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You have to be a good sport to appreciate the wickedly irreverent Wanda Sykes.
In "Yeah, I Said It," her recent book of Wanda-isms, Sykes (a devoted Washington Redskins fan) writes about men and football:
"I used to think that football took place in this overbearing, male-only environment that bled masculine domination. But the more I attend, the more I realize these football fans could actually be experiencing the straight man's gay pride parade.
"You see men painting each other's faces in bright colors. You see men proud to wear another man's last name on their shirt. You see some men wear no shirt at all. (And) hot wieners on every corner. ..."
Last year was huge for Sykes, a former government employee who began her comedy career at a talent showcase in Washington, D.C., in 1987, and went on to write for "The Chris Rock Show."
In 2005, she appeared in her first major Hollywood movie ("Monster-in-Law"), finished voice work for two animated features ("Over the Hedge" and "The Adventures of Brer Rabbit") and appeared on Comedy Central's "Crank Yankers" and HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
Her résumé just goes on and on. She appeared in "Pootie Tang," "Down to Earth," "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps," "Tomorrow Night" and other films, as well as TV's "Wanda at Large," "The Drew Carey Show" and "The Downer Channel."
Ranked among Entertainment Weekly's "25 Funniest People in America," Sykes won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for Variety, Music or Comedy Program in 1999 and the American Comedy Award for Outstanding Female Stand-up Comic in 2001.
Even Sykes is amazed by what she has accomplished.
"Yeah, I look back and think, 'When did I do all that?' " she said in a recent phone interview from Los Angeles.
Chillin' at home after a few days on the road, Sykes was surprisingly low-key for a comedian known for her feisty rants and bluer-than-blue stand-up routines. Her dog, Riley, on the other hand, was barking up a storm -- a high-pitched, so-glad-to-see-ya bark.
"I was gone all last week, so today's like our first day together," Sykes said of the frisky border terrier.
Sykes' performances tonight and Saturday night at the Moore Theatre mark a special occasion. The Portsmouth, Va., native is filming her second hourlong DVD (a follow-up to "Tongue Untied"), for release in May. She's hoping to sell the TV rights to HBO or Showtime or Comedy Central, which already has expressed interest.
But she still hasn't picked a title.
"Maybe I'll call it 'Bark' if Riley doesn't shut up," she quipped.
The Seattle shows will feature new material, some of it from her recent "Cotton T-Shirt Tour."
Why Seattle?
"I just fell in love with the city and the audience the last time I was there and I said to myself, 'You know what? When I'm ready to tape this show, I want to come back to Seattle to do it.' Because the audience was just so appreciative and so into it and all hyped up and just really into comedy," she said.
Much of the material will be topical.
"Of course, we're in a time of war. But to me, it's not just the war in the Middle East, there's a war on the elderly, there's a war on women, there's a war on poor people, so that's like the general theme I'm working with right now," she said.
"The challenge is that those subjects can make you angry, but you have to find the humor in them, the absurdity."
The government's response to Hurricane Katrina especially torques her.
In an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" last September, Sykes derided President Bush for his administration's handling of the disaster.
"I don't blame the president, I blame the American people. I mean, y'all knew he was slow when you voted him in. You can't blame the blind man for wrecking your car when you're the one who gave him the keys."
Among Sykes' most outrageous bits are her prank phone calls in the role of trash-talking Gladys Murphy of "Crank Yanker" fame. In a call to a local correctional facility, she asks the unsuspecting operator if complete strangers are allowed conjugal visits with inmates: "I'm just looking for a lonely fellow who needs a little something."
Sykes was working at the National Security Agency when she decided to enter the talent showcase in Washington, D.C.
"I hated my job and I knew there was something else that I was supposed to be doing," she said.
That first experience in front of an audience was exhilarating and enlightening.
"I had never been in a comedy club and didn't know any stand-ups, so I was able to go in there without being informed as to how tough it could be. It didn't cross my mind that I could bomb and be humiliated," she said.
Despite her success in film and TV, Sykes still likes getting up in front of an audience.
"I love the freedom and the immediate response -- and you can't get canceled."
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