NEW YORK – For most people I know, 8:30 on a Tuesday morning is either time to go to class or time for nothing at all; why wake up before noon if you don’t have to?

For me, however, once every six months, it means something totally different. It means I’ve made the journey to South Station and am about to catch a Greyhound to one of my favorite places in the world: New York City.

And, despite what my past behavior would seem to predict, this isn’t for a concert or a music festival or anything of the sort. No, this is my biannual trek to the sacred ground of 513 E. 54^th Street – “The Colbert Report.”

First in "line"

On this particular occasion in late April, I couldn’t have asked for better weather to stand, iced coffee in hand and with two of my friends in tow, on the streets of Manhattan for a few hours. The instructions on the ticket confirmation e-mail instructed us to show up no later than 6 p.m., so my friends and I naturally showed up to “get in line” around 2:30. To our surprise (yes, surprise – the anxiety of losing a good spot in line is not exclusive to concert-going life), we were first. Even security seemed taken aback seeing us there, asking us outright if we were actually there, so early, to get in line for the taping.

The hours passed easily until we proudly received our blue, laminated tickets that designated the order in which we would at long last enter the studio: 1, 2, and 3.

Of course, if my previous experiences in the concert world have taught me anything, it’s that a place in line is never guaranteed – and that even if it was, that place doesn’t guarantee much within itself.

Does this mean we're tourists?

Let me explain. After you’ve lined up for a while (in our case three and a half hours, but probably less for most) the Report’s interns lead you into a holding room that might also function as an elaborate shrine to Sir Dr. Stephen T. Colbert DFA. A poster from 2010’s “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” and various incarnations of the iconic portrait that hangs over the studio’s “fireplace” adorn the walls, as well as a not-quite-life-size sticker of the man himself, posed for a photo.

As more and more fans trickle in from the outside and go through the metal detector, a highlight reel that was probably compiled in 2007 (and not altered a bit since) plays on a television in the corner of the room. You can’t exactly call anything that Stephen does “outdated”, though, and soon the entire room is laughing at some of Stephen’s best “Better Know a District” interviews to date, the introduction of the word “truthiness”, and his light saber fight with George Lucas.

Throwback poster on the walls of the holding room (Credit Rory McDonald)

Time is just starting to drag after about an hour or so when the excited interns brief everyone on conduct policy, beg the audience to laugh and clap as loud as humanly possible (something I still don’t quite understand – why would anyone need to be told to laugh at this show?) and tell everyone to keep it clean during the pre-show Q&A: “If your question has anything to do with some below the belt, above the knees action, keep it to yourself,” they’ll tell you. Then, finally, they start to let everyone inside the studio itself.

…and that’s when it happens. Out of nowhere, people emerge with tickets completely different from your own, and those people are instructed to go in first. Granted, on this particular venture I learned that some of those lucky not-so-few are military families, which the Report makes a point of ushering to the front of the line. Even two hours into our wait, I couldn’t help but feel admiration, not bitterness, when this policy was quietly announced.

After the military families, though, comes VIPs. Red tickets in hand, they are led in, and the lowly mortals who have stood in line outside can wait still a few more minutes to find their seats.

On my first visit to the Report in October, I remember finding this particularly disenchanting. For years (about six, to be precise) I’d watched the show religiously and dreamt of the day that I, too, would stand in the front row and high-five Stephen as he ran by. I remember distinctly watching the show in middle school and hoping against hope that the show would not be canceled before I turned 18, lest I lose my chance forever.  In my mind, back then, all I had to do was show up early (of course) and I was home free.

This time I remarked to one of my friends how nice it was that at least we didn’t have the expectation of getting the front row anymore. This time we could go in without a shred of disappointment and hope that wherever they stuck the three of us (they always keep parties together, to their credit) was worth those few extra hours in line. We also had the advantage of knowing that there was no such thing as a bad seat at the Report – but, I mean, can you blame us for wanting to be as close to the desk, and the man himself, as possible?

Still, when we were led in and looked up into the stands, we couldn’t help but feel a little deflated. There were unquestionably many more VIPs at this show than at the one we’d been to before: the first several rows back, in each section, were already full. We’d just said as much to one another when the security guard who’d met us before and joked about our dedication “Usually only tourists show up this early!”-  said that we seemed just crazy enough to warrant a spot in the front row.

