Well, as I'm sure you've seen posted all around my site, I am back on LCS for the online competition! It's really, really cool. I was very worried that they weren't going to use me, and since this is the last week, I pretty much felt that my chances were gone. Then the fates decided I should have one more chance. The day before this weeks competition started, they called me and told me I was going to be on...well, let the mass mailing begin. Thanks to all who voted for me, I really appreciate it.

Tonight was fun, I did a spot at the Improv for the teen tours. Every summer, for two months or so, the Improv becomes the home for the teen tours. That means that bus loads of teens (ranging from 12-17) from all over the country, come to the Improv. I have fun with these shows. Some comics get freaked out, but I just do my set; plain and simple. Now granted, I don't do material that I know they won't (or can't) relate to, but I never change my act. I never to bits that I "think" they'll like, I do bits that I know are funny to everyone. Well, tonight was great. I didn't like the way I ended my set, I guess the kids didn't like the porn joke, but the rest was great. And (this is the best), I made some money selling my CDs to them after the show. I never sell merchandise at the Hollywood Improv...UNLESS...it's the teen tours. Two reasons: 1 - I know they would love to take a souvineer home with them. 2 - Their parents give them money. :) But in all seriousness, the teens tonight were great.

Kyle Cease also went up, and he always kills with the teens. Before the show we were talking and he said to those kids, we are like gods. We're rock stars. I didn't know what he meant until after the show when I was whoring my CDs, kids were just hanging around me. They didn't want to buy anything, no pictures, they just wanted to be around me. It felt really cool. I started to think about the adults I idolized as a kid: Family, Teachers, cool older kids, etc., and how much I loved to just bask in their "coolness". And when I met someone from TV, all I wanted to do was be around them. Even as I started to do comedy, I would hang out at the local club and hope that the comedians there would talk to me; let me hang out with them. I felt important, like I belonged. But mostly I felt cool. And I think that's what those kids wanted...to feel cool. To be around the comedians. Just writing this now is making me smile with pride. Who knows, I could become some kids idol....God help us.

Well, it's 1:00 AM and I am tired, so I bid you adieu...oh yeah, in case you haven't already...VOTE FOR ME!! We only have until July 4! Here's the link:

Night!..and thanks again.

6/25/06
Evening all...I'm a little buzzed a lot tired, so I'm going to make this short...I hope. Who knows, I could get on a subject and just start babbling...like I just did. Today was very, very boring, and very introspective. I had one of those "what the fuck am I doing" moments. Felt kinda lonely, you know? Not lonely in the "relationship" sense, more like lonely in the "I've got no one to hang out with" sense. I woke up (very late, which I hate doing) and wanted to get some lunch. Well, after about 5 phone calls and no one to eat with, I ended up eating thai by myself...sad really. And I guess that just sparked a lonely vibe in me. Dunno why, just did. I mean I know I have friends, it's just that none of the ones I called was able to get together.

I was at the Improv tonight and saw a great show, it was basically R-rated muppets. But real muppets...Jim Henson muppets. It was hilarious. It was called "Puppet Up". If you have a chance, see this. Then I did some improv at the Second City jam...and I sucked...bad. I'm usually good a improv, but I guess I was off my mark. It's weird, as a stand up I use improv when I do crowd work, and it's usually really good. But with stand up, I have the luxury of falling back on written material, or I can be dirty, or basically that I have the respect of the room, so they let me go to certain places (theatrically) and give me some leeway if the improv starts to suck. With this show that I did tonight; these people don't know me for the most part, so they have no reason to give me leeway. Plus the fact that we can't be dirty and that my "charm" doesn't work for them, they couldn't give a poop. (I'd say shit, but I'm trying to be clean...Oops) But everyone there is cool, no one judges, I'm just hardest on myself.

