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Arts & Entertainment

Little Daddy's Southfield
Northwestern Highway
At Inkster
OPEN
248-358-1700
CHRISTMAS
DAY

SERIOUS ABOUT COMEDY

Last Laugh from page 43

Ben Konstantin as an
elementary-school

hockey player in the

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Coupon

20% DISCOUNT

Anytime Thursday 12/24/09 To
Sunday 01/03/10 - Carry Out Or
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Not Valid With Other Discount
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- Present Coupon For Discount

NOT VALID ON
CHRISTMAS DAY

at

MI

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early 1970s. "I like to

BREAKFAST
SPECIAL

draw material from my

sports experiences," he
says.

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Now To 12/31/09
With Coffee or Tea
Served 7 AM To 11 AM
Monday To Friday

IF

Served 9:30 AM to 11 AM

I
I
I

I (No Beverage For Carry-Out Orders)
II Christmas Day At Southfield

Discount Coupon And Breakfast Special Offer Good At All
Little Daddy's Restaurants

tNON G HU4

FINE CHINESE DINING

'A wonderful adventure in fine dining" — Danny Raskin

Open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner
Catering and carryout available
Gift certificates
27925 Orchard Lake Rd., North of 12 Mile, Farmington Hills
248-489-2280
www.honghuafinedining.com

Restaurant

Italian Cuisine

248.476.0044

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Expires: 01/10/10

Farmington Hills • Corner of Grand River & Haggerty Road
Auburn Hills • 1 V2 miles south of the Palace of Auburn Hills

46

December 17 • 2009

1553210

"I decided to switch
careers and become a
full-time comedian, and
I started watching and
listening to clips from my
favorite comedians:' many
of whom, like Konstantin,
are Jewish.
He mentions Lewis Black,
Woody Allen, Jackie Mason,
Don Rickles and Richard
Pryor as favorites, plus
Robert Klein and Demitri
Martin, with whom he has
worked. "I think Black is the
best:' says Konstantin, "and
I [once] opened for him at
a concert:'
disorder. "I had trouble learning and
With a nod to his heroes, Konstantin
processing information, and I just
has a unique voice, dry sense of
didn't understand the questions in
humor and an offbeat delivery, spicing
class and on tests at a time when there his observations with edgy rants.
wasn't a lot of understanding and help
He attended a comedy class at Mark
available he explains. "I experienced
Ridley's Comedy Castle in Royal Oak,
a life-changing event at MSU when a
which taught him how to overcome
counselor at the learning resources
stage fright, not to be afraid of an
center there helped me deal with
audien_ce,_to convert carrirc ideas into
the problem. I began to write &mil
actual stage material and other stand-
everything I read and heard in order
up staples. When he began to perform,
to focus on my studies and soak up
he realized his attention deficit disor-
the information. My learning process
der no longer was an issue.
improved immensely"
"Ha!" exclaims comedy impresario
After graduation, Konstantin
Mark Ridley. "Having ADD is nothing
plunged himself into the world of
new in this business. Almost all of
advertising, spending 13 years in
the comedians who come through my
Detroit with two major national ad
club, young or old, have or have had
agencies, working on the accounts for
ADD — or come from a dysfunctional
Lincoln-Mercury and Mazda vehicles.
family. We don't care what they are or
He often worked 60 hours per week,
have, as long as they're funny. Whether
writing and illustrating print ads and
they're young, old, Jewish or not, funny
television commercials and serving
is funny."
as an art director. Again, his humor
Ridley says he has seen Konstantin
emerged in the ads and he earned
perform many times, at the club and
kudos from his bosses.
in other venues around the Detroit
"I loved the jobs, especially at the
comedy circuit. "He's starting to find
second agency, and everything was
his own voice, to be comfortable on
going fine he says, "or so I thought.
stage and using his own style," says
After working overtime on a weekend
Ridley. "It takes a few years to really
in 2007 to finish a big ad campaign, I
get going in this business. You have to
came in on Monday and got laid off,
crawl, walk then run, then hope you
along with about 15 other people. The
hit the big time."
poor economy in the nation was really
affecting the auto industry. Anyway,
On His Way
that ended my ad agency career."
Konstantin feels he has passed
through the crawling and walking
New Direction
stages, with the many stumbling
Konstantin says that's when he really
blocks that accompany them, and is
got serious about comedy.
currently "running" on the comedy