On this day in comedy on March 8, 2002 All About the Benjamins was released by Newline Cinema
Teaming Ice Cube and Mike Epps up again, this action comedy is about diamond thieves and the tale of tracking them down. Cube is a bounty hunter, Epps a criminal. They pair up to get the crooks and a winning lottery ticket Epps needs to retrieve. There’s plenty of running, multiple shoot outs, some murders, a kidnapping, a tasing, a neck breaking, several escapes, a lot of yelling, scenes of mild torture, a boat crash, along with various chases, some searching, plotting, planning, handcuffing and conniving.
All About the Benjamins was directed by Kevin Bray and produced by Ice Cube and Matt Alvarez. It featured Eva Mendes, Roger Guenveur Smith, Tommy Flanagan, Carmen Chaplin, Anthony Michael Hall, Bob Carter and Bow Wow. The critics hated the film. They thought it was crude and offensive with way too much violence. The fans loved it because of everything the critics hated.
On a budget of $15 million, All About the Benjamins grossed $26,306,533 at the box office.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on March 7, 1964 Comedienne, Actress, Writer, Voice-Over Artist, Producer, Wanda Sykes was born in Portsmouth, Virginia
Raised in the Washington, DC area, Sykes was a NSA (National Security Agency) contracting specialist before getting into comedy. After five years of that day job she tried her hand at being funny in 1987 at the Coors Light Super Talent Showcase. She honed her skills for five more years (while still working for the NSA) until in 1992 she moved to New York. Sykes got a gig there working for Hall Leonard publishing as a book editor. At night she’d step out and do comedy. One evening she got a break which led to Sykes opening for Chris Rock at the famed Caroline’s Comedy Club. In 1997 she joined Rock’s writing staff on The Chris Rock Show for HBO, where she also appeared on camera. In 1999 she won an Emmy as part of that writing team.
Further success followed Sykes. She’s done theater (Annie), films (Pootie Tang, Monster-in-Law, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Evan Almighty, License to Wed, Down to Earth, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps) and plenty of television (Curb Your Enthusiasm, The New Adventures of Old Christine (as friend, Barb Baran), The Drew Carey Show, Chappelle’s Show, MADtv, Will & Grace, Alpha House, Real Husbands of Hollywood and Black-ish). Sykes has also done voice-overs for animated features (Over the Hedge, Barnyard, Brother Bear 2, Rio, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Ice Age: Collision Course), television (Bubble Guppies, Futurama, The Simpsons) and did a voice for the televised puppet show, Crank Yankers.
Wanda Sykes had her own sitcom, Wanda at Large on Fox in 2003 and one on Comedy Central, (Wanda Does It). She also debuted her hour-long standup special, Tongue Tied on Comedy Central in 2003. In 2006 she did her first HBO special, Wanda Sykes: Sick & Tired. It was nominated for an Emmy Award. She did her second for HBO in 2009, Wanda Sykes: I’ma Be Me. Also in 2009 she hosted her own late night talk show, The Wanda Sykes Show on Fox. Sykes has hosted Premium Blend on Comedy Central and was a sports correspondent on HBO’s Inside the NFL. In 2004 she published the best-selling book, Yeah, I Said It.
In 2014 Wanda Sykes co-produced the languishing NBC standup comedy competition show, Last Comic Standing and brought it back to its previous prominence. She has written for The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show, the 74th Annual Academy Awards, The Downer Channel and of course every show she was ever on or hosted.
Wanda Sykes was active in the anti-gay bashing campaign, “Think Before You Speak” and has been an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights. She performed as part of Cyndi Lauper’s Tour for that cause. In 2009 she was the first openly LGBT person as well as the first African-American female to be a featured entertainer at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
Sykes was named by Out magazine as number 35 on their Annual Power 50 List. She was one of the 25 Funniest People in America by Entertainment Weekly in 2004 and ranked by Comedy Central as #70 on their list of the 100 Greatest All-Time Standups. In 2001 Sykes won the American Comedy Award for Outstanding Female Stand Up Comic, the 2003 Comedy Central Commie Award for “Funniest TV Actress”, the 2010 GLAAD Stephen F. Kolzak Award and the Activism in the Arts at the Triumph Awards in 2015.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on March 6, 1963 Comedian, Actor, Darryl Lynn “D. L.” Hughley was born in Los Angeles, CA
Hughley’s life arc goes from gangbanger to Los Angeles Times employee to top standup comedian. The comedy part got its start in clubs in L. A. including the Comedy Act Theater and Miss Wiz, where Hughley was house host. He got early recognition and landed a late night talk show on local based K-CAL, but it was short lived due to his hot competition – Arsenio Hall premiered that same season. The setback was short-lived. Hughley was next pegged to be the first host of BET’s standup showcase, Comic View. He remained there for two seasons (1992-1993) then moved on to tour.
