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Community Corner

Wanda Sykes

Fully reserved seating.

Wanda Sykes has been called “one of the funniest stand up
comics” by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Funniest
People in America.  Her smart-witted stand up has sent her career in
many different areas.


Sykes was previously seen on several television shows over
the  past two years.   Last year she made a return to HBO’s “Curb Your
Enthusiasm” starring opposite Larry David.   In 2010 she starred on her
own late night talk show on FOX, “The Wanda Sykes Show”.    In October
of 2009 her second HBO stand up special “I’ma Be Me” premiered.  It was
taped at the Warner theatre in Washington DC where she tackled topics
like the first black president, gay cruises, being a new mom and aging.
  The special was nominated for two 2010 Primetime Emmy awards:
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special and Outstanding Writing for
a Variety, Music or Comedy Special.


This July she can be heard in the animated feature “Ice
Age: Continental Drift” as ‘Granny.’  In 2010 she was heard in the Fox
animated feature “Rio” as ‘the Goose.’

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Her first HBO comedy special “Wanda Sykes; Sick and Tired”
debuted in October 2006 and was nominated for a 2007 Primetime Emmy for
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.  It was taped in Seattle
Washington and covered everything from racial profiling to gay marriage.


Sykes was seen in the feature films “Evan Almighty,” the
sequel to “Bruce Almighty,” in which she co-starred with Steve Carell,
the New Line feature “Monster-In-Law” starring opposite Jennifer Lopez
and Jane Fonda, and was heard in the animated feature “Over The Hedge”
for Dreamworks as well as “The Barnyard” for Paramount Pictures.   She
can also be seen co-starring with Luke Wilson and Uma Thurman in the
romantic comedy “My Super Ex-Girlfriend.”  Sykes starred and produced
the Comedy Central show “Wanda Does It” where she tried various
non-showbiz jobs.  Her first book titled Yeah, I Said It, published by
Simon and Schuster, hit bookstores in September 2004.  Yeah, I Said It
is a hilarious collection of essays touching on life, family and current
events.

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In the fall of 2003 she was seen on Fox’s “Wanda at Large”
which she wrote, produced and starred in. She also has a one hour Comedy
Central special called “Wanda Sykes: Tongue Untied”.  In addition, she
can be seen on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” or heard on Comedy Central’s
“Crank Yankers” as the voice of Gladys Murphy.


Wanda was born in Portsmouth, Virginia and raised in
Maryland.  She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Hampton
University. Her stand-up career began at a Coors Light Super talent
Showcase in Washington, DC where she performed for the first time in
front of a live audience.


She spent 5 years as part of the HBO’s critically acclaimed
“Chris Rock Show.” As a performer and writer on the show, she was
nominated for three Primetime Emmy’s and in 1999 won the Emmy for
“Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special.”  In 2001,
she won the American Comedy Award for “Outstanding Female Stand Up
Comic”.  She won three more Emmy’s, in 2002, 2004 and 2005 , for her
work on “Inside the NFL” for  “Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly- Inside
The NFL”.


In 2010 she won a GLAAD award for promoting a good image of
equal rights for gays and lesbians.


She also appeared in the feature films: “Pootie Tang”,
“Nutty Professor 2; The Klumps”, and “Down to Earth”.

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