Comedian Jon Lovitz to visit Schaumburg

Actor and comedian Jon Lovitz skyrocketed to fame as a cast member of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" starting in 1985. Since then, he has continually proven himself a master at creating zany characters and delivering comic catchphrases.

Just to jog your memory, consider:

• "Yeah, that's the ticket!" (Lovitz as Tommy Flanagan, the Pathological Liar on "Saturday Night Live")

• "I just want to be loved, is that so wrong!?" (Lovitz spoofing actor/playwright Harvey Fierstein on "Saturday Night Live")

• "It stinks!" (Lovitz as Jay Sherman, the title cartoon character of "The Critic")

• "Eat fresh!" (Lovitz as a Subway sandwiches spokesman)

Chicago area audiences get a chance to see Lovitz do standup this weekend when he returns for a second engagement at the Improv Comedy Showcase in Schaumburg. But don't expect him to revive his "Saturday Night Live" characters.

"I tried doing it in the beginning when I started developing my act," Lovitz said about early ventures into standup seven years ago. "It didn't really work. I don't know if it was because of the way I set it up or if it was too long ago."

Instead, he did what counselors tell so many kids: Be yourself.

"I make fun of myself and I make fun of religion and politics and celebrities and I play the piano and sing funny songs," Lovitz said. "Whatever I think is funny, I just throw into my act."

Lovitz has had plenty of practice honing his routines since he performs almost every Wednesday at the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club in Universal City, Calif., which opened in May of 2009. Several of Lovitz's celebrity friends have performed at the three-level tropical theme venue, but he also enjoys booking up-and-coming comedians.

"When their careers take off it's very exciting," he said, adding that he's soon to host a Showtime TV comedy special tentatively titled "Jon Lovitz Presents" featuring some of the best performers from his club. "They've done all the work. I'm not taking any credit for them, but it's fun to present great comedians who haven't necessarily been heard."

Lovitz says he's forever grateful to actors like Laraine Newman and Charles Grodin who both recommended him to executive producer Lorne Michaels for his big break on "Saturday Night Live." And Lovitz used his clout to help get his late dear friend Phil Hartman to co-star on "Saturday Night Live" after they had performed together in the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings.

Looking back at his career, Lovitz does have some regrets. He says he shouldn't have left "Saturday Night Live" in 1990 to play the villain in the 1992 film "Mom and Dad Save the World." And he says it was a mistake for him to appear on the final season of the NBC sitcom "News Radio" following the murder of series regular Hartman by his wife in 1998.

"I was devastated and I still am," Lovitz said about Hartman's death. "It's the worst thing that has ever happened to me."

Even though Hartman's mother and many of his friends pressured Lovitz to appear on "News Radio," he took the job reluctantly.

"I had very mixed emotions at the time because I felt like I was profiting off my friend's death," he said. "And I knew people would compare me to Phil. And I'm the first to say that I can't replace him."

One of Lovitz's happier career memories is tied to Chicago, where he filmed on location in Wrigley Field for Penny Marshall's hit 1992 women's baseball film "A League of Their Own."

"I had a really great time in Chicago when I did that movie," Lovitz said. "It's the only town where I've visited that I've said I want to live here - except for that cold weather. If the weather was the way it was in Los Angeles, I would have moved there in a second."

<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p>

<p class="News"><b>What:</b> Jon Lovitz's standup comedy show</p>

<p class="News"><b>When:</b> 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 5; 8 and 10:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 6; 7 and 9:15 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7; and 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 8</p>

<p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Improv Comedy Showcase, 5 Woodfield Road, Schaumburg.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $33</p>

<p class="News"><b>Information:</b> (847) 240-2001 or <a href="http://improv.com" target="new">improv.com</a>.</p>