Sommore

{{Infobox person

| name = Sommore

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name = Lori Ann Rambough

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|5|15}}

| birth_place = Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| other_names =

| alma_mater = Morris Brown College

| education = McCorristin Catholic High School (1985)

| occupation = Comedian, actress

| years_active = 1992–present

| relatives = Nia Long (half-sister)

| website = https://www.sommore.com

}}

Sommore ({{IPAc-en|s|ə|ˈ|m|ɔːr}}; born Lori Ann Rambough; May 15, 1966) is an American comedian and actress. Known as the "Diva of Contemporary Comedy," her comedic style features biting sarcasm and frank discussions about money, sex, and equality between the sexes."We Want SOMMORE." Los Angeles Sentinel, October 26, 2000, pp. B.4. {{ProQuest|369403499}}. She first gained fame as the first female host of the long-running Black Entertainment Television (BET) stand-up showcase ComicView, as well as one of the four female comedians that headlined The Queens of Comedy tour.

She appeared in the films Friday After Next, Soul Plane, and Dirty Laundry,{{cite web|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/calendar/give-us-sommore-6367713|title=Give Us Sommore|author=D. SIRIANNI|work=Miami New Times|accessdate=24 September 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.news-herald.com/general-news/20110218/sommore-the-newest-queen-of-comedy-heads-two-royal-shows-at-playhousesquare|title=Sommore, the newest queen of comedy, heads two Royal shows at PlayhouseSquare|work=The News-Herald (Ohio)|date=18 February 2011|accessdate=24 September 2015}} and has received the Richard Pryor Award for Comic of the Year.

Early life and education

Sommore was raised in Trenton, New Jersey. After attending Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd and The Pennington School, she graduated from McCorristin Catholic High School (now called Trenton Catholic Academy) in 1985.{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/times-entertainment/index.ssf/2013/11/comedian_sommore_to_perform_at.html|title=Comedian Sommore to perform at Patriots Theater|work=NJ.com|date=29 November 2013|accessdate=24 September 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.trentonian.com/article/TT/20031124/TMP02/311249999|title=City-born comedienne living large|work=The Trentonian|accessdate=24 September 2015}} She graduated from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she studied business administration.{{cite web|url=http://www.ocala.com/article/20090806/ARTICLES/908049981|title=Sommore brings her sassy, adult humor to MTI on Saturday|work=Star-Banner|accessdate=24 September 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2010/04/comic_sommore_to_perform_at_th.html|title=Comic Sommore to perform at the Hu Ke Lau|work=masslive.com|date=27 April 2010|accessdate=24 September 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l9MDAAAAMBAJ&q=Morris+Brown+College+sommore&pg=PA15|title=Ebony|work=Ebony via google.com|date=November 2008|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|accessdate=24 September 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.jetmag.com/entertainment/sommore-chandelier-status/#.VgPrNUseSRU|title=Comedienne Sommore Talks Chandelier Status & Comic View - JETmag.com|work=Jet|accessdate=24 September 2015}} After receiving her degree, Sommore worked various jobs such as retail, employment consulting and an algebra instructor before progressing into her successful comedy career.

Career

Sommore attributes her success as a comedian to her writing skills. Influenced by her father, a writer and an English teacher, she extensively researched the business of comedy and learned about the art of comedy. She loves gospel music and her idol is Karen Clark Sheard.Dukes, Howard. "She's Living Proof You can't Keep a Good Comic Down." South Bend Tribune, Feb 05, 2006, pp. 1. {{ProQuest|417387388}}.

Television and film appearances

Sommore has appeared on various shows including HBO's Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at the Apollo, ComicView, and BET Live from L.A. She has also done guest appearances on television sitcoms The Hughleys and The Parkers, and she has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She also appeared on Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav. In 2008, she appeared as one of the mob members on several episodes of the game show 1 vs. 100.{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/travel/lasvegas/lasvegasnow/la-tr-lvn-las-vegas-shows-sommore-20150610-story.html|title=Class and sass collide when Sommore hits the Las Vegas stage|date=11 June 2015|work=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=24 September 2015}}

Her film appearances include Soul Plane, A Miami Tail, Friday After Next, and Something New.

