Bill Engvall

"The Bill Engvall Show" returns for its second season on TBS next Thursday. How does Engvall, a long-married father of two who lives in Manhattan Beach, compare with the sitcom family man he portrays? "Except for the fact that I'm not a therapist in real life, we're about the same," he said. "It was a natural fit." PLAY BALL An ideal way to start would be a Friday night Angels game. But if I didn't have tickets, I'd go down to my favorite sports bar -- the Sharks Cove in Manhattan Beach -- and watch it there.

Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010 SERIES Rubicon: This new series' about an analyst (James Badge Dale) for a government intelligence agency with an eye for finding clues in everyday information that suggest sinister motives by unseen forces, premieres with back-to-back episodes (8 and 9 p.m. AMC). The Next Food Network Star: The five remaining finalists cook for guests Eva Longoria Parker and Todd English at their restaurant, Beso, in this new episode (9 p.m. Food). Drop Dead Diva: Jane (Brooke Elliott)

Bill Engvall, the Texas comic known for being quick on the drawl, is generally an easygoing guy who enjoys a kindly chuckle at life's foibles. But dangle a stupid person in front of him, and Engvall takes on a sharper edge. Like the time he had a flat tire and pulled into a gas station. "Tire go flat?" the attendant asked. "Noooo," Engvall replied. "I was driving around and those other three just swelled right up on me." Classic Engvall.

What's missing from "The Bill Engvall Show" (TBS, 9 p.m. Saturdays) is present just about everywhere on television: therapy. From dramas such as "In Treatment" and "Head Case" to docu-soaps including "The Hills," "Ruby" and "Gotti's Way," reclining on the couch has become almost de rigueur for characters looking for a boost in self-esteem. It shouldn't be too much to ask for on this show, which began its third season last week.

Bill Engvall is headlining at the Irvine Improv this week, but he'll be taking the night off Saturday. The Texas native with the good-'ol-boy-next-door stage persona and a penchant for identifying the "stupid people" among us has a good excuse: He'll be at the American Comedy Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, where he's up for an award as best male stand-up in a comedy club. (The awards show will air on ABC in May.

As fans of Bill Engvall know, nothing rattles the good-natured comic's cage like stupid people. Take the time he pulled into a gas station back home in Texas with a flat tire and the attendant looked at the tire and said, "Tire go flat?" "Nooooo," Engvall drawled back. "Hell, I was driving around and those other three just swelled right up on me." Engvall, who headlines at the Improv in Brea through Sunday, would like such people to wear signs that say, "I'm Stupid."

Comedian Bill Engvall wasn't sorry to see the end of the '90s, a decade in which you couldn't just order a cup of coffee--it had to be a latte or an espresso--and "awesome" was the word du jour. The only problem, Engvall says onstage, is that we were using the word wrong: "We were saying stuff like 'Ooh, your car is awesome." Or "Your yard looks awesome."

When NBC resurrected "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" this TV season, the network retooled several aspects to make the sitcom better fit the comedian. The setting shifted from Indiana to Foxworthy's native state of Georgia. And when casting the best-friend character, Bill, they cast Foxworthy's friend, Bill Engvall. Foxworthy recalled discussing the cast changes with NBC, which picked up the show after ABC canceled it. "The more we talked about it, I said, 'That's Bill Engvall.'

The cast of Santa Ana's Way Off Broadway Playhouse has been added to Sunday's Father Day bill at the Brea Improv. The troupe will perform a sketch called "Father of the Year" from its most recent "Off the Wall Comedy Nite," which concluded its two-weekend run earlier this month. The comedy nights, with sketch comedy, music and dance numbers, are offered between regular stage productions at the troupe's Santa Ana theater.

