Chicago-based comic and writer Julianna Forlano won the Chicago branch of the Reader's Digest contest and can now call herself Chicago's Funniest Comedian while flapping a handful of $100 bills that she got for her trouble. Five $100 bills. Which is to say...$500.

Anyway, Forlano heard about the contest on the Chichahahago message board, where regulars talk about sports, politics, old interpersonal grudges, and sometimes even comedy. She cleaned up some of her jokes, to fit in with Reader's Digest's squeaky clean sensibility, and performed an 8 a.m. set at Zanies downtown.

"The weird part was that there was no audience," Forlano explained. "No people in the crowd to laugh, so when presenting the material it felt a lot like bombing. Crickets. Well, there were 3 or 4 Reader's Digest staff members there who did chuckle from the back but that didn't constitute an audience. In fact, the camera and sound folks actually requested that folks be quiet on the set. Not the usual warm up for a stand-up routine!"

Picture is from the front page of Reader's Digest's website. To see her winning video click here.