Pussycat and the Furious #FailedRockBandMovies

Mr. Dio Goes to Washington #FailedRockBandMovies

The Bad English Patient #FailedRockBandMovies

Up in the Aerosmith #FailedRockBandMovies

Night of the Living Ranger #FailedRockBandMovies

Grateful Dead Man Walking #FailedRockBandMovies

Dokken Hollywood #FailedRockBandMovies

The Whitesnake Stuff #FailedRockBandMovies

The Who's Life Is It (Anyway?) #FailedRockBandMovies

Children of a Lesser Godsmack #FailedRockBandMovies

Saving Private Rihanna #FailedRockBandMovies

Cinderella #FailedRockBandMovies

I just got three stars on every level of Angry Birds! I'm like a f***ing Korean kid on this bitch! Woo!

Do teenage elves go to Rivendell High? #ElrondsPalJughead

"I will tumble for you. I will tumble for you. I will tumble for you, I will tumble for you." #MrDataKaraoke

The "Comedians with Disabilities Act" Sells Out Sacramento Debut!

The debut of the "Comedians with Disabilities Act" at the Sacramento Comedy Spot played to a sold-out, standing-room-only audience on Friday, November 26th, and was an undisputed hit.

When we first booked the date, we had some concerns about drawing a crowd.  That Friday was, after all, the day after Thanksgiving, so we figured a lot of people would be out of town or occupied with all their guests.  To make matters worse, that was also Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, and countless thousands would be getting up before dawn to go line up outside stores all day in search of holiday bargains.  The odds were against us.

We kicked the odds' asses.

The media we managed to get - during a holiday week, no less - was a big factor.  First we pulled the radio interview with the three of us on Tuesday on Capital Public Radio's "Insight" show with Jeffrey Callison.  Then, the day of the show, we had the double TV/print whammy.  This was all Eric Mee.  First, the article on Eric Mee in the Sacramento Bee came out in the weekend "Ticket" magazine insert, both detailing his story and talking about that night's upcoming show.  Then Eric appeared on Good Day Sacramento on Channel 31 to push the show with morning TV viewers.  You never know how much of a difference this kind of stuff is going to make.  In our case, though, it was a big one.

We arrived at the Sacramento Comedy Spot just thinking we'd be happy if we could manage a half-full house.  Then we watched as more and more people started flooding in.  And these were not people I knew.  For all the Thanksgiving/shopping reasons mentioned above, most of my people were unable to attend.  Seven folks in my circle were able to make the scene.  The rest were all strangers to me, which is such a treat in comedy I can't tell you.  That's the vast majority of the house never having heard any of my material before.  That's comedian gold, folks.  Much of the draw was to see Eric after so much focus on his story, and I was extra pleased to see several canes and sight dogs with audience members entering the place.  Word had gotten out - Eric's people were, for a chance, getting some long overdue representation in comedy circles.

Quickly, we realized we had a sellout.  More chairs were brought out from the back to seat more people.  Those filled.  The last few people (including a relative of mine) who showed up bought their tickets and had to stand in the back of the room and watch the show.  And not a one of them complained.

Our producer, Keith Lowell Jensen, was the host for the show and got the crowd warmed up.  Then Steve Danner hit the stage and lit the place up.  As I said elsewhere, this whole thing really started because of my seeing Steve on stage for the first time a few months ago, and being blown away by his comedic talent.  He was true to form.  Steve slayed the crowd with his tales and observations, and being the kinetic performer that he is, never stopped moving for more than a couple of seconds during his whole set.  He was all over the stage, and the crowd loved him.

And then came Eric Mee.  Eric is the youngest of the three of us, at twenty-one, and is a cyclone of energy.  His natural and ever flowing comedic senses combined with brilliant physical comedy and blaring outbursts blew the place up.  The crowd adored him, and he worked them like a maestro.  Eric Mee's talent is raw, infectious and addictive, and it was a pleasure to see him work - since this was, it turns out, my first time to actually see him on stage.  Keith took my word on Steve's abilities since he'd never seen him live, and I did the same with Keith's glowing review of Eric.  We both ended up looking really, really smart.

I headlined the show, being the wily veteran of the group (I've been doing comedy a whole two months longer than Steve), and I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to have a warm-up like Steve and Eric.  Not just because of what great comedians they are (though that's a big part of it), but because one of the things I normally have to deal with in my comedy is getting the audience over their initial discomfort of the disability situation.  Some audiences never quite get over it, resulting in the occasional tepid set for me, and the frustration of knowing that the same material that killed two nights before didn't fly as well for this reason that's out of my control.  It didn't even occur to me until I hit the stage that night that that issue was moot.  They were ready for me, and for once, I could just kick back and do my thing without having to win them over first.  It was liberating.  I had a fantastic time with my set, made more fun by being able to slide in jokes about Steve and Eric, something we all ended up doing in our material without discussing it beforehand.  The crowd loved this, too.

So our inaugural show - our test run for this concept - turned out to be a smash.  We couldn't have asked for a better night.  We now know that people are ready and quite willing to laugh at the off-beat rantings of a little person, a blind kid and a wheelchair guy.  Our "laugh with us" instead of "laugh at us" concept seems like a winner, so it looks like the "Comedians with Disabilities Act" is here to stay.  We're already in talks for future bookings (announcement on one of those coming very soon), and have high hopes of turning our show into a tour.

So watch here for more details on the CDA, and make plans to catch our act yourself!  You may have seen comedy shows before, but I guarantee you, you haven't seen it done OUR way.  We'll see you there.

