Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the comedy Supercool, starring Jake Short (This Is the Year), Miles J. Harvey (The Babysitter) and Damon Wayans Jr. (Let’s Be Cops, The Other Guys), with plans to release it in theaters and on digital and VOD on February 11.
The film from director Teppo Airaksinen (Juice) centers on Neil Tobbler (Short), who has gone through most of his life feeling invisible and fantasizing about his long-time crush, Summer (Madison Davenport). When Neil and his best friend Gilbert (Harvey) find out that Summer is throwing a birthday party, Gilbert pressures Neil to ask her for an invitation. The plan fails, and Neil embarrasses himself in front of the girl of his dreams.
Desperate and humiliated, Neil wishes upon the universe to be someone else—a supercool version of himself—the next day waking up and realizing that the universe has granted him his wish. Armed with new confidence, Neil gets an invitation to Summer’s party and asks his playboy neighbor Jimmy (Wayans) to help him attract Summer’s attention. As the night begins, things quickly spin out of control. Neil and Gilbert are unexpectedly swept into a series of car chases, robberies and wild parties, with the epic outing testing the boys’ friendship, and forcing Neil to learn a couple life lessons.
Ali Moussavi and Yellow Film and TV’s Olli Haikka penned the script for Supercool, from an original manuscript by Patricia Goren and Eric Goren. The film’s cast also includes Iliza Shlesinger (Good on Paper, Spenser Confidential), Odessa A’zion (Let’s Scare Julie, Conception), Peter Moses (Barely Famous) and Madison Bailey (Outer Banks). Haikka produced, with Peter Barkman, Scott Einbinder, Eric Goren, Patricia Goren, Heikki Herlin, Jorma Reinilä, Giancarlo J. Sini and Marko Talli exec producing. Pietari Vappula and Chris Debenedetto served as associate producers, with Cherelle George and Warren Ostergard as co-producers.
“It takes courage to show people who you truly are – even for adults, but especially for teens,” said Haikka. “Despite being saturated with self-doubt, teens often carry on like they have all the confidence in the world – that’s where so much of the comedy in Supercool comes from.
“Inspired by improvisation sessions that we had with young actors in various LA acting schools, some jokes and scenes in Supercool are based on real-life experiences,” added the writer-producer, “and that’s what I hope will resonate with audiences and make them laugh.”
“Supercool is a film that resonated with us because of its duality in managing to be both a raunchy and hilarious film but also a genuine story about friendship and individuality,” added Vertical Entertainment’s SVP of Acquisitions, Tony Piantedosi. “For those looking for a good laugh and amusement during these unpredictable times, Supercool is definitely a must-see.”
One of the most prolific directors in the Nordics, Airaksinen has helmed five features and more than 200 hours of televisions, with his short film The Ceiling winning the Cannes Film Festival’s Special Jury Distinction in 2017.
Yellow Film & TV, found in 1994, is the largest independent studio in the Nordics. Its best-known international productions include the crime drama Arctic Circle and sports drama Borg vs. McEnroe, which was a co-production with SF Studios.
Vertical Entertainment is a global independent distributor, which was founded in 2012. Other upcoming releases from the company include Delmar Washington’s sci-fi thriller No Running, starring Skylan Brooks; AJ Jones’ horror film La Patasola; the comedy Unplugging, starring Eva Longoria and Matt Walsh; John Michael McDonagh’s thriller The Forgiven, starring Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes, which it co-acquired with Roadside Attractions in November; and Drew Mylrea’s thriller Last Survivors, starring Alicia Silverstone, Stephen Moyer, and Drew Van Acker.
Vertical Entertainment’s Piantedosi negotiated the deal to acquire Supercool with WME Independent on behalf of the filmmakers.
Source: Deadline
A year after NAACP’s production partnership with CBS Studios formally launched with the hire of Sheila Ducksworth as President, the venture has sold its first projects. The five shows — spanning platforms (broadcast and streaming) and genres (drama, dramedy, comedy, limited series), include a reboot of cult 1991 movie Soapdish for Paramount+, with original co-star Whoopi Goldberg reprising her role and Jane the Virgin creator Jennie Snyder Urman co-writing the dramedy adaptation.
