Finally! Comedian John Caponera makes his first appearance at the lake. Why has it taken so long to get him here? Was it the money? Oh, it's never enough is it? In reality he was just waiting to clear his calendar.

Long considered a comic's comic, Caponera is one of those guys whose face seems vaguely familiar yet you just can't place where you've seen it.

His rise in the comedy field was an auspicious one to say the least. Back in 1979 John entered a Gong Show contest at a local bar in Chicago. He walked away with the $500 winner's pot and a realization that he might have something to offer in the world of comedy. That may have been the biggest cash payout for John in well over a decade.

All kidding aside, John's instincts to chase a comedy career proved correct. After two years on the Chicago comedy club circuit, he took his act on the road.

Nineteen years later, John has performed all over the world. Caponera is a true professional. Offering a mix of material from topical to impressions to characterizations to stories and one-liners. He has starred in his own sitcom, "The Good Life," and hosted Comedy Central's "Jocks" and ESPN's "Talk II." He's guest-starred on "ER," "Love & War," "Blossom," and one of my favorite "Tales From The Crypt" episodes on HBO. Also he's been on "The Tonight Show," "The Dennis Miller Show," "L.A. Law, " NBC's Miniseries "Drug Wars," "The John Laroquette Show," "The Drew Carey Show," "The Crew" and the Espy Awards, and so many others, but why age him this way? He is one comic who I admire enough to want him to return in sooner than six years. Did you hear that, John?

Appearing with Caponera through Sunday will be Michael Burton. Ask any comic out there who Burton is and they'll have a story to tell. I look forward to a time when we can all roast him because all of us have a special place for him in our hearts.

Burton returns after once again touring overseas for the USO entertaining our troops. He also books other comics to play overseas. Nice. Kind of like being in a foxhole with your best buddy (but not your girlfriend), Burton is a likable lug and I have learned over the years how a wingman should operate, because until I met him I didn't even know what a wingman was. I learned from the very best. In fact, one of Burton's CDs is called "The Ultimate Wingman." The other is "I Haven't Slept Since I Was 5."

His style is best described as a cross between personal experiences and audience improvisation, so one never knows what to expect from him on any given night. Case in point: If Burton doesn't feel like the audience is with him on any particular night, he will stop the regularly planned show, sit down on the stool and ask the audience, "OK, so what is going on here, people?" It's his improvisational skills that endear him to any crowd.

No two shows are ever alike. I like watching Mike because one never knows what may transpire, but there are nights when he is funnier off stage than on. Wait, that didn't sound like a compliment. What I meant to say is that he comes up with these odd observations off stage that are hysterical, and that sometimes eventually find their way into his act onstage.

Mike was a regular on Comedy Central's "Make Me Laugh" in addition to being a regular on the late night talk show circuit. He's appeared in several movies including "Stuck on You" starring Greg Kinnear and Matt Damon and on television as well, including "The King of Queens." Burton has also appeared in several TV commercials, among them one with Jerry Seinfeld.

Burton has also performed for the USO overseas in so many countries I lost count at 30. Mike does a lot of these shows and his latest CD includes proceeds that benefit the troops overseas. This might be a good week to bring a group of your friends as he tends to make improvisational comments to a whole group focusing in on what brought them to the club.