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The Comedy Festival

Kid Rock & Carmen Elektra to "Salute Our Troops"

Kid Rock, a.k.a. Mr. Pamela Anderson, and Carmen Elecktra (pictured) will join comedians such as D.L. Hughley, Frank Caliendo and Louis C.K. to pay tribute to America's fighting forces and the USO at The Comedy Festival at Caesars Palace in a show called A Salute to the Troops.

The one-hour comedy and musical extravaganza takes place Friday, Nov. 17 and will be hosted by Jay Mohr. It will air as part of HBO and AEG Live's coverage of The Comedy Festival on TBS, Sunday, Nov. 19 at 10PM.

The main part of the show will be a touching tribute to legendary comedian Bob Hope, who performed in USO shows for more than 65 years. More than 500 military personnel and family members will be in attendance, making it that much better.

Soda Goes Vegas Pop: EepyBird.com at TCF

Here are the Eepybird.com guys experimenting at The Comedy Festival in Vegas:

When I set up my camera, all of the other photogs said I was going to get drenched. I reached into my bag of tricks, and. ...

More Eepybird.com:
- Behind the Counter
- EepyBird.com Festival Photos
- Searching for EepyBird

Behind the Counter: Mentos, Soda & EepyBird.com

Here are the EepyBird.com experimenters displaying the different bottles:

Check out this video of the perfromance.

TCF: EepyBird.com Photos

Photos of the maestros of mint and soda, EepyBird.com at The Comedy Festival in Vegas. Check out some video action too.

TCF: Searching for EepyBird

Caesars Palace, home of The Comedy Festival, is a beautiful, sprawling hotel/casino. The key word in Fat Tony's world is sprawling. The festival truly gets going later tonight, but there has already been plenty of comedy, at least when it comes to me trying to get around in this place.

On my way to see EepyBird this morning, I felt like a pinball being bounced around through the labyrinth that is Caesars. The flippers that were bouncing me around were random employees I asked about how to find the South side of the Roman Plaza. To their defense, by the fourth person, I was so winded that I'm sure they didn't understand a word I was mumbling.

The seventh person I talked to was my savior and walked me to the correct location and it was all worth the trouble. If you're not familiar with EepyBird, they are two chemists who create dancing fountains by using a combination of Diet Coke and Mentos. Click here to see them in action. And get down to Caesars for The Comedy Festival already. Just make sure you give yourself time to find whatever it is your looking for.

TCF: Don Rickles to Be Honored at Caesars; Henson Puppets Get Naughty

Comedy insult icon Don Rickles will be the first honoree on the new Roman Plaza celebrity walk of fame at Caesars Palace tonight when Whoopie Goldberg presents him with a bronze plaque in the shape of a laurel wreath surrounding his name and Luxe Life readers are invited to attend the 6:45PM ceremony. As part of the casino's 40th anniversary, the walk of laurel wreaths will be installed along the resorts' front fountain sidewalks and gardens. Just an hour later, Don presents his jugular comedy attack as part of The Comedy Festival. "From Jack Benny, Judy Garland and George Burns, to Celine Dion, Elton John and Jerry Seinfeld, Caesars Palace has been the performing home of the world's greatest entertainers," said Gary Selesner, President of Caesars Palace. "In that stellar company, Don Rickles represents the very best in comedy and in entertainment. We are pleased to honor him and to thank him for giving us the gift of laughter for nearly five decades."

PERILOUS PROVOCATIVE PUPPETS
You have never seen Jim Henson's playful puppets behave like this. They'll push comedy improv to the max in two special "edgy uncensored" tapings tonight at 7PM and 10:30PM at Caesars Palace for a 1-hour special on TBS next Monday, Nov. 20, in a safe, late-night 11PM "no-kids" slot!!! Known as the established leader for over 50-yearts of family entertainment, the Henson troupe now push traditional comedy improv to a whole new level far from the friendly, fuzzy Henson puppets we knew and loved growing up. Brian Henson commented: "We began doing puppet improv workshops to hone our comedy skills and realized that we were having so much fun that audiences might enjoy watching too. It has been amazing to see our troupe evolve, and I am sure our Vegas shows will be our best yet." Expect the perilous and the provocative from a bunch of irreverent puppets.

TONIGHT'S COMEDY FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
7:30PM: Tom Joyner Show with Mike Epps, Mo'Nique & Damon Wyans
8PM: The veteran comedy king of insult humor, Don Rickles
11:30PM: MTV's Nick Cannon presents his 'Wild N' Out' hip-hop themed improv games

How Many Vegas Showgirls Fit in a Photo Booth?

