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CHRISTIAN FINNEGAN'S BEST INTERVIEW EVER

Well, OK, maybe that's a little hype. But it's not like I made up my memoirs, right?

Best moment in our interview that didn't make print? When I brought up the fact that Christian trails Dat Phan in online fan voting for Comedy Central's Stand-Up Showdown. "There's a spiritual nut-punch right there," Finnegan told me on the phone Wednesday night. Then he realized he best make nice. "That said, he is a really nice guy." Then he remembered he is performing with Phan next weekend at Florida State University. Ouch! Wonder who is headlining that gig? Double ouch!

I'll update after tonight's show at the Comedy Studio. Here is my interview with Finnegan from today's Boston Herald...

Finnegan accents local roots
By Sean L. McCarthy/ Joker’s Wild
Friday, January 20, 2006
Christian Finnegan called later than expected Wednesday night because the folks at VH1 wanted him to tape an extra sketch or two for Best Week Ever.
Did the bit involve him dressing up in Scarlett Johansson’s red dress from the Golden Globes?
"Oh, if only it were!” Finnegan said. "No, I’m in a white jacket. Nobody will be squeezing my man-breasts or anything like that. Sorry to disappoint the three freaks that would be entertained by that.”
Finnegan, who grew up in Acton and graduated from Natick’s Walnut Hill School, returns this weekend, performing at both Becker and Nichols colleges, with a stopover tonight at the Comedy Studio in Harvard Square.
But he’s a New Yorker now.
So does he sympathize with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg? Bloomberg has lost his Boston accent, according to a recent New York Times article.
"I think that that’s probably a good policy,” Finnegan said. "My dad was vigilant. He has six brothers and sisters, most of them have Boston accents to some degree. But my dad was vigilant, to the extent that whenever we used the word ’spatula,’ he yelled and told us it was ’spatchuler.’ ”
Right now, though, Finnegan worries more about Comedy Central’s top 25 comics of 2005. An online election will reveal the winners Jan. 29. So far, he barely makes the cut.
"This is bigger than the Golden Globes, bigger than the ’24’ premiere. Sometimes people will tell me they’ve never voted. That they don’t believe in the system. I tell them they have no reason to complain then,” he said. "Actually, I just hope to stay there, just so I don’t have to have the conversation with my dad to explain it.”
On his college tours, audiences love Finnegan from Best Week Ever and his appearance on Chappelle’s Show, but there is some material he cannot do.
"You have to remember that these kids are 18, 19, 20 years old, so these kids are in a different place in their life than you are,” he said. "What do you mean I’m not going to be fulfilled in my career? What do you mean I’m not going to want to strangle the person I live with?”
At least Finnegan can say his TV career has lasted longer than Heather Graham’s - her new sitcom was apparently canceled this week after only one airing on ABC.
"There’s nothing worse when you see a comedy and you see someone trying to be funny,” he said. "Comedy isn’t sort of mugging. WHA-WHA WHAAA! Every facial expression she had, it was literally watching a ’Tom & Jerry’ cartoon.”
Sounds like something you might see on VH1 soon. Finnegan sighs.
"This is what my life has become,” he said. "I used to read. At Walnut Hill, I had my Morrissey pompadour, my black turtleneck, and I had these small circular glasses that were fake, but I wore them to make me look smart ... and now I read Tara Reid all day.”

Christian Finnegan's home page. And Christian on MySpace.

NEWS AND NOTES: The Walsh Brothers are going to Aspen, Colo. They’ve been selected to perform at the HBO U.S. Comedy Festival in March ... NBC has ordered another season of Last Comic Standing to air this summer. Stay tuned for audition info.