Comedy gigs showcase WGN’s Belaval and Chicago cops

WGN-TV’s Ana Belaval will be showcasing her comedy talent at Saint Xavier University’s “Comics for Cougars” show.

A couple of comedy events in the Chicago area are coming up in the next few weeks.

On Thurday, Sept. 25, “Comics for Cougars” will take place as part of Saint Xavier University’s homecoming celebration. The show will feature local comedian Pat McGann, best known for his Emmy-nomiated TV show “The Chicago Stand Up Project” and for gaining national exposure on David Letterman’s show and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” for delivering Chicago-style deep-dish pizza to Jon Stewart — in response to his dissing Giordano’s Pizza.

Also on the bill will be WGN’s Morning Show feature reporter Ana Belaval, making her debut as a standup comedian. Joining Belaval will be her morning colleague, Mike Toomey, the WGN show’s announcer, who has been a regular at comedy clubs and special events around town since the early 1980s and has performed in concert with the late George Carlin and Wayne Newton.

A portion of proceeds from the comedy show will go to support scholarships at Saint Xavier’s. For more information and to buy tickets to the event go to sxu.edu, keyword: homecoming.

†The second annual search for Chicago’s funniest police officer will be taking place on Tuesday, Sept. 30. It all happens at the Laugh Factory, 3175 N. Broadway, and the “Laugh Patrol” competition will be hosted by legendary funnyman and Harvey’s favorite son, Tom Dreesen.

It will be interesting to see how many of Chicago’s Finest — the 12,000 Chicago Police Officers — will be competing to prove he or she is Chicago’s funniest cop. The contest is open to officers from all 23 Chicago PD districts, and during the evening an expected couple dozen officers will have three to five minutes on Laugh Factory’s stage to serve up some laughs.

All the night’s ticket sales proceeds will go to a great cause: The 100 Club of Chicago, which provides support to the families of law enforcement officers and fire fighters killed in the line of duty.

As Laugh Factory founder Jamie Masada puts it, “Police officers put their lives on the line every day, dealing with everything from the ridiculous to the sublime. This is a chance for them to share the funny aspects of their lives.”