Comedian Mike DeStefano, who finished fourth on the most recent season of 'Last Comic Standing,' died yesterday after suffering a heart attack, Punchline Magazine reports.

The Bronx native was an HIV-positive recovering heroin addict who frequently tackled those tough topics in his act.

A friend of DeStefano's family confirmed the news to Punchline, and TV Guide reports that DeStefano's producer addressed the death on Twitter, writing, "We'll be talking about it later. Sorry if we've ignored the e-mails and text messages. Mike became a brother to us. We love him."

Greg Giraldo, the popular comedian and judge on 'Last Comic Standing,' reportedly overdosed on prescription pills Saturday night at a hotel in New Jersey and was listed in serious condition, according to a New York Post source. Earlier in the day, he was slated to perform at an event feting Drug Addiction Recovery Month.

The funnyman, who recently helped roast David Hasselhoff on Comedy Central, was found unresponsive during a party at his hotel in East Brunswick, New Jersey. "It was like a zoo here," an eyewitness said of the bash.

Paramedics resuscitated Giraldo and rushed him to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in nearby New Brunswick. Contrary to assorted reports, there is no indication that the overdose was a suicide attempt.

Felipe Esparza or Tommy Johnagin: Which of them was the Season 7 champion of 'Last Comic Standing' (Mon., 9PM ET on NBC)? Host/comic Craig Robinson was careful to hike up the drama and delay the announcement as much as possible. Funny for us, yes, but probably not appreciated by the two tense finalists.

"Let's have the music and lights, and do it up big this time," said 'The Office' star. Pausing after every few words, he said, "It's the moment before -- savor it. After months of intense yet hilarious competition, America has decided. The winner who I am about to announce on this stage tonight. The winner of 250,000 dollars. One of these gentleman, right here."

For heaven's sake, who? You'll have to check the video.

This week, the show is chock full of song and dance numbers and a few laughs, all smothered in barbecue sauce and served up hot.

Love Brittany on 'Glee'? So do the show's creators -- they even compare her skills to one of the most famous actresses in the world. And is it really a great day at Jeff Lewis' office? The OCD man behind the interior design empire gives me the scoop on the new season of 'Flipping Out' and America's favorite housekeeper Zoila.

I also get a preview of the big 'Last Comic Standing' finale from judge and comedienne Natasha Leggero, and get the skinny on new 'BBQ Pitmasters' judges Warren Sapp and Art Smith from the master himself, Myron Mixon.

Got questions? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong

(S07E09) The top six battle it out and there's only two weeks left until there's a new 'Last Comic Standing' winner! Can you guys stand it? I can't!

I was right and Jonathan Thymius goes home. Not a big surprise -- he wasn't a good fit for the show even though he was a great comic. He just misses being able to go on tour with the Top 5.

Roy Wood Jr. is first and says the only reason he's doing comedy is because he got arrested when he was 19 for credit card theft. Man, he might win, guys. I really think he's a dark horse.

Well, we're heading to the finals on 'Last Comic Standing' (Mon., 9PM ET on NBC). The reality series has winnowed the contestants down to the final five. Now, the pressure is really on, and the last five people standing must really excel in order to continue.

And so, we get to hear the best of the best of the best tonight. Jokes about Obama, women voting, racism, gynecology, the South, shooting deaths -- it's all in there. Listen to the comics, and judge for yourself. Who do you guys think should win? There's not much time left, and they're all pretty funny.*

(*Well, except for the one person who obviously isn't funny. But we don't want to ruin this by prejudicing you in any way. But you know who we're talking about ... right?)

(S07E08) This week's show starts with these weird introductions where everyone says their name and where they're from again for some reason.

Roy Wood Jr. says his hometown of Birmingham's biggest export is season 2 American Idol winner Ruben Studdard. Get it? Biggest! Ha!

They all make some kind of joke about their city except Myq Kaplan who just says, "I'm from Boston ... kind of?" Oh, right now he's that kid at Show & Tell who didn't understand the assignment.

(S07E07) The first 'Last Comic Standing' elimination show is upon us! Three of the ten comics get eliminated based on last week's votes in one fell swoop. It's cruel! It's quick! It's reality TV!

The show trots them all out on stage and gets to the elimination. The first group is Myq "with a Q" Kaplan, Mike DeStefano, James Adomian and Roy Wood Jr.

The first comic safe is DeStefano, followed by Wood Jr. It's down to Adomian in a pink shirt and Kaplan, who looks super relieved to be going on in the competition.