Goldberg is one of three top comedians attached to star in NAACP-CBS Studios projects, with D.L. Hughley and Earthquake set to headline autobiographical comedy series in the works at Fox and CBS, respectively.
Real people and events are the inspiration behind two dramatic projects, a limited series at Apple TV+ with Kapital Entertainment, which tells the story of the courageous Little Rock 9 Black students who helped end school segregation in the South, and drama Construction at Paramount+, inspired by NYC building magnate Cheryl McKissack for Paramount+. CBS Studios is the studio on all projects except Little Rock Nine, which is an Kapital/Apple Studios co-production; Soapdish is a co-production with Paramount TV Studios.
“This slate is highly indicative of the kind of fare that we’re looking to put forward, which is fresh and entertaining, with a strong point of view, and we have been very fortunate to have several attachments that we think will really propel our projects in a big way,” Ducksworth told Deadline. “We’re working with Whoopi Goldberg, we’re working with DL Hughley, we’re working with Earthquake, and we have several more projects in the queue that also have big talent attachments which we’re very excited about. It’s representation at its best, it’s showing different sides of life, different opinions, different types of people that there are, and that’s our goal for all of this: to have full inclusion of all different types of viewpoints in all that we do in a fun way.”
In putting together the slate, Ducksworth, who executive produces all of the venture’s projects, has tapped into the relationships she had developed over her two decades of industry experience, including serving as a producer on the landmark Showtime drama series Soul Food, winner of seven NAACP awards, as well as stints as head of TV for Will Packer and Susanne Daniels’ companies.
Here are details and the stories behind the five shows from NAACP-CBS Studios’ inaugural slate:
Soapdish: Co-written by Jennie Snyder Urman and up-and-coming writer Asha Michelle Wilson (American Horror Story) based on the 1991 feature, Soapdish is described as a juicy, soapy, and twisty dramedy ensemble starring Goldberg who reprises her role as Rose, Head Writer for the venerable soap The Sun Also Sets.
Urman and Joanna Klein executive produce via Sutton Street alongside Wilson and Tom Leonardis.
Goldberg was one of the first people that Ducksworth reached out to when she started at NAACP-CBS Studios. The two, who had known each other for a while, jumped on Zoom to discussed things they were interested in. During that virtual meeting, they both shared their love for Soapdish, which put the idea for the TV adaptation in motion.
The next big step was bringing on board one of the biggest showrunners on the CBS Studios’ roster, Urman, who, along with her executive, Klein, suggested Wilson as a co-writer.
“I consider it a real coup to be working with Jennie Snyder Urman. She is a powerhouse in every sense of the way,” Ducksworth said.
The movie was distributed by Paramount Pictures, making for complex negotiations and ultimately a co-production by the two ViacomCBS sibling TV studios, CBS Studios and Paramount TV Studios. “It’s going very well,” Ducksworth said of the project, which, like all ViacomCBS library title-driven shows, landed at Paramount+.
Directed by Michael Hoffman, written by Robert Harling and Andrew Bergman and produced by Aaron Spelling and Alan Greisman, the 1991 movie featured an all-star cast that included Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Robert Downey Jr., Elisabeth Shue, Goldberg, Teri Hatcher, Cathy Moriarty, Garry Marshall, Kathy Najimy, and Carrie Fisher.
Untitled DL Hughley Show: Fox has given a script commitment plus penalty to the project, co-produced with 3 Arts and Fox Entertainment
Co-created, co-written and executive produced by Hughley and The Last O.G. showrunner, writer-producer and comedian Owen Smith, the comedy, headlined by Hughley, is based on his life. Unfiltered, unapologetic, and opinionated radio host DL Hughley is free at work but under siege at home as he navigates life as a husband and father to an LGBTQ+ daughter, a son on the autism spectrum whose white girlfriend lives with them, and another daughter who can’t leave his credit card alone.
