Sebastian Maniscalco is one of today's hottest comedian's with impeccable comedic timing, energy, and most of all stage presence. I had the pleasure and privilege of personally interviewing him after seeing his show at Gotham Comedy Club on August 12, 2010.

In this interview, Sebastian answered my call to share:

• His inspirations to go into comedy
• His proudest moment
• The weirdest reaction he has had to one of his sets
• Who he still wants to work with
• So much more

Sebastian is currently touring the country. When he hits your town, I highly recommend checking him out. It's a night of laughter you'll surely remember! His next stop is at The Punchline in Atlanta, GA from September 9-12, 2010.

Connect with Sebastian: Website, Facebook

Adam Rothenberg and Sebastian Maniscalco
Gotham Comedy Club NYC 2010

1. Who inspired you to become a performer? Johnny Carson.

2. Who is the one person you haven’t worked with that you would like to? Billy Burr.

3. What is your proudest moment? Bringing my parents to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and having them get to see that whole experience.

4. What’s the weirdest reaction you’ve had to your set? When I opened for Andrew Dice Clay…his audiences are very dedicated to him and I got heckled a bit, not like a blender was thrown at me, but some comments were shouted out. Every comedian has to go through this to get to where they are.

Sebastian Maniscalco
Gotham Comedy Club NYC, 2010

5. Do you have any strange or unusual talent that no one knows about? I don’t have any strange or unusual talents, but I am a neat-freak and a bit compulsive about it.

6. Favorite way to stay in shape? I like running, I work with a trainer sometimes, I like yoga and pilates. I’m on the road a lot so I like to have stuff that is easy to do anywhere.

7. Boxers or Briefs? Boxer briefs

8. Favorite TV show? Cheers

9. Favorite website? Expedia.com

10. Superman or Wonder Woman? Wonder Woman

BONUS QUESTIONS:

11. Favorite ride at an amusement park? I like water rides.

12. Summer Resort or Winter Retreat? Summer Resort

Sebastian Maniscalco

More on Sebastian Maniscalco:

After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Corporate Organizational Communications, Sebastian realized his communication skills would be better utilized on stage entertaining audiences! So he packed his bags and moved out to Los Angeles and spent every free night possible performing at local clubs, bowling alleys, and bars.

With perseverance, a strong work ethic, and skill, Sebastian rose through the ranks of comedy, landing a one-hour Comedy Central special Sebastian Live (which he took on a 20-city tour) and a gig on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as a style correspondent providing hilarious grooming advice to unsuspecting airline passengers and churchgoers.

From there, Sebastian was all over the television. His many appearances included the award-winning series The Savages, Tim Meadows' The Very Funny Show, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, Showtime's Comics without Borders, Comics Unleashed, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

In between television gigs, Sebastian continued to perfect his routine on the stand-up circuit and while traveling around, he was handpicked by award-winning actor and entertainer Vince Vaughn to be on one of the four featured comedians in the critically acclaimed film, Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show.

In 2009, Sebastian completed an international USO tour for the troops around the world in Guam, Fuji, Misawa, Iwakuni, and Hiroshima. These performances combined with sold-out shows at the Dubai Comedy Festival and Lebanon's Music Hall helped solidify him as an international sensation.