Comedian is star attraction in ARC’s Club 200

That master of spoofery and witty parody, Frank De Lima, who describes his commercial CDs as “a fundraiser for himself,” will be taking Saipan by storm when he headlines this Saturday’s Comedy Club 200—an event that promises to be a night of laughter and fun for a good cause.

But surely, not even the antics of De Lima can compete with the brand new 2006 Toyota Camry LE, a 2005 Chevy Aveo, or the $25,000 in cash that will be given away that night by the American Red Cross-NMI Chapter to the lucky winners.

ARC-NMI Chapter director John Hirsh, who promised an excellent show, said that they are expecting at least 2,000 guests, which would hopefully raise at least $130,000 for the organization. He said the money raised would be used to fund the different programs of the organization’s local chapter in its continuing efforts to help victims of disasters, natural or otherwise, on the islands.

“All money raised are kept here in the CNMI,” said Hirsh. In the aftermath of Typhoon Nabi, the organization helped 250 families who were evacuated from their homes, spending some spent $40,000 to do so.

Comedy Club 200 would be held from 5pm to 10pm at the Hyatt Regency Saipan. Tickets are still available for only $200 per couple. Lucky ticket-holders will have a chance to drive home the brand new Toyota Camry LE or the 2005 Chevy Aveo, or go home $25,000 richer.

This Saturday night’s extravaganza marks the 18th straight year the American Red Cross-NMI Chapter is hosting the fundraising event to help needy and disadvantaged people in the CNMI.

Yesterday, Hirsh invited members of the Saipan Rotary Club, who were having their weekly meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan, to attend Saturday’s “big event.”

The evening’s entertainer, De Lima, has been described as “the delightful, delirious musical comedian voted as Hawaii’s favorite entertainer.” His popularity in Hawaii, based on reviews, is due not only to the fact that he is genuinely funny, but also because he can produce a completely new show every year to keep his material fresh and current.

De Lima has also been proclaimed the “Portuguese Prince of Hawaiian Comedy” because he is a quarter Portuguese, a quarter Hawaiian, with a pinch of Irish, Scottish, English, Spanish, French, and Chinese “tossed into his island genealogical stew.”

He has been a hot item on the Hawaiian entertainment scene and has succeeded in nightclubs as a musical comedian, in concerts at the Waikiki Shell, on radio as a talk show host, on records as a singer with the hits, “Portagee Fight Song,” “Radio KOHO,” “Abdullah Fataai,” “Waimea Lullaby,” “ Honoruru, Hawaii,” “Don’t Sneeze When You Eat Saimin,” “Lucille,” and in his hit videos “Best of De Lima” and “Best of De Lima Too.”

KATRINA AID

Hirsh clarified that the local Red Cross chapter is not raising funds for Katrina victims in New Orleans, Louisiana. However, he said the organization would accept donations from generous citizens and will forward the money to the national chapter.

He said he would have a media release on this to include the numbers they can contact for the donations. He said the donors would only need to specify the details of their donation such as state, country, and others.

The American Red Cross in the U.S. has gathered more than 40,000 volunteers helping in relief distribution and other assistance in Louisiana. The organization has already collected a total of $584 million in donations and $300 million of those were collected through online donations, said Hirsh. The online donations range from $20 to $50. He said the donation is expected to reach a billion dollars in the next eight months.