By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
“Right now, I’m a 30-year overnight sensation to a lot of people,” said the comic/actor born Nathaniel Stroman to Tasty Clips. He is currently riding the crest of fame generated from being the star under his stage name of one of Netflix’ best standup comedy specials of 2022: “Earthquake: Legendary,” as part of “Dave Chappelle’s Home Team” series.
“I mean when you have the hottest comedian introduce you such as Dave Chappelle, you can’t do nothing but [rise]. A lot of [expletive] didn’t even know me,” he said.
While taking a break from portraying recurring characters on CBS’ “The Neighborhood,” HBO Max’ “South Side” and Bounce TV’s “Johnson,” the Washington, D.C. native who resides in Los Angeles, is embarking on his first headlining national tour, called “Legendary” with Donnell Rawlings (“who they call ‘Too Soon’ because he’ll talk about it at the funeral!”).
It’s coming to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center with two shows July 23.
We had a chance last week to chop it up on a variety of subjects …
TC: What do you think of the Russian detainment of the WNBA’s Brittney Griner over vape cartridges that allegedly carried a trace of hashish oil?
E: People talking about do something for her. Man, that’s Russia. That’s a big dictatorship. The law is based upon that one man, who is [Vladimir] Putin, and what he feels the law should be. Wrong time. Wrong place. I feel for her. They used to tell us all the time when we were in the military — ‘Don’t go to jail here because this is not America.’ It’s like ‘Locked Up Abroad.’ You’ve seen that show.
TC: She produced a physician’s note to explain why the vape cartridge was in her bag.
E: She can have Jesus. Putin don’t give a damn about that. Jesus can come down and say I gave her that hemp. Putin don’t care. Only person that matters is Putin. Apparently, he don’t want to let her out.
TC: You had a role on HBO Max’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” which was put on blast by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and others for fabrications. Did you feel the burn from that?
E: As always in a movie or TV, it really ain’t your call. You’re the actor and your job is to portray the writers’ perspective on the work. We didn’t know they didn’t like it until the project was already completed. I was just with Kareem. He didn’t bring it up to me and I ain’t bring it up to him.
TC: He might’ve missed your part though.
E: He probably missed mine, because you blink, you’ll miss my [expletive] part.”
TC: Wanda Sykes has said “Oh, hell no!” to returning to host the Oscars due to their handling of the Will Smith/Chris Rock incident. Should comics unite to boycott next year’s ceremony?
E: No. No. Not at all. Why? I mean Black people were running it. Will Packer was producing it. You need to boycott Will Smith’s music. You need to hold the aggressor accountable, not the Oscars. They didn’t slap Chris Rock. Will did.
TC: Have you ever been assaulted on stage?
E: Nope and this ain’t the time to start. That’s why that mic stand is up there. I’m from Africa. You’re going to see my spirit work if you come up there. I offer you to come up if you want a mic stand in your lung.
TC: So you would have handled it differently.
E: No. Now that I’ve seen how Chris Rock did it. I would’ve done it the same way he did. I’d have already started suing him by now, but I would’ve handled it the same way because of the enormity of the situation with a Black producer, who I have the utmost respect for. Yeah, I would’ve took one foot. I mean, you’re already slapped. Last thing you want is you and him fighting on international TV. That just spurs even more of the stereotype. I would’ve took it, but I would’ve whupped his ass later on.
TC: You would’ve caught up with him …
E: Oh yeah, He would’ve had to show me he’s Ali.
TC: What’s coming up next?
E: TV, movies, another Netflix special, touring overseas. I’m a tour ho, it seems.
TC: If you had an OnlyFans account, what could we expect to see?
E: Just me acting a fool. I for damn sure not taking my clothes off.
TC: Do you have a message you’d like to get out prior to playing Redondo Beach?
E: L.A., please come see the show. We’re going to have a great time. Follow me on all social media @therealearthquake. Come laugh and have a ball.
