Comedian Josh Blue, a finalist on NBC's reality television series Last Comic Standing, will entertain USC Upstate students at the Stadium Party, an annual event held to welcome back students for the fall semester.

Sponsored by the Athletic Department and the Division of Student and Diversity Affairs, the Stadium Party will begin at 6:30 p.m. August 22 at the University Readiness Center.

"We booked Josh Blue before he made it to the final four of Last Comic Standing," said Laura Puckett Boler, dean of students at USC Upstate. "Needless to say, demand and cost for his performance has skyrocketed. This will be a real treat for our students."

Blue is a gifted standup comedian and talented U.S. Paralympic soccer player who refuses to bow to any of the challenges that come from living with cerebral palsy. He has been making audiences laugh in top comedy clubs, theaters, college campuses, and corporate events all over the country.

"I realize that people are going to stare, so I want to give them something to stare at," said Blue, who uses his self-deprecating sense of humor to defy stereotypes and encourage others to overcome their preconceived notions about disabled people.

For more information about Josh Blue, go to www.joshblue.com/index_lo.html.

For more information about the Stadium Party, call Steve Hopkins, director of student life at USC Upstate, at 52-5125.

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