Why’d the Chicken Cross the Road? To Catch the ‘Funniest Person’ Finals

What is funny? A guy who lets puppet heads do his talking? Biting satires on ghetto life? Cartoon characters acted out by a hefty guy who flits through a quick ballet dance at the end of his act? Maybe ironic takes on mall life--trying on clothes in a mall, dealing with security guards in a mall, wearing tight jeans in a mall--are funny.

Tuesday night at L.A. Cabaret, a panel of judges will decide what and who is funny when they choose a winner in the Funniest Person in the Valley Contest. Mark Bruser, Bleu, Joe Monti, Sam Kwasman, Rose Trimarchi (aka Rosie T.) and Bernie McGrenahan are the six up-and-coming comedians who’ve joked and cajoled their way to the final round of the nine-week contest. Passing judgement on the six survivors are personalities from politics, entertainment and journalism, including comedians Morey Amsterdam, Avery Schreiber, Pat McCormick, Skip Stephenson and “Cheers” regular Kelsey Grammer.

And what do you get for being the funniest person in the Valley? There’s money--$1,000 to be exact. And possible fame. Past winner Herb Burton went on to become the Showtime Comedian of the Year. Scott Harriet has gone from contest winner to host of the new TV show, “Fox Across America.” And Tommy Davidson, who was a cook’s assistant at the time he won his title, is playing the lead role in the TV series “Coming to America,” based on the Eddie Murphy movie.

The contest started five years ago when L.A. Cabaret owner and booker Ray Bishop first started at the club. “I’d been involved in the entertainment business for years as a member of the Producer’s Guild, but I was new to booking,” Bishop says.

The contest was his way of figuring out audience tastes (the winners of the first eight preliminary rounds of the contest are decided by audience vote; only the finals are judged by professionals). These days, Bishop has the hang of booking comedy, but the contest has taken on a life of its own.

“It’s amazing,” he said, “There were 220 people in the contest this year--that’s up from about 150 last year.” As the cliche goes: Everybody’s a comedian . . . or at least wants to be.

The final round of the Funniest Person in the Valley Contest begins at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at L.A. Cabaret, 17271 Ventura Blvd., Encino. Tickets are $10. Call (818) 501-3737 for information.