GAMING
COURIER-POST, Thursday, June 7, 2012 1S
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DESTINATIONS & DIVERSIONS
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WILD ABOUT WANDA
Veteran funny lady takes stage at The Music Box
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Now that she’s a mother, domestic life takes up a larger percentage of Wanda Sykes’ stand-up act. “It’s about what’s going on in my life. It’s a snapshot of the lay of the land,” said the comedienne and actress who also has done her bit on “Sesame Street.” “I did the word of the day with Elmo. The word was ‘journal.’ ” Sykes, who performs at Borgata June 15 and16, still incorporates politics, but not as often as she once did. “As a mom, family life and kids take up most of my time.’’ Plus, there’s not much in the news she wants to discuss: “I don’t like election years. It gets everyone all in a fuss. People are more sensitive, because so much is on the line. It’s harder to get good political material. I get sick of it, too.” Though she’s done several comedy specials, Sykes does not rehash material from these shows for her stand-up performance. Sykes, one of Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Funniest People in America, keeps the material fresh, saying “85 percent” of her act is new. Sykes loved comedy from an early age. “I made everyone around me laugh. So this is something I always wanted in the back of mind. I wrote some jokes and got on stage. And I realized this is what I am supposed to be doing.” Sykes cites Moms Mabley, Bill Cosby, Carol Burnett, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Pryor and George Carlin as her comedic inspirations. Like these comics, Sykes has branched out to film, television and animation. She lent her voice to animated features “Over the Hedge,” “The Barnyard” and “Rio.”
IF YOU GO
Wanda Sykes appears June 15 and 16 in The Music Box at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, One Borgata Way. Show time is 9 p.m. each night. Tickets are $55 and $59.50 and can be purchased by calling (866) 9004849, visiting www.theborgata.com or stop by Borgata’s box office.
Wanda Sykes cites Moms Mabley, Bill Cosby, Carol Burnett, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Pryor and George Carlin as her comedic inspirations. PHOTO PROVIDED
Next month, she can be heard in “Ice Age: Continental Drift” as Granny the Sloth. In 2010, she starred on her own latenight talk show, “The Wanda Sykes Show” and co-starred in “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and also has a recurring role in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” playing herself. But she’s still true to her first love. “I like stand-up because you just walk in the theater grab a mic and go on stage.” She doesn’t know whether she will return to “Curb” this year. Then again, the beauty of the show is its spontaneity. “I’ve never seen a script or storyline. They just tell me what’s going on in a scene,” she said. Things You May Not Know About Wanda Sykes n Wanda Sykes went to college because her parents said she had to go. After graduation, she landed a job with the National Security Agency as a procurement specialist. “I bought spy stuff,” she said. So many of her co-workers had side jobs, like selling Mary Kay or working in stocks. “My side job was as a comic.” n Like a lot of comics, Sykes describes herself as shy, especially in one-on-one situations. “But when I talk to strangers, I’m OK.” n She still keeps in touch with some of her high school friends. “They’re not surprised at my success. They’re more surprised I went for it and I took a chance.”