Before we knew what was happening, my friends and I found ourselves sitting in the only three free spots in the front row, the farthest to the left in the studio. All Stephen had to do was look to his right and there we were. It was unbelievable.

I’ll digress here to talk about the studio itself for a moment, because it really does deserve a mention. The first thing of notice when attending any taping, I’ve found, is that the studio seems a lot smaller than the show would indicate. The audience itself, the only part of the studio that you don’t readily see on screen for more than a few seconds, is relatively small, too (there’s a reason my friends and I show up early.)

The inside of the studio, for those who have somehow forgotten

Stephen may run from his desk to the interview table every week, for example, but he really only needs to take three steps at most. I myself, in the front row, could’ve taken as many steps and touched the infamous desk.

All of the decorations and nods to running gags on set are permanent fixtures, stacked on the shelves behind the desk. The lights and video screens embedded in the walls and on the desk are all actually in place, none of them that I could see inserted after the fact. It was in a lot of ways like stepping directly through the TV screen and finding yourself in the middle of any given episode. As a fan, in my mind, you can’t really ask for better than that.

From that point on, everything else seemed to go unbelievably smoothly. Some kind of playlist, containing everything from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to Placebo to U2, blasted through the speakers as the audience was let in, picking up throughout the taping whenever the cameras stopped rolling. The warm-up comic, brought out some 30 minutes before the show started, alternated between picking on audience members and himself, taking particular pleasure in tormenting a self-described “analyst” who was unquestionably the best-dressed man in the audience with his suit and tie. It was also his somewhat enviable duty to get us on our feet and bring out the man of the hour with a yell into his handheld microphone: “Stephen Colbert!”

As promised, my friends and I stuck out our hands as Stephen came bounding out from backstage, making the rounds of the front row to the sound of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me”. Pausing in the center of the floor to our continuing applause, he laughed and caught his breath, smiling good-naturedly into the crowd. When he finally convinced everyone to quiet down, he broke the ice by revealing that today he had been completely unprepared for his introduction, bolting out in an instant when he heard the comic yell his name.

Still, he looked as ready and willing as ever, and started the Q&A portion that comes before every show: “Do you have any questions to humanize me in your eyes before I say these terrible things?”

I’ll admit something here: with each taping of my favorite shows that I’ve attended (two for The Daily Show and one Colbert before this occasion), I’ve always stood outside in line contemplating what brilliant, witty question I would ask either faux-pundit if given the chance. Unfortunately for yours truly, that resolve has each time evaporated once the man in question was standing mere feet in front of me, looking expectantly into the crowd. I’ll put it this way: I didn’t even try. This time, though, I knew I’d written it off for long enough, and up my hand went.

Stephen first called on a man a few rows back, who asked what was the most ridiculous or “questionably legal” thing that Stephen had done with his Super PAC funding (collected, as many of you may know, from donations from the faithful Colbert Nation). Stephen went on to recount for a few minutes the process of offering to solve the South Carolina Republicans’ financial woes by buying the naming rights to the Republican Primary there for $500,000, dubbing it the Stephen Colbert South Carolina Republican Primary.

Before all of us he began to lose himself in the tale, taking on the personages of the various characters by putting on a thick southern drawl or lazily scratching his stomach as necessary. In the end, he said, the financial struggles of the party concerned were alleviated by the government – but they didn’t write him off, either. “They didn’t need my money,” Stephen recalled, earning a disappointed groan from the audience, “…but they still wanted it!” he finished, with a mischievous grin. In the end, he said, he had all of the records of the exchange, enough to tantalize any self-respecting investigative journalist, but he wasn’t about to turn them over. He liked the guy, he said simply, with a shrug.

If anything, this seemed to answer the ever-looming, unasked question if Stephen Colbert can truly charm his way into getting anything he wants through the Report. The answer is clearly yes. Yes, he can. And he does.

Realizing this question segued perfectly into my own, my hand shot up in the air. To my surprise, Stephen pointed at me. “Yes, young lady?”, he said.

“You’ve clearly done so much crazy stuff with this show,” I said.  “Has anyone ever told you no?”

He opened his mouth for a moment, closed it again, and answered with a smile: “A lot of girls have.” And the Q&A rolled on.

