Comics know how to turn life’s experiences into funny routines: a thoughtful process which is what audiences will receive when watching Roy Wood Jr.’s stand-up comedy special on Hulu and George Wallace’s sitcom on Prime Video.D.C. Audience Get Wood’s JokesWood taped his comedy special “Lonely Flowers” in September at the historic Lincoln Theater in Northwest, D.C. He talked about politics, random observations of people, and relationships with each other.
Wood’s view of life is rooted in his upbringing in Alabama. His mother’s career has been higher education administration. His father was a journalist and founder of a Black-owned radio network. Wood was built to be naturally curious, turning his ideas into thoughtful stories with an edge.
In addition to staying on the road doing stand-up, Wood was a key player on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and is currently the host on CNN’s “Have I Got News for You.” Through all of his comic analyses, Wood has a comic spin for everyday situations that are a request for connecting. In a guest appearance last September on The Washington Informer’s “Let’s Talk” digital show, Wood provided insight into his comedy special. “We wanted to find a connective tissue through the material,” said Wood in his Washington Informer interview. “It’s about friendship and loneliness. A lot of what’s wrong in the world is because we are disconnected as human beings.”“Clean Slate” is the new Prime series starring George Wallace and Lavern Cox. The heart of the comedy is renewing a father and child relationship after 23 years when the son of Wallace’s character, Harry Slate, returns as his daughter. The series is set in a community where Slate owns a car wash with loyal staff, nosey friends of the family, tension between the elders and their young folks, and people with secrets. Sound familiar? That’s because the creator and executive producer was the late Norman Lear.
The innovative visionary producer/director brought social topics to television through “All in the Family,” “Maude,” “Sanford and Son,” “The Jeffersons,” “One Day at a Time”, and “Good Times.” Lear died in 2023 at age 101, but he left an indelible imprint through his brand of television.During interviews about “Clean Slate,” Wallace said he and Lear had been working on a way to collaborate for decades. There is a difference between Lear’s classic television shows and Wallace’s series.“Those shows were not written by people of color. This show is written by our people and people from Lavern Cox’s community,” said Wallace on an episode of Sherri Shepherd’s talk show. “Coming back as a daughter is a big surprise, but it educates me as a father.”
Source: Washington Informer
