If you are either (A) a pop culture enthusiast or (B) a blob that slumps on the couch all day eating Doritos and watching television while your self-respect shrivels up like an old man’s salami, then you have probably seen Christian Finnegan. Not only was the New York-based comedian one of the first panelists for VH1’s “Best Week Ever” series, but he has also appeared on “Chappelle’s Show,” “Comedy Central Presents” and, uh, “Countdown with Keith Olberman.” This May, Finnegan – who currently stars in TBS’s “Are We There Yet?” – will bring his particular brand of refined wit to the Dayton Funny Bone.

Last month you recorded two performances in Boston for a new DVD. How did the shows go? 

I’d been working on most of the material for three years, so I knew it well enough that I could mess around a bit. I’m really proud of the material on my 2009 DVD (“Au Contraire”), but I think I was a bit too concerned with “hitting my marks,” so there’s a slightly robotic quality to the performance. This time around, I treated the tapings as if they were random road gigs and that made all the difference. It’s like when a driving instructor talks about not gripping the steering wheel quite so hard. -Christian Finnegan

The working title of the new DVD is “Double Shift At The Asbestos Factory.” Are you a Guided By Voices fan? 

Saying that “Double Shift at the Asbestos Factory” sounds like a GBV song is the highest compliment you could give. So, thanks! In truth, it’s just a phrase from the performance I’m particularly fond of. There’s been a bit of disagreement as to whether this is, in fact, a good title for a comedy DVD, so a change is possible. But bringing up GBV might inspire me to dig in my heels. -CF

Is Boston a tough crowd, or – as a former Massachusettsan – do you get off a little easy?

Well, I was taping at the beautiful Wilbur Theatre, which attracts a well-behaved audience. It’s not like I was throwing down at a hockey rink in Southie. But being a local boy does have its disadvantages – like glimpsing your elderly aunt’s face in the crowd immediately before launching into a lengthy description of female genitalia. Should make for interesting conversation at Thanksgiving. -CF

A Dayton comedy audience can bring maximum weirdness. How do you handle hecklers, or people in the audience who are clearly insane/from another dimension?

The most problematic hecklers are the “nice” ones – people who simply let their enthusiasm – and liquor – get the better of them. I don’t like to humiliate someone who genuinely means no harm. At the same time, there are a lot of people at a show who’ve paid to listen to the “professional.” So, sometimes the self-esteem of one must be crushed for the good of the many. -CF

The Funny Bone has a monthly open mic night. As a professional, how inspiring or awkward is it to watch green comedians perform for the first time?

I always feel bittersweet when I see a young comic have a great set. I can’t overstate how intoxicating it is to “kill” onstage. So, when I see a young person do it for the first time, I’m genuinely jealous that I can’t go back in time and re-experience those feelings. At the same time, I wince at the disappointment the comic is going to feel when he or she learns that one great set does not, at the end of the day, amount to much. You’re never as good as your best night or as bad as your worst. It’s about batting average and endurance. -CF

Your first big televised splash occurred on “Chappelle’s Show” in 2003, when you portrayed the victimized white roommate in the “Mad Real World” sketch. How did that sketch affect your career?

It’s hard to overstate how much that one sketch has meant. I’ve been lucky enough to work on lots of great projects with lots of really talented people, and I have some fun stuff coming up. But if my obituary refers to me as “the white guy from ‘Chappelle’s Show,’” I think I’d be okay with that. – CF

True story: a couple of years ago I ran into Dave Chappelle at a local bar. We somehow started talking about the History Channel, and Dave said that he had recently watched a show on the History Channel about Adolph Hitler’s attempt to make a time machine. Does this sound legit or was Dave just messing with a history nerd?

Dave is an avowed conspiracy theorist, so I’d wager he was being serious. Not correct, necessarily. But serious, sure. -CF

Speaking of the History Channel: you regularly appear on its “I Love the 1880’s” series. Of all the decades, why, in fact, do you love the 1880’s?

Oh you know, carbon filament, halftone printing – the usual stuff. Also, fewer bloggers. -CF

Dayton was a hotbed of innovation in the 1880’s. Does this mean that you love the Gem City, too?

