Funny Flips

HOLLYWOOD- LA’s March Comedy Madness 64 comedian tournament concluded marvelously yesterday at The Comedy Store with the crowning of this year’s champion Adam Yenser.  With some all-star guests and a fun crowd ,the final four comedians performed head-to-head and audience vote determined the winners.

Donning his trusty referee jersey, Josh Filipowski opened the final show of the month-long event, warming up the crowd well and closing with applause after he tagged a failed joke with, “That is why I’m not in this contest.”  Next, 2010 MCM finalist- Mike Lawrence, in town from New York for writing projects, performed his magic on the microphone.  He played for the crowd, and against them, and back to them, toying with the entire concept of comedy and crushing while at it, especially for the on-looking comedians.  He set the audience right up to keep showing love for the final four competitors about to follow.

Starting off the competition, Jamar Neighbors hit hard with his seemingly sporadic and spontaneous stories; delivering big laughs to defeat Dan Madonia who’s mellow methods didn’t grab the audience as shows past.  “I can’t wait for the 4/20 Highlarious show,” Madonia mentioned off stage as a good sport knowing his crowd as Neighbors moved on to the championship round.

Adam Yenser and Bryan Dey battled on the other side of the brackets.  Adam’s consistent hits and pace proved perfect in propelling him through to victory.  Bryan Dey brought it too, charming the crowd with consistent laughs.  The vote was close, but Yenser edged ahead.

Between the Final Four and Championship round, 2011 Champion Samba Schutte graced the stage and crushed with his complete comedy; showing off his multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-hilarious takes on the whacky world we live in where some horses have more movie credits than actors.

In the coin flip before tipping off the championship match, Jamar Neighbors elected to perform after Adam Yenser.  Yenser opened strong and stayed solid all throughout with funny stories from his past like when he lived in New York and locksmith would leave a business card at his door every day. “It’d make a better ad if he left them inside on my pillow.” He was smooth like Steve Kerr in a 3 point contest.  Draining 3 ball after 3 ball, the crowd was his.

Neighbors then led the crowd to big laughs with family stories and got topical with Trayvon Martin. “How do we know he didn’t steal those Skittles in his pocket?”  He worked more like Kobe Bryant.  Where is he going next? And swish he delivers.  In the end, the perpetual punchlines and TNT tags of Yenser reigned supreme.

“His jokes are so well written! I can see why,” Neighbors said.

March Comedy Madness 2012 brought out 64 competing comedians, amazing special guests (Eliot Chang, Rob O’Reilly, Rick Shapiro, Justin Martindale and above mentioned), packed & pretty-packed houses and a month of maddeningly amazing stand-up.  It was the 6th and another successful year of Madness for Josh Filipowski and Like 2 Laugh Productions (www.LIKE2LAUGH.com).  As comedians mingled in the greenroom Neighbors added, “Thank you [Filipowski] for making comedy fun.”

The newly crowned champ Adam Yenser (www.AdamYenser.com) graciously accepted his title & check and acknowledged all his hardworking competitors. “It was a lot of fun and all the comedians were great especially Jamar Neighbors.”

He got more than money and bragging rights (you can tell he is not much of a bragger).  “Winning $250 dulled the pain of not winning the $650 million in Mega Millions,” he quipped.

The Champ’s prize package includes a guest appearance on Toad Hop Network’s Sports Cast: broadcasting from Jon Lovitz Comedy Club (www.ToadHopNetwork.com), acting classes with New British School (www.NewBritishSchool.com), headshots by Gijs van der Most (www.ThatHeadshotGuy.com) and a scheduled weekend spot at The Comedy Store, La Jolla (www.TheComedyStore.com)

“I’m looking forward to that,” the champ said before heading home to work late, as the writing never ends.  We are looking forward to more from Yenser.

MARCH COMEDY MADNESS 2012 LA
In honor of the NCAACollege Basketball Tournament, 64 comedians go one-on-one in this comedy competition hosted and refereed by Josh Filipowski and www.LIKE2LAUGH.com. In each round, two comics perform standup head-to-head and the audience decides the winner! As the field is narrowed down, sets get longer and more hilarious, until the final two comics perform and a champ is crowned 2012 March Comedy Madness Champion.