Oh-bee Kay-bee!

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. It hurts. My face, that is. The Lovely Wife(tm) and I made it a night on the town with friends on Sunday, and I still haven't recovered. Where were we, you ask? I'm glad you did. The historic Apollo theater in Harlem, where we caught the legendary Bill Cosby on stage.

Now, I've been a fan of Cosby's standup material well before I ever heard of Dr. Huxtable, and my rendition of "Noah: Right!" is well-known in many circles (anyone reading this who is not familiar with the routine to which I refer is ordered to stop right now, and get this album immediately), so the chance to see the 67-year old master of family-friendly humor was one that I was not going to pass up on. I was expecting a grand time, but to get two-plus hours of straight full-out roaring laughter... well! As far as I knew, all-new routines, touching on all the usual suspects, plus a few jabs on aging ("senior moment? Uh-uh, this is an all-the-time thing"), and then.

He. Did. The. Dentist. Routine.

Again, for those whose parents shamefully neglected their responsibilities in providing their children with a rudimentary cultural education, get the album or the video of "Bill Cosby: Himself".

"Dentists tell you not to pick your teeth with any sharp metal object. Then you sit in the chair, and the first thing he grabs is an iron hook." Forgetaboutit. I squirmed against the armrests of my seat (who designed the Apollo seats, by the way? These are some of the most uncomfortable things I've ever sat in, and I've ridden Greyhound buses on Thanksgiving eve), and just shook.

Monday night, it was off to catch Bruce Kimmel doing a reading and signing of his mystery novel debut, Writer's Block. Agatha Christie's estate has nothing to worry about, but it's a fun read for what it is, with some very fun theater dish served up by someone who's seen the biz from just about every angle. The reading itself was a blast, and it was great to finally meet Bruce, after knowing him online for about eight years now.