“DL is one of those rarities to me in that he really can do it all, but even more than that, what I find really special about him is that he doesn’t pull any punches,” Ducksworth said of the veteran comedian and radio host. “He says it exactly how he means it, and he is consistent across the board in expressing his point of view — and he definitely has one.”
Untitled Earthquake Project:
Co-created by Earthquake — who also is set to star — and Robb Chavis (black-ish) and written by Chavis, who is under an overall deal at CBS Studios, the CBS comedy centers on single dad-and-dating comedian Quake who goes from good time dad to full time dad when his two kids move in with him, forcing him to juggle his career as a standup comedian and a D.C. comedy club owner, which includes him taking back the reins of the club’s management from his free-wheeling childhood friend.
Earthquake (real name Nathaniel Martin Stroman) and Chavis executive produce alongside Erika Conner and Jermaine Smith.
“Earthquake has been one of my favorite comedians for years, maybe even decades, and he’s one of those people that I always said I really want to work with him,” Ducksworth said of the comedian who, like Hughley, also has a radio show. “He was very motivated to do television, and what we’re doing with him is inspired by his own life of raising his kids as a single dad. Those are really the best of stories, where you can borrow from what you know and how you live.”
Construction: Written by The Good Fight and Evil co-executive producer Davita Scarlett, who is under an overall deal at CBS Studios, the drama for Paramount+ is inspired by Cheryl McKissack, fifth generation owner of the oldest minority and female construction company in America. Described as Dynasty meets Succession in a high stakes family saga, the series follows a 5th generation Black, NYC female construction magnate in the hard-knuckled male-dominated world of a trillion dollar industry in which she navigates big money; city and state politics; and above all else, family.
Scarlett and McKissack executive produce; McKissack’s producing partner Chandra McQueen is a producer.
“If people don’t know Cheryl McKissack, they’re going to be in for a real treat. She is really one of a kind,” Ducksworth said. “She is running the oldest and biggest minority-owned construction company in the country, she’s fifth-generation, roots in the South, has been working here in New York, doing the biggest kind of endeavors in the field of construction for decades, including Barclays Arena in Brooklyn as well as Harlem Hospital. She is renovating Terminal 1 for JFK now and has many, many projects that are in the works.”
Ducksworth and Scarlett, who share alma mater, have been friends for about a decade. “I’ve been looking forward to working with her,” Ducksworth said, noting that finding a project to collaborate with CBS Studios-based Scarlett was a priority once she joined studio’s NAACP venture.
Little Rock Nine
On this 65th anniversary of one of the most seminal events in American history, the eight-part limited series, which is in very early development at Apple TV+, takes a deep dive into the 1957-1958 school year of Little Rock 9, and the showdown that rocked the nation.
Gwen Parker is writing as well as executive producing alongside Kapital Entertainment’s Aaron Kaplan and Brian Morewitz.
After segregated schools were proclaimed unconstitutional in the U.S., the NAACP in 1957 registered nine black students to attend the previously all-white Little Rock Central High. After the Arkansas National Guard was deployed by the Governor to block the students from entering the school, President Eisenhower had to intervene, providing military escort to the teens. Still, the nine were subjected to a year of physical and verbal abuse by many of the white students.
The limited series, a departure from the rest of Ducksworth’s slate, “which are a real mix of high drama and big comedy,” was brought to her by Kaplan. “He let us know that he had optioned the book ‘Warriors Don’t Cry’, written by one of the original Little Rock Nine, Melba Beals,” and that he had found a writer, Parker, Ducksworth said. “The angle that we’re going to be entering it is very special, and what makes it even more special is when you think about the fact that this year, 2022, is 65 years since that event happened, so, it’s a real milestone.”
What also sets this project apart is that NAACP is not just a producer, it is also part of the narrative, and the organization is opening their archives to the Little Rock Nine creative team.
“The NAACP was at the forefront of that event back in 1957, and in fact, Daisy Bates, the president of the local chapter of the NAACP, was the force to make it all happen back then,” Ducksworth said. “So, the NAACP is well-steeped in this project, Little Rock Nine, and I have to say, we couldn’t ask for a better partner.”
