Joy Gohring

I had a class with Joy at UCLA and she mentioned she was a comedian but like most people in LA I thought she was a waitress. I am happy to report that I was wrong and Joy is a pro comedian. She was in Good Girls Don't and played pretty much the same girl I dated in college. Joy is going to be a mega star. She has talent. Her stand up kicks ass as she usually plays a crazy stalker who preys on a male audience member and hikes up her underwear to her neck. You can catch her on Youtube or her website TheJOYSHOW.COM. She is one of my favorites.

Patton Oswald

Phil Hartman

Comedian Phil Hartman Is Shot to Death in His Home

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By JAMES STERNGOLD

Published: May 29, 1998

Phil Hartman, the versatile comedian known for his roles on ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''Newsradio,'' was shot to death in his home this morning, apparently by his wife, who then took her own life as officers ushered the couple's two children from the house, the police said.

Police officers at the scene, in the leafy suburb of Encino, said that while they believed the case was a murder-suicide, they had not determined what the motive might have been for Mr. Hartman's wife, Brynn, 40.

The couple's two children were at the house when the shooting occurred, the police said, and were distraught.

Several close friends of the couple said Mrs. Hartman had a history of drug and alcohol problems and had been in and out of rehabilitation programs. They said they did not think Mrs. Hartman's substance abuse problems explained the actions this morning.

The police would not comment on whether there was a suicide note or provide any explanation for the shootings.

Officers said they received a call about 6:20 A.M. from a neighbor who reported having heard a gunshot from Mr. Hartman's gated house, on a street of large houses in the San Fernando Valley community, just off busy Ventura Boulevard.

The police arrived a few minutes later with sirens blaring and found the front door open and the two children just inside, said Lieut. Anthony Alba of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The officers took the boy, 9-year-old Sean, to their cars and then went back to get the daughter, Birgen, 6. While they were trying to get her out the door the officers heard a gun shot from the rear of the house, Lieutenant Alba said.

When the police went to the master bedroom they found Mr. Hartman lying on the bed, apparently dead for some time. Ms. Hartman was lying dead elsewhere in the room, the police said.

Friends of the couple said the news was a shock. Tony Penn, the manager of the Buca di Beppoa restaurant nearby, said, the Hartmans ate there often and that Ms. Hartman had had dinner on Wednesday evening with a female friend and had seemed friendly and calm.

The actor Steve Guttenberg, a friend of Mr. Hartman, said, as many other of Mr. Hartman's friends did, that Mr. Hartman had been a remarkably well-liked actor who was talented and enjoyed his success.

''He loved every moment of his life,'' said Brad Grey, a friend and the chairman of Brillstein-Grey, the company that managed Mr. Hartman's career. ''He was tickled by his success and he was grateful for it. He was one of the good guys.''

Mr. Hartman, 49, was known for his impersonations of President Clinton on ''Saturday Night Live,'' and his roles in a number of movies, like ''Jingle All the Way,'' as well as for his voice on animated shows like the ''Simpsons.''

Mr. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, and was reared in Connecticut and Southern California, becoming an American citizen nine years ago. He had two brothers and five sisters. He studied graphic design at California State University at Northridge and initially built a career designing album covers for rock groups like Poco, America and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

But he loved doing stand-up comedy and he made the leap to acting full time in 1975, when he joined a local improvisational comedy troupe called the Groundlings.

''That was the beginning of the beginning,'' Mr. Hartman said in a television interview several years ago. He said he almost gave up before receiving his big break in 1986, when he became a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live.''

He quickly established himself by playing happy go-lucky losers and through impersonations. ''I sort of fell into this middle ground, average schmo kind of guy,'' he said in the interview, adding that he broke free by inventing personalities. ''My greatest strength is my versatility.''

Allison Kingsley, executive director of the Groundlings Theater, said: ''Phil was one of the more remarkable talents that has come from this theater and he certainly never forgot where he came from. He was always an inspiration to others who were starting out here.''