I’m impressed! You were able to decipher my secret message. You’re like western Ohio’s version of that “Da Vinci Code” guy. -CF

Christian Finnegan performs Thursday, May 23 through Sunday, May 26 at the Dayton Funny Bone, 88 Plum St., Suite 200, The Greene. For ticket prices and show times, call 937.429.5233 or visit the Dayton Funny Bone online at funnybonecentral.com. For more information about Christian Finnegan, visit christianfinnegan.com.

Titus’ humor is shaped by a dysfunctional childhood and a life wrought with adversity. He is quoted as saying, “I think our collective psychosis is hilarious. With the world moving as fast as it is, if we weren’t dysfunctional, we couldn’t function.” For Titus, the answer to dealing with life’s hardships arrives in comedy.

I had the opportunity to catch up with Christopher Titus in anticipation of his forthcoming residency at the Funny Bone Comedy Club:

When did you first start performing stand-up comedy? 

When I was 19 years old. I was a fetus with jokes. My dad and I were having fistfights, so he went away one weekend and I moved out. I lived with my aunt for three years and drove 45 minutes two ways, three times a week to get on stage at the clubs in San Francisco. It was tough. Thank God I was a fetus and had the energy and the stupidity to do it. –Christopher Titus

What propelled you to start performing? Did you have a set prepared for your first performance or was it impromptu? 

I had no other skills and no other possibilities for my life. California Public Schools – it’s not my fault. I wrote what I thought was 15 minutes, practiced it for a month and used up all that material in five minutes. I had worked for months in my aunt’s garage speaking into a tape recorder. Sometimes I would practice two hours a night. I finally got enough courage to sign up for open mic night. I remember two things, “Please welcome Christopher Titus …” and “That was Christopher Titus, you’re going to be seeing a lot of that guy …” I had practiced so long that I knew the material backward and forward so I didn’t screw it up, but I don’t remember a word I said. -CT

Your humor has an element of darkness to it shaped by a tumultuous upbringing. Do fans often inform you that they find your humor to be curative in dealing with their own struggles? 

Yes. I do get a lot of letters from people saying it changed their lives. I keep a letter in my nightstand at home in case I ever get whiny. It was from a guy in Sacramento who said that he was going to kill himself on Valentine’s Day in 2007 because his fiancée had canceled their wedding. He had sat down and had a bottle of tequila and a handgun in front of him. He said he had sat on the remote and had butt-turned-on Comedy Central. “Your special ‘Love is Evol’ had started and I started drinking and started laughing and crying and thought if you could get through that, I don’t have to kill myself.” I keep it to stop me from being a jerk. Although, it puts a lot of pressure on me for the next special. What if it sucks and we have mass suicide? -CT

You had your own sitcom “Titus” in the early aughts. It is said that the show was canceled due to your uncompromising approach toward the show. Can you elaborate on “Titus” – how you got the opportunity, why the show ended, etc.?

People said I was difficult. Honestly the show was my real life and my real family so I was maybe too close to it. FOX had four network presidents in three years, so the agenda of these people would send the show in a different direction or they would at least try. People forget that that year at FOX was a massacre. The only shows that survived that year were “Titus” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” To this day though, people are mildly crazy about the show. It didn’t end up in the discount bin. The boxed sets go for up to $250 per set. I’m kind of proud of that. –CT

What are your plans for the future? 

I’ve started a production company and we just shot my first special without the help of anyone else; no outside network or company. We are raising money for our first crazy comedy called “Special Unit.” The premise: due to the fairness and disabilities act, the LAPD has to hire four handicapped undercover detectives. I play a corrupt cop who has to train them. It’s insanely funny. I can’t wait to shoot it. I also don’t let the voice in my head run my life anymore. I just let it help me make comedy. I also plan to keep using newspapers to promote my new special “The Voice in My Head,” which is being released on April Fool’s Day online only. Ten percent of all the money raised goes to my charity for homeless kids, The In-Sight Youth Project. For someone who has no other skills, I’m pretty damn lucky with how things ended up. -CT

Christopher Titus will perform Friday, March 1 through Sunday, March 3 at the Dayton Funny Bone Comedy Club, 88 Plum Street, Suite 200 at The Greene. Shows at 7:30 p.m. each night with a 10 p.m. show on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit christophertitus.com.

