the comic's comic

Big Time Comedy Show heads to Hollywood for second big-time benefit for Greg Giraldo's family

After putting on the first "Big Time Comedy Show" in NYC in February for the family of the late Greg Giraldo, comedians have organized a second all-star comedy affair to take place on June 29 at the Wiltern in Hollywood.

As you can see, host Tom Papa has assembled some big names to pay tribute to Giraldo and help raise money for his three children as well as for The Greg Giraldo Fund.

Dave Attell, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Jeffrey Ross and Daniel Tosh all are on the bill for the June 29 tribute.

Also performing: Marc Maron, Andy Kindler, Ralphie May.

Tickets are available from $34 to $80 via Live Nation.

Mark your calendar: Greg Giraldo tributes planned March 28 at Gotham Comedy Club

New York City's Gotham Comedy Club will host two additional tributes to the late stand-up comedian Greg Giraldo a week from today on Monday, March 28, with proceeds going to the Greg Giraldo Children's Fund.

Lineups: 7 p.m. hosted by Gabe Liedman with Morgan Murphy, Joe Mande and more; 9 p.m. hosted by Vinnie Brand with Todd Barry, Robert Kelly, Godfrey, John Mulaney, Amy Schumer and more.

Tickets: $20 (ages 18 and older, two-drink minimum applies)

Give It Up For Greg Giraldo by watching his Comedy Central special

It's only been six months since the great stand-up comedian Greg Giraldo died from an accidental overdose. Giraldo's impact within the comedy community was so profound that Comedy Central had no trouble assembling an all-star group to talk about him for Give It Up For Greg Giraldo, which has two airings late tonight.

Here is a clip from the opening minute of the special, featuring praise for Giraldo from Conan O'Brien, Dave Attell, Bob Saget, Nick Swardson and Tom Papa. Jon Stewart also talks early and often about how Giraldo set the bar high for everyone else.

Too soon?

In a sense, yes. The heartbreaking loss is still so raw for many of us. Swardson starts to break down while talking about how Giraldo is suddenly gone. And when Giraldo's participation in NBC's Last Comic Standing last year is mentioned, we hear about him through Mike DeStefano, whom we also just lost two weekends ago.

And earlier this week, at the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump, Jeffrey Ross and Seth MacFarlane both took time to mention the loss of Giraldo. When Giraldo died, the mainstream media unfairly portrayed him as just an "insult comic" or roaster, when that was merely a thing that he was asked to do that he happened to be brilliant at executing.

 

Because Greg Giraldo was brilliant, period. A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law, he put his knowledge into use as a stand-up comedian by doing his homework and finding a way to deliver socially-conscious messages without ever sounding preachy or intellectual. He was quick-witted and equally fast to deliver a cutting remark that left you in stitches. Or in the case of Denis Leary -- on an infamous episode of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, which appears in this hour-long special -- emotionally bruised and battered. Leary weighs in on Giraldo here with nothing but kind words, and as O'Brien and Daniel Tosh point out, Giraldo never used his ethnicity as a way to move up the show-business totem pole.

 

"How dare you not take the short-cut and talk about your people for an hour every single night of your life." -- Daniel Tosh, on Greg Giraldo

Ultimately, though, as Attell notes, Giraldo was so smart that he thought he could outsmart his addictions.

 

Comedy Central is offering a bundle package of Giraldo's CDs and DVDs, with proceeds going to the Giraldo Children's Fund.

Give It Up For Greg Giraldo, a Comedy Central special

Noticed Comedy Central had altered its schedule recently, and this press release today confirms it: Comedy Central is ready to air a special tribute to the late Greg Giraldo called Give It Up For Greg Giraldo, to air March 18 (and also the 19th).

The special will blend never-before-aired footage with Giraldo himself, plus highlights of his career, combined with interviews with Jon Stewart, Jim Gaffigan, Conan O'Brien, Dave Attell, Lewis Black, Sarah Silverman, Colin Quinn and Nick Swardson.

Please set your DVRs and mark your calendars to watch this. Thanks.

Quotes, notes and news on The Greg Giraldo Fund and assorted benefit plans

Last week's benefit concert for Greg Giraldo's family, "The Big Time Comedy Show," was a big-time success at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black, Dave Attell, Colin Quinn, Nick DiPaolo, Jim Norton, Eddie Brill, Ted Alexandro and Jesse Joyce all brought just the right amount of humor to the event, aided by host Tom Papa.

