All Star Comedy Jam: Live from South Beach

I was excited to see this sequel to the first All Star Comedy Jam featuring host Cedric The Entertainer and produced by NBA great Shaquille O'Neal. In the first line-up that came out last year, Cedric MC'd a quartet of great well-known urban comedians, Tommy Davidson of Living Color, Aries Spears of Mad TV, DeRay Davis whose been featured in movies with Cedric and Soul Plane lead actor Kevin Hart. Each comedian including Cedric took turns brandishing their hilarious brand of humor for a successful outing that never got boring.

This follow up featuring D.L. Hughley as host is another matter all-together. I was really happy when I saw this on the DVD wall at my local Blockbuster. D.L. had been a fave of mine for years though he had kind of fallen off of my radar for telling the same jokes time after time. Not much has changed for D.L. Five years later, he's still telling the exact same jokes for most of his opening set and the few bits of new material he offered weren't funny at all.

Next up was Anez J. I've seen him before but have never been a big fan. No change here either. I didn't laugh once at his routine and I was very offended by his anecdotes about the disabled community. Maybe its just me because apparently he's popular with some people but I don't find him funny.

Next was Melanie Camacho. A very pretty comedienne I've never cared much for. I thought maybe she'd change my mind this time but again, NO CHANGE. Her set was short and her material was very weak and uninspiring. The same tired kind of sex jokes black comediennes seem to tell all the time. Referring to themselves as "ho's" in order to get a sexual punchline across.

I was ready to give up but then, Earthquake came on. Im an Earthquake fan and I was hoping he'd bring some liveliness to the proceedings. He didn't disappoint. His jokes were all fresh. He told maybe one or two things that Id heard him do before but otherwise I thought that he was the one who would save the day on this weak follow-up DVD. Great topics and not a lot of excessive or boring sex or racial jokes. He jumps from topic-to-topic the way D.L. used to in his prime.

Just when I was ready to give Earthquake the crown, here comes LaVell Crawford. I believe Katt Williams was supposed headline this part of the show. There was a controversy involving him accepting money to be part of it then backing out and keeping the money. After seeing Lavell, I really don't miss Katt. I'd seen LaVell before on Comic View. He's a big guy like Bruce Bruce. Most of what I'd seen from him was a lot of fat and food jokes. Very funny but I hadn't seen much from him recently. The fact that they made him the final act was a bit worrisome to me especially since he wasn't as well known and on the first All Star Jam DVD, actor Kevin Hart was the final act and he wasn't as strong an act as a headliner should be though he was still very funny. Let me tell you, on this DVD sequel, LaVell KILLED IT!!! This man is hilarious. I don't think I've laughed so hard in years. His delivery, his topics, delivery and timing were unique and crazy. He talks about a variety of subjects from food to children to the recession. A home run.

Overall this DVD was a bit disappointing but if you jump forward to the final two acts, you'll be richly rewarded with some great side-splitting comedy from Earthquake and LaVell Crawford.

I have read other reviews which lambaste the performance of D.L. Hughley's performance for being overworked, I tend to agree, but there were too many real laughs from the audience to dismiss the power of his delivery. D.L., while not my fave comedian, knows how to work a crowd. Also in contrast to other reviews, I found Arnez J to be incredibly funny, tho the shaky voice tends to foreshadow a punchline and sap some of his jokes of their potential force. I liked his material and delivery better than earthquake's performance, which tended to be breathy and too slick. Listening to earthquake tell a joke is like being in a men's room with too many people. too much of everything to be good. I do agree with the opinion of many about melanie camacho, she is a weak performer who seems to be in the wrong room every time I see her. antiquated funnies about penis size, cheating spouses and money being tight for a single gal all are tremendously overworked and tired. sorry, Mel. go home. NOW, LaVelle Crawford, an underdog performer in my book, came in strong and left under thunderous applause for a reason. if an excellent performance is a shotgun blast of fun, LaVelle was a Howitzer. He drew his power from audience reaction and seemed, even when he stumbled on his words a few times, to deliver pinpoint precision 'smartbombs' of comedy. I will def be seeing him again. If a box says Lavelle Crawford, I will overdraw my account to buy it-no questions asked. overall, a slow starter with a mother-of-all-belly laughs for an ending.