COMEDY

Sunday, April 1, 2012 7:30PM

Hot 97’s April Fool’s Comedy Show is back!

HOT 97
The April Fool’s Comedy Show

presented by Carolines on Broadway

Sunday, April 1, 2012 @ 7:30pm at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden – 7th Avenue bet. 31st & 32nd Sts, NYC

Hosted by Shawn & Marlon Wayans.
Featuring… JB Smoove, Tommy Davidson, Hannibal Buress, Michael Blackson, Tony Roberts, Drew Fraser, & Wil Sylvince.

ABOUT THE HYSTERICAL APRIL FOOLS LINE-UP…

The Wayans Brothers
Shawn and Marlon Wayans made their acting debut in 1989 in their brother Keenen Ivory Wayans’ feature film “I’m Gonna Get You Sucka.” Immediately following their feature film debut, they joined the cast of the Emmy Award winning comedy series, “In Living Color.” After leading the WB network’s line up for 5 yrears “The Wayans Bros.” sitcom, which Shawn and Marlon created and starred in, was the first WB show to be sold into syndication. The brothers began co-writing a string of blockbuster films starting with the smash “Scary Movie” where they also starred along side each other, and were directed by their brother Keenen Ivory Wayans. Shawn and Marlon’s other hit films include “Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in The Hood,” “Little Man,” and “White Chicks,” which they also co-wrote and produced. Along with their brothers and sisters, the pair created “Thugaboo” and the subsequent “Boo Crew” animated specials for Nickelodeon. TheBooCrew.com was released in fall 2009 and plans are underway to turn The Boo Crew into a daily comic strip. Additionally, Marlon starred in the 2009 blockbuster “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” where he played Ripcord, the G.I. Joe team HALO’s jumper. When not producing and starring in hit flicks or on the road performing standup, Shawn and Marlon can be found hard at work in the “lab” where the Wayans siblings are busy concocting their next project.

JB Smoove
Currently starring as series regular on HBO’ s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” as Leon Black, JB Smoove’s character has earned him an astounding cult-like following, making him an audience favorite for the past two seasons. A gifted writer, comedian and actor JB entertains audiences worldwide with his unique brand of comedic funk. Moving to Los Angeles in 1999, he landed a recurring role on MTV’ s “The Lyricist Lounge Show,” as well as featured guest spots on “The Chris Rock Show” and “Premium Blend.” His big break came in 2000 when he narrated and starred in the now cult classic “Pootie Tang” with Chris Rock. In 2001 he paired up with Adam Sandler to co-star in Mr. Deeds and in 2010, JB starred opposite Steve Carrell in Tina Fey in “Date Night.” After an amazing yet short lived season as a cast member on Fox’ s “Cedric the Entertainer Presents,” JB moved back to NYC where he landed a position with “Saturday Night Live” as a writer, performer, and warm-up comedian. In the standup and acting worlds, Smoove has been featured on Comedy Central’ s Tough Crowd, Jamie Foxx Presents: Laffapalooza, “The Tonight Show,” “Joy Behar,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “Def Comedy Jam,” “The Wanda Sykes Show,” and as a regular sketch actor on “Late Night with Conan O’ Brien.” He holds a recurring role as Manny on “Everybody Hates Chris,” and was a series regular on Fox’ s hit comedy ’Til Death.

Tommy Davidson
An exceptional range from stand-up comedy and acting to versatile music ability have earned Tommy Davidson a reputation as an extraordinary performer. Best known as one of the original stars of the hit television show In Living Color, Tommy’s reach is built on the show’s and its stars’ groundbreaking and innovative talent. Starting his career as a stand-up comedian in Washington DC, he earning an ardent following via hard work in various comedy clubs. As one of the cutting-edge, young stand-ups, he was spotted by huge concert promoters, who booked him as the opening act for major touring acts including Patti LaBelle, Kenny G and Luther Vandross. It wasn’t long before he came to Hollywood performing stand-up at a number of clubs, including the Comedy Act Theatre, where he met Robert Townsend which led to his first national television appearance with a starring role in “Partners in Crime.” This was the conduit to Keenan Ivory Wayans, who proved instrumental in Davidson’s career by offering him an opportunity to audition and join the uniquely talented cast of the most adventurous primetime variety show of its day, In Living Color. He, Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans made TV history with their originality.

Hannibal Buress
Cool, confident and intelligent, comedian Hannibal Buress has earned both the honor of performing at the Montreal “Just For Laughs” Festival and the well-earned respect of his peers, who regard him as one of the brightest young talents to emerge from Chicago. A natural storyteller who can captivate a room with his words alone, Hannibal generates huge laughs with the laidback, quirky observations that have become his trademark style. His stories about his experiences with dating older women, the merits of Courier New font, and his not-so-secret desire to kick pigeons have led to appearances on “The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham.” Timeout Magazine named him 2007’s “Funniest Person in Chicago” and New York Magazine listed him as one of their top ten “Comics to Watch.” Hannibal is one of the featured subjects in a documentary about unconventional black comedians, entitled “The Awkward Kings of Comedy.” Look for his as-yet-untitled debut CD in the months ahead.

