Biography

For the longtime Saturday Night Live fans, the news that comic Chris Rock had landed his own show was a mixed blessing.
The chance to see the creator of Nat X and other tell-it-like-it-is characters at center stage sounded promising, but we don't get HBO (Home Box Office), the US channel that has aired the hip series since 1996.
Well, you can stop plotting those desperate cross-border TV-watching expeditions to see The Chris Rock Show. The Comedy Network has snapped up 17 episodes of the comedy/variety show for a rather fitting, pre-SNL 10 p.m. Saturday timeslot. It's a half-hour show that breezes by in no time.
Tonight's opener -- TCN is airing three episodes pretty much in chronological order from day one -- features O.J. lawyer Johnnie Cochrane and The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.
Whether it's in his monologue or interviewing guests, Rock manages to be naive, insightful, cynical and wry all at once.
While he takes a sharp look at race relations, somehow he seems to be pointing out the logic of a situation, not playing it for cheap laughs. And sure, Rock's talk is littered with profanities, but he cleverly times them as meaningful punctuation.
With Cochrane, Rock both asks the questions any journalist would (Does race matter?
What's the media's role?) and others only he has the guts to (Does O.J. owe you money?).
In praising Cochrane's career, Rock mixes respect with mockery: "Todd Bridges shot at someone eight times. You got him off!
Michael Jackson had a kid staying at his house. You talked to someone and he's a free man!"
Then there's the guy who "threw that white girl out the window."
When Cochrane cuts in to add " ... just an allegation," Rock has a field day:
"Just an allegation? Yeah. Some people think they can fly I just helped her..."
If Rock's taped segment is any clue, these might be the show's strong point.
He heads to whiter-than-whitebread Howard Beach, Queens, in a postered mini van blaring rap -- proposing a street change its name to Tupac Shakur Blvd.
And Rock has the coolest house non-band on television ever: Grandmaster Flash spinning vinyl, smooth as silk.
My only criticism has nothing to do with content, but with timing. Much of Rock's genius lies in his biting insight into current affairs and touchy political headlines.
Tonight's opening monologue is funny; It just would have been funnier when the topics he covered were still hot.
On ebonics, he says: "Yeah. There are two ways (of speaking). One way if you want a job ... and that other way," he says, shooting a sideways glance at the camera.
Even jokes about one of his favorite subjects, O.J., fall a little flat, in light of recent news.
We'd love to see Chris get all over O.J.'s recent, "If I did kill her ..." hypothetical dance. (Actually, TV critics were treated to a taste on preview cassettes as Rock introduced us to the first show ... maybe that's why I'm a little bitter).
And, the flip side of the matter is that because all this stuff is still hilarious, we can only imagine how warped his take would be on recent events.
Who knows what kinds of programming deals and restrictions came into play when The Comedy Network made a deal with HBO.
Whatever they are, we're always going to be a season away from Chris Rock at his hottest. Good thing it's still a funnier place than most TV talk shows.

Filmography

Head of State (2003) .... Mays Gilliam
You'll Never Wiez in This Town Again (2002) .... Himself
Comedian (2002) .... Himself
Bowling for Columbine (2002)(archive footage) .... Himself
Blink 182: The Urethra Chronicles II: Harder, Faster. Faster, Harder (2002) (V) .... Himself
NBC 75th Anniversary Special (2002) (TV) .... Himself
... aka NBC 75th Anniversary Celebration (2002) (TV) (USA)
Bad Company (2002) .... Jake Hayes/Kevin Pope
Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television (2002) (TV) .... Himself
America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001) (TV) .... Himself
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) .... Chaka Luther King
Osmosis Jones (2001)(voice) .... Osmosis Jones
Pootie Tang (2001) .... JB/Radio DJ/Pootie's Father
Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)(voice) .... Comedic Mecha
... aka A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) (USA: poster title)
Down to Earth (2001) .... Lance Barton/Charles Wellington, III/Joe Guy
... aka Einmal Himmel und zurück (2001) (Germany)
MTV Video Music Awards 2000 (2000) (TV) .... Himself
Bamboozled (2000)(uncredited) (archive footage) .... Himself
"Remarkable Journey, The" (2000) TV Series .... Himself
Me, Myself & Irene (2000)(uncredited) (archive footage) .... Himself, as stand-up comedian
Nurse Betty (2000) .... Wesley
Whatever Happened to Micheal Ray? (2000) (TV)(voice) .... Narrator
Best of Chris Rock (1999) (TV) .... Himself
MTV Video Music Awards 1999 (1999) (TV) .... Himself/Host
Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary (1999) (TV) .... Himself
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Rock (1999) (TV) .... Himself/Nat X/Onski/Luther Campbell/Def Jam Comedian/Kevin Stubbs/Old Man Ernie/Various
Chris Rock: Bigger & Blacker (1999) (TV) .... Himself
Jackie's Back! (1999) (TV) .... Himself
... aka Jackie's Back: Portrait of a Diva (1999) (TV) (USA)
Dogma (1999) .... Rufus
40th Annual Grammy Awards, The (1998) (TV) .... Himself (performer)
Saturday Night Live: Game Show Parodies (1998) (V) .... Kevin Stubbs
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley (1998) (TV) .... Nat X/Burglar/Jazz Dancing Ensemble dancer/Various
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Phil Hartman (1998) (TV) .... Luther Campbell/McDonalds Cashier/Various
Kids Are Punny (1998) (TV)(voice)
... aka Rosie O'Donnell's Kids Are Punny (1998) (TV) (USA: complete title)
Bad Boys of Saturday Night Live, The (1998) (TV) .... Nat X/Def Emergency Room Jam doctor/Def Magic Show Jam magician/Various
... aka Saturday Night Live: Bad Boys (1998) (TV)
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) .... Detective Lee Butters
... aka Lethal 4 (1998) (USA: promotional abbreviation)
Comic Relief VIII (1998) (TV) .... Himself
Doctor Dolittle (1998)(voice) .... Rodney
Elmopalooza! (1998) (TV) .... Himself
Gift of Song, The (1997) (TV) .... Himself
"Chris Rock Show, The" (1997) TV Series .... Himself
Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) .... Joey
Chris Rock: Bring the Pain (1996) (TV) .... Himself
Sgt. Bilko (1996) .... 1st Lt. Oster (IG Investigator)
... aka Sergeant Bilko (1996)
"State of the Union Undressed" (1996) TV Series .... Himself
"Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" (1995) TV Series(voice) .... Woody
Immortals, The (1995) .... Deke Anthony
Panther (1995) .... Yuck Mouth
Def Comedy Jam Primetime (1994) (TV) .... Himself
"Politically Incorrect" (1994) TV Series .... Himself (Indecision '96 Correspondent)
"In Living Color" (1990) TV Series .... Various (1993-1994)
Chris Rock: Big Ass Jokes (1993) (TV)
CB4 (1993) .... Albert
Boomerang (1992) .... Bony T
New Jack City (1991) .... Pookie
"Saturday Night Live" (1975) TV Series .... Himself (1990-1993)
... aka "NBC's Saturday Night" (1975) (USA)
... aka "SNL 25" (2000) (USA: new title)
... aka "SNL" (1975)
... aka "Saturday Night Live 80" (1980) (USA: new title)
... aka "Saturday Night" (1975)
Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen (1988) .... Himself
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) .... Rib Joint Customer
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) .... Playboy Mansion Valet