Anjelah Johnson: That's How We Do It (2009)

Anjelah Johnson is a whip-thin and whip-smart Mexican/Native American woman with a black first name and a white last name -- so it should come as no surprise that she is stone-cold down-wit-dat when it comes to the cultures and idioms of blacks, whites, and latinos (plus Vietnamese nail salon girls). Her bead on accents and mannerisms is right on target! Her timing and stage presence is flawless -- and her humor is clean! Not one swear word and she is f-u-n-n-y! She talks about everything from boys checking out girls at the club to the prayer-group leader whose prayers are actually veiled gossip. Besides this, she hails from Oakland (where she was a cheerleader for the Raiders) so her street patter backs up her street cred as a tough cookie. (After riffing for a while on "That's how we do it" in Oakland, she was starting to get nervous laughter from the audience until she deadpanned, "No, I would never stab another woman. Again.") It may just be her schtick but this gal looks like she means business -- and then she bats her eyes. I had a great time discovering the comic queen that is Anjelah. Don't miss her -- or the hip-hop stage number at the end of this, her first show and DVD -- recorded live in Houston (where the weather is not just hot, it's "inappropriate")! 4.5 stars.