The "Comedians with Disabilties Act" this Friday at Sacramento Comedy Spot!

I think it was around March of this year when I went to check out the monthly open mic at Laughs Unlimited in Old Sac.  I hadn't realized you need to bring audience members to get stage time . I was still pretty new to comedy and didn't know the local ropes yet.  So I wouldn't be getting on stage there that night (good news is that now, months later, there's a cartoon of me, autographed by me, framed behind the bar at Laughs, so I did eventually make my mark there), but I wanted to check out the HUGE pile of comics that were fighting for mic time that night (I counted 24).  Some of them I knew from other open mics or from comedy shows I'd seen around town.  Others I was seeing for the first time.

Steve Danner was one of the latter.  Steve, a little person comedian, completely blew me away with his performance.  Great stage presence, crack comedy timing, fantastic writing.  I liked his work even more because he was doing a lot of what I was doing - talking about the thing that made me obviously different - and he was doing it so well, telling the truth from his experiences, not pandering or going for the obvious joke, and owning the crowd.  When you're a comic and you see another comic you really dig, the first thing you think is "Man, I totally have to work with that guy/gal".  That was my thought with Steve.  That was just because of his comedy skill.  But after that, it occurred to me that it'd be a really cool pairing if he and I did a show together due to both of us being "different" comedians.  I thought, further, that a show with a trio of us "special" people would be awesome and unique.  A title for the show even popped into my head - "The Special Needs Comedy Tour" - but I didn't go much further with it.  I didn't know of any other challenged local comics, save for a couple of NorCal wheelchair guys (neither of which I'd seen perform at the time), and I felt such a show should only have one wheelchair guy in it anyway.  I remember thinking at the time, "If only there was a blind comedian we could use...".

Cut to early fall.  I got a text from Keith Lowell Jensen.  He was at a comedy show, and had to let me know about this fantastic young comedian he'd just seen.  This comedian - Eric Mee - was blind.  And due to that, Keith got the idea that he wanted to put a show together with the two of us.

Oh, destiny.  How tasty you are.

I told Keith about Steve, and the rest fell into place, with Keith putting the show together and booking it for the Sacramento Comedy Spot.  My first time meeting Eric - a college student who lost his eyesight two and a half years ago when he was stabbed down by the river - was a couple of weeks ago when we all met at the Spot for our photo shoot with photographer Cynthia E. Jones.  I understood immediately why Keith liked him.  And his comedy skills were apparent just from chatting with him for a while.

So this Friday is the debut of the Comedians with Disabilities Act (my new title for the show that I liked better), and we're doing it at one of my favorite venues in town.  The media blitz is in full swing, even though we're competing with Thanksgiving.  The three of us did a radio interview together this morning on Capital Public Radio on their show "Insight", hosted by Jeffrey Callison.  You can listen to that show here:

Comedians with Disabilities Act on "Insight"

We close out the show, so our bit starts right at 39:00.  This Friday, the day of the show, is the double TV/print whammy.  First, Steve and Eric will be appearing to promote the show on Channel 31's Good Day Sacramento show (I won't be appearing because I just appeared on that show recently, and there's a rule about that), and the Sacramento Bee will be publishing a story on Eric that also plugs our CDA show.  We're hoping that the saturation brings in some Black Friday shoppers who are tired of fighting the malls and would like a little comedy to brighten up their day.

And we would love to see YOU there!  This should be a fantastic night of comedy, made more special (but the normal kind of "special") by the hosting of Keith Lowell Jensen.  The show info is as follows:

Earth's Best Comedy Show Presents:

The Comedians with Disabilities Act

8:00 PM

Sacramento Comedy Spot

1050 20th St.

Sacramento, CA 95811

916 444 3137

Tickets are $12.00 for the show, and you can use the link to buy your tickets in advance if you prefer.

Be sure to check the Bee on Friday, watch Good Day Sacramento, and come on down to 20th Street (between J and K) to see the show live!  WARNING:  all the good parking spots will be taken up by the performers.  HAH ha.

Meet the Press

I always meant to post up the scans of my Sacramento Bee article from back in April.  Never did.  I just remembered.  So here they are.  Click each for the bigger image.  Ah, the memories.

Keith Lowell Jensen and Michael O'Connell Storm Pacific Northwest 11/17 - 11/21!

The Pacific Northwest jokefest of Sac's own Keith Lowell Jensen and Michael O'Connell is coming!  Oh, they THINK they know what annoying displaced Californians are like up there, huh?  WAIT and see...

This little mini-tour is composed of two shows and two cities (unless other stuff pops up while we're there, as "stuff" is wont to do).  First, we're on a plane on Wednesday, November 17th, and will be doing the first show THAT VERY NIGHT.  This is the Seattle date, a show at the Laff Hole (located at Chop Suey) where Keith will be headlining, I'll be featuring, and we'll be joined by two of Seattle's finest funnymen, Kevin Hyder and Emmett Montgomery.  Plus, it turns out...a band.  Diminished Men will be tearing it up there as well.  We'll try to tear harder, though.

And then on Saturday night (the 20th), we'll be down in Portland for the big hoo-haw, where we'll be performing with the amazing and legendary bi-partisan stallion (I just made that nickname up just now, so don't call him that, please) himself, Will Durst!  This will go down at the Bagdad Theater, and will fulfill my comedian fantasy by finally letting me perform somewhere with balconies.  We all have our little kinks.

