Wanda Sykes feature

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Wanda Sykes, Pulling No Punch Lines
By John Maynard
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 14, 2006

Wanda Sykes does political humor. Wanda Sykes vents about men. Wanda Sykes sweetly imitates her mother. In her own acerbic style, the comedian gets plenty dirty on tonight's "Wanda Sykes: Sick & Tired," a stand-up concert taped last spring in Seattle. This is Sykes's first HBO special, but she's no stranger to the network, having appeared on "Inside the NFL" and the now defunct "Chris Rock Show," as well as on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" as the brutally honest friend of star Larry David.

She also starred on the short-lived 2003 Fox sitcom "Wanda at Large." Is Sykes still bitter about its quick cancellation? "F*ck Fox," she says at the outset of the concert -- and we're off. Sykes doesn't dwell on Fox (she even loves "American Idol," explaining: "It's mean. They make the loser sing"). Rather, she aims much of her vitriol at the Bush administration in a prolonged rant on such topics as Iraq and same-sex marriage.

Sykes, a Virginia native and a former employee at the National Security Agency, fumes over not just The Decider's decisions. She also has little love for Vice President Cheney, mocking his surprise trips to Iraq to visit the troops, saying: "Even Bob Hope took a stripper or Charo. Cheney just shows up with Rumsfeld." She's worked up about President Bush's Supreme Court picks and the potential for overturning Roe v. Wade. In case abortion is outlawed, Sykes says: "I got two abortions on the way here. I was, like, 'I got to stock up.' "

And then there's her funniest bit, as she rails against Medicare and how the elderly might not be able to fill out the online application. She pictures her aunt selling her body for prescription drugs such as Lipitor, or as Sykes puts it, "trickin' for her 'scrips.' " Sykes's rants are laced with her infectious chuckle, which adds to her comic charm. And she can come across as rather endearing, as when she describes her mom and dad's ineptitude with computers: "When my parents send me an e-mail, the first three are always blank." She mimics her mother trying to e-mail a picture of a relative's newborn. To expedite matters, Sykes tells her: "Just ship me the baby. I'll take his picture and I'll ship it back to you."

But after the sweetness comes the nasty. Funny nasty. Sykes discusses her preferences in the boudoir and her love of porn. Most memorably, she muses on the advantages for both men and women if a certain female body part were detachable. That last riff is graphic, and given the clever way that Sykes spins it, even her sweet mother would have to laugh.

Wanda Sykes: Sick & Tired (one hour) premieres tonight at 10 on HBO.
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I first heard her on "Dr Katz" and have always enjoyed her stuff, so I'm looking forward to this...

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Comedian Wanda Sykes coming to the PAC
By Sarah Linn
PHOTO BY ROBERT SEBREE

Wanda Sykes has never been afraid to speak her mind. Onstage and in front of the camera, she offers funny, sharp-tongued commentary on subjects as diverse as gay marriage, the government and sex. So when you ask the comedian and actress what she’d bring into legislation, she’s got the perfect answer. “If you drive a Hummer, we should be able to shoot you,” she said with a chuckle. “If you want to play soldier, we want to help you with that experience. We want to make it more realistic.”

Known for her sassy stints on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” Wanda Sykes launched her comedy career as a writer on “The Chris Rock Show.” Since then, she’s starred in movies and television shows, published a book (“Yeah, I Said It” in 2004) and recorded two stand-up specials. The latest, 2006’s “Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired,” netted a 2007 Emmy nomination. “I don’t think anything is too political or off limits, as long as I can make it funny,” Sykes said.

Sykes stops in San Luis Obispo on Saturday as the headliner for Central Coast Pride Week, sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of the Central Coast (GALA). She’s currently touring the nation with the second annual True Colors Tour, featuring acts such as Cyndi Lauper, The Indigo Girls and The B- 52s. Each stop features different performers. “They gave me the hottest cities—Houston, Dallas, Phoenix …” Sykes quipped. “I think they’re trying to actually set me on fire.”

Sykes was working as a procurement officer for the National Security Agency when she got her first taste of stand-up comedy at a Washington, D. C., talent showcase. She spent five years as part of the cast and writing staff for HBO’s Emmy Awardwinning “Chris Rock Show.” In 2001, she won the American Comedy Award for Outstanding Female Stand Up Comic. She shared three more Emmy Awards as a commentator on HBO’s “Inside the NFL,” and did memorable turns on “Curb” and the Comedy Central puppet show “Crank Yankers.”

According to the entertainer, there’s no true recipe for her success. “My goal has always been to be a funny stand-up, to be a real good stand-up,” Sykes said. “I don’t remember going, ‘Let’s seek out a television show.’ ” That didn’t stop executives at Fox from approaching the entertainer with “Wanda at Large.” Inspired in part by “Inside the NFL,” “Wanda at Large” featured Sykes as a stand-up comic who also works as a correspondent on a political talk show in Washington, D. C. The show lasted two seasons.

In 2004 came “Wanda Does It,” a reality-style show that had Sykes trying out non-showbiz jobs ranging from basketball coach to airplane pilot. Most recently, though, the comedienne has been garnering raves for her role as best friend Barb on “The New Ad-ventures of Old Christine.” “Seinfeld” standout Julia Louis- Dreyfus stars as a divorced mom with lots on her plate. According to Sykes, “New Adventures” creator Kari Lizer first contacted her about doing the show’s pilot in 2006. “The pilot was really interesting, but I thought there were a lot of characters,” she said. “I didn’t think I’d have a lot to do.” After two seasons of guest appearances, however, the comic is now a regular.

Sykes said she’s relished working with fellow funny-woman Louis-Dreyfus, who’s won an Emmy for the show. “Julia is just a nut. She’s a sweetheart,” Sykes said. “I’m enjoying working with her. My acting is getting better working with her, because it’s not just joke delivery.” The show returns to filming in August.

“When I’ve been on the road and I go back on the show, that doesn’t feel like much of a bump. I have my script and I’m playing with the rest of the cast,” Sykes explained. The comedian said it’s actually harder for her to transition back to summer touring. “It takes a while to get my stand-up legs back,” she said.

Sykes’ movie career includes roles in “Evan Almighty,” “Monster-in-Law,” “Clerks II” and “License to Wed.” She’s also done plenty of voiceover work, including “Barnyard” and “Over the Hedge.” TV watchers will recognize Sykes as the voice of the apple in commercials for Applebee’s restaurants. “It’s really just listening to the director and trusting that he knows what he’s doing,” she said. “If they’re happy, I go, ‘OK.’ ”

Because of her wide-ranging career, Sykes said audiences for her stand-up act vary greatly. “It’s always a good mix,” she said. “I’ve had some gray-haired ladies come up to me after the show and repeat some of the filthiest jokes I’ve ever told.”

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Wanda Sykes says she's 'proud to be gay'
The Associated Press
15/11/2008

LAS VEGAS—Comedian Wanda Sykes says the passage of a same-sex marriage ban in California has led to her be more outspoken about being gay. "You know, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation. I didn't feel like I had to. I was just living my life, not necessarily in the closet, but I was living my life," Sykes told a crowd at a gay rights rally in Las Vegas on Saturday. "Everybody that knows me personally they know I'm gay. But that's the way people should be able to live their lives."

Sykes, who is known for her feisty and blunt style, said the passage of California's Proposition 8 made her feel like she was "attacked." "Now, I gotta get in their face," she said. "I'm proud to be a woman. I'm proud to be a black woman, and I'm proud to be gay." Sykes' appearance at the Las Vegas rally was a surprise to organizers. She was in town performing at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

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she's a lezzer?! That's it, I'll never laugh at anything she says again!

[nekokate]

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Wanda Sykes to entertain at correspondents' dinner
By ERIN CARLSON

NEW YORK (AP) — Wanda Sykes will soon get the chance to make fun of President Barack Obama to his face. The comic actress said Thursday that she has been selected as the entertainer at the annual White House correspondents' dinner in Washington, slated for May 9. Obama is expected to attend the black-tie affair at the Washington Hilton. The guest list of some 2,000 people will likely include the usual mix of Washington elite, White House press corps and Hollywood celebrities.

"The first thing I did when they asked me to do this gig — I made sure my taxes were paid," quipped Sykes, taking a dig at the withdrawal of former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle from Obama's cabinet due to unpaid taxes. Sykes, who booked the gig this week, said the idea of performing for such a high-profile crowd is "scary but very exciting." She said it's her job to "poke fun and ridicule," and even a popular figure like Obama isn't off limits. She already has some ideas about what she could mine for laughs. For example, she noted, Obama can be "a little long-winded. So we can get him on that."

Sykes expects fumbles in the Obama administration between now and the correspondents' dinner. "I'm not rooting against him at all, because, especially in this economy and everything, we need him to succeed," she says. "But there's gonna be some incidents and missteps, like we saw with the whole tax thing."

