Hang on to something, U of Iowa athletic department -- Norm MacDonald is returning

It's been 12 years since comedian Norm MacDonald took the Hancher Auditorium stage.

That night, Norm basically did to a UI athletic department fundraiser what Artie Lange did to Joe Buck's HBO show this week.

Namely, he hijacked a fundraising comedy concert for the UI athletic department with a vulgar, profane performance that disgusted some and was highly entertaining to others. Click here for a report on that magical evening.

Well, Norm is returning to the Iowa City area on Oct. 25 when he appears at Riverside Casino & Golf Resort.

Now, I don't know if I'd enjoy his nightclub act. I've never seen it. His impersonation of Burt Reynolds on Saturday Night Live's "Celebrity Jeopardy" is a killer, though.

And I do like Norm as a talk-show guest. Here's a clip from his May appearance on Late Night with David Letterman when he discusses an encounter with Milwaukee Brewers radio announcer Bob Uecker: