Cannon’s got “Talent” — and other gigs, including stand-up

Does Nick Cannon really need anything else to do?

A glance at the 29-year-old entertainer’s resume says no. Besides hosting the ubiquitous NBC show “America’s Got Talent,” Cannon is chairman of the cable channel TeenNick — part of the network conglomerate where he got his start on shows like “Wild ‘N Out” — and never far from his other pursuits of acting and music.

Still, the San Diego native (also known as the husband of Mariah Carey) is taking on another duty these days: stand-up comedian.

Last month Cannon kicked off 30-plus stand-up dates that will continue through November, all of them leading up to a comedy special he’s taping in February at the Palms in Las Vegas.

“I focus on considering myself an entertainer,” Cannon said over the phone earlier this week from the set of “America’s Got Talent.” “What type of entertainment at the time is always depending on the job at that moment.”

Spoken like a true businessman.

We chatted with Cannon about his national stand-up tour, which brings him to the Improv at Northfield Stapleton for several shows today and Saturday, and why he’s just now returning to a genre that nurtured him as a young entertainer.

Q: A lot of people may not know this, but you actually started performing stand-up when you were 11 years old on your dad’s cable-access program.

A: I’ve definitely been doing it for a very long time, and got into it through my dad. He was a minister, so he would actually allow me to open up for him.

Q: How did it go your first few times?

A: It was good. I was a kid, so it was one of those things where people just appreciate seeing a young person up there doing something they’re used to seeing adults doing.

Q: Did you look up to other comedians at that age?

A: I always loved Eddie Murphy, Damon Wayans, people like that. I definitely appreciate the ground they laid.

Q: What was your material about when you first started?

A: When I was 11 and 12, I was always doing Jesus jokes because I was opening for my dad, speaking in churches and stuff.

Q: What’s it about now?

A: It’s more of a slice of my life, kind of real personal. There are stories mixed in with improv and characters and things like that. It’s all original.

Q: It seems like a tall order to take on a national stand- up tour while “America’s Got Talent” is still keeping you busy.

A: Oh, it’s constant. I’m on the set of “America’s Got Talent” right now. Just as soon as I literally leave the set, I get on the plane and fly to the (stand-up show), then from the plane back to the set after I finish the date. I wish I could hang out in some of these places I visit, but I only have the time to do the shows.

Q: Have you run across any other stand-ups you really like out there lately?

A: Definitely a young, up-and-coming comic by the name of Kase Glenn. He comes out with me on a bunch of different dates on the East and West coasts, and I think he’ll be with me in Denver.

Q: Not that you need anything else to do, but what else have you got on the horizon?

A: I can’t really foresee anything, but whatever comes my way I definitely appreciate it.

Source: Denver Post