UPDATE: Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada explains what went wrong last Saturday.
We all understand “lineup subject to change.” But when only two of six promoted comics actually appear at your grand opening, it’s more like “we’re hoping these guys will show up.”
The 670-seat sister venue to the Laugh Factory in Hollywood was supposed to launch Saturday night with an all-star event headlined by Dane Cook and featuring Brad Garrett (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Til’ Death”), Jamie Kennedy (“Malibu’s Most Wanted,” “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment”), Jon Lovitz (“Saturday Night Live”), Bob Saget (“Full House”) and Paul Rodriguez (“The Original Latin Kings of Comedy”).
But, once the show kicked off 20 minutes late, all we got was a fly-in quickie from Alonzo Bodden (“Last Comic Standing”), sets from longtime L.A. DJ and All Comedy Radio host Frazer Smith and Jeremy Hotz (whose MySpace page lists him as midway through a run at the Houston Improv) and only two expected acts, Lovitz and Rodriguez. (The latter was obligated to show up – they unveiled a life-size statue of him to add to the club’s memorabilia. You haveto show up if you’re getting a statue.) Oh, and there was also a surprise appearance by Josh Duvendeck, an audience member just helpin’ kill time.
At first, the packed, red-carpet event looked promising, yet most of the “stars” (even rumored celebrity attendees) were no-shows. Laugh Factory founder Jamie Masada happily hopped on stage, however, to receive awards from the Mayor of Long Beach and the United Jewish Federation – giving no indication of the train wreck to come.
Bodden was a good pick to open, though. He’s charismatic and has a sharp tongue and quick wit – the guy knows how to work the crowd and had some of the best jokes of the night. (“Hybrid car owners say ‘my hybrid gets 80 mpg.’ My Hummer just ran over it.”). Smith kept the crowd going with his fill-in-the-blank joke “I was sweatin’ like …” His finishers: “… Michael Vick at Petco,” “… Kramer on ‘Soul Train,'” “… a moose in Sarah Palin’s front yard.” Keeping it political, he also threw in a bit on why it makes sense to vote for John McCain: “If anyone could fix this country it’s someone who was here when it started. His Social Security number is 3.”
Jeremy Hotz is an interesting breed of comic – a little twitchy, perhaps neurotic (that may or may not be part of his act). But he kept the audience laughing consistently with dry one-liners and interacted with the front row, telling one patron (who was decked out head-to-toe in Carolina Panthers football fashion), “The Carolina Panthers have the gayest colors in the league.” If he didn’t get beat down by that guy after the show, he’d be a good comic to go see.
Jon Lovitz took the blame for making the show late: “It’s my fault, I had a personal problem. It rhymes with ‘wiarrhea’.” He pulled out all the stops, flinging jokes rapidly, like: “Two Jews walk into a bar. They buy it.”
Seasoned comic Paul Rodriguez (who wound up headliner) struggled through his act, occasionally firing off a funny bit, but stumbling over his words and sweating profusely. Funny enough, his sharpest stuff came when he was told he’d have to stall for Jamie Kennedy. He worked through another 10 minutes, sweating even more, but delivering the best material he had all night.
When it was clear Kennedy wasn’t going to make it – they joked that he had some trouble with the cops but no real explanation was given – Rodriguez stalled some more … and stalled … and stalled … until finally opening the floor to anyone brave enough to showcase their comedy chops in front of a captive audience.
A young, budding jokester in the crowed named Josh Duvendeck leapt to the challenge, running up to the stage for his introduction and to grab the mic. He did well for a first-timer (although something tells me he’s practiced his bit in the bathroom mirror a few times). His joke about Batman’s obsession with eyeliner went over better than most anything Rodriguez had done.
When it became painfully obvious Kennedy wasn’t going to make it and that Cook and Saget and Garrett were absent – again, no explanation; they never once mentioned the advertised headliner, for instance – someone from the venue sent Rodriguez back up to the stage to take the mic back from Duvendeck, put everyone out of their misery and let us know that the show was, in fact, over.
Tickets were $75-$125, and although proceeds went to charity (the UJF), people, many of whom had stood in line since 5 p.m., didn’t seem too happy that they didn’t get what they paid for.
Yet, despite this disappointment, the venue itself is first-class, virtually without a bad seat in the house. Also home to the Stand-Up Comedy Hall of Fame – featuring hundreds of pieces of memorabilia from the Marx Brothers, Rodney Dangerfield, Steve Martin, Abbott & Costello, Chris Rock, George Carlin and more – there’s no doubt that the club will fare better in the future.
Some of the house-specialty drinks were good but pricey. We tried the Gotta Lovitz Fizzer (sans alcohol, since Lovitz doesn’t drink), which is just Red Bull, Sierra Mist and grenadine ($6); the Rockin’ Rita, mixing Patron Silver, sweet and sour and a splash of Patron Citronge ($13); and the Richard Pryor, blending Absolute vanilla vodka, Kahlua, orange liqueur and Irish crème on the rocks ($15). The menu also boasts select items from Outback Steakhouse (seared ahi, sirloin quesadilla, burgers) with a price range of $10.95-$14.95.
