College students going joke-for-joke in comedy contest

URBANA – If you attend the University of Illinois and think you're a funny-man (or funny-woman), then you can compete for the title of "The Country's Funniest College Student."

RooftopComedy.com, an Internet comedy channel, is behind the competition, which features students competing from 32 colleges from around the country, including the UI. The first event takes place April 2 at the UI, but the time and campus location have yet to be nailed down.

To sign up for the competition, go to www.rooftopcomedy.com/events/college and click on the "enter" button on the right side of the page.

"It's open to anybody who's a student and wants to compete for the title," said Loren Pomerantz, who is handling the media relations for RooftopComedy.com. "There's usually about 15 students competing and an audience of 200 to 250 students. They do a three-minute routine and then the crowd picks out the top eight by filling out a voting form."

Those winning eight students will then compete April 14 in a head-to-head competition against eight students from Illinois State University. Again, the time and location have yet to be finalized.

The 16 regional semifinalists head to comedy clubs and will then compete in an online voting round, which will then be whittled down to four finalists. The finals take place May 30 to 31 in a live broadcast from Aspen, Colo.

"The winner gets $1,500 and the title of 'The Country's Funniest College Student,'" Pomerantz added.

And who knows, with the exposure the winner could even get an automatic pass to the nation's comedy club circuit.

RooftopComedy.com is a provider of stand-up and sketch comedy. Go to www.rooftopcomedy.com/events/college for more information about the event.

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