Alonzo Bodden: Who's Paying Attention?

Los Angeles–based comedian Alonzo Bodden, 2004 winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing, riffs on contemporary affairs in this standup comedy appearance filmed in New York. The title stems from Bodden's belief that “we as a nation have the collective attention span of a hamster on crack.” A big man with a deep voice, Bodden partially blames the news media, for presenting stories in sound bites and neglecting to follow up—citing, for example, the Toyota recall, which became a non-issue once the BP oil spill commandeered the airwaves. From here he riffs on the incompetence of the Transportation Security Administration, the state of American healthcare, the Tea Party's contradictions, and the challenges facing President Obama. Bodden also talks about cultural differences he noticed during gigs in Australia and Ireland, after which he came home “to find out it was illegal to be Mexican in Arizona”—which, in turn, leads to thoughts on race and prejudice. Also in his sights are Tiger Woods and Sarah Palin (the latter dubbed “the Paris Hilton of politics”). A quote on the DVD cover compares Bodden to George Carlin; it's true that Bodden does a similarly fine job in respecting the intelligence of his audience (likely to be moderate to liberal in political leaning). DVD extras include an interview, a photo shoot, backstage footage, a political timeline, and a short segment in which Bodden predicts future events. Recommended. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)