Malibu's most wanted, Jamie Kennedy, loves the 305. And on Friday, the veteran comic kicks off a three-day, five-show engagement at the Miami Improv. He's out supporting his latest Showtime comedy special, Jamie Kennedy's Uncomfortable, but promises fans at the Miami shows will get to hear new material.
"(The special's) been on Showtime a lot, and it's done really well," Kennedy told us during a recent phone interview. "(But) the stuff on Showtime is older. I have newer stuff." Part of that "stuff" involves playing to the home crowd - something Kennedy is comfortable doing. "In Miami there are certain things that'll happen to me and it's a different culture, so I'll have to adjust a little bit. I always like to improv a little bit because it keeps things exciting--I like freshness."
Kennedy is a man of many talents. He's been doing standup for nearly 20
years, as well as starring opposite some of Hollywood's biggest names on
the big screen (remember Scream). He's written a book, Wannabee...A Hollywood Experiment,
about his life in the business, and in 2007 produced Heckler, a
documentary about, well, heckling.
"Not a lot of people saw it," he jokes. That's probably because after
premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, the doc fell under the radar
and went straight to DVD. Admittedly, we haven't seen it either, but
Kennedy was nice enough to discuss heckling with us. "There's always
going to be a few drunks at every show that feel they are as funny as
the person on stage," he says, and admits sometimes he'll even laugh at a
heckler's joke. "I've been doing stand-up for close to 20-years (and)
I've never found a heckler that I've thought is hilarious. They've had a
couple of funny heckles, but I've never (thought), 'wow you should
really do this professionally.'"
Kennedy understands his role as a comic, which is why he gets paid to
make folks laugh and not sell home products. "It's like I say: I don't
go down to fucking Bed Bath and Beyond and start telling people how to
sell candles; don't tell me how to do jokes."
Here's a clip from Kennedy's Showtime show to get you in the mood:
Catch Jamie Kennedy at the Miami Improv (3390
Mary St, #182 Coconut Grove) this weekend, as he kicks off a three-day
engagement starting Friday. He loves big crowds. Who doesn't? "It's nice
when the crowd comes out. I'm looking for the Improv to be packed." The
first show starts at 8:30, and tickets are $25. Call 305-441-8200 or
visit www.miamiimprov.com.
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