Comic Bill Bellamy keeps busy on and off the stage

Comedian/actor Bill Bellamy is on his way to Boston to blow up the stage at the Comedy Connection this weekend. Considering what it takes to break into the comedy industry, Bellamy has been fortunate.

While a business major at Rutgers University, Bellamy began to dabble in comedy, never thinking that he would one day make it big as a comic. But he’d always had a sense of humor and his friends were always encouraging, so he continued doing shows on the college circuit. Then one day in his junior year in college he performed at a step show and stole it, receiving a standing ovation. In 1991, he quit his day job and began to seriously pursue a career in comedy.

This leap of faith led him to host HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam” in 1992. In 1993, he began appearing regularly on MTV, and then started making commercials and movies. He kept the momentum going with starring roles on the big screen in 1996’s “Love Jones” and 1997’s “Def Jam’s How To Be A Player,” following those breakout performances with supporting roles in “Any Given Sunday” in 1999 and “The Brothers” in 2000. Bellamy returned to television with the action-packed “Fastlane” in 2002. He also appeared in “The Real Mario Grey” and “Never Was” in 2005.

The star of stage and screen recently took a few moments to speak with the Banner about his many projects, being able to do a little bit of everything and what it takes to rock the mic right.

So what have you been up to lately?

Currently I have a hit comedy competition on TV One called “Bill Bellamy’s He’s Got Jokes.” I’m the executive producer of that, and we’re going around the country trying to find funny, clean comics.

How’s that going?

We have a lot of people that really did well on the show, like Tiffany Haddish, a young female comic, and Keisha Hunt. We have Sadiki Fuller. Ill Will from Chicago. He did really well, and he was really impressive. And Ron G. out of Atlanta, who was one semifinalist. He came out of nowhere and captured the audience. And George Willborn, another semifinalist. At the end of the competition, the audience, much like “American Idol,” will decide who’s going to win the “Who’s Got Jokes” championship.

What does the champion win?

They get their own half-hour comedy special on TV One.

Did you create that show?

No, it was a collaboration with one of the executive producers of the show.

Although your show features some female comics, it seems like men dominate the stand-up comedy scene. Can you tell us why this is so? What’s the deal on female comics?

I don’t know why these girls don’t want to get on stage. That ain’t my fault. I don’t know. It’s not that a woman can’t get on stage and grab a microphone. It’s mostly a male-dominated sport, but it doesn’t mean anything. Women need to get on that stage and just go after it. There are a lot of women that don’t seem to think that they can be comedians, but they just need to step on that stage and grow. There are a lot of females doing comedy out there. You just don’t see them all. I have come across a lot of female comedians.

You played roles in the black romantic comedy films of the ‘90s, but we don’t see that happening anymore, even though you gained an audience that way. Are you going to be in anything soon?

Right now, I’m working on a private project that I’m trying to produce myself. It’s called “Friend of the Family” and it’s a romantic comedy, which is a genre that I like. I think it’s a fun area for entertainment. It’s not too serious. It has a nice through-line and it’s going to be my next project. Also, right off the press, I’m hosting NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” which I start at the end of the month.

What are some of the pressures that you face as a comic?

A lot of people think that being a comedian is pretty easy because some of us make it look like that. Some people, however, realize that there’s an art to it, a class to master because you have to have a lot of confidence, a lot of stage presence, charisma, timing and delivery. All those things have to click as far as your audience is concerned and for people to be enthralled by what you have to say. You have no parachute. It’s like you could be the biggest movie star and then you get on that stage and you bomb. It’s just the microphone, your voice and your thoughts. And that’s what I love about it, because it’s raw. You can’t hide behind anything. You have to bring the heat every night and that’s what makes me nervous. I get jitters because I have to prove myself all over again, for an hour.

Is there any role you’d like to play someday?

I would love to play like Marvin Gaye or Teddy Pendergrass or James Brown. Hell! He was living! He’s got wives crying all over the place and they haven’t even put him in the ground yet. They’re like, “I’m his wife.” “No, I’m his wife.” James Brown was on it.

Who were some of your role models growing up?

I looked up to people like Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams and Bill Cosby. Today, I’m very proud of what Eddie Murphy is accomplishing as a comedian/actor. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac — these are some of my favorites.

Do you have a philosophy as a comic?

I say my prayers. I ask God to let his spirit shine through me, and let me exemplify the talent that he’s blessed me with, and then I just go out there and go all out. I always have a lot of fun and as a result my crowd ends up having fun with me.

Does comedy have a color? Is there black comedy and/or white comedy?

There definitely are some differences, as far as culture goes. I talk about things that pertain to the black community and a lot of white cats might not get it. They might understand the attitude and the story, but then again, I also think that funny is funny. If you’re funny, it doesn’t matter what color you are. You could be purple. There’s urban comedy, but that’s just because of the brothers, because there are a lot of brothers doing it. But every black comedian is not an urban comic. Some are mainstream. Some cats do more street humor. That’s what I love about comedy. Your perspective is unique to your situation. You can talk about things you know. The same thing with singers and rappers — they talk about the things they know. Bill Cosby talks about family. That’s what he knows. He always talked about his kids, and he kept it clean.

What’s your main theme?

I talk about everything, because I feel like I’m like that new Renaissance man or a neo-soul cat because I have the swagger of a street cat. I can keep it clean. I have a mainstream appeal. I kind of have a little piece of everything for everybody. Growing up in Newark, N.J., I don’t know how I got the hell out of there.

Do you give back in any way?

I have a few charities that I give to. The ones that treat sickle cell disease are ones that I strongly support. I’m also helping inner city kids get into college, exposing them to scholarship opportunities because a lot of us don’t get opportunities. I’m trying to raise money to help out and I always give back because it will come back to you.

Have you taken your act overseas?

I went to London and it was insane. It was like I was a rock star. I didn’t know that people knew me like that over there. We sold out three nights in a row. It was crazy. There were like 2,000 people. I was like, “Oh, my God, I better be funny.”

A lot of aspiring comics will be at the Comedy Connection this weekend because they love you and they’re also looking for a way in. What advice can you provide?

You really need to be on stage as much as possible because that’s how you find your voice; that’s how you make it better. And for anybody interested in being on my show, check out my website at www.billbellamy.com, and I can also be reached on MySpace at www.myspace.com/billbellamyworld. I’m definitely about helping other cats get exposure because there’s not really a lot of places for new comics to get seen outside of the comedy club scene.