So if you're in or around either Seattle or Portland, we would LOVE to see you at one (or both) of these shows!  Or if you're not, but KNOW people up that way, we would LOVE to see them there, even though we don't know who they are or what they look like so wouldn't actually know them if they stood right in front of us and tap danced.

The shows go like this:

WEDNESDAY, 11/17/2010

9:00 PM

Keith Lowell Jensen with Michael O'Connell, Kevin Hyder and Emmett Montgomery

(Band: Diminished Men)

The Laff Hole at Chop Suey

1325 E. Madison St.

Seattle, WA 98122

206 324 8005

Tickets: $7.00 (advance through link above, or at box office)

SATURDAY, 11/20/2010

8:00 PM

Will Durst featuring Keith Lowell Jensen and Michael O'Connell
Bagdad Theater

3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd

Portland, OR 97214

503 467 7521

Tickets: $20.00 (advance through Ticketmaster via link above or at box office)

Hope too see a few of you there!  And the rest - we'll tell you all about it when we get back.  Promise.  Bring on the rain!

"The Last Stand" DVD Taping This Friday Night!!

It goes down this Friday night, everybody!  10:30 PM, November 5th, Sacramento Comedy Spot.  "The Last Stand" is happening, and it needs YOU!

This evening of comedy is the DVD taping for comedian Ellis Rodriguez.  The show will be filmed and later sold to millions (or maybe dozens, but we like to be optimistic).  The 10:30 show will also include about 25 minutes of performance from me, and sets from comedians Michael Broussard and Hunter Hill.  While the three of us won't be on the DVD, we still get the awesome professionally-shot video footage for our demo reels, so this is a pretty rockin' deal for us, too.

But none of it works without--as I said, and also in all caps--YOU!  For an effective, usable performance, we need the house to be full.  Butts in seats.  ALL the seats.  So we would so, so appreciate you taking part of your Friday night and letting us entertain you while you help us make a killer comedy DVD happen!

As the poster above says, there IS an 8:00 PM show, but, frankly, I'm not in that one. :)  There are three other comics opening for Ellis in that slot, and it's their responsibility to fill it.  The 10:30 PM one is the tougher one, obviously, since it's a little later, so that's what we're really working on.  But it is a Friday night, so hopefully no one will need to get up too early the next day.  And this way you've got time to get out and have dinner beforehand, AND you'll still have time afterward to go out clubbing if you choose!  I'd say that makes 10:30 the AWESOME slot, doesn't it?  Woo hoo!

So we would need to have people there by 10:30 PM (preferably by 10:15 PM) so we can have everyone seated before taping begins.  And then, we would need to ask that everyone stay for the entire show.  I can TOTALLY understand if you'd just want to come see ME, for example, as that's the part of the show that REALLY matters (ahem), but we need that full audience for everyone, particularly for Ellis, who closes out the show and who's the actual star of the thing (though you may continue to think of me in that role if you choose).  His set will be the DVD part, so this is where your laughter and enthusiasm will make this DVD shine for the eventual home audiences, and where you will forever be a part of Sacramento comedy history!  If you've seen Ellis perform before, you know what a treat you're in for.  If you haven't?  You will thank me after.  You may even want to kiss me.  I reserve the right to be selective on who I accept this gesture from.

So please, come on down and join us for this, and please feel free to pass this invitation to EVERYONE YOU KNOW!  The more the merrier!  This is going to be an amazing show, and we all thank you in advance for being a part of it.  It all happens at:

Sacramento Comedy Spot

1050 20th St.

Sacramento, CA 

916 402 4757

The club's located on 20th between J and K, right next door to Mr. Pickles.  There's parking across the street (behind the brick building that used to be the News & Review building) for $5.  You can buy your show tickets at the door, but in case of sellout I'd advise getting them in advance online, which you can do here:

http://saccomedyspot.com/shows/last-stand-comedy-show/

See you at the 'Spot, comedy fans!  Let's DO this!

"Who Got Jokes?" Comedy Competition Featuring Michael O'Connell

I'll be competing in the "Who Got Jokes?" comedy competition this Thursday, October 14th, at Laughs Unlimited in Old Sacramento.  The show begins at 10:30 PM and ticket cost is $5.00.

This morning was the warm-up for that contest when I appeared and performed on Channel 31's Good Day Sacramento Show along with fellow contestants Anthony Zimmer and Daunte Burks.  We had a great time hanging out at the studio and performing 2-minute sets for the anchors and for the home audience to vote on.  Video clips of our sets went up on the GDS web site and viewers cast their votes, and in the end, Anthony Zimmer came out victorious (I pulled second).

Thursday night is the real event, where a group of us will be competing both for a cash prize and for a paid hosting job and Laughs Unlimited.  The complete contestant list is not available, but I know that in addition to the three of us, Willie Mac and Queenie TT will both be hitting the stage.  It should be a fantastic time.

So if you're up for a little late night competitive comedy (where your vote by applause decides the winner!), head on down to Old Sacramento and join us Thursday night!  Hope to see you there!

Laughs Unlimited
1207 Front St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
916 446 5905

Michael O'Connell on Good Day Sacramento this Tuesday, 10/12

To promote this Thursday night's "Who Got Jokes?" comedy competition at Laughs Unlimited Comedy Club, comedian/contestants Michael O'Connell, Anthony Zimmer and Daunte Burks will be appearing and performing live on Sacramento Channel 31's "Good Day Sacramento" show. The comics will performing 2-minute comedy sets before an audience and a panel of judges during the show's 8:00 AM hour. Their video clips will then be put up on Good Day Sacramento's web site, and home viewers will be able to vote for their favorite. Winners will be announced during the 9:00 hour, and there will be both a judges' choice winner and a viewers' choice winner.

