As another year comes to a close, I asked a group of Philadelphia comedians for their Top 5 lists of the year. It could be the Top 5 anything really and the responses that I will be putting up over the next few weeks varied (see last year’s lists). Ok, get ready, here we go!

Tommy Papa, stand-up

1. CvA podcast of The Legendary Wid and John Kensil. It was great to hear their personal stories about the Philly comedy scene years ago. We bitch about the amount of stage time now; I can’t imagine what they went through. Also, hearing them berate Pittsburgh was a bonus. Pittsburgh is like a giant outdoor WalMart. It makes Quakertown look like a metropolis.

2. A Summer at Chucky Cheese by Gregg Gethard. All of Gregg’s stories are great, but this was my favorite because of my personal experiences with this creep infested funhouse. “This is how I ended up, holding a mouse head in a filthy utility closet, getting yelled at by a girl whose only talent on earth was the ability to blindly flip the radio dial from KISS FM to HOT 97 while going down on a 28-year-old cement mixer/numbers runner in the front seat of his fire red Camaro.”

3. Bing Supernova. After witnessing the impact of Fast ball pitcher Bob Gutierrez, Bing is proof there is room for more unique and refreshing characters in Philly. In one appearance, after a successful one liner about “a colored fella,” Bing abruptly cuts off the audience laughter by shouting, “Shut the fuck up!” I almost popped a rib.

4. Laff House vs. Luke Giordano. A woman making her stand up debut and invited her entire workplace to the Laff House on Wednesday night. Luke had the pleasure of following her. By the time he got to the stage, the group of women, (who closely resembled the thug cast of The Wire) were chest bumping and being disruptive. Luke’s first attempt was to politely ask them to have respect for the other comics and be quiet was immediately shot down by the ring leader when she stood up, pointed and hollered out, “Ooooh, die we hurrrrt his feeeelinds?!” Chest bumping again engulfed the room as Luke chose to bit his tongue and walk off rather than riot. Thank you for saving us Luke.

5. Jersey Shore on MTV. I’m half Italian. This show makes me wish I was 100% Scottish. Really? These Jersey scumbags are an accurate representation the Italian culture? That’s like going to the Mayfair section of Northeast Philly to discover the best the Irish have to offer. You won’t find culture, just alcoholic contractors with clover neck tattoos that are highly skilled in domestic violence. Bonus: The guys on the show aren’t capable of eating with their graphic tshirts on, and NJ “girls” are so exposed to steroids it’s become a top character trait. Also, “Snookie” the slutty chunky dwarf built like an egg roll, gets punched in the face by a Male high school teacher! I love you NJ.

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