The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 13, 1990 - Page

'

comedian makes

U.S. finals

by Jennifer Worick
It's no joke.
Laughtrack, a weekly comedy
showcase at the University Club,
will be sending a nmenmber of its
troupe to the the finals of the Certs
U.S. College Comedy Competition
on March 21 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Midwest regional finalist Tom
Franck, a junior in the School of Art
wand Laughtrack host, will perform
before a largely collegiate audience,
:along with two other finalists frorni
;the East and West.
Franck originally competed
Or -:

against nine University comedians
on January 24 at Laughtrack, win-
ning the right to represent the U-M
in the Midwest semi-finals. Last
week a panel of judges declared his
performance videotape the winner of
the Midwest semi-finals.
Either MTV or Ha!, a new com-
edy channel, will air excerpts from
the finals, Ray Steinman, the con-
test's national promotion manager
said. In addition, the winner will ap-
pear in several New York comedy
clubs.

Popular comedian Jerry Seinfeld,
Steinman, and top executives at
U.S. Concepts, the promotional
company behind the contest, will
judge the final performances.
Although winning the national
contest could aid his career im-
mensely, Franck remains pragmatic.
"(Being named a finalist) is incredi-
ble but I've got my whole life to be
good at this," he said.
Laughtrack Chair Kerry Birming-
ham said Tom'has a "great shot at
winning it all" and the television
experience will boost Franck's ca-
reer.
"There's nothing more that a
comedian wants than television ex-
posure," Birmingham said. "The
more national exposure and awards a
comedian gets, the more marketable
that comedian is."
Franck acknowledged it is easy to

become famous due to television ex-
posure but added that to hime it is
more difficult and importa nt to be' a
good conmedian.
"The chance of a few impo tauni
people in the business s4eing rine is
more important than null ions of
people in a television audience
watching mne," Franck said,
After hosting 20 comnpetitons tug
this year's contest at other~~kc
Peter Berman, a 1989 Ui, ILL
graduate, said t'ranick has at CA'.cI
lent chance of winning. Beirman fin-
ished second in last year's contest
and now performs at comedy clubs
nationwide.
"Tom's super hip -- he knows
everything about cult TV shows and
incorporates that into his routine"
Berman said. "His appeal is toward
the younger crowd so he should kick
butt in Daytona. The tact that there;
are only three finalists i'atheir thlan
last year's four should help too.
"The contest in Daytona is good
because you perfornm in front of a
bunch of college students who win
be the ones going to comredy clubs
in the future," said Berman. "After
the contest, they eventually night
*see you somewhere else."
When Franck heard he had beeny
selected as a finalist after six weeks
of waiting for the results, hie was re-
luctant to accept the news.
"A lot of my friends play piacti-
cal jokes on me and I was particu-
larly skeptical of the phone call be-
cause it was my birthday," Franck
said. "I still don't quite believe it's
true."

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byiJudd'Wjnjck

Slamn dunk
Ban Bass, first-year LSA student, does his "best Sean Dobbins"
imiation at the basketball courts next to the Public Health Building
yesterday.


TIHE MANNERS COURT

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Calvin and Hobbes


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PREFORNIANCE OF
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NOOOO! MOW' BOUT
MII..OW ZZNAV-MWWW
by Bill Wattemon
SAL SNOUID TAKE
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l 3.13

Greyhound offers $25,000 fo

information on Fia.

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HARTFORD (AP)- A Ui~y,
hound bus in Connecticut was hit by
sniper fire yesterday and the chaii of
the strike crippled bus line; offered a
$25,000 reward for informnfation
about a weekend shooting in Florida
that injured eight passengers.
No one was injured in the Con-
necticut shooting, which occurred on
Interstate 84 shortly before l1 ai.
as a New York-to-Boston Greyhound
bus headed into Hartford with 19
passengers. Passengers reported hear-,
ing a small pop that sonme thought
was a blown tire.
Police recovered a bullct irom; the
baggage compartmient on thr driver'
side and were trying to determuine the
caliber and type of gun used, said
state police spokesperson Adam iBt-
luti.
Passengers were hurt Sunday

night wneni, mO re fired a bullet
thi-ougtithfl ilii of a Greyhound
bus in south Jacksonville. The p~as-
seiigeis werei injured by fiberglass
and shrapnel.
When asked if he thought the
shot had conic front a striker, Grey-
hound's Chair and chief executive of-
ficer Fred (i:ui ey said: "1 pray that it
is not true, I hope that it is not true.
I do niot want to believe that any-
body involved in Greyhound would
(10 such a thing."
T'he Amialgamnated Council of
Grey hound Local Unions disavowed
icSlc~isibilityr foi the Florida shoot-
frig, but a Luon spokesperson in
Hartford said he believed the Con-

Ii
shooting;_
necticut shooting was motivated: by
the strike against the only natio-
wide bus company.
"Wie will not bend or move be-
cause of intimidation and violence,"
insisted Currey before boarding a
Greyhound bus from Jacksonville to
Orlando, Florida in order to demon-
strate his point.
The union, which represents
6,300 drivers and more than 3,000
office and maintenance workers,
went on strike March 2. There have
been scattered violent incidents
since, including a striker crushed to
death by a bus operated by a re-
placement driver in Redding, Cali-
fornia.


Medical School and
Dental School Night
Wednesday, March 14 7:00-9:00 pm
Auditorium D--Angell Hall _____
Featuring Medical and Dental School
Admissions Deans and Current Students From:


II
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