The good humor girls

Angela Hoover hates Las Vegas. She hated it so much when she moved there in 2005, she found herself telling complete strangers how much she disliked the town she called her new home. But she can’t deny that Sin City helped her capture the 2006 California’s Funniest Female title at Martini Blues in Huntington Beach.

“When you succeed at anything and it is not a struggle, that is when you do your best,” said Hoover, a mother of two toddlers. “It was like I couldn’t believe I was out at night talking with people who weren’t 2. It was just a fun experience.”

Surprising to Hoover was that her anti-Vegas jokes elicited the most laughter by far, she said.

“Whatever’s the hardest thing you’re going through, it comes across as real and that’s funny,” Hoover said. “You have to use universal material.”

Well the time has come to laugh again, as event originator Bill Word has assembled another 100 women to battle it out for the title of California’s Funniest Female, using only a microphone and their sharp wits. Now through June 2 at Martini Blues, 10 contestants will perform every Saturday and on a handful of Fridays.

Each contestant delivers a 10-minute stand-up routine. At the end of each round they will be judged on material, personal performance and their onstage persona.

“Some people could do really well but maybe their material isn’t original,” Word said. “But if the audience doesn’t know it they would still get points for performance.”

The competition has gained international notice over the last few years, powered by buzz in MySpace and the California Funniest Female website, event originator Word said.

“MySpace has spread the word,” he said.

Participants have flown in from Australia and Ireland for this year’s competition. Others will come in from Oklahoma, Ohio and New York, Word said.

The contest has launched a number of female comedy careers, contestants agree. For Hoover, the win opened a number of doors into the comedy world. However, she would not have gotten as far if it were not for Word’s support — even after she won her title, she said.

“What’s great about Bill is he plugs this contest year-round,” Hoover said. “Not only does he advertise [the event] and e-mail people, he tries to set you up with performances afterward.”

Vicki Barbolak, the 2003 champion, could not have agreed more.

“He’s just really supportive of women and I think he gives them a lot of opportunities,” Barbolak said. She added that it is difficult working in a male-dominated trade.

The 49-year-old Vista resident, who describes her act as a cross between Mae West and Phyllis Diller, simply appreciated the increased exposure.

“It was good because it was more work,” Barbolak said. “It was fun being in the company of women…. A lot of time when you work with men you feel you have to prove yourself and with women it’s more collaborative.”

“I’ve always had a reputation of booking women,” Word said. “I have always wanted to highlight funny females. It was just easier to do a contest.”

Most of the men who have served as judges say they never thought women were funny before the contest, Word said. “It drives me crazy when I hear [that],” he said. The guys usually change their minds after watching one round, Word said.

Last week, the first round of comics hit the stage. Kacey Arnold, Kenisha Bell, Lola Gillebaard and Laura Park, who competed in the first rounds last Saturday, impressed the judges enough to get a second performance. They will return to Martini Blues on April 28 to see how they fare in the quarterfinals.

For more information visit: www.funniestfemale.com or www.martiniblues.com.