TV host plays Bloomington bar

Paul Gilmartin from the popular TV show "Dinner and a Movie" graced Bear's Comedy Caravan stage with his presence Monday night. The stand-up comedian decided to stop in Bloomington and visit his old stomping grounds. Dressed in everyday attire and reading a newspaper, he seemed at home. Gilmartin graduated from IU in 1986 majoring in theater and drama. \n"It is fun; I went to school here. It is really nostalgic," Gilmartin said. \nComing back isn't much of a shock for him. Gilmartin said everything is pretty much the same. He was here last year when the Theatre and Drama Center first opened its doors. \n"I was here to see 'Death of a Salesman' and visit old professors," he said.\nGilmartin said he tries to come back every now and then. He decided to come back to campus about three weeks ago, citing the campus' proximity to Indianapolis where he had been performing. He said he was expecting a big crowd, and said he came here last year to a show that sold out in about four hours. \n"Every time Paul comes it's great. We get people who don't usually come, because it's a big name," said Wilhelm. \nThe line up included Isaac Whity from Chicago and Tom Mabe from Louisville, Ky. Tom Mabe also does the "Bob & Tom Show" alongside Gilmartin. \n"Whenever he is doing stand up in the area I try to go," Mabe said. "Paul is the Real McCoy and he is clean and funny and can get laughs."\nGilmartin has a bond with Bear's. He said the place was a regular hangout during college. \n"I used to come to Bear's place and watch the stand up acts there and just wish," he said. \nHis wish came true when he left IU to go back to Chicago, his hometown. From there he did stand-up at The Second City Theatre. The theater is very popular and is where he and many Saturday Night Live stars studied the art of improv. \n"I love Chicago. It is a much better city to live in than New York," Gilmartin said. \nFrom Chicago he went to L.A. and auditioned for the show "Dinner and a Movie." \n"I was surprised when I got the job, because Annabelle and I got into it at the audition," he said.\nThe natural animosity between him and his old co-host Annabelle Gurwitch, was exactly what made the show a hit. "We had a natural brutal honesty, and we took what was natural and got it on camera," he said. \n"Nothing is more boring than watching two people get along," Gilmartin said. \n"Dinner and a Movie," part of the TBS lineup, is entering its eighth season and has a new co-host, Lisa Kushell. \nGilmartin gets along well with Kushell, and hopes the change is successful. "I love Lisa. We get along beautifully, but we are still trying to find our flow," he said. \nAlong with "Dinner and a Movie," he also works on "The Bob and Tom Show." The comic is also looking for more projects that suit his personal interest. He is planning on performing on the Bill Maher show on HBO, and he is working on a play about the Middle East. \n"I am really looking forward to doing the Bill Maher show because it is uncensored, and I am always looking for things uncensored," he said.\nRecalling his childhood in Chicago he says he wasn't much of a class clown. \n"I hung out with a lot of funny people, but I was more afraid of getting in trouble," he said. "Amongst the family, I was definitely the clown." \nGilmartin was raised in a Catholic family and feels his material is inspired by his upbringing. \n"I make fun of a lot of the hypocrisy in organized religion," Gilmartin said. \n"I have a problem with people using politics to infuse religious beliefs or using the Bible to back up their prejudices." \nDuring his show Gilmartin warned the audience about his topics of discussion. \n"If you are a proud Texan that takes your religion serious, there's the exit." Gilmartin made fun of everyone from Bush to Michael Jackson to Muslims, reciting laugh-out-loud poems such as "Sister Joan," and "Bad pickup line." The crowd laughed out loud as he told bad pickup lines, "Kick my balls. I don't care, I count it as touchin," he said to the audience. \nHe made fun of Yasser Arafat, and terrorists. "There are two billion Chinese. If China kayacked over (to the U.S.) they could still put up a good fight," he said. \nPresident George Bush was also a strong topic, and these jokes didn't seem to offend anyone . He made fun of Bush's pronunciation of nuclear, calling it "nuclur." \n"With Bush as president I am terrified as a citizen; delighted as a comedian," Gilmartin said. \nGilmartin even made fun of Bedford and its small community.\nGilmartin says his content is too edgy for some people, and sometimes people have to leave the club. The crowd at Bear's didn't mind the edge. They laughed hysterically. Wilhelm had no problem with the material, "He does a TV show so people think that means no edge, but I haven't heard anyone complain," said Comedy Caravan host Brad Wilhelm. \nWilhelm changed his mind once he heard the act saying, "I guess I was wrong about the non-offending stuff."\nNo one left during the performance and the crowd couldn't stop cheering.