Well, I've gotta go to sleep now. I want to try and get up at a descent hour. Plus I am going to see the movie Cars tomorrow, and then I'm going to a party to watch Jamie Kennedy: Unwashed. It premiered on Comedy Central tonight, but tomorrow me, the director and some other people (including Jamie, I think) are going to watch it. Since I helped Jamie write some jokes on it, he credited me with additional material by.... Pretty cool, no? So g'night everyone, sleep tight...don't let the Nazi's bite. What?????

6/19/06
Evening all, I just got back from doing 2 spots tonight. One was at the Derby and the second was a spot at the Ramada Inn. I had a better spot at the Ramada.

The Derby had real potential, but for whatever reason, I just couldn't get the crowd on the chain; just couldn't get them with me. They were a hit and miss crowd. Like one joke would kill and then the next 2 would just sit there. As a comic, you know that if you get a crowd to laugh, they usually start to warm up to you and give you more credit as the show progresses. So if you get one laugh, you're liable to get another so long as the jokes are good. Granted, I did try some newer jokes, but the crowd just didn't come along with me for the most part. And I know that I also was off my game, I let the fact that they weren't laughing get to me. Bad Flip...bad. So anywho, I stuck around for a little bit, saw Doug Benson do a spot and then went over to the Ramada to hang out.

The place was packed, I had never seen it like that before. I saw the host and asked if there was room, he said that there were about 6 comics ahead of me, but if I wanted to stick around, I could go up. Fuck yeah! By the time I did go up, the crowd had dwindled, but they were still good. I did my material, and it all pretty much worked. I tried a brand new joke that worked well too, very excited about that.

What was really fun though was just hanging out with the comics at the Ramada. Bret Ernst, Tommy James, Sam Tripoli and some others, we just hung out, talked comedy and politics. Really those nights that you wish you had a video camera. Fun and informative...like an "ABC After School Special".

Anywho, not much else to report. Life is fine and I'm just feeling...I dunno, complacent? Not too high, not really low, just there. Life is good, let's hope it stays that way...but we know it won't. Always the optimst. I'm off to bed, hope you're doing well. Write me, we never talk anymore.

6/14/06
And so it ends....awww. Kidding of course, this is not the end of anything more than a little exposure. My career is far from over and the exposure that I got from the show was really wonderful. I was also pretty happy with the way they cut my act. I knew they were going to edit it, and they cut a chunk out of the "botox" bit, but on the whole, pretty good. I added the video to my Last Comic Standing Clip if you haven't seen it yet.

So here's something about the show that you might not have known. Before the semi's, we were all sequestered in a hotel for 3 days. I don't know why since they didn't use any of the footage that they shot. Maybe they'll use it later, who knows? Well, while in the hotel, I wrote a couple of blog entries. I knew that I couldn't post them until after my last episode aired. So now that that has happened, I present my "LCS Blogs", enjoy:

4/4/06
So by now you all know that I am on Last Comic Standing, and at this point as I'm writing this, I don't know if I've made it into the house. It is the night before the show and I'm nervous. I'm trying not to be, but come on, this is HUGE, I can't help it. There are 39 other comics here, all of them great (I mean they have to be, right?) And I'm trying not to compare myself to anyone or anything, but again, in a competition, you can't help it. There are some black guys, some women, some hispanic guys and then a whole bunch of white guys. I'm in a very big crowd, so it will be hard to stand out. I mean being funny is very important, but let's be realisitic, they're casting a show as well. I'm just a goofy white guy, seriously, what am I going to bring to the house? There's a guy here with cerebal paulsy (and he's hilarious), there's good looking (I'm talking model good looking) guys, there's a biker-type, and then just a bunch of "normal" looking white guys...including me. How do I stand out? So I'm not really pesimistic right now, I'm "causistic"; I'm trying to be real about it, logical. I don't know...I DON'T KNOW! Fuck. I've been trying to keep a balance on this, trying to keep a level head and just be grateful and excited that I made it this far...and believe me, I am. That's been my attitude since I advanced in Miami. But now, well shit, I want to go further. So now I'm sweating it, I'm going over my set and wondering if I'm doing the right one. I have a set that I was happy with, but now I'm second guessing it, wondering if I should do more "personal" material. But my best personal material (the Jewish stuff) I already did in Miami and they said you should do different stuff. I think I'm going to open with the same joke, it's the "Grams" joke, but then do other stuff. OK, you know what, I'm going to take a Nyquil and just go to bed. Fuck, this is going to be a long night. I've been having trouble sleeping lately. Shit, shit, shit. Hey, Wild Willy, you're standing right next to me, I know you're reading this. OK, gotta go, I'm loopy.