CLIPPETTES: “Queen of Glory,” the heart-warming festival favorite that marks the directorial debut of its star Nana Mensah (“The Chair,” “13 Reasons Why”) is now playing at your local cinemas. Also opening, Jordan Peele’s “Nope” with Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer …
Ricky Martin with the LA Phil is set for a two-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl beginning July 22 …
Beyoncé has ended her holdout and has now consented for her entire catalog to be available to TikTok users as background music to their own videos …
Gospel reigns July 24 at Crypto.Com Arena with Maverick City Music, Kirk Franklin, Kingdom, Jonathan McReynolds & Housefires; while composer A.R. Rahman performs at the Hollywood Bowl; and the Burning Spear – Fan Appreciation Tour hits YouTube Theater …
Billie Eilish, Debbie Harry, Dianne Reeves, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and more pay Tribute to Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra on July 27 at the Hollywood Bowl; while Joey Bada$$: 1999-2000 Tour hits The Observatory OC with an additional stop the next evening at The Novo …
Popular comic duo Desus & Mero have split effectively ending their “Bodega Boys” podcast and weekly Showtime series …
July 28 has tour stops for Wiz Khalifa & Logic with 24KGoldn (at YouTube Theater); James Taylor & His All-Star Band (at Crypto.Com Arena) and Daddy Yankee (at The Forum) …
For the first time in three years, The Grammys will return to Los Angeles on Feb. 5, 2023. The 65th annual edition is to be held for the 20th time at the venue formerly known as Staples Center now dubbed Crypto.com Arena.
TC ON TV: July 22 – “The Gray Man” (Netflix): A $200 million potential action franchise starter from The Russo Brothers (“Avengers: Endgame”) starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Regé-Jean Page, Alfre Woodard, Ana de Armas and Billy Bob Thornton. “Anything’s Possible” (Prime Video): Billy Porter makes his directorial debut for this Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. “Today” (NBC): “The King of Bachata” Romeo Santos. “On Patrol: Live” (Reelz): A reboot of the “Live: PD” series bringing back host and executive producer Dan Abrams and retired Tulsa Police Department Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin, alongside Deputy Sheriff Curtis Wilson.
July 23 – “Black Love” (OWN): JB Smoove and Shahidah Omar, DJ Envy and Gia Casey, Mike Hill and Cynthia Bailey, and Adrienne Banfield Norris and Rodney Norris are featured in this sixth and final season of the docu-series that was the No. 1 non-sports cable telecast in its time period among African-American women.
July 24 – “Celebrity Family Feud” (ABC): Ron Funches vs. Meagan Good “Ugliest House in America” (HGTV): Comic/actor Retta (“Good Girls,” “Parks and Recreation”) travels across the country to surprise eyesore property owners with a $150,000 renovation by designer Alison Victoria.
July 25 – “Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted Showdown” (NGC): Gordon faces off against UK star chefs who got their starts in his kitchens, and his daughter Tilly, a British cooking show star and cookbook author. “World of Flavor with Big Mo Cason” (NGC): The Navy veteran and champion pitmaster embarks on an epic journey to seek out the most mouthwatering dishes cooked over an open flame.
July 26 – “Santa Evita” (Hulu): The limited series follows the intriguing story of Eva Perón‘s embalmed body, which was hidden for 19 years to prevent it from becoming a symbol against the Argentinian regime. “America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston” (PBS): “Appalachia: A Different Way”
July 28 – “Carl Weber’s The Family Business” (BET+): A fourth season of the fictional East Coast Black mafia crime drama executive produced and starring Ernie Hudson with Armand Assante, Clifton Powell, Gary Dourdan and Malik Yoba. “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” (HBO Max): Sharon Leal and Lea Solonga are cast in this sequel presenting a disparate group of teen girls tormented by an unknown assailant. “Sharks! with Tracy Morgan” (Disc): The comedian teams up with experts to identify the craziest and most ferocious sharks in the ocean. “Hell of A Week with Charlamagne Tha God” (Comedy): A new name and format for the host’s second season of scintillating topics.
END QUOTE: “Stop making excuses; you’re the only one stopping you.” – ISSA RAE
As featured in the Los Angeles Wave and Independent, Tasty Clips is one of the leading entertainment columns in the nation, serving nearly one million weekly readers. Bill Vaughan may be reached at tastyclips@yahoo.com, via Twitter @tastyclips, or Instagram @tasty_clips.
