The big picture would be getting the respect of the industry and the comics who have already made it.

There are different definitions of "made it". Having steady work on the comedy circuit as a headliner, or as a middle act in big cities, can pay quite well. Just because it hasn't led to something else doesn't mean that they're not successful in the field.

I think that's one reason why some of the folks who've been around longer don't respect Dat - because they don't think he respects the industry. He basically told them that it was a stepping stone to acting for him. In other words, he'll do this until something better comes along. I can see some of the others taking offense to that sort of mindset, especially if they've been busting their chops for years to get this kind of exposure. It's kinda like the reason Jay Mohr campaigns so hard for this show - he thinks it's ridiculous that people who've lost on a reality show get invited to appear on Letterman, when comics have been working for years and years for that kind of exposure.

Yes, there are comics who have branched out from the comedy circuit, but they still typically keep contact with it since that's their first love. Jerry Seinfeld and Tim Allen are two names that come to mind who've continued to do stand-up even though they have had acting jobs.

And Chris Rock is right now hitting some of the comedy clubs to tone up for doing the MTV Awards. The thing is, he's not headlining on the weekends, which someone of his stature would typically do. He's playing shows on Monday and Tuesday nights, when comedy clubs are typically pretty dead. That gives him a chance to polish his act but not crowd other comics out of lucrative gigs. He was in here in Raleigh this week, and I hated missing out on tickets - I heard he was absolutely terrific.

Bebo, Queen of the Backwoods and your American Idol PTTE co-champ