Reach DCP freelance writer Leo DeLuca at LeoDeLuca@daytoncitypaper.com

In the mid-Aughts, acclaimed actor and comedian Vince Vaughn took to Ernst and invited him to perform in the “Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights – Hollywood to the Heartland.” The prestigious month-long variety tour featured Vaughn, Ernst and three other rising comedians. Designed to capture the ethos of the old Wild West Shows, the troupe performed thirty shows in thirty separate cities over thirty consecutive nights. Racking over 6,000 miles to complete the tour, the event was later turned into a feature film that debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006 and opened in the U.S. in early 2008.

In 2010, Ernst received his own half-hour “Comedy Central Presents” special and hosted the Oxygen series “Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too.” Bret has also made frequent appearances on the widely loved Showtime series “Weeds” and guest starred on “CSI: NY.” His standup has landed him on the “Late Late Show,” Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend,” BET’s “One Mic Stand,” Showtime’s “Comics Without Borders” and many other programs.

I had the opportunity to speak with Bret Ernst in anticipation of his forthcoming Dayton residency:

When did you first start performing stand-up comedy?

April 28, 1997 – The Comedy Zone in Miami –Brett Ernst

You played football at C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. Did your comedic nature ever clash with the inherently serious sport? Did you find playing football was complementary or discordant to your stand-up? Did your humor ever get you in trouble?

Not at all. The locker room was the best place to crack jokes. Same with team meetings, bus rides, and even during the game. I loved taunting players by making fun of them and the best is when you get your own teammates to laugh. I actually started developing my comedy skills by telling “mama jokes” with my other teammates. That’s what I miss about football the most – my teammates.

By the way, cracking jokes only works when the team wins. Playing football helps you when you step into the real world. It teaches you how to work hard without making excuses. You get an understanding that you win some and you lose some and you will always live to see another day. It also teaches you how to act when you win and how to deal with it when you lose … although I’m the type of guy that hates losing more than I love winning.

My humor did get me in a lot of trouble with teachers and coaches. I was always running extra laps or sitting in the principal’s office. I lived in the principal’s office – you could always find me there. That’s actually the working title of my next special, “Principal’s Office.” –BE

You starred on “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show” and received your own “Comedy Central Presents” special. How did those opportunities arise?

When you live in L.A. or New York, opportunity is always around every corner. I used to perform at this place called Dublin’s on Tuesday nights in L.A. and it was a legendary room at the time. Everybody in Hollywood would come to these shows and Vince used to frequent the club a lot. One of his best friends (fellow co-star of the movie “Ahmed Ahmed”), and later one of mine, ran the show and introduced us. Vince told me he dug my stuff and we became friends. When Vince came up with the concept of “The Wild West” movie, he pretty much knew who he wanted to have in it and I was one of them. The “Comedy Central Presents” was offered to me through the network. –BE

You were born in New Jersey, went to high school in South Florida, returned to the northeast for college and now live in Los Angeles. Is there a certain ethos to your humor shaped by time spent in varied locales?

Definitely. I went to fifteen schools growing up and one high school. Since I moved around a lot, I was always the new kid, so it helped me learn to talk quick. I also picked up on the accents of the different places, mostly New Jersey and Florida, which is why I have this watered-down Jersey accent. –BE

Do you have any Dayton or Ohio-centric jokes prepared for your show at Dayton Funny Bone? Along with your standard routine, do you ever prepare specific jokes for the cities in which you perform?

Well, I will be getting married in Ohio this year, so I guess that means I have some Ohio jokes. I don’t really prepare specific material for the city I perform in. Everybody’s the same and people all experience the same douche bags no matter where you live! –BE

What are you plans for the future?

To keep doing what I love, keep being with the ones I love and stay happy! –BE

Bret Ernst will perform on Jan. 24-27 at the Funny Bone Comedy Club and Restaurant, 88 Plum Street, Suite 200 at The Greene. For more information, visit breternstlive.com.

Comedian Beth Stelling has been entertaining friends and family since her childhood days in Dayton, Ohio. Stelling’s bent for humor recently landed her on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and earned her the title of “Best Stand-up Comedian” by The Chicago Reader. In addition, Stelling has written for The Onion A.V. Club, appeared on ABC’s “Detroit 1-8-7,” performed on TV Guide’s “Standup in Stilettos” and more.

