By Michelle J. Mills, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/12/2011 02:02:03 AM PDT

"Incarcerate This: Young Men of Comedy" at the Ice House in Pasadena on Saturday offers an opportunity to feel good twice. It is a night to relax and laugh, and also a way of helping others.

This will be the first stop from comedians Kenji Thomas, Jimmy Ouyang, Martin Rizo and Flaco Martinez, who will be taking their show on tour throughout the Los Angeles area to benefit Young Angels of America.

Young Angels of America is an after-school program that teaches business skills and financial literacy to lower-income middle and high school students using the entertainment industry as its platform.

Emerging artists and executives work with schools to review their resources and develop plans to help generate funds. Higher-income schools give lower-income schools a step up in starting their own programs.

The children are involved in every step of the process, learning the key aspects of business, including math, marketing, advertising and banking, along with acquiring leadership and fundraising skills.

The entertainers of "Incarcerate This" all draw the funny from the various aspects of young urban life. They have performed at many comedy venues, including the Jon Lovitz Club at Universal CityWalk. Ouyang was recently named one of the top 30 young comedians in America by FunnyorDie.

The $10 tickets include a $5 voucher good for a visit to The Ice House; the $25 tickets include a ticket for a return visit to the Ice House for as many as four people.

michelle.mills@sgvn.com
626-962-8811 Ext. 2128

Los Angeles Non-Profit Young Angels of America
launch comedy tour on August 13, 2011  

PASADENA – A talented group of young comics work it out on the comedy stage at The Ice House Comedy Night Club and Restaurant in Pasadena, Calif, on Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 8:00 p.m., in support of the Young Angels of America Leadership Program.

Hosted by acclaimed comedian Reggie Brown, Brown has made a name for himself as the best President Obama impersonator. Brown recently made national headlines when he was escorted off the stage at the June 2011 Republican Leadership Conference after he made several jokes about the Republican presidential hopefuls and President Obama’s biracial roots to a room of conservative activists. He has also been featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Bill Maher, and Fox News with Mike Huckabee.

Featuring comedians Kenji Thomas, Jimmy Ouyang, Martin Rizo, and Flaco Martinez, Incarcerate This: Young Men Of Comedy will debut at ‘The Ice House’ and continue to tour throughout Los Angeles. The show will also be offered to
lower-income schools throughout Los Angeles County at no cost for fundraising opportunities.  

The Young Angels of America Comedy Project began in 2010 at two Green Dot Charter High Schools in Watts, California. Inspired by the Dellums Commission report, “Young Men of Color in the Media:  Images and Impacts” a publication of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, “Incarcerate This” provides a platform for young men to start conversations and voice concerns about issues such as the juvenile justice system and the misrepresentation of young minority men in the media.

“The statistics relating to juvenile incarceration are all you need to look at to understand the need for young male comics to lend their voice to the issues facing young men today.  The comics involved in this project work in the classroom with us, and offer an example of how powerful it is to have an opinion and a voice,” said Rachel Butler Green, Director of Young Angels Emerging Artists & Executives.

The Ice House Comedy Night Club and Restaurant is located at 24 North Mentor Ave, in Pasadena, Calif. Tickets can be purchased for pre-sale at www.youngangelsofamerica.org, or at the door for $10.00 and $25.00 for reserved seats. As a thank you, ‘The Ice House’ is offering those who purchase a $10 ticket, a $5 admission ticket, redeemable on their next visit. For those who purchase a $25 ‘reserved seat’ ticket, they will receive a complimentary admission ticket redeemable for up to four guests for their next visit. Cocktails with the comics will follow after the show. Press passes will be provided upon confirmation of attendance.

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Founded in 2002, Young Angels of America’s mission is to foster a culture of philanthropy and financial independence in adolescent Americans. Through a program of peer event production and business, student Team members learn leadership skills necessary to offer effective support to their communities.

“Young Men of Comedy: Incarcerate This”
social justice and Young Men
“The statistics relating to juvenile incarceration are all you need to look at to understand the need for young male comics to lend their voice to the issues facing young men today.  The comics involved in this project work the classroom with us, and offer an example of how powerful it is to have an opinion and a voice.”

Rachel Butler-Green • Director of Young Angels
Emerging Artists & Executives

contact:
Brook Dougherty
phone: 310.266.7171 email: brook@youngangelsofamerica.org

media: Candis Welch
phone: 213.364.0106 email: candis.welch@ca.rr.com

Young Men of Comedy is a comedy show performed by professional young male comedians that addresses issues facing young people today.  It is provided, at no cost, to lower-income schools as a fundraiser.  Funds donated to this project are used to pay for these shows, and for our Comics in the Classroom programs.

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Edwonda White is a talented comedian, actress and freelance writer from the small town of Lynwood, California.  Although she started from very humble beginnings, she is quickly rising to become one of the most exciting new talents in Hollywood today. She is a regular at all of the major comedy clubs in the country and has been featured on: Martin Lawrence’s Hit Comedy Show : “First Amendment Stand up” on Starz, Black Entertainment Television’s long running comedy series “Comic View”, HBO and Russell Simons’ Def Comedy Jam, The Tom Joyner radio show as well as its television production. Although she was well known in urban arenas for being featured on shows like “The Bad girls of Comedy”, as well as being the opening act for the late great BERNIE MAC, Edwonda has changed the way she does things and is currently touring with a more upbeat and family oriented routine. She is certainly a crowd pleaser and a showstopper these days because not only is she funny, but she also brings all of the elements of a great Broadway show into play. She sings her original songs, she raps, she dances, and somehow manages to blend all of her hilarious and endearing characters into a very fascinating stage performance. That is why people all over the country are lining up to see what she will do next.  Edwonda is a very positive person and many of her views are reflected in her act. She believes that if “Laughter is the Best Medicine” then it is her job to heal the world. Most female comedy acts are one-sided, while Edwonda’s routine is multifaceted. That is why her star is rising every day and there is truly no limit to what she can do. As an actress, she has done many commercials, plays and guest appearances, and as a writer she is currently finishing up a new novel. Some early honors that she has received are as follows: She was named Female Comedian of the year by Black Television, She was recipient of The Mom’s Mabley Award for Comedic Excellence, She received the honor of being awarded “Clean Comedian of the Year” by the Gospel/Christian Alliance and she is just as popular in Comedy Clubs and Colleges as she is in the Corporate and Gospel Arenas. Edwonda truly loves what she does but she also realizes that many people still have yet to see what she has to offer, so I present to some and introduce to others: {The one and only} EDWONDA WHITE.