Bill Bellamy & Comedy

Veteran comedian Bill Bellamy has made a profitable habit of continually reinventing himself over the last two decades. But the Last Comic Standing host has never let go of stand-up.

Bill Bellamy is the Madonna of stand-up comedy. Hear us out. Like the Material Girl, the 43-year-old Newark, New Jersey native has enjoyed an amazingly long and diverse career by constantly reinventing himself and keeping flexible; both stars also have muscular man arms.

And although Bellamy has had his share of tangential success — from years of hosting on MTV, a starring role in the Fox cop drama series Fastlane to voicing video games to big screen projects like Any Given Sunday, How to be a Player and The Brothers — Bellamy has never abandoned his roots as a stand-up comic.

He still tours the country’s comedy clubs and theaters in earnest and is currently seen every Thursday on NBC as the host of the wildly popular Last Comic Standing, which is in its sixth season; it’s Bellamy’s second year at the helm

The Show Returns on October 10, 2009

Tape up your ribs and pull out an oxygen mask, “Who’s Got Jokes” is returning to TV One on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

This season was produced on location at the lavish Luxor Hotel in everything-goes Las Vegas.

“It’s bigger and better, and the hottest season, yet,” said actor and comedian Bill Bellamy who keeps the hilarious show on track.

Bellamy said that their goal was to create “explosive laughter … We want people to get these comedians right off the top. We took the skits up to another whole level. When you are in Vegas, you can do some ridiculous things.”

Joining Bellamy are comedian cohorts Rodney Perry and Tommy Ford. Perry is the “Man on the Street” and Ford decides whether contestants should lose points if their routines get raunchy or exceed the time limit.

Look for Perry to delight the audiences with skits that include Vegas legends, such as Don King, Criss Angel, Siegfried and Roy, the Blue Man Group, Elvis Presley and many others.

“We tried to bring a real tiger, but Rodney wasn’t having it,” said Bellamy. “The cat was nice to everyone but Rodney and was literally clawing his wardrobe up. We had to downgrade to a stuffed tiger.” Bellamy also let it slip that there is a scene with a guerilla that fans won’t want to miss.

Ford remarked that the show is not only gaining more viewers, it’s getting the attention of new and veteran comics alike, especially when they see the exposure that the winners get.

“George Wallace came in and literally took over one show… he offered the winner a weekend at the Flamingo to perform with him,” said Bellamy.

Past winners are already making their mark. Season 1 winner George Wilborn’s career has taken off; Season 2 winner, Sean Morgan, is touring around the country and has an upcoming comedy; and last season’s winner, Lav Luv, holds court over the Atlanta airwaves with a daily radio show.

According to Bellamy, there was some slight tweaking to the show’s original format by “incorporating celebrity judges, which brought a whole new energy.” Terri Vaughn, Ray J, Wendy Raquel Robinson and LisaRaye are just some of the stars who will join in on the laughs.

Ralph Farquhar, creator and executive producer, noted:

“There were a lot more women coming out this year.”

Bellamy agreed, “There are three girls that are on the verge… Wait until you meet Jackie Fabulous… and it’s all clean!”

Now that Season 4 is complete, what new ideas are brewing?

“I don’t know how we can top ourselves next season, except by going to the moon,” said Bellamy.

“Who’s Got Jokes?” is the only comedy competition show on television, aired on TV ONE, which reaches 48.3 million households.

Comedian Bill Bellamy is back on television this week, with the new season of the TV One series Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes? The original comedy-competition, starting Oct. 10, series will feature celebrity guest judges each episode including Ray J, Evander Holyfield and comedian George Wallace.

“Season 4 is by far our best effort,” said Bellamy, who serves as the show’s host and executive producer. “Amazing impromptu moments, celebrity judges, and Vegas.”

Each episode’s contest features two rounds. In Round One, comics perform their best three minutes of stand-up to earn the top score from the judges. Round Two features unpredictable challenges to the comics’ improv skills – for example, one segment forces comics to create a three-minute routine on the spot, based on randomly-chosen subjects. The comic who perseveres to win the Who’s Got Jokes? championship is awarded with their own TV One stand-up special.