Few shows defined an era like Martin. From music to movies to fashion, the iconic sitcom was not only abroad mainstream hit, it was a cultural force that went beyond the screen and epitomized an era. The show was a crossover sensation all while providing an honest and refreshing view of the Black experience and to this day, the characters, all created by the comedic genius of the show’s namesake, Martin Lawrence, are still some of pop culture’s most beloved. Thirty years later, its legacy lives on, and this summer, fans will be able to relive all the love, joy and laughter as Martin and the gang come together once again for the first time in decades.
The reunion special, hosted by comedian and actor Affion Crockett, will include Martin Lawrence (“Martin”), Tisha Campbell (“Gina”), Tichina Arnold (“Pamela”) and Carl Anthony Payne II (“Cole”), along with surprise guest appearances. Taking a look at the show’s origin and evolution, the reunion will feature interviews with the cast, original directors, special musical performances, and behind-the-scenes commentary on the importance and impact of the show that shaped a generation.
“Martin is one of the most beloved sitcoms in our community, both because it is hugely entertaining and because it played a pivotal role in changing the narrative of Black voices in entertainment and in culture through the portrayal of young, ambitious Black leads and healthy Black relationships,” said Scott Mills,CEO of BET. “Decades later, that representation is still just as important, which is why we’re so excited to honor a series that put Black culture front and center on our platform that embraces Black culture everyday.”
“To be able to sit here thirty years later with this amazing cast that has had such an impact on pop cultureis truly a blessing. I am always humbled that the fans still want more of the show and its characters. I amlooking forward to the reunion special.” said Martin Lawrence.
“Martin is one of the greatest sitcoms of all time,” said Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.“JCE is honored to partner with Martin and BET on such an iconic reunion.
”The reunion is executive produced by Martin Lawrence, Robert Lawrence, Rae Proctor, and Stacy Lyles through his company Run Tel Dat Entertainment. For Jesse Collins Entertainment, Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon serve as executive producers along with Jeannae Rouzan-Clay who is also the showrunner. The show is executive produced and directed by Stan Lathan. The special is written by Nile Evans as well as Bentley Kyle Evans who also serves as a co-executive producer. Jesse Collins Entertainment’s Brittany Brazil is a producer.
The taping will take place Sunday, February 20 and will launch on BET+ later this year. In the meantime,fans can get ready for the reunion by re-watching all five seasons of Martin now on BET+.
Oscar nominee Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow, Empire) and Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr (Jerry Maguire) are leading the cast in the horror pic Skeletons in the Closet, with shooting to get underway this week in Las Vegas. Also starring are Clifton Powell (Ray) and Valery M. Ortiz (2 Minutes of Fame).
The film is about the spirit of La Llorona granting a costly wish to the parents of a child by curing her of cancer. In saving the child, the mother of the child suffers the consequences by losing her beloved husband and becoming more evil until she pledges her allegiance to La Llorona. The father (Howard) spirals down the path of self-destruction after borrowing hard money from a ruthless mobster to pay the hospital bills for his daughter.
Lance Kawas is directing from a script by Koji Steven Sakai and Joshua A. Cohen. The original story comes from Al Bravo. Producers are Bravo, Asif Akbar, Sakai, Colin Bates, and Stan Erdreich. Production company Al Bravo Films is in post-production on action movie Mojave Diamonds starring Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Donald Cerrone, and Chael Sonnen.
Source: Deadline
“Impractical Jokers” will return on April 2 with a special “supersized” episode that will be simulcast for the first time on TBS and TNT in addition to TruTV. The roadblock will air on all three Turner (sorry, “TNets”) channels right after coverage of the NCAA Men’s Final Four.
This reps the first new episode of “Impractical Jokers” since August, and the first since Joe Gatto announced his departure from the show and the Tenderloins troupe. Remaining stars Brian “Q” Quinn, James “Murr” Murray and Sal Vulcano are back, and the special will include comedian Eric André (“The Eric André Show”) as a guest.
The tenth season of “Impractical Jokers” is currently in production, and will return to TruTV this summer, featuring celebrity guests joining Quinn, Murray and Vulcano each week.
The “Impractical Jokers” news was announced Monday during the Television Critics Association’s virtual winter press tour. Also announced for TruTV, the network has ordered eight half-hour episodes of the travel comedy series “101 Places to Party Before You Die,” starring Adam Pally (“Happy Endings”) and Jon Gabrus (“Game Over, Man!”). Based on the book “101 Places to Get F*cked Up Before You Die,” the show follows the pals as they explore Maui, Moab, Miami, Puerto Rico, Portland, Richmond, Atlanta and Denver.
“101 Places to Party Before You Die” comes from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, produced by Shed Media in association with Clone Wolf, Inc., High and Mighty Productions, Inc., 3 Arts Entertainment, Inc. and Artists First with Dan Peirson, Lisa Shannon, Michael Rucker, Julie Golden, Adam Pally, Jon Gabrus, Greg Walter, Josh Lieberman, Tucker Voorhees and Brian Steinberg serving as executive producers. Rucker also serves as showrunner.
At TBS, “Chad” returns for Season 2 on Monday, April 11 at 10 p.m. ET. The network also released a teaser of the upcoming second season starring creator/executive producer/showrunner Nasim Pedrad:
And TBS has also renewed gamer “The Cube,” hosted by NBA star Dwyane Wade, for a second season.
Source: Variety
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trevor Noah, the host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, will be the featured entertainer for the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 30.
