If you ask standup comedian Louie Anderson, he still feels lucky to hit the Las Vegas stage every night. The former host of Family Feud and creator behind the cartoon series “Life with Louie” can still bring the laughs after all these years.

He recently signed a three-year contract in Las Vegas where he spends 40 weeks out of the year performing in front of sold-out crowds.

“I enjoy the stage and performing for an audience. In Vegas, I’m competing with all-you-can-eat buffets, girls without clothes and slot machines that will pay you millions of dollars,” he said with a laugh. “After 31 years, I still have a tremendous amount of fans and I’m still having a ball.”

Born into a family of 11 children in Minneapolis, Anderson still considers himself a midwestern homebody. He grew up with his parents watching Family Feud and later went on to host the show from 1999 to 2002.

“Everyone in my family is funny, but I’m the only one who makes a living out of it,” he said. “This (my career) is my version of Slumdog Millionaire. I hosted a show we used to watch from our squaller of a home. It still strikes me as funny.”

Anderson will make a trip to Bellevue on Feb. 20, to perform at a one-night only concert series at the Hyatt Regency Grand Ballroom hosted by the Parlor Live Comedy Club. Performing alongside Anderson will be comedian and actor, Kyle Cease.

In addition to the standup performance, Anderson and Cease will be bringing their nationally acclaimed two-day interactive stand-up comedy seminar called, Stand-up Boot Camp to the Parlor Live Comedy Club while they are in town.

The Reporter recently spoke with Anderson to discuss all things funny.

Reporter: When you perform five days a week, how do you keep your material fresh?

Anderson: I’m always working on new material. My act is never the same. One of the things that happens when you work five nights a week is that you become really sharp with your act.

Reporter: Do you enjoy performing in the Northwest?

Anderson: The people are so smart in the Northwest. I love the Seattle area because people read books which means I can do a premise on stage that is a little deeper. I’ll go further with my routine if the audience is smarter. It’s twice as much fun if they really get the jokes.

Reporter: Do you prefer large or small venues?

Anderson: Everybody wants to be wanted. I love a large venue because I can rock it out pretty good. My thing is that I want people hitting their head on the table and snorting. I’m looking for people to lose control of their body. That means I’ve done my job.

Reporter: Any advice for other comics?

Anderson: Any good comic is only as good as the effort he or she puts in. I think good comedy is performance art and about making a connection. I want the audience to feel close to me.

Reporter: How have things changed over the years?

Anderson: The iPhone changed my life. My computer cries now because I never use it. My hope is that one day, I can make my show interactive with the audience, where they could use technology to connect during my act.

Reporter: Tell me a little about Stand-up Boot Camp?

Anderson: I always love helping other young comics out. I have 31 years experience and Kyle Cease has 20 and I know a lot about how to help comedians develop their path. The people who make it, they have worked really hard. I always say, take it as far as you can take it. Don’t do a half-ass job. It took me two years to get on the Tonight Show, but when I finally did, Johnny (Carson) loved me. All the time I spent practicing for auditions allowed me to be ready to perform when the day came. You can’t be prepared enough to be successful.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425-453-4602.

For a complete list of upcoming events and to purchase tickets, visit the Parlor Live website at www.parlorlive.com. To book a room at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue for after the show, call 425-462-1234.