In this episode of On The Flipside Aubrey visits with actress, comedienne and former Oakland Raiderette Anjelah Johnson on the set of her new movie “Our Family Wedding.” She speaks about her relationship with her on-screen sister America Ferrera and the rest of the star-studded cast which includes Forest Whitaker, Carlos Mencia, Regina King and Lance Gross.
Plus in this edition’s Sideline Distraction, we watch as the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl Cheerleaders spring into action at a beach-side “Battle of the Beauties.” See the ladies of the AFC go head to head with their NFC counterparts in beach volleyball, tug o’ war and flag football…they squeeze in some of their famous dance moves too!
YOKOSUKA, Japan - A group of Oakland Raiders’ cheerleaders, the “Raiderettes,” paid a visit to the crew of USS George Washington (CVN 73) in Yokosuka, Japan.
The cheerleaders’ visit was part of a tour of Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) to help Japan-based Sailors celebrate Super Bowl XLIV.
For Sailors in the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces, “Super Sunday” is actually “Super Monday,” as the game kicked off around 8 a.m. local time.
The four visiting Raiderettes spent most of the morning meeting with Sailors at various clubs around the base before boarding George Washington in the afternoon.
After arriving aboard the Nimitz-class carrier, the Raiderettes were treated to a tour led by George Washington Commanding Officer Capt. David A. Lausman as they received a firsthand look at the ship’s hangar bay, flight deck and bridge.
“We’re here to learn about what happens on an aircraft carrier,” said Raiderette Natalie P.; the Raiderettes are not allowed to give their full names due to privacy concerns. “We learned a lot today about the ship’s capabilities and all the work that it takes to operate a ship like this. The best part was visiting the bridge, where we could sit in the captain’s chair and look out over the flight deck and the water. It was neat to get a ‘birds-eye view’ of the ship.”
Her counterpart, Raiderette Natalie M., disagreed.
“My favorite part of the ship was the flight deck, where we could see where the aircraft actually take off and land,” said Natalie M. “It was very cool to see up close where all of that happens.”
Both cheerleaders agreed that the real reason they came was to spend time with Sailors, thank them for a job well done and help them spend the Super Bowl in a memorable way.
“It was really fun to see the Sailors interact with us,” said Natalie M. “Some are super-shy and some are more outgoing, but we definitely got to see the different personalities on the ship. It was really fun to talk to them, take some pictures and just spend time here.”
After spending about two hours on the ship, George Washington Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Martin K. King presented the Raiderettes with photos of the ship signed by the captain.
King said events like these can give an extra boost to Sailors’ morale.
“It was a great opportunity for the crew to realize that everybody back home thinks a lot about them,” said King. “For the Oakland Raiders cheerleaders to come out here and support our Sailors, it’s a great thing and we really appreciate it.”
George Washington is undergoing its second Yokosuka-based selective restricted availability and is scheduled to return to sea later in 2010.
Of all the stand-ups who were once cheerleaders for the Oakland Raiders, Anjelah Johnson is definitely the best, though it’s worth mention that Gallagher is a close second. Anjelah’s special That’s How We Do It comes out on DVD and CD tomorrow and re-airs on Comedy Central this Friday night at 12:30am / 11:30c, so we sent her the boilerplate questions and got to know her a little better.
Who are your biggest comedic influences?
Ellen Degeneres, George Lopez, and I also enjoy Brian Regan’s storytelling.
When did you decide to become a comedian?
2005
What was your worst gig?
When I first started I would do Latino nights and try to be way more Latino than I really was. They would always see right through me and hate me. *crickets*
What was your best gig?
hmm… The taping of my Comedy Central 1hr special!
If you weren’t a comedian, what would you be doing?
I quite possibly could still be a terrible waitress somewhere.
What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen on the internet?
I’m a YouTube regular so it’s hard to pick just one. I’m big fan of kids saying funny things or silly animals. That never gets old.
What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen in real life?
Has anybody really answered this question
How do you think comedy will change in the coming years?
There are so many different kinds of comedy these days. Mainstream, Alternative, Dark, Blue, Clean, Ethnic… Its hard to say how it might change. I can only hope, like in everything that I do, just grow and get better.
Who are your favorite underrated or up-and-coming comics?
Whitney Cummings is about to be a household name. She is smart, funny and has no fear. Nate Bargatze is also another clever up and coming comic.
What’s your advice for someone just getting into comedy?
Be Yourself! Stay true to who you are and be confident.
Click [here] to see some clips from That’s How We Do It.
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dave Reynolds navy.mil
A group of Oakland Raiders’ cheerleaders, the “Raiderettes,” paid a visit to the crew of USS George Washington (CVN 73) Feb. 8 in Yokosuka, Japan.
The cheerleaders’ visit was part of a tour of Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) to help Japan-based Sailors celebrate Super Bowl XLIV.
For Sailors in the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces, “Super Sunday” is actually “Super Monday,” as the game kicked off around 8 a.m. local time.
The four visiting Raiderettes spent most of the morning meeting with Sailors at various clubs around the base before boarding George Washington in the afternoon.
After arriving aboard the Nimitz-class carrier, the Raiderettes were treated to a tour led by George Washington Commanding Officer Capt. David A. Lausman as they received a firsthand look at the ship’s hangar bay, flight deck and bridge.
