ALLAN HAVEY

One can never get enough Allan Havey up here in Lake Tahoe. I mean, he’s become a regular fixture in these parts not just because of performing up here since Day One but also because he’s on my morning radio show every Monday for our segment about movies called “Howiewood & Havewood” (Howie’s Morning Rush KRLT 93-9 The Lake). I don’t know how many years left he’ll remain doing stand up, so I’m cherishing every show; this also makes sense prioritizing his acting gigs — as more and more opportunities seem to be coming his way on both the big and small screen.

It seems like (to me at least) that Havey’s acting career got a huge boost after appearing on AMC’s “Mad Men,” which recently concluded after a seven season run. Now that it’s over, it has freed Havey up for some other projects and more importantly doing more stage time. This year he was in the television series, “Love,” Louis C.K.‘s show, “Louie,” Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” on HBO, “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” Comedy Central, NBC’s “The Office” and appearances on Ashton Kutcher’s reality-based television show, “Punk’d.” Movies include this year’s Coen Brothers’ movie, “Hail, Caesar!,” 2014’s “Top Five” (written, directed and starring Chris Rock), “Hancock” starring Will Smith, “The Informant!” with Matt Damon, “Internal Affairs” with Richard Gere and Andy Garcia, “Checking Out” with Jeff Daniels, “Rounders” (again with Matt Damon), “Wild Things Part 2: The Glades” with Isaiah Washington and “Pilot.”

Havey doesn’t rest on his laurels; and when it comes to the history of his work, he’d much rather be talking about (when he’s allowed to) projects he’s currently involved in or ones coming up. Our love of movies goes way back when we used to have a segment called “The Have vs. The Nave,” when Allan had his own online radio show. That was back in the late 1990s, when I would call into his show and we’d be heard “live” via the Internet. Years later Havey returned the favor when I had my own radio show, changing the name to “Howiewood & Haveywood.”

As much as Allan loves acting and doing stand up in clubs and theaters all over the country, if you ask him what his most rewarding accomplishment has been he’ll tell you it was entertaining our troops in the Middle East.

Make plans to see him this weekend on stage with Nick Youssef at The Improv Lake Tahoe before he gets too busy with other projects.

NICK YOUSSEF

Nick Youssef started out pretty early because he knew exactly what he wanted to do. Some of us are just destined, I guess, so at 18 Youssef started out his path on the road to comedy. In his relatively short career Nick’s been seen in numerous national television commercials, has done guest spots on sitcoms (such as NBC’s “Animal Practice”), the popular video game, “LA Noire,” and a standup appearance on “Last Call with Carson Daly.”

Last year Nick’s first standup album, “Stop Not Owning This,” debuted in the Top 5 of the iTunes comedy charts and was featured in the January 2015 edition of Esquire Magazine. He has a new album out (yes, you can get it on vinyl); “1982” was recently released and is already surpassing his first one, numbers-wise.

When not on tour, Nick co-hosts the “Occasionally Awesome” podcast on the All Things Comedy network with fellow comedian Kevin Christy, writes articles for Esquire and Paste Magazines and can be seen regularly performing stand up at The Comedy Store, Laugh Factory and Improv comedy clubs in Hollywood and dare I say, the Lake Tahoe Improv?

Howie Nave is the MC at the Improv at Harveys. The comedy club is inside Harveys Lake Tahoe. Shows begin at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and tickets are $25 plus fees, except Saturdays. Tickets are $30 on Saturdays. The Improv is dark on Mondays and Tuesdays. Must be 21 or older to attend. More information is available by calling 775-586-6266.