The clips can be seen and/or the show watched steaming live at the show's web site:

http://gooddaysacramento.com/

Sacramento Comcast Cable viewers please note: Channel 31 is NOT the channel number on your cable system, it is the station's name. You can view the show on Comcast channel 12 or channel 712 (if you have an HD cable box).

So tune in to check out this preview of the competition, and come down to Laughs Unlimited on Thursday night at 10:30 PM to watch all the comedians battle it out for cash prizes and a shot at a Laughs show hosting gig!

Michael O'Connell Joins Big Al's Big Ass Comedy Show Wednesday Night at Punch Line Sacramento

California's comedy show sensation - Big Al's Big Ass Comedy Show - is coming to the Punch Line in Sacramento this Wednesday, September 29th, at 8:00 PM.  And Michael O'Connell is coming with it.

O'Connell will join other comics such as Mike Bettencourt, Alex Fuchs and the show's creator himself, Al Gonzales, for a night of razor-sharp alternative comedy on the Punch Line stage. 

Big Al's Big Ass Comedy Show has been a touring hit from one side of California to the next, regularly selling out venues and delighting crowds.  The show completes its performance at the Improv in Hollywood tonight before heading back to Northern California.

The show originated in The Bay Area, is produced by the likeably funny Big Al Gonzales, and features the best in Latino/Alternative comedy. Big Al Gonzales has been doing comedy for 7 years. He has become a well know fixture in the Northern California comedy scene. He has appeared in commercials and local television. Big Al started out his comedy career doing improvisational comedy where his troupe (Big City Improv) was noted as Best Of The Bay 2002, after which he broke away and went solo, doing stand-up comedy.

Tickets are available online or at the Sacramento Punch Line box office.

Punch Line Comedy Club

2100 Arden Way (corner of Howe & Arden)

Sacramento, CA 95825

916 925 8500

I'm at the Rose Room this Wednesday, 09/15/10

Prepare yourself, Roseville!  The Tommy T's alums are coming to your side of town to burn this mother down!

This Wednesday night (the 15th), I'll be reunited with two of my fellow finalists from the Tommy T's Finals championship round - Kristen Frisk and Willie Mac (we tried to get Joey Gonzalez as well to get the whole final four, but alas, he'll be out of town) - as we bring the funny to the Rose Room in old town Roseville.

Headlining for this show is the legendary Sac comic and comedy instructor, Del Van Dyke (also a Tommy T's alum), and a guest set will be coming from local Roseville comedian Brian Jagger.  This is the second comedy showcase to go on at the Rose Room, and the first one nearly filled the house, so you might want to call ahead for a reservation.

The show starts at 8:00 PM and the cover is $5.  If you do the math, that's only $1 per comedian!  Wotta steal!  It's going to be a great night of comedy and cocktails, and we'd all love to see you there.  So drop in and let us entertain!

Again, that's at:

The Rose Room

314 Lincoln St.

Roseville, CA 95678

916 768 6958

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Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon Appearance

Heads up, Sac area peoples!  I'll be on TV for a good cause on Labor Day!

I'll be on cam on the local broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon on Monday, September 6th, between 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM on KQCA Channel 58.  This'll be the final leg of the Telethon broadcast before sign-off, so it'll be crunch time to get those last dollars from helpful viewers.  They've got me set up to do some comedy, and probably some on-mic other stuff.  I'll find out when I get there for sure, but I'm up for whatever they've got for me.

I've been watching the Telethon my whole life (having MDA myself, in case you didn't know...), and have always wondered when I'd get my chance to get on the other side of the camera for the event.  That time has come.  So tune in and be a part of it...and take the opportunity to pick up the phone, pledge a little money, and help out a fantastic cause.  I already can't thank you enough!

See you on Channel 58!

The SoCal Adventure!

As of Wednesday the 21st, I'm outta here, Sac-Town.  My two weeks in southern California begins, and what a trip this is gonna be.  Movie stars, comedy and motivation!  I'm in the middle of all the pre-trip prep (wondering if I'll get it all done in time) and wanted to fill y'all in on where I'll be and what's gonna be going down.

PART ONE:  COMIC-CON

I'm not just a geek...I'm a professional one.  No, seriously.  My creative life before comedy was as a comic book writer.  I've been going to Comic-Con International in San Diego for years, both to pimp my comic and just to check out the GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH.  Seriously.  If you're unfamiliar with this event, let me sum up.

Over 125,000 people show up for this 4-day convention (this year tickets sold out months in advance) and fill the ginormous San Diego Convention Center.  What's inside that center?  Sights like you wouldn't believe.  When this convention first started, it was pretty much what its name implied - a convention about comic books.  That's changed over the years to include the film industry, television, videogames, books, and just about anything that falls under the banner of "the popular arts".  Hollywood has taken this thing over.  I mean the REAL Hollywood, dude.  Just a few of the people showing up this year?  Bruce Willis.  Sylvester Stallone.  Jeff Bridges.  Will Ferrell.  Tine Fey.  Seth Rogen.  Michael Cera.  Kevin Smith.  That's just some of the movie people.  TV's everywhere.  Fan of the show "Community"?  The whole cast will be there (Chevy included).  This thing's become like a second Sundance.  Studios show up to pitch their upcoming product directly to fans.  It's amazing.  You see big names like those above, yes, but even more fun is bumping into your favorite less famous (or formerly famous) celebs, who are much more accessible (as in, you can bump into them and chat while they're having a cigarette outside).