Greg's widow, Maryann McAlpin-Giraldo, and the couple's three young sons were in attendance, too. Midway through the two-hour event, Maryann read a statement to the packed audience:

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here at this event tonight. I'm very lucky and blessed to have so much love and support from so many people during this difficult time in our lives. My children will always remember how many people loved and respected their father. My own focus is to take my family's tragedy and turn it into something positive and good for others. Addiction is an illness that affects the entire family, and often the true victims are children. We're launching this fund in Greg's name to help children living within families of addiction. I believe that children must be educated, encouraged and empowered, and given the tools they need to make different choices in their lives. If anyone is interested in getting involved, there's information in the handouts you received tonight. I also am very lucky to have some of the best comedians in the world here tonight. These were not only Greg's contemporaries. They were his good friends. Please join me in thanking them for all of their time and support."

The hand-out brochure included information for The National Youth Recovery Foundation and The Greg Giraldo Fund.

Most of the comedians at last week's benefit concert stuck to delivering jokes that Giraldo would be proud to hear, although from time to time, they did acknowledge the man whose life they were celebrating.

"Thank you so much for coming. This is such a nice thing that you've done," Seinfeld said.

"How many phone calls did it take? A couple of phone calls. If Jerry said 'No,' we'd be screwed and there'd be like 40 people here. So Tom (Papa) made one phone call, and somehow he's being credited for being Mr. Charitable of 2011," Colin Quinn quipped, rushing over to fit in a set after his own one-man Broadway show.

"You're good people for coming down for this, because Greg, as you just saw, was one of the best fucking comics I've ever seen in my life. And I can't do it justice. We're all in awe of him, and we always will be." -- Dave Attell

"Greg was a great friend and a great comedian, so this is obviously sad, but also a joyous celebration. It's funny, because as the day approached, and even today, Greg's voice has been in my head all day, saying, 'Alexandro, if you can't get laid after my benefit, it ain't ever going to happen, dude. So, we'll see Greg. We'll see." -- Ted Alexandro

And after a highlight package of clips from Giraldo's stand-up specials and Comedy Central roast appearances, host Tom Papa also had a few words about his fallen colleague: "That was funny. Too damn funny. We started at the exact same time, and we would write material. It was our first year, and he was writing jokes about the differences between Protestants and Catholics. I was like, 'Dude. I'm working on a fart joke for six months.' Greg was completely off the hook. He was great."

This is only the beginning, of course, for fund-raising efforts for The Greg Giraldo Fund.

Giraldo's family and management are planning a similar all-star comedy benefit in Los Angeles, and Comedy Central is interviewing comedians for a separate tribute show.

At Columbia University, meanwhile, students and alumni have been putting together a Greg Giraldo Comedy Festival in March at his alma mater (Giraldo was a member of Columbia College's class of 1987, before going on to Harvard Law School). Todd Barry and Robert Kelly are the latest to sign on for the festival, which will take place March 7-8 at the university's Miller Theatre. Others slated to perform include fellow Columbia alums Gabe Liedman, Reese Waters and Lang Fisher, student comedy groups such as Chowdah, Cody Hess, Max Cohen, Christian Finnegan and Dwayne Perkins. All proceeds from the festival will go to the Giraldo Fund. 

Greg Giraldo's widow and best friend launch foundation for children impacted by addiction

Greg Giraldo's widow, Maryann McAlpin-Giraldo, and best friend Joe Schrank have launched a foundation to raise money for children like Giraldo's who are impacted by addiction. Money raised will help children attend the Betty Ford Children program, as well as develop a similar program in New York City.

The first big fund-raising event happens this week, as several top names in stand-up comedy gather to pay tribute to Giraldo on Feb. 9 at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. Schrank and McAlpin-Giraldo are planning a similar event in Los Angeles.

You can make donations to the National Youth Recovery Foundation's Greg Giraldo Fund via this link.

Sadly, Giraldo himself was scheduled to speak at the foundation's New York Recovery Rally on the day that he accidentally overdosed.

Voices on the vices of the late Greg Giraldo (and a reminder: buy tickets for his all-star benefit show!)

Larry Getlen has written an insightful article on the brilliant comedy, and the tragic addictions, of the late Greg Giraldo. Getlen interviewed comedian Jesse Joyce -- who toured with Giraldo and wrote for his many popular Roasts -- as well as Jim Norton for the piece. But you won't find it in the New York Post, where Getlen is a regular freelancer. This is for Splitsider.

