Vanessa Hollingshead
Vanessa is the quintessential, native New Yorker. She only just got her driver’s license a couple of years ago. As a child, she spent a year at Millbrook Mansion with her father, Michael Hollingshead, who introduced Timothy Leary, and later, Paul McCartney, of the “Beatles,” to LSD. At five years old she took LSD by accident. Hey, it was on a sugar cube, and they were out of Snickers. Mom found out and became outraged.
She whisked Vanessa back to New York City, encouraged her to try “amphetamines” to help her clean the apartment and to stay away from sugar. “Bad for your teeth!” But motherhood did not agree with Sophie (Vanessa’s mother), as it interfered with her finding good weed in bad neighborhoods. Now, throw in two years on a commune by herself, two years in London with her dad, and a decade of temp work, and Vanessa’s angst was complete. Coincidentally, a comedian was born.
Vanessa Hollingshead was married to Lucien Hold, the artistic Director of “The Comic Strip,” who died November 22, 2004 from Scleroderma. He was an extraordinary man who loved comics and is still missed by his wife and every comic that took the time to talk to him, because boy could he talk.

Rick D'Elia

Originally from Boston, Rick is a regular sketch performer on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno whose keen observational humor & quick wit recently lead him to the finals in the prestigious San Francisco Comedy Competition. People are talking about this kid. So what's the latest buzz?

"Never heard of him." -- Film critic Jeffery Lyons

"Never heard of him." --Rick's father

"If 'funny' is someone who leaves beer cans all over the house and uses the f-word in front of his mother, then I'd say yes, he's very funny!"—Rick's mother

"As long as he stays the required 500 yards away at all times, I don't give a rat's ass what he does!"—Rick's ex-girlfriend

While maintaining that 500 yard limitation, Rick has appeared on other TV shows such as Comedy Central’s Stand-up Stand-up, UPN’s Grand Slam Comedy Jam, Comedians Unleashed, and National Lampoon’s Funny Money. He has also headlined at numerous clubs and colleges all across the country, as well as USO Tours in Japan, Korea, Bahrain, and Germany. Recently he produced and appeared in the stand-up special The Godfathers of Comedy, which is scheduled for release in 2008.