Clash of the comedians

Clash of the comedians If you're looking for big-ticket comedy this weekend, look no further than the theaters along Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. Comedians will practically be running into each other. Here's a rundown.

Lucky for her fans, Margaret Cho has been booted from "Dancing With the Stars" and is back to being funny full-time. For her new stand-up show -- coming to the Pantages Theatre Friday -- she's dabbling in yet another facet of her multifaceted career, which has included TV, movies, fashion, activism and books. The tour incorporates songs from her recently released album, "Cho Dependent," which includes such song titles as "Calling in Stoned" and "Eat [expletive] and Die." (8 p.m. Fri. 710 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. $50. 1-800-982-2787. www.hennepin theatretrust.org.)

On the same night, Ice Cube wingman Mike Epps will play the Orpheum Theatre down the street. In movies, Epps can sometimes feel like a poor man's Chris Tucker (which is exactly what he was in the Tucker-less "Friday" sequels), but the comedian has his moments when he's controlling his own comedy stage. (8 p.m. Fri. 910 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. $42-$47.50. 1-800-982-2787. www.hennepintheatretrust.org.)

And that's not all. On Sunday at the Pantages, the Trailer Park Boys are coming to town. Who the heck are the Trailer Park Boys? They're only a trio of hilarious miscreants who took Canadian television by storm during the last decade. We've been missing out, obviously. The stars of the mockumentary TV show -- Ricky, Julian and Bubbles -- are now bringing their colorful misdeeds stateside. For a succinct description of their onstage variety show, check this title: "The Drunk, High and Unemployed Tour." (7 p.m. Sun. 710 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. $27.50-$42.50. 1-800-982-2787. www.hennepintheatretrust.org.)

The amazing (beer) race It's not comedy, but the setup for "The Amazing Case" is pretty funny. Based on CBS' hit show, "The Amazing Race," this beer-fueled adventure of detective work and inebriation is back on Nov. 6.

Teams of five will scour Minneapolis' St. Anthony Main area, playing games that will test their drinking knowledge and other skills (such as karaoke). The sixth annual event is put together by Summit Brewing and the happy-hour experts at ThriftyHipster.com. The winning team gets 12 cases of Summit, plus a plaque placed at the brewery "for eternity." The registration cost gets your team T-shirts and a lot of beer. But hurry, only 35 teams are included in the festivities.

Nov. 6. Cost: $35 a person or $175 a team. More info: blog.thriftyhipster.com/

TOM HORGEN