In 1998 D. L. Hughley made his next foray into television on his own self-titled sitcom, The Hughleys, originally airing on ABC, where it was broadcast for two seasons. The show then moved to UPN as Hughley was gaining fame for his contribution in the Original Kings of Comedy in 2000. He replaced Guy Torry, who’d moved on to star on a TV action drama. The tour featuring Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey and Bernie Mac was a cultural phenomenon, packing arenas across the country, being made into a hit concert documentary directed by Spike Lee and spawning a cottage industry of copycats all being packaged as royalty and touring under that brand.
Once The Hughleys ended its run in 2002, D. L. Hughley got traction as a political commentator. He had a Comedy Central program Weekends at the D.L. and hosted D. L. Hughley Break the News on CNN. Hughley was also a correspondent for NBC’s The Jay Leno Show. He competed on Dancing with the Stars and held down his own radio shows. He released a comedy album (D. L. Hughley: Notes from the GED Section) has had recurring roles (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Scrubs), guest-starred (Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Parkers), hosted award shows (BET Awards), done voice-overs (Inspector Gadget) films (The Brothers, Soul Plane, Scary Movie 3, Spy School) and wrote a book (I Want You to Shut the Fuck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America).
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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Comedian Micah “Katt” Williams was arrested for the second time in recent days Tuesday and faces charges of battery and terroristic threats over a dispute with his bodyguard, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Williams, 44, is accused of threatening the bodyguard, Corey Dixon, on Feb. 28, according to a news release from Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Nicole Bailes. Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a search of Williams’ home Tuesday on Lake Breeze Lane in Gainesville as a result of an investigation from March 1.
He was arrested Feb. 29 on a separate misdemeanor battery charge in Gainesville after a store employee at Leslie’s Pool Supplies on Dawsonville Highway told police Williams punched him during an argument. Williams was released on $5,000 bond.
Williams and two female acquaintances are accused of confining and assaulting Dixon after he did not engage in criminal acts as directed by Williams, the sheriff’s office said. One woman, Tatiana Smith, 24, is accused of choking Dixon and assaulting him with a baseball bat, and Williams threatened to kill him, the news release said.
During the search, investigators found large quantities of marijuana and several firearms, the sheriff’s office reported.
Williams is charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, false imprisonment and felony possession of marijuana. Further drug and weapons charges are pending, the sheriff’s office said.
Tatiana Smith is charged with aggravated assault, misdemeanor marijuana possession and possession of the drug Alprazolam.
Lena Smith, 40, is charged with felony possession of marijuana.
All three were transported to the Hall County Jail, where they remain. A committal hearing is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Source: The Gainesville Times
On this day in comedy on March 5, 1954 Comedienne, Actress, Marsha Francine Warfield was born in Chicago, Illinois
A night at comedian Tom Dreesen’s place changed phone company employee Marsha Warfield forever. Prompted by her friend, Evelyn, Warfield went up on the open mic and got laughs and got hooked. A career in comedy seemed a foreign idea, though. There were no relatable role models. She was from a different mold than Moms or Lawanda Page. How do you become a working stand-up? When she met Elayne Boosler it became clear. Warfield said the way was paved for her and others thanks to trailblazers such as Elayne along with Judy Tenuta, Sandra Bernhard, Diane Nichols, Shirley Hemphill and Shelly Pryor. Outside of Phyllis Diller these women knew of no other stage comediennes and it wasn’t like they were having tea with Phyllis daily so they made their own rules. In the case of Marsha Warfield those rules worked.
Warfield got her break when comedian and Richard Pryor collaborator, Paul Mooney picked her when he assembled a cast of virtual unknowns for The Richard Pryor Show in 1977. She was blunt, sexy and uncompromising. The powerhouse comedienne had made her mark on the stand-up comedy circuit and Mooney knew she’d be equal to the task of writing and performing with the red hot Pryor. At that time Pryor was the comedy god. Or as she once said “God takes second billing as far as Richard was concerned.” So there were high expectations. She didn’t disappoint as Warfield and the rest of the cast made an indelible impression in the four short episodes they had on network television. However, the failure of the show left her depressed with thoughts of quitting comedy. That was until she won the prestigious San Francisco National Stand-Up Comedy Competition in ‘79.
