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Blowin' the stage up >> Cedric the Entertainer packs a mean lunchbox
by SCOTT C
Mirror: I heard you were trying to snag yourself a spot on The Hollywood Squares, man. Is that true? Cedric: Yeah. We're looking at that really strongly. I met Whoopi Goldberg when we did a charity event not too long ago, and with her being an executive on the show, we're trying to work that out. M: Cedric in the centre square! C: Oh, you know she ain't gonna give up her square! Maybe to Rosie O'Donnell, but not to the new guy! (laughs) M: I see the Wayans brothers on that show and they look like they're having a great time. C: It's just one of those things where people see you in a whole different light, a different image. It'd be a real cool show to do. M: I know you play coach Cedric Robinson on that show on the WB, but have you hit the big time and done an HBO special yet? C: We're looking at them to do something in the spring with this one-man show where I do five different characters. I'm also working on an animated show about my old neighbourhood and that'll be on the WB, too. M: Now, you wouldn't be on the Kings of Comedy tour if you weren't funny, but I understand that you're not as raw and down-dirty as some of your comrades. What can I expect, man? C: Pure unadulterated excitement, my man! Blowin' the stage up! I take a lot of energy on stage, lots of characters and musical parodies. M: Like what? C: I like to make fun of the hip hop scene. People like DMX, who sound like they rappin' in Japanese. Ima kutja thro ifa seea fa!!! You can't even understand what he's sayin'! I talk about all these kids with guns now. They need to put down the steel and go back to the lunchbox, use that as a weapon. Put a lump on somebody's head with a Starsky and Hutch lunchbox and they gonna stay out of your way. Hit somebody with a Speed Buggy or Hong Kong Phooey lunchbox and you get some respect. M: Alright. Now I know where you're comin' from. You mentioned Speed Buggy. C: Oh, I love to go grab those forgotten little memories. M: Have you had to deal with hecklers in your experience? C: When I'm onstage, my show doesn't really allow spaces for the back and forth with a heckler. When I have dealt with them, I use a few hard, fast-to-the-throat jokes. I've had situations where I went five to 10 minutes with some drunk. M: Five to 10 minutes! That's a long time... C: After a while, I have one magic word that always shuts them up. Security. Then it's over. I won, bye.
Cedric the Entertainer hosts Best of the Uptown Comics, Club Soda, Saturday, July 24, 9:30pm & midnight, $15+taxes. Tickets also available at Doreen's Beauty, Vibes, Sports Fever and Oman's Hair Saloon |
Just for Laughs got their hands on some good ol' down-home flavour this year, in the form of Cedric the Entertainer. As part of the Kings of Comedy tour, one of the biggest-grossing comedy shows of all time, this brother has had more than enough stage experience to hone his skills. Not your average comic, the Entertainer promises that you will be just that: entertained.