Lange's Back

LANGE’S RETURN: Troubled Howard Stern sidekick Artie Lange returned to stand-up with a triumphant, surprise appearance at the Comedy Cellar in N.Y. over the weekend, his first since trying to stab himself in January. His opening line? “Well, folks, I gotta say I am so glad that Fashion Week is over because I am fucking exhausted.” Lange, who has been off the show since the beginning of the year, performed surprise sets at the club midnight Friday and Saturday, one evening following Chris Tucker. Comic and frequent Stern guest Craig Gass said: "You could see he looked like how he did when he first came on the Stern show in 2001. He's lost a lot of weight. Everyone is really cheering for him, as am I." Lange admitted the crowd’s ovation “brought a tear to my eye.” (9/28p)