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Roy Wood Jr.’s Full Circle: From Journalism to Comedy to ‘The Daily Show’

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“Roy Wood Jr. began his comedy career in 1998 at the age of 19 while studying journalism at Florida A&M University. He took off like a rocket, hosting a popular morning radio show in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, starring in the TBS sitcom Sullivan & Son, performing on Conan and David Letterman, and making the rounds at comedy clubs nationwide. Now a huge hit as a correspondent on The Daily Show, the comic’s double-decade commitment to comedy is paying off in a big way. A few days after taping his first one-hour Comedy Central special in Atlanta, Wood Jr. took some time to talk to me from his “noisy-ass corner office” at TDS about politics, prank phone calls, and puzzles.”

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How Chris Cubas Spent $30,000 In One Month

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“In a new Fusion comedy documentary, Chris Gets Money, Austin-based standup comedian Chris Cubas endeavors to make sense of income inequality in America. Cubas grew up financially insecure and has never been able to comfortably make ends meet as an adult. Why? He works hard for over forty hours per week. His family worked hard. Why do so many hardworking people still struggle to pay for basic necessities like shelter and food? Cubas reasoned that if he could live like the super rich for a little while, maybe he would develop a more nuanced understanding of their logic. The documentary explores questions like, why do those in the top 1% find it sensible to purchase seven sports cars, but unreasonable to pay their employees a livable wage and offer health benefits? How is finding tax loopholes for wealthy people a real job? Is the American Dream truly achievable? Cubas gets money — $30,000 to be exact — to spend over the course of 30 days and embarks on an anthropomorphic journey into Austin’s wealthy westside.”

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Wanda Sykes on Standup, Parenthood, and This Nightmare Election

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“In her dazzling new one-hour comedy special, What Happened…Ms. Sykes? airing tomorrow night on EPIX, comedian Wanda Sykes is quirky as ever. Though familiar in style, her new material on motherhood, aging, and breast cancer reflects how much life has changed since the days of The Chris Rock Show and Pootie Tang. Since quitting her job at the NSA in her thirties, she’s won Emmy awards, written a book, started a family, hosted the White House Correspondents dinner, advocated for the LGBT community, starred in her own late night talk show, and lifted millions of people up with her comedy. What a life! Ms. Sykes took some time to talk to me about her insights on work, love, politics, and parenthood.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ON VULTURE

The Case for Buying School Lunches

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Cathy Walls-Thompson. Photo: Joshua Huston

“Since Michelle Obama’s Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act passed in 2010, the nutritional quality of school lunches has improved dramatically. The act established science-based nutrition standards for all food sold and marketed in schools, increased access to healthy food for children from low-income households and helped communities create local farm-to-school networks.

Lunchroom manager Cathy Walls-Thompson has witnessed the benefits of the act firsthand in the kids she serves at Hawthorne Elementary in Southeast Seattle’s Columbia City. The children have started choosing locally grown fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains instead of French fries or tater tots. 

“I encourage kids to just try it, and see what happens,” says Walls-Thompson. “Parents tell me all the time, ‘I’ll be doggone — my kids are eating salad now because of you!’” She adds that she’s lost 165 pounds by following the new guidelines.” 

READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN SEATTLE’S CHILD

Creating All the Time with Kate Micucci

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“Mike Birbiglia’s new gem of a film, Don’t Think Twice, explores the relationships between members of Commune, a long-standing improv troupe. When the troupe’s theater is sold to Trump and a key member of the group garners a big gig on “Weekend Live”, the friends are forced to reassess their individual values and sense of identity. Kate Micucci of Garfunkel and Oates plays Allison, a peculiar improviser and illustrator. Although in real-life Micucci had no previous experience with improv, you wouldn’t know it from her relaxed, imaginative performance. I talked with Micucci about her creative spirit, knowing your own butt strength, and one particularly hard day.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ON VULTURE

When Your Child’s Worrying Becomes Worrisome

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Jocelyn Skillman, Youth and Family Therapist. Photo: Joshua Huston

“What Seattle’s children are anxious about today might surprise you. While many are afraid of the dark or getting bad grades, some local mental health professionals say others worry about Mt. Rainier erupting and Donald Trump becoming president.

Regardless of the source, anxiety is a natural part of being alive. When we perceive danger, our thoughts race, our heart rate increases, stress hormones pump and our breath becomes shallow. This physiological response compels us into action when a real threat is present, or it’s time to perform a challenging task. But when the anxiety is prolonged and irrational, it can become a barrier to fully engaging in life. “

READ THE REST IN SEATTLE’S CHILD MAGAZINE

Or pick up a hard copy at your local Seattle library!

 

Ana Gasteyer Gets Into Character in ‘Lady Dynamite’

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“Legendary SNL cast member Ana Gasteyer lives up to her reputation on the brilliant new Netflix streaming comedy Lady Dynamite, on which she plays talent agent Karen Grisham. Created by Arrested Development‘s Mitch Hurwitz and writer/producer Pam Brady, Lady Dynamite follows comedian Maria Bamford (playing a version of herself) as she struggles with mental illness and her career in Hollywood.

If you’ve ever met a talent agent in the flesh, you’ve probably met someone like Gasteyer’s Karen Grisham. She chatters at the speed of light, flatters with abandon, and is prone to deranged bouts of irrational anger. Saying so much crazy so quickly was a challenge, but Gasteyer makes it look easy. Be forewarned: the jokes land swiftly, so it can be difficult to catch all the funny over the sound of your own laughter.

I caught up with Gasteyer on Lady Dynamite, her jazzy musical act, and method acting at the guacamole table.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ON VULTURE

Meet the Woman Designing for the Stars of Outer Space

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Lindsey Aitchison. Photo: NASA

“Growing up in Norman, Oklahoma, headquarters of exciting attractions like the National Weather Center and Andy’s Alligator Fun Park, Lindsay Aitchison was destined for great things. On a road trip to Disney World one summer at the age of four, her family stopped off in Houston, Texas at the Johnson Space Center. One riveting IMAX film later, and her fate was sealed. She was going to work for NASA.

Today Aitchison is NASA’s Deputy Project Manager of the Advanced Spacesuit Project. Her work days are pretty typical. She wakes up around 6:30AM, takes her dogs out, eats breakfast, and then designs spacesuits for astronauts to wear on Mars. You know, the usual.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT ON RACKED!

How Andrée Vermeulen Turned Self-Loathing Mac and Cheese Into Celebratory Mac and Cheese

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“You may recognize Andrée Vermeulen as a house performer at UCB or as one of the many hilarious characters she played in CollegeHumor videos, but hopefully you now know her best as Dr. Monica Scholls in Steve and Nancy Carell’s hilarious hit series Angie Tribeca. If you haven’t yet seen the new slapstick comedy on TBS, you’re missing out. Vermeulen plays an all-business deputy medical examiner, analyzing forensic evidence for LAPD detective Angie Tribeca (Rashida Jones) and drawing absurd conclusions. We got the scoop on Vermeulen’s big break on Angie Tribeca, her self-loathing macaroni, and her dream role in the musical Hamilton.”

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