As the brand new host of this summer’s hottest comedy, Bill Bellamy helps to prove once again that “Last Comic Standing” has found a winning formula. This season takes the competition not only to several cities in the U.S., but countries across the globe too as the judges scout new talent in Canada, the U.K. and Australia.


Host Bill Bellamy takes the reigns from Last Comic 4 emcee, Anthony Clark and so far has proven he has the electric personality necessary to make this season of LCS the best yet.


While Bill certainly isn’t making his first foray into the television game, it does seem to be his first great chance to become a household name. “It’s an incredible opportunity that just kind of landed at my doorstep. I really didn’t foresee this and I

definitely didn’t know I would be hosting a show. That is a completely different ball game from what I am used to.”


Bill is obviously a stand-up comic first, then an actor. The host role falls in a mysterious space between. “Most of the things I have done lately have been acting driven. When I got the call for this, I thought ‘Man, this could be kind of cool,’ but I wasn’t really sure. If it could work, I knew that I would be funny, but I have never hosted before, so I hoped people would enjoy seeing me in this role.”


Hosting is vastly different from the standard stand-up bits that Bill has honed to a razor-sharp edge. There are so many occasions where the host doesn’t have the opportunity of having finely tuned comic material to keep the audience interested. They have to explain things, make announcements, introduce other guests, talk to people and ask questions, along with various other potentially mundane tasks. It takes a special and quite often different personality to gain and retain a solid rapport with an audience in this role. But as demonstrated in this season of “Last Comic Standing”, Bill Bellamy is more than capable of handling the task.


“It is totally different from all of the television and film roles I have done in the past. My last TV show was “Fastlane” on Fox, which was a completely scripted action/adventure drama. Acting is so completely different from hosting that is it almost impossible to describe. I knew that I could come in and have fun with it and that is what I did. I figured if I did that, everyone else would have a good time and so far, so good. That combination has worked and the response has been incredible.”


So incredible in fact that NBC recently announced that it is picking up a second season of LCS with Bill, who will be only the second host to stay on for more than one run, the first being Jay Mohr. Bill is incredibly proud of the fact that he has been able to adapt to this role and add another feather in his cap. “Being the host is like being the conductor of the band or the point guard for the ball team. You need to run the offense. The show puts me right up in front and places the responsibility of keeping everything running smoothly squarely on my shoulders. I have to get all of the comics in and out smoothly and fill in the gaps, so it is really important for the flow of the show. I try to bring my personality together with it and it has worked so far.”


Anyone who is familiar with the business of comedy (especially in the college market) will recognize a lot of the faces you see on “Last Comic Standing” as being familiar faces in the market. Maybe the producers and talent scouts are finding that more experienced comics make for better TV, but whatever the case, LCS is not a show just breaking new and raw talent like some of the other popular voting-based shows out there. “I know a lot of these guys and girls that auditioned for this show. There really aren’t a lot of great opportunities for stand-up comics these days and to be able to go out there and do well on a mainstream, prime time, network show… (whistles) …that is like solid gold to a comic. People get to know your name; you can go on the road and then pretty much set yourself up for a pretty comfortable career. Sure, you may not automatically be the next biggest thing, but you can at least make a living for yourself. If you can do TV and do it well, that will increase everything for you ten or even a hundredfold.”


A common misconception is that a lot of these comics walk on this show and hit the stage as near-rookies. A comic may suddenly become the “newest” sensation after doing stand-up for twenty years. Bill explains this is all part of the game and the comics who are really going to make it are the ones who can understand that you always want to find a new audience. “There might be people who see me on this show who have never heard of me before. Instead of that being some sort of insult, it is actually a win-win. Do you get frustrated that you have been playing the game for years, but people still don’t recognize you and think you are a newbee? No, because to them you are a newbee. It doesn’t matter if you have been in the #1 movie, show, book or whatever if they have never seen you. Ego is nothing. You always want to be in front of new people as an entertainer. You always want to increase your fan base and find every single new fan you can. When that happens on a show like ‘Last Comic,’ how can you lose?”


