This week's Improv headliner, Brian Dunkleman, is host of “The Sky Ball League,” which aired every Saturday and Sunday on Fox Sports Prime up until the first season recently concluded. And while not as noteworthy as his stint on “American Idol,” Dunkie insists that “Sky Ball League” “is going to be bigger than ‘Idol.'”

With a break in his schedule, it was possible for Dunkie to squeeze in some standup dates before resuming the Fox Sports show.

I saw him not too long ago while flipping channels and there he was on “The Joy Behar Show.” Brian was on to promote his new gig, but Behar kept wanting to talk about “American Idol” and Ryan Seacrest, and blah, blah, blah. She loves the gossip thing.

Prior to this year, Brian hadn't appeared here since 2002, which makes him the record holder for time between appearances at the Lake Tahoe Improv.

The first time I worked with him was in 1998, when he was still middling. Brian was doing pretty well on the comedy club circuit back then and then overnight: wham!

“American Idol” came along which would forever change not just his future but make him unwittingly what seemed to be the most talked about celebrity ever.

For those not familiar with the Brian Dunkleman story, let's retrace, shall we? In 2002, when “Idol” first premiered, there were two hosts: Seacrest and Dunkleman. After “Idol's” first season ended, Dunkleman announced that he'd “decided not to return for Season 2 in order to pursue other opportunities in the world of TV and feature films.”

To be fair, he felt that he might be let go by the producers in favor of Seacrest only, hence Dunkleman's decision to make their decision for them.

“The truth is, I really left the show to pursue an acting career,” he said. “I wanted to be a performer and not someone who introduces other performers. It was my decision.”

Dunkleman said he deliberately stayed out of the spotlight after leaving “American Idol,” saying, “I traveled for about six months then I joined an acting studio here in L.A. and I studied for about a year and a half with one of the top acting coaches.”

Does he regret that decision? Yeah, maybe. Brian has said repeatedly that departing “Idol” in its infancy was not his smartest move, but that he really wanted to be an actor.

“Listen, I'd like to say that I was just young and stupid, but the truth is, I really wasn't that young,” he said. “What I wanted to do with my life is be an actor, and that's going great.” Brian also said that he found it hard to watch the contestants get criticized. “I didn't like watching those kids being brought to tears like that. I didn't understand why they had to do it; I didn't get it. I believe that's why another comedian left as a judge after just one season: Ellen DeGeneres.”

Since leaving “American Idol,” Dunkleman has had guest spots on “Ghost Whisperer,” “Las Vegas” and a season as himself in VH1's “Celebrity Fit Club.” He was also on “Friends,” “Third Rock from the Sun” and “That '70s Show.”

Brian can also be seen doing standup regularly in Los Angeles at the Laugh Factory and Improv, as well as comedy clubs all over the country. He also just had a comedy special air on Showtime and is developing his own scripted comedy series, “American Dunkleman,” with Dick Clark Productions.

On stage, though, is the best place to have a Dunkie experience and, yes, he does incorporate his “American Idol” experience into his act. That's how confident and comfortable he is with it.

You go, Dunkie!

Gimme a Gee

It's been way too long since middle man David Gee has been up here, as evidenced by the calls and postings I get down at the radio station.

I consider him a mentor, so if you don't like my act, you know now who to blame.

He's a favorite up here and has a lot of ties to the Lake Tahoe Basin. Just ask him about the “Y” intersection.

He was named “Best Comedian in a Production Show” by the Las Vegas Review Journal four years in a row, was writer and producer for the 2007 White House Correspondents' Dinner, the National TV Commercial Spokesman for Circus Circus, the emcee at the Bob Hope Desert Classic, in addition to being on the Dais with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at a roast honoring special effects guru Stan Winston. He also was the emcee at the Friar's Roast of L.A. Dodgers' Tommy Lasorda.

Proof of that is no other comic (outside of myself) has hosted an Improv longer than David Gee has, and come to think of it, he's been doing it longer than I have year-wise, because he's been in the business longer.

Here, though, David gets that rare opportunity to stretch his comedy legs (he's rather tall to begin with) being in the feature slot.

When David isn't being funny on stage, he certainly is on television.

“Access Hollywood,” “Entertainment Tonight” and as a semi-finalist on ABC's “America's Next Best Thing” are just a few of the programs Gee has appeared in.

In addition to the comedy, Gee, who dropped the “k” for professional reasons, is busy producing charity events for worthy causes.

He loves to come up here because he grew up in the Bay Area and visited Tahoe often as a child.

He even has family up at the North Shore, and you catch snippets of Tahoe in his act, which clearly is dedicated to the locals.

Also a favorite on stage is Gee's gift when it comes to voice impersonations. In fact, no one does a Vin Scully better than Gee.