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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, October 16, 2009

Comic ready to push some buttons


By Courtney Biggs
Special to TGIF

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Cedric the Entertainer says his show "is definitely for mature audiences." He brings his act — and his hats — to Honolulu tomorrow night.

HBO

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CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER

Blaisdell Arena

8 p.m. Saturday

$45, $75, $100

877-750-4400, www.ticketmaster.com

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Warning: Don't go to the Blaisdell Arena Saturday night expecting a G-rated performance from Cedric the Entertainer.

Sure, he's the voice of Maurice the Lemur in "Madagascar," and yes, he was Mr. Johnson in "Johnson Family Vacation."

But take the advice from his wife, who says the comedian's standup routine is PG-13 at the very least.

"(The act) is definitely for mature audiences," said Cedric, also known for co-starring on "The Steve Harvey Show" and as one of the stars of Spike Lee's "The Original Kings of Comedy." "I'm not a very blue comedian, but I do have some language when I'm on stage."

It's not that The Entertainer's comedic style will ever be confused with Denis Leary or Dennis Miller, but he wants all his fans to know he has his moments.

Cedric took a break from his world tour recently to answer a few questions for TGIF. The following are excerpts from the conversation:

Q. Tell us about your comedic roots and how it spurred your movie career.
A. I started just doing standup in the comedy club circuit in St. Louis, and had my first TV experience on "Showtime at the Apollo" and "Def Comedy Jam" in the late '80s, and ended up being the host of BET's "Comic View" in 1994.
That made me pretty much a household name amongst African-Americans and allowed me to build a pretty substantial standup career. From there, I got the opportunity to be on "The Steve Harvey Show," where I co-starred, and that led to movies and commercials. It's been a great ride from there.
Q. It sounds like you're a busy guy. Aside from the show here, what else is on your plate?
A. I'm doing a lot of standup through the end of the year, just performing live. I directed my first movie, "Chicago Pulaski Jones" and we are doing some post-work on that right now and re-shoots and getting that ready for a spring 2010 release. I'm (also) developing television ideas for myself for next fall.
Q. What kind of TV ideas?
A. I've got a couple of things I'm developing. One will be just kind of a multi-camera sitcom for a major network, and we're still kind of just developing the idea. I have interest from all the major networks to be part of the new comedy lineups they want to do. And then I have more of a dramedy, which is based on my character from the movie "Talk To Me," where I play the DJ Nighthawk. We're going to pitch it to some of the cable networks and that will be another fun, or different, role for me take on.
Q. Can you tell us a little bit about your standup show and who it's geared toward?
A. I do get the label as being a kind of clean comedian and people think that nothing is going to be said, but I can push a button or two when I'm on stage. My wife says that it's PG-13, so parental discretion is advised.
Q. Why perform in Honolulu?
A. This year, I've stretched my audiences. We did London, we did Bermuda and the Bahamas, down in the islands, and there was an opportunity to go to South Africa, so we were just really trying to stretch out, and I just really want to go perform at places I've never been. I've never actually been to Hawai'i to perform. I've been there to visit, but I've never been there to perform. ... Even though (Hawai'i) is in the United States, it's kind of its own place. It's its own world. I look forward to performing and introducing myself to the people who've never seen me perform live.
Q. One final question: what's up with all the hats you wear while you perform?
A. It's a thing from when I first started comedy. At the time I was growing up, St. Louis was a very old-school cosmopolitan town. All the gentlemen wore hats. It was just what we did. When I started to perform, I was really just trying to represent where I was from.
That became a little signature for me early on in my career, and it's just carried on. I'm now most comfortable when I have a hat on stage.