Chicago native now living in LA launches Kickstarter campaign to produce "Behind the Velve Circus" film

Watch the clip below!

I will keep yelling this for all to hear. Chicago is the capital of Black comedy! Many great comics either were born in or around Chicago or made it big here. Dick Gregory, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Robin Harris, Bernie Mac and many more.

Originally from Chicago, Aarona has been performing on stage since age five. She's that unique talent that really just enjoys making people laugh and would do it for free, but as a full time entertainer, she expects to get paid and even wrote a song about it.

Whether in plays or in person she always displayed a delightfully twisted view on the world, which has now become her comedy act. Aarona, who calls herself "the beauty with the brains" is working her way to become America's favorite funny-girl with thought-provoking, high-energy comedy material. What's really refreshing about her is that she doesn't let her beauty get in the way of her comedy. She's a comedian's comedian and serious about her craft. She works hard at it.

Aarona has a sassy, enlightened perspective that evokes laughter and demands attention. One of the cutting edge new faces of comedy, Aarona combines her observational humor, poignant characters and personal opinion to create a memorable show. Oh and her appreciation for words and her college degree come in handy too.

In 2006, Aarona exploded on the comedy scene with her personified self-portrait which takes the audience on a ride into her exciting world. She began enhancing her skills behind the mic with improv classes from Second City-Chicago, The Annoyance Theater and later iO West (Los Angeles). Less than six months after she began stand-up comedy, Aarona became a working comic and was selected as a "New Face" in Jamie Foxx's Laffapalooza Comedy Festival in Atlanta, GA.

You moved to LA to follow your passion and dreams. Tell us about your experience so far.
I moved to LA in October 2008. In my three and a half years, I have hosted/produced two comedy shows in the LA-area. One show I stopped doing in December 2010.

The other show, "Velvet Circus", I began last April. "Velvet Circus" is a sketch/stand-up comedy hybrid show that I write and edit most of the video material. I debut the sketches during the show and then I post them to my YouTube Page, "The Aarona Experience" www.youtube.com/divapersona The show currently runs at the Hollywood Improv and I'm the only African-American woman producing a show there right now.

In 2010, I also got the opportunity to do my first TV show, Season 5 of "Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand-up" and feature in my 1st televised movie, "Lord All Men Can't Be Dogs", starring Vivica A. Fox, which constantly plays on BET.

I also got the experience to do some writing for MTV2's newest show, "Hip Hop Squares". I also recently started posting weekly Vlogs on my YouTube Channel. The Vlog is called, "Pretty Girls Aren't Funny" I really have NO complaints about my LA experience. I feel like more than anything, LA has allowed me to fine-tune my goals and really get to the heart of "why I am doing this". Now that I am fully aware of what I'm doing, I feel like LA holds plenty of possibilities in store for me.

What made you know you wanted to be a comedienne?
I've always been silly. Since I was really little. I remember the way I used to get out of whoopings being really silly and creative. I didn't receive many whoopings as a kid...because my parents weren't abusive (smile) but also because I was a nerdy kid.

I was always trying to please my parents. I always longed for their approval. So when I got in trouble, I was used to look for ways to make them happy. That way, they could forget about what I did and we could be cool again. I'll never forget one time I wanted to be "Super Dave" He was a famous stunt guy when I was little. I got it in my mind that I was gonna try his "roll out of a moving car" stunt after church one Sunday. We got in the car and I contemplated all the way home. We stopped at a Walgreens and I was like, "This is my chance!"

For whatever stupid reason, I thought if I could actually pull off the stunt, my mom and brother would be amazed by me.... that so wasn't the case. As soon as we pulled out of the parking lot and into the street, I opened the rear-right passenger door and tried to roll out. Before I could get any body part out of the car my mom shrilled, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!!!" It scared me! I slammed the door so fast and put my seat belt back on. She pulled over, really confused about what was on my mind. Of course it resulted in the "you gone get it when you get home" speech.

So I got home and I prepared! I went to the bathroom and stuffed my pants with a whole roll of tissue. In the butt part.... so my backside looked like an baby elephant. I went to her for my whooping, she couldn't believe her eyes. She quickly turned me around like, "What is this? Why are you wasting my toilet paper? Put that back before your dad sees it". She waited until she thought I was all the way upstairs and couldn't hear her, but she laughed!

And after that, my "getting out of whooping stunts" got funnier. I when I was young, I never looked at comedy like it was something I could do... I always looked it at it like it was something special people could do. I loved to laugh.

I loved to make others laugh and I watched ALL the popular comedy programs... DEFJAM, COMICVIEW, etc. I even loved being on stage! I had been singing since I was 5 years old and I loved to be in plays. I just never put two and two together until I saw Chris Rock's, "Bring The Pain". I just liked his style. After I college, I ran a business and all of my employees gave me confirmation that it's something I should really do! I was very unhappy with my life at the time and finally gave it shot... and then I was hooked!


You are in a special category of being attractive and funny. Do you find that a challenge at times? How has that benefited you?
You know what's ironic about that? I knew I was an attractive girl, but all my life that has never been what mattered. Like I said, I was a nerdy kid. So in order to be eligible for the things I wanted to do, I just had to be smart or work hard. How I looked never mattered. Comedy is the first endeavor I ever pursued where it mattered or at least became a huge issue. It's definitely challenging sometimes, but I don't let it stop me.

