Martin Lawrence

No need to worry about thoughtless critics giving away all the best jokes in "You So Crazy," the new Martin Lawrence performance film. If they work for mainstream publications, they won't be able to. For Lawrence is almost always in-your-face raunchy and scatological, an enthusiastic dispenser of profanity whose explicit detailing of all kinds of sexual situations led to "Crazy" getting an NC-17 rating and undergoing a change in distribution.

Martin Lawrence seemed to have it all. He had his own TV series, "Martin," had starred with Will Smith in the 1995 hit film "Bad Boys" and a year later co-wrote, directed and starred in the dark comedy "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate." Lawrence was seen as the potential successor to star comedians like Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy. Then one day in May 1996, Lawrence ran into traffic on busy Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, cursing and screaming, "Fight the establishment!"

Martin Lawrence Limited Editions Inc., a Van Nuys art publisher and operator of art galleries, said its first-quarter loss widened to $1.77 million from a $308,000 loss a year before. The company's revenue in the three months that ended March 31 was $4.74 million, down 31% from $6.84 million a year earlier. Martin Lawrence said its revenue in the 1992 period included $1.5 million from the settlement of its legal dispute with artist Hiromichi Yamagata.

Martin Lawrence Limited Editions reported that its second-quarter net income increased 32% compared to the same period last year. The company said its net income was $2 million on total revenue of $12.9 million for the quarter that ended June 30. Martin Lawrence said in the first six months of the year its net income increased 27% to $3.6 million while sales increased to $22.5 million from last year's sales of $16.7 million for the same period.

Martin Lawrence Limited Editions Inc., a Van Nuys art retailer, said it lost $2.09 million for the first quarter that ended March 31, compared to a year-earlier profit of $2.01 million. The company's sales fell 48% to $6.93 million from $13.3 million a year before. The results included a $1.73-million charge to cover the estimated costs of closing six retail galleries during the next several months. Martin Lawrence said it will open two new stores in suburban Chicago by the end of April.

Martin Lawrence Limited Editions Inc., a Van Nuys-based operator of art galleries, posted a $1.98-million loss for the fourth quarter, compared with a $5.87-million loss a year earlier. The company, suffering from weakness in the art market and the economy in general, said the narrower loss in the latest quarter came on a 20% drop in its sales, to $4.87 million from $6.05 million.

Martin Lawrence Limited Editions Inc., the Van Nuys marketer of limited edition artworks, said it narrowed its loss in the first quarter to $599,000 from $1.77 million the previous year. The loss was on revenue of $4.68 million, down from $4.74 million in 1993. The company attributed its improved performance to reduction of overhead costs in producing goods and to higher retail prices.

Martin Blinder, chairman of Martin Lawrence Limited Editions, gently lifts the Plexiglas cover to show off his latest collectible: a 79-cent box of Campbell's dried chicken noodle soup. What makes this box different from those on a grocer's shelf is that artist Andy Warhol has signed it. "It's now a piece of art," Blinder said. "And I probably could sell it for $500."