Candidates
Sinbad
"You go in there, you survive, you fight like a pit bull."
Actor and comedian Sinbad arrived on the comedy scene with a "hit 'em in the face" style of comedy that has kept audiences laughing in the aisles for over the past two decades. He freely admits that he doesn't know any jokes, except for the ones that his dad told him "back in the day." The basis of Sinbad's humor comes from everyone he meets, everything he's seen, and everything he's done.
Ranked by Comedy Central as one of the top 100 standup comedians of all time, Sinbad has built a loyal following by taking audiences' painful trials or embarassing tribulations of day-to-day life, throwing them back in their faces and causing an uproar of comedic hysteria. His humor is profound without being profane. Not that he's any kind of choirboy, but by being the son of a preacher man he decided to keep his comedy clean after his father attended one of his early performances. Up to that time he had been what he describes as "semi-dirty." Sinbad says he learned that night that "funny is funny," and that all comedians could do "clean" comedy without losing a step.
Sinbad is internationally known for his starring appearances in hit movies like "Jingle All the Way" opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, "Houseguest" co-starring the late Phil Hartman, and his film debut "Necessary Roughness." His television credits include a starring role in the sitcom "A Different World," his own series, "The Sinbad Show" and his highly rated HBO comedy specials "Brain Damaged" (1991), "Afros & Bellbottoms" (1993), "Son of a Preacher Man" (1996), and "Nuthin But The Funk" (1998). Sinbad's annual HBO music concert series "Sinbad's '70s Soul Music Festival" has received the prestigious NAACP Image Award consecutively for two years as the Most Outstanding Variety Series/Special. Most recently, Sinbad has appeared on the FX Television series "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and he is set to tape his one-hour Comedy Central special, which will air in 2010. Sinbad has also been sought out by entertainment mogul Quincy Jones to host UPN's first late night talk show, "Vibe," and has recently appeared as a recurring guest star on the Showtime Original Series "Resurrection Blvd." He has also written a self-help book entitled "Sinbad's Guide to Life: (Because I Know Everything)."
A one-time basketball standout for the University of Denver, Sinbad agrees that everything he needed to know for comedy, he learned from playing basketball. There are a number of things comedy and basketball have in common, one of which is the competitive aspect that teaches you to never give up. Sinbad is also a self-described "nerd" who follows all of the latest technologies. Sinbad believes no one should be left behind in training and education and has served as a spokesperson for the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), which encourages minorities to pursue studies in science, math and engineering. In honor of his parents Donald and Louise Adkins, Sinbad has established an academic scholarship in their name at the esteemed Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Showing his appreciation for our armed servicemen, the comedian/actor has also participated on USO tours and performed at the USO of Hampton Roads 2006 Patriotic Festival.