4/5/06
Well it's the afternoon of the show. There are 2 shows, one at 3 and the other at 7, I'm on the late show, so I have time to get my head together. Right now I'm getting nervous, but I'm trying to relax. It's tough, you know? I can't fool myself, I'm neurotic and over-analytical, so of course I'm going to be nervous, I'm going to be over-thinking my set. Although last night I did have a bit of an apiphany; there are so many people here, so many different styles, and I am different than most people. Look, I think what it comes down to is this, I got here because of who I am as a comic, so I should just be who I am as a comic for this. I should just do what I do and be happy, right? Just do my act. Do the bits that I love, that make an audience laugh and have fun...most importantly, have fun. This isn't the end of the world, this is just another gig. This is just another chapter in my life...NOT MY LIFE. Just be me, just be me. I just know what this can do for me, I mean shit, look what it's done for everyone else who's been on the show already. Then again, just being this far is going to be amazing for me. I know this is going to sound cheesy as all hell, but I just want to be on the show so my family could have something to show...don't know if that made sense. Nope, it didn't. Let me try and say that again...I just would love it if, let's say, I make it into the house and to the top 5, they would have my family come out and be in the audience and they would be able to just sit back and watch me on network tv! I mean that would just be amazing, wouldn't it? I know my mom would cry...hell, my dad would too. Aw hell, my 3rd cousin would be balling. OK, little sidenote: I just got interviewed by a roving camera crew. I'm literally sitting in the hallway of the hotel typing away, and they asked what I was doing. I told them, and I was honest. I felt it was a great interview, and then I mentioned something about one of the female comics (who is a good friend of mine) and I know they are going to use that for something. They'll take it out of context or something. Reality TV, huh? Oh well. I just want to have a good set, that's all. I always think about the time I auditioned for Star Search, it was just perfect. I walked out of there so positive and I thought, "OK, that was the best that I could do, if they don't pick me, it has nothing to do with my material or performance." That's what I want out of this. Just feeling that I did great, that I am happy. Damn, I'm putting so much pressure on myself right now, and I shouldn't, I really shouldn't. Just being here is fucking amazing! Relax Flip, relax. Just spoke to my brother...thank God for family. I needed that, he put my mind at ease and made me laugh. OK, I think I'm going to walk around a bit. Wish me luck.

So there you go. And I want you to know that I was very happy with my set. I'm sure you saw that as I walked off stage, I made a little "I nailed it" gesture with my arm. That was real, I felt that my set was the best I could've done in that situation.

6/12/06
HEY! Guess what I'm doing??? DIGITIZING MORE VIDEOS!!! That's right campers, whilst in Florida, I came across 11 or so more videos I forgot to bring with me. So me in all of my anal-retentiveness decided to start and get these suckers on DVD before it's too late. Too late for what? I have no idea. Actually these tapes are in pretty bad shape; very staticy. They've been in a box for years, and these are old High-8 tapes...AND they weren't in cases or anything, they were just there. So I'm actually surprised they look as good as they do. Then again, I might have not connected something right that's causing the static. Oh well.

So tomorrow is the LCS semi-finals. Are you guys excited??? I know I am...even though I know what happens. But I can't say a word. I've been lurking on some of the message boards, and most people don't seem to be pleased with the first 5 people picked. Well my friends, I will tell you to remember this...(unfortunately)...THEY'RE CASTING A SHOW, NOT FINDING THE FUNNIEST PEOPLE. This isn't a pure talent search, it's first and foremost a reality show. And what does a reality require? Interesting people. Now you're wondering, "Hey Flip, are you interesting enough to make it on this reality show?" Well, the answer is...BUZZ!!!!...Ooo, sorry, out of time. Guess you'll have to tune in tomorrow.

