The largest comedy film festival in the United States is taking over Los Angeles from April 7th-10th, 2011.

One of the events you don’t want to miss during the L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival, is the big screen debut of “Ashy To Classy”, written by and starring Comedian Donnell Rawlings.

Donnell Rawlings, best known for being “Ashy Larry” on the hit TV series “Chappelle’s Show”, will be premiering his “Ashy To Classy” on Friday April 8th at 2:00pm.

“Ashy to Classy” is hilarious! It offers you a taste of the good and bad realities that exist inside the entertainment industry. “Ashy to Classy” is a wonderful spoof on Donnell’s life after the “Chappelle’s Show” .

Donnell Rawlings has appeared in a number of TV, film, and radio productions including, “Chappelle’s Show”, “Spider-Man II”, “Chelsea Lately”, “Law & Order”, “Third Watch”, and more! Donnell Rawlings ‘one-hour Comedy Central Special, “From Ashy To Classy” recently kicked off his national tour receiving rave reviews.

Donnell Rawlings was kind enough to take a moment from his busy schedule to answer a few of my questions:

How did you come up with the idea to do “From Ashy To Classy”?

Donnell: I’ve always been an Ashy guy from my youth, but always envisioned something that made me classier.

How did you and your director Dave Mathis come together?

Both Dave and I were comedians from D.C. who respected each others’  comedic skills. We were always cordial when we saw each other and maintained a friendship on the comedy circuit.

How long did it take to do the short?

It was something conceived right after the cancellation of the “Chapelle’s Show” it took me 30 minutes to write and 2 days to shoot.

How long have you been doing your “From Ashy To Classy” tour?

I’ve been doing the tour for 5 months, and it ends when the lotion runs out.

To learn more about Donnell Rawlings visit his official website http://www.donnellrawlings.com To learn more about the “LA Comedy Shorts Film Festival visit http://www.lacomedyshorts.com/