Here are two quotes from Joyce, one about his comedic ability to use intelligence and wit on any audience:

“He was so confident on stage, such a master of words and so naturally funny, that he could take anything he wanted to talk about and make it funny even if you disagreed with his politics on it. At the end of the bit, it was flawless logic,” says Joyce. “You could disagree with the concept of gay marriage, but he would [talk about this] in Texas, or in the South. We’d work together in Georgia, and he would start the bit with some version of, ‘if you think gay people choose to be gay, you’re an asshole.’ He would confront people aggressively to say, what you believe is wrong. But by the end of the bit, not only would he get an applause break, but everybody would be like, ‘Huh. I see your point.” He could take anything he believed in, and make it funny to people who disagreed with him.”

And here Joyce talks about addiction.

“What’s so insidious about addiction,” says Joyce, “is that it tricks you — and everyone around you — into thinking that this is the way it is for now, but that it’s gonna get better. Because we would have these periods of time where it was all fine and great, and I would get lulled into the idea that maybe this time it’ll stick. For me, I know I always have that option. I can always go out and get drunk tomorrow if I want and see where that takes me, get back on that elevator and ride it down a few more floors, but my life has improved enough for me to know that that was the problem. I don’t think Greg ever gave it enough time. He would get inklings of it. He’d start getting up earlier in the morning and read the paper. He would do proactive, productive things, and be on time for flights and stuff. And he’d go, ‘yeah, this is great.’ But I don’t think he ever gave it enough time to really reap the benefits of sobriety.”

You can read the whole thing on Splitsider.

Moving forward, you can help Giraldo's three sons by laughing it up at "The Big Time Comedy Show," a week from tonight on Feb. 9, 2011 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City -- hosted by Tom Papa with performances by Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black, Dave Attell, Jim Norton, Ted Alexandro, Judy Gold, Colin Quinn and Jesse Joyce. Tickets available via Ticketmaster.

Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black among comics in "Big Time Comedy Show" to benefit family of late Greg Giraldo

Several of New York City's biggest comedians are lending their support to the family of the late Greg Giraldo by putting on a "Big Time Comedy Show" in February to raise money for his three sons and ex-wife.

Tom Papa will host the event Feb. 9, 2011, at the Beacon Theatre, with performances scheduled by Jerry Seinfeld, Colin Quinn, Lewis Black, Dave Attell, Jim Norton, Judy Gold, Ted Alexandro and Jesse Joyce. Giraldo died on Sept. 29, 2010, at the age of 44.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, with prices ranging from $61.50 to $224.50 (plus surcharges) and are available through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com or 866-858-0008) and at the Beacon Theatre Box Office at 2124 Broadway.

More Greg Giraldo tributes: By podcast (In the Tank), by roast (Jesse Joyce), by festival (Columbia)

The tributes continue to roll out for the late Greg Giraldo.

Thanks to Matt Ruby for pointing me to comedian Jon Fisch's podcast, In the Tank, which recently sat down a number of comedians, associates and fans of Giraldo to talk about him.

Those offering words and praise to Fisch about Giraldo as both a stand-up comedian and as a human being included: Ryan Hamilton, Nick Swardson, William Stephenson, Dave Smith, Big Jay Oakerson, Modi, Dante, Costaki Economopoulos, Lee Camp, Kurt Metzger, Allan Havey, Anthony Jeselnik, Julian McCullough, Wil Sylvince, Steve Fabricant, Alex Edelman, James Smith, Dave Attell, Veronica Mosey, Rick Crom, Jodi Wasserman, Ophira Eisenberg, Joe DeRosa, Tom Shillue, Sherrod Small, Jeffrey Gurian, Jesse Joyce and Ted Alexandro. You can listen to the whole episode of In the Tank devoted to Greg Giraldo.

Speaking of Jesse Joyce, he was the unseen and unheard brains behind many of Giraldo's popular Roast jokes as Giraldo's writing partner for the past few years. Giraldo was supposed to be the Roastmaster last week at Cringe Humor's Roast of Jim Florentine. Instead, the roast raised money for Giraldo's children, played a tribute video of Giraldo in concert, and then asked Jesse Joyce to take the podium. As you may have guessed already (if you're a good guesser), Joyce crushed with a withering set of quips, insults and well-written barbs that you could imagine coming out of Giraldo's mouth. Here is an audio recording of that set. Note: the recording garbles a bit during the middle from audience chatter. Roll it!

