For a who's-who of Portland comedy that doesn't involve having to go to every damn open mic or showcase in town, drop by Helium tonight and tomorrow at 8pm. The talent scout from the Seattle International Comedy Competition (SICC) (held in November) is here to check out our comedians and maybe advance a few of them to the preliminary rounds.

It's the 33rd Annual SICC, and this showcase is a great opportunity for our comics. Past SICC winners include touring comics, Last Comic Standing participants, and better-known names like Dwight Slade and Mitch Hedberg. Even though our folks didn't advance past the first round last year, Don Frost, Kristine Levine, and Ian Karmel had great sets and got some excellent recognition.

The two shows at Helium are free (plus the club's two-item minimum), and the comedians should be bringing their best game — it's a great chance to see the breadth of the Portland scene.

Even more refreshing, women comedians are almost represented in proportion to their actual involvement in the scene—something that isn't the case for many of the open mics and showcases around town.

Some of the persistent but not-so-great comics are in the line-up, too. Frankly, I'm completely baffled by the presence of a couple of names on this list ... but then again, hey — maybe they'll help make the other comedians look even better.

Tonight's lineup includes: Nathan Brannon, Max Brockmann, Jacob Christopher, Zach Cole, Adam Dahl, Xander Deveaux, Andrew Dhulst, Alex Falcone, Danny Felts, Bryan Fernando, Iris Jean Gorman, Kyle Harbert, Joe Hieronymus, Andie Main, Christen Manville, Jessie McCoy, Randy Mendez, Jonah Newman, Whitney Streed, Shane Torres.

Tomorrow is: Mandie Allietta. Jen Allen, Marcia Belsky, Jordan Casher, Grace Sadie Cejas, SC Connery, Tynan Delong, Dan Duncan, Marcus Gibson, Nic Goans, Manuel Hall, Scoot Herring, Sean Jordan, Anthony Lopez, Seth Milstein, Stephanie Purtle, Christian Ricketts, Zak Toscani, Jon Washington, Will Woodruff.