Throughout JB Smoove's decades-long career as a comedian, actor, and writer, he has become known for many things. His fast-paced New York cadence and his ingenious comebacks. Their wide-brimmed hats and their elegant suits. And, of course, his most beloved character, Leon Black, on HBO's “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which catapulted him to stardom.
In Sunday Funday, the people of Los Angeles tell us step by step their ideal Sunday in the city. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
The improv-based comedy came to an end earlier this year after 12 seasons (six of which Smoove starred in), but Smoove, whose credits include “Saturday Night Live,” “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” “Spider- Man: Far From Home” and “Mapleworth Murders,” shows no signs of slowing down. Smoove will host “Buy It Now,” a competition series where entrepreneurs pitch their products in front of a live audience and esteemed judges in hopes of being featured on Amazon.com and winning a cash prize. It premieres on October 30 on Amazon Prime Video.
Smoove knew he was perfect for the job when he got the call to host the show. “I'm not at the level of Jamie Siminoff or Tabitha. [Brown] or gwyneth [Paltrow]” says the Emmy winner, who recently released a production company. “But I understand how animalistic it is because I am still on my path to becoming a great entrepreneur. “It takes time and patience.”
We recently caught up with Smoove to ask him how he would spend a perfect Sunday in Los Angeles, where he has lived since 2007. Ideally, he and his wife, Shahidah Omar, wouldn't leave their home, which they call the “777.” Resort,” a nickname that commemorates their wedding date and contains everything they could ever want. But she indulged us by creating an action-packed day filled with hiking, jet skiing to Catalina Island, sipping an “Herb Your Enthusiasm” cocktail at one of her favorite vegan restaurants, and catching up on “Love is Blind.”
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
6:30 am: Wake up and walk my dogs.
I wake up every morning at 6:30 am. My whole family is on New York time, so my phone starts ringing at 6am. I'm three hours behind them and they're already up and kicking. When the alarm goes off in the morning, my dogs want to come to the side of the bed. Their names are Hustle and Flo like in the movie”Hustle and flow.” Hustle has a habit of touching my arm over and over with his big paw when he's ready to go out. So I take those guys out, walk around the neighborhood a little bit, and let them say hello to their [dog] friends.
8:00 am: Cook my special vegan breakfast
Then I'll bring them home and now I need to have breakfast. My wife and I are vegan, but she is raw. vegan right now, so she doesn't eat what I eat in the morning. On a nice day like Sunday Funday, I made my waffles and fried mushrooms with vegan chicken. Sometimes it's blueberries, sometimes it's bananas. Sometimes they are blueberry and banana. I pick and choose depending on how my taste buds are going. Many people like sweets, I like sweets. I also love some sausage and some Just Egg, which is one of my favorite egg substitutes.
9:00 am: Start my 1968 Lincoln Continental
I go old school. I bought a 1968 Lincoln Continental. So I start the engine, warm it up, inflate the bags and press the little button on the car that lifts it off the ground because I let it take a nap at night. “Old School Sunday” should be an unofficial holiday.
10:00 am: Hike in Fryman Canyon
Next, my wife and I would walk through Fryman Canyon. A return because we don't want to wear ourselves out. The heat starts to increase a little, especially in summer. Many people leave early because they don't want to be hot. It's an incredible ride. There's Runyon on the block and then there's Fryman. Now, Fryman has more trees and shady areas where you can stop and take in the view. Then, the last quarter, you walk through a neighborhood with beautiful houses. It is a beautiful area of the city. And sometimes you'll get lucky and catch an open house on a Sunday, which I recommend.
12 pm: Jet ski ride to Catalina Island.
We will finish our hike in Fryman around 11am, then a great option is jet skiing in Catalina. Many people don't know about this. You can jet ski to Catalina with this company called Jetski2Catalina And I'm telling you right now, it's a journey. You go to Long Beach and you can hop on a jet ski and ride to Catalina. It's about two hours, but it's worth it. Make the trip there because your arms will get tired if you are not used to exercising or if your body does not vibrate for a long period of time. travel to Avalon on the island.
2 p.m.: Lunch at Maggie's Blue Rose
When you get there, you'll be hungry again, so eat something for lunch to replenish your energy. A place with good and authentic Mexican food is Maggie's Blue Rose. I recommend the street corn, but ours doesn't have cheese because we are vegan. Maybe we'd get a vegan burrito with beans, rice, and sautéed vegetables, rolled up tightly. A good burrito should fit as tight as a cigar if you know what you're doing.
3:30 pm: Rent a golf cart and go zip lining.
Then you should rent a golf cart to tour the island and look at the houses. People don't know that there aren't many cars on Catalina Island, that's why everyone has golf carts. So some of the golf carts are decked out and look cool because the people who live there want to have the best one. They also have zip lining on the island; This is something you must do. The zipline is disgusting because you can hear people screaming. [Imitates zip line and screams] I recommend tying your shoes tightly because you don't want to lose a shoe halfway through. You will be very upset. Furthermore, not ever Wear flip flops on a zipline.
7 pm: Take a boat back to Long Beach.
When you're done ziplining, you'll want to take the ferry back to Long Beach. Arrive early and get a good window seat, preferably at the front of the boat so you can see where you're going. Or some people like to see where they've been and watch the island move further and further away from them. Up to you. The return trip is shorter. You'll be back in about an hour.
9 pm: Enjoy anorth “Herb your enthusiasm“ cocktail at Plant
You now want to return to your vehicle and head to plant in Marina Del Rey. This is a purely vegan place, but the food is excellent. They have a cocktail there called “Herb Your Enthusiasm,” a play on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” So every time I go there, the bartender recognizes me and says, “Hey, man. I see what the hell you're doing, the 'Herb Your Enthusiasm'.” That's my favorite cocktail. My wife and I will kick it at the bar. We could order something light since it's getting late like a cucumber and avocado sushi.
11:00 p.m.: Return home in the classic whip.
We will go back to the old school and we will return to the cradle. Now this car has suicide doors. All doors open from the center outwards. So we'll roll down all the windows and play some good old school R&B music. Sometimes I light a cigarette.
11:30 pm: Binge watch our favorite shows
Once we get home, we'll watch our favorite shows. We are zombie fans. We'll see “Walking Dead,” “The Last of Us,” something in that genre. Or we'll see something stupid. Have you seen this new burst the balloon dating show? It's a disaster, but we find it very funny because people stay there trying to find someone. It's fun to watch them fight. It's always fun when someone comes out and all the balloons pop before they open their mouth. I say, “Let the guy talk! Give it a chance.” We also like “Love is Blind.” My wife and I bet money on who will say yes at the altar and who will say no. We don't like comedies very much. You'd think a comedian would like comedies. I never watch comedies. My favorite genre is James Bond movies. I love James Bond and Daniel Craig. If you need a replacement, I'll put my name in the hat. I have two O's in my name. [Laughs]
1 a.m.: Debate on “Love is Blind” before bed
Then we go from the living room to the bedroom and say, “One more episode” before we go to bed and we never get to finish that episode. We always get halfway through and our heads start nodding. Then we'll turn on the lights and talk about who we think will still be together on “Love is Blind” and that will keep us awake for another 30 minutes. We'll go to bed around 2am, then I'll sleep for four and a half hours before getting up again at 6:30am.
