You have to love NBC for trying to take a good concept and making it suck royally. It’s like one of the execs were saying, “No one’s going to watch us anyway now that Friends and Cheers is gone.”

Then someone corrects him and tells him Frasier, not Cheers, just ended.

“Oh, so we still have Cheers?”

The concept

Throw a contest together to get the funniest and least known stand up comedians together and get the best comic in the country. Call it “Last Comic Standing.”

I like that idea. Better yet, let’s spice it up by having the contestants go at it in the finals where celebrity judges, all former stand ups themselves (Brett Butler was a comedianne before she was a  drunk  TV star), get to pick the final ten that actually get locked up in the house together.

I think that’s awesome. And that’s what I thought I was watching, until Butler got up and walked away.

The problem (part 1)

Jay London:

“You might recognize me, I’m the fourth guy from the left on the evolutionary chart.”

Apparently, the producers thought this guy was funny and deserved to be in the show. Someone forgot to tell the celebrity judges their votes don’t really matter.

During the show’s final minutes Tuesday, Drew Carey (read: my hero) had it out with one of the top dogs, asking why they were even asked to be judges if their votes didn’t count. The exec replied that the producers also vote, and they base their votes on stuff that happened before the finals.

Imagine if they did that for American Idol? I can see Ryan Seacrest now:

“Okay, let’s tally up all the votes for the past six weeks.”

I don’t know who I hate more. Ryan Seacrest or Jay Mohr. I think I’ll get a dart board and put both their pictures up on it. I’ll let fate decide for me.

Bonnie McFarlane:

“If I got a boob job, I would definitely show some restraint. I would just get one done.”

If you get any kind of medical procedure, make it brain surgery. Or perhaps a funny bone implant.

Bonnie = not funny.

Dan Ahdoot:

“I’m an Iranian Jew. I know what you’re thinking. You’re like, ‘He’s Iranian and Jewish. I don’t know if I should hate him or hate him.’”

His non-entry into the contest is proof the country is just not ready for people to make fun of people’s ethnic backgrounds.

Oh… wait… never mind.

I want nothing to do with this show

Dan Naturman:

“I’m against jukeboxes on principle ’cause you gotta pay a dollar to hear a song and the rest of the bar gets to listen for free - which is not right. And I’ll go around and take up a collection too. I’ll be like, ‘I saw you singing along. Give me a quarter, come on.’”

I saw Dan on Jimmy Kimmel Live . I laughed at this guy. A lot. I didn’t like his delivery so much, but I certainly thought he was much funnier than half the other people that made the show.

His attitude about wanting nothing to do with LCS, as far as being interviewed or anything, was by far (in my eyes) justified. He was screwed, Bret Hart style.

The problem (part 2)

It’s a shame Dan N. didn’t make it, but apparently, The Evil Producers have something else in mind. Instead of funny and fresh comics, they’re looking for “show material.”

Because funny comics never come up with good material.

Another thing that bothers me about the show is the fact that most of the people have already been on Comedy Central specials. Ant is a frequent on most of the VH1 “I Love The ____s.” I thought this was to bring out fresh and new talent, not the same old garbage over and over again.

If I wanted to watch the same crap over and over, I’d watch Seinfeld and Simpsons reruns.

At least they are funny.