Black on the Strip: Bill Bellamy, Wayne Brady & George Wallace

It's a recession, and although people are more frugal with where and how they spend their money, where entertainment is concerned, two things are constant: Comedians are funny all year round (laughter definitely helps ease the pain of having a smaller tax refund), and Las Vegas is always a fun time.

So, why not take a break from your worries and head to the West Coast destination known as Sin City?

There's always a full lineup of talent ready to entertain the masses, and BlackVoices.com recently caught up with Bill Bellamy, George Wallace and Wayne Brady, three comedians who all have one goal in mind: cracking up audiences on the Las Vegas strip.

"Vegas gives you an opportunity to touch so many people because of its lure," said Bellamy, who is headed to Vegas this week to film the fourth season of the hit series 'Who's Got Jokes.'

"You have every demographic to provide entertainment for," the 'How to Be a Player' star said, then deadpanned, "young and old and sometimes real old."

Mel B Pictures

In this photo provided by Kraft Foods, Spice Girl "Mel B" poses for a photo wearing a T-shirt she designed based on the classic pink ribbon used for breast cancer awareness, after a fashion show and launch of "Pose for the Cure" web site to help Kraft Foods raise money for the 'Susan G. Komen for the Cure' fight against breast cancer in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008. The shirt is for sale on the web site and the net proceeds will benefit the foundation. (AP Photo/Kraft Foods, Ray Stubblebine) **NO SALES**

In this undated image released by Oxfam Tuesday Sept. 23, 2008, British singer Mel B participates in the 'In My Name' global campaign calling for action against poverty and demanding world leaders keep their promises on millennium development goals. (AP Photo/Oxfam, HO) ** NO SALES **

In this photo provided by Kraft Foods, Spice Girl Mel B, left, serves as the emcee at a fashion show and launch of "Pose for the Cure" web site to help Kraft Foods raise money for the 'Susan G. Komen for the Cure' fight against breast cancer in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008. Mel B wears a T-shirt she designed based on the classic pink ribbon used for breast cancer awareness. The shirt is for sale on the web site and the net proceeds will benefit the foundation. The woman at right is unidentified. (AP Photo/Kraft Foods, Ray Stubblebine) **NO SALES**

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: TV personality and designer Khloe Kardashian and Olympic-level swimmer and model Amanda Beard (R) pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Ultimo Scottish designer lingerie brand founder Michelle Mone (L) and pop singer Melanie Brown pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown poses backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown and Olympic-level swimmer and model Amanda Beard (R) pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown and singer Aubrey O'Day (R) poses backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Pop singer Melanie Brown, Olympic-level swimmer and model Amanda Beard, singer Aubrey O'Day and TV personality and designer Khloe Kardashian pose backstage at the Mel B With Ultimo Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Metropolitan Pavilion on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images )

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As of late, the former MTV VJ and 'Def Comedy Jam' alum has been hosting the hit TV One stand-up comedy competition series, in which 24 up-and-coming comics battle it out at the Luxor Hotel for a chance to win their very-own comedy special on TV One.

Elsewhere on the strip, Brady of 'Who's Line is it Anyway' fame, is now a permanent fixture at the world-famous Venetian hotel. Brady, who still appears on television via the game show 'Don't Forget the Lyrics,' has been voted the best all-around performer on the Las Vegas Review Journal's best of Las Vegas 2008 list.

And though the former daytime talk show host is quick to add that the downturn in Vegas travel is noticeable, he says that now more than ever he is "more appreciative of the audience coming out, because everyone is taking a beating."

The multifaceted Emmy Award winner, who had a stint as Billy Flynn in the Broadway musical 'Chicago,' describes his 'Makin S**t Up' show -- where the audience helps choose the theme of each of his improvisational skits -- as a throwback to the variety shows of the Rat Pack days, particularly that of the late, great Sammy Davis, Jr.

'Those guys, Sammy and Frank [Sinatra], were triple and quadruple threats. Sammy could do six different things. I want to give the audience the most bang for their buck, something Sammy would have done with comedy, using the audience, dancers and impersonations. So I think Sammy definitely influenced it, because it's more of an old-school vibe if you can do a variety thing," Brady said.

And this headliner isn't doing comedy solely for black folks. His audience is clearly diverse, and he makes no apologies for that.

"If you're a black comedy act and you set up a show on the strip, it's probably not going to work out for you that way. Vegas is the nexus of America, and America is many things. I don't know if we have enough black people that come through to support a certain type of black comic doing a specific type of humor."

But, he's quick to add, he has noticed that black comedians are still doing their thing. "George [Wallace] I think works because he just does comedy, and he happens to be a brother doin' it, and some [of it] is insightful black humor. I do it, and I think it's a little bit broader. It appeals to everyone."

In between his 'Making S**t Up' show at the Venetian, Brady is promoting his debut album, 'A Long Time Coming,' which garnered a Grammy nomination for best traditional R&B vocal performance for his cover of Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Gonna Come.'

Soon, he'll head to Europe to open a few dates for his good pal Brian McKnight before touring solo. And then he's back to taping 'Don't Forget the Lyrics.'

Meanwhile, veteran comedian Wallace, who Brady described as "the New Mr. Las Vegas," has survived the test of time – headlining the main showroom at the Flamingo Las Vegas for five years now. He's been lauded by AccessVegas.com as "the best show comedy show in town, bar none," and the Los Angeles Times sung his praises, saying that he has the type of "tenacity that helps a headliner survive and thrive in the brutally competitive environment of the strip."

Wallace has flipped the idea of being a headlining comic. Instead of being hired by the Flamingo to do his show and getting paid a fee as a performer, he opted to rent out the famed casino's showroom instead. He spearheads all of the marketing and advertising for the show and has been profiting ever since.

Making the business decision to take things into his own hands was an easy one for the Atlanta native.

One thing's for sure, this 56-year-old buddy of Jerry Seinfeld is having a lot of fun doing it.

"I've been working here since '82 with Diana Ross, and I always felt as though I do this for everybody. My audience is everybody," Wallace said. Everyone from Gladys Knight and Yolanda Adams to Chris Rock and Chris Tucker has stopped by to check out his show.

Wallace credits the show's success to his frequent appearances on the 'Tom Joyner Morning Show' and word-of-mouth marketing, which brings an even mix of young and old, white and black, tourists and locals to hear his 'I Be Thinkin' jokes.

"It's a time of depression, and it's the greatest job in the world to make people laugh," he concluded.

Yes, we agree -- and it's clear that the Las Vegas audiences does, too.

GET IT ON THE FUN:

For free tickets to TV One's 'Who's Got Jokes' with Bill Bellamy, please visit www.whosgotjokes.com.

For more information or tickets to see Wayne Brady's 'Makin' S**t Up,' please visit:
http://www.venetian.com/Pages.aspx?id=360.

For more information or tickets to see George Wallace at the Flamingo Las Vegas, visit www.GeorgeWallace.net.