February 2012
> 2 weeks ago
0
About Allan
Comedian Allan Cunningham, the last of the great story tellers. Several years ago while at grad school at UCLA, I attended a comedy show to blow off some steam. With tears of laughter in my eyes, I watched as a young comedian captivated an audience of 18 to 24 year-old college kids and had them laughing hysterically with stories about subjects they hadn't even experienced in their own lives yet. The pictures he painted with words, along with hilarious facial expressions, were so vivid that these young adults were able to peak into Allan's life and his struggles as a young single father raising a selfish daughter who's only sixteen years younger than him. After his performance, the college students rushed towards him to get pictures, hugs and hand shakes. I was a little taken aback when I noticed he was the only African American in the room, yet the way his comedy crossed invisible color-lines, immediately made me a fan. Even though I didn't have enough time to wait in a long line to meet the comedian, I stayed in the loop and attended many of his local performances.
Over the years as an audience, we've laughed over stories about his daughter growing into a young, bratty adult, we were there throughout his many failed relationships and his continued drama with his mom, dad and three older brothers. His storytelling has gotten so brilliant, we felt as if we were with Allan in his childhood bedroom while he hid from his middle school bully. But the way he entertained as well as educated us about his health concerns and allowed us to experience his trip to the doctor's office during the scariest moment of his life was phenomenal.
I finally approached Allan after his recent performance at Second Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Los Angeles. I have seen this man rock colleges, countless comedy clubs and theaters, but what he did in that church let me know that he is one of the most underrated comedians I've ever had the pleasure of viewing and I had to let him know that he is destined for greatness. On stage I've seen him in a vulnerable state after revealing such personal matter, but I've never seen him embarrassed, until now. After talking for awhile I told him how he made me laugh during some difficult times in my life; parents divorced, losing my father and grandmother to cancer in the same year and the stress of med school. He smiled, hugged and thanked my wife and I like the class act I expected him to be.
Badges
Credits
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K-Town (
2009 )
Film (Comedy and Drama) Actor Three couples. Two Reporters. One question. Why are Asians so popular? Rochelle Evans ask this question after her friend Karen Blackwell loses her boyfriend of two years to an Asian girl. The two set out to follow three Asian interracial couples for 60 days in their day to day lives to find out what is the secret to this phenomenon. Written by Steve Royall -
The Soul Agency (
2009 )
Film (Comedy and Drama) Actor A young average Joe obsessed with fame and fortune grows tired of the rejection and pain of his life. A 'chance' meeting with an agent offering him an opportunity at ultimate success comes with a price. -
1st Amendment Stand Up (
2007 )
Television (Documentary and Comedy) Writer Add a Plot » -
Crossover (
2006 )
Film (Action and Sport) Actor A naturally talented basketball player, Noah Cruise is determined to become a doctor using his basketball scholarship to UCLA pre-med, rather than succumb to the lure of former sports agent Vaughn and go for the NBA. His best friend, the buddy that took the fall for him and did the time for an assault charge, Tech, also an outstanding basketball player, has less lofty ambitions: he wants to get his GED and win an underground street ball game against his arrogant rival, Jewelz. Their lives change drastically when they both fall in love with two local girls, Vanessa Lilly and Eboni Jackson, and take fateful trip out to L.A. together. Written by Anonymous -
Doing Hard Time (
2004 )
Video (Drama and Action) Actor When Michael Mitchell's seven-year-old son, Chase, is accidentally shot during an aborted drug deal, no one knows for sure which of the two gunmen, Curtis "Durty Curt From Detroit" Craig or Raymond "Razor" Carver, pulled the trigger. Because both men refuse to testify against the other, a jury finds them guilty only of drug possession, meaning they could be back on the street in two years. Having already lost Chase's mother to cancer, Michael can't live with the idea of his only child's murder going unpunished. As part of a methodical plan to exact his revenge, he commits a brutal crime to get himself sentenced to the same institution as Durty Curt and Razor. Meanwhile, Durty Curt is determined to settle the score with Razor, who has fallen in with prison kingpin Eddie Mathematic. As a showdown approaches, a cast of players, from prison guard Capt. Pierce to gay bookie Clever to Michael's illiterate cell mate, Smalls take sides and place bets on the outcome. Written by Andrew Hindes
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