TEACHER IS A CLASS ACT - AS A COMEDIAN.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer Vernard ``Bone'' Hampton sees similarities in teaching school and performing standup stand·up or stand-up adj. 1. Standing erect; upright: a standup collar. 2. Taken, done, or used while standing: a standup supper; a standup bar. comedy. The Buena Vista School teacher is also a standup comic with a couple of TV credits to his name. He specializes in clean comedy - no four-letter words - and draws his material from life, including his students. ``It's almost the same thing,'' Hampton said of teaching and comedy. ``In the first three to five minutes you have to convince the audience you are worth listening to.'' Hampton and Rodney Johnson, another Palmdale comic with TV credits, will be performing at a benefit concert Sept. 27 at Highland High School Highland High School or Highlands High School may refer to: In the United States:
``I'm doing a lot of road work, performing at churches and schools. They are the biggest venues for clean comedy,'' Hampton said. Performing clean comedy is more of a challenge than going for a cheap laugh with a sex joke or having a punch line punch line n. The climactic phrase or statement of a joke, producing a sudden humorous effect. punch line Noun the last line of a joke or funny story that gives it its point Noun 1. with a four-letter word, Hampton said. ``Instead of using a four-letter word and getting an immediate laugh, I have to paint a bigger picture. The exaggeration has to be more detailed and over the top,'' Hampton said. Hampton also avoids topical humor, which he says has a shelf life of about three months. ``If you do a real joke that deals with your life, you can do that joke for the next 15 years,'' Hampton said. Hampton's comedy career began with a nonspeaking role in the 1991 movie ``Necessary Roughness Necessary Roughness may refer to:
Afterward, Hampton performed at a comedy club in Dallas for six months before he came to California. His career includes a guest role on NBC's ``ER'' and the CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. sitcom ``Murphy Brown Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988 to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. It starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, an investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI .'' Hampton said he began substitute teaching right out of college. He has been teaching five years - the past two years with his own class. THE FACTS WHAT: Standup comics Vernard ``Bone'' Hampton, Rodney Johnson and Jeff T. WHEN: 7 p.m. Sept. 27. WHERE: Highland High School. 39055 25th St. West, Palmdale. WHY: Proceeds will benefit Highland High School's African-American Cultural Club. TICKETS: $5, available in advance at Highland High School or at the door. INFORMATION: (805) 267-9045. |
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