That goes beyond the limited series.
“The NAACP is highly supportive of everything that we’re doing,” Ducksworth said. “I talk with [President and CEO] Derrick Johnson all the time, he’s very intimately involved in everything that we do, including when we were out pitching the [Little Rock Nine] project, he was on those pitches, as well.”
The venture works with both established and upcoming Black writers.
“Our approach is we read everything, We read everything. We meet with people to get a sense of the kinds of things that are of interest to them, and it’s a real gamut,” Ducksworth said, teasing a big project from a baby writer with a strong point of view.
“The current political and societal landscape demand that we expand the voices, contexts, and visibility of artists producing content around the African American experience,” Johnson said. “Great storytelling has a unique ability to entertain, educate, and influence perspectives on critical issues. The projects stemming from the NAACP partnership with CBS Studios will continue to push the boundaries on the variety of stories available to audiences.”
Johnson’s partner on the initiative has been George Cheeks, President & CEO of CBS, who has been the driving force behind the production venture.
“This partnership with Derrick Johnson and the NAACP is incredibly important to our efforts to expand inclusive storytelling across CBS and the entire content ecosystem,” Cheeks said. “It’s been exciting to watch Sheila and her team bring this venture to life over the past year. They have delivered a development slate rich in creative talent and diverse in content, with multiple projects set up for broadcast and streaming.”
Ducksworth, who acknowledged CBS Studios President David Stapf and his team for their support on all fronts — from providing talent from the studio roster to helping with IP acquisitions, brainstorming and dealmaking — called Cheeks “a real shining and guiding light in all of this.”
She recalled that when she first came onboard, she had a conversation with Cheeks, in which she said that, while primetime series have been the mainstay of what she had done, she also was looking forward to producing for all dayparts and do things internationally.
“And he has supported that, and everything from animation, to unscripted, to — of course, our hours and our half-hours — but you name an everyday part, daytime, late night, he has really supported that effort that we have representation across all shows across the board,” Ducksworth said. “When we talk about what the next endeavor will be, I’ll say we’re looking to do more than we did the year before, and that’s the goal of it all, to keep building and having a leader like George and at the top of everything has made it really an experience that is not only a joy but really fruitful. So, we’re expecting really incredible projects to come from all of that.”
Source: Deadline
The official trailer for Peacock’s dramatized reboot of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Bel-Air, was released on Monday.
In lieu of recapturing Will Smith and the original cast’s comedic energy, Bel-Air flips the show into a streaming drama that is more aesthetically akin to something like the early aughts drama The OC. The show is set to premiere on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb 13 on Peacock.
See the trailer below:
Actress Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Suicide Squad) is in talks to star in Two Butterflies, an Amazon drama based on an original idea and script by Evan Dodson, which will be directed by Strong Island‘s Yance Ford.
Two Butterflies follows two estranged sisters who are torn apart by tragedy and forced to reunite when one sister must be transported to an Alzheimer’s facility. Dodson became the youngest scribe ever to make the Black List of the year’s best-unproduced screenplays when his script was selected in 2016.
Davis and Julius Tennon will produce the upcoming film for JuVee Productions, with Rob Hardy for Rainforest Entertainment.
Davis is an Oscar, Emmy and Tony winner best known for turns in films including Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, The Help and Doubt, as well as for the role of criminal defense attorney Annalise Keating in ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder. The actress and producer has also appeared in films including The Unforgivable, Suicide Squad and its sequel The Suicide Squad, Troop Zero, Widows, Blackhat, Get on Up, Prisoners and Beautiful Creatures, among others. Additional TV credits include Scandal and United States of Tara. Davis will next be seen in the Gina Prince-Bythewood TriStar film The Woman King, and in Showtime’s drama series The First Lady, which has her portraying former first lady Michelle Obama, among other projects.