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WANDA SYKES HEADS TO LATE NIGHT:
Comedian on verge of deal for topical talk show on Fox.
(April 2, 2009)

Wanda Sykes is about to finalize a deal for an hour-long late-night talk show to air Saturday nights on Fox. The program, slated to premiere in the fall, will succeed the recently canceled sketch comedy show "MadTV." The format will feature Sykes and a panel of recurring guests sparring over issues concerning politics as well as pop culture. Sykes will appear in field segments as well.

Sykes's deal brings a rare female presence to late-night television, which is dominated by white male hosts. The actress, who co-stars on CBS' "The New Adventures of Old Christine," previously headlined the sitcom "Wanda at Large" on Fox.

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A lesbianese on Fox? The world's gone crazy!

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OUR SILLY DISCOURSE.... At the White House Correspondents Association dinner, Wanda Sykes delivered exactly the style of comedy that's made her a success, only she applied it to the political world. It's apparently caused quite a bit of heartburn in some corners.

"Rush Limbaugh said this administration fails," Sykes said in her most memorable bit of the night. "He just wants the country to fail. To me that's treason. He's not saying anything different than what Osama Bin Laden is saying. You might want to look into this, sir, because I think Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker but he was just so strung out on Oxycontin he missed his flight." After excessive groaning, Sykes asked, "Too much?"

Nearly 48 hours later, the answer for some is, "Yes." A variety of news outlets have been pondering the propriety of Sykes' Limbaugh mockery, and today, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs backed away from the joke. "I think there are a lot of topics that are better left for serious reflection rather than comedy," Gibbs said. "I think there's no doubt that 9/11 is part of that."

That's not too big a surprise. Gibbs almost certainly knew this question was coming, and speaking from the White House podium, was likely to keep Sykes' joke at arm's length.

But what I find annoying about the discourse is that Sykes' joke, while obviously pushing the envelope, is hardly more outrageous than the typical daily edition of her intended target. I had an idea for how to drive this point home, but Adam Serwer beat me to it.

Wanda Sykes' comedy routine at the White House Correspondent's Dinner was really offensive. In it, Sykes suggested that conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh is supported by Hamas, and that Islamists are "constantly issuing Limbaugh talking points". She joked about terrorists supporting conservatives in general, suggesting that recent violent events in Iraq are attempts by terrorists to swing the upcoming midterm elections in favor of Republicans.

Then she got really personal. She joked that Limbaugh was a racist who doesn't want black people to "escap[e] the underclass". She accused him of being responsible for killing "a million babies a year", and aired her friend's theory that Limbaugh himself was a terrorist attack," a followup to 9/11. She also, most disgustingly, said that if conservatives kept apologizing to Limbaugh, they'd eventually contract "anal poisoning." She wondered when Republicans would finally stop "bending over and grabbing their ankles" for Limbaugh, and finally concluded that Limbaugh was just a "bad guy".

The punch line, of course, is that Sykes didn't say any of these things. They're all comments from Limbaugh, directed at the president or his party in the past year. Traditional news outlets rarely find any of this newsworthy, in part because it's so routine. He's a hateful radio host who says outrageous things for a living. It's just "Rush being Rush."

But it's partly why it's not worth getting worked up over Sykes' jokes. Not only was she going for a laugh, she's an actor/comedian with no political influence to speak of. Limbaugh says genuinely crazy things on a daily basis, but he's not kidding, he's the ostensible head of a major political party, and he has almost unrivaled power in conservative circles.

What's more, when the Obama White House was pressed on Sykes' provocative humor, the president's spokesperson offered no defense. When the Bush White House was pressed on Limbaugh's ugly attacks, the former administration's leadership would not only defend the radio host, but would also give him exclusive interviews as a reward.

Something to consider when the media flips out over Sykes.

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Daily Telegraph blog feature (350+ comments)

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Wanda Sykes Becomes Mom of Twins!
By Julie Jordan
May 13, 2009

Wanda Sykes and her wife, Alex, welcomed twins on April 27, her rep tells PEOPLE exclusively. Daughter Olivia Lou weighed in at 6 lbs., 7 oz., and was 19-inches long. Son Lucas Claude debuted at 7 lbs., 9 oz., and was 20-inches long. The comedian's wife gave birth to the babies. "All are happy and healthy and at home," says Sykes's rep Danica Smith.

The actress, who stars on New Adventures of Old Christine, and her wife were married on Oct. 25, 2008. The twins are the first children for the couple.

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Wanda Sykes brings her stand up to Vegas
Caroline Fontein
Oct 14th, 2010
vegas.com

Ranking among Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Funniest People in America, Wanda Sykes has established herself as both a wanda_mainsuccessful comedian and actress. Her boisterous personality and witty humor has been featured in countless comedy specials and feature films.