Michael Blackson
Entertaining audiences all across the country and around the globe for over a decade and called one of the most original stand-up comics in the country, Michael Blackson, aka, “The African King of Comedy” leaves audiences laughing in tears. Inspired by the stand up comedy of Eddie Murphy, Blackson began to develop his comedic talent in 1992 in the rough comedy clubs of Philadelphia, PA. His comedic appeal grew from his involvement with BET’ s “ComicView” series, HBO’ s “Def Comedy Jam,” “Showtime at Harlem,” and “Live in Hollywood.: However, it was in a Los Angeles comedy club where Blackson got his big break. He was performing at the Comedy Store when actor/director Ice Cube was there to see Mike Epps perform. After seeing Blackson’s performance, Ice Cube invited the young comic for a reading – which resulted in Blackson’s outstanding and unforgettable performance in the smash hit comedy, “Next Friday.” After his scene stealing performance in the film, fans wanted more, and in 2005, he released his top-selling sketch comedy CD entitled, “Modasucka, Welcome to America.” Along with special guest appearances on some of the hottest music videos, Blackson stole the stage on P. Diddy’s “Bad Boys of Comedy” on HBO and starred in a commercial for the Chappelle Show on Comedy Central. There’ s no mistaking Blackson for any other comedian when he takes the stage.

Tony Roberts
Detroit-born Tony Roberts has been referred to by his peers as the “Comedians-comedian,” the guy other performers love to watch work. His hilarious and refreshing energetic comedy style has granted him respect and created a huge demand for him on the comedy circuit, in the US and abroad. Legendary comedian and sitcom director, David Steinberg acclaimed Tony as “a breakout talent” after seeing his stand-up act and cast him in a series of funny burger king commercials he directed. A favorite of club owners for his improvisational skills and quick wit, Roberts has toured the nation with his stand-up comedy in all the major night clubs across the country including Caroline’s and The Boston Comedy Club in NYC, The Peppermint Lounge in NJ, All Jokes Aside in both Chicago and Detroit, and The Comedy Act Theater in Los Angeles. Numerous television appearances include HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam,” BET’s “Comic View,” and “Showtime at the Apollo.” His 1-hour comedy special, “Wired”, aired on Showtime in 2010 and the DVD is featured at Walmarts across the country. Early on, Tony received BET’s, Robin Harris Award for Most Original Comic. In 2009 he was nominated in the UK for Best International Comic and in 2011, Co Ed Magazine voted Tony Roberts as the most underrated comic on the planet. Tony recently recorded his second stand up comedy special…coming soon!

Drew Fraser
Drew Fraser began his career in Boston, MA at the world famous “Nick’s Comedy Stop”. He later moved to New York City where his career took off. Drew’s first TV appearance was on “Showtime at the Apollo”. Appearances on “Def Comedy Jam”, “BET Comic View” followed, with his own comedy half-hour special on “Comedy Central Presents” in 2005. Drew performs worldwide and has received numerous awards including the “New York City’s Funniest Male
Comedian” (1996) and won honors in third place at the Urban Comedy Awards (1999). Drew returned the the Apollo where he hosted “Amateur Night.” In 2007, he co-hosted “P.Diddy’s Bad Boys of Comedy” and also made it to the finals of the “Bay Area Black Comedy.” A popular warm up comic, Drew has done warm-ups for TV shows including “The Queen Latifah Show” and the “Tyra Banks Show.” Drew has also hosted R&B Live @ Spotlight as well as the “The Wendy Williams Comedy Experience” at Carolines Comedy Club.

Wil Sylvince
Brooklyn born and raised, Wil Sylvince has honed his act in NY’s top comedy clubs including the Comedy Cellar, Comic Strip Live, Caroline’s on Broadway, Stand-Up NY and the Gotham Comedy Club. One of the most explosive comedians performing around the world today, his performances on BET’s COMIC VIEW, HBO’S DEF COMEDY JAM, and SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO all garnered standing ovations by the audiences. Wil’s unique perspective on political and social issues, with a twist of his West Indian Haitian culture makes him a comedian in high demand. He has been handpicked by comedy heavyweights Damon Wayans, D.L. Hughley, Chris Tucker, Kat Williams and Bill Bellamy to tour the country. When not on tour with other comedians, Wil is a popular performer at college campuses everywhere. His versatility to work clean as well as edgy, make him one of the nation’s top booked college comedians. A capable comedy writer, Wil was also a contributor to sketch shows Chapelle Show on Comedy Central and Damon Wayan’s The Underground. His writing has also been used and featured on The Fugees’ album The Score and Wyclef’s The Carnival.