Ford is best known for his 2017 documentary Strong Island, a Netflix Original which made its world premiere at Sundance. The success of the film, chronicling the 1992 murder of Ford’s brother and the failure of an all-white jury to convict his killer, led him to become the first openly transgender man to be nominated for any Academy Award, and to win an Emmy. The filmmaker worked for 10 years as a series producer for the PBS showcase POV, there curating work that garnered more than 16 Emmy nominations. He’s also an architectural welder, and while at Modern Art Foundry he helped assemble the sculpture Maman by Louise Bourgeois—the series of three spiders exhibited at Rockefeller Center, and now on permanent display at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Over the course of his career, Ford has been the recipient the Creative Capital Award and a MacDowell Colony Fellowship, as well as a Sundance Documentary Film Program Fellowship.
Hardy executive produced and directed the pilot episode for Power Book III: Raising Kanan, which was renewed for a second season last summer. He also exec produced and directed the pilot episode for The CW’s All American, which is now in its fourth season, while exec producing studio movies including No Good Deed, Think Like a Man and Stomp the Yard. Hardy continues to direct on series including Power Book II: Ghost. His company Rainforest Entertainment has a first look development deal at Lionsgate.
Other upcoming projects from up-and-coming screenwriter Dodson include an adaptation of Terms of Endearment for Paramount Pictures, which Lee Daniels is set to direct, and Frankly in Love, which is also for Paramount.
Davis is represented by CAA, The Lasher Group, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols; Ford by CAA, Cinetic, and attorney Nina Shaw at Del Shaw Moonves; Hardy by Verve, manager Adam Robinson and attorney John V. Meigs; and Dodson by Verve, manager Jake Wagner and attorney Priya Verma.
Source: Deadline
Actress Jada Pinkett Smith (The Matrix Resurrections) has signed on to star in Redd Zone, a new Netflix drama from Emmy-nominated screenwriter Kristin Layne Tucker (A Black Lady Sketch Show), Oscar-winning director Matthew A. Cherry (Hair Love) and Westbrook Studios.
Based on a true story, Redd Zone follows Tia Magee (Smith), a single mother who steps forward to help her sons and their high school football teammates, “The Bros,” heal after the murder of their best friend, Dominic Redd. One by one, The Bros start moving into her house, and soon 17 are living under her roof. Eventually, all The Bros go to college, with four making it to the NFL. The film is dedicated to Redd’s memory, and to the powerful impact he had on his community.
Smith, Miguel Melendez and Westbrook Studios’ Co-President and Head of Motion Pictures Jon Mone will produce, with Emmy nominee Howard Burkons and former NFL linebacker and MLB outfielder Brandon Magee serving as exec producers. Ryan Shimazaki is overseeing the project on behalf of Westbrook Studios.
Smith is an actress, writer, director and producer who recently reprised her role as Niobe for Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections, after appearing in the sci-fi franchise’s second and third installments, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. She has also appeared in films including Angel Has Fallen, Girls Trip, Bad Moms, Magic Mike XXL, The Human Contract, Reign Over Me, Collateral, Ali, Bamboozled and The Nutty Professor, finding notable roles on the TV side in Fox’s Gotham, TNT’s Hawthorne and more. She founded both Overbrook Entertainment and Westbrook Studios with her husband, Will Smith, also exec producing and toplining in the latter’s popular Facebook Watch talk show, Red Table Talk, which has her sit down with family and friends for candid conversations on a wide variety of topics.
Cherry is a writer, director, producer and former NFL player who is perhaps best known for his film Hair Love, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short in 2020. He raised nearly $300,000 for that project via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, which was the highest amount gathered there for any short film. Cherry has directed episodes of series including Kenan, Saved by the Bell, The Wonder Years, The Unicorn, Black-ish, Mixed-ish, The Last O.G. and Whisky Cavalier, also co-producing The Last O.G. and exec producing Spike Lee’s Oscar winner BlacKkKlansman. Other projects he has in the works include the animated musical series Battu, which he is developing alongside Chaz Bottoms for Cartoon Network Studios; Janine Sherman Barrois’ OWN drama The Kings of Napa, which he is directing; the 2D-animated series Young Love, based on characters from Hair Love, that he created for HBO Max; and comedy heist film The Come Up, which he is directing for New Line.