Asked if he’d ever forgotten who he is, Stephen cut off the asker with an abrupt “No,” and a laugh. He had only gone home in character once, he said, after he had spent his ride home after a taping writing up notes and dialogue for the next show. He walked in the house and his wife recognized the shift immediately and told him to “get the fuck out of my house,” he recalled with a laugh. “She said ‘Why would I want to be married to this?’”

After a few more questions, the soundtrack was cranked all the way back up and Stephen was quickly prepped behind his desk. His makeup was touched up, his hair was combed back (Stephen jokingly stroked the stylist’s hair as she worked), and the cameras were rolled into place.

He grabbed a handful of his signature red WristStrong bracelets and stretched them back, shooting them into the crowd. Never one to miss out on a gag, though, after about five bracelets were sent out and the audiences’ hands remained outstretched he held up an impressive-looking dagger, poised to throw. He grinned, somewhat dangerously, before putting it away, pulling out his notes for the first segment.

The stage manager twirled a script in her hand, our signal to go nuts, and we obliged as the intro to the show started up on screens around the studio and the theme played through the building.

This episode saw the return of a long-lost segment, “Thought for Food”, as in-character-Stephen bemoaned the presence of ground-up insects in Starbucks’ Strawberry and Crème Frappuccino. He broke character a few times, collapsing in laughter onto his desk and saying “Just keep going, just keep going!”

The rest of the taping went off without a hitch, covering everything from Mitt Romney’s interview with Diane Sawyer to the much-maligned exorbitant government conference in Las Vegas that cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was a typical balance of skewering the political topics of the day and mocking some bizarre news story of the day – just what a fan would expect and look forward to.

Still, at every break, where commercials would normally be placed on the air, the soundtrack would come back up again and Stephen would, more often than not, start goofing off. He sang along (as did I) to the White Stripes’ “Fell in Love with a Girl” and danced in his chair to a Spanish rap song that I’d never heard in my life. Like someone out of a silent slapstick movie, he pretended to scold a production team member when they seemed to have run out of things to talk about, comically wagging his finger and narrowing his eyes. The security guard was pretty much the only person in the building who did not outwardly appear to be having a good time, and even then that was probably because he’s paid to look that way.

The interview portion, featuring author Jonah Lehrer, saw Stephen in his element: a give-and-take situation, feeding off of whatever someone else gives him and spitting something back.

Seeing this particular segment live, before editing, provides the advantage of watching him work. Every pause, later edited out for time, isn’t an awkward silence but rather a few seconds during which you can really watch the man think. In the silence, one gets the impression that if your hearing was just a bit better you could hear the gears in his head turning, the ideas forming, before he produces an insightful follow-up question or a perfectly witty retort. This was no exception, producing a number of quotable off-the-cuff lines that were later quoted back to me by friends or various social media sites. As per usual, four days a week.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end  – all too quickly, it seems. In almost no time at all Stephen was back behind his desk, gave a signature bellow of “That’s it for the Report – goodnight!” and it was all over.

Still, despite its apparent brevity, I couldn’t have asked for a better “Colbert Report” experience. Even the somewhat miserable ride back to Boston on the 12:15 a.m. Greyhound couldn’t dampen my spirits, and I see no reason not to keep my resolve to see a Report taping every six months for as long as the show exists. I can dream, right?

Those interested can watch this particular episode on Colbertnation.com here. 

Yesterday was the finale of Comedy Central’s show “Key & Peele,” but clips from the show are already available to watch on YouTube.

Starring Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, the show is a mixture of filmed sketch comedy and live stage performances. It will return for a second season in the fall.

wireimage.com

Charlie Sheen is being put on blast again, but this time for fun.  Sheen has agreed to be the target of a Comedy Central roast, scheduled to air on the same night as the upcoming season of Two and a Half Men, which will now be sans Sheen.

Boxer Mike Tyson, TMZ’s Harvey Levin and Jackass star Steve-O are already confirmed roasters, according to TMZ.  The “Roastmaster General,” or head roaster, will be Jeffrey Ross, while Seth MacFarlane emcees the event.

The roast will air on September 19 at 10 p.m. on Comedy Central.