By the time she gained fame on the NBC hit sitcom, Night Court Warfield was seasoned and had a reputation of reliability. Though short on acting experience, her deadpan, straight delivery to bailiff counterpart, Richard Moll was as good as team comedy gets and nobody in television gave a better cynical look. The Chicago native embodied Roz to critical and fan approval and had viewers in stitches from 1986-1992.
Warfield pulled double duty in 1990. She was so popular NBC slotted her with a self-titled day time talk show where she and guests discussed hot topics of the day and got a load of laughs along the way. Her show was easy going and lasted for two seasons. Of course it didn’t stop there. Following her run on Night Court Warfield kept up her AFTRA status on the sitcom, Empty Nest playing Dr. Maxine Douglas from ’93-’95. She did major films (D. C. Cab, Mask, Caddyshack 2), television guests spots (Family Ties, Riptide, Cheers) and of course stand-up.
Then in 1995 tragedy struck. After her house was totaled in the Northridge earthquake, Marsha’s mother and her sister died within three months of each other. Not long after her “lifestyle” caught up with her so she took time to regroup. By the time she returned to the scene a lot of time had passed in show biz terms and newer faces had stepped in to fill the void. She eventually moved to Las Vegas. From there she kept her presence known via social commentary on sites and remained a living inspiration to a whole generation of comediennes who followed in her footsteps.
Marsha Warfield returned to the standup comedy stage in 2015.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
www.darryllittleton.lol
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On this day in comedy on March 3, 2005 Dave Chappelle’s Block Party premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
Columbia Records wouldn’t release Lauryn Hill’s songs so she reunited the Fugees for the event. Chappelle’s version of “Round Midnight”, the Thelonious Monk classic would not make the final cut. All types of legal entanglements swirled regarding music licensing and releases, yet Dave Chappelle went around issuing “golden tickets” to all invitees by hand. Nothing would deter this party from going down.
Chappelle was at the peak of his Comedy Central celebrity thanks to his iconic, Chappelle’s Show and this documentary was meant to be an extremely colorful feather in the cap of Chappelle’s career. Turns out it was the only outside production Chappelle managed to get off before vacating Comedy Central due to a misunderstanding about the show’s direction. Too bad, a follow up would have been eagerly anticipated.
Thrown on the corner of Clinton Street and Downing Street in Brooklyn, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party lived up to the hype. The show was born of imagination and the need to give back to a community that usually gets overlooked. This would be different. Not only would this party be loaded with great music it would have the famed comedian doing material and sketches in between his chosen acts and what acts they were. Chappelle enlisted some of the brightest stars in the hip hop firmament to entertain his massive guest list.
Directed by Michel Gondry the film features the talents of Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Jill Scott, The Roots, Talib Kweli, Common, John Legend, Big Daddy Kane, Dead Prez, A Trak, Bilal, Cody ChestnuTT, Kool G Rap and the Central State University Marching Band. It spawned a bestselling soundtrack and has established itself as a cult classic. Both film and soundtrack were dedicated to the memory of music producer, J Dilla. He died of lupus one month before the film’s release.
Dave Chappelle’s Block Party came in at #6 in its opening weekend, grossing $6 million in 1,200 theaters. On a budget of $3 million it grossed $11,718,595 domestically and $333,329 internationally for a worldwide total of $12,051,924. And since we’re talking about the king of comedy DVD sales, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party sold 1,240,405 copies and counting for a total take of $18,776,445.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy in March 2, 1956 Comedian, Actor, Angel Salazar was born.
Salazar once said that if he had a dollar for every time somebody said to him, “Chi Chi, get the YaYo” he’d be a millionaire. It was the immortal line in 1983’s Scarface uttered by Al Pacino’s drug kingpin character, Tony Montana to Salazar’s henchman during a drug deal gone wrong. That single instructive phrase to grab the almost forgotten cocaine came after a hail of gunfire in an iconic scene that made Salazar a pop culture fixture. Not bad for a Cuban-American comedian in an era when few Latin comedians were on the mainstream radar.
Angel Salazar was 27 years old when Scarface made him a hot commodity. He was a seasoned stand-up comedian, whose style was raw, interactive and manic. Like most ethnic comics he talked about being ethnic; punctuating punchlines as well as set ups with his catch phrase, “Sheck it out”. During his career Salazar opened for the Beach Boys, Billy Ocean, Van Halen, the Miami Sound Machine and Whitney Houston. He also appeared on Last Comic Standing and had numerous HBO specials.
