J. Anthony Brown, Bobby Collins and more -- It's Laugh Track for Aug. 14-17

by Michael K. McIntyre

Tuesday August 12, 2008, 1:48 PM

J. Anthony Brown

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the host of the Laugh Track column, a man who lost every last dollar on a vacation get-rich-quick scheme ... Mike McIntyre.

Thank you, Cleveland! I don't know what kind of marketing genius this Suzie is, but I can tell you from experience: Nobody wants to buy seashells by the seashore.

Off the air: J. Anthony Brown brings his variety act of a stand-up show to the Improv this weekend. He'll even find a remote studio to do his day job on Friday as co-host of the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Radio Show.

Whether parodying a song, impersonating a reverend, selling watches and suits or telling jokes, Brown always seems like he's having a good time. Why?

"Because I am always having a good time," he said. "The secret for me is I found something I truly love doing in comedy and I would do it for free."

Brown started out as a tailor, then switched to comedian, then radio host. All of the jobs fit him like a well-made suit.

"The radio show, we are never in the same room. We're all over the country. It's like a four-hour phone call that's been going on every day for 12 years," he said. "We are a well-oiled machine."

Brown, whose comic inspiration is Jonathan Winters, promises song parodies, film clips and general zaniness onstage. "It's like a variety show," he said. "I am old school."

Details: Brown performs at 8 and 10:15 p.m. Friday and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Improv in the Powerhouse, 2000 Sycamore St. on the west bank of Cleveland's Flats. Tickets are $31. Call 216-696-4677.

Cleveland vacation: Comedy good guy Bobby Collins usually comes to Cleveland during blizzard season. When the schedule called for an August gig, he told the family it was time for a North Coast vacation.

"I never take the family on the road and if they do go they want to go to Florida or Hawaii," said Collins. "My wife said, 'Cleveland?' and I said, 'You'll love it and you'll love the people. They're down to earth and they're real.' "

One of his daughters checked the Internet and got excited about Cedar Point, the University Circle museums and the Rock Hall. Oh, and there's a good comedy show at Hilarities, too.

Details: Collins performs at 8 p.m. Thursday ($20), 7:30 and 10:15 p.m. Friday ($23) and Saturday ($25) at Hilarities 4th Street Theatre, 2035 East Fourth St., Cleveland. Call 216-736-4242.

Last Call: Keith Carr, 1/4 of the Last Call Cleveland comedy troupe, is moving to Los Angeles. So it's time for a Last Call sendoff performance featuring videos, songs and scenes. Showtime is 8 p.m. Friday at the Powerhouse Pub, across from the Improv in the Powerhouse. Tickets are $5.

Bubbapalooza: The live comedy event presented and hosted by top-rated national satellite radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge begins at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Agora Theatre and Ballroom, 5000 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Bubba and cohorts will feature the show's most popular routines and parodies in a multimedia production. Tickets are $35-$55. Call 216-881-6700 or go to ticketmaster.com.

That's my time. Please don't forget to tip your carrier.