She hates mint-chip ice cream. She loves extra crunchy Cheetos. She says she will put anything raw and weird in her mouth because she’s Japanese. And no, she is not Barbra Streisand.
She’s new funny girl, Aiko Tanaka.
Funny girl Aiko Tanaka.
Model, actress and now-turned stand-up comedian Aiko Tanaka will be at Comedy Zen’s “Jokes of Death” show on July 29 in Los Angeles. With host Rajiv Satyal, the lineup includes comedian Eliot Chang, featured in Comedy Central Presents, up-and-coming K.T. Tatara, and the boys from YouTube phenom Just Kidding Films who will be performing their special rendition of their famous “History of Korean Drama.”
Tanaka (her first name means “child of love”), who is of Korean and Japanese descent, was born in Tokyo and began modeling at the age of 3. She appeared on fashion catalogs and advertisements in Japan, just like her mom, a former swimsuit model.
After moving to Boston, Tanaka studied theater in college and was scouted by a talent agent from L.A., who secured her a TV gig on the The Grind with MTV. With a growing number of modeling offers, she was selected to appear on an Import Tuner cover as well as many other auto magazines such as D-Sport and Super Street. In fact, she was the first Japanese/Korean to ever appear as the cover model on these major magazines. She is also the voice of a character in the video game “Street Racing Syndicate.”
More recently, Tanaka appeared in music videos for Destiny’s Child, Afroman, Far East Movement, Jin and more. Her film and television credits include The Howard Stern Show, Late Night with Jay Leno, Malcolm and Eddie, My Wife and Kids, Numb3rs, and The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Tanaka says her first crush was Jet Li. “I was like 7 when I saw Shaolin Temple,” she says. “I decided to marry that man and have his kids. Next week, I saw Superman in tight pants, and I changed my mind. I was a floozy back then.” And she says she loves anything with Audrey Hepburn. “She inspires me to act like a lady, like wanting to go to the supermarket with white gloves on.”
Catch her this Thursday at Comedy Zen’s “Jokes of Death” show. Of course, you just may catch her at your local grocery store, maybe even in white lace gloves.
DETAILS
July 29, 2010, 8 pm
Comedy Zen at the Japanese American National Museum, 369 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
After-party at Chop Suey Café and Lounge, 347 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Buy tickets here. Get more info here.
