For laughing out loud

Go ahead, laugh your head off. It’s what we need during these tough times when everything is going up except the purchasing power of the peso.

But make sure you don’t laugh at other people’s expense: The physically-challenged, the hearing-impaired, etc. That hurts, not just once, but many times over.

This is exactly what DZMM TeleRadyo is doing, now that it has started LOL (Laugh Out Loud), a weekly talent search for the best stand-up comedian.

The high-brow and the mundane, the intellectual and the pedestrian — all came for auditions at Punchline, Laffline and Metro Bar. Jokes about politics blended with wisecracks about the most banal people, places and events. The event drew a motley mix of the A, B, C, D and even E crowd.

Political satire meets snippets of inanity? You think the two are as different as east and west and never the twain shall meet? Think again.

“We get all sorts of aspirants,” reports judge Pretty Trizsa, a veteran stand-up comedian. “We get students from elite schools and the common tao as well.”

Station manager Angelo Palmones doesn’t mind the big disparity.

“We really need to come up with a comedy program to lighten the mood of our audience during this time of crisis,” he says. “We are also searching for a new breed of anchors who can be versatile enough to handle talk and variety spiels.”

The search is by no means easy. Remember, it’s hard to make people laugh than to make them cry. It requires quick thinking, wit, timing, a feel for the common pulse.

Dolphy had it from the beginning when he started out as an unknown on radio. DZMM is aiming for the sky and wants to produce another King of Comedy through LOL.

Every contestant will audition (the next one is on Aug. 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) before a live audience at Punchline, Laffline and Metro Bar, the better to get the widest range of reactions. But that’s just step one. Then, the contestant will stand before a panel of judges composed of Pretty Trizsa, Kitkat, stage director-host Ahwel Paz and ad executive Irene Panganiban.

They will look for what Palmones calls “kilitability,” the uncanny ability to make people forget the sordid headlines, the political wranglings and other pieces of news that make them want to stay in bed the whole day long.

Host Norman Mitchell will do his share. The comebacking comedian will act as Big Brother to the contestants, guiding them every step of the way.

But please, let there be no foul or obscene language. Ditto with jokes that make fun of people’s disabilities. We already have enough put-downs from politicians and shady characters as it is. It will just be good, clean fun, thank you. This much DZMM TeleRadyo owes its big, big audience.

To prove that the top cable news channel is taking its role as purveyor of engaging jokes seriously, the network has come up with a big package of prizes for LOL winners. The best of the pack in the 13-episode show will get P100,000, an exclusive contract with DZMM and the chance to be a Kapamilya talent (be it as comedian, gag writer, or even a radio disc jock ).

Ahwel, who produces shows abroad, will even fly the winner to various destinations where he can perform with stars in any of the overseas productions he comes up with now and then. This way, the winner gets bigger exposure, better training as a comedian.

The opportunity is great; the price is right. Life’s problems are huge. But with laughter, things are not that bad after all. Let the fun begin.