It was particularly hard when I first started, because I was new and just finding my way. Immediately people would box me or dismiss me. They would treat me like I would never be serious about comedy. It was explained to me that because I am an attractive woman, I don't NEED comedy. I could marry into wealth, be a singer or something else, anything else but a comedian. All I could think was... we need a laugh too! I don't know where this idea "if you look a certain way your life is easier" comes from.

But it is complete BS! Bad health, misfortune, heartbreak and more can happen to anyone. If I can make those things funny, then I'm doing a great service to humanity. I guess the benefit of me being treated poorly based off my looks has driven me to prove people wrong. It has been my fuel to show my capabilities and also show what's funny about me without acknowledging my looks... because looks are deceiving!


Tell  us about your kickstarter campaign?
I have started a campaign to fund a documentary project called, "Behind The Velvet Circus". The documentary will focus on the show I produce called "Velvet Circus". It will show behind the scenes of how we make the show, the real lives of the comics who perform in the show, the music aspect of the show and also delve deeper into my journey as a comedienne and artist. This will be a fascinating documentary, because the show I produce is very multi-faceted and diverse.

It's not often we get to hear from women comics (especially Black women comics) on their creative process. I plan to do a lot with this documentary, even possibly expand it to television. I truly believe this project has the ability to do something historic! I am looking for backers to get this project made. We have wonderful rewards for the backers, including producer credits, signed copies of the DVD and more.

If you are interested in being involved in this wonderful project, you can go here and donate:

Fans can now order their DVD copy of "Entertainer Jay Lamont Live Back Down Memory Lane" online at www.JamminJayLamont.net

What do you get when you mix clean Comedy, Impersonation and Old School Music into one package? You get the Ultimate Entertainer Jammin Jay Lamont. Jay was born in Oklahoma City OK., whereas child he would make all kinds of sounds and singing to make people laugh and cheer. When he left Oklahoma he moved to Houston TX., where he worked as a Radio Personality for several years until one day he realized his calling was to perform live on stage.

Prime Time Promotions LLC has released Entertainer Jammin Jay Lamont's new DVD project entitled "Entertainer Jay Lamont Live Back Down Memory Lane" - a parody DVD that is an amazing ride from start to finish. Not only is it hilarious, but it takes viewers back to the days when music had meaning and comedy was truly funny.

Originally released on Feb 15, 2012, the DVD sold out within just 30 days. The demand left hundreds of fans requesting copies that were no longer available, but the great news is that more DVDs have just arrived for all of those fans who tried to order their copy earlier and are now back in stock for distribution while they last.

On the DVD, Jay performs parody music from such artists such as Ronald Isley, Patti LaBelle, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Anita Baker, Al Green and many more. As a master impressionist, he impersonates some of the greatest entertainers of yesterday and today such as Prince, Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross and even President Barack Obama just to mention a few.

Jay has performed on Disney Cruise Lines, BET's "Comic View", Comedy Central, Showtime At The Apollo, Tom Joyner Family Reunion, Blue World Travel "Festival At Sea", "Capital Jazz Super Cruise", Russell Simmon's "Def Comedy Jam", Byron Allens "Comic "Unleashed", Jamie Foxx presents "Laffapalooza" and Martin Lawrence's "1st Amendment" and, casino stages all around the country.

Jay Lamont is a multi-talented entertainer who has performed with such greats recording artist as the late Luther Vandross and Roger Troutman. Jay has also performed with The Gap Band, Midnight Star, The O'Jays, Anita Baker, Ledisi, Baby Face, Boyz II Men, After 7, MAZE featuring Frankie Beverly, D.L. Hughley, Tommy Davidson, Cedric the Entertainer, Mike Epps, Jamie Foxx, Charlie Wilson, The New Edition Reunion Tour, and many more.

Sherri Shepherd, Host of GSN’s “The Newlywed Game” (Photo Courtesy of GSN)

I used to love watching this show when I was little for some reason. The couples looked so happy and did in its unique way promote marriage. Here's some basic info about the show and Sherri. 

There’s more to marriage than moonlight and roses—there’s also those uncomfortable moments of “too much information,” embarrassing marital quirks and plenty of annoying habits. GSN offers all of the above with 41 new episodes of THE NEWLYWED GAME, hosted by Sherri Shepherd, premiering Monday, March 12, 2012 at 6:00 PM ET.  

New episodes of THE NEWLYWED GAME will air every Monday and Tuesday at 6:00 PM and 6:30 PM ET on GSN.

THE NEWLYWED GAME is GSN’s modern installment of the classic series showcasing three newly married couples of wide-ranging backgrounds who face off in a series of question rounds. During each round, a spouse attempts to guess his or her mate’s answer to questions about their relationship, ranging from the first time they met to the details of their love life. At the end of the game, the couple scoring the most points wins exciting prizes.

Sherri Shepherd is a Daytime Emmy® Award-winning co-host of “The View” and an actress who appeared in the award-winning film “Precious” and can currently be seen in “One for the Money.” Shepherd’s other film credits include “Who’s Your Caddy,” “Beauty Shop,” “Cellular,” “Guess Who“ and “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.” She is a frequent guest star as Tracy Morgan’s wife, Angie Jordan, on the Emmy® award-winning series “30 Rock.”  Her other television credits include “Friends,” “Less than Perfect,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Joan of Arcadia,” “Suddenly Susan,” “The Jamie Foxx Show” and “Hot In Cleveland.”