...ain't I a stinker?

6/9/06
So it's Friday night and I'm packing because I am flying back to LA tomorrow! Got a call from my manager and I have an audition Monday morning, and there are no flights on Sunday...ah the life I lead. So I spent tonight saying good bye to friends and family. Always weird; I know I don't live here anymore, but it's never easy to leave. Although the first time I came back here after I moved, that was a real mind-fuck. It really sunk in that I don't live in Florida anymore. I did have a really wonderful thing happen the other day...well, wonderful might not be the best word for it, but it was a wonderful experience. I was asked to go visit sick kids in the hospital down here. A very nice woman named Lisa asked if I could come down, see the hospital and visit with kids. I was there! The kids were really cool...although none of them knew who I was. I guess they're not fans of NBC...or CBS...or HBO...or PAX...or GSN...or any of the other networks I've been on. :) (lil' joke there) I told Lisa that if there's anything I could ever do as far as a benefit show, all she had to do was ask. Really puts things in perspective, you know? Oh....

For those of you who watched LCS on Tuesday and didn't see me...sorry. I didn't know when they were going to show my set, and believe me, I watched the whole thing too. But I can pretty much guarantee that they will show it this Tuesday at 9:00. Before that is "Reality Show: Fear Factor"...hey, I could be on that! Uh no. This is my third reality show, I think I might be done. Can you guess what my other two were? I bet you can. OH, speaking of guessing...

I have a new "80s Movie Quote" Trivia contest!!!! That's right boys and girls, within the next week I will be posting between 10 to 15 new quotes from 80s movies. The 5 people to guess all of them first will win a cool prize...haven't decided what yet, but it should be cool. So check the Boards and start playing.

OK, need to finish packing and then gotta sleep. OH, thank you to all of you who came to my show the other day at the Ft. Lauderdale Hardrock, it was a blast. And for those of you in the southern California area...next Wednesday at the Brea Improv...BE THERE!!!!

6/5/06
Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been kind of in a daze this last week. Again, I can't thank all of you guys for the support you've been sending me since Last Comic Standing aired. I must have 100 new MySpace friends and I swear to God, like 3 people I haven't heard from in almost 20 years emailed me. So bizarre how many people watch TV. I guess I never really thought about it, but millions of people saw that show. I got recognized tonight! And yes, I'm trying to keep my ego in check...trust me, I know how fickle this business can be. But I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm really enjoying this. I'm actually in Florida now, I came down for my brothers' engagment party. And I swear, if you've never been to a Jewish party...with a lot of food...you should go sometime, it's a treat. Jews and food, it's like...Italians and food, just with more guilt. But to top it off, I was fielding questions and comments left and right regarding LCS, it was a Jew Gauntlet: "Thanks for watching....Yes it's already been shot...No I can't tell you what happened....Yes I know Dat Phan..." Endless. But it was nice to see my family, I really missed them.

Now, being a huge narcasist, I did a little search on what other people had to say, and most people were pretty nice about the show, and about me. Then there were some haters out there, I guess it comes with the job...everyone's got their opinion, and you know what...they're entitled to it. I'm not going to go into specifics, but I saw someone post something that said I'm a self-hating Jew. That made me laugh. Because I did a joke about Jews and coupons, I'm a bad Jew. Give me a break. I mean, again, they're entitled to their opinion, and if that's what they think...fine. But come the fuck on, it's a joke. I guess Mel Brooks is safe hating what with all of his Jew jokes, and all of those black comics who do jokes based on their stereotypes, they're all self hating as well. I don't want to get off on a rant or anything (and if I had done or said something that was too far, I'd admit it), but take a fucking joke, seriously....and thanks for the support. Thanks for the support? Who the hell am I...Bartyles and James? Remember them kids?

Anywho my friends, it's late and I'm tired. So tune in tomorrow and watch. Night.