"The Bill Engvall Show" returns for its second season on TBS next Thursday. How does Engvall, a long-married father of two who lives in Manhattan Beach, compare with the sitcom family man he portrays? "Except for the fact that I'm not a therapist in real life, we're about the same," he said. "It was a natural fit." PLAY BALL An ideal way to start would be a Friday night Angels game. But if I didn't have tickets, I'd go down to my favorite sports bar -- the Sharks Cove in Manhattan Beach -- and watch it there.

8:30 & 10:30pm Jazz Dynamic pianist-composer Danilo Perez continues his local stint with a new quintet, performing selections from his acclaimed, latest album, "Motherland," inspired by the history and traditions of his home country, Panama. The Danilo Perez Quintet, Catalina Bar & Grill, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 466-2210. $15 cover tonight at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.; $17 cover Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m.; $15 cover Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Two-drink minimum.

Comedian Bill Engvall wasn't sorry to see the end of the '90s, a decade in which you couldn't just order a cup of coffee--it had to be a latte or an espresso--and "awesome" was the word du jour. The only problem, Engvall says onstage, is that we were using the word wrong: "We were saying stuff like 'Ooh, your car is awesome." Or "Your yard looks awesome."

When NBC resurrected "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" this TV season, the network retooled several aspects to make the sitcom better fit the comedian. The setting shifted from Indiana to Foxworthy's native state of Georgia. And when casting the best-friend character, Bill, they cast Foxworthy's friend, Bill Engvall. Foxworthy recalled discussing the cast changes with NBC, which picked up the show after ABC canceled it. "The more we talked about it, I said, 'That's Bill Engvall.'

Bill Engvall thinks stupid people should wear a sign that says "I'm Stupid" so the rest of us don't have to waste our time dealing with them. Here, from his act, are a few of prime candidates: * "I pull into this gas station with a flat tire and the attendant asks, 'Tire go flat?' " 'Nooooo. Hell, I was driving around and those other three just swelled right up on me.' " * "My wife and I moved from Texas, and our house was full of boxes. My friend comes over and he goes, 'Hey, are you movin'?'

Being a comedian and a team roper just wasn't enough for Bill Engvall. Last month, he decided to add bronco buster to his resume. But now, if he never again hears the words "Get him, Hank!," he'll be a happy man. "When I turned 38, I decided I was going to be a bareback rider," Engvall, who was raised in Dallas, said this week from his home in Culver City. "My wife said, 'What are you, stupid?' Three or four times on the way to the ranch, I'm thinking I can still turn around and go shopping.

Bill Engvall thinks stupid people should wear a sign that says "I'm Stupid" so the rest of us don't have to waste our time dealing with them. Here, from his act, are a few of prime candidates: * "I pull into this gas station with a flat tire and the attendant asks, 'Tire go flat?' " 'Nooooo. Hell, I was driving around and those other three just swelled right up on me.' " * "My wife and I moved from Texas, and our house was full of boxes. My friend comes over and he goes, 'Hey, are you movin'?'

8:30 & 10:30pm Jazz Dynamic pianist-composer Danilo Perez continues his local stint with a new quintet, performing selections from his acclaimed, latest album, "Motherland," inspired by the history and traditions of his home country, Panama. The Danilo Perez Quintet, Catalina Bar & Grill, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 466-2210. $15 cover tonight at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.; $17 cover Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m.; $15 cover Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Two-drink minimum.

Bill Engvall must have seen something he likes in Orange County. He's back. A benefit at the Bren Events Center in October, a special engagement at the Irvine Improv in November, four shows at the Brea Improv in December, and now another special engagement in Brea this week and next. (A special engagement just means you're going to have to pay a little more, and no passes will be accepted.

Bill Engvall, the Texas comic known for being quick on the drawl, is generally an easygoing guy who enjoys a kindly chuckle at life's foibles. But dangle a stupid person in front of him, and Engvall takes on a sharper edge. Like the time he had a flat tire and pulled into a gas station. "Tire go flat?" the attendant asked. "Noooo," Engvall replied. "I was driving around and those other three just swelled right up on me." Classic Engvall.