Publisher's Synopsis
In 1990, while NBC's Saturday Night Live was considered hopelessly uncool (and almost completely white), the fledgling Fox network wanted a competitor that spoke to a younger, hipper demographic. They turned to Keenen Ivory Wayans, who had recent film success and an idea for a sketch comedy show that would change television history. It was a show that would break down barriers of white vs black entertainment, and showcase the world as it truly was: In Living Color. Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, Rosie Perez, Jennifer Lopez, David Alan Grier, and the Wayans family all came to national attention through In Living Color, along with the burgeoning comic, Tommy Davidson. Tommy's impersonations of Michael Jackson, MC Hammer, and Sammy Davis, Jr. made him an overnight celebrity. In his first book, Living In Color, Tommy will tell the behind the scenes story of how the groundbreaking show came to be. He'll reveal how the cast came together, tensions with Keenen Ivory (who was focused on running a family empire), the ambition of Fly Girl J Lo, and even an onset brawl involving guest star, Tupac Shakur. Living In Color is about the experience of black performers, both before and after In Living Color. Tommy discusses his role models and his contemporaries. His big break in comedy came from doing sets at The Comedy Store, sandwiched between Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. The only words Pryor ever spoke to him: "You's a funny mother fucker." Tommy went on to headline three successful Showtime standup specials and to appear in several massively successful films. Sean Combs was Tommy's production assistant (and Tommy reveals how Diddy got his nickname, Puff Daddy), and he also starred opposite Halle Berry (Strictly Business) and Jada Pinkett Smith (Spike Lee's Bamboozled), both of whom he had tumultuous relationships with. Tommy's upbringing provides a unique voice to the current racial conversation happening in the media. Abandoned as an infant, Tommy was taken in by a white family; he spent most of his childhood with no realization that he was different from his brothers and sisters. He speaks candidly and wisely on institutionalized racism, like when his mother began noticing Tommy's white sister treated differently by school staff than he was.
