Laffapalooza! 1
Jamie Foxx presents Showtime's funnyLaffapaloozaprogram spotlighting the comic gifts of several of the host's peers and friends. While the show's format can get in the way of its purpose--there are too many testimonials between acts about the rough road of stand-up comedy--the performers generally fare well. One-name funnyman Speedy defines the difference between white and black behavior at expensive restaurants: White people fight over the right to pay the bill while black customers argue over who ate what. Alexis Thomas provides a wicked demonstration of how rap songs are cleaned up for music videos, and asks the audience to imagine the impossible: Yesterday's African American music stars (Billy Ocean, etc.) swearing. Rodney Perry explains why black men don't care about women's legs, and the mountainous Lavell Crawford gives a hysterical impression of his mother breaking into gospel songs upon hearing that he has diabetes.--Tom Keogh