Prior to Scarface Salazar had a productive film career going. He had roles in Boulevard Nights, Walking Proud, Where the Buffalo Roam and A Stranger is Watching. After Scarface he stayed right on track with appearances in The Wild Life, Sylvester, Hot to Trot, Punchline (w/Tom Hanks), Maniac Cop 2, Carlito’s Way (w/Al Pacino again), Vote For Me, Harlem Blues, Rose Woes and Joe’s, Made In Brooklyn, Trust Me, Crumble and The Last Gamble. Angel Salazar liked popping up in documentaries, too such as 2002’s Comedian and The Latin Legends of Comedy featuring Joey Vega and JJ Ramirez in 2006. Though mainly Salazar liked doing stand up and would take year-long extended breaks from films to hit the road and just be a comedian.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on March 1, 2000 3 Strikes was released by MGM.
Written and directed by DJ Pooh, 3 Strikes stars Brian Hooks as a guy caught up in the system. Hooks gets out of jail after a year for his second offense as he discovers there’s a new three strikes law. If he goes down one more time it’s for a minimum of 25 years. No problem. He has no intention of ever going back inside. He’s a new man. Changed life. This is what he tells JJ, a guy who picked him up instead of his real friend. So as JJ, the substitute pick up ride, listens to this tale of personal revelation, the cops pull up behind them and this forces JJ into an inconvenient admission. Seems the pick-up car was stolen and now JJ has to have a gun battle with the cops. Next thing Hooks knows – it’s on!
3 Strikes is a full on chase film. Hooks spends most of his time alluding the cops in hopes of proving his innocence. In the meanwhile, JJ has been apprehended, taken to the hospital with a buttocks wound (he’s hung in a sling with his bandaged ass hiked up in the air), raped by a gay janitor and vows to pin the crime all on Hooks when the cops come asking. Hooks, during this time, makes a deal to get a tape with JJ admitting wrongdoing. All he has to do is go to bed a woman he does not want to go to bed with. That’s all, but it turns out it doesn’t matter. Hooks is caught and through the miracle of movie storytelling he is only found to be in violation of his parole, goes to jail for 30 days and gets out because the prison was overcrowded.
3 Strikes co-stars David Alan Grier, Faizon Love, N’Bushe Wright, Antonio Fargas, E-40, DJ Pooh, George Wallace, Meagan Good, Mo’Nique, De’Aundre Bonds, Phil Morris and Vincent Schiavelli. Cameos are made by Mike Epps, Anthony Anderson, Jerry Dunphy and Big Boy. The film was poorly received by critics, but was nevertheless profitable. On a budget of $3.4 million, 3 Strikes pulled in $3,684,704 in its opening weekend for the #12 spot and an eventual box office take of $9.8 million.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on February 28, 1978 Actress, Zara Frances Cully died in Los Angeles, California
Born on January 26, 1892, Zara Cully received fame late in her career mainly because she was militant. She was recognized as the world’s greatest elocutionist following a 1940 stage appearance in New York for Cully had put her formal training (the Worchester School of Speech and Music) to good use. She wrote, produced, directed and starred in many plays in Jacksonville, Florida and opened her own studio where she taught for over 15 years. Cully’s irreconcilable obstacle became her intolerance for the ways of the old South and she packed her bags and headed west to Hollywood. In California Cully found the respect she craved. She was a regular member at the Ebony Showcase Theatre and appeared in numerous films including, The Learning Tree, Sugar Hill, The Liberation of L. B. Jones and The Great White Hope. On the small screen Cully was seen Playhouse 90, Run For Your Life, Cowboy in Africa, Name of the Game, Mod Squad, Night Gallery and All In The Family. It was on that latter program that Cully landed the role of her lifetime.
The Jeffersons was a spin-off of the Norman Lear hit, All in the Family. At the age of 82, Cully was introduced on an episode featuring her son, George (Sherman Hemsley), his wife Louise (Isabel Sanford) , who Cully’s character, “Mother Jefferson”, did not approve of and her grandson, Lionel (Mike Evans). From there the dynamics was set. Mother Jefferson would make visits to her successful son’s high rise apartment in Manhattan, argue with Louise, praise George and Lionel and generally pout about how she’s neglected. Cully pulled it off masterfully until the third season. The venerable performer had contracted pneumonia and had a collapsed lung. Regardless, that didn’t stop her from returning to the show after a 17 episode absence where she was embraced by cast and audience alike. However, that hug tragically ended on November 12, 1977 when Mother Jefferson made her last appearance on The Jeffersons. Three months later the woman who brought the adorable character to life passed away of lung cancer. She was 86 years old.
The NAACP awarded Zara Cully a posthumous special Image Award on June 9, 1978.