Oakwood High School’s drama department first fostered Stelling’s funny side and led her to a degree in theater from Miami University. In 2007, Chicago became the site of Stelling’s first forays into stand-up comedy. Lovable, deadpan and crass, Stelling quickly caught the eye of critics. Her career has progressed steadily ever since.

This autumn saw the release of Beth Stelling’s first comedy album Sweet Beth. Recorded in Cleveland, the 20-track album is a solid introduction to the young comedian’s charming, self-effacing style.

After catching her 2012 SXSW performance, the Huffington Post called Stelling a “standout,” remarking: “her stand-up is so accessible and smart, she has no problem getting the men in her audience to crack up over a tilted uterus joke. A+.” Currently residing in Los Angeles, I caught up with Beth Stelling in anticipation of her forthcoming residency at Wiley’s Comedy Club on Dec. 20, 21 and 22.

You recently performed on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” How did that opportunity arise?

The booker of the show saw me at least twice in Chicago. He then saw me again in Montreal while I was performing in The Just For Laughs Festival. He began to see me when I moved to Los Angeles in September of 2011, so I put together a set I thought would be good for Conan and my manager sent it to the booker to be considered. Because we had a history, he knew who I was and how I’d grown over the years as a comic. He said he thought it was good and we began shaping the set and making it perfect for the show. I was given a general time period when I would be taping, but had someone cancel (Tig Notaro) and my taping was pushed up, so I found out the day before I taped (July 22).

Does your time growing up in Dayton and the Midwest influence your comedy? Is there a certain ethos to your humor shaped by your upbringing? 

Friend and Chicago comic Steve O’Harvey once said he could “taste the Ohio in my set.” I don’t think it’s that obvious, but it’s there. I talk about my family a lot and they all live in Ohio still, with the exception of my Dad (lives in Orlando), so that makes sense.

My parents’ divorce, being the youngest of three girls, my wack-a-doodle step-(and ex-step) parents, traveling between Florida and Ohio all influenced my comedy. How I relay those experiences is what makes me a comedian.

When did you start performing standup? 

I did my first comedy open mic in Chicago on Oct. 30, 2007. My first show was on Nov. 7, 2007.

You were named the “Best Stand-Up” Comedian by The Chicago Reader and a “Comedian to Watch” by The Chicago Tribune. Your comedy was gaining momentum in the Chicago area, but you relocated to Los Angeles? What was the impetus behind this move? Do you plan to stay in L.A.? 

I moved to L.A. after being named a “New Face of Comedy” at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. It’s a great honor and can really get you some good recognition with the L.A. industry, so I thought I would finish up the play I was doing (second and last theater I did in Chicago) and then use that momentum to move to L.A.

I love L.A.  People who hate it failed there and got bitter. I could still become one of those people. I’ve spent all my life in the Midwest. I have been in L.A. a little over a year and I don’t find that it’s changed me into some materialistic monster that only talks about the biz and can’t carry a real conversation unless I’m getting something out of it. In fact, if you think about it, there’s a very high likelihood that the L.A. douchebag you knew/know/met once was actually just an Ohio douchebag that moved to L.A. to follow his acting dreams. People from the Midwest are crawling all over L.A. It’s very much a transplant city. I love the L.A. weather, geography, vibe and opportunity.

I’ve spent the last week home in Ohio and I can say I’m about five failed jokes away from movin’ home to get barefoot and pregnant. I love it here. Pros and cons are in every city.

You’re performing at Wiley’s Comedy Club in Dayton Dec. 20-22. Are you preparing a specific set for the Wiley’s shows? Can we expect any Dayton-centric humor? 

I’ll tell some Dayton jokes if that’s what you want, Leo. Now I just have to write ‘em. It will be a fun show. I’m doing the shows with Ryan Singer, a fellow Daytonian and hilarious comic. We’ll have shirts available that were designed by Matteo Lane (N.Y. comic). They are awesome.

Beth Stelling will appear with Ryan Singer Thursday, Dec. 20 through Saturday, Dec. 22 atWiley’s Comedy Club, 101 Pine St. Tickets are $7-$15. For more information, visit sweetbeth.com.