March 2013

Revuem.com:

Loni Love has a seemingly ubiquitous presence on television.

She has appeared as a correspondent on “Dr. Oz” and on “D.L. Hughley Breaks the News” (during which she covered President Obama’s first inauguration). She can be seen providing commentary for VH1’s “I Love the…” series, she’s a regular panelist on “Chelsea Lately” and she’s made numerous guest appearances on other television shows.

This is just a small portion of her ever-expanding catalog of television projects, a mode of exposure she has come to greatly appreciate.

“Most of the time for comedians it’s better for them to do a television show because people get to actually really know who they are as a comic,” Love said. “So for me, I like television a little more.”

She has also appeared in various feature films such as Soul Plane, and even dabbled with acting in serious dramatic plays, though it wasn’t for her.

“When you’re a performer you should try all forms of performing, and that’s what I did, but my heart is with comedy.”

Her comedy interest began when she performed at amateur standup events during college. Love went on to get a steady job as an electrical engineer, but continued to perform comedy on the side, and became a finalist on Arsenio Hall’s reboot of “Star Search.” Soon after, she became a full-time comedian.

“One day at my engineering job we were having layoffs and I said, ‘Lay me off and save somebody else’s job,’ and I became a professional comedian.”

Critics and fellow comedians quickly took notice. She won the Jury Prize for “Best Stand-Up” at the US Comedy Arts Festival, and made it onto “best of” lists for Variety and Comedy Central.

Love is proud to help represent a growing female voice in comedy, and commends performers such as Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for their hard work and success in a shifting industry.

“Now people are starting to see that the female voice is a little different than the male voice, but when it comes to comedy funny is funny.”

And being funny is what Love does best. Throughout all of her endeavors she always has one goal: to make people smile.

“As a performer there’s nothing greater than standing there looking at people laughing.”

Loni Love at LaughFest 2013 offers ‘real woman’s point of view’ on relationships

Michigan Live:

Michigan native Loni Love was “the worst (electrical) engineer in America” 10 years ago.

“Anyone driving a 1992 Cutlass, take it back, because I built it,” Love said.

A decade ago, she decided to venture away from her day job to perform comedy on “Star Search.” She took second place on the show in 2003 and her life took a different path.

Now, she appears on television shows, including “Chelsea Lately,” in films and on comedy club stages nationwide. Love will perform two shows, 10 p.m. and midnight (10 p.m. is sold out) Friday, March 15, at McFadden’s, 58 Ionia Ave. SW, during LaughFest 2013.

“I like the fact that I’m performing at a restaurant and saloon because I like to eat and I like to drink, and I’ll have to be an honorary Irish person,” Love said in a recent phone interview.

“I’ve heard (LaughFest) is a really good festival and what I like about festivals is the fact that not only do I get to perform, but I get to see a lot of my comic friends,” Love added.

Love’s on-stage persona is no-nonsense, advice-giving girlfriend who would not only tell you if something was stuck in your teeth but tell you why you shouldn’t eat the food that’s there. Her forte is love and relationships, as she showcases regularly as a guest on Dr. Drew’s “Loveline.”

“I do like to laugh at and talk about relationships,” Love said. “I do talk about celebrity relationships like Kim Kardashian’s. I like to find the humor in love.”

An observational comic, Love’s show changes often.

“We’ll probably talk about the Oscars. That’s a nice thing about being a topical standup, you can add in things to keep it fresh,” Love said.

Love is also set to publish her first book later this summer called “Love Him or Leave Him: Just Don’t Get Stuck with the Tab.”

“I was just getting the same questions from my friends and my fans and I just decided to put them all in a book and laugh at them,” Love said. “The book is really just an extension of my standup, but it made me open up about myself and dig deeper with my comedy. It’s a ‘real woman’s’ point of view about relationships.”

Tickets, $17.50, are still available for her midnight show at laughfestgr.org.

“We can have a little more fun with the midnight show. I’ll try and stay sober for that show but that might not happen. I’m going to have a good time with the crowd.”