Richard Jenni

RJ was getting an award in Vegas in 1993 I think. I was at Bally's  and he was with a young chick smoking and drinking like he should have. I was with my dad who didn't know who the hell RJ was. My dad looks at RJ and tells him to put his cigarette out. This was around the time eating right and not smoking were a bad thing and my dad jumped on that band wagon. RJ is eating lobster with butter so my dad says, "You better watch your cholesterol too." So RJ gives my dad a "whatever jackass" look and I try to act like I'm not related. That night RJ has an interview and he's asked if there are any people he hates and he says," Yeah, people who tell me not to smoke or eat butter. Give me a pound of butter and a carton of cigarettes." There was also a huge billboard of RJ up in the casino. I pointed it out to my dad. I loved Richard Jenni from then on. RIP buddy.

Sinbad

Wikipedia Hoax: Comedian Sinbad Is Dead

Thursday March 15, 2007

The emails started coming in early this morning, headers blaring "Sinbad, the comedian, died today, heart attack." Attached was an excerpt from the freshly-revised Wikipedia entry on the 50-year-old entertainer, born David Adkins on November 10, 1956, which contained the sentence, "He succumbed to a fatal heart attack on the morning of March, 14, 2007."

It is a hoax. The revision history of the Wikipedia article shows that it was repeatedly vandalized, corrected, and vandalized again beginning on March 14 and continuing until it was closed to further editing 24 hours later. When last I checked, the entry was correct.

I have spoken with a representative at Sinbad's production company, David & Goliath Productions, who said that Sinbad is alive and well, and any rumor to the contrary is false.

