EPIC FAIL

If there’s a Hall of Fame for bad career moves, Brian Dunkleman will be enshrined there someday. Still, you’ve gotta admire the guy because he stood behind a very simple principle — that it’s wrong to treat people cruelly for sport or spectacle — while committing what Simon Cowell called “the biggest mistake in the history of show business.” Dunkleman walked away from American Idol (and untold fame and wealth) after only one season as Ryan Seacrest’s co-host. The way we see it, though, Dunkleman is the Chinese student in Tiananmen Square, and Cowell is the lead tank; standing up to pompous douche nozzles is a thing to be celebrated. So get out to Stanford’s Comedy Club at the Legends (1867 Village West Parkway, Suite D-201, in Kansas City, Kansas), where Dunkleman performs his act tonight through Sunday, and show a stand-up guy some love. For more information, see stanfordscomedyclub.com; call 913-400-7500 for reservations.

Wed., Aug. 19, 8 p.m.; Thu., Aug. 20, 8 p.m.; Fri., Aug. 21, 7:45 & 9:45 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 22, 7:45 & 9:45 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 23, 7 p.m., 2009