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Cedric the Entertainer revives the popular combination of
sketch comedy and sexy, scantily clad dancers in his TV series Cedric the
Entertainer Presents. Cedric honed a kind of cheerful, even gleeful cynicism
in movies like Barbershop and Intolerable Cruelty, but he dulls
his edge in this show. Which is not to say it's a flop--characters like the
Cafeteria Lady (queen of all she surveys and dispenser of corn and mashed
potatoes) and the Love Doctor (a marriage counselor with a Barry White fixation)
are entertaining, and sketches about a couple named Cecily and Cash take a
bemused look at African-American class issues. The supporting cast is energetic
and eager (though notably not as funny as Cedric) and the Ced-sation dancers,
who wear a wide range of skimpy outfits (including homages to Tina Turner,
Bettie Page, and Men in Black), are a babelicious bunch. But Cedric seems
to restrain himself, avoiding controversy and sticking with material that makes
inflammatory noises but doesn't actually set off any alarms. Cedric the
Entertainer Presents: The Complete Series includes six episodes that never
made it on the air. Guest stars range from Ice Cube to Rick James to Anna Nicole
Smith. |
