Lisa Lampanelli dishes on coming HBO special, autobiography
August 28th, 2008, 11:35 am · Post a Comment · posted by Kelli Skye Fadroski
Lisa Lampanelli is fearless. Last night, at her first of five shows this week at the Brea Improv, she went for the jugular on the poor saps who sat up close to the stage.
The 47-year-old insult comic was on fire in front of a rowdy crowd of about 250. She fine-tuned some of her more recent material and threw out a few brand new jokes to prepare for her first-ever one-hour HBO special.
“I’ve soooooo upgraded now,” she told her fans. “I’m up there with George Carlin and Chris Rock - but I’m not dead or black.”
A comic getting an HBO special is huge. Like a musician winning 10 Grammys (cuz anyone can win just one — even Britney Spears has).
The special will be taped before a live audience on Nov. 21 at the Wells Fargo Center of the Arts in Santa Rosa — the same venue where Carlin filmed his final HBO special, It’s Bad for Ya, in March.
Naturally, Lampanelli needed to refer to her stack of notes once she got into some of her fresher bits. “I don’t want to make any mistakes — it’s HBO, not Comedy Central.”
She also got in a few jabs at fellow comic Carrot Top (”He is to comedy what I am to gymnastics”) and Oprah. “I hate Oprah. She’s getting fat again, then skinny - no one cares. She says she’s gaining weight because she has a thyroid problem — she has a Twinkie problem.”
She also shared her feelings on her second disc, Dirty Girl, being snubbed for the best comedy album Grammy. “I should have won that hands down. I lost to those two New Zealand freaks - Flight of the Conchords.” And then there was her meanest joke of the night: “Gene Simmons - when it comes to plastic surgery, Kanye West’s mom got better results.”
After laughs were sprinkled with a few disapproving moans, she added: “Best joke ever. This is a mean crowd and for this I thank you.”
But after the show Lampanelli shared that she’s busy working on herself this year … She spent a month in a food rehab in Arizona and, thanks to Jenny Craig, she’s lost 40 pounds. She’s also swearing off relationships for an entire year and working on creating more meaningful connections.
“Anyone you date should be your friend first,” she says. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t have sex for a year. I’ll still do booty calls, but no relationships.”
She is also finishing up her first book, an autobiography entitled The World According to Lisa: The Queen of Mean’s Guide to the Universe, and she’s busy working on a TV pilot for a show about her life.
“It’s based on the life of Lisa Lampanelli, but me about three years ago,” she says. “When I read the script, I just cried.”
Noticeably absent from the recent Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget, Lampanelli explained that the timing just wasn’t right. Before participating in a roast, she likes to devote about 30 days to writing material — she doesn’t like to go in half-cocked. She also had her mind on more pressing matters.
“This HBO thing … it’s the biggest thing to ever happen for me, and I’m not going to (mess) it up.”
I would’ve had a perfect picture of Lisa and me to share, but the security gaurd at the Improv we asked to take our photo somehow turned the camera on to viewing mode and took a picture of … uh … nothing.
Lampanelli will continue to throw out new material at the Brea Improv through Sunday.
Also in comedy:
- Power 106’s Comedy Fiesta goes on sale Saturday
- Poll: Is Dane Cook funny?
- Adam Sandler, Kevin James surprise at Irvine Improv
- Mo’Nique arrives for two Irvine Improv dates
- D-List star Kathy Griffin set for three nights at the Kodak
- Comedy Juice cracks up Tentation in Newport Beach