We can’t decipher this and make it make any more sense than they’ve written it — so here’s what Comedy Central is saying about the next all new episode of “South Park.”

“South Park” is in danger from angry celebrities, violent Ginger kids and Mecha Streisand in an all-new episode titled “201,” premiering on Wednesday at 10 p.m.

It’s a tense situation in South Park as Muhammad has become the pawn in the game to save the town. The Ginger kids are threatening to destroy the city if Stan and Kyle don’t hand over the Prophet and the celebrities have met violence with violence by unleashing Mecha Streisand. In the midst of all of this, all anyone really wants to know is, who is Eric Cartman’s father?

“South Park” is in its 14th season and is the highest-rated series in the history of Comedy Central. You already knew that.

Tonight’s premiere is “Ghost Hunters Acadamy” on SyFy at 10 p.m. The lone finale is “Secret Girlfriend” on Comedy Central at 10:30.

In the news today, ABC made some moves, giving an order for five more episodes of “The Forgotten,” and canceling the new series “Eastwick,” which nobody watched.

ABC also nixed “Let’s Dance,” on news that Kathy Griffin was to host and celebrities weren’t flocking to join the show, according to reports. ABC will use a filler reality series in that time slot, instead of “Let’s Dance,” which was set to debut November 23.

“Lopez Tonight” scored 3.2 million viewers on TBS, TNT and truTV when it premiered Monday, beating Conan O’Brien and David Letterman in the 18-34 demographic.

truTV will launch a new reality series about professional football, going behind the scenes from draft day to the Big Game in “NFL Full Contact” produced by NFL films.

The CW will premiere “Life Unexpected” January 18, tagging in for “Gossip Girl,” until that mega-popular show returns with 12 more episodes later in 2010.

Finally, Nielsen has reported that Americans are watching more television than ever before, with an average of four hours and 49 minutes per day, per American. This is a 20 percent increase from 10 years ago. We have more choices than ever, and we can DVR anything we want. Life is good, right?

LAS VEGAS — There are a few lures to the Palace Station Hotel & Casino, located just far enough from the Las Vegas Strip that you have to pay for a cab.

I mean, it’s dank, old, a little sketchy, and has more cigarettes going at once than a high-stakes bingo parlor. But the railroad-themed casino features $5 table games, including craps. That’s good. The cowboy bar has good service — bartender Chris was very friendly. Oh, and you can tell people you stayed at the same casino that O.J. Simpson got arrested at for that sports memorabilia robbery. It also hosts fun UFC parties. Vegas has a distinct lack of sports bars.

One thing in particular really made the Palace Station worth the trip: The Bonkerz Comedy Club. That’s where I met comedian Chris Edgerly.

Edgerly headlined a show one night, doing a routine of impersonations and funny observational bits. While his name might not be familiar yet, his work probably is. He was Nick Diamond on “Celebrity Deathmatch,” and he has voiced an unbelievable amount of video games including Alpha Protocol, G.I. Joe, Godfather II, Ninja Blade, Lord of the Rings Conquest, Mass Effect, Halo 3, Kingdom Hearts II, Final Fantasy XII, SWAT 4, Yakuza (with Eliza Dushku) and several dozen more.

He currently provides the voice talent for Peter Potamus on the Adult Swim animated series “Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law.”

Here are some questions and answers with Edgerly:

BLAST: How did you get your start in comedy? Why comedy?

Chris Edgerly: I was in college, October of ’90. A buddy told me about a group of comedians who did stand-up once a month at this local pizza place in the basement downstairs. I met with them that night, and the next night I was onstage in front of a packed house. It was exhilarating. I had been doing some acting as a drama minor at the university (UGA) but nothing could quite match the thrill of doing your own material in front of an audience.

BLAST: You’ve done a lot of voice acting “" what do you like about that side of entertainment?

CE: Two things about voice acting rule: One, you don’t have to worry about how you look or how old you are. It is egalitarian “" if you can do the job (and have a good agent that believes in you), you’ll get work. Two, it’s constantly changing, so you never get bored. I audition five days a week, and the scripts are incredibly varied, from video games with aliens and zombies, to commercials involving friendly announcer-type voices, to voice-matching a-list actors for movies to animation involving just about any kind of character you could imagine. This week I’m doing ADR (automated dialogue replacement) work to provide the English voice for a character in a Japanese anime series. It’s a constant challenge to my imagination to see what I can do with a script.

