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Artist Paul F. Tompkins

Mr. Show alumnus Paul F. Tompkins is a rare sort of comedian in the Internet age: He’s always decked out in a sharp suit and eschews banal pop-culture jokes for hilariously engaging bits about topics both absurd (the pros and cons of having a miniature pet bear) and mundane (shopping at Banana Republic and marketing strategies for peanut brittle). It’s a bit odd, then, that he was so ably anchored to VH1’s Best Week Ever—which is currently on an extended hiatus, slated to return early next year (maybe)—but Tompkins’ zeal for it makes perfect sense: He cut his teeth lambasting pop-culture idiocy on the show as a panelist, so there’s no need for him to bring that sort of material to the stage.

Updated 09/02/2009