Rodney Dangerfield

	Trimark Pictures Rodney Dangerfield in 1999. ARTICLE TOOLS E-Mail This Article Printer-Friendly Format Most E-Mailed Articles Reprints & Permissions MULTIMEDIA Video: Rodney Dangerfield Obituary  FILMOGRAPHY Rodney Dangerfield TIMES NEWS TRACKER   Topics Alerts Deaths (Obituaries) Comedy and Humor Dangerfield, Rodney Lennox McLendon/Associated Press Mr. Dangerfield was known for his catchy one-liners such as "I don't get no respect." All the news that's fit to debate.
			Rodney Dangerfield, Comic Seeking Respect, Dies at 82 By MEL WATKINS Published: October 6, 2004 odney Dangerfield, the paunchy, goggle-eyed comedian whose fidgety delivery and sad-sack catch phrase "I don't get no respect" brought him cult status and eventually wider fame, died yesterday in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 82. The cause was complications after heart valve replacement surgery in August, said his spokesman, Kevin Sasaki. Mr. Dangerfield's health had been deteriorating in the last 18 months, although he had made a handful of television appearances. Advertisement Advertise on NYTimes.com Mr. Dangerfield's big break came in 1967 when, at 44 and relatively unknown, he won a spot on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Introducing a stream of lugubrious one-liners with his loser's prologue - "Nothing goes right for me" - he became a favorite guest on shows whose hosts included Steve Allen, Joey Bishop, Joan Rivers, Dean Martin, Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin. With a rumpled suit and one hand perpetually loosening his trademark red necktie, Mr. Dangerfield took the stage as a hapless, self-deprecating Everyman slapped around by life and searching in vain for acceptance. It was a role that he had had some experience with offstage. But for his audiences, it was one laugh after another, from gag lines like these: "I was an ugly child. I got lost on the beach. I asked a cop if he could find my parents. He said, 'I don't know. There's lots of places for them to hide.' " Or: "My fan club broke up. The guy died." Or: "Last week my house was on fire. My wife told the kids, 'Be quiet, you'll wake up Daddy.' " Or: "I was ugly, very ugly. When I was born, the doctor smacked my mother." His popularity grew steadily, and in 1969 he opened his own comedy club in New York. With its namesake owner as a regular headliner, Dangerfield's, at First Avenue and 61st Street, soon became one of the city's hottest comedy showcases. In 1972, after seeing the Francis Ford Coppola movie "The Godfather," he came up with a new angle that would reshape his routine. "All I heard was the word 'respect,' " he recalled. " 'You've got to give me respect,' or 'Respect him.' I thought to myself: It sounds like a funny image - a guy who gets no respect. Maybe I'll write a joke, and I'll try it." The shift in his act was subtle, but it struck a chord in fans that far exceeded his expectations. His image as the ultimate loser was established, and, during the next few decades, through his comedy recordings and work in nightclubs, films and television, he emerged as one of this country's best-known comedians. Mr. Dangerfield's first comedy album, "No Respect," won a Grammy Award in 1981. In 1984 his song "Rappin' Rodney," one of his most popular recordings, included these lyrics: "I'm gettin' old, it's hard to face. During sex I lose my place. Steak and sex, my favorite pair. I have 'em both the same way - very rare." He starred in more than a half-dozen HBO comedy specials and appeared on NBC's "Tonight Show" more than 70 times. In movie roles he sometimes found himself cast against type. He was a nouveau-riche boor who tries to buy a country club in "Caddyshack" (1980) and a wealthy businessman who matriculates at his son's college in "Back to School" (1986). In a rare dramatic appearance, he played a belligerent, abusive father in Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" (1994). Rodney Dangerfield - his real name was Jacob Cohen, but a nightclub owner suggested Rodney Dangerfield - was born in Babylon, N.Y., on Long Island, in 1921. The early departure of his father, a vaudeville comedian, and his upbringing by a mother whom he described as overbearing contributed to a troubled childhood and fits of depression that he later said had required regular visits to psychiatrists throughout his life. In his late teens, Mr. Dangerfield took his jokes to the stage. He started as a singing waiter and comic under the name Jack Roy in a Brooklyn nightclub and later bounced around dingy joints in places like Staten Island, the Bronx, and Bayonne, N.J., and worked Catskills resorts as a standup. Tales of his hard-knock experiences with club owners and unappreciative audiences became legend among comics. After a particularly humiliating experience at a Catskills hotel in the early 1950's, he quit show business. "To give you an idea of how well I was doing at the time I quit," he recalled later, "I was the only one who knew I quit." The hiatus lasted for more than a dozen years, during which Mr. Dangerfield began businesses as a paint salesman and a house painter, and lived with his first wife, Joyce Indig, a singer, and their family in Englewood, N.J. The couple divorced in 1961. Mr. Dangerfield is survived by his children, Brian and Melanie, from his first marriage, and by his second wife, Joan Child, whom he married in 1993. Still, he remained a rarity among comedians in the late 20th century - he remained a one-liner comic of the old school whose best work was done before a live audience. "There are few comedians who have built an entire career around standup - Rodney Dangerfield comes to mind first," said George Carlin, whose own comedy is often built around complex, socially relevant issues. "And everyone who has been successful at it does it by creating a unique identity."

Don Rickles

Don Rickles: At 81, Still Adding Insult to Comedy

By Matt Hurwitz

Special to The Washington Post 
Sunday, December 2, 2007; Page M05

"Hurwitz -- you're Jewish?" Don Rickles asks. Of course, I say, adding that my fiancee is Mexican.

Rickles is concerned: "Is your family happy about the Mexican girl?" Yeah, no problem.

He kids because he loves: "I'm like a fighter," says Rickles, the subject of an HBO documentary tonight. "I always throw my best punch." (By Anne Cusack -- Los Angeles Times) TOOLBOX  Resize Text  Save/Share +  Print This  E-mail This COMMENT  washingtonpost.com readers have posted 2 comments about this item. View All Comments » Comments are closed for this item.  Discussion Policy WHO'S BLOGGING » Links to this article

"Oh, all right. On Yom Kippur, we'll give her a taco and send her home early."

