Emcees and Judges

Emcees and Judges
PunPunPun.com > PUN-OFF 2009 > ARCHIVES > O. HENRY PUN-OFF 2008 > Emcees and Judges

2008 PUN-OFF EMCEES

GARY HALLOCK

Gary is supposedly enjoying his 18th year as Pun-Off producer & emcee. Besides the many stages he's gone through during this time he's also been working behind the seen as the "Leerless Feeder" of P.U.N.Y., the punster's support group. His tireless work with the jeering impaired and other less fortunate soles has allowed him to weather many sandals without suffering serious de-feet.
Though he's long out of training as a competitor, Gary still manages to conduct himself like a rail well-trained fellow and shows his stripes by sporting his lucky engineer's hat. What is his loco motive? He wants to drive you to dis-traction by building up a big head of his team.
Gary is supported by his patient and sympathetic wife and two groan sons, both of whom appear to have avoided suffering serious genetic damage. In his "real life" he is an apartment manager so at lease he's able to toilet something productive when times aren't flush.
Deliver your commence and kudos to gary@hallock.net. ================================================

Steve Brooks

Steve Brooks' puns flow like a river, but he still creeks along between punning and singing and will brook no interference with his thought streams. You can bank on that! Don't give him aspirin for his fevered brain; it has led him to writing a song a week for Jim Hightower's radio show and recording six CDs. The syndicated TV show, I've Got a Secret featured him as six-time World Pun Champ, and he's been champion at the bits ever since. And speaking of "bit," I "bit" you didn't know Steve has also been in two movies, including 2004's Barbecue: A Texas Love Story. If your love is puns or music, check out Steve's Website at http://www.stevebrooks.net/ and we're net just leading you on. Brooks? Him, Dano! (We've always wanted to say that.)
================================================
ALEX (The Terminator) RAMIREZ
The Alex Ramirez of the Pun-Off world, The Terminator earned his nickname by exterminating competitors -- we have to remind him not to do that as an MC. Of course Escher was also MC, but those were his initials. If you expect to learn what the M.C. in Escher's name stood for, don't expect to read it here -- we don't stand for anything. Nor did the "S" in Harry S. Truman's name stand for anything and neither does Alex when he is running HL&LP. Why, you might ask, do we bring up Harry S. Truman? Alex The Terminator was born the day that the Chicago Tribune gave the election to Dewey, and apparently that has had a lasting effect on Alex, though we are not sure exactly how.

================================================
DAVID GUGENHEIM
(Because I couldn't crop the photo, David is shown below with our crop of winners from 2006 - David is on the right outstanding in his field!)
Having competed and won multiple times in the Pun-Off, David Gugenheim had nowhere left to turn in the vinyl round of our Punslingers battle last year. Our cruel 3 strikes policy knocked him out of the running for yet another trophy and he was forced to retire underdress. (Sorry, Freudian slip) In the months that followed, David's numerous anti-semantic remarks got him in trouble with the word police. (I don't know if that makes censor not!) It's been a long road back for him, but after many months of intensive therapy in a re-blab facility, David appears ready to be returned to polite society. If he's able to turn the other cheek, we're hopeful he'll become an ass set to the emcee team.
================================================
================================================
PUN-OFF 2008 - JUDGE PANEL

Dr. Stan Kegel - Orange County, CA - Retired Cardiologist

Dr. Stan Kegel didn't invent the Kegel exercises, but he does
exercise his readers' laugh muscles while splitting their ribs and
their funnybones with his daily humerus e-mailings on punny and funny
subjects. Stan, who is returning for his 9th year as a Pun-Off judge,
was honored as Punster of the Year in 2000 by the International Save
the Pun Foundation and is a well-loved member of the PUNY Yahoo Group.
Autographed copies of "The Ants are my Friends" a book of
musical groaners co-authored with fellow judge, Richard Lederer, will be available during the Pun-Off events.

To get more of Stan's chokes and gags subscribe to "Puns" by
sending a blank e-mail to:

mailto:puns-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Jim Ertner - South Boston, MA - Naval Architect

Jim Ertner is in the Navy shipbuilding business as a naval architect. (Noah, of course, was the world's first naval ARKitect. Noah was also the world's first financial investor, since he floated his stock while everyone else was liquidated.) Jim is the author of SUPER SILLY ANIMAL RIDDLES (out of print) and the co-author (with Richard Lederer) of THE GIANT BOOK OF ANIMAL JOKES (available for sale at the O.Henry Museum, on http://www.amazon.com/, and with the publisher [http://www.stoneandscott.com/]). Jim has competed in the Punniest of Show seven times, winning three of them (one first place and two second place medals). Jim has had no EGRETs in his quest to FERRET out more animal puns. If necessary, he'll even GOPHER broke. Indeed, he'll GOAT to any length to keep these animal puns going forever and HEIFER. Some may say it's a CATastrophe and a HAREbrained attempt, but you actually OTTER try to PARROT him. Don't cast ASPersion or feel any EEL will towards him, because he just wants to have a lot of FAWN and keep up the KOALAty of these animal puns. You may think he's a RAVEN lunatic to keep up this SHRIMPly awful animal punning, when in fact it actually makes him THRUSHed with delight and URCHIN to tell even more. So don't QUAIL from the challenge, because you don't have to be a RACCOONteur. Just SALMON up some courage, before you take a TERN for the worse. Then say, "WALLABY a son-of-a-gun," and WEEVIL all have a good time at the O.Henry Pun-Off.

Richard Lederer - San Diego, CA - Professional verbivore

Richard Lederer is the author of more than 30 books about language, history, and humor, including his best-selling Anguished English series and his current book, The Ants are My Friends, co-authored with fellow judge, Stan Kegel. He has been profiled in magazines as diverse as The New Yorker, People, and the National Enquirer and frequently appears on radio as a commentator on language.

Dr. Lederer's syndicated column, "Looking at Language," appears in newspapers and magazines throughout the United States. He is the second International Punster of the Year and a Toastmasters International Golden Gavel winner. He attended his first O.Henry Pun-Off in 2002 and seems to have been avoiding us ever since. Now, after 6 years of going wit-out us, he has turned up again like a bad punny. Someone call a copper!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Explore his Web site at www.verbivore.com

Leonard Cobey - Chicago, IL - Author / Publisher / P.O.T.Y

Although he doubtless possesses some of the most ancient lines you've
ever seen, Leonard is actually NOT the oldest joke who has ever graced
our judge panel. Disgrace under fire is certainly something we've come
to appreciate when we need to ferret out stale punch lines. After 20
years of publishing the Pun American Newsletter, he should have no
trouble identifying the stinkers in this sniff competition. While it
is our opinion that valued citizens like Leonard should be senior and
not hurt, he must still suffer the slangs and errors that come with
attending his first Pun-Off. Being such an arrow minded guy, I'm sure
Leonard will not quiver at the prospect of passing judgment on his
fallow punsters. Does this knot bowed well? (Now, that's a Cupid
question!)

Lila Bondy - Chicago, IL - Author / Publisher / P.O.T.Y.

Given her career as a speech therapist, it's likely that Lila is quite
used to seeing strange twists of the tongue getting people in trouble.
These years of experience still may not have prepared her for the
lashing she's about to receive at our contest. Although I'm sure her
stance is "pro-nouns" semantics seen in this contest are predicated on
verbal abuse and hardly anyone escapes with less than a split
infinitive. Just like her pun publishing cohort, Leonard Cobey, Lila
brings years of experience and expert tease to our judge panel.