Blast: Comedy or acting, which would you rather be doing?

CE: Impossible to choose. On the one hand, it’s more fulfilling to perform in front of a live audience, especially when you write the material and have ultimate creative control over how it’s delivered. On the other hand, getting to read someone else’s words and interpret them can be a treat, not to mention some of the famous people I’ve gotten to work with over the past few years. And it pays a hell of a lot better, and I can sleep in my own bed and don’t have to be on the road half the year.

Blast: How often do you come out to Vegas to perform? Any plans for an East Coast (Boston?) jaunt?

CE: Haven’t done Vegas often. I don’t like to leave L.A. if i can help it since work never stops in the voice-over world. It would have to take a very special occasion to come to the East Coast, but if things click with the Men’s Club Comedy Tour (the current project I’ve been doing with my three buddies), anything could happen.

Blast: How would you classify your comedic style? I’m sorry to ask this cliche, but who are your influences?

CE: I don’t know how I would classify my style. Above all, I try to be entertaining without insulting the intelligence of the audience. I have a few voices, some wry observations, some longer, more monologist type bits sprinkled in there as well. I like to gently subvert the audience’s expectations of where a bit will go. Above all, it is about giving the audience a good time that stays with them afterward. I’ve been inspired by so many comedians in my life: Cosby and Pryor and Carlin and Rich Little as a kid, Jim Carrey (his physical comedy more than anything), Dennis Miller’s incredible way with words, Bill Maher’s ease with commentary, even Johnny Carson’s way with an audience “" the way he could take them anywhere he wanted to go, even when a joke didn’t work. How he could take them by the hand and lead them back whenever he chose. Contemporary comics “" Patton Oswalt (a great wordsmith and imagist), Dave Attell (gets you to love lechery), Todd Barry (nobody does wry like him) and Chris Rock (back in ’96, his HBO special “Bring the Pain” was the best I’d ever seen from a stand-up and still is, in my opinion.)

Blast: What does a comedian do when he’s not on stage? Are you always “on” or do you have people/friends that you can just be off/yourself around?

CE: When I’m not onstage I get up at the crack of 10 a.m., go to my agency and record my auditions, come home and surf the web for fun and ideas, get lunch, exercise, work on the act or anything creative I have on the docket for a little while, etc., spend time with my girlfriend, catch my favorite shows on TV, you name it.

Unexciting and yet highly pleasurable, because my life is my own. My schedule my own. It took years to get to that point but I’m enjoying the hell out of it. That’s probably why you wouldn’t suspect I was a comic if you met me away from a club. I’m not “on” very often . When I’m around my actor and comedian friends, sure. We’re all “on” in one way or another because we understand how we all think and the jokes come fast and furious. But otherwise I’ve been described by my “civilian” friends as laid back, philosophical and “" gasp “" mature. The opposite of the insecure kid that started years ago, thinking he had to make everyone laugh to prove to himself that he could do it as a career. You know, pretty textbook stuff.

Yesterday’s 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony really got us excited about the fall TV season, and tonight is going to triple that feeling.

“House” premieres at 8 p.m. on FOX, alongside “Heroes” on NBC, “Dancing with the Stars” on ABC and “How I Met Your Mother” on CBS. Your DVR can usually only record two shows, so good luck.

At 8:30, check out “Accidentally on Purpose” on CBS. The jury’s still out on it, so let us know what you think in the comments section.

Then at 9 we have “Two and a Half Men.” Comedy Central is also starting to show “Scrubs” season 8.

“The Big Bang Theory,” has its season premiere at 9:30 on CBS.

Things get going again at 10 with “Castle” on ABC and “CSI: Miami” on CBS. Travel Channel’s “Madventures” also starts up at 10.

Also, tonight at 10, we have the premiere of a 5-part miniseries on The Sundance Channel. “Brick City,” is executive produced by Forest Whitaker.

Finally, don’t miss The Late Show with David Letterman tonight with special guest (actually) President Barack Obama.

