Of course, you should read all of these items with an "...allegedly" at the end. Who are we, Ted Casablanca?

What's the buzz lately? Well, we've heard a big new comedy venue is going to discontinue its Chicago comedian showcase efforts (okay, that's not exactly a blind item...anyway, more details on that to follow).

There's talk that a local alternative showcase is looking to jazz up its weekly shows with comedy short films and other creative experiments.

Some say a local up-and-comer is looking to focus almost all of his energy on his stand-up efforts to accelerate his creative and professional progress.

We're also still in the know about recent Blerds development, including details about the latest lamb to be folded into the Blerds flock (although, as Mike Holmes points out, everything's a big fat lie anyway).