Rejection is never funny. ... Or is it? No, probably not. On the latest episode of 'Last Comic Standing' (Mon., 9PM ET on NBC), three more contestants are given their walking papers and are sent packing.

[Spoiler alert.]

And so, we bid farewell to contestants James, Laurie, and Maronzio. They were funny ... but not quite funny enough. The world of comedy can be harsh. (And on a personal note: your humble TV Squad scribe has tried his hand at stand-up comedy. It's really hard! Kind of the hardest thing ever, in fact. You try just talking for ten minutes in front of a random crowd while getting paid for it, and you'll see. It's kind of difficult.)

Host Craig Robinson seems genuinely sorry to let the departing players go. But hey -- that's comedy. You either get laughs or you don't. It's a tough racket, in case we haven't made that clear already.

'The Baltimore Sun' called the first round of this season of 'Last Comic Standing' "open-mike night." 'A.V. Club' said the show "failed to load properly." And there is talk around the TV Squad offices that this is the weakest group of 'LCS' finalists yet.

While I agree the first round of the finals fell flat for the most part, I know it's not a problem with the comedians' level of talent. I've performed on shows with almost all of the finalists (and most of the semi-finalists). This group is as strong as any other in American stand-up comedy at this level (well, the strongest NBC prime time will allow due to network standards and practices and focus groups).

(S07E06) Finally, we're down to the Top 10 finalists so hopefully these recaps become less like 'War and Peace' and more like 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven.' (Shorter. With less crying.)

The judges are not doing commentary anymore and now who moves on is decided by the audience at home voting. The results are announced the following Monday so the comics have a week to just sweat it out. Way harsh.

In the actual episode, there's a weird NBA All-Stars-esque intro with host Craig Robinson yelling all the comic's names and then Laurie Kilmartin is up first. She talks in her opening bit about how she's been kicked in the teeth a lot and considered giving up. Then she claims her teeth aren't real. It's cute.

We're down to ten comedians left on 'Last Comic Standing' (Mon., 9PM ET on NBC). And -- as the title of the show would indicate -- everyone is battling for the top prize.

On the newest episode, one of the comics performing was Maronzio Vance, who did a routine where he discussed superheroes. Specifically, he mentioned how as a kid, he wanted to be Batman -- but couldn't figure out a way to afford the cape, the costume, and all the rest of the gadgets.

You should listen to the clip of his performance -- since Maronzio is best heard as he performs live. But since he brings up the issue of Batman, we'd like to say that we've always had a few questions of our own about the Caped Crusader.

For example: why can no one figure out that Bruce Wayne is Batman?

" ... Oh, gosh, who could the masked crime fighter be?"

"Um, maybe the creepy billionaire who lives in a deserted mansion on a hill? The guy with unlimited resources? The man whose parents were murdered by criminals and who thus has a rationale for carrying out a one-man vigilante campaign?"

" ... Naw. That's just crazy talk. It can't be him."

(S07E05) I'm way more excited for this week of comics than last week. If I remember correctly, this is a way better group and so the competition will be more intense. At least that's what I'm hoping after a lame opening bit involving a monkey in the control room.

The first semifinal comic up is Roy Wood Jr. His voice is weird and I sort of like his perspective, but his jokes aren't as strong. They get better as his set goes on though. Judge Greg Giraldo pretty much agrees with me. I don't know if he's memorable enough, but he's not bad.

Comedian Guy Torry didn't take kindly to the judges' critique of his stand-up on 'Last Comic Standing' (Mon., 9PM ET on NBC). "The KKK voted for Barack, did you know that? Google it, Google it!" said Torry during his routine.

"Not all the material was my style," said judge Andy Kindler.
"That's because you didn't vote for Barack," responded Torry.
"Do I look like a Republican?" asked a confused Kindler.

The second critique, from Natasha Leggero, concerned "the punch lines ... You say everything like three times." Torry told her he didn't and got a bit more confrontational, saying, "You never buy a ticket to one of my shows, so I'm not really worried about you." Then he was a little hostile toward judge Greg Giraldo, too.

Wish you could watch the Jonas Brothers in slo-mo all day? Care what they have to say about their next project? Well, this week's Show Girl will satisfy one of those things ...
I also catch up with TV legend Henry Winkler about his new stint on Web-to-series comedy 'Childrens Hospital,' which is as inappropriate as it is hysterical. Then I check in with 'Last Comic Standing' host Craig Robinson to find out if he's playing favorites with the comedic contestants or remaining impartial.

Want more? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong