And we’re sure it’s Gallagher I! (He’s among the many who were milling about this afternoon!)

We flew in last night… got to the Alexis Park at about the end of the second of three Wildcard Shows. The AP is the host hotel for the World Series of Comedy. (And it is where the brains behind the WSOC, Joe Lowers, regularly produces “The Las Vegas Comedy Show featuring Joe Lowers.”)

The “intimate” room was packed for Wildcard # 2. We hung at the bar outside and got acquainted with some of the folks who were on Wildcard #1 or were waiting around for Wildcard #3. Las Vegas-based comics Kathleen Dunbar and Tanyalee Davis stopped by to lend support.

If Lowers does nothing else, he will have the undying gratitude of those who competed because he has managed to make sure that they perform in front of… a CROWD! (Unlike those folks who put together the Las Vegas Comedy Fest back in October of 2003! We had a rather unpleasant experience with that trainwreck. Click the link to read about it, if you need some negativity!)

Lowers has attracted about 130 comics to the desert, along with assorted comedy club owners and bookers and other exalted industry whoozits and whatzits, so the WSOC has taken on the feel of a mini-festival or a convention.

We got up early and scampered across the street to the Hard Rock (no doubt in violation of local jaywalking laws) to shovel in their Huevos Rancheros. Then, after a deserved nap, we strolled on over to the showroom to watch Dobie Maxwell conduct a truncated version of his seminar in front of a healthy crowd of contestants. (Maxwell has written a couple of items here and there for SHECKYmagazine.com over the years. We first encountered him at the Chicago Fest back in ’01 or so. We disagreed with about 60 per cent of his presentation, but it was interesting to see someone else’s opinions on things. His speech is both practical and philosophical and peppered with anecdotes, aphorisms and axioms which will no doubt spur many a conversation during multiple long car rides from one hell gig to another. It was equal parts pep talk, business seminar and wake-up call.)

As we’ve stated in the past, we like the practical aspect of this WSOC– the winner comes away with several weeks of feature work at clubs throughout the country, folks can get a new headshot take for $30 (courtesy of Joe Dunckel)– but there’s also the intangibles, like listening to the grizzled comedy veteran hold forth on his career or watching a screening of Jordan Brady’s “I Am Comic” or chilling with colleagues on the golf course or around the poker table. (And, it may seem like a minor thing, but we like that the entire WSOC schedule is printed on the back of each laminate! What time is the Poker Tournament? Boom! Here it is, on the back of the thing hanging around my neck. Very smart.)

And then there’s the various Bonus Moments… like when Gallagher shows up! Hey! It’s Gallagher! What’s he doing here?

We have the feeling there’s going to be a lot of that going on as the week progresses.