Sykes was born in Portsmouth, Va. and was raised in Maryland. She attended Hampton University where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in science. Before turning to comedy Sykes worked as a procurement officer for the National Security Agency. Her first performance as a stand-up comedian in front of a live audience took place at a Coors Light Super Talent Showcase in Washington, D.C.

Afterwards she spent five years as both a performer and writer for HBO’s critically acclaimed “Chris Rock Show.” Her superior talent was officially recognized when she was nominated for three Emmy Awards. In 1991, Sykes won the Emmy for Outstanding Writer for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special. At the American Comedy Awards in 2001, Sykes won the Outstanding Female Comic Award. She won three more Emmys in 2002, 2004 and 2005 for her work on “Inside the NFL” for Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly. In 2006 her HBO special, “Wanda Sykes: Sick & Tired” debuted and was nominated for a 2007 Emmy for “Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.”

Sykes has made appearances in several feature films including “Evan Almighty,” “Monster-In-Law,” “My Super Ex-Girlfriend” and was heard in the animated feature “Over The Hedge.” Her second HBO special “Wanda Sykes: I’ma Be Me” premiered in October 2009. Sykes performed as “Barb” on the CBS Comedy “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” which ran for five seasons, and finished the first season of her own late night talk show on Fox “The Wanda Sykes Show.”

VEGAS.com had a chance to talk to the busy comedian about her upcoming show in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. on Oct. 15 – 16 at Planet Hollywood.

Q: What are some of the things you’re going to be talking about at your upcoming show at Planet Hollywood?
A: “I’m working on a lot of new things, basically my stand up is a snapshot of what’s going on with me now and what’s going on in society so I’ll talk about a little bit of politics and personal stuff and what’s going on with the family and all and of course I’ll add a few things from my HBO special because I know people seem like they really want to know what’s going on with Esther.”

Is there anything different that you do with your routine when you perform in Vegas?
“When I’m in Vegas the only thing different is I have to try to sober up before the show. It’s such a late show.”

What do you like to do in Vegas when you aren’t performing?
“I love playing blackjack. I like to people watch. I like to sit out in front of the place in front of Paris Las Vegas… Just sit out and watch people. If I have time I’d love to see a show. I’ve been trying to sneak in Cher’s wardrobe room and at least try on a couple headpieces.”

So was being a comedian something you always thought about doing?
“No. I always loved comedy and we watched a lot of comedy growing up in our house. My father’s a retired army officer and my mother, she always had a regular job so it was the normal path of go to school, go to college, working for the government, so I was pretty much on a normal army brat or whatever kid’s life. I just hit a place where I was like ok, this is not for me. I’m bored. I really have to find something else. I just went with the thing that I enjoy doing, that’s making people laugh, and I love comedy. I just sat down and wrote a few jokes and luckily for me it all worked out.”

What was it like working for the NSA? What was the turning point that made you decide you had to do something else?
“Even when I was working for the NSA and I was having success there. I was winning some awards and you get bonuses and all and even that wasn’t fulfilling, even being successful at it so I started goofing off a lot at work. That’s when I said ok, I need to leave here and do something else. You know when you’re not putting your all into something I just felt like I wasn’t being fair to the job or to taxpayers.”

Did you have a favorite comedian or someone who inspired your stand-up career when you were starting out?
“I watched a lot of what was on TV growing up, but I know Moms Mabley really stood out for me. She was the first black woman that I saw on TV doing stand up. We watched the Smothers Brothers and Flip Wilson and all those variety shows. As I got older, definitely Richard Prior once I understood comedy.”

What was it like for you the first time you performed stand-up comedy?
“The first time I didn’t know any better. I had no idea what I was doing so I didn’t really have anything to be afraid of so maybe a little anxious, but I didn’t know that people could boo and all that stuff… The first time I did great and it wasn’t until later on and doing it more and hanging out at the comedy club that I said ‘oh wow this could go horribly wrong ok,’ and that’s when the fear sets in. You know it’s like anything else, the more you do it the better you become at it.”

What do you enjoy doing more – performing for television or doing stand-up comedy?
“Definitely stand-up. You get the immediate response from the audiences. It’s like working without a net. There’s no script, there’s no ‘ok cut let’s try it again.’ It’s in the moment. You feed off the audience. A lot of times I come up with stuff during the show from what the audience is giving me.”

When you’re trying to come up with new material where do you look for inspiration?
“Everywhere, my life, the news, just whatever’s around me I just take it all in. I believe comedians have a social responsibility, just try to point out hypocrisies I guess, but my message is let’s have a good time. I want to be funny, and I want people to laugh and have a good time. I love George Carlin. I love the messages that he had, and he did it in comedy and it was very funny. So yeah if you can say something also I guess that’s important.”

