Psych!

You’re gonna be on TV! Not! For comedian Dobie Maxwell, April Fools’ Day came a little early this year. On March 16, two days after his 46th birthday, the funnyman from Chicago was supposed to make his national television debut on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. Maxwell had made the trip to Los Angeles a few days earlier for the taping, an intimidating experience that he described in detail on his blog, Dobie Maxwell’s Dented Can Diary. On the big night, friends and fans all over the country tuned in to see how Maxwell, a doughy little guy whose comedic style evokes Rodney Dangerfield, handled a lucky break that was a long time coming. But Ferguson’s show ended abruptly without mention of Maxwell. At press time, the segment still hadn’t aired. Maxwell seems unfazed. “No appearance on the Late Late Show tonight and the only one who doesn’t seem upset about it is me,” he wrote on his blog March 16. “I’m getting calls from all over the country from people who said they were looking for my name and didn’t see it. Hey, I don’t run the show. I was just a guest on it.” How’s that for rolling with the punches? Wednesday at 8 p.m., Maxwell is a guest at Stanford’s Comedy Club at the Legends at Village West (1867 Village West Parkway). Call 913-400-7500 for reservations.— Crystal K. Wiebe

Wed., April 1, 8 p.m., 2009