The answer is 2:





More opening night photos from The Comedy Festival.

TCF: Kickoff Party Photos

Even the statues at Caesars Palace are ready for The Comedy Festival, which kicked off tonight with a party at Festival Village. We laughed, we cried (when Triumph the Insult Comic Dog played dead), and we took photos. Enjoy...

The large David statue got all gussied up for the fest.

Kickoff hosts Mikalah Gordon and Woody Wittman


Jocks from 107. 5 and an empty chair


The tent the Comedy Village

Need to check your e-mail at the Festival, stop by the AOL booth.


Angels on top add some poetry to these elaborate concert posters




More fun at the AOL booth


None of these ladies are named, Lola, and yet they are showgirls.


Woody with Prince's 3121 DJ Rashida


The K-9 dog is ready for some puppet munchies


We think this is supposed to be Charro and JJ Bullock.


TCF: Triumph the Insult Comedy Dog Plays Dead

I'm a dog lover. I love my dogs Snoop Dogg, Atomic Dog, and, usually, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who I was excited about seeing at the kickoff party for The Comedy Festival. Unfortunately, what wasn't exciting was Triumph's jokes -- past their expiration date.

There was a Michael Jackson pedophilia joke that would have been a knee slapper in, say, 1993, and a Ben Affleck joke that would have been funny around the time Gigli was released, three years ago. Then there were jokes about Vegas pimps, hit men and other Vegas caricatures. The jokes were so cliche I'm surprised he didn't riff on "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas," or Frank Sinatra being mobbed up. Oh wait, he did do a Sinatra/Mob joke. Oh well...

I wasn't the only one less than excited by Triumph's act. When
officers from the Las Vegas K-9 Unit were brought on stage to present him with an honorary badge, one of the dogs tried to attack Triumph. They don't call them bomb sniffing dogs for nothing.

I only complain because, as I said, I love Triumph. When he went to a Bon Jovi concert it was an instant classic. When he went to the Star Wars Episode II premiere, it was an instant classic. When he made Eminem act like a baby at the MTV Video Music awards, it was an instant classic. However, tonight I felt pooped on. I realize, though, that everyone has off nights, even dogs. So, there's nothing that could keep me away from
Poopapalooza II tomorrow night, where I know Triumph/Smigel will get back to fresh, biting humor.

Comedy Festival Calendar

As a convenience to Luxe Life readers, here is a handy guide for the AOL co-sponsored, 2nd Annual Comedy Festival that gets underway today at Caesars Palace. Print it out and enjoy the laughs throughout the week.

TUES NOV 14
The Festival Village is open from 5PM to 10PM with Vegas' own American Idol winner Mikalah Gordon as weeklong host in the outdoor front Stripside arena with celebrity appearances, contests, live entertainment, food & drinks, tarot cards, magicians and prizes galore. Each day for the remainder of the festival the village will open 1pm to 10pm daily.



WED NOV 15
7:30PM: Tom Joyner Comedy Show with Mike Epps, Mo'Nique and Damon Wyans

8PM: The veteran comedy king of insult humor, Don Rickles

11PM: Triumph the Insult Dog's Poopapalooza

11:30PM: MTV's Nick Cannon presents is Wild N' Out hip-hop themed improv games

See Wednesday's Luxe Life for full details of the two tapings 7PM & 10:30PM of the Jim Henson puppets



THURS NOV 16
8PM: Five comedy finalists compete for $50,000 in Stand Up or Sit Down, hosted by George Lopez

8:30PM: The Bob and Tom Radio Show Comedy Tour

9:30PM: Bill Maher slices and skewers with his special humor (The Bill Maher show is an hour earlier than orginally scheduled, due to the cancellation of Dave Chappelle)

11PM: Dave Attell ropes in Louis C. K. and Daniel Tosh in a trio takedown

11:30PM: 'Sex and the City' star Mario Cantone presents his late night irreverent humor

Click Below for Fri-Sat.

TCF: Chappelle (No) Show

Bummer.

The Comedy Festival just announced Dave Chappelle has canceled his Thu. Nov. 16 festival performance. No reason cited and no reschedule planned. Refund info below.

Not that you asked for it, but seeing as how this is as close as you're going to get to a Chappelle performance this week, here's a recap of one of the best performances you've never heard about.

I saw Chappelle during a homecoming performance at the DC Improv a couple of years ago during a special, third midnight show on a school night. The DC Improv is underground with low ceilings, the famed brick wall and like most comedy clubs, crammed with as many tables that will fit -- a very cool intimate setting to see some top comics like Dane Cook, Jim Gaffigan, Mitch Hedberg (RIP) and Kathleen Madigan. The Chappelle Show was blowing up on Comedy Central and he grew up in the area so there was an additional spark.

