M O N D AY | 0 9 . 1 2 .

2 0 1 1 | E X P R E S S | 27

Seared Silly Friends heap abuse on Charlie Sheen at his roast Saturday

Keep Summer Alive For comic Kevin Hart, who stars in his own It wasnt supposed to be like this. concert film, laughter Autumn is D.C.s summer thats our reward for surviving the humidity and cures all of his pain
the mosquitoes! Long, perfect autumns full of sun and pumpkin beer! But, no, its raining. I want a refund. I want my summer back. Theres only one thing to do: Cling to the vestiges of summer for as long as possible. And since paddleboats and bike tours are out of the question when the weather blows, it looks like our best option is Tiki Tuesdays. Tiki cocktails were a trend in America for decades after Prohibition, but they fell out of favor in the modern era until chic cocktail bars realized that tropical rum drinks were really, really fun to make and drink. Tiki Tuesdays at the Passenger (1021 7th St. NW) last all evening (5 p.m.1:30 a.m.) and feature a rotating menu of summery cocktails in flavors such as coconut and pineapple. Normally, we wouldnt describe the Passenger as summery its a dark little bar, despite the big skylight but roof decks are so depressing when its drizzling. The campiness comes and goes: There are plastic leis on hand, but you wont see bartenders wearing Hawaiian shirts. Want your drink served in a hollowed-out pineapple? Bartender Amy Russell can do that for you for an extra $5. Now if there were a pig roasting on a spit, wed have ourselves a luau. Or we can fall back on $30 scorpion bowls (i.e. huge containers of alcohol), which are meant to be shared with your friends.

Kevin Hart remembers when he took the stage early in his career and told a joke so bad an audience member tossed a Buffalostyle chicken wing at him, slapping him on the cheek. It hit me right here, with the sauce dripping from my face, says the comedian, poking his cheek. It was the worst. I wanted to step to the guy who threw it, but he was too big. ... So, I wiped the chicken sauce off and tried to finish. That embarrassing moment might have forced any other amateur comedian into an early retirement, but Hart has found a way to craft his comedy act around his most shameful situations, turning them into a kind of therapy. Thats my drug, to go onstage and show people what Im going through, says Hart, whose first stand-up comedy movie, Laugh at My Pain, opened in 100 AMC theaters in the U.S. last week. Harts therapy has made him one of the most in-demand comedians in the business right now. Hes coming off a well-received appearance on the MTV Video Music Awards, where he delivered the opening monologue and starred in vignettes during the

In Laugh at My Pain, co-directed by comedian Kevin Hart and filmed during his 90-city tour earlier this year, Hart openly talks about his fathers drug addiction, takes a jab at his 5-foot-5-inch height and discusses his legal separation from his wife, comedian Torre Hart. The movie also includes a touching moment when Hart visits his Philadelphia hometown and holds a family gathering, tearing up while giving thanks to his family for supporting him after his mother died from cancer in 2007. Those moments were tough, he said. But you got to take your lumps. You dont have a success story without them. (AP)

For short-statured comedian Kevin Hart, the chicken came first when, at the start of his career, an audience member threw a chicken wing at his face after a bad joke.

show; he also hosted this years BET Awards. Harts profile has also risen, thanks to a string of standup TV specials and commercial work for Ford and Nike. With his new movie, Hart becomes the first black comedian to have his stand-up performance showcased in movie theaters since Martin Lawrences 2002 concert film, Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat. Hart joins an elite list of black comedians who have had their stand-up acts shown on the big screen, including Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Lawrence and the four comedians of the 2000 stand-up film The Original Kings of Comedy. Some consider the 33-year-old Hart to be one of todays kings of comedy. He is willing to share his life and experiences, says Steve Harvey, one of the Original Kings. Hes probably doing it better than anyone else right now.
JONATHAN L ANDRUM JR. (AP)

R Plaise of ne t t he of t h Ap e es

ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES

Read Fionas previous columns at: expressnightout.com/boozeclues

Sp Timy Kid e in s: A t h e ll t h Wo e rld

The He lp

ior

eb t

Co lom bia na

Ap ollo 18

Ou r Id iot Bro the r

gio

Wa rr

nt a

eD

Co

Th

Sh

ark

Nig

ht 3