Yukking it up along the Strip

Friday, Oct. 6, 2006 | 7:44 a.m.

Here's the schedule of comedians who are in town or coming soon:

If laughter is the best medicine, Las Vegas should be a very healthy place over the next week or so.

There will be yuk-yuks from one end of the Strip to the other, featuring every taste in comedy - from sharp-tongued, Boston-bred roaster Vinnie Favorito at O'Sheas to a new redneck comedy venue at the Sahara.

There will be Hispanic comedians, television comedians and comedians from New Jersey.

At the top of the list is Favorito, who is starting his second year as a stand-up comic headliner for Harrah's - first at Binion's and then at O'Sheas, where he debuted in December.

Favorito is known as "Don Rickles with venom," and is a favorite with the Friar's Club roasts in Beverly Hills, Calif. You rarely see the same show twice - but for a few opening lines. From then on Favorito feeds off the audience - and everyone is fair game.

"Once the acknowledgment of the different races - including my own - is over, it's a new show every time," Favorito says.

The room is usually packed with fans of the comedian who shows no prejudice; he insults everyone, regardless of race.

"We've got a great little show on the Strip," Favorito says. So great they're adding another one.

Usually dark on Sundays and Mondays, Favorito will add a performance in the upstairs theater on Sundays beginning Oct. 14.

He appeals to all ages, but he says older crowds have discovered him.

"The elderly have been hot in my shows," Favorito says. "Word is spreading to them - little old ladies and their girlfriends are here a lot. It's kind of spreading more than I thought it would."

Favorito says he has also been surprised by repeat customers.

"Sometimes fans will come to the early show and stay for the late show," he said. "That's the best feeling, to know they like it so much. Some of them have seen it six, eight, 10 times. That's the feather in my cap."

Favorito says he's not concerned about the recent talks about Harrah's Entertainment possibly being taken over by an out-of-state organization in a leveraged buyout. "I'm not nervous," he says. "I'll still be in one of the properties, whoever owns it. Our show has grown a lot."

After you see the politically incorrect Favorito, you might check out "Redneck Comedy Live!" which debuts Monday at the Sahara. The show's cast will vary, but the opening lineup features Dick Hardwick, T. Bubba Bechtol (the "Bubba Nature" comedian), Sam Griesbaum (pronounced "grease-bomb") and Killer Beaz.

If redneck humor isn't your bag, there's Mike Marino, who headlines at the Riviera Comedy Club through Sunday . Marino - known as "New Jersey's Bad Boy" - has performed in most major comedy clubs in Las Vegas, New York and Los Angeles. He has acted on TV ("Becker" and "Frasier") and in films ("Lucky Quarter," "Walking on the Sky"). Also on the bill are John Caponera and Jessica Golden.

George Lopez, one of the hottest Hispanic actor/comedians in the country, brings his considerable talents to the Hilton Oct. 13-14. Lopez, the creator and star of the ABC series "George Lopez," recently released his latest album "El Mas Chingon" ("The Baddest").