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Comedian Iliza Shlesinger, winner of "Last Comic Standing" will perform on campus on Fri. March 5 in the Rogalski Center Ballroom at 9:30 p.m.

Iliza Shlesingerperforms Fri. March 5 in the Rogalski Center Ballroom.

Iliza:the last comic standing

By: Dustin Renwick

Posted: 3/4/10

Iliza Shlesinger is famous.
"What? No. I'm not famous. Beyoncé is famous."
Maybe not famous, but Shlesinger is quickly making her name known on the comedy circuits. The winner of NBC's "Last Comic Standing" in the summer of 2008 is gaining recognition, even if her name throws people off.
"My parents wanted to give me a name that would be forever mispronounced by teachers, Starbucks baristas, DMV personnel and Verizon technical support," Shlesinger said. "They said it would build character."
Shlesinger had the classic college experience attending the University of Kansas, then Emerson College in Boston, Mass. "I dated a frat boy, drank a lot, fell in love with my 'art' and even played hacky sack." Like many college students, the comedian found a stumbling block in the post-campus world.
"I worked at a desk, enough said. And I had been killing myself. One day I just said, 'I can't work here anymore. I need to pursue comedy full time. If I fail, at least I tried, and I can always get another terrible job.'"
After working odds and ends jobs in comedy, she auditioned for "Last Comic Standing" and won. The rest is history. Wrong.
"The story starts there," she said.
It's hard to argue that winning "Last Comic Standing" didn't help catapult her career, but Shlesinger has higher goals.
"I'm nowhere close to where I want to end up. I got a little notoriety and that was just enough to get me a little respect, some good gigs and a career boost. I'll use that momentum to open the next set of doors."
And while being funny is a natural talent, performing and honing that aptitude requires hard work and motivation. Comedy isn't a nine-to-five job.
"I'm really competitive. I want to share my jokes with people, it's my favorite thing, and coming up with newer and smarter ways to do it makes me feel great."
It takes that type of work ethic to thrive in an environment that is dominated by males. Being a compelling woman in a man's world is an advantage, Shlesinger said, but with a caveat.
"It works to your advantage only if you can deliver. If you are the only girl on a show and the five guys are good or even decent, and you get up there and eat it, everyone is not only going to leave thinking you suck, they're going to think all girls suck.""Last Comic Standing" likely liberated Shlesinger from any subsequent day jobs. She's now able to return to an audience not far removed from her pre-LCS life.
"Colleges are awesome. You get fresh young minds, and you have to work for it. College kids aren't stupid. They are closer to the realm of academia than the average comedy club goer, so you can take certain intellectual liberties with them that you can't with adults."
A career in comedy can be a grass-roots effort that starts with college students, Shlesinger said.
"They also love Facebook," she added. "And so do I. Please join my fanpage."
Between writing new bits, Facebooking, and hanging around college campuses, Shlesinger hosts "The Weakly News with Iliza," her Internet show on theStream.tv.
"I love 'The Weakly News' because, aside from a few news jokes, it's unscripted, and I get to be off-the-cuff funny and say whatever I want. Wish we were on TV, but it's fun nonetheless."
Shlesinger will be on television this spring, featured on a half-hour special, "Comedy Central Presents: Iliza Shlesinger." The show will air April 16, at 11:30 p.m.
"I've always loved making people laugh," she said.
Shlesinger will perform Friday, March 5, in the Rogalski Center Ballroom at 9:30 p.m. Contact the Campus Activities Board for tickets.