Since the early 90s, Michael Jackson has been Gods gift to comedians (both good and bad ones).While everyone had a joke when Jackson was acquitted on his second child molestation charge in 2005, Mike Epps may have had the best: Im glad they didnt get him, goddamn it. But them niggas in prison wasnt glad; they was mad. Man, I wanted him! Damn, Ive been wantin to fuck Mike since I was a kid! They was in there practicing his dances and shit. Then, proving hes more than a man with a potty mouth and a sick imagination, Epps launched into a sleek impression of Michael Jackson, showing that hes mastered the singer/sideshows voice and mannerisms (ones that many hack comedians have tried but failed to capture).
Epps, who was raised in Gary, Indiana (like Michael Jackson) and has appeared in the Friday sequels, sprinkles N-words and F-bombs into routines about celebrities, street life and his own history as a special-ed student. His anti-PC jokes buck against the idea that any harsh truths should be told gently. Hes inexplicably co-headlining with family-friendly, character-creating comedian Rickey Smiley today at the Verizon Wireless Theater for a show that should be like gulping a root beer float and then downing a Jägermeister bomb. 7 p.m. 520 Texas. For tickets and information, call 713-629-3700 or visit www.ticketmaster.com. $52.75
Fri., Dec. 7, 7 p.m., 2007