Bingo. My own personal Don Rickles insult. "It's not really an insult," the 81-year-old comic explains. "It's just an exaggeration. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been headlining for 50-odd years."

And for that 50-odd years, "he has essentially done the same material. . . .," director John Landis says. "And what's amazing is: one, it's still shocking; two, it's still funny; and three, he doesn't really offend anybody."

Even more incredible, says actor and pal Sidney Poitier, "people come looking for it."

And they continue to come looking for it, as seen in Landis's new HBO documentary, "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project," which premieres tonight. The movie contains live performance footage of the comedian at Las Vegas's Sahara Hotel -- something he has never previously allowed to be filmed -- and interviews with more than 50 friends and colleagues, including Clint Eastwood, Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Martin Scorsese, Joan Rivers, Sarah Silvermanand others, including his best buddy, Bob Newhart.

"No one can steal Don's material," Newhart says. "Because Don is just doing Don. And no one can do Don."

Not that people don't try. "It's like being at the zoo and watching kids taunt the leopard," Newhart continues. "The zookeeper says, 'Kid, I wouldn't do that if I were you.' Well, the equivalent with Don is when people come up to him and try to 'do' him. You want to go, 'Please. . . . don't do that. You're going to regret doing that -- trust me. You're just playing with fire.' "

For all his fame as a comic, Rickles began his career as an actor. After getting out of the Navy in the '40s, he studied at New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts alongside the likes of Jason Robards and Anne Bancroft. "I auditioned for [the academy] and they accepted me -- ask me why, I don't know," he says. He spent the next few years working Broadway, finally deciding to take a whack at comedy.

Like most comics of the day, he first worked in burlesque, entertaining the audience in between performances by strippers. "They were called 'striptease joints,' but by today's standards, they're nothing," he says. "Just little tassels on the boobs, and that was a big deal."

Although he could do a few impressions, telling jokes was not his forte. "To this day, if you gave me $1,000, I can't tell a joke. But I can make it a joke, out of an exaggeration," which he did, poking fun at the drunken sailors in the audience.

Melrose Larry Green

National Comedy Correspondent Timmy met MLG while hiking at Runyan Canyon on saturday. MLG gave Timmy his card and stated he was on the Howard Stern Show. MLG did some great bits on Howard but its been awhile. He was a solid player. Timmy says MLG was singing and screaming at people and just wrote a book. You can check it out on Melroselarry.com Timmy said he had a couple of funny things to say but Timmy wouldn't go pay to see him in a comedy club.

Bobby Slayton

National Comedy Correspondent Timmy says Bobby is a must see but if you don't like f-bombs you should stay away. Timmy says you will be laughing all night long. Timmy says don't sit in front because Bobby can talk and he will mess with you and make you part of the show. Timmy says people get up and leave because they are so upset when Bobby dogs on them. In Sactown Bobby got punched in the face by some sore ass in the audience. Now that's talent. Timmy says that over 10 years he's never changed his act which is one of the things Timmy no likie. Other than that Timmy gives him a (9).

Dana Eagle

Dana Eagle has the privilege of being the first comedian to be critiqued. Why her you ask? Because she tried to sell her underwear after her show in Hermosa at Hermosa Comedy club. The second reason is that she claims to be a lesbian and who doesn't love a lesbian. Her website,  www.danaEagle.com, describes her as a misfit, self deprecating, off beat, and inspiring. I would agree and if she is going for awkward she hit the nail on the head. The crowd didn't know what to make of her that night and for that reason I liked her. She is different with her act. I like this kind of comedy with an edge. Like Morrisey trying to kill himself in my bathroom. She is the lonely Librarian waiting to attack you. 

