the Davis Enterprise- (8/17/2012)

‘Flips & Beaners Comedy Jam:’ A term of endearment

By Amy Maginnis-Honey
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FAIRFIELD — Jimmy Earll expected backlash when he adopted the name “Flips & Beaners Comedy Jam” for his show.
However, he’s found it seems to draw people in who are curious about the moniker, which some may consider a racial slur since the comics are Hispanic and Filipino.ught I was going to get tarred and feathered and that people would be coming to shows with pitchforks,” he joked about the show’s name. “It’s more a term of endearment. It’s really a two-sided coin. We need to learn to laugh at ourselves.”
 The “Flips & beaners Comedy Jam” is making its first stop in the area for two shows  Aug 26 at Dimitri’s Lounge, 700 Main St., Suisun City.
Earll, Diego Curiel and Sam Bam are the three performers. A “Flips & Beaners Comedy Jam” usually has three or four rotating comics. A June show boasted six comics, with the addition of Steph Garcia and black comic Del Van Dyke. That performance was billed as “Flips & Beaners & A Brotha Comedy Jam.”
It’s been less than two years since Earll, who makes his living as a dentist, started “Flips & Beaners.”
Calling himself a “late bloomer” to comedy, Earll lists his comedic influences as Russell Peters and Jo Koy.
“I had always been the class clown. I stumbled on some open mikes,” said the 45-year-old of getting his start in comedy. He jokingly calls himself the “grandpa of the bunch,” saying most comics starts in their 20s and 30s.
While the show does have cultural laughs, the “Flips & Beaners Comedy Jam” is something all can laugh at, Earll said. “People get the references. People get the jokes. No one is speaking Tagalog or Spanish.”
He estimated 30 percent of the audience is Filipino and 40 percent Hispanic. At a recent show in Phoenix, he said the majority of the 450 in attendance were white.
Earll said he is seeing some of the same people come to the shows.
“It’s kind of nice to see it grow and people get excited about it,” he said. ”I think it’s a great show. If it wasn’t a quality show, we wouldn’t sell out. We have a lot of fun. It’s worth your entertainment dollar.”
Reach Amy Maginnis-Honey at 427-6957 oramaginnis@dailyrepublic.net. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amaginnisdr.

  

“Flips & Beaners Comedy Jam”

• 7 and 9 p.m. Aug. 26
• Dimitri’s
• 700 Main St., Suite 106, Suisun City
• 18 and older
• http://www.flipsandbeanerscomedyjam.eventbrite.com

Amy Maginnis-Honey

Amy Maginnis-Honey joined the staff of the Daily Republic in 1980. She’ll tell you she was only 3 at the time. Over the past three decades she’s done a variety of jobs in the newsroom. Today, she covers arts and entertainment and writes for the Living and news pages.