Bring the Pain

The South Beach Comedy Festival is just around the corner, and this year’s lineup includes some known quantities in the world of funny. We’re talking about roastmaster general Lisa Lampanelli, ruling raunch king Jim Norton, sputtering politico and Daily Show fixture Lewis Black, and the sizzling star of The Soup, Joel McHale. And then there are veteran stoner comedy legends Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. A veritable who’s who of in-your-face as-seen-on-TV superstar comedians will be taking over Miami Beach and splitting sides for the four-day festival. And somewhere in the middle of all the star wattage, you might just make a name for yourself. That’s right, local yokel — the South Beach Comedy Festival’s talent search is on, and this Monday night, scouts and judges will wait to see if you can make them crack a smile. The comedians who have been handpicked in years past have gone on to forge their own paths to fame and fortune — former victors Malik Sanon and Flip Schultz have both appeared on the Comedy Central stand-up series Live at Gotham, and last year’s winner, Ricky Cruz, is making a living as a stand-up comic and has been hard at work on a pair of TV pilots. If you ever made your grade school girlfriend giggle until milk spouted from her nose, or made your science club classmate spit out his retainer mid-cackle, you just might have a shot at impressing hard nosed local fans, talent scouts, and the comedians you idolize, live on the South Beach Comedy Festival’s Lincoln Road stage. All you need to do is prepare up to three minutes of "clean" material and come out to the open casting call from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Miami Improv. Semifinalists will reconvene at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 7; fans will vote for their favorites on WSVN’s Deco Drive; and the winner will be announced January 20.
Mon., Jan. 5, 2-6 p.m., 2009