Michael O'Connell & Vladimir Zeravica...Live on Stage, 1/5/10!

WHAT (?): Michael O'Connell (that's me) and Vladimir Zeravica will each be doing 3-5 minutes of live open mic comedy. For reals.

WHEN: Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at 7:00 PM

WHERE: Tommy T's Comedy & Dinner Theater - 12401 Folsom Boulevard, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742-6416. (916) 357-5233

WHY?: Funny story...

So, like a few months ago or something, I happened to mention to my good friend Vlado (for those not in my high school loop, Vlado and I went to the same Adventist school back in the...well, let's not focus on the when, okay?) my belief that everyone should be required to, at least once in their lives, get up on stage and see if they have a 3-5 minute set of comedy in them. Even if they totally crash and burn, just to be able to tell themselves that they had the guts to try.

So, like a couple of months ago or something, Vlado called me up and said, "Let's do it." I said, "Okay". Come to think of it, that's not really that funny of a story, is it?

This is something that's actually on my bucket list, so the opportunity to finally get it off there was a challenge I embraced. And Vlado wisely pointed out that we needed to pick a date and set it, AND tell everyone we know that we were doing it, so there would be no backing out. Mission accomplished, because one week from tonight, it is ON.

Those of you in our Facebook circle have known this, those of you not there might be going "WTF?!" for the first time, but for both flavors of you, here's all the final details, which I waited on until Vlado and I actually scouted the place and attended an open mic...which was this evening. So, the details are:

Tommy T's is a comedy club located in Rancho Cordova, on Folsom Blvd, just off Highway 50 at the Hazel exit. Here's a handy map:

(Click it for a bigger map)

If you're from Sac, you probably know where the Old Spaghetti Factory is on Folsom, right? Tommy T's is upstairs from it. The entrance is on the east side parking lot...big overhang, you can't miss it.

As this is open mic night, with no headliners, there's no need for tickets. There MAY be a $5 cover to get in. There currently isn't one, but the person we talked to there said one may start getting charged in January.

While there's no tickets and little or no cover, this ain't free, so come prepared. There is a two-drink or two-food-item minimum. Food items do replace the drink minimums if you're not drinking. They have full dinners and they have appetizers. It's restaurant pricing, so not dirt cheap. Round up and expect $10-$15 for appetizers, $15-$30 for dinners, under $10 each for dessert items. This minimum is per person. So, probably cheaper just to get drunk, don't you think?

The place opens at 6:00 PM, the show starts about 7:00 PM. It's a pretty big venue, so there should be no problem with getting a table. But getting there early gets you the good ones.

After just spending an evening there, I want to make sure we have full disclosure, specifically for those folks who don't care for, shall we say, "blue" comedy. This is an 18-over comedy club (so, in case there was a question of it, no kids). This means you will be sampling plenty of foul language and big helpings of sexually explicit humor. It's a comedy club...it happens. So if that's not something that interests you, I will totally understand if you don't think showing up would be a good idea for you. We'll be getting our stuff on video, so you can always check our stuff out online later on. I just don't want there to be any unpleasant surprises for anyone, or anyone feeling uncomfortable being there. You make the call.

That being said, we would LOVE to get as many folks there as possible for our great leap into the big lagoon of comedy. We've each got our own set to do (no, we're not doing this as a team, for those who wondered about that). We may triumph, we may go down in disgrace and humiliation, but way, you can be there to witness it.

So prepare to have your funny bones crushed into powder, girlie men! (Or manly girls, depending...). Join us for a Tuesday night to remember...or perhaps one we'll be praying that you'll forget.

Thanks everybody, you've been great, good night!

For further info on Tommy T's, visit their web site.