WANDA ON THE JOB SYKES WILL REPO YOUR CAR -- AND MAKE YOU LAUGH ABOUT IT, TOO.Byline: Fred Shuster Staff Writer Wanda Sykes Wanda Sykes (born March 7, 1964), also known as Wanda Sykes-Hall, is an Emmy-winning American stand-up comedian and actress. She is well known for her blunt observations on current events, the difference between the sexes and races, and life in general. may be the only stand-up 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. comic with a security clearance. Before she got her break, Sykes was working at the National Security Agency by day and making people giggle at night - or maybe it was the other way around. Eventually Chris Rock noticed her, taking her on the road as his opening act. Now, Sykes has a license to make you laugh. One of the busiest female stand-ups around, Sykes can currently be seen on Comedy Central's ``Wanda Does It "Wanda Does It" is a short-lived television show on Comedy Central that displayed "a day in the life" of the world of comedian Wanda Sykes. It's tagline was "And what Wanda can't do, Wanda does anyway". ,'' a half-hour show (10:30 p.m. Tuesdays) blending planned comedy, improv A multidimensional Windows spreadsheet from Lotus that allows for easy switching to different views of the data. Data are referenced by name as in a database, rather than the typical spreadsheet row and column coordinates. Improv was originally developed for the NeXt computer. and reality TV in which she tackles various non-show-biz jobs. She also appears Friday at the Wiltern LG in support of her first book, ``Yeah, I Said It'' (Atria Atria The heart has four chambers. The right and left atria are at the top of the heart and receive returning blood from the veins. The right and left ventricles are at the bottom of the heart and act as the body's main pumps. ; $23), a collection of short comic essays on sex, family, politics and fame. In one of her bits, Sykes takes on the battle of the sexes: ``Women are taking stripper Stripper Slang for an individual homeowner who strips the equity out of his or her home through mortgage refinancing. Proceeds are generally not re-invested, but spent on consumer goods. Notes: Most people get rich by saving and investing wisely. classes in hopes their men will stop going to strip clubs. ... You can't compete with those strippers ... You gotta have ... the stripper mentality. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , the ability to lie like a dog for a measly measly said of beef, pork and mutton because infected meat has a speckled appearance thought to resemble measles (1) in humans. See also cysticercus. buck. A stripper will tell your man anything for a dollar. 'Ooooh, I thought you were Brad Pitt.' '' Sykes wrote and performed on HBO's ``The Chris Rock Show,'' cameoed on HBO's ``Curb Your Enthusiasm'' and followed up with her current stint as field correspondent for HBO's ``Inside the NFL Inside the NFL is a weekly sports show that focuses on the National Football League and currently airs on the HBO cable network starting the first week of NFL season until the week after the Super Bowl. ,'' alongside anchors Dan Marino, Bob Costas Robert Quinlan Costas (born March 22, 1952) is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s. Life and honors Bob Costas was born in Queens, New York, and grew up in Commack on Long Island and went to Commack South High School. and Cris Collinsworth Anthony Cris Collinsworth (born January 27, 1959 in Dayton, Ohio), is a former American football player and current television sportscaster. He moved to Titusville, Florida as a youth. . Margy Yuspa, executive in charge of production for ``Wanda Does It,'' says Sykes' willingness to try anything for a laugh, including becoming a certified car repossessor in one memorable episode, is part of the appeal. ``It was hysterical that she went into training, passed the test and then repossessed somebody's car,'' Yuspa said. ``The show is a true mix of reality with planned moments. And the words are all Wanda's. She's a natural comic with a genius for improv.'' Born in Portsmouth, Va., and raised in Maryland, Sykes earned a bachelor of science Noun 1. Bachelor of Science - a bachelor's degree in science BS, SB bachelor's degree, baccalaureate - an academic degree conferred on someone who has successfully completed undergraduate studies degree from Hampton University Hampton University, at Hampton, Va.; coeducational; founded 1868, chartered 1870 as a normal and agricultural school; known as Hampton Institute 1930–84. . Her comedy career got started in 1987 at a talent showcase in Washington, D.C. During five years as a performer and writer on Rock's cable show, she was nominated for three Emmy Awards and in 1999 won the Emmy for variety, music or comedy special. In 2001, she won the American Comedy Award for female stand-up comic, and she took home a second Emmy last year for her work on ``Inside the NFL.'' Owner of a penetrating stare and street-smart delivery, Sykes, 40, also had supporting turns in ``Down to Earth'' and the Rock show spin-off ``Pootie Tang.'' Her first starring role came last year with the low-rated Fox sitcom ``Wanda at Large Wanda at Large is a Fox network sitcom that ran for two seasons in 2003. It starred comedian Wanda Sykes as Wanda Hawkins, an outspoken standup comic who is chosen to be a correspondent on a Washington, D.C., political talk show. .'' Sykes' profile will surely rise another notch next year with the release of ``Monster-in-Law,'' a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda. We caught up with Sykes in her car last week. Q: In ``Wanda Does It,'' you take on a series of jobs like pilot, basketball coach and photographer. What's the worst job you ever had in reality? A: Working at a steakhouse where I was in charge of the salad bar. I spent each day opening cans of garbanzo garbanzo see chickpea. beans and vegetables that they claimed were fresh. It was just nasty. Q: What about on the show? A: Cooking in a Chinese restaurant. The pans are really heavy, and the flames shoot up in your face. It was hard. Q: The series is a mix of comedy, improv and reality. A: Well, it breaks the pattern of the sitcom. People want to laugh but are tired of the same old thing. That's why the reality shows are more in tune with people. There's real dialogue there. I never thought the networks would be smart enough to catch on to reality programming and break out of the mold. But they did. Q: Do you talk about politics in your stand-up act? A: Yeah, a bit. The election was so divisive, and those feelings remain. I'm sick of it, and I think everyone else is, too. Q: What about the Iraq War? A: I talk about it. I think we're fed up with it. We want it over with, regardless of your feelings about how it started. We're trillions in debt, people can't afford their medications, and homelessness is still on the rise. There's a lot of stuff in this country that needs to be repaired. And a lot of people right here at home feel they don't have their freedom. Q:Could you be funny while working at the NSA NSA abbr. National Security Agency Noun 1. NSA - the United States cryptologic organization that coordinates and directs highly specialized activities to protect United States information systems and to produce foreign ? A: I was myself at work - but somehow with a top-secret security clearance. I was still me, maybe a little more reserved. I knew I was wasting everybody's time - mine, the government's, the taxpayers'. Everybody who worked there had a second job selling candy or making stuff at their desks because you've got so much free time. When I fell in love with stand-up, I knew it was my passion, and even the rough times weren't that rough 'cause at the end of the day I told jokes for a living. Q: Satellite radio has some good comedy channels. Have you heard them? A: I haven't hooked it up yet. I never would've guessed there'd be pay radio, but with all the censorship, we're going to need those outlets. Q: So, you worked with Fonda and Lopez. A: Each time, I couldn't believe I was going to shoot a scene with them. They both have great senses of humor. They know what's funny. Q: Now that you live in Los Angeles, how annoyed are you by hand-held cell phones in cars? A: I would have to end this interview right now if I couldn't use one. I'm driving on the 101 right now and talking to you. But I would have no problem banning these hand-held ones. Fred Shuster, (818) 713-3676 fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com WANDA SYKES Where: Wiltern LG, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. When: 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets: $35.50. (213) 480-3232, ticketmaster.com. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Wanda does it all Comedian has a wild resume and a security clearance Pete Mitchell/WireImage.com (2) no caption (Wanda Sykes) |
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