Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, actress and voice artist. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on The Chris Rock Show, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America. She is also known for her role as Barb Baran on CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine and for appearances on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

In November 2009, Sykes debuted in her own late-night talk show, The Wanda Sykes Show, which aired Saturday evenings on Fox. The series was cancelled after one season in April 2010. Sykes has also had a successful career in film, appearing in Monster-in-Law, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Evan Almighty and License to Wed, as well as voiced characters in Over the Hedge, Barnyard, Brother Bear 2, Rio and Ice Age: Continental Drift.

Early life

Sykes was born in Portsmouth, Virginia and raised in the Washington, D.C., area. Her mother, Marion Louise (née Peoples), worked as a banker, and her father, Harry Ellsworth Sykes, was a US Army colonel employed at the Pentagon. Sykes attended Arundel High School in Gambrills, Maryland, and went on to graduate from Hampton University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. After college, her first job was as a contracting specialist at the National Security Agency (NSA), where she worked for five years.

The Champs

The Champs were an American rock and roll band, most famous for their Latin-tinged instrumental "Tequila". The group was formed by studio executives at Gene Autry's Challenge Records to record a B-side for the Dave Burgess (aka Dave Dupree) single, "Train to Nowhere". The intended throwaway track became more famous than its A-side, as "Tequila" went to No. 1 in just three weeks and the band became the first group to go to the top spot with an instrumental that was their first release. The song was recorded at Gold Star Studios in fall 1957, and in 1959 won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.

"Tequila!" was written by the saxophone player Danny Flores, although he was credited as Chuck Rio because he was under contract to another record label at the time. Flores, who died in September 2006, was known as the "Godfather of Latino rock." Flores' "dirty sax" and his low-voiced "Tequila!" are the hallmarks of the song. Flores signed away the U.S. rights to the song but retained world-wide rights until his death. Dale Norris is still in MO and works at a Walmart in Joplin.

The Champs (podcast)

The Champs is a comedy podcast hosted by Neal Brennan, Moshe Kasher, and until 2013 DJ Douggpound (Doug Lussenhop of the Tim and Eric Show). It is part of the All Things Comedy podcast network.

Kasher said the following of the podcast in a 2011 interview with SanDiego.com: "It’s Doug dropping sound effects and beats over me and Neal kind of hosting an hour of ridiculous chat. We have a rotating black guy guest, there’s a different black guest every week." Guests of the show have included actor/comedians Wayne Brady and David Alan Grier, as well as musician Questlove, adult film star Lexington Steele and professional basketball player Blake Griffin. The show has strayed from its guest format on occasion with guests such as comedian and actor Bobby Lee, former pornographic actress Sasha Grey, former Major League Baseball player Jose Canseco and actor Aziz Ansari. In 2014 The Champs was named "Best Podcast" as part of LA Weekly's "Best of L.A." issue.

See also