Sommore and fellow African American female comedians Mo'Nique, Laura Hayes, and Adele Givens were the stars on The Queens of Comedy tour, which was filmed and subsequently aired on Showtime and released on DVD.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/230939/The-Queens-of-Comedy/overview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006133222/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/230939/The-Queens-of-Comedy/overview|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 6, 2014|title=The Queens of Comedy (2001)|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times|first=Jessica|last=Frost|date=2014|accessdate=March 11, 2008}}

Sommore launched the worldwide premiere of "The Queen Stands Alone" on September 30, 2008. The release of her stand-up comedy special was a film version of her stand-up act and was written and produced by Sommore as well as her entertainment company One Thousand Kisses, Inc.{{Citation|title=Sommore: The Queen Stands Alone|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1305823/|access-date=2020-05-09}}

Sommore was a winning participant on the sixth season of Celebrity Fit Club. She lost 11 pounds during the show.{{cite web|url=http://brownsista.com/celebrity-fit-club-with-toccara-sommore/|title=Celebrity Fit Club with Toccara & Sommore|publisher=Brown Sista|date=2010 |accessdate=October 19, 2010}}

Her 2015 special Sommore: The Reign Continues was aired on Netflix in 2018.

Personal life

Aside from her hometown of Trenton, New Jersey, Sommore has lived in Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Currently, her primary residence is in Miami.{{cite web|title=Sommore, George Wallace return to State Farm Arena for more laughs Feb. 8|url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/sommore-george-wallace-return-state-farm-arena-for-more-laughs-feb/JjbXveE2kSEWxo58fiuG4O/|last1=Ho|first1=Rodney|website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|accessdate=14 April 2019}}{{cite web|title=Sommore, the Queen of Comedy, to play Fort Lauderdale Improv in Hollywood - southflorida.com|url=http://www.southflorida.com/theater-and-arts/sf-go-sommore-improv-082213-20130820-story.html|author=SFL|date=20 August 2013|work=southflorida.com|accessdate=24 September 2015}} Her father was the poet Doughtry "Doc" Long and her half-sister is actress Nia Long.{{cite web | title=Nia Long & Sommore Are REAL SISTERS But THIS Is Why We NEVER See Them Together | website=I Love Old School Music | date=13 December 2016 | url=https://www.iloveoldschoolmusic.com/nia-long-sommore-are-real-sisters-but-this-is-why-we-never-see-them-together/ | access-date=April 14, 2019}}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
2002 \| Friday After Next \| Cookie \|
2003 \| A Miami Tail \| Stephanie \|
2004 \| Soul Plane \| Cherry \|
rowspan=2\| 2006 \| Something New \| Herself \|
Dirty Laundry \| Abby \|

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"

Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

2002

| Friday After Next

| Cookie

2003

| A Miami Tail

| Stephanie

2004

| Soul Plane

| Cherry

rowspan=2| 2006

| Something New

| Herself

Dirty Laundry

| Abby

=Television=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
rowspan=2\| 1995 \| Snaps \| Herself \| Episode: "Episode #1.2"
Def Comedy Jam \| Herself \| Episode: "Episode #5.5"
1995-96 \| ComicView \| Herself/Host \| Main Host
1996 \| It's Showtime at the Apollo \| Herself \| Episode: "Episode #9.20"
1998 \| The Hughleys \| Keshia \| Episode: "Pilot"
2002 \| The Parkers \| Olivia Radcliffe \| Episode: "Mother's Day Blues"
2005 \| Weekends at the DL \| Herself \| Episode: "Episode #1.18"
rowspan=3\| 2006 \| The Tom Joyner Show \| Herself \| Episode: "Episode #1.15"
Live at Gotham \| Herself/Host \| Episode: "Episode #1.6"
Def Comedy Jam \| Herself \| Episode: "Episode #7.1"
rowspan=2\| 2007 \| Wild 'N Out \| Herself \| Episode: "The Jump Off Special"
Comedy Central Roast \| Herself \| Episode: "Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav"
2007-14 \| Comics Unleashed \| Herself \| Recurring Guest
rowspan=3\| 2008 \| 1 vs. 100 \| Herself \| Contestant: Season 2
Flavor of Love \| Herself \| Episode: "Things That Go Bump On The Lip"
Celebrity Fit Club \| Herself \| Contestant: Season 6
rowspan=4\| 2014 \| Just for Laughs: All-Access \| Herself \| Episode: "Jeff Ross"
Hit the Floor \| Herself \| Episode: "Blow Out"
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta \| Herself/Host \| Episode: "Reunion Part 1-3"
ComicView \| Herself/Host \| Main Host
2018 \| The History of Comedy \| Herself \| Recurring Guest: Season 2
2021 \| South Side \| Yvonne Turner \| Episode: "Life of an Ottoman"

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"

Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

rowspan=2| 1995

| Snaps

| Herself

| Episode: "Episode #1.2"

Def Comedy Jam

| Herself

| Episode: "Episode #5.5"