Lenny Bruce

The Joke Gym

The Joke Gym happens at ZAPATA VIVE Mexican Restaurant 101 S. First Avenue Arcadia, CA 91006 MAP Are you a comic? Find out how you can  work out at The Joke Gym. Check our blog See who has performed, check out the photos and leave pithy comments. Join our email list.  No spam, just show announcements via our Yahoo! Group: Click to join TheJokeGym The Joke Gym is produced by Scott Shimamoto  and Paula Johnson.

Stand-up comedy comes to Arcadia! Like to laugh? The Joke Gym takes over the back room at Zapata Vive at 7 p.m. on the first and thirdThursday of every month. We welcome more than a dozen comics in the open mic, and then close the show with a featured comedian. Free parking, no cover charge, just lots and lots of laughs. Bring your friends for a great evening of anything-goes comedy. NEXT SHOW: Thursday, September 4, 2008 7 to 9 p.m. Open mic signups start at 6:30 Featured comedian Carl Kozlowski and more comics in the open mic! SAVE THE DATES! Sept. 18: Grant Cotter Oct. 2: Richard Weiss Oct. 16: Mark Ofuji Nov. 6: Keith Michael Ashton Nov. 20: Al Berman Dec. 4: Anthony Browning Dec. 18: Holiday fun! Watch for details 2009 Jan. 1: No show!  Jan. 15 Feb. 5 Feb. 19: Our one-year anniversary! March 5 March 19 April 2 April 16 May 7: May 21: June 4 June 18 July 2 July 16: Aug. 6 Aug. 20 Sept. 3 Sept. 17 Oct. 1 Oct. 15 Nov. 5 Nov. 19 Dec. 3 Dec. 17

Richard Pryor

Comedian Richard Pryor dies at 65

Actor and comic known for caustic wit suffers apparent heart attack

AP file Comedian-actor Richard Pryor, the caustic yet perceptive actor-comedian who lived dangerously close to the edge both on stage and off, has died, his ex-wife said Saturday. He was 65.

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updated 11:37 a.m. PT, Mon., Dec. 12, 2005

LOS ANGELES - Richard Pryor, the groundbreaking comedian whose profanely personal insights into race relations and modern life made him one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, died of a heart attack Saturday. He was 65.

Pryor died shortly before 8 a.m. after being taken to a hospital from his home in the San Fernando Valley, said his business manager, Karen Finch. He had been ill for years with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the nervous system.

Music producer Quincy Jones described Pryor as a true pioneer of his art.

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In memory of Mitch

Mar 31 2005 3:13 PM EST

Comedian Mitch Hedberg Found Dead In New Jersey Hotel Room

He was 37.

By Chris Harris, with additional reporting by Gil Kaufman

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Comedian Mitch Hedberg was found dead in a New Jersey hotel room Wednesday morning, according to Minnesota's Pioneer Press. He was 37.

The cause of death has not been determined, and details concerning his death have yet to be released. The Pioneer Press reported that Hedberg's family has been told he suffered a heart attack.

The comic — who bore an uncanny resemblance to Rush frontman Geddy Lee and once explained the reason his was not a household name was because most of his fans lived in apartments — spent much of his career straddling that fine line between cult status and relatively larger stardom. Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Hedberg was known for his disheveled hippie look, his relaxed, almost sedate stage manner, and his dawdling delivery — his face forever concealed behind a pair of shades and a wall of floppy bangs.

Much like Steven Wright, Hedberg was a master of the sharp-as-glass-shards one-liner ("Rice is great when you're hungry and want 2,000 of something"; "I would imagine if you understood Morse code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy"; "When someone hands you a flier, it's like they're saying, 'Here, you throw this away.' ") His comical, almost-too-obvious observations about life's subtle peculiarities inspiredTime magazine to declare the stand-up comic "the next Seinfeld" in 2000.

A frequent guest on Howard Stern's morning radio show and "Late Show With David Letterman," Hedberg's résumé also included several television and film roles, including appearances on FOX's "That '70s Show," the NBC comedy series "Ed," and the animated shows "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist" and "Home Movies."