Bill says comics with egos end up nowhere fast. “I think it all depends on the person, what their outlook is and what they want to get out of their careers. There is a difference between wanting to make people laugh and wanting recognition. I can’t generalize too much, but speaking as a comic on behalf of comics, any exposure you can get is vital. Whether it’s TV, movies or radio, anytime other people can hear your point of view, you are making strides. ‘Last Comic Standing’ just happens to be one of the biggest platforms for comics right now, veteran or new.”


Bill knew as soon as he got the call about LCS it could be one of his best breaks, or rather an excellent chance to increase his exposure and find new fans. “I am not an ego-driven person. I have been in this business a long time and I understand what it takes to stay in the business - talent coupled with opportunity. This has been an amazing opportunity for me to showcase my talent.”


By the time you read this, the winner of LCS will have been revealed, but at the time of this writing, the final eight have just been selected. The explosion of international interest in the show and the wider search for talent has led to an incredibly strong season, as Bill reiterates. “I think it is the best season ever. We are in front of the biggest audience we have ever had. We are now open to worldwide voting, which is going to make the participation rate huge. We have great talent scouts in former LCS cast members Kathleen Madigan and Ant and LCS 3 winner Alonzo Bodden. We have me, your brand new host, and the facts are in, it all works. It’s really exciting.”


The international angle of the competition is an important and unprecedented one. This is the first-ever international comedy competition to be televised in prime time. And besides the incredibly increased international audience that Bill mentioned, the talent pool also just got a lot bigger. With more, different and better comics showing up around the world to try out, things are certainly as competitive as ever.


But while there are many more comics to see, Bill says the talent really didn’t differ that much from one country to the other. Oddball senses of humor can come from any country and there doesn’t seem to be any great cultural gap that made the overseas comics much different than those we have here. “Outside of the accents being a little harsh, everyone is English speaking, so it is what it is. We try to make sure the comics stay away from material that is regional, so more people than just the viewers from their area will get the jokes.”


Aside from that, Bill says the only other difference is the natural charm a British accent tends to lend itself to the speaker. “The comics from the U.K. can be telling a bathroom joke and they still sound so eloquent (laughs). Even when it is dirty. It is fun to listen to.”


If it hasn’t become apparent that Bill has fallen into a natural role as a television host, consider that after his signing on and initial success with “Last Comic,” he was approached and enlisted for the role of host in a second show. Obviously he likes the formula and format, as “Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes” is making waves on TV One. An up-and-coming urban network, TV One is grabbing up shares in major markets across the U.S.


“Who’s Got Jokes” is quite similar in format to “Last Comic,” but on a bit of a smaller scale. Set up so that anyone anywhere that is funny can be a part of the action (via sending in video clips like LCS), the show will be airing its second season on that network starting September 8. Interested in participating in a competition and getting on TV but don’t think you have the chops yet for “Last Comic Standing”? Try submitting your own material via TV One’s website and you may be the next act introduced by Bill on “Who’s Got Jokes?”

Bill obviously couldn’t be more pleased with the amount of exposure and incredible reactions he has gotten out of his recent projects and “Who’s Got Jokes?” just seems to be icing on the cake. Heck, besides having a dominant role on the show itself as host, his name is in the freakin’ title of the show. If that is not continued exposure, what is?

“I am really excited about this show as well. TV One is the fastest rising urban network on Time Warner. The show is hilarious. This show and LCS are basically the same show to me. They are both comedy competitions, the key difference is that the comics on “Who’s Got Jokes?” generally haven’t been in the business as long as many of those you see on “Last Comic,” so it is an excellent opportunity for new talent to be seen and break into the public eye.”


Another key difference between “Who’s Got Jokes?” and “Last Comic” is the judges. Whereas the judges (or “talent scouts” as they are referred to this year) on LCS are not only comedy pros but also past alumni on the show itself, the judges on “Who’s Got Jokes?” are regular people like you and I randomly selected out of the audience and given the duty of deciding who was the funniest of the night. “You never know what these folks will say. It makes things hilarious and totally unexpected.


“I am really happy to be where I am now. It is like lightning in a bottle, we have a good thing going here. I like the role of host; I think I am good at it. I don’t know how it happened that I am hosting two different shows at this point in my career but I know it is a good thing. I think the fans like me hosting and we’ll see where it takes us.”


BOOK IT! For more information on bringing the newest host of “Last Comic Standing” to your campus, contact Matt Blake at The Gersh Agency at (310) 205-5895