I’m writing direct from the California Comedy Festival – the annual inaugural California Comedy Festival that is! It only makes sense - with pretty much every other state having their own festival - that the home of TV has its own festival.

And here it is – I just hope it hangs round. 2007 is the first year of the fest. It’s a creation of Hale Yes Productions and Rebels of Comedy and as we sit here in the midst of the semi finals week, so far they’re doing well!

The festival was broken up into eight preliminary shows with four categories: clean, on the edge, woman and fresh faces. The venues hosting the festival are the Hollywood Improv, the Ice House, the Comedy Union and the Downtown comedy club.

From the preliminaries, approximately six from each category went through to the semis and in each category of the semis, two go through to the big shamoozle which down in Long Beach at a night club (interesting I know)!!!

I promised them I would write all of this before the end of the show tonight because if I don’t make it through to the final…well, this could be a different entry.

The level of comedy hasn’t exactly been the best Cali has to offer but it’s been a very good assortment of the comedians that you will one day see up at the top. The festival has been a place for those less a know comedians to get some great stage time and be part of a festival which will hopefully become a regular fixture in the comedy year, which runs from March to February if you were wondering : )

One thing is for sure– the festival has been run with military precision by the men in the best suits in comedy.

It’s a wonderful thing that this festival is now in existence. It’s been far too long without one in LA.

We’re only two days away from Punchline Magazine’s two-year anniversary show at Comix in New York. As you can see from the slick poster in the window of Comix, Dave Attell (pictured above), Gary Gulman, Russ Meneve (pictured above), Pete Dominick and Ray Ellin are all set to appear.

This is a powerhouse of a lineup. And for not a lot of cash. Get this. If you order your tickets online anytime today through Monday (tomorrow) and type in the code PUNCH or PUNCHVIP (try both) you’ll get your tickets for $10 a pop! If you wait til the day of the show it’s $20.

The show is being co-sponsored by our friends at The Onion and at DailyComedy.com; part of the proceeds will benefit the Epilepsy Foundation. So what are you waiting for? Snag yourself some tickets!

LA-based comic and, ahem, one of our very own bloggers Georgria Van C, it seems has a rather popular video up on the rather popular video site Funny or Die. So, on this lazy Sunday or whenever you’re reading this, take some time to check out “The Aussie Fix-It Chick.”

The performer left the stage to a thunderous standing ovation only to return from the darkened curtains with a large white bucket that had the words, “these are my shoes,” strewn across it. Inside this bucket; actual shoes. He ran along the edge of the stage generously pouring out heels, pumps, and sneakers to the audience members who were extending out there hands like a baby chic sticks out their beak when hungry. With a now empty bucket in hand, the entertainer singled out someone in the front row and handed him this bucket. That lucky bucket recipient was me.

Overcome with enthusiasm, I wondered how on Earth I was fortunate enough to be deemed worthy of such a receptacle. As my mind pondered, people were tossing their standard variety issued shoes back into my new bucket.

“Hey,” I said to my wife. “What’s the matter with these people? Free Shoes.”

She insisted that I not keep the bucket but place it back on the stage instead, worried that someone from the production team might be angered that I’m walking away with it. But I anti-insisted and kept it. Along with all my new shoes inside.

As we made our way out of the theater, several people approached me, very politely requesting some foot worn treasure from the bucket. I had no choice but to give in. After all, Spiderman once said that “with great power comes great responsibility.” I was tested once again in the doorway of my hotel when a large colorfully dressed woman offered to buy my bucket. I gave her a free shoe instead.

While in the elevator on the way to our room, my wife expressed her still lingering amazement that I had even thought to take this bucket with me. She asked to see the last pair of sneakers and when I lifted them out I saw for the first time, a special message inscribed by the previous bucket owner.

“You kept my bucket!!”

Indeed, I had.

The bucket became my muse. I found myself inspired to conjure up some comedic imagery that juxtapositioned a bucket into otherwise normal life situations. It was funny and now I fully understand why. This bucket is magical. It’s a magical joke making machine.

I’ve discovered that whatever you fill the bucket with that is in fact not shoes becomes a punchline. And so I embark on a new comedic journey of awarness. One full of the unknown. Full of successes and full of failures. But by my journey’s end, I will have found the perfect group of items. Objects that do not go on feet that I can place in my bucket which will in turn subtly state in silence that “these are my shoes.”

Come back to PunchlineMagazine.com on Oct. 8 to read a great interview with this awesome comic AND read the review about his upcoming one-hour special on Comedy Central. (You could also just subscribe to the free newsletter.)

Punchline Magazine, with the help of sponsors The Onion and DailyComedy.com are hosting a night of comedy Oct. 2 in New York City. Scheduled to appear are: Dave Attell, Gary Gulman, Russ Meneve, Pete Dominick and Ray Ellin.

A portion of the proceeds are going to the Epilepsy Foundation. To win yourself a pair of tickets from our friends at RooftopComedy, simply send us a photo to comics [at] punchlinemagazine [dot] com of you enjoying (be creative) Punchline Magazine.

Make sure the subject line reads: COMIX SHOW.

The first one to send us a photo wins!

I stumbled upon this story about aspiring Arizona stand-up comic Randy Hausner. It seems that in this case, the comic of the family is actually a bit more well adjusted than at least one other family member—his brother Dale, who, in Aug. 2006 was arrested on a few murder and attempted murder charges.

So instead of hiding from his name, Randy has tried his best to embrace it and use what he can about his brother’s incarceration to his comedic benefit:

“People asked me, ‘Didn’t you see any signs?’ ” Hausner said. “I said I saw him feeding some ducks. Didn’t think that was unusual. Of course, he was feeding them to his pit bull.”

Check out the article in today’s Arizona Republic to learn more. It’s an interesting read to say the least.

The Bastion, a blog out of Chicago that covers all things comedy as it relates to the Windy City, did a nice interview with me. Ever since we became BFFs with the Lakeshore Theater in said city, having sponsored a Todd Barry show there Sept. 8, it seems Chicago has embraced Punchline Magazine– or at least The Bastion and the Lakeshore Theater has.

Oprah, you’re next! Open those friendly arms and flash us that warm smile. We’re coming for you, babycakes!

Fuzzy Gerdes, from Chicago, Ill just won himself four comedy albums from Stand-up! Records. It won’t be long until Fuzzy will be laughing to Maria Bamford, Doug Stanhope, Jonathan Katz and Sean Rouse.

We still have a few prize packs left. All you need to do is send us a photo (like the one above) of you enjoying Punchline Magazine and then we send you some albums. Pretty easy, eh? Well, do it already!

Michael Ian Black has gone stand-up. And Comedy Central Records is putting out his first album this Tues., Sept. 25. For your listening pleasure, here’s a sample track from I Am A Wonderful Man.

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Make sure you keep your eyes on our front page. This coming week we’ll be rolling out a very in-depth, highly entertaining interview with Black.

“Maybe he was just tired of kicking so much ass at everything,” say fans of Dane Cook.

“Maybe he enjoys not kicking ass at another thing,” say those who don’t like the SuFi guy.

What do you say?