At this point, comedian Jerry Seinfeld has been out of the television sitcom world for about as long as his legendary self-titled show was on NBC, and yet he's still making us laugh. Whether you rent the series on DVD, watch the reruns on TV or catch his stand-up routine live, Seinfeld continues to set the bar on what tickles our funny bones. The New York native brings his acutely quirky perspective to the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium for back-to-back shows tonight. Using some of Seinfeld's (the series) best moments, here are a few reasons why this entertainer keeps cracking us up.

 
He's the master of his domain.

The road to stardom for most stand-up comedians is paved with seedy clubs and long hours, not to mention few laughs and the occasional outright rude heckler. When you think of all of the funny people who've come and gone over the past 15 years, not many of them have had the enormous crossover appeal of Seinfeld. Not to mention the fact that he made must-see TV out of a show about, well, nothing in particular.

"The thing is, it's a show about nothing, and people like that, " said Elizabeth Gagnonfrom Blockbuster Video on Merrimon Avenue. Blockbuster carries the Seinfeld box set that includes each of the episodes of the show. "They rent pretty well here. I know I've always been a fan."

He tells it straight. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Dressed in a freshly pressed suit and Sunday shoes, Seinfeld doesn't need props or campy characters to convey his message. If there is one thing better than his material during his onstage routine, it's his delivery. The hanging jaw, the quick smile, the wavering voice, he's just a guy with something fresh to say about all the things that can seem so unfunny in the first place. Be it stray hair in the shower, leg wax, droopy Halloween costumes or something else that seems commonplace in our environment - this is the stuff great Seinfeld comedy is made of.

He's good, even if you're a virgin.

If you've never seen a comedian work his magic live, then Seinfeld is a perfect first. He's classy and focused, easy on stage and rarely does he push for audience participation. Relax and let him lead you to that deep belly laugh.

"We went to celebrate my husband's birthday (with a repeat Seinfeld live show) and it was as good as the first time," said Megan Chambers of Raleigh. "He told some of the jokes that we had heard before, and we laughed as hard this time around. In fact, we were still laughing an hour and a half later. Now that's worth it."

He's more than a one-trick pony.

A few years ago, Seinfeld retired all of his old material and went in search of his next great act. The cultivation of new jokes and bits was documented in a film called "Comedian" (released in 2002). The documentary gives us a clearer idea of the getting the laugh act down. Seinfeld comes across as less a perfectionist and more a professional, somebody who wants to produce quality entertainment for those who've stepped out to see him.

"He seems spontaneous," said Joanne Hughes,a fan from Asheville. "His humor comes across as very natural. Like he's been funny for a long time."

Jerome Seinfeld was born on April 29, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York but later moved to and was raised in Massapequa, Long Island. As a child he was a natural performer and was a follower of the Vaudeville entertainers who preceded him. An exceptional student at Queens College, Seinfeld became a staple on the comedy club circuit upon graduation. Subsisting on an eclectic mix of jobs that included the odd scam and a shady operation or two, Seinfeld plied his trade with diligence.

something out of nothing

His persistence was rewarded when his talent found a way on The Tonight Show and Late Night With David Letterman. He soon became a regular and awakened the executive brass at NBC. The trend of building a situation comedy around a stand-up entertainer was in the embryonic stage when Seinfeld and partner Larry David convinced former NBC president Brandon Tartikoff to film the pilot for a show about "nothing." The rest became television legend, with Seinfeld changing the genre forever.

telling you for the last time

Jerry Seinfeld became one of the wealthiest television stars ever when the show became eligible for syndication. He has also scored as an author with his book SeinLanguage and on cable with his HBO specials. His stand-up comedy act is more popular than ever, selling out from city to city. On the home front, his personal life has never been more stable, with wife Jessica and daughter Sascha by his side.

What else do you need to know?

One in four Americans admits to "re-gifting." Jerry coined the phrase 10 years ago, giving the age-old practice of repackaging unwanted presents its own name.

Re-gifting has become a big business for online auction sites like eBay.

In a new eBay survey of more than 500 Americans, more than half said they've re-gifted presents they didn't want. And 11 percent of those surveyed said they now sell those Christmas clunkers online.

"Just huge amounts of new sellers coming online to the sites with their gifts to resell. It's just becoming a broad, broad market," said Marsha Collier, author of the book "eBay for Dummies."

The kind of items people choose to sell are equally as wide.

For instance, one ad from a mother in Southaven, Miss., showed a green guitar her daughter didn't want. It's "fabulous if you ask me," the mother wrote.

Another ad from a woman in Lexington, Ky., was for not just one but 11 unwanted gifts.

She wrote, "My relatives must not like me. I thought one present was bad, but when you get 11 of them, something is up."

But what about the Christmas spirit — and the guilt involved in selling what someone gave you?

In 1998, Seinfeld went on tour and recorded a comedy special entitled "I'm Telling You for the Last Time". An album of the same name was also released that year, and it featured samples of his stand-up performance.

After his sitcom went off the air, Seinfeld returned to stand-up comedy. The process of developing new material was chronicled in a 2002 documentary, Comedian, directed by Christian Charles. Jerry Seinfeld has written a few books, mostly archives of past routines.

Seinfeld also appeared in two 'webisode'[2] promoting American Express Credit Cards in which he appeared together with an animated rendering of Superman, voiced by Patrick Warburton (who had portrayed David Puddy on Seinfeld). The webisodes were aired in 2004 and directed by famous director Barry Levinson.