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      The star of Nickelodeon’s hit show “Just Jordan” and no stranger to the stand-up circuit, Lil’ JJ has released a variety show DVD, titled “Almost Grown” and it’s moving off the shelves.

      The disc, the comedian’s first, is a live sketch show hosted and produced by the 17-year old, which features stand-up and skits.

     “I’ve been almost grown for a while now,” the young star told EUR’s Lee Bailey. “But I tell people, even if you’re 30-something or 40-something, you ain’t grown yet. I don’t have an official age, but no matter how old you are, you still ain’t grown.”

     It’s true that Lil’ JJ is hardly a novice in the comedy game. He’s been hitting comedy stages since he was 11, discovered at his middle school in Little Rock, Arkansas, won BET’s comedy competition “Coming to the Stage’, and starred on TV shows and in movies. Now in his latter teen years, the youngster is making his solo move with the new disc that he says will reach not only his teen and tween peers, but adults, too.

      “You’ve got a lot of kids and teenagers out there going though the same situations,” he said of the topics covered on the DVD. “And they hear it all the time – ‘You ain’t grown yet.’ But their favorite line is, ‘I’m almost grown.’ The DVD explains it and a lot of kids can relate to it. And you’re going to have adults saying, ‘I remember when I was going through that’ and you’re going to have kids that’s going to love it because they're going through the same thing.”

      Lil’ JJ said that the young generation has a lot of issues to deal with in this day and age. He hopes that his stories and jokes help them realize that they're not alone in having to deal with those issues.

      “In my stand up, even since I was 11 years old I’ve always talked about stuff I’m going through and different situations I’m put in that make me feel a certain way, so I talk about those things,” he said of his reality delivery. “With comedy, the more real it is, the more people can relate to it – it’s funny. It makes you feel good because now you see that you’re not the only person I going through these situations.”

      Bottom line according to Lil’ JJ, teens want what they can’t have. He believes that being “almost grown” means you’re at a place where you’re very often given grown-up responsibilities, but aren’t necessarily given grown-up privileges. 

      “One major thing is when it comes to things like curfews, when it comes to different parties, and when it comes to life itself – you go through a lot of stuff that you want to do because you see older people doing it and people have to put you in your place and let you realize you’re not grown yet and you can’t do what the next person is doing,” he explained, expressing the sentiment of most if not all teenagers.

      “I hear that a lot; just off me being in entertainment. My mentors, the people I look up to like older comedians and actors and I say, ‘I need to do that, I need to do this.” And people say, ‘Well J, you’re not grown yet I say, ‘Well I’m almost there, so that should count for something.’”

      One thing that does count is the comedian’s drive. Lil’ JJ makes no bones about it; he’s not afraid of hard work.

      “You have to give it your all, especially in the world that I’m living in now. I tell all up-and-coming actors and comedians and entertainers, ‘If y’all gonna do this, you’ve got to give it your all.’ Whenever I do anything, I give it my all like there are millions of millions of people out there trying to take my spot.”

      As the spokesperson for teenage kids, Lil’ JJ said that he believes that there are many just like him and who were just like him with stories about his mom, aunt, and siblings – and just plain being a kid.

      “One of the almost grown things that I’m going through now that I’m in entertainment is that I’m making money, my mama’s got me paying my own child support,” he joked. “She’s like, ‘Well your daddy ain’t been paying it so somebody’s going to have to give me my money. I don’t care how I get it.’ So when I woke up in the hospital, the doctor told me that I had a choice between child support or life support.”

      Rather talented for his years, the funny man’s comedy is genuinely edgy, intelligent, and clean. Lil’ JJ revealed that he is very careful in his comedy, and understands that while he wants to “act his age,” he doesn’t want to come off childish.

      “I can’t be all the way kiddie because I want everybody to want to listen to my stand-up. Kids love what I talk about and adults enjoy it as well.”

      Lil’ JJ will be getting a lot of talk in thanks to the DVD; enough to hold over fans as he prepares to head out on travels and stage dates. Additionally, he hopes the release gives those not familiar with him a taste of his talent, and that the variety show format showcases that he is a man of many.

      “From rapping to acting to me executive producing – this is my first DVD and I want people to have me all in one,” he said. “This is the main one that I want people to say, ‘I gotta go get this’ or ‘Let’s watch ‘Almost Grown’.”

      To get more on ‘Grown’ and more on Lil’ JJ, check out his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/liljj_live.

Watch the promo for 'Almost Grown':