Afflicted with cerebral palsy from birth, Josh Blue is perhaps the only stand-up comic in America who can, in our politically correct age, get away with making fun of a disabled person: himself.

Judging by his performance at the grand opening of the Funny Bone comedy club last Friday, his disability is doing little to slow him down.

Since winning NBC's 'Last Comic Standing' earlier this year, Blue, the goateed, 27-year-old stand-up comedian has made appearances on Comedy Central's 'Mind of Mencia,' 'Ellen,' and Kathy Griffin's 'My Life on the D-List,' and has become, according to Funny Bone's managing partner, Lisa Grigsby, 'one of the hottest comics on the scene.'

So it's no wonder she chose him to headline her club's grand opening.

'Winning a contest like that and getting that national exposure can certainly skyrocket somebody's career,' Grigsby said. 'I wanted to get him while that publicity and excitement was still in the air.'

Located in the Greene Entertainment complex 15 minutes outside of Dayton, the new club represents the merger of locally-owned Joker's Comedy Caf??, and Funny Bone, a national chain. It's safe to say that the venue, with its key location, and much larger and classier showroom, is a step up. However, for Grigsby, the former owner of Joker's, location and venue weren't the crucial factors in her decision to join Funny Bone.

After almost a decade of operating Joker's, she had begun to find it harder and harder to compete with what she has called the 'Wal-Marting of comedy.'

'As an independent, it was getting harder and harder to book the big name talent,' Grigsby says. 'Agents would call up the Funny Bone and the Improv, the two largest chains, and book all their weeks. Since I was only booking one room, by the time the agent got down to me, all the big acts would be booked.'

If last Friday's turnout is any indication, Funny Bone is on track to do some serious business. Opening night was a crowded affair, with customers filling nearly all of the showroom's 350 seats. For two hours, comedians Ryan Singer, Rick Tempesta, and Blue entertained the packed house with acts that touched on subjects ranging from the absurd, to the controversial, to the profane.

As the headline act, Blue kept the audience entertained with an energetic and animated performance that made frequent references to his disability. Whether making fun of his spastic left arm or his difficulty speaking, Blue is fearless and unrelenting. And his disability will certainly not deter him from insulting your politics (if you're Republican) or hitting on your girlfriend.

'I'd just like to tell you, you're all going to hell for laughing at me,' Blue said at one point, while waiters and waitresses crept discreetly amid the tables to take orders from laughing customers.

These days, Blue is a comic in demand. Even before his TV win, Blue had been touring steadily, but with national exposure has come a host of new and more lucrative offers, and these days Blue has trouble finding time to eat or sleep, let alone visit his home in Denver, Colo.

'I have gigs that pay a lot more now,' Blue said. 'But I already had 35 college gigs booked for this year. So now I play colleges Sundays through Wednesdays and I play the clubs on the weekends. I live out of a suitcase.'

At the end of the night, Grigsby seemed satisfied that things had run smoothly.

'Like any brand new venture, we certainly had a few operational difficulties,' she said. 'But Josh did a great show and the crowd really did enjoy him, and we were thrilled with the turnout. It was the first time we saw that many people in the room.'

This month and the next, fans of 'Last Comic Standing' can catch more comics from the series at the Funny Bone. Ralphie May from the first season is scheduled for late October, and comedians from later seasons, Chris Porter and Tammy Pescatelli, will play the club in November. Certainly, anyone who enjoys laughing, drinking, eating, and spending money is likely to have a good time at the Funny Bone.