 

And last but not least, Columbia University students are planning an inaugural Greg Giraldo Comedy Fest in March 2011. This message came through this week from Jessica Lovelace-Chandler:

Attn NYC comics/comedy groups:  I'm officially taking submissions for Columbia's 1st Annual Greg Giraldo Comedy Fest that I'm producing. I'm particularly seeking current Columbia students or alumni (If anyone in your group is an alum, that counts!) The dates are tentatively Mar 25-26, but may be moved slightly earlier or later. If interested, please e-mail her at [email protected]

Portrait of the comedian as a younger man: Video interview with Greg Giraldo in 1994

In the mid-1990s, comedian Jessie Baade (aka Jessie Robles) attempted a documentary on comedy. It did not get finished. But Baade still had the video of her 1994 interview with Greg Giraldo, then just two years into his stand-up career.

It's not always easy to watch. Giraldo isn't sure how seriously to take Baade's interview, which makes some of the answers and joke-answers come off much differently now, and there's plenty of background bar noise because a Jets game is on the bar's TVs.

Here is how Baade described the video: "Greg let me interview him when I told him him I was working on a project about comics while we were hanging out at Chuckles in Mineola, Long Island NY around late 1994. It never got finished because his was the only thing that didn't turn out to be in the dark. Jim Gaffigan is there off camera which is why Giraldo kept making cracks about him. He did not, in actuality, think Gaffigan was a hack."

Thanks to friend Nick Zaino, who covers the Boston comedy scene, for sharing.

Paying tribute to Greg Giraldo

A private wake is being held for family and friends of comedian Greg Giraldo on Sunday and Monday, with a funeral on Tuesday. On Greg Giraldo's Facebook Fan page, family and friends have established a fund to support his three young children.

In lieu of flowers, food or other gifts, they ask to send a financial donation instead to:

Giraldo Children's Fund, c/o MaryAnn McAlpin-Giraldo, P.O. Box 1827, New York, NY 10025

You can also donate directly to the Giraldo Children's Fund via PayPal at this link.

I know comedians have talked about doing other tributes to Giraldo. If I hear of anything formal, I'll be sure to share the info.

Comedians can also share their thoughts in the comments here.

"Farewell, Maestro," by Ted Alexandro

Maestro is a title of extreme respect given to a master musician.

Greg Giraldo was a maestro, a master of his craft. One of the things I treasure most about coming up through the New York City comedy scene is the opportunity to learn by watching the very best in NY's clubs, an unconventional university scattered over the expanse of New York's five boroughs. Classes are rarely scheduled, they often just pop up and if you're lucky, you're in the right place at the right time. Professors Attell, Rock, Chappelle, CK, Barry, Giraldo - maestros, one and all - hold court and we, the students, sit and learn. And from the very start, Professor Giraldo was one of my very favorites.

An exciting thing happens when one of these maestros takes the stage. The mundane rhythms of a comedy club are transformed. Comedians line the back of the room with childlike excitement in anticipation of something special. Even the waitstaff momentarily stops and becomes part of the audience. The fractured energies and scattered focus of the many are harnessed and fused into one energy- something inexplicably beautiful- in the hands of the maestros. When Greg Giraldo walked into a club, class was in session.

I remember countless nights when I was filled with giddy excitement at the sight of Greg's arrival at a club. I'd take my place in the back and savor every moment of his performance. Greg possessed a very rare and special combination of gifts. He had a fierce intellect, a quick wit, a philosopher's insight and a sweet, goofy innocence that was infectious. The best comedians distill their essence with ease and you could see all of Greg up on stage every time he took the mic from the stand.

His ideas would spill out with a fury that was intoxicating and overwhelming. His rhythm was rapid fire, smart, funny, surprising- brilliant. The kind of funny that makes you turn to the person next to you because you need to share the moment with another soul and affirm that it is real. Greg Giraldo raised the bar and often left you in disbelief, as the maestros do, sending you home with an assignment to get to work. Certain nights it seemed like he was channeling something from the heavens and sharing it with the fortunate humble assemblage.

After September 11th New York City, like the rest of the country and much of the world, was in shock and grieving the terrorist attacks. Comedy essentially shut down for several days and even when it started up again, many comedians- myself included- were floundering, wondering how to proceed. How could anything be funny? How could you dare attempt to broach that topic. Doing the same old jokes the same way felt so hollow and insignificant. Enter the maestro. <>It was a week or so after September 11th and Greg walked into Gotham Comedy Club. I was thrilled because I was curious to see if he would address the attacks and how he would handle it. I hadn't really seen anyone do it yet. Greg proceeded to launch head on into the topic with a daring and magical set that was both astoundingly funny and cathartic. I laughed so hard that I cried. I cried because maestro Giraldo had taught us all a lesson once again. Nothing stops life. Nothing is off limits. It is all fodder, it is all available to us to create something beautiful. There was something so reassuring in his cocksure presence on stage. It was like "Okay motherfuckers, here we go!"

I don't remember much but I do remember a bit about seeing a bachelorette party with penises on their heads, post 9/11. The site of these bachelorettes made him realize "The terrorists haven't won. Life will go on!" Greg, with his performance, embodied that very lesson that night.

Another indelible impression that Greg made on me occurred on "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn". One night Denis Leary was among the guests on the panel, alongside Greg, a frequent panelist. Leary was his usual cocky, aggressive self. At one point Leary, blustery and condescending, made the mistake of going after Greg. The dynamic was fascinating; it was like the bully assuming he could take a shot at the young gun, who he took to obviously be beneath him. What happened next was classic. Greg undressed Leary with a barrage that was fast, brilliant and decisive. It was the perfect display of Greg's brilliance, sending Leary to the deck before he even realized what hit him. Leary had a look of shock, it reminded me of a disoriented Mike Tyson on his knees searching for his mouthpiece after being knocked out by Buster Douglas.

The beauty of this moment for me was that Greg was never a bully. In my experience he was always humble, kind, sweet, gentle and inclusive, the opposite of a bully. But when a bully picked a fight, Greg had the tools to switch gears and say "Okay, motherfucker. Here we go." And he did it in a way that was pure Giraldo- fast, surprising and brilliant- driven not by ego but by a desire to see justice. Perhaps this was the lawyer in him. When one of your heroes becomes your friend, as Greg did over the years, it is such an exciting, rewarding experience. Greg had his demons, his struggles with addiction and it was sad to see my friend, one of my heroes, struggling so mightily. Certain nights you could sense him putting on a happy face but there was a raw pain apparent that allowed you to glimpse his inner conflict.

When I was a kid I was taught that drugs were bad and I naively assumed people who did drugs were bad people. Adulthood has repeatedly taught me otherwise. I don't know why some people do drugs and other don't. I don't know why some people become addicted and others don't. I do know that all kinds of people do all kinds of things, behave all kinds of ways, and it is not necessarily a character flaw. Often it is a disease, an illness that one must ultimately come to terms with and accept on one's own- with the help of others. I know Greg had so many people in his life who loved and supported him throughout his battles with addiction. Sadly, this battle, this illness took Greg's life in the end. This is what makes the illness of addiction so baffling and heartbreaking. Greg loved exploring the gray areas and what could be more inexplicably gray than a brilliant mind, a radiant spirit- so adept at dissecting life and humanity, yet unable to control his own behaviors?

I am saddened by the loss of my friend, my mentor, one of my strongest inspirations. I remember Greg Giraldo's brilliance, his formidable mind and spirit. I cherish his contagious smile and his childlike, infectious joy. I take solace and inspiration from Greg's own words, one of my favorite bits about letters from Civil War soldiers to their girlfriends back home:

"This morn finds me wrecked by the fiery pangs of your absence. I will bear your cherished memory with me as I battle the forces of tyranny and oppression."

And so, Greg, we will. Thank you Greg Giraldo, sweet soul, dear friend.

Farewell, Maestro.

Reprinted by permission from Ted Alexandro.

Programming note: Comedy Central to air rebroadcast of Greg Giraldo's "Midlife Vices" tonight

Comedy Central will rebroadcast Greg Giraldo's 2009 hourlong stand-up special, Midlife Vices, at 11 p.m. tonight.

Your cable box may not have caught the last-minute change, so please make a note of it.

Moment of Zen: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart presents "Our Moment of Greg Giraldo"

Jon Stewart took a minute out at the end of tonight's episode of The Daily Show on Comedy Central to say a few words on the passing of comedian Greg Giraldo, who died Wednesday at the age of 44.

