A crack for all hours

Comic and actor Mike Epps, according to way too many Web sites, is "associated with a certain type of humor." Huh? It takes not long to discover that he is highly skilled at portraying dudes who are, to put it charitably, stoned. Buzzed. Ripped. Whacked. Hammered. Baked. Spliffed. Blitzed. Wasted. Laughing at houseplants.

THE LAUGH FACTORY PRESENTS MIKE EPPS Where: Cirque Hawaii Showroom, 325 Seaside Ave. When: 8 p.m. Wednesday and 10 p.m. Aug. 21-24 Tickets: $20, $25 and $30 Call: 922-0017

"Ooh, whee, hah hah hah -- wuh huh?" responds Epps to a question by phone Tuesday. That's not even close to an answer, but it's funny, and that's sort of the point, and Epps knows it. It's a role that he plays well, maybe too well. After all, he spent some months in an Indiana special-ed class due to a prank involving Krazy Glue.

Epps, who's made a name for himself in stand-up, has become a go-to guy in films for a certain "type" of character. You may remember him as Day-Day from Ice Cube's "Friday" flicks and as LJ in the last two "Resident Evil" movies.

He's been a favorite on HBO, with his appearances as stand-up and later host on "Def Comedy Jam" plus his own hourlong special called "Inappropriate Behavior." And his movie career continues apace, with parts in "Talk to Me," opposite Don Cheadle, and "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" with Martin Lawrence and Cedric the Entertainer. But his biggest role lies ahead of him, as he's set to portray the late, great Richard Pryor in his upcoming biopic.

So you can see he's begun to branch out into more serious roles ...

...But "No personal questions!" dictate his wranglers before the interview.

So, Mike, uh, ever been to Hawaii before? (Is that too personal?)

"Sure, love it, sorta like paradise, closest thing to what it looks like, I'm from Cali, water's dirty, polluted, huh," says Epps.

You a daytime or a nighttime guy?

"I'm an every-time guy! You name it, I'm there. Night, day, Wednesdays -- I ain't a party pooper. I'm a party-goer! Yay-uh!"

You've worked with some interesting actors ...

..."Martin Lawrence, uh-huh. James Earl Jones! Cedric the Entertainer. Bernie Mac -- God bless him and his family." (Mac died suddenly at age 50 Saturday of complications due to pneumonia.) "(Bernie and I) have another movie coming out, 'Soul Men'" (with Samuel L. Jackson, scheduled for release in mid-November).

But the actor you've worked with most is Ice Cube. Are you guys going to be the next Laurel and Hardy?

"Whatever we do, we do it together -- Ice and me are the yin and the yang, and we do the dang thang!"

Huh?

Epps answers with a sound effect that sounds like wugglewugglewuggle. Funny. Funnier if you're in a "certain" state. Where are the Doritos?