CBS' Russ Mitchell put on his comedy pants last night for open mic night at Carolines in New York for a segment that will air this morning on "The Early Show."

TVNewser caught up with Mitchell before he went on stage and he seemed less than optimistic about his first stab at stand-up comedy: "I've got a few jokes I'm gonna throw out there. And then, I'm gonna run off the stage as fast as I can."

The segment is part of a series, and Mitchell initially told producers, "I'd rather sit in a tub with alligators."

But he agreed and got some help from the Carolines staff as well as Joan Rivers. "Just being in the room with Joan Rivers was quite a treat."

His "Early Show" coworker, Dave Price, has done stand-up before, but Mitchell also said, "I think Harry [Smith] would be pretty funny. He's got a very dry sense of humor, but I think he'd get up there and just crack people up."

Mitchell's favorite comics include Jerry Seinfeld, Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lisa Lampanelli, and Susie Essman, a list that gave us no clue what to expect.

"Hopefully this is not my last day at CBS news."

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