Stewart said of Giraldo: "The comedy world lost a good man and a great comic. And he was the type of guy that, when you were working the clubs, he was just one of those guys that you loved to run into, because he was always a font of warmth and good humor, and just smart-as-hell comedy. And fun to watch, and funny to hang out with, and we will miss him terribly."

"Here it is, our Moment of Greg."

RIP: Greg Giraldo, 1965-2010

With a heavy heart, the sad and shocking news is true: Greg Giraldo died Wednesday at the age of 44. Giraldo had been hospitalized since Saturday evening in New Jersey after an accidental overdose of prescription medication -- he was halfway through a four-night run at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick, N.J.

A statement from the family and funeral arrangements, along with planned tributes and funds, are pending.

Giraldo's management, The Collective, issued a statement this evening:

The Collective mourns the passing of our great friend and colleague Greg Giraldo. As you may know, Greg was the father of three young children and genius comedic talent who was revered, admired and loved by our comedy community.

Comedy fans knew Giraldo as much more than the guy who torched celebrities and fellow stand-ups at Comedy Central's annual Roasts, or the third judge this summer on NBC's seventh season of Last Comic Standing. He was one of our best social critics, delivering biting commentary in comedy clubs across the country.

The fan who shot footage of Giraldo last Friday night at the Stress Factory, the night before his overdose, wrote to me: "After the show, he met his fans by the bar. I got a picture with him, and he also signed my "Midlife Vices" DVD. He was an awesome guy!"

His peers also knew him as an awesome guy and comedian. Several posted their immediate reactions on Twitter this afternoon and evening...

Jim Norton: Greg Giraldo passed away today. This is the last photo of us together, taken June 28 at Noam's wedding. RIP buddy.

Greg Fitzsimmons: RIP GREG GIRALDO. ONE OF THE TRULY GREAT COMICS AND GREAT FRIENDS

Louis CK: Greg giraldo was a good guy. The kind of you're always glad to see. Also a funny comic and person. He died today. Goodbye friend.

Andy Kindler: Rest In Peace, my sweet friend, Greg Giraldo. So brilliant. My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family. Love all the people.

Bob Saget: Greg Giraldo. Love and peace. So fucking funny.

Mike Birbiglia: RIP Greg Giraldo. One of the fucking best. He did truly smart comedy that represented the underdog & told the truth. A sad, sad day.

Chris Hardwick: I am floored by Greg Giraldo's death. This is fucking awful. Greg was a nice dude who was one of the best comedians of our generation.

Giraldo had gone through a painful divorce and a bit of a wild period thereafter, but seemed to come out of it clean and lucid this summer. When I last spoke to Giraldo formally for the site in May, he told me: "I've been through a number of crises on several fronts. It's hard to maintain several homes and fund several people..it's all been a balancing act...but it's all been good."

One of the first things I wrote publicly about Greg Giraldo in 2006 was this: "Greg Giraldo should be a lot more famous than he is. Of all of the stand-up comedians working the circuit and talking topical, few know how to tell it like it is like Giraldo can." I still feel the same way about him today. Psychology Today published an insightful interview with Giraldo last year in which they talked about coping with a fear of failure.

Here's a clip from his 2009 special, Midlife Vices, in which he jokes about drugs and alcohol.

I still don't know the specifics of what happened to Giraldo on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010, but I do know that anyone with a substance abuse problem needs a support network around him or her at all times. If you know someone who needs help, please do not sit back. Help.

Greg Giraldo in critical care unit of N.J. hospital

BREAKING and DEVELOPING: Lots of Internet chatter and rumor-mongering this morning regarding comedian Greg Giraldo. The facts are these...

As of midday Sunday, Giraldo was being cared for in the CCU of a New Jersey hospital. He was listed in critical condition. Sources say he suffered an accidental overdose from prescription medication.

Giraldo was performing this weekend at the Stress Factory and promoted the dates to his fans via Twitter. His place on Sunday night has been replaced by Kevin Brennan. Giraldo also was among the guest speakers on Saturday afternoon for the 3rd Annual New York Recovery Rally. September is National Alcohol and Drug Recovery Addiction Month.

I consider myself both a fan and a friend of Giraldo, so I wish him a very speedy recovery. I'll be sure to update you with concrete information when I receive it.

Most people know Giraldo most recently as a judge on this summer's seventh season of Last Comic Standing on NBC.

This is a NSFW clip a fan took of Giraldo during one of his earlier performances this weekend, doing his bit about NYC's "See Something, Say Something" campaign.

Last Comic Standing 7: And the Winner is...(SPOILER)

Here were are, ladies and germs. The finals of the seventh season of Last Comic Standing. All five finalists are lowered on uncomfortable swings, and all five men -- Mike DeStefano, Felipe Esparza, Myq Kaplan, Roy Wood Jr. and Tommy Johnagin -- are wearing black suits. Host Craig Robinson is going with a tux for the occasion, while our judges -- Andy Kindler, Natasha Leggero and Greg Giraldo -- are in business casual, semi-formal and casual Friday, respectively.

Anyone care to guess who won without watching the finale but having read between the lines of my blog this season? If you have, then you win a special bonus prize.

Our first elimination?

Preview one-liner quip clips from the Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff

The Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff taped on Sunday night in Los Angeles, and will air on Aug. 15, 2010, and to get us more interested in actually watching the darned thing, the network has produced some one-liner clips of quips from the dais.

Would you like to see Seth MacFarlane do his "Stewie" voice to talk about Pam Anderson's breasts, or Whitney Cummings slam Lisa Lampanelli, or Lampanelli slam the Hoff, or Jerry Springer slam the Hoff, or Greg Giraldo and Jeffrey Ross take on MacFarlane? Well, then click click on this vid vids. We'll start with Ross, because he is our generation's Roastmaster, no matter what Comedy Central says, and since he takes down MacFarlane for something he should be taken down for, if he ever submits to a full Roast himself, so roll the clip!

And here are the rest...

Last Comic Standing 7: The Final 5 revealed

And now, finally The Final 5 cylons, er, comedians in this seventh season of Last Comic Standing will be revealed and perform for your votes and $250,000 in cash and prizes from NBC. Oh, and almost just as importantly, as host Craig Robinson says up front, there's also the "Last Comic" theater tour.

Oh, we're going to find out right away. Jonathan Thymius is your and our sixth-place finisher.

Which means our Final 5 are Mike DeStefano, Myq Kaplan, Felipe Esparza, Tommy Johnigan and Roy Wood, Jr.

They get to be on tour together "for the next 297 days," Robinson says. Wow. Just wow. Congrats, fellas! And by the way, for anyone who asked me before the season started (including at least one of the finalists),I pretty much nailed it on the head. Enough about me. It's about these five guys. Now time to go for the big prize...

First up is Roy Wood Jr., who gets a full refresher video for us to see glimpses of his journey from the first audition to the finals. Fun fact: He was arrested at 19, and discovered comedy as a coping mechanism. That was 1998. This is tonight. And tonight, Wood also opens up about how excited his drunk uncle is, even though he keeps plugging the wrong NBC show. He says Mississippi residents think everyone hates black people, which, well, Obama? Hey, look, Ryan Hamilton is in the audience smiling and clapping. Not because he likes or dislikes black people, but because he likes this black person, or because the director told the feed to switch to that camera operator. Most likely that last one. Meanwhile, Wood jokes about how he is not going to remember his married friend's dumb lie about hanging out in Puaberto Rico two years ago. And he closes with a bit about women trying to catch their men in the act. Judges? Andy Kindler says Wood keeps getting better and better, and tags his punchline about wristbands. Natasha Leggero tells him to stay single so he can wind up with a hot chick when he wins. Greg Giraldo also congratulates Wood. Looking good for Mr. Wood. But there are still four more comics to compete for your attention and affection.

Tommy Johnagin tells us he knew he wanted to be a comedian since he was a kid, and that his father has been supportive of him along the way. He's going back to the deep blue shirt with tie combo, we see, and lets us know he had a redneck uncle who stole a porta-potty. The dumbest thing he did, however, was visit a gynecologist for a sports physical, and he tells us all about that, which went on much longer than you would think something like that might happen in real life. There's also the time he hit a deer, and the woman sitting in his car yelled "Deer!" Solid stuff. Ixnay on the sweaty pits. Leggero says nice things about him finding jokes inside the jokes, and there goes your theory about her hating him. Giraldo calls him "a great comedian." Kindler says he cannot vote because he has a thermal fax machine, so instead, he'll make T-shirts for Johnagin to sell as merch?

Oh, hello adorable woman in the Lowe's commercial who looks even more adorable in the UCB Theatre basement all this past weekend during the Del Close Marathon. Wait. What?