It ain’t closing time just yet but we are getting oh so close now. It’s Final Friday for the 2012 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, making for a perfect time to either start or finish your festival. Today on the show, Mike speaks with Sydney based young gun Jack Druce, who’s show Introvert Def Jam is on at beloved cafe St Ali’s in South Melbourne until Saturday. For more info on the show, visit the Comedy Festival website. Jack also co-hosts the Druce and Hing Podcast with comic Michael Hing - subscribe at Libsyn.

Today on MICF Daily News:

• Following yesterday’s announcement of the Melbourne Airport Best Newcomer nominees, a renegade award has sprang it’s head into view for another year – the Jhonsy Award. Discussed yesterday on podcast The Little Dum Dum Club, the award gives $1,000 to the most innovative local act. This year’s nominees are: Neil Sinclair, Dingo & Wolf, Anyone for Tennis?, Shane Matheson, Zoe Coombs Marr, Tommy Dassalo, Laura Davis, Slow Clap, Al Newstead, and Lisa-Skye. The award will be awarded on Sunday.
• Following sell-out after sell-out, Tim Ferguson has moved his show Carry A Big Stick from the smaller Regent Room to the much larger Supper Room tonight and Sunday. Additional tickets are now on sale from Ticketmaster for the shows, which will be sure to once again sell-out.
• EXTRA SHOWS: There is plenty of extra shows on tonight and tomorrow at the festival as well. Five bonus shows you can catch tonight are:
• Lawrence Leung in Beginning Middle End, 7pm at Trades Hall.
• Ronny Chieng in The Ron Way, 11pm at Trades Hall.
• Dave Thornton in The Sum of All The Parts, 11pm at Swiss Club.
• Sam Simmons in About The Weather, 11:15pm at the Town Hall.
• Dr Brown in Befrdfgth, 11:45pm at the Tuxedo Cat.
• And tomorrow, you can see the following:
• Rod Quantock‘s Comedy Walking Tour, 11am outside the Town Hall.
• Charlie Murphy in The Acid Trip Tour, 5pm at The Princess Theatre.
• Dave Gorman‘s Powerpoint Presentation, 5pm at the Forum.
• Felicity Ward in The Hedgehog Dilemma, 5:30pm at the Town Hall.
• Celia Pacquola in Departed, 5:30pm at the Town Hall.
• Tegan Higginbotham in Million Dollar Tegan, 5:30pm at Spleen Bar.
• Tim Fitzhigham in Gambler, 5:45pm at the Victoria Hotel.
• Sammy J and Randy in The Inheritance, 8:30pm at the Forum.
• David O’Doherty is Looking Up, 10:45pm at the Forum.
• Ronny Chieng in The Ron Way, 11pm at Trades Hall.
• Dave Thornton in The Sum of All The Parts, 11pm at Swiss Club.
• Sam Simmons in About The Weather, 11:15pm at the Town Hall.
• An update on yesterday’s story, British comedians Mark Thomas and Tim FitzHigham join forces for a book reading this Saturday. The two will read from their books from 3pm at the Sun Bookshop, 10 Ballarat St Yarraville.
• You’ve seen the future of Australian comedy at RAW, but what comes before that future? The best, brighest, and bravest high school comedians will appear at the Class Clowns National Grand Final, this Friday at the Town Hall. Hosted by Sammy J and Randy with special guests Idiots of Ants, Class Clowns will award the best comic of the under-18s showcase $2,000. Class Clowns starts 1pm today at the Town Hall, tickets from Ticketmaster.
• Given out this Saturday is the Bulmers People’s Choice Awards, but time is running out for you to enter. Vote for your favourite shows from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and you’ll be in the running to win a trip for two to the world’s largest arts festival – the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Entry is free but closes on Saturday, so get voting at the Comedy Festival website.
• CHEAP TIX: If you’re after some cheap tix to some of the festival’s biggest international acts, Ticketmaster has you covered. For a limited time only, $20 tickets are avaliable for Tim Key‘s show Masterslut, and the return of The Pajama Men‘s 2011 classic In The Middle of No-One. Simply use special offer code TMFRIDAY to take advantage of the discount tix. Use TMTUESDAY for $20 to Shappi Khorsandi, Glenn Wool, Alex Horne, and Mark Thomas.
• LATE NIGHT: Festival Club hosts Comedy Bonanza tonight.  Craig Hill hosts with guests Harley Breen, Lessons With Luis, Danny McGinlay, Celia Pacquola, and The Pajama Men. Check it out tonight, 11:15 at the Hi-Fi Bar. Also on tonight, Set List at the Victoria Hotel, Ali McGregor’s Late-Nite Variety-Nite Night at The Famous Spiegeltent, and Shaggers at the Exford. For full details on late night shows, check the Comedy Festival website.

Want MICF Daily pushed to your MP3 player or phone as soon as it comes out? Subscribe to MICF Daily by clicking here. Need even more MICF Daily? Visit FrigginPodcast.com for previous episodes of MICF Daily, including interviews with Michael Chamberlin, Charles Barrington, and This is Siberian Husky.

TOMORROW: Sydney based comedian and Jhonsy Award nominated act Shane Matheson joins MICF Daily to talk about his show Shane Matheson and his Singing Bucket of Gravel plus all the news you deserve for a weekend at the festival.