STAGE TIME Magazine - Mike Epps, Tom Papa

After five minutes, I was ready to turn it off. There
were moments were I laughed, but the whole vibe
of the special was inappropriate (pun intended).
Epps is a special individual. I knew that the first
time I met him during the now defunct Urban
Comedy Festival, during the late '90s and I
remember how his style was just fresh, honest,
and down right hysterical.

Unfortunately, as with all good things, something
was missing. I couldn't put my finger on it but
something wasn't clicking with me about his
material. I was trying to look into his eyes to see
if maybe the old Mike Epps was still there. Maybe
he just needed to warm up a bit and he'd soon
flow like I knew he could. But when he used the
"P-word" during one of his bits, it made me sit up
and look at him in a weird way.

I likened it to a Richard Pryor moment, but Epps
is not the "king of comedy," so the use of the
"P-word" just didn't ring true for me. Richard's
words are poignant and compelling and hold
weight with his material. Epps threw it out there for
shock value.

I really believed him when he mentioned the only
reason he is doing the stand-up special is
because he messed up the money he earned
from the films. It made me wonder, "Did he stop
smoking weed?"

When I met Epps back in the day, he was always
blitzed. I'm not knockin' his pre-stage indulgence.
All I knew then was that he was "a hold your
stomach, stomp yo' feet, running out the room, I
can't breathe hilarious" comic. Everyone was
talking about this kid from Atlanta who showed as
much star potential as his Friday predecessor,
Chris Tucker.

It's appropriate for me to say that I felt like an
unlimited Metrocard that's just been used. Okay,
that's kind of harsh, so I l bet my last $2 swipe
that Mike Epps may have been too bogged down
with scripts to really get back into the grind of
writing his A+ material.

I won't give up on him. I'll just wait for him to
snap out of whatever fog he's in and "light" up
the stage with his signature "smokin'" material.

Tom Papa is a good comic. He
does the solid, safe kind of
material that makes him
well-liked and successful. No
one is ever going to think his
comedy will break molds;
however, he makes me laugh
on a regular basis.

He has some great bits about
sweatpants and hotel rooms
that give his comedy a Jerry
Seinfeld-esque tinge, but with
a little more edge. Calm, Cool &
Collected is a 45-minute set of
solid material.

However, if you have seen
Papa on Comedy Central, live,
or on other programs, then you
have heard this material. So, if
you are a fan looking for new
material or looking for cutting
edge work, this is not the CD
for you. But, if you like
laugh-out-loud stand up that
feels like comfort food, this is
the CD for you.

Tom Papa has been around for
a long time and he is a hard
working comic. The CD shows
the strength of his personality
and jokes. Stand-up fans
should listen just to get some
tips on being a pro. Calm, Cool
& Collected is a fine CD, but not
really essential.

-Amy Patrick, Associate Editor

NEW RELEASES
DVDs
Alex Borstein
Drop Dead Gorgeous

Comedy Jump Off
Mark Demayo,
Smokey, Mike Shawn,
Ruperto Vanderpool
and Antman

Pablo Francisco
Ouch! Live From San
Jose

Ralphie May
Girth of a Nation

Carlos Mencia
No Strings Attached

Latin Legends of
Comedy
Joey Vega, Angel
Salazar and JJ Ramirez

Paul Lynde
An Evening With

Lewis Black
Red, White & Screwed

Katt Williams
Live

Michele Balan Live!
(Just Barely)

Bob & Tom Radio:
The Comedy Tour
Drew Hastings, Bob
Zany, Greg Hahn and
Mark Armstrong

Kevin Hart
Live From the Laff
House

Neil Hamburger
The World's Funnyman

CDs
Wanda Sykes
Sick & Tired

Doug Powell
Doug the Helicopter
Pilot

Greg Giraldo
Good Day to Cross a
River

Christian Finnegan
Two For Flinching

Whitest Kids You Know

Russell Peters
Outsourced

George Lopez
El Mas Chingon

Demetri Martin
These Are Jokes

Norm MacDonald
Ridculous

Greg Behrendt
Greg Behrendt Is
Uncool

Blaine Smithson
Live at Club Flamingo