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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > April > 10 > Entry
Wanda Sykes brings bright humor to Tabernacle
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Near the end of her set at the Tabernacle on Saturday, comic Wanda Sykes looked up and noticed three spotlights virtually blinding her. “It’s like a [expletive] Buick coming at me!” she said in mock horror.
The packed crowd lit up with laughter. In fact, she could have done her act in semi-darkness, and it still would have been funny.
Dressed in jeans and an army jacket, Sykes (“Wanda at Large,” “Monster in Law”) waged war on men (“It’s unfair to compare men to dogs. Dogs are loyal!”), NASA (“a welfare program for really smart people”), and privatizing Social Security. She noted that giving people the power to handle their own financial future isn’t necessarily wise.
“I have a retirement plan,” she said, pretending to be a typical American. “It’s Powerball. And when I want to diversify, I do scratch-offs.”
She also couldn’t resist mining the Dick Cheney incident in February when he accidentally shot a friend while hunting, wondering if it would be a wise idea for him to join the troops in Iraq. “What kind of award would you get if you were shot by the VP?” she asked. “You don’t get the Purple Heart. You get one of Dick’s old hearts!”
And Buzz was deeply amused by her commentary on “American Idol” and how the show tortures losers by making them sing after they’re ousted: “Let’s remind America why they didn’t vote for you!”
Roker vs. Diddy
Al Roker wanted to call his Food Network show “Celebrity Chef Smackdown.” “But we can’t use ‘smackdown’ because of the WWE,” Roker told Buzz.
Instead, he went for the milder “Celebrity Food Fight,” a one-hour test pilot that aired over the weekend that he hopes will turn into a regular series.
Like “Dancing With the Stars” with food, host Roker pairs two famous chefs — Daniel Boulud and Todd English — with celebs. In the special, it was hyper Mario Cantone and focused Morgan Fairchild.
“Today Show” icon Roker readily acknowledges the competition, “Celebrity Chef Showdown,” which, ironically, is on the same network as his main employer, NBC.
Produced by Sean “Diddy” Combs, “Showdown” launches a five-day run April 17. “Look, we’re on first,” Roker said last week. “Maybe they’ll get some good ideas from us.”
Roker was nothing but his usual cheery self about his co-worker Katie Couric’s departure to “CBS Evening News.” “We wish her good luck and godspeed,” he said. “But our show will live on. The sum is greater than the parts.”
As for his career, he said he plans to stick with “The Today Show” as long as they want him: “Where else could I go? This is the greatest job going. My dad drove a bus for eight hours a day. That’s work. I do the TV weather. I don’t complain!”
Seeking the yeti
Jeff Corwin, best known for showing off reptiles and other rare animals on his two shows on Animal Planet, became intrigued last year by something better known as a myth than a living being: the yeti in Nepal.
“This beast is part culture, part mythology, part of the supernatural and the physical,” Corwin told Buzz. Corwin, who is in Atlanta today for a cable TV convention, is airing a two-hour special about the yeti Saturday from 8 to 10 p.m.
Corwin spent three weeks in the Himalayas, from the rain forests to the glaciers 20,000 feet up. He interviewed locals and experts, trying to find evidence of the yeti’s existence. “Hundreds of people see yetis every year, and there’s 90 percent commonality of what they see.”
Ultimately, he said they found the mother lode: a creature he thinks is the yeti.
On a lighter note, who would win a celebrity death wrestling match? Corwin or Steve “the Croc Hunter” Irwin? “It depends on which one of us had had more shots of espresso,” Corwin cracked.
Clark’s Hall of Fame bid
Atlanta’s resident cheapskate talk show host Clark Howard was nominated for the Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago last week in the active syndicated radio category.
“That was something I never ever in my wildest dreams thought was attainable to me,” Howard told Buzz. “This really is an honor to be nominated.”
The native Atlantan began his career at WGST-AM in the late 1980s before moving to WSB-AM, where he has thrived ever since. He went national in 1999 and is now heard on 120 stations in 40 states. Howard draws more than 3.25 million listeners a week, according to Talkers magazine estimates.
Winners will be named this summer.
Random bits
Former Atlantan Kenan Thompson did a competently goofy imitation of Cynthia McKinney on “Saturday Night Live,” capturing her hairstyle perfectly. …
Frankie Muniz, whose show “Malcolm in the Middle” is ending after seven seasons, plans to become a pro race car driver for at least two years. …
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Harry Morgan (“M-A-S-H”) is 91. Actor Omar Sharif is 74. Sportscaster John Madden is 70. Sportscaster Don Meredith is 68. Actor Steven Seagal is 55. Singer-producer Babyface is 48. Musician Brian Setzer is 47. Rapper Afrika Bambaataa is 46. Actor-comedian Orlando Jones is 38. Singer-actress Mandy Moore is 22. Actor Haley Joel Osment (“The Sixth Sense”) is 18.
Contributing: news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-5688 or e-mail: rho@ajc.com.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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