May 12, 2005

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio - Dave Chappelle is home. The comedian, who abruptly halted his hit television show last year, told the crowd at a blues and jazz festival on Sunday that he enjoys living in the community and doesn't plan to leave.

May 9, 2005

LOS ANGELES - Dave Chappelle was hospitalized over the weekend for exhaustion, his publicist said Tuesday. The 33-year-old comedian checked into an emergency room on Saturday and was released a few hours later, publicist Carla Sims said.

CHICAGO - Dave Chappelle told Oprah Winfrey he was stressed out and not crazy or on drugs when he abruptly left his hit Comedy Central show last spring during production.

NEW YORK - Dave Chappelle is still explaining to his wife why he left his Comedy Central show and walked away from a $50 million contract.

Part concert movie, part epic stargazing-humping session, "Dave Chappelle's Block Party" reveals the enigmatic funnyman doing what he does best: Cracking wise and hip-hopping out.

WILBERFORCE, Ohio - Dave Chappelle doesn't regret his decision to walk away from a $50 million deal to continue his hit Comedy Central television show. However, he might miss the money.

LOS ANGELES - Now that he's back on the standup circuit, Dave Chappelle has a lot to say. The comic, who walked out on a $50 million deal to continue his TV show and briefly took a respite in South Africa, shattered the Laugh Factory's endurance record by taking to the comedy club's stage for six hours and seven minutes on Sunday.

LOS ANGELES - Dane Cook broke a Laugh Factory endurance record set less than a month ago by Dave Chappelle. In what is becoming a heated battle between the two comedians, Cook told jokes at the Sunset Strip comedy club for 7 hours, beating the record Chappelle, 34, set at 6 hours and 12 minutes in December.

There’s an unfortunately large group of people in our society who believe that they can say whatever they want without consequences, no matter how degrading, how untrue, and how baseless. Frankly, this disturbs me. Opening up Twitter last night during the debate, an example of this came from a Chris Rock tweet: “Ann Romney is at home throwing dishes at her TV and cursing ‘No you black man, don’t you talk to my husband like that’“. In his tweets he painted the Romneys as xenophobic, bigoted, narrow-minded, hateful, and extremely racist. Some will say this can be expected coming from a comedian like Chris Rock, but I believe our nation is in need of more responsible discourse, even from comedians.

Truth hasn’t just been stranger than fiction this year; it’s been better, with documentaries emerging as some of the strongest — and best-reviewed — films so far. Granted, we’re not even halfway through 2006 yet.

Maybe Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele were always meant to know each other.

Maybe Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele were always meant to know each other.

1. “United 93” Paul Greengrass’ spellbinding 9/11 docudrama immerses the audience in the raw desperation of the moment so completely — and masterfully — that it hardly matters that we know how it ends.

LOS ANGELES — "Project X" follows one wild night as a group of high school outcasts throw an epic bash, one they hope will make them popular. Watching other people getting a little out of hand on screen makes you wish you could be there, too — you can enjoy yourself vicariously without suffering through a hangover the next day. Here's a look at five great movie parties. You don't even have to RSVP — just come as you are:

Maybe Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele were always meant to know each other.

NEW YORK - Dane Cook's rise to the pinnacle of standup comedy is undeniable. HBO has handed him the all-important one-man show, plus the "Tourgasm" series. He has sold out stadium shows that harken back to the `70s, when giants like Steve Martin and Richard Pryor roamed arenas.

Traditionally, television graciously ceded its bid for consumer attention during the summer by running nothing but repeats. This gave entertainment like films, literature, family activities and recreational sports a chance to shine. But TV has gotten a little selfish recently.