Color of Funny Performers’ Bios

Diane Amos is a local actress and comedian who, for the past 15 years, has been The Pine Sol Lady in their national commercials. She has appeared in the films Nine Months, Copycat, Angels in the Outfield, EDTV, and Twisted with Samuel Jackson and Ashley Judd. Diane was a semi-finalist in Star Search; was on A& E’s Evening at The Improv, Lifetime’s Girls’ Night Out, and Comedy Central’s Women Aloud; and was a winner on Wheel of Fortune, $25,000 Pyramid, and Super Password. She’s in her third year of a national speaking tour on sisterhood.

Ali Mafi is a gay Muslim comic who was born in Tehran, Iran and raised in Novato. At only 23, he is a rising star on the comedian scene. His LOGO TV Network Special airs this June; he has been on tour opening for Aisha Tyler all over the US; and he been chronicled on CNN for his work with the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. Ali has opened for Mo’Nique at The San Jose Improv and for Marga Gomez the past two New Years Eves at The Victoria Theatre. He will be at the San Francisco show only.

Mimi Gonzalez, formerly a San Francisco-based comedian, returns to the Bay Area for the first time in 10 years. Her TV appearances include: The Today Show, Mo Gaffney’s Women Aloud, Ellen, Que Loco, Funny is Funny, and Latino Laugh Festival. She has performed for the troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Korea, Japan, and Guam. You can find Mimi on the road, working on her walnut farm in Michigan or through the wonders of time consumption called the internet at www.MimiGonzalez.com

Joe Nguyen, who grew up in Georgia as the child of a Vietnamese refugee father and a Jewish mother, was destined to be a comedian. After attending Pomona College in Southern California, he moved to San Francisco and began performing stand up comedy. His smart writing, likeable stage presence, and broad range of joke topics make Joe a crowd favorite, appealing to audiences of all backgrounds. Joe is the producer and co-host of Scantily Clad Comedy, a weekly showcase at the Clubhouse in San Francisco every Friday night at 9pm. www.vietjew.com

Lisa Geduldig is a San Francisco-based stand-up comic and comedy producer. She is the creator, producer, and MC of a variety of annual comedy shows: Kung Pao Kosher Comedy; The George Bush Going Away Party; Funny Girlz; A Muslim, A Mormon, and A Jew Walk into A Bar; and The Color of Funny. Lisa has produced Charo two times at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre and is a bilingual (Spanish/English) freelance arts publicist as well.

Dhaya Lakshminarayanan has been a venture capitalist, Ms. August ’06 Saffron Rare Threads, a Charm School teacher, and a journalist at the Democratic National Convention before starting comedy. Her traditional Indian upbringing and childhood in the Deep South is fodder for her comedy. She has performed at The Punchline, The San Jose Improv, and Gotham Comedy Club in New York; has been a host, MC, and on-camera interviewer for Nirvana Woman Magazine; was a finalist at the Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Competition; won third place in the Harvey’s Political Comedy Competition; and took first place in the “Battle of the Bay” competition. Dhaya will be at the Santa Cruz and Berkeley shows only.

Nathan Habib started performing comedy at open mics at his Palo Alto high school at the age of 14. Since then, the now 19 year old UC Santa Cruz freshman has performed at The Comedy Store in LA, The San Jose Improv, Rooster T. Feathers in Sunnyvale, and has opened for Rich Vos, Jim David, and Arj Barker. Nathan just got his first A in Math last quarter. He will be at the Santa Cruz show only.