I have written under the pseudonym Shawn Smith over the years for various reasons. That is my middle name and my mother's maiden name. Wallah!
Not Dead Yet
Derrick Brown lives to read another day
Laying in a hospital bed in August, paralyzed from anaphylactic shock, the result of what may have been an allergic reaction—maybe low blood sugar, maybe a panic attack, the doctors still aren't sure—Brown was under heavy sedation. But the onetime OC/Long Beach poet somehow managed to strangle the scythe-carrying skeleton watching over him.
(Cheater of death. Photo by Matt Wignall)
Click below to read the full story:
http://www.ocweekly.com/2007-11-01/culture/not-dead-yet/
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You'll Want More
OC Weekly
Derrick Browns words have their way with you
The poet/musician (formerly John Wilkes Kissing Booth and Glockundspiel, currently All Black Cinema) is trucking in from Nashville, Tennessee, to Long Beach for a one-night-only declaration-of-love love fest at Open Bookstore. Yes, Tennessee. Venues have changed for the doe-eyed poet who once worked as a gondolier in the Naples area of Long Beach—but his singular weirdness survives intact.
Click below to read the full story:
http://www.ocweekly.com/2006-04-06/culture/you-ll-want-more/
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Comedy King
Long Beach City Beat
Posted on 31 March 2011
Cedric the Entertainer juggles TV and film—but stand-up’s his first love
By Arrissia Owen Turner
Cedric the Entertainer didn’t feel so comical early in his career, even though he knew he was damn funny. Born Cedric Antonio Kyles in Jefferson City, Missouri, the young boy who went on to appear in The Honeymooners and Cadillac Records, started out the class cut up and graduated to hilarious bully long before he was christened with his stage name.
Cedric knew he was good early on, but a comic? He fancied himself more of an entertainer, he says.
“I started out playing the lunch room,” says Cedric, who is scheduled to perform at the Terrace Theater this month. “Me and my friends would talk about each other, we got good at that. Then my friends would use me as a secret weapon. They would say, ‘Get Ced.’ Instead of a bully that beat people up, I was a bully who beat people up with jokes.”
Cedric got his start on stage through a co-worker at State Farm Insurance who performed stand-up comedy on the side. He asked Cedric if he could try out some of his cubicle humor on stage.
Cedric gave the guy his jokes gratis, never considering there was a way for him to cash in on his own wry wit. Eventually, the co-worker convinced Cedric to give it a shot himself. After first foray into stand-up, Cedric walked away with $500 cold hard cash.
“I was hooked,” he says.
Stage fright was never a problem for Cedric, who grew up with a thespian streak. He performed with the school drama department in high school and minored in theater at Southeast Missouri State University. He also dabbled in R&B, performing with small singing groups.
“It was pretty natural,” Cedric says regarding performing on stage for the first time. “That is how I got the name.”
“When the people introduced me as a comic, I didn’t feel like I deserved that,” he says. “I would just tell the guys, ‘Call me The Entertainer.’ I was paying homage to the comedians at the time.”
Cedric’s profile grew over the years. He started out as a sidekick on The WB’s Steve Harvey Show (1996), then added his mug to films such as Big Momma’s House (2000), the Barbershop franchise (2002 and 2004), Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Be Cool and Madagascar (2005).
As his acting CV grew, Cedric never hung up his stand-up shoes. He headed out on a national tour with fellow comedians Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Bernie Mac in 2000 for The Original Kings of Comedy, later turned into a movie by Spike Lee. Cedric the Entertainer became a household name, leading to an HBO Comedy Special titled Cedric the Entertainer: Taking You Higher.
“I’m always looking for great opportunities in film, but I figure out how to squeeze in the stand-up. I like to do stand-up. It makes me feel fresh.”
Even while working on a movie project, Cedric tries to schedule stand-up dates on the weekends wherever he’s filming.
Most recently, Kyles finished a film called Larry Crowne starring Julia Roberts and directed by and co-starring Tom Hanks, set for a July 1 release. And to add to the Entertainer’s repertoire, he’s taking on his first game show, It’s Worth What? The show is set to air on NBC this summer and feeds on America’s love of cost and value. Picture Antiques Road Show with more network pizzazz and a funny bone.
Cedric has no ambition to graduate from stand-up.
“It’s an important muscle to have,” he says. “I have seen the celebs who have it, and then they start doing other projects. It’s one thing to be financially stable, but it’s another to have a craft.”
Cedric the Entertainer will perform at the Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention Center and Entertainment, 300 Ocean Blvd.; www.longbeachcc.com. April 29. 8PM.
http://citybeatlb.com/2011/03/features/comedy-king/
