NAMES IN THE NEWS : Home Folks to Hear Smirnoff

Soviet emigre comedian Yakoff Smirnoff is out to prove you can go home again and get some laughs while doing so.

Following performances at Trump Plaza this weekend, he intends to return to the Soviet Union for what he calls “a funny look at glasnost. “

“I talk to the audience during my daily shows,” Smirnoff said, “and they often ask, ‘What is Russia all about?’ ” He hopes his journey to Moscow and his hometown, Odessa, will provide some humorous answers.

His timing, comedic or otherwise, could not be better. The Soviet version of April Fool’s Day is National Humor Day. Smirnoff will be in Odessa for this April 1 event that features “parades without missiles.”

When he returns from the Soviet Union, Smirnoff and the Showtime cable network will condense film of the trip into a program to air in the fall. He also will hit the college circuit with an act titled “Glasnost 101.”