A hit on 'Curb,' J.B. Smoove spreads his 'ruckus'

[June 14, 2010]  MANCHESTER, Tenn. (AP) -- J.B. Smoove whisks past on a golf cart, a video camera crew trailing him in another cart, as people nearby cheer and give him high-fives.

After years of working his way up in the comedy world, Smoove has become a sensation thanks to his breakout performance on Larry David's HBO show "Curb Your Enthusiasm." For the last two seasons, he has played Leon Black, who first comes to live with David after Hurricane Katrina uproots his family from New Orleans.

But Leon has become David's confidant on the show, which is produced with large doses of improvisation. David has frequently turned to him for advice, which Leon, seemingly without a care in the world, is happy to give.

Leon's suggestions, though, aren't always by the book. In one famous scene, Leon urges Larry, who has been insulted, to "get in that ass." It's not just vulgarity, but a metaphor for standing up for yourself.

"Leon is like Buddha, a skinny Buddha," says Smoove, whose real name is Jerry Brooks. "Someday there's going to be a statue somewhere."

Smoove recently chatted backstage at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, where he performed two standup sets and was met with enthusiasm across the festival grounds, whether traveling by golf cart or on foot with his wife, singer Shahidah Omar.

He wore a T-shirt that read "Ruckus!" -- another mantra of both Leon's and Smoove's. In a scene on "Curb," Leon explains to David that he "Brings the ruckus to the ladies."

To Smoove, the ruckus is a complex system that means "how you handle your business." One acquires ruckus points as one goes through life, learning how to handle things "when something goes down," he says.

"I'm close to 90 percent ruckus," says Smoove. "Sometimes you got to bring the ruckus with you. I've got to travel around the country bringing the ruckus. Do you know how hard that is, man? I got to bring that extra bag on the plane of ruckus-ness. That's like $25 or $30."

For years, Smoove worked his way through comedy clubs. He auditioned for "In Living Color" but didn't make it.

He later tried out to be a cast member on "Saturday Night Live." He missed out again, but a week later he was called back to be a writer, which he did for three seasons. He didn't get many sketches on the air, but was known as "the king of the pitch meeting."

Tina Fey was then the head writer on "SNL" and calls Smoove "one of the funniest people." (He also made a cameo in Fey's film "Date Night" earlier this year.")

"We used to do a lot of imitations of J.B. at the pitch meetings because he always had hilarious, elaborate sketch pitches and never, not one of them ever got on. But he was always the funniest guy at the pitch meetings."

Smoove recalls a few of his favorite sketches that missed getting on the air: an "Apprentice" spoof for Snoop Dogg titled "Apimptice"; and one for NFL quarterback Tom Brady about the first football player to congratulate another by smacking him on the butt.

The invitation to audition for "Curb" came shortly after Smoove wasn't renewed for a fourth season on "SNL." Auditioning with David -- whom he called "LD" from the start -- he went in improvising and immediately made an impression.

"I went in there with no boundaries," says Smoove. "Leon is a guy who's outspoken, he's honest, he's blunt. But at the same time, he looks out for people who look out for him. I said, `I know this guy.'"

Leon's finest moment on "Curb," which will begin shooting an eighth season later this month, came at the end of season seven last fall. The dominant story line was the reunion of the "Seinfeld" cast. It was a fairly historical moment in television, but it was Smoove who stole the show.

Smoove played Leon as someone who had never seen "Seinfeld." He also donned a fake persona, Danny Duberstein, to fool Michael Richards as a favor to David.

Smoove's standup act bears similarities to Leon. He has embraced the advice-giving theme, often following a punch line with the tip to "put that in your pocket."

"A lot of comics take. They do their show, they want their money and they're out of there," says Smoove. "Me, I do my show, I want to leave you with something. I want to leave you thinking about how to handle your business."

Cheerful, easygoing and naturally funny, Smoove has a lot in common with Leon. ("He's a happy guy, I'm a happy guy," he says.)

Smoove recently shot a small role in the Farrelly brothers' film "Hall Pass." He came aboard the Fox sitcom "`Til Death" in its second season. After four seasons, that show will have its last episode on June 20.

Smoove, though, has assured himself opportunities by spouting Leon-isms on "Curb." He says he has dozens of ideas for movies and TV shows, including a late-night show.

"I think I'd be great. I'm a motormouth. I would get in there and ask the right questions," he says. "When I sit down with people, you know what I ask them? "I'm J.B. Smoove. Who are you?"

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Online:

http://www.stillsmoove.com/

[Associated Press; By JAKE COYLE]

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