The show started with a routine-in-progress -- preparing for a tour. He went from from topic to topic to topic in a relaxed style touching on race, snipers, war and given the location, politics. At some point he went off-script and just talked about being. It was hard to tell when one joke ended and the other began, because there were no jokes, just a funny conversation between Dave and the crowd. You like how I call him Dave as if we're old friends? We're not, but that night, it seemed like it.

Three hours later, long after the drinks had been picked up, he started to end the set and that was probably only because a lady fell out of her chair in some heightened state of laugh exhaustion and cocktails. He said, "When a white lady falls out of her chair, you know the show has been going on for too long. It's time to wrap it up." And then he went on for another 15 minutes.

I've never heard anyone talk about the show, and I don't think video exists of it, but for me, it was the comic equivalent of what I would imagine it was like for people watching Jimi Hendrix rock the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock or even Berkeley.

You've read the $50-million headlines since then about his show and personal life and I'm not here to speculate or pass judgment. The dude is funny and has, to date anyway, left this world a little better than when he got here. He's popped the culture. When I'm 84, I'll yell "I'm Rick James, bitch" at the delivery driver dropping off my adult diapers.

With his absence at the festival, I guess I can stop learning his theme song now on the ukulele, it was going to be a special surprise. Hopefully we'll see him on a Vegas stage soon enough.

Festival Notes:

  • Tickets purchased with credit card will automatically be refunded. No ticket exchange necessary. Tickets purchased with cash at the Colosseum Box Office will only be refunded with surrender of tickets in person.
  • Due to the cancellation, Bill Maher is starting his show one hour earlier on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 9:30PM. If Bill cancels, I'll have to share a story about a night in Dallas when Bill paid a visit to a lounge where I was DJing.

Salute to the Troops & USO

TBS is honoring the troops & USO with a one-hour special filmed during The Comedy Festival on Friday, Nov. 17. A tribute for long-time trrop supporter Bob H

On the bill: D.L. Hughley, Louis C.K., Kid Rock, Frank Caliendo, Carmen Electra. Jay Mohr is hosting the evening which also features a tribute to long-time troop supporter, Bob Hope.

Get tickets to see the show live at Caesars.

If you can't make it to the show, the special is set to air on TBS on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 10PM (ET/PT).

Ready to Laugh?

The Comedy Festival in Vegas

We're gearing up for The Comedy Festival here -- writing scripts, charging up our cameras for viral videos, practicing interview questions and whatever else we find funny.

Go ahead and add this festival RSS feed. With the festival kicking off on Tuesday, Vegas Pop and AOL Vegas will be keeping you up-to-date on all of the punchlines via this blog in conjunction with our friends at HBO, TBS, AOL Comedy and AOL Black Voices.

If you have any festival-related questions or tips, let us know.

Comedians to Battle on the Felt

If you've ever had to sit through an episode of Celebrity Poker Showdown, you know how excruciating it can be watching non-poker players toss chips around. With that in mind, imagine what kind of brilliant play you'll see at The Comedy Festival Poker Tournament, a $15K buy-in event featuring A-list comedians. What's great about this tournament, however, is that the celebrity players will have help when deciding whether they should call with 7-2 off suit.

Poker pro Daniel Negreanu and FBI counterintelligence expert Joe Navarro will be on hand to coach players during the tournament, which takes place Nov. 17 at PURE in Caesars. Just a few of the celebrities already signed up for the tournament includes Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven, Rita Rudner, Susie Essman and Rosanne Barr.

The tournament is hosted by Billy Crystal, Whoopie Goldberg, Robin Williams, Mark Wahlberg, and Chris Albrecht of HBO and proceeds will benefit the Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Puppets in Vegas for Some Laughs

Jim Henson's Puppet Up at The Comedy Festival in Vegas

Pupaphobics will disagree, but puppets can be pretty funny sometimes. Even Crank Yankers had its moments.

For something a little different than your average puppet show, check out the improvisational Puppet Up! from the Jim Henson Company at The Comedy Festival. If you absolutely can't make it to Vegas to watch in person, no worries. TBS is filming ia live performance for broadcast on Monday, Nov. 20.

If you haven't heard about Puppet Up!, it's a show-within-a-show and has an obvious Avenue Q vibe sprinkled with Second City or Boom Chicago and a whipped topping.

A fair warning, just because "puppet" and "Jim Henson" are used in the same sentence, this show is not not for kids. If there is a rainbow connection, you won't want your children to watch.

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