Carrot and Zucchini Chocolate Cake

Tag: carrot powder

Strange days. Last Comic Standing (NBC, Global - 8 p.m.), the uneven but often compelling reality competition show in which flop sweat is played for laughs, is meant to be a light summer diversion.

Few gigs in show business are tougher than stand-up, though. And if you look closely at the virtual unknowns desperate for a shot at something approaching semi-fame - quick, name just one past winner - you can almost see the desperation there.

In tonight's outing, the remaining contenders have to mine comic gold out of items found in the bed and bathroom, and beat a ticking clock at the same time. The night's judge is - wait for it - Carrot Top.

At the end of the evening, two more comics will be eliminated, leaving just eight to compete for, as NBC calls it, "the coveted title of Last Comic Standing," and more important to a comic struggling to make ends meet, $250,000 in cold, hard cash.

Comedy is subjective, of course, and for my taste, this season's Last Comic Standing hasn't been the same since Shazia Mirza was sent home. Mirza, a British-born Muslim comedienne who gained traction in Britain in the months following the 9/11 terrorist attacks with her wry, cutting-edge humour - "My name is Shazia Mirza. At least, that's what it says on my pilot's licence" - is nervy brilliant, tough as nails and very, very funny.