Tucker last year landed her first Emmy nomination for her contributions to the writing of HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show. She was also recently tapped as a writer for the second season of HBO Max’s acclaimed comedic thriller, The Flight Attendant.
Pinkett Smith is represented by WME and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Cherry is repped by ICM Partners, Blue Key Management and attorney R. Vaughn Gill. Tucker is with 3 Arts Entertainment.
Source: Deadline
A classic blue-collar comedy title from the CBS library is plotting a return. The network is developing The Honeymooners, a reimagining of the 1950s sitcom created by and starring Jackie Gleason. The multi-camera project with a feminist twist hails from Damon Wayans Jr. and Kameron Tarlow’s Two Shakes Entertainment and CBS Studios where the company has been based.
Written by Lindsey Shockley (Mixed-ish) and to be directed by Kelly Park (Country Comfort), The Honeymooners is described as a bold, female-driven reboot of the iconic working-class comedy centered around new wife Ruth and her husband Alex who are determined to have a marriage where they are true equals in every way. But what happens when a marriage has two heads of the household? Are they co-heads? Or no head at all?
Shockley and Park executive produce with Two Shakes Entertainment’s Wayans Jr. and Tarlow.
The original Honeymooners was based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason’s variety show. The sitcom aired for one season on CBS from 1955-1956. Mostly set in the Kramdens’ kitchen in a Brooklyn apartment building, The Honeymooners was one of the first U.S. TV shows to feature working-class married couples in a non-idyllic environment.
Gleason starred as New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden along with Audrey Meadows as his wife, Alice; Art Carney as his best friend, sewer worker Ed Norton; and Joyce Randolph as Norton’s wife, Trixie. Most of the episodes centered on Kramden and Norton’s schemes to strike it rich, while their wives looked on with weary patience. One of Kramden’s signature lines, along with an upraised fist, was, “To the moon, Alice, to the moon!” as a comeback to Alice’s jibes.
Carney won five Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Ed Norton — two for the original Jackie Gleason Show, one for The Honeymooners, and two for the final version of The Jackie Gleason Show.
Shockley most recently served as executive producer on the Black-ish spinoff Mixed-ish. Before that, she spent five years on Black-ish, rising from producer to executive producer and sharing in three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series. Her previous series credits include Hello Ladies, Benched and Trophy Wife. Shockley is repped by WME and attorney David Matlof.
Park trained at Second City Improv Theatre and The Groundlings and worked as an acting coach in television before segueing to comedy directing. She has directed two pilots to date: ABC’s Black Don’t Crack this past season and the opening episode of Netflix’s Country Comfort. Her episodic directing credits include Fox’s Call Me Kat, Netflix’s Grace and Frankie and Family Reunion and four reboots/revivals in Mad About You for Spectrum, Punky Brewster for Peacock, The Game for Paramount+ and How I Met Your Father for Hulu. Park is repped by CAA and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman.
Two Shakes recently sold Angel City to the CW with Green Ribbon Entertainment, Smart Dog Media and CBS Studios, and its TBS pilot Kill the Orange-Faced Bear was recently picked up to series.
Source: Deadline
Today, Prime Video announced the new docuseries Phat Tuesdays,which celebrates Phat Tuesdays at The Comedy Store, the influential comedy showcase that helped launch the careers of some of the most famous Black comedians in the industry today. Prime Video also released the official key art and a sneak peek for Phat Tuesdays, which will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, February 4, in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Phat Tuesdays’ founder and host—comedian, writer, and actor Guy Torry (American History X, Life)—serves as executive producer, along with and Academy Award-nominated producer Reginald Hudlin (The Black Godfather, Marshall, Django Unchained, House Party), who also directs the three-episode docuseries.