There are panels from morning to late at night, and next door, at the Marriott, there's even films showing all night long (for those people much younger than me who can do four days of this stuff on, like, zero sleep.  I used to be that guy...).  Every kind of merchandise you can imagine (and some you never thought of) is available for sale on the convention floor.  Comic fans can meet and chat with their favorite artists and writers directly and get autographs and sketches.  There are people walking around the place in costumes ranging from ridiculously good to brilliantly awful.  Every kind of fan is represented and appeased here - film geeks, TV nerds, animation types, Trekkies, Star Wars die-hards, Twilight fanatics, (Lord of the) Ringers, Browncoats, etc, etc.  It's a wall-to-wall senses-overloading carnival, and it's so worth the trip.

So me and my artist/homey Tim Watts are catching a plane and using our pro credentials to take in the whole thing.  Should be a blast. 

PART 2:  COMEDY

As this is my first time back to southern Cal since starting comedy, I'm excited to FINALLY be able to get some SoCal stage time in!  I'll be hitting the mic at the Comedy Store in La Jolla on Sunday night (the 25th) at 7:00 PM, and also at the Comedy Palace in San Diego on Tuesday (the 27th) at 8:00 PM.  I've got some built-in audiences for both shows.  Sunday night looks like it's going to be friends, as this is a return to San Diego for me (I lived there for almost 7 years).  Old pals are coming and bringing friends, plus a Twitter fan of mine who's only seen me on YouTube is going to make it and bring a group, too.  Awesome!  Whereas Tuesday night is going to be family, as my folks are going to be in San Diego on that day, and they, my step-sis and all her family are coming out to catch the Palace performance.  Big fun all around.  Cool.

PART 3:  TONY ROBBINS!

On Wednesday the 28th, I'll be catching a ride with my folks to Long Beach, where they'll be dropping me off at my hotel.  Starting the next day, I'm then going to be spending four days attending one of Tony Robbins' seminars.  Yeah, THAT Tony Robbins!  Tony read my Quest Magazine interview online and got in touch with me through Twitter.  He told me how much he enjoyed the interview and asked if I wanted to be his guest at one of his seminars.  Uh, you THINK?  I'm a total Robbins nerd!  I actually did the whole 30-day Personal Power program a couple years back.  I'm a huge fan of his stuff, and now I'm actually getting to go to one of these things live!  And as the big man's GUEST, no less!  Woo hoo!

So I'm planning to come back really, really motivated, so you might want to stay away from me for a few days after I return, as I may annoy the hell out of you trying to tell you how you can achieve your dreams.  Oh, but after that, I'll still find you and tell you...

So yeah...big trip!  Lots of good stuff.  I'll write about the whole thing when I return, but before I left, just wanted to let you all know where I'll be.  If you're in the San Diego area on the 25th or 27th, drop in to one of the clubs listed above and check out the show!  As for you Sac fans - see y'all when I'm back!  Hold the fort down while I'm gone.  For those of you not from Sac, that wasn't a cliche...we actually have a fort here...

SoCal here I comes!

The Girl All the Fanboys Want

Anybody remember that Bowling for Soup song, "The Girl All the Bad Guys Want"?  I came across that the other day.  If you're unfamiliar with it, it's basically the story of a not-so-cool guy who's in love with a cool bad-girl chick.  She, of course, is just into guys who drive Trans-Ams and have mustaches.  It's an uphill battle for our hero.

This got me to thinking of a different story.  What if this was the tale, instead, of a "cooler" guy who fell in love with a geek girl?  Same basic set-up, but he'd be shut out of her world for his lack of nerd knowledge and ability to speak fluent Klingon.  Instead of being blocked by muscle-bound fratboys, he would, instead, be losing her to Jedi-loving fanboys.

I wanted to hear this song.  So I wrote it.  Over the top of BfS's original song, of course.

These things usually go better if you play the song along while you're reading the lyrics, so I recommend using the handy video below.



THE GIRL ALL THE FANBOYS WANT
by Michael O'Connell (by way of Bowling for Soup)

Coffee shop, Monday night, and I’m waitin’
To finally talk to a girl who seems so different than me
Her name is Nona, she’s a Trekkie with a com badge
She is a Browncoat but I’m not quite sure what that means

And when she walks
All the wind blows and the wood elves sing
But she doesn’t notice me

‘Cause she’s watchin’ X-Men
Creamin’ over Twilight
Listenin’ to Warp 11
Transporters in her eyes

It’s like a bad movie
Like SyFy produced me
If you were me then you’d be
Screamin’ “Greedo shoot me”
My roll fails miserably
Tryin’ to get the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want

She likes B5, I like How I Met Your Mother
Her PS3 is rockin’ Final Fantasy all night long
She writes fan fiction about Legolas and Frodo
I tried to read it but it’s just disturbing and wrong

And when she walks
All the wind blows and the wood elves sing
But she’ll never notice me

‘Cause she’s watching X-Men
Creaming over Twilight
Listening to Warp 11
Transporters in her eyes

She likes ‘em with a goth look
Readin’ comic books
She’s a Klingon dude fan
Does a Bat’leth make a man?