From Comedy Central

The CD was recorded two months prior to his death and contains nearly 40 minutes of previously unreleased stand-up material.  “Do You Believe in Gosh?” captures most of the material Hedberg was working on for what would have been his next full-length album in a free-form show with a large amount of audience interaction.  Listeners can expect the same bizarre one-liners like, “Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus or just a really cool apoatmus?” delivered in the drawly, good-natured way only Hedberg could pull off.  Hedberg gives his unique point of view on such topics as the headless horseman, Medusa, whom he refers to as the “snake-haired bitch” and squirrels on water skis.  Also included in the CD package is a booklet including never-before-seen photos and excerpts from Hedberg’s private journals.  The CD pulses with Hedberg’s unique wit and spirit and is a document of a comedy master.

Mitch Hedberg was one of the most beloved comedians and world renown for his off-kilter one-liners and inimitable style.  He died in March of 2005 with nearly an album’s worth of new material he was preparing to record later that October.  While he never had the chance to record the album as he wanted, “Do You Believe In Gosh?” was taped live just prior to his passing and captures a large portion of his new jokes.

Previously released recordings by COMEDY CENTRAL Records include: Dane Cook’s platinum-selling “Harmful If Swallowed” and double-platinum “Retaliation,” Grammy Award-winning, “Lewis Black: The Carnegie Hall Performance,” Grammy Award nominees’ Steven Wright’s “I Still Have A Pony” and George Lopez’s “American’s Mexican,” Todd Barry’s “From Heaven,” Joe Rogan’s “Shiny Happy Jihad,” Christopher Titus’s “Norman Rockwell is Bleeding” and “5th Annual End Of The World Tour,” Norm Macdonald’s “Ridiculous,” Demetri Martin’s “These Are Jokes,” “Jim Gaffigan: Beyond The Pale,” Mike Birbiglia’s “My Secret Public Journal Live,” D.L. Hughley’s “Notes From The GED Section,” Mitch Hedberg’s “Mitch All Together” and “Strategic Grill Locations” and Dave Attell’s “Skanks For The Memories.”

It’s been a long time since Danny Tanner, folks.

Comedy Central will air the roast America’s favorite dad and one of the dirtiest comedians out there, Bob Saget, on Sunday.

“It’s an honor…My ass is already sore,” stated Saget.

“Bob Saget is one of the true nice guys.  I’ve apologized to him in advance for what this evening holds in store for him,” said Elizabeth Porter, senior vice president of specials and talent for the network. The roast was taped in Los Angeles and will be aired for the first time.

Saget struck green when he stared in two top-ten primetime television shows at the same time: Full House and America’s Funniest Home Videos.

Those who have seen his stage show know him as a slightly more adult-oriented entertainer.

In 2007, Saget kicked off a national theater tour that continues through 2008 and starred in the one-hour HBO special, “That Ain’t Right,” which is available on DVD.  For more information visit www.BobSaget.com.

Comedy Central has released a compilation DVD of what they consider the best of the cult-hit Crank Yankers.

The DVD contains over 50 crank calls including questions about poop and the word “Badonkadonk.” It includes calls from Special Ed, Hadassah, Spoonie Luv, Niles Standish, Gladys and Bobby Fletcher.

The compilation did piss off one Amazon.com user, who complained about two poorly missing skits: “This is not the best of “Crank Yankers”. It is missing the two funniest skits— the fertility clinic with Sarah Silverman and the dude ranch skit. I want my money back,” wrote D. Gramling.

Overall, it’s still three hours of Crank Yankers. If you’re a fan, check this one out.

The 90′s animated series that let audiences see comedians in a different light has returned with a DVD collection. On November 20, Dr. Katz: The Complete Series DVD arrived in stores nationwide. The 13-disc collection includes 81 episodes from all six seasons.

Bonus features include three "lost" episodes featuring Dave Attell, Louis C.K. and Conan O’Brien; An Evening with Dr. Katz: Live from the Comedy Central Stage; and a 28-page booklet with an introduction from Dr. Katz and memoirs from his favorite patients with watercolor illustrations of each.

"I’m so proud of that work and, I’m a compulsive name dropper, [but] when I did a movie with Ice Cube over the summer I said…I hope my best work is not behind me but if it is, I’m glad its Dr. Katz," said Jonathan Katz, Dr. Katz’s creator, stand-up comedian and image for Dr. Katz’s character.

