ongoing - Sat. Oct. 13

It's the 9th Annual Boston Comedy Festival. That means, among other things, over 150 comics descend upon the city the week of Oct. 7 for a gaggle of events and a myriad of venues. There's a bunch of specialized shows - Gay, Urban, Female, a short film movie night, an Autism Benefit Night, $10,000 comedy contest started with 98 comics at Dick's Beantown Comedy Vault on  Oct. 7. Lewis Black - who gave a most acerbic (hilarious) anti-TV diatribe on the recent Emmys - is the star of the week; he gets the Comedian of the Year Award and he's at the Cutler Majestic Theatre Friday Oct. 12 at 8:30 with DJ Hazard, Lizz Winstead, Boston Comedy Festival founder Jim McCue and Scottish comic Ed Byrne. (See other item in the column on Ed.) Lifetime achievement awards will be presented to Bill Dana, Shelley Berman and Mort Sahl. As to the particulars of what's on when and who's playing, we're going to have to refer you to the website below. There's just too much information for our space, but if this is week where you want to laugh - and not at lame TV sitcoms - Boston is the city to be. Clubs include Dick's Beantown Comedy Vault, the Comedy Connection, Club Cafe, Improv Asylum, Nick's Comedy Stop and the Burren.

617-782-8100 www.bostoncomedyfestival.com