Hedberg also lent his voice to Comedy Central's "Crank Yankers," played the Eagles' road manager in the film "Almost Famous" and wrote, directed, produced and starred in the 1999 independent film "Los Enchiladas!" The film centered on a small Mexican restaurant in Minneapolis, where Hedberg's character, a drifter, was working as a cook until he suddenly found himself in charge of the joint after the manager attacked a customer and the chef left for a better job.

Hedberg's first television appearance came on MTV's stand-up series "Comikaze," a gig he landed by personally pitching his act to the program's talent coordinator. In 1997, he won the grand prize at the Seattle Comedy Competition. Years of headlining club tours followed, and Hedberg eventually secured a development deal with FOX to create a sitcom, though that project never came to fruition. In 2003, Comedy Central Records issued his albums Mitch All Together and Strategic Grill Locations, and sponsored a tour with Hedberg, Lewis Black of "The Daily Show" Dave Attell of "Insomniac."

"He had a heart of gold," his mother, Mary Hedberg, told the Pioneer Press. "He was a brilliant comic and a wonderful person."

Hedberg joked often about drug abuse, but in a recent interview, he said he'd given up smoking marijuana several years ago. "For 10 years, it was amazing, but then I had to give it up because it didn't feel as good," he said. "The audience thinks I'm stoned all the time and I have to write my material that way ... so sometimes, when they come up to me after a show and ask me to join them, I just tell them I'm an undercover cop."

According to an article published in the Los Angeles Times in 2003, Hedberg spent two and a half days in jail, and six weeks in a hospital bed, following his arrest in May of that year for felony heroin possession. But Hedberg said he was arrested for "possession of paraphernalia and pills and things like that. My actual bust was minor. I got a misdemeanor. People used that bust to try and prove that I was busted for having, like, a kilo of heroin on me."

A posting on Comedy Central's Web site reads, "Tragically, Mitch Hedberg passed away this week. Mitch was a beloved member of the Comedy Central family, and we join fans in our sadness. He will be missed."

George Carlin

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George Carlin

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Comedian George Carlin dead at 71

Jun 23, 2008

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Stand-up comedian George Carlin, who became famous for his biting anti-establishment brand of humor, has died in Los Angeles, his publicist confirmed Monday. He was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart problems and had survived three previous heart attacks, died at the Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday at about 6:00 pm (0100 GMT) after being admitted with chest pains.

The New York-born comic was best remembered for his famous routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television." The routine triggered a landmark Supreme Court lawsuit that shaped decency rules for US television and radio.

Carlin, who recently marked 50 years in showbusiness and was performing in Las Vegas, made 22 albums and won four Grammy Awards.

He authored several books, performed on dozens of television shows and appeared in numerous movies.

Born in 1937, Carlin dropped out of school as a 14-year-old and later joined the US Air Force. He got his first taste of standup in the late 1950s and made his television debut on "The Merv Griffin Show" in 1965.

He performed on seminal US network shows such as the "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Tonight Show," where he regularly stood in for Johnny Carson.

But it was the edgier humor of the early 1970s and his "Dirty Words" skit that he will be best remembered for.

The routine saw him arrested for obscenity in 1972 at a comedy festival in Milwaukee and when the Pacifia radio station broadcast a version of it in 1973, the station was sued by the Federal Communications Commission.

The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled narrowly in favor of the FCC, a court order that established indecency regulation in US broadcasting.

Just too funny

Bigfoot tricksters blame hoax on promoter

Middleman has filed theft complaint against the men

By KATHY JEFCOATS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Two Clayton County men who “punk’d” the world with a bogus Bigfoot discovery were pawns of a promoter who promised them books and movie deals, the pair’s attorney said Friday.

Now that Matt Whitton and Rick Dyer have walked away with $50,000, a purported middleman is out the money, and promoter Tom Biscardi of California is left holding a Halloween costume filled with road kill, the public may be wondering if the tail is now wagging the dog.

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Associated Press

Rick Dyer (left) and Matthew Whitton answer questions during a news conference Aug. 15 in Palo Alto, Calif., to announce what they claimed was a deceased Bigfoot in their possession.

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searchingforbigfoot.com

The frozen, furry object turned out to be a Halloween costume.

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• Clayton police officer fired over Bigfoot hoax

A police report filed Thursday by an Indiana man who said he fronted the $50,000 on behalf of Biscardi alleges Whitton and Dyer took the money “by deceitful means” in exchange for the frozen carcass of a Bigfoot-like creature they claimed to have found in north Georgia.

But the men’s attorney, Steve Lister of Jonesboro, said the money was for publicizing the alleged find that Biscardi knew to be fabricated.

“My clients were paid a promotional fee,” Lister said. “This started out as fun for them. Now they are caught in the middle of damage control by the ‘big’ Bigfoot. That’s what this is.”

Biscardi did not return a phone call Friday asking for comment.

Lister said his clients will cooperate with police.

“These guys haven’t done anything wrong,” Lister said. “They did what they were supposed to do – Biscardi told them to create the body – but it fell apart. They are ready for this to go away now.”

Lister declined to make his clients available for comment now that an investigation is pending, and said he doesn’t know what became of the $50,000. “They didn’t give it to their attorney, I can tell you that,” he said.

Whitton, hailed as a hero last month when he was shot by a robbery suspect, lost his six-year job with Clayton Police Department because of the hoax.

Dyer worked as a state corrections officer 2004-2006 but now drives a truck for Big Foot Towing Co. of Forest Park and sells used cars online.

Neither man is talking to the media since a WSB-TV report Wednesday in which they admitted to the hoax and expressed disbelief that the public actually bought the story.

Little is known about Whitton, 28, beyond the fact he was a Clayton police officer. Police said his personnel file and four closed Internal Affairs investigation files will be available next week.

The Georgia Department of Corrections has not yet responded to an open records request for Dyer’s personnel file.

A search of Clayton court records paints a picture of Dyer, 31, as someone plagued by financial struggles.

Records show an auto finance company won a default judgment against Dyer in 2001 for more than $15,000.

According to a child-support complaint filed by his ex-wife in 2004, Dyer went AWOL from the U.S. Army in June 2002 and was discharged in January 2004.

In July 2006, a customer won a default judgment against Dyer in Clayton Magistrate Court after claiming Dyer sold him a “broken” 1984 Chevrolet Corvette for $3,800.

Dyer faces an open complaint in the same court alleging a debt of several thousand dollars.

Other demands for money were dismissed in three separate suits, records show.

Clayton police took a theft complaint report Thursday from Indiana investor William Wald Lett Jr., who said he fronted the $50,000 as a favor to Biscardi. Lett told police he expected Biscardi to pay him $50,000 plus $25,000 interest in 90 days.

After the hoax was revealed, Lett said he immediately tried to get the money back from Whitton and Dyer. Clayton police Capt. Greg Dickens said Friday the complaint is a pending investigation.

Bill Hicks

Russell Crowe in Bill Hicks Biopic?

Posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 7:43 pm by: Peter Sciretta

Russell Crowe revealed to the Sydney Morning Herald, that he might be playing Bill Hicks in an upcoming biopic, which is progressing from “treatment to draft stage with Kiwi writer by Mark Staufer.”

Hicks was a successful stand-up/rant comedian in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s, once voted “Hot Standup Comic by Rolling Stone Magazine, and listed at #19 on Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time. Hicks battled drug and alcohol abuse before dying from pancreatic cancer at 32-years-old. Talk of a biopic began in 2004 at Paramount Pictures, but the project never got off the ground. For those who haven’t experienced Hicks’ comedy, check out his NSFW bit on marketing after the jump.

Thanks to FlicksNews for passing this along.

Bernie Mac

Aug 9 2008 10:39 AM EDT

Bernie Mac Dead At 50

Actor was hospitalized for pneumonia last week.

By Jem Aswad and Jocelyn Vena

Views	71,931

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Bernie Mac, the actor and comedian who worked his way to stardom from humble beginnings on Chicago's tough South Side, died early Saturday at the age of 50, according to The Associated Press.

"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement. She said no other details were available and requested that his family's privacy be respected. Earlier this week she had said reports of Mac's serious illness were overstated and that he was expected to make a full recovery.

In recent years, Mac (real name: Bernard Jeffery McCullough) had battled an inflammatory lung disease known as sarcoidosis, which causes inflammation in the lungs, lymph nodes and other organs. It had been in remission since 2005, and Smith had said Mac's pneumonia was not related to it.

In addition to his appearance in last year's hit "Transformers," Mac had recently been working on the TV series "Starting Under," as well as several films, including the Samuel L. Jackson flick "Soul Men" (slated for release later this year) and the John Travolta comedy "Old Dogs," which is scheduled for a 2009 release. The status of those films was unclear at press time.

Recently Mac made headlines when he attended a Barack Obama fundraiser and made a few lighthearted comments about the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. "I'm proud of him because politics is dirty, especially with Republicans," he said. "People like rumors. They are going to say things like, you know, 'You was in the club with Lil' Kim, and you and Kanye West got in a fistfight.' " The comments garnered a rebuke from Obama's campaign.

Mac (Bernard Jeffrey McCullough) was born on October 5, 1957, in Chicago, and grew up on the city's South Side, according to AP. His first standup performance was at a church dinner when he was 8, and he began doing standup at clubs in Chicago at 20. His film career began with a small role in "Mo' Money" in 1992. Mac went on to appear in the "Ocean's 11" films with Brad Pitt and George Clooney, "Guess Who" with Ashton Kutcher, "Bad Santa," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and other films.

Mac is perhaps best known for his Fox television series "The Bernie Mac Show," which aired from 2001 to 2006. The series, about a man's adventures raising his sister's three children, won a Peabody Award in 2002, and earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mac. He also was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy album in 2001, with his "The Original Kings of Comedy" co-stars, Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric the Entertainer.

Mac is survived by his wife, Rhonda McCullough, their daughter, Je'Niece, a son-in-law and a granddaughter.

Richard Jeni

Comedian Richard Jeni Dead at 45

Posted Mar 12th 2007 12:00AM by TMZ Staff

Richard Jeni, a beloved standup comedian who was a regular on the "Tonight Show," died of a gunshot wound Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 45.

Police said yesterday, as reported by the AP, that the comic was found alive but injured after they responded to a call from Jeni's girlfriend that he had shot himself. Jeni died later in an L.A. hospital. An LAPD spokesperson said that an investigation into the death was continuing.

Besides his numerous appearances on the "Tonight Show" and on cable comedy specials including "A Big Steaming Pile of Me," Jeni acted in "The Mask" and "National Lampoon's Dad's Day Off."

Andy Dick

Andy Dick Arrested

Cops: Comedian groped, exposed breasts of 17-year-old California girl

JULY 16--Comedian Andy Dick was arrested this morning by California cops on drug and sexual battery charges. Dick, 42, was nabbed around 2 AM in a Riverside County parking lot after he allegedly groped the breasts of a 17-year-old girl and then pulled the teen's tank top and bra down, exposing her breasts (the incident occurred outside the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant). During a search of Dick, police discovered a small amount of marijuana in his pants pocket and a single Xanax pill for which he did not have a prescription. An "extremely intoxicated" Dick was booked into the Southwest Detention Center, where bail was set at $5,000. In May 2004, Dick was arrested on a pot possession charge while attending the Coachella music festival, also in Riverside County. (2 pages)