It’s like a bad movie
Like SyFy produced me
If you were me then you’d be
Screamin’ “Greedo shoot me”
My roll fails miserably
Tryin’ to get the girl all the fanboys want
And she’s the girl all the fanboys want
And she’s the girl all the fanboys want
And she’s the girl all the fanboys want

There she goes again
A corset on, and green dye in her hair
She’ll be my Rogue if this goes like I planned it
All I want is just to be her Gambit

Now I’m watching X-Men
Trying to read the Twilight
Listenin’ to Warp 11
Transporters in my eyes
I don’t have a goth look
And I ain’t read no comic books
But I know what soap is…soap is…soap is…

It’s like a bad movie
Like SyFy produced me
If you were me then you’d be
Screamin’ “Greedo shoot me”
My roll fails miserably
Tryin’ to get the girl all the fanboys want

‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
(Boldly go again)
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
(Boldly go again)
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want

You always remember the ones you lick (eventually)

So on June 11th, Sacramento comedian Keith Lowell Jensen posted on his Facebook page that he's heading down to San Francisco to go see Bobby Slayton play at Punchline, and wanted to know if anyone wanted to join him.  I wished I could have, but I was fresh out of the hospital.  So I commented on his note, telling him to say "hi" to Bobby for me, as, you know, Bobby and I go waaaaay back.

That night I got a voicemail from Keith, from there at the show.  He said that Bobby had just finished his first set, had just gotten off stage, and was all hyped up.  Keith had stopped him as he came down and said, "Hey, Michael O'Connell said to say hi."

Bobby, quite loudly (and if you've experienced Bobby Slayton, you can hear the voice in your head right now), said, "Who the $#@% is Michael O'Connell?"

Keith answered, "Uh, you worked with him a couple of weeks ago, wheelchair comedian...?"

Bobby then replied, just as loudly, "Oh, yeah!  I #&%@ing LOVE that guy!"

One of the many perks of wheelchair comedy, folks.  They may not remember the name, but they always remember the chair.  Hear endeth the lesson. 

Media Roundup

Man, it has been a long week of promotion for the MDA event.  Flyer posting, emailing, blogging, phone-calling, and dealing with radio, TV, newspapers, etc.  It was a lot of fun, but it's nice to be able to just kick back and relax on a sunny Saturday without running through a checklist of contacts needed to be made.  So I'm blogging this on my laptop on my patio, enjoying both the gorgeous weather AND the second cigar that the MDA gang gave to me at the show.  I am officially in chill mode.

Thought I'd put up some links to the other media that happened over the week, besides this "Insight" radio interview I already linked for you.  Let's take a look, shall we?

There were two articles on SacramentoComedy.com about the event.  The first came out about an hour before the Bobby Slayton news went down.  So a second follow-up article went up about the Slayton stuff.

Pre-Slayton article here

Post-Slayton article here

Always a big fan of SacramentoComedy.com, and big thanks to Steve Bloom over there for the coverage.  This is always your best place to head to to find out what's happening in the Sac comedy world.  Well, there and this blog, of course...

I'll go ahead and repost the link here to my "Insight" radio interview, just to keep everything in one handy place.  Again, host Jeffrey Callison and all the folks down at Capitol Public Radio (KXJX 90.9 FM) made the whole thing a lot of fun to do, and were awesome to get me on there so quick to pimp the event.  Thanks again, guys.  Sorry we didn't get the Bobby Slayton news until AFTER your show wrapped. :)  My interview is the last segment on the show, so it's about 37 minutes in.

"Insight" radio interview (pre-Slayton)

My second radio interview was done with the show "Radio Parallax" on KDVS 90.3.  I met the show's host, Doug Everett, at the Will Durst show at the Crest, and he took my card and said he wanted to follow up with me to come on and do some comedy talk.  When he heard me on the "Insight" show, he gave me a call and wanted to know if I wanted to come on his show and plug the Tommy T's event.  Uh, you THINK?  Funny side story - my comedy partner Vladimir and Doug are good friends, and Vladimir has been on Parallax several times as he's their official aviation correspondent.  And yet, Doug and I met and then hooked up for an interview, all without realizing we both knew Vladimir.  Great of Doug to throw this together for me!  Sounds like I'll be going back on Parallax to chat with him for longer pretty soon, so I'll keep you posted.

My interview is about three minutes long, and starts at about the 11 minute mark.  Go to the link, look for show #415, and you'll want segment #1 there.  You can either click on it and listen to it right there in the browser, or right-click on it and choose "save link as" and save the MP3 file to your hard drive, or you can click on the "iTunes" button on the left-hand side of the screen.  If you choose the latter, your iTunes software will come up and take you to a list of Parallax podcasts.  You'll want to go to the 5/27/10 show and listen to/download "Segment A".

"Radio Parallax" interview (post-Slayton)

Now this is pretty exciting stuff to me.  Quest Magazine has been on my radar since I was a kid, since this is the official Magazine of the MDA.  I still get it in the mail.  After my comedy stuff started and word started getting around the national MDA office about me, Bill Norman called me up (after getting my info from the local MDA office) and asked if they could do an interview with me.  This one's about me and not about the event, but it posted online the day after the event so they added a blurb about it at the end.

Quest Magazine interview

That's it for now.  If TMZ starts following me around, I'll be sure to link you up on that when it goes down.  Why can't these people give me a moment's peace?!  And why did they have to publish my cottage cheese bikini pics?!

Tommy T's MDA Fundraiser Rocks the Hizzouse!

Now THAT was a night.

Back home now from the MDA Fundraiser at Tommy T's.  Still wired.  I wanted to get the facts out while they're still fresh in my head.

