Man, it's been a rocky holiday season, and let’s face it, the laughs have been few and far between. But things are looking up in the New Year with a whole slate of comedy events coming our way in the next month. Thanks, universe!

Kevin Pollak
Jan 10–12, Helium Comedy Club
Yep, he played a tough guy in The Usual Suspects, but the versatile Pollak is also a comedy club regular and a heck of an impressionist. His Christopher Walken bit alone is worth the ticket price. He does a great Alan Arkin, too.

Slingshot
Jan 10–12 at 8pm, Ellen Blye Studio, Gerding Theater at the Armory
Portland sketch-comedy veterans Shelley McClendon and David Fetters, who graced the stage together in Roadhouse: The Play, and The Lost Boys—Live, have branded themselves The Aces (“the tallest sketch comedy duo in America”), and will be kicking off a recurring event at Portland Center Stage called Slingshot, that promises “smart and innovative theatrical comedy installations.” 

Robin Williams
Jan 11 at 7:30pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
No longer the ultra-manic improviser from outer space (sobriety will do that to a fella), Williams has an Oscar sitting on his mantle and his standup routine has become a more soulful, though no less engaging, experience.

Late Night With Alex Falcone
Jan 18–Feb 9, Fri–Sat at 9pm, Action/Adventure Theatre
He’s a Portland Mercury contributor, a comedian, and now—a talk show host! Falcone and sidekick Bri Pruett will welcome bands, fellow comics, and prominent Portlanders to the stage, with a healthy dose of sketch comedy thrown in for good measure.

The Sklar Brothers
Jan 24–26, Helium Comedy Club
Once upon a time, Randy and Jason Sklar costarred with Will Ferrell in a gone-but-not-forgotten series called The Oblongs, in which they played a two-headed teenager from a family of charming mutants. They also have their own comedy podcast, Sklarbro Country, which recently aired its 125^th episode. 

Coming in February: Seth Meyers (Feb 1, Newmark Theatre) and Lewis Black (Feb 2, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall).