Spring Break
'Reno 911!' alum returns for comedy show
Gregory Westcott
Issue date: 9/11/08 Section: Features
On Wednesday night, UNIQUE brought to Sacramento State the free comedy show of Alum Carlos Alazraqui ("Reno 911!") and Jill-Michele Melean ("Mad TV"). Approximately 300 students gathered to claim a patch of grass in the University Union Serna Plaza and spice up their night with some Latin-flavored laughs.
Melean opened the show, and got the crowd rolling, with her spot on impressions of celebrities like Britney Spears, Penélope Cruz and Drew Barrymore. Her Barrymore impression was so perfect that some sophomores hid their can of Coors Light they were passing around when they heard the voice (because she used to be an alcoholic…get it…never mind).
There was actually no visible alcohol and the crowd was really respectful during the show. Maybe they were too busy laughing.
Melean attacked, with love, every imaginable race and sexual orientation. She went on to give genital grooming advice and described the pains associated with bowel movements. Her proclaimed affinity for dating 18-year-olds perked up half the crowd.
The only downside to her bit was that she was too hot. Melean is very curvaceous and that was a little distracting when she was trying to be funny. If she were wearing a lower cut shirt, that same half of the crowd might not have heard a word she said.
Next, Alazraqui, who plays Officer Garcia on "Reno 911!", along with too many voice gigs to list, came out and vocally uppercut the crowd with a flurry of voices. It was as if everyone was trapped in a cartoon hurricane and didn't know where they would land. Alazraqui brought so much energy and talent he made you forget that Officer Garcia wasn't there.
Alazraqui, who graduated in 1986 with a BS in Recreation Administration, wowed the audience with impressions of political figures like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. He also nailed Chris Rock and Billy Crystal's voices to perfection. The audience was just in awe of how brilliant his "stoner" impression and his Scottish accent were.
Officer Garcia eventually showed up after Alazraqui put on some aviator sunglasses and a mustache. He fielded questions from students like: "How gay is Lt. Dangle?" and "Is Trudy really that retarded?"
Alazraqui put Garcia away and brought Melean back out for some improv, which involved picking a student out of the crowd and having him guess which TV character he was while they interrogated him. This last bit almost didn't happen thanks to some timely sprinklers that decided to go off and water the student filled lawn.
Both comedians left to a loud applause only to return to sign autographs for a crowd of 100 that stayed.
The two comedians hooked up at the "Latino Laugh Festival" 10 years ago, but her role as Garcia's sister on "Reno 911!" reinforced the union.
"Cause Latinos all swim in the same watering hole" Alazraqui said.
During the signing session, one excited student proudly informed Melean that he was the one that yelled "rape" during the improv. These are our students.
Gregory Westcott can be reached at gwestcott@statehornet.com
Melean opened the show, and got the crowd rolling, with her spot on impressions of celebrities like Britney Spears, Penélope Cruz and Drew Barrymore. Her Barrymore impression was so perfect that some sophomores hid their can of Coors Light they were passing around when they heard the voice (because she used to be an alcoholic…get it…never mind).
There was actually no visible alcohol and the crowd was really respectful during the show. Maybe they were too busy laughing.
Melean attacked, with love, every imaginable race and sexual orientation. She went on to give genital grooming advice and described the pains associated with bowel movements. Her proclaimed affinity for dating 18-year-olds perked up half the crowd.
The only downside to her bit was that she was too hot. Melean is very curvaceous and that was a little distracting when she was trying to be funny. If she were wearing a lower cut shirt, that same half of the crowd might not have heard a word she said.
Next, Alazraqui, who plays Officer Garcia on "Reno 911!", along with too many voice gigs to list, came out and vocally uppercut the crowd with a flurry of voices. It was as if everyone was trapped in a cartoon hurricane and didn't know where they would land. Alazraqui brought so much energy and talent he made you forget that Officer Garcia wasn't there.
Alazraqui, who graduated in 1986 with a BS in Recreation Administration, wowed the audience with impressions of political figures like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. He also nailed Chris Rock and Billy Crystal's voices to perfection. The audience was just in awe of how brilliant his "stoner" impression and his Scottish accent were.
Officer Garcia eventually showed up after Alazraqui put on some aviator sunglasses and a mustache. He fielded questions from students like: "How gay is Lt. Dangle?" and "Is Trudy really that retarded?"
Alazraqui put Garcia away and brought Melean back out for some improv, which involved picking a student out of the crowd and having him guess which TV character he was while they interrogated him. This last bit almost didn't happen thanks to some timely sprinklers that decided to go off and water the student filled lawn.
Both comedians left to a loud applause only to return to sign autographs for a crowd of 100 that stayed.
The two comedians hooked up at the "Latino Laugh Festival" 10 years ago, but her role as Garcia's sister on "Reno 911!" reinforced the union.
"Cause Latinos all swim in the same watering hole" Alazraqui said.
During the signing session, one excited student proudly informed Melean that he was the one that yelled "rape" during the improv. These are our students.
Gregory Westcott can be reached at gwestcott@statehornet.com
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