It will be the first time the event, usually held annually, will take place since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Trevor is an incredible talent who keeps us laughing — and thinking — four nights a week,” said a statement from Steven Portnoy, the association president and a reporter for CBS News Radio. “We can’t wait for him to help bring our 100-year Washington tradition ‘Back to Abnormal.’”
Noah is also scheduled to host this year’s Grammy awards.
Although former President Donald Trump skipped the annual dinner during his term, the association suggested that President Joe Biden will be there.
The event, the association said in a press release, will “offer the first opportunity since 2016 for the press and the president to share a few laughs for a good cause.”
The dinner is normally attended by prominent journalists, politicians and celebrities, and it raises money for scholarships.
NEW YORK (AP) — Whoopi Goldberg returned to “The View” on Monday after a two-week suspension for remarks about the Holocaust, expressing surprise at some people who had reached out to her during her absence.
Goldberg had been criticized for comments Jan. 31 on the daytime talk show where she said the Holocaust was not about race, but rather about man’s inhumanity to others. She apologized, but ABC News President Kim Godwin told her to sit out two weeks.
“I want to thank everybody who reached out while I was away,” Goldberg said at the opening of Monday’s show. “I’m telling you, people reached out from places that made me go, ’wait, wait, what? Really? OK. I listened to what everybody was saying and I was grateful.”
She did not specify any of the people who reached out to her.
Jewish leaders had criticized her initial statement, noting that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had referred to Jews as an inferior race. Goldberg apologized online the night she made the remark, and on the next day’s show.
“Yes, I am back,” Goldberg said as she took the stage with her co-hosts on Monday.
“There is something kind of marvelous about being on a show like this because we are ‘The View’ and this is what we do,” she said. “Sometimes we don’t do it as elegantly as we could. But it’s five minutes to get in information about topics and that’s what we try to do everyday.”
She said the hosts will continue to have tough conversations.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — After three years without a host, the Oscars are reportedly making up for lost time with three hosts for this year’s awards: Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes are in final talks to host the 94th Academy Awards, the trade publication Variety reported Monday.
Reports say that each actor will be responsible for one hour of the three-hour broadcast, airing live on ABC on March 27. Neither the academy nor representatives for Schumer, Hall and Sykes immediately responded to request for comment by The Associated Press. The hosts will be confirmed Tuesday morning on “Good Morning America.”
“Girls Trip” producer Will Packer is producing this year’s ceremony. Hall has been in several of Packer’s movies, including “Think Like a Man” and “Little.”
The show is hoping to rebound from the dismal viewership of last year’s broadcast, which was both an all-time low and the norm for pandemic-era awards shows. In addition to bringing back starry hosts and bumping the best picture nominees to a set ten, the Academy is also hoping to spike interest through social media voting for a “fan favorite” movie that will be announced during the show, as well as a chance to win a trip to Los Angeles for the ceremony.
Dave Chappelle threatened to pull his various business ventures from his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio, if the village council went ahead with a plan to build — wait for it — more affordable housing in the area.
As the Dayton Daily News reports, Yellow Springs had been working with Oberer Homes on a new development project that was set to include a mix of single-family homes, duplexes, and townhouses; Oberer was also set to donate an additional 1.75 acres to the town where more affordable housing could be built in the future.
But thanks to opposition from Chappelle — who threatened to pull his business ventures from Yellow Springs if the plan moved forward — and other members of the Yellow Springs community, the council rejected the proposal Monday night, Feb 7, and instead went with the original plan: 143 single-family homes with a starting price of about $300,000.
The Friday film franchise spawned a number of lovable characters, including Smokey (played by Chris Tucker), Pops (played by the late John Witherspoon), and Deebo (played by the late Tiny Lister Jr.). But even the smaller roles made a lasting impression.
Anthony “AJ” Johnson, who portrayed the neighborhood crackhead Ezal, made a lasting impression in the 1995 original. But like Witherspoon and Lister, he won’t be making it to another Friday film — if a fourth installment ever does happen.
Anthony Johnson passed away last September at the age of 55 and now, there’s a cause of death. According to TMZ, the actor/comedian died due to “chronic ethanol abuse,” meaning he drank himself to death.
The medical examiner also noted the manner of his death was “natural” and no alcohol or common drugs of abuse came up in his toxicology test. And while the coroner’s office found he’d recently tested positive for COVID-19, there were no signs of pneumonia at the time of death either. Johnson’s widow Lexis Jones Mason wants people to know the dangers of drinking and plans to teach teenagers at her church about the potential outcomes of substance abuse.
Johnson was recently the recipient of an elaborate headstone courtesy of “Cemetery Tim,” who designed both Nate Dogg and Eazy-E’s grave markers. The gravestone commemorates Johnson’s career with photos of him as Ezal from Friday and E.Z.E. in House Party. The inscription reads, “Don’t cry for me, I lived and made your ass laugh … tell me I’m lying!” Mason worked closely with Cemetery Tim on the design and made sure it included Johnson’s signature.
Cemetery Tim shared a photo of the birthday gift to his Instagram account on February 1 with the caption, “Happy Birthday AJ. Thank you for all the laughs and memories Brother. Today we set his headstone in Rose Hills Cemetery.”
Johnson’s Friday co-star Ice Cube was among the many celebrities paying their respects on Twitter. As the news of Johnson’s death made the rounds, Cube re-tweeted DJ Pooh’s clip of Johnson in the film and expressed his sorrow in the caption.
“Sad to wake up to the news about AJ Johnson passing away,” he wrote. “Naturally funny dude who straight outta Compton at the same time. Sorry I couldn’t bring your character Ezal back to the big screen in Last Friday.”