So, in case you missed the lead-up, this show has been planned for a while, and up until two days before the show, I was the only real selling point.  This was a show to raise money for the MDA, set up by Tommy T's.  I was the featured act, and other comedians were going to be doing it with me.  As the date got closer, I (and my awesome support team) have been busting humps to get the word out.  Cynthia E. Jones put together some beautiful flyers for me, and Vladimir and I got them posted up all over midtown.  Oh, fun story about that - I was in a Mexican restaurant down there, asking if I could put a flyer in the window, and the guy behind the counter recognized me and had seen me perform before.  He was a bartender at La Casa when I opened for the first comedy showcase there.  Cool.

So flyers were flown, and not just be us but by other helpful "flyer buddies" who downloaded the PDF and put it up in their offices and other locales.  I also got on two different radio shows to promote it (and allllllmost on a third, but got bumped by American Idol.  Long story...).  Tried for a couple of TV options, too, that didn't pan out, but gave it a shot.

But things changed on Tuesday as soon as I finished my first radio interview at Capital Public Radio.  I went outside just after getting off the air, and my cell rang.  It was Lou calling from Tommy T's.  Lou wanted to know if I wanted to know who was going to be doing the show with me.  I said sure.

Lou said Bobby Slayton.

Wow.

I'm a big fan.  This is BOBBY SLAYTON, man!  The legend!  He's been around doing this for over 20 years.  He's a comedy TANK.  Suddenly, this benefit had just gotten a WHOLE lot more juice.  And all I could think of was...I couldn't have gotten this information BEFORE I went on the radio to plug it?!  No, I couldn't have, actually...Lou found out while I was in the middle of doing it.

So this was really exciting, not just for how much more this could mean to the fundraiser, but that I'd get to do a show with BOBBY SLAYTON.  Now I was really psyched.  And better yet, the show now kind of sold itself.  All I had to do now was let people know about the Slayton thing, so I hit the web, the phones, the texts, and the radio (for interview #2) to do just that.

So today was miserable and stormy and rainy, and I thought, great, THAT'll encourage people to come out.  But the rain stopped and things cleared up before showtime, so WHEW!  I got to Tommy T's about a quarter after six.  Some of my people were already there, having dinner and watching the Laker game (Tommy T's has two big screens they can let down, and had the game on while people waited), and my support team had just arrived - Tim, my "lifter", and Vlado with the tee shirts, and Arianne on the camera.  Vlado went upstairs and get the tee shirt sales area set up.  I had a bunch of shirts made up (thanks going out to my pal Aaron for hooking me up on the deal through his guy) and shipped in, ones with my logo and my web address on the front.

I hung outside for a while since we got there so early, and greeted people of mine as they came in.  Pretty soon, as I chatted, Bobby Slayton came walking up with his comedy partner (the name is escaping me, and I'm feeling terrible about it) and an armload of his DVDs for post-show sale.  He spotted me and asked if I was "the guy", and I said that I was.  We shook hands and I thanked him for doing this for the cause.  We talked for a couple of minutes there and then he headed up to the club to set up his stuff.

Soon the awesome folks from the MDA office came by, as I knew they would be.  Andy Sheehy and Chastity Madison from there have coordinated with me and Tommy T's on this show.  Andy even brought me the gift of two cigars!  Sweet!  See what your MDA donations go to?  Jerry's Kids get tobacco, dude!

After finishing chatting with some more arriving guests, I headed back upstairs to talk with Lou and with local comedy master Ruben Mora, who was there to assist Lou for the evening (Ruben runs the open mic room at T2's on Wednesday nights).  I found out I'd be going first, then Bobby's opening act guy, then Bobby.  Cool.  I could get my set out of the way and then order some dinner, because I hadn't eaten all day and was feeling it.  I went to the bar to order a Guinn, at least, and hung out there for a bit with Bobby.  I NEARLY had a drink bought for me by Bobby, in fact, as he was ordering his.  He asked me, "You want something, kid?", and then someone else started talking to him, so I paid for my own drink and felt better about that.  But still...kind of cool to almost have a celeb pay for your booze.  And Bobby Slayton called me kid!  I felt like I was in Vegas in 1962!

Really fun crowd there.  We had a good showing.  I had a good number of friends and family there, some of whom I hadn't seen in quite some time, so I was having a ball just rapping with everybody.  But soon it was time for the show to start.  I grabbed Tim and we headed backstage, where he got me up the steps.  I waited there.  Tommy T's has this video that plays on the screen before big name shows start (I didn't know this because I'm never at Tommy T's for any of the weekend shows), so that went on.  Bobby came backstage, told me good luck, and headed up into the green room for a bit.  Lou came up and waited with me until the end of the video, then went out on stage and did the bit they do where they bring people up on stage who have birthdays (or are close to birthdays) and make them dance or do other stuff to get free Tommy T's tickets.  He also brought Andy up (who's the executive director of our local MDA office), and Andy said a few things about the MDA and thanked everyone for showing up and supporting the cause. 

I hit the Twitter one last time to let folks know I was about to go on, then I got my intro.  Went out and did my set, a mixture of old and new stuff (I wanted some new stuff for my people who were coming out to see me again and had heard it all before).  Had a great time with it.  Did my bit and headed for the bar and ordered food right away, as I was really feeling the lack of energy.  Hung out back there with Arianne and Vlado and watched the guy who's name I can't remember (I suck) who was really awesome.  Crowd loved him.  And I loved my burger.  It was all a big love-fest.  I hung out with Bobby a bit more at the bar, and got some compliments and good advice.  He felt I had "killer" stuff.  I told him how I'm trying to get on the MDA Telethon, and he felt that my stuff would "kill...KILL" on the show.  I'm passing that info along to the MDA, thank you very much.

