Old Sacramento’s Laughs Unlimited packed a full house for stand-up headliner Tyrone (Ty) Barnett and all for a good cause. Hosted by Sacramento-based “Correctional Workers Who Care,” all of Thursday’s proceeds went to the organization’s holiday party for children. The holiday party will include a wrapped gift and a picture with the legendary Santa Claus. With openings from Sacramento comic veterans E. Clark, Tristan Johnson and an even goofier Michael Calvin acting as Master of Ceremonies, the hysteria was absolutely inevitable. Although the venue was at capacity, empty seats scattered the front couple rows, with patrons crowding the outer perimeter instead. Only the brave sat front and c

What do Jay-Z, Jim Carrey, Jake Gyllenhaal and Sacramento comedian Mike E. Winfield have in common? They are all scheduled to appear this week on CBS's “Late Show With David Letterman.” "It was an AMAZING experience," Winfield said when asked to describe his recent appearance. Winfield is no stranger to performing his unique brand of standup on television. He’s been featured on Showtime’s “Comics Without Borders,” hosted by Russell Peters, “Comicview” on BET, “Comics Unleashed” with Byron Allen, “Last Comic Standing” on NBC and “Live at Gotham” on Comedy Central. Quite the resume for a man who, until recently was a grocery clerk working at the local supermarket chain. At AmericasComedy

No one ever accused comedian and writer Laurie Kilmartin of being being "Mommy Dearest," but then again, she hasn't received her "Mother of the Year" award yet either. But the good news is that you can watch Kilmartin’s piercing insight and bald sarcasm at The Sacramento Punchline, where she will regale you into joyful delirium on Aug. 13 and 14. A seasoned comedian and writer, Kilmartin is back in Los Angeles for a while (or, at least, until the lease on her apartment expires) after being voted off as one of the top-10 finalists of “Last Comic Standing’s” season seven. Not to worry, however. Kilmartin, a noted and sought-after comedy writer who moved to back to California from New York

A SacramentoComedy.Com Interview You may not think that the name “Ralphie” is something you would call a390-pound man. But, in the case of comedian Ralphie May, it's just fine. May, 38, who was named one of the "Top 10 Comics To Watch" in 2008 by“Variety Magazine,” was given that nickname as a young boy growing up deep in the heart of the south. May, who will be performing his two-hour show Thursday at The Crest Theatre, likes to tell people that his shows are about two hours in length for a reason. "My average fan works for about $20 per hour, if they are lucky enough to have a job," he chuckled, "and then factoring in insurance, taxes and such, they're maybe bringing home $15 per hour

A SacramentoComedy.Com Interview From homeless to headliner, Dat Phan knows what it means to work hard to achieve your goals. His story is another "American dream" come true for someone willing to put it all out there. Phan, the youngest of 10 kids, started in Saigon, Vietnam, and landed in the ghettos of San Diego with his mother. There were times when they slept on bus benches. "I credit my mom for keeping me out of gangs as a child,” Phan said. “My babysitter was Cox Cable, and it kept me off the streets." It was during this period that he was inspired by the celebrities he watched on TV. "It was during the time that Michael Jackson was still black and awesome!" This all was happe

Lavell Crawford is one of the biggest comics standing. No, really. He's big! I got a chance to talk to Crawford as he was preparing to leave his southern California home for a series of shows in Sacramento and the Bay Area. Much of Crawford's act focuses on his childhood, his weight and about people's misconception of larger size people. "I just talk about the adversity and funny things about being a big guy." My mom was like a mother and father. She did a lot of funny things and a lot of contradictory things... I was a chunky kid and she would tell me that I couldn't fit into my school clothes but then told me I had to clean my plate! When I hurt my leg, she would give me a cookie inste