The good. The upper echelon of level of talent procured is unparalleled. Scoring the likes of Russell Peters, Tony Rock and Keith Robinson to host the Lucky 21 shows? A great move. (But why no advance promotion?) And it’s nice to see HBO taking a chance on such left-fielders as Tim Minchin, Tim & Eric and Broadband Theatre. After being wooed away from the New York Comedy Festival, it appears the Andy Kaufman Awards has found a fitting new home. And it’s small potatoes, but the prevalent Ziddio.com showroom commercials were far less annoying than last year’s Sierra Mist onslaught.
The Bad. Caesars ballrooms. Instead of cattle-herding us in and out of awkward setups with bad acoustics, utilize some of the showrooms and small theaters at other Harrah’s properties.
Diversify: even edgier artists, more parties, a few panels or a film/theatrical/performance-art presence would help tremendously in transforming the vibe from “consumer” to “community.” Here’s a thought: Set aside the Improv for rotating-lineup shows in which Festival comics work out the kinks before their big appearances. Advertise correctly, and it’ll pack ’em in. And fer Christsakes, what’s it gonna take to get a Vegas presence in the Lucky 21 contest?
And the ugly. For an event sponsored by Ziddio.com, an event including two Broadband Theatre shows, an event that proclaims itself forward-thinking, it doesn’t bode well that TheComedyFestival.com’s message board, blog and podcasts links don’t function, and the TCF’s MySpace page, while both stylin’ and substantial, barely makes its presence known at all during the months/weeks/days leading up to or the during the Festival itself.