What do you look for when you’re deciding to take on new roles as an actor?
“I look at it as what I’ll get out of it like am I going to have a good time doing this? Will I learn something? It’s a challenge. That’s why I’m about to start production in the play “Annie” (in Media, Pa.). I’m going to play Miss Hannigan. I’ve never done theater, but I love theater. I always enjoy it when I go, and I have friends that do it… It’s the closest thing to stand up. It’s live and I’ll have a script that I have to stick to. Anything that I see challenging and that’s going to make me a better performer, if I’ll learn something from it that’s usually what appeals to me.”

Along with performing you’ve had a lot of success as a comedy writer. Is writing something you were doing even before you started performing stand-up?

“I’m sure I was doing that but not really understanding or recognizing what I was doing. I would write funny things in yearbooks and notes to classmates. I didn’t approach it as I’m going to sit down and write some jokes.”

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Wanda Sykes brings her craziness to Connecticut
Erik Ofgang,
November 1, 2010
newstimes.com

It's 7:15 a.m. and Wanda Sykes' attitude-filled, instantly-recognizable, funny-even-when-she's-not-saying-anything-funny-voice sounds tired. "Being a mom at 46 is a little stressful, but you know it's fun," Sykes said, over the phone from her home in Los Angeles.

Sykes and wife Alex Sykes have twin 1 1/2-year old children and she said juggling the late nights of her entertainment career with the early mornings of motherhood isn't always easy. "It's hard; there's just some mornings when you get up and you're tired and maybe a little hung over, but you just work through it," she said.

The popular comedian is coming to Connecticut for a stand-up show at The Palace Theater in Waterbury on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. TV's "The Wanda Sykes Show" and "New Adventures of Old Christine" have not been renewed, but Sykes is still cracking the punch lines; this month she'll star as Miss Hannigan in Media Theatre's production of "Annie," in Media, Pa.

During her interview with The News-Times, Sykes talked about the first time she performed and how she can't wait for this election season to end. She also shared a parenting tip:

Q: What was your first show like?
A: The very first time I was on stage it went well, it was great. Because I didn't really have any fear because I had never been to a comedy club and didn't know how awful things could go. So the not knowing actually worked to my advantage. Once I started going to clubs and seeing people bomb, that's when the fear kicked in.

Q: You're performing in Connecticut the day after election night; are you going to stop by a day early and make any last-minute endorsements?
A: (Laughs) I am so sick of this campaign season. I will be so happy when the election is over because I just want them to get it over with and everybody get back to work. And all this money that's being spent. I saw yesterday they said it's been like over a billion dollars or -- I forget how much it was- but it's like this ridiculous amount of money that has been spent on people running for office. It just seems like an incredible amount of money especially when people are out of work and they're talking about, `We got to create jobs,' but you're spending millions and billions trying to get a job so it must be pretty hard -- the job market out there, it's crazy.

Q: One of your first big breaks was as a writer and performer on `The Chris Rock Show' -- any chance of you two collaborating again?
A: Of course! I love Chris; it would be great to work with him on something else.

Q: Can you tell me about the show you're going to be doing in Connecticut?
A: I like to talk about what's going on at the moment; it's kind of like a snapshot of where we are just as a society and politically, socially and everything. I keep it current. And then I like to move into more stuff about like where I am personally; I have the kids now so I'll talk about that -- I mean I'm so glad my kids are funny. If they had been boring babies I would have been so disappointed, but they're great, they keep it interesting around here. I'll talk about just the whole thing -- kids and being married and getting older. Then there will be some stuff from my HBO special, 'cause there's just some things that people who know me from that want to hear. So I'll break some of that out, but of course it will be a little more updated because I like to stay current.

Q: Speaking of kids, any advice for new parents?
A: As soon as you can get the kids on a schedule, that's the best thing you can do because if not, you're just going to be sitting up at 2 o'clock in the morning staring at the kid, going `I wonder why this baby won't go to sleep.' You'll do that till they're 12.

Q: Are you always funny? Or when you go on stage and when you have an interview do you kind of just turn it on?
A: When I'm on a show I'm booked as a guest to be funny. So yeah, I have an idea of what I'm going to do, I know I'm there to be funny. But am I funny all the time? No, I don't have the energy. Normally I guess it's just the way my brain is wired; I think funny stuff but I don't turn it on when I'm not working. Maybe when I'm on stage it's me cranked up to like 9, when I'm home and chilling and whatever, regular Wanda is probably about a 6, I think. Six is still funny, but it's not on.