Comic D.L. Hughley brings act to Cleveland

By John Benson

The famed comedian spent time as a teenager in Warren.

Turn the clock back two years and the talk of the fall television schedule was NBC-TV’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” Coming off the success of “The West Wing,” Aaron Sorkin decided to tackle Hollywood with the same vigor he used to dissect the Oval Office.

However, by the spring of 2007, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” officially received the ax, leaving actor D.L. Hughley without a job. Granted, the Los Angeles native would have loved for the show to be a hit but this performer always has his stand-up comedy career to fall back on.

In looking back at the entire experience, Hughley said the television show’s downfall was inevitable.

“I think that anytime they call a show ‘smart,’ it never works,” said Hughley, calling from Los Angeles. “It’s kind of like being the No. 1 draft pick. How many No. 1 draft picks actually live up to their potential? I don’t think this show was any different. There’s just a natural aversion to somebody coming in and people saying they should like something or what’s good.”

After the show was canceled, Hughley returned to stand-up comedy and began working on his latest HBO special, “Unapologetic,” which aired last fall and is available on DVD. The 45-year-old funnyman said the success of that project led to current talks with the cable network about developing a weekly late-night television series.

Talk-show host is nothing new to Hughley, who not only had a similar vehicle with Comedy Central’s “Weekends at the DL” but was also in the running for host of CBS’ “The Late Late Show” after Craig Kilborn departed. Eventually, Craig Ferguson got the job.

“HBO is the most cutting-edge network that exists, so it’s always cool when you’re on HBO,” Hughley said. “Hopefully, it’ll work out because I’m a fan of their work, and we’ve worked together before. I’ve done five HBO specials before, so I’m hoping that we can get a situation where we can do a series together.”

Considering that Bill Maher’s political show “Real Time With Bill Maher” is already on HBO, Hughley said his focus would be different.

“Bill is like politics, but this will be just a recap of what’s going on in the week,” Hughley said. “And while we did a late-night thing on Comedy Central, it was a panel thing, and I don’t think we’re going to do that. So my focus is never to forget we’re there to do comedy.

“We’d probably have one or two guests and a bunch of sketches. For lack of a better phrase, it would be where Jon Stewart-meets-the-old-‘Chris Rock Show,’ and whatever is going on in the news that week, generally you’ll hear about it.”

Such topicality is what Hughley said defines his current stand-up routine, which returns to Cleveland for shows Thursday through Sunday at Hilarities 4th Street Theatre. Even though Hughley grew up in Southern California, the comedian has ties to the Mahoning Valley that he said make him feel as though he’s coming home for his upcoming gigs.

It was during the early ’80s as a troubled teenager that Hughley, who briefly was a member of the Los Angeles gang the Bloods, found himself in the Buckeye State.

“Ohio is kind of where the East meets the Midwest, and I’ve spent a lot of time there,” Hughley said. “My family is from Warren and Zanesville, and for six months I lived there after getting in trouble in Los Angeles.”

Specifically, Hughley called Warren home, attending Warren Western Reserve High School. He said he remembers he used to love eating Carmen’s Pizza and the fact that everybody used to go to the Elks Lodge. However, the one thing Ohio didn’t do was set him straight.

“No, I had more fun there than I did in Los Angeles,” Hughley said with a laugh. “I got kicked out of there, too. I learned a lot about the cold. I remember one time when I was younger I was there for winter and my Uncle Bob said, ‘You can either have Christmas or heat.’

“I was from California so I didn’t understand, but in retrospect I wished he had chosen heat because it was hell playing with toys freezing your ass off.”