Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed December 11, 2014
Pfizer and the American Diabetes Association flew Cedric the Entertainer into Atlanta earlier this month. He did press, attended a diabetes event and met with folks at St. Philip AME Church in Decatur. There, I spent a few minutes with him talking about his father Kitrell Kyles' Type 2 diabetes (I'm Type 1) and his various TV and film projects, including Chris Rock's "Top Five," which hits theaters Friday, Dec. 12.
Below, in the video, we mostly talk diabetes awareness:
Then we sat down and gabbed off camera on a variety of topics:
Getting his dad to get checked: His father started getting symptoms of nerve pain in 2009. Cedric said it took awhile to convince him to go to the doctor. "So many fathers keep it in and suffer in silence and don't want to worry anyone. Or they'll ask a family member. My aunt will tell you, 'Take the starch of the cornbread and you'll be fine!"
On playing a promoter on Chris Rock's "Top Five": "I play one of the hustler guys who turned businessman. They're all around. As a standup, we know these guys. It was so fun when I saw the script. We laughed on the phone for 15 minutes. He's a little bit on the up and up but really risky to be putting your whole career in his hands." [Karlie Redd last week told me Cedric's character in a flashback role sets Chris Rock up with two women, including Karlie's character, and they have a comical elongated drug/sex session.]
On sister TV Land show "Hot in Cleveland" retiring: "They started to feel bad working Betty White so much. She's 92!"
Shooting for 100: It's a long shot but Cedric hopes "Soul Man," which is entering its fourth season, hits 100 episodes. But it only has gotten 10-episode orders so that's a tall order.
Why he dropped "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" after one season: "It was a time commitment. And they were moving the show to Connecticut."
Cutting it close: His newest show on the CW is a reality competition show called "Cedric's Barber Battle." It's set to debut in March. "We shot 10 episodes. The CW is very excited. It was shot around the country. We have top barbers. They compete to win $15,000. We shoot in barber shops." The show hit Houston, Austin, Los Angeles and New York. He didn't make it to Atlanta but hopes to if the show gets picked up for future episodes.
Bringing back "Kings of Comedy": The answer is no without Bernie Mac. "We left such a huge impression on comedy. To this day, people still come up to me and quote from it. It plays a lot of cable."
On Bill Cosby: "He's such an iconic person on many levels. All the money he's given to black schools, the influence he has had. You just want some clarity and answers. Hopefully these accusations don't destroy the person."
His future goal: "I'd like to do something like a serious role that is predominately drama so people can see that side of me."
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