Notable comic award-winners (From UPI):

Viewers' choice standup
comic award --female: Wanda Sykes

Viewers' choice standup
comic award --male: Lewis Black

Everybody Loves Raymond won the top TV award, for funniest TV series.

Comedy legend George Carlin was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy, which was presented by fellow ACA winner Garry Shandling.

Male performer in a TV series (Leading Role): David Letterman, The Late Show with David Letterman

Female performer in a TV special: Ellen DeGeneres, "Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning"

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"Of all the awards, the Standup Comic Audience Award is our favorite. It is a chance to honor the performers who spend much of their careers developing their craft and working in the comedy clubs all over America."

--George Schlatter

Producer,
American Comedy Awards

Fun Facts About The American Comedy Awards

For the first two years of the ACA, the award for standup comics was called "Funniest Male Standup Comic" or "Funniest Female Standup Comic"

In 1988 and 1989, an award was given to both a "Comedy Club Standup Comic" and "Funniest Male/Female Standup Comic."

And in 1990 and 1991, the phrase "Of The Year" was tacked onto "Comedy Club Standup Comic..." and the "Funniest Male/Female" award was dropped after 1989.

From 1992 to 1999, the award was renamed "Standup Comic Audience Award." Confused? So are we!

No award, of any kind, with any name, was given to a standup comic in 2000.

A cursory examination of the list at left reveals these facts:

Diane Ford lost 10 times, making her the Susan Lucci of the ACA.

Will Durst lost 7 times making him the Ted Danson of the ACA. He lost to Craig Shoemaker, Bill Engvall, Carrot Top, Brian Regan, George Wallace, Richard Jeni and the late, great Dennis Wolfberg.

Robin Williams won the award in one form or another three times, beating, at various times, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy (2X), Jay Leno (3X!), Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Jackie Mason, Garry Shandling and Louie Anderson, none of whom went on to win.

Lilly Tomlin won 2 times, skipped a year, then was defeated by Roseanne (Arnold, at the time).

In 1999, Etta May tied Felicia Michaels and Robert Schimmel tied John Pinette for the top awards, the first ties. Producer George Schlatter cited "irregularities in voting" as the reason for dropping the award the following year. After a meeting with standup comics and other at the Melrose Improv, Schlatter restored the award for the 2001 ACA.

In the 2001 ACA, Price Waterhouse will tabulate the votes, which will be cast by viewers who see a videotape of the nominees, which will be shown on Comedy Central and online.

Those nominees will have been chosen by a "blue ribbon panel" of comics and former comics, who got a list of nominees from club owners, who made their suggestions for "Standup Audience Award" after prompting from Geo. Schlatter Prods.

The Awards will be handed out at Universal on April 22 and broadcast on the April 25, 2001.

If all goes well, SHECKYmagazine.com will be present when the coveted awards are handed out. We will keep you posted in any event on the nominees and on the voting.