“We’re here to learn about what happens on an aircraft carrier,” said Raiderette Natalie P.; the Raiderettes are not allowed to give their full names due to privacy concerns. “We learned a lot today about the ship’s capabilities and all the work that it takes to operate a ship like this. The best part was visiting the bridge, where we could sit in the captain’s chair and look out over the flight deck and the water. It was neat to get a ‘birds-eye view’ of the ship.”
Her counterpart, Raiderette Natalie M., disagreed.
“My favorite part of the ship was the flight deck, where we could see where the aircraft actually take off and land,” said Natalie M. “It was very cool to see up close where all of that happens.”
Both cheerleaders agreed that the real reason they came was to spend time with Sailors, thank them for a job well done and help them spend the Super Bowl in a memorable way.
“It was really fun to see the Sailors interact with us,” said Natalie M. “Some are super-shy and some are more outgoing, but we definitely got to see the different personalities on the ship. It was really fun to talk to them, take some pictures and just spend time here.”
After spending about two hours on the ship, George Washington Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Martin K. King presented the Raiderettes with photos of the ship signed by the captain.
King said events like these can give an extra boost to Sailors’ morale.
“It was a great opportunity for the crew to realize that everybody back home thinks a lot about them,” said King. “For the Oakland Raiders cheerleaders to come out here and support our Sailors, it’s a great thing and we really appreciate it.”
George Washington is undergoing its second Yokosuka-based selective restricted availability and is scheduled to return to sea later in 2010.
It’s a special Sideline Distraction show to kick off 2010 On The Flipside! This exclusive edition features a pair of California women cheering on the sidelines of the AFC West. Host Aubrey Aquino anchors this episode from the Berkeley Marina in Northern California, where we begin with a segment on Oakland Raiderette Emily. Emily is a veteran Raiderette and line captain who upholds the law on her flipside! When she’s not donning the silver and black to cheer on the Raider Nation, she’s in court working as a criminal law attorney, and most people would never guess she can also be found cruising around the Bay Area in her very own Ford Mustang Mach 1.
After that we head south to San Diego to meet San Diego Charger Girl Marlina. Marlina represented the San Diego Chargers at the 2009 Pro Bowl in Hawaii and has also been leading her line on the field this season. On The Flipside, she is a successful businesswoman, founding and running her own “green” cleaning company. Fans may also be surprised to learn that she grew up on a farm, so she has a passion for animal rights and looks forward to one day starting her own animal rescue foundation.
First up, is a special feature on actress and comedienne Anjelah Johnson. She’s a Bay Area native and former Oakland Raiderette who’s got rising celeb status in Hollywood! Anjelah’s popular comedy sketches for Bon Qui Qui and the Nail Salon have gained her worldwide attention, plus she has a 1-hour Comedy Central special on the way. On The Flipside she talks about her experience cheering on the Raider Nation!
Plus, we head down to the American Airlines Arena where the Miami HEAT dancers stop traffic to unveil their brand new dancers poster and magazine!
Photos from week 17 are up on NFL.com. Click here to see pics of the Dolphins, Broncos, Panthers, Cowboys, Texans, Vikings, Bills, Cardinals, Raiders, and Rams.
Here’s one you haven’t heard before: A National Football League cheerleader converts to Orthodox Judaism, writes herself a comedy and takes the production — pom-poms and all — on tour across the United States.
Theatergoers in Arizona will be among the first to see the show, “The Kosher Cheerleader,” when it opens on January 9 in Phoenix. Booked for a two-week run at the city’s Center for the Performing Arts at Paradise Valley Community College, the one-woman comedy tells the real-life story of Sandy Wolshin, a former cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders who later immersed herself in a mikveh as part of an Orthodox conversion.
“A lot of people assume that as a cheerleader, you can’t walk and talk at the same time, let alone do comedy,” said Wolshin, who tumbled and cheered during five NFL seasons in the 1980s and ’90s.
Once a very blond “Raiderette,” Wolshin is now a very blond playwright and actress who wears a long skirt (but still manages to cartwheel) in her new show, and who doesn’t perform on Friday nights.
The daughter of a Russian Orthodox mother and a “practicing Jewish atheist” father, Wolshin didn’t find her way to Orthodox Judaism until after her professional cheerleading career ended, but she says that her father’s religious background helped her bond with other Jewish cheerleaders during her time in the NFL.
“We would make jokes,” she recalled, “about our relatives saying, ‘Cheerleading, shmeerleading. The owner’s wife, that’s the job for a Jewish girl.’”
Featuring expert pom-pom work, and shtick about Wolshin’s conversion, “The Kosher Cheerleader” will make its way to Florida in April for a one-week run at Fort Lauderdale’s Parker Playhouse. Investors and a production team are currently being assembled for a summer staging in New York, Wolshin said.
With four kids and a Reform husband, the former cheerleader said she has “relaxed into Orthodox lite: half the guilt and twice the fun.”
“On the Sabbath, when we go to temple, he gets in the car and I walk,” she said, jokingly. “But he drives slowly so that we can hold hands.”
“The Kosher Cheerleader” isn’t Wolshin’s first foray into Jewish theater. She performed a different show, “The Cheerleader and the Rabbi,” at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2006, but says the new production isn’t based on the original material.
For the latest edition of On The Flipside, they head to the West Coast for this edition’s Sideline Distraction, Oakland Raiderette Jennie, who is a first year member cheering on the Silver and Black of the Raider Nation as one of Football’s Fabulous Females.
Matt Tobey
What was your best gig?
Comedienne and former Oakland Raiderette guest stars on tonight’s episode of Ugly Betty (10pm E/PT on ABC)
