Sommore: Chandelier Status

Standup comedian Sommore (born Lori Rambough) takes the chandelier as a symbol of her status, since she sees herself more like a steady fixture than a star. During her introduction to this Showtime-aired special filmed in Miami, Sommore says that she started out as a substitute teacher but has now been working in comedy for 20 years, and couldn't be happier with her career choice. She proceeds to riff on the perennially hot topics of race, sex, and money, using the word "bitch" to refer to women, while employing stronger words for most everyone else—although her style is more uptown than downtown. Sommore remembers that her Trenton family was so poor that the kids brought sack lunches to the movies. Although she had white friends, Sommore says she never felt like she was part of their world, which leads to a discussion about cultural differences. To Sommore, black women want to keep their men, while white women want to keep their men happy. Taking pride in her race, but expressing frustration with black on black crime, Sommore also touches on various celebrities, including Whitney Houston, Nicki Minaj, Aretha Franklin, and Tiger Woods. DVD extras include an interview in which Sommore goes into more detail about her unique path to comedy. Serving up sassy, sexy humor, this is recommended. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)