Friday, Dec. 10, 2004 | 8:44 a.m.
Long before John Heffron took the title of "Last Comic Standing," controversy surrounded the second season of the reality series.
The premise of the show had 40 professional and amateur comics vying to be the "Last Comic Standing." By the time the show taped in Le Theatre Des Arts at Paris Las Vegas in late February, the number of contestants had been whittled to 20.
Of that group, celebrity judges, including Brett Butler and Drew Carey, selected 10 comics to live in a Hollywood Hills, Calif., castle for eight weeks and compete for an entertainment contract with NBC.
The problem was, many of the comics chosen by the judges didn't make the show. Instead, the show's producers had the last say for the final 10. Nearly four months before the reality series aired, its credibility was in question.
Heffron, who performs tonight and Saturday at the Monte Carlo's Lance Burton Theatre, still wonders what all the fuss was about.
"The big controversy was maybe the show was cast a little bit for dramatic purposes," the 34-year-old comic said. "To me, it's funny when people say that, like they found out something groundbreaking about television and how they cast it."
While Heffron doesn't dispute the assertion that producers may have passed over the judges' picks, he maintains it was all in the name of better TV.
"There were a lot of funny people" among the contestants, he said. "But in addition to just performing, you do those sit-down interviews that helped move the show along. I saw some people doing those and it was like death -- one-word answers. So you know producers were saying we can't have eight weeks of this person saying 'yes' or 'no' to us.
"I think that might have made them swing in one direction or another for picking certain people."
Heffron said he enjoyed his two-month stint on the show and having no connection to the outside world, including TV, phones, newspapers and magazines.
"Nobody could get a hold of you, so no bills go to you," he said. "It was cool."
While a third season of "Last Comic Standing" -- "Battle of the Best" -- featuring the top comics from the first two seasons, was dropped by NBC before the finale aired (it was eventually shown on Comedy Central, with comic Alonzo Bodden claiming the prize), Heffron said there is still life in the series.
Having a show such as "Last Comic Standing" is also important to comedians looking for their big break, he said.
"(Winning) is the equivalent of winning a lottery. You're at a place where any comic would want to be," Heffron said.
The Detroit native credits the show for increasing his national exposure, as he routinely sells out clubs and small theaters across the country.
Heffron even picked up some tips from other comedians on "Last Comic Standing."
"All of my jokes are more story-driven than one-liners," he said. "Doing that show taught me how to put together shorter sets, 2 1/2 minutes. I don't think people realize how hard that is. It's way easier to do a half-hour."
As for his contract with NBC, Heffron said he and the network are in "talks to figure out something."
"They want to do something," he said. "It's just figuring out what that something is."
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