Yeah, yeah. It's Friday. So sue me! For this week's "'Artists I Love': Burlesque Edition" we turn to one of my all-time favorite performers, and Miss Viva Las Vegas 2008. It's none other than the very tall, very sassy ...

Dizzy Von Damn!

photo by Laura Creecy, swiped from Dizzy's Myspace site

Yes, the exclamation point is part of her name.

Comedy is a big part of Burlesque. It's right there in the name (the derivation of burlesque is the Latin for "nonsense" or "joke"). With the unshakable logic of a Vulcan, Dizzy takes a concept, finds the comedic germ at the heart of it, and proceeds to rhinestone the hell out of it. Of all the performers I've seen who are based in L.A., Dizzy comes the closest to out-right performance art. This is not to say she doesn't bring the sexiness. Ho-boy does she ever! It just means that when she performs, the genius behind the act is irresistible, so that every hoot is punctuated by a guffaw.

Each reveal seems to have its own punchline. Her "Peek-a-Boo" number is a prime example of this. I don't want to give too much away, but through the course of the act eyeballs keep popping up. And every time an article of clothing comes off (revealing yet another eyeball or two) the response is simply riotous. Her numbers possess a finely focused unity of concept throughout that really set them apart. She speaks a bit about how she comes up with these numbers on a past Burlesque Podcast.

photo by Dan Hendricks, also swiped from Dizzy's Myspace site.

Check out the bra: not just eyes, but they're blinking. So don't get the wrong impression of Dizzy, that she's a coldly calculating comedian. Understand that these numbers work as well as they do because of the personal whimsy she injects. (Does that make her more of a Romulan than a Vulcan?)

Dizzy is drifting in the direction of hosting, which I would love to see. She has an infectious smile and an appealing onstage presence, and I believe she'd excel in the role of emcee. Dizzy can hold an audience in the palm of her hand, as when she takes the stage to deliver her "Off Color Joke" at Victory Variety Hour. And she recently revealed another hidden talent, singing "Somewhere That's Green" at The Monday Night Tease.

Dizzy Von Damn! is a featured regular in Burlesque-a-Go-Go at Mr. T's Bowl in Highland Park, and in Victory Variety Hour at El Cid. She can also be seen frequently at The Monday Night Tease at 3 Clubs in Hollywood. Your best bet is to befriend her on MySpace, and look for performance dates as bulletins.