Applications are due October 15th for the largest sketch comedy festival in the nation - Sketchfest 2007, right here in Chicago. It's the festival's sixth year, and this year, 100 sketch comedy groups from around the world will stage 125 shows in 8 days, from January 4-14.

i.O.'s Jason Chin has discovered some amazing parallels between his life and that of Scarlett Johansson. Personally, we always saw the resemblance.

We're awaiting some post-birthday party reflections from Bill Cruz, who, we noticed at his 30th birthday smash, becomes a little homoflexible when he's feeling celebratory. Pretty ladies like you, too, Bill. Think about it.

Columbia College students can get school credit for taking "Comedy Studies" at The Second City Training Center. List of needed classroom materials: books, notebook, rubber chicken.

i.O.'s Crago tells you which of the i.O. shows are the most fun. He should know. He's seen a lot of them. (Hint - one of them has a really long name, and one of them stars two guys with hard-to-pronounce names.)

Also at i.O., Rachael Mason wants Dick Cheney to know she's got her eye on him.

Tomorrow night at 7 at the Hideout is another Dollar Store - this one featuring "Schadenfreude Friend Justin Kaufmann, Girls, Girls, Girls Girl Claire Zulkey, and Sports Action Teammate Katie Nahnsen." Cover charge is, yes, one dollar.