Although the show has been one of the highlights of his life, Katz has now become a comedian with a cause. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, (MS) in 1997 Katz says on his personal website that he, "thought it was a stage…like puberty without pimples." Soon he realized MS was a life-long disease and for the first time he became a comedian, "with a hook."

The release comes at a time when his comedic appearances are mostly for fundraising or educational events related to his illness. The comedian is also involved in a Jewish comedy show that airs online at WKATZ.com and is produced in his at-home studio. At this point in his career, Katz is taking care of himself and enjoying his wife and daughters, whom he claims are far funnier than him, but he still imagines what would make a good comedic series today.

"When trying to get on air with another show one of the problems is finding an audience. The audience for animation now is very male, very young, very horny…and into violence. We won the first Emmy award for an animated comedy and I’m a little jealous, in a good way, with the success of South Park because they make more money from the sweatshirts, but I don’t think it’s a place adults would look for animation entertainment, at least for me. Sometimes I underestimate the appeal," Katz analyzed.

Dr. Katz shared the life of a therapist who lived with his deadbeat son, Ben, and had interesting day-to-day dealings with his attractively sarcastic secretary, Laura. He made his comedian and artist patients, animated versions of Ray Romano, Rodney Dangerfield and Dave Chappelle, among others, do their stand-up routines or have in depth one-on-one’s to decipher their psychological issues.

The style of the show was one of a kind, with scripts that only included plot ideas and cast members that ad-libbed on these for the rest of the show. The range of topics discussed also varied and were original since, as Katz explains, comedic inspiration can be drawn from everywhere.

"I don’t want anyone laughing that’s not involuntary, I’ve been getting courtesy laughs form my daughters for the past 25 years. I could use the whole world for inspiration," Katz said. "The other day I did a show about the sounds of my house keeping me up at night."

Overall, he says, comedy can be a shield that disguises personal dilemmas. Katz admits that many comedians resort to alcohol or drugs because of past pains that keep on living after laughs from audiences die out. He became a comedian almost accidentally, his mother passed away when he was 16 and the death left him, "somewhat unfinished."

Katz admits that Ben was the character he assimilated to the most. His father, he claims, did not cut is allowance until he was 30 years old. A fact hard to believe but that basically represents a life overindulged. Surprisingly, this past has not affected Katz’s welcoming persona.

"When I was little I wanted to be a cowboy because that was on TV and then as I got older I waned to be a really good cowboy," said the comedian who considers himself lucky. "People will say to me, ‘I haven’t laughed for 12 years’ and it’s a good feeling, helping people who don’t have a lot of laugh in their life, you don’t have to have MS to be miserable."

Besides his comedy show and the DVD release Katz is focusing on script writing for two comedies he would like to see made into full-length movies. Now living in Massachusetts he continues to learn that life is unexpected … and the Red Sox addictive.

"I’m from New York and when I first moved here my father in law said, ‘don’t get involved with the Red Sox, they will break your heart,’ and now were crazy Sox fans," Katz said about the World Series champions.

While with Blast, the funny-man answered some rapid-fire questions; these certainly proved Katz is both, odd and unique.

Blast- What’s your favorite color?
Katz- Yellow an black, because I’m allergic to bees

Blast- What is the most memorable gift you’ve received?
Katz- I remember $2,500 I got in savings bonds for my Bar Mitzvah and I threw them by mistake in the incinerator. Unlike the Israel bonds I still haven’t matured.

Blast-What do you like to eat?
Katz- I love Cuban sandwiches, they’re comfort food for me, and I do like salsa picante too. My sister moved to Puerto Rico, she visited and fell in love with PR…and with Jose Montalvo. When I go there I eat the food.

Blast- What’s up with Britney?
Katz- I think she’s hurting like anybody else and for a guy who needs attention, I can get it with all my clothes on. I’m not sure she has that skill. I remember when I told my daughter, "You know she’s not a bad dancer," she said, "Yeah, for a slut."

Blast-How would you describe Jonathan Katz?
Katz- I guess I’m so removed, I sort of have a separate professional person and then the person. I’m 60 but I wish I was more curious about people and I don’t think I’m a good listener, I wish I was a better husband and father, but at least I now I’m a good dog owner. My dog loves me.