After that, Bobby went and took the stage.  In typical Slayton fashion, his first words up at an MDA fundraiser were insulting both the MDA and Jerry Lewis.  And it was glorious.  As was watching him work.  Like many of the great ones, you get the idea that he has about ten minutes, maybe, of set material up there, and the rest is all just working the crowd.  And he did.  His set ran somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour, and it just flew by.  He ripped it up, worked every corner of the crowd, offended all equally, and had everyone in stitches.  The audience loved it.  And I loved watching and learning from someone who's do this so well and has been doing it for so long.  I'm telling you, if you're in Sac and you weren't there tonight?  You ought to grab some tickets and catch him there over the weekend.  He's playing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

After the show was, I think, my favorite part.  That was when I got to hang out and meet people and hook up with friends and family that showed, and got to get pictures taken with a lot of folks.  While I did this (with Arianne working the camera), Vlado was working his arse off at the tee shirt table selling off fine Michael O'Comedy fashion.  Vlado also wisely brought a Sharpie for me, as people did come up to me and ask to have their tee shirts signed.  Sadly, no bosom signings.  I'm not THAT big yet.

Bobby was at a table greeting fans on their way out and selling copies of his DVD (and five bucks of every purchase (as well as a portion of his payment for the night) was going right to the MDA).  I got some photos taken with him and I there.  They were interesting.  Bobby's a unique individual.  Bobby's also one hell of a classy guy, and really showed it all night (off-stage, of course...).  He bought one of my shirts and put it on, too.  He also gave me one of his DVD's with this signed on the front:

"Mike -
You were great!
Good f***in' luck!
Your pal -
Bobby Slayton"

I also got a pic with the whole MDA crew, and was really glad they were able to make it out to share in this.  I was also happy that so many of my people were able to break free on a Thursday night (right before a holiday weekend) to be there for the benefit - some of whom drove here from as far as Redding and Modesto!  Very, very grateful to everyone who showed, not just for being there for me and for me having the pleasure of their company, but for helping raise some solid cash for the MDA.  This mission was a success.

So thanks to them, thanks to my awesome support team, thanks to my fellow comedy peeps who made it out (like Ty Anderson, Cheryl the Soccer Mom, Queenie TT and Samantha Hickey) when they could been somewhere else getting stage time instead, thanks to Bobby Slayton for bringing the power cred to the night, and thanks to Tommy T's Comedy & Dinner Theater, the folks who came to me with this idea in the first place and let us use their club to bring it to life.  Once again, Tommy T's is in my corner and has got my back.  You guys are the bestest.

And now...I am done with comedy.  For a while.  Surgery is Tuesday, recovery comes next, so I wouldn't expect to see me in the month of June (unless I recover quicker than I think).  But I'll be back before you know it, and you'll probably be hearing plenty from me online in the meantime.  But I'll probably be so doped on painkillers that I won't be making much sense.  See you when I see you, Sac comedy scene!

Bobby Slayton and Michael O'Connell Join For MDA Fundraiser

From SacramentoComedy.com:

The big news today regarding the Tommy T's MDA Fundraiser ("Comedy Made Accessible") taking place this Thursday, May 27th, can be summed up in two words.

Bobby Slayton.

The legendary comedian/actor known worldwide as the "Pitbull of Comedy" will be joining the benefit Thursday night to help raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  Slayton is booked to play Tommy T's all this coming weekend, but has added an extra night to take part in the MDA event.

Slayton will join Sacramento wheelchair comedian Michael O'Connell in a show where 100% of ticket sales will be donated by Tommy T's to the MDA.  Michael O'Connell tee shirts will also be sold to raise monies for the charity, a charity near to O'Connell as he suffers from Muscular Dystrophy himself.

Per his bio, Bobby Slayton "has been performing his own intense style of stand-up comedy for over 20 years, becoming one of the best known, respected, and energetic comics working today. Audiences around the country may recognize Bobby from his scene-stealing roles in movies such as 'Get Shorty,' 'Ed Wood,' 'Bandits' and most recently 'Dreamgirls.' He's been seen on dozens of television shows including 'The Tonight Show' and 'Politically Incorrect.' Bobby's many appearances on HBO have included 'Comic Relief '& his own stand-up special. He was a series regular on the HBO series 'Mind of a Married Man,' and played 'Joey Bishop' opposite Ray Liotta and Joe Mantegna in the critically acclaimed film 'The Rat Pack.'

Slayton's distinctive gravelly voice has often been heard on animated shows like 'Dr. Katz' and 'Family Guy,' as well as many popular radio shows across the country including Howard Stern, Kevin & Bean, and Tom Leykis.

The NY Daily News called Slayton 'Armed and Dangerous' and the Las Vegas Review Journal pointed out that 'Slayton's refusal to comprise his art has always made him worth a special trip.'"

Michael O'Connell is a comedian new to the comedy scene, but has achieved much notoriety in his young career for his unique disability-themed humor.  After winning an open mic night at Tommy T's his first night on stage, he went on to compete in the Tommy T's Talent Search Finals, advancing to the final round and finishing second overall.  He's gone on to play clubs and comedy rooms all over Sacramento, has been featured in the Sacramento Bee and local radio, and is in talks to appear on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon in Las Vegas.  His comedy has caught the attention of such celebrities as comedian/singer Dan Finnerty (of "The Dan Band") and actor Adam Baldwin ("Chuck", "Firefly"), both of whom have linked his videos on their Twitter pages.

Tickets for the event are $10.00 and are available at the door or through the Tommy T's web site.  The show begins at 7:30 PM.