Phat Tuesdays features some of today’s most famous comedians and personalities, including Anthony Anderson, Tichina Arnold, Nick Cannon, Dave Chappelle, Snoop Dogg, Cedric the Entertainer, Tiffany Haddish, Steve Harvey, Lil Rel Howery, Regina King, Jo Koy, Luenell, Flame Monroe, Jay Pharoah, Craig Robinson, JB Smoove, Chris Tucker, Kym Whitley, and more, and tells the unbelievable story of how Guy Torry moved mountains to launch an all-Black comedy night at The Comedy Store. What started as an experiment in ‘90s Los Angeles turned into a must-see, hilarious experience, elevating Black voices to have their turn on the stage. In addition to Torry and Hudlin, Byron Phillips also executive produces, along with Jeff Hasler, Brian Lovett, and Jeff Bumgarner for Original Productions, and Kelsey Grammer and Tom Russo for Grammnet Productions. Joshua Firosz, Darren Toon for Original Productions, and Jordan McMahon for Grammnet Productions serve as co-executive producers.
“I can’t wait for the world to experience the story of Phat Tuesdays,” said Torry. “It was more than a night of laughter—it was a movement. Phat Tuesdays was Black, bold, and brilliant. It was the best damn comedy show, period!”
“Against all odds, Guy Torry created a venue where the next generation of comedy superstars could launch their careers, and turned the lamest night of the week into the hottest, with the sexiest superstars in Hollywood showing up to laugh till they cried,” said Hudlin. “Phat Tuesdays tells that story and much more. It’s the funniest people on Earth explaining comedy from every perspective as an artform, as a business, and as a force for social change.”
“We are proud to celebrate the legacy of Phat Tuesdays and shine the spotlight on Guy Torry for his trailblazing efforts to give Black comedians their turn on stage in ‘90s Hollywood,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon Studios. “The stories and first-person accounts that Reggie Hudlin and Guy help showcase in this docuseries are not only hilarious and entertaining, but powerful as well, and celebrate how the Black community came together to evolve comedy and entertainment.”
Loaded with exclusive interviews with comedians and celebrities who were there—either performing on stage or in the audience—and never-before-seen footage of legendary comedy sets from back in the day, Phat Tuesdays is the inspiring story of how a little experiment to help Black comedians following the tragedy of the 1992 LA riots turned into a triumphant must-see experience. The showcase regularly brought together people from all walks of life—icons and ex-cons, stars and starlets, pros and regular joes—for one purpose, laughter, and became the most popular comedy show in Hollywood during the ‘90s.
Phat Tuesdays is produced by Amazon Studios, Original Productions, Phat Tuesday Productions and Grammnet Productions.
Comedian Katt Williams is notoriously blunt and he did not deviate from his normal mode of behavior by saying Eddie Murphy should not be called called “anyone’s favorite comedian.”
Williams, of course, believes he is the best comedian alive.
Though Murphy is one of his idols, Williams connects the purest form of comedy to stand-up and Murphy hasn’t done stand-up in decades. Instead, after the classic “RAW” special in the mid-1980s, Murphy concentrated solely on creating blockbuster films.
“Don’t tell me Eddie Murphy is your favorite comedian because Eddie Murphy hasn’t done comedy since the 80s. It just doesn’t make sense,” he said, according to Audacy. “It’s about how much [of] the body of work you can put out. So, nobody knows [who] was beefing with Mozart, because the guy beefing with Mozart didn’t put up any material. You know what I mean? That’s why history takes care of all of that.”
Williams said “I’m only the greatest comedian living because I have more female fans than any comics on the globe.” He also said that most people didn’t acknowledge him because they were trying to downplay him.
He said, “Because the guy that you’re saying is crazy and maybe a crackhead has outworked you every second that he has been a peer of yours. You probably have one comedy special; he probably has 10. The greats you talk about probably have two, and he has 10. This is 16, 100-city tours.”
There are two comedians Williams believes are better than him. During an interview with VLAD TV several years ago, Williams named Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock as two stand-ups who had more skills than he does.
Check out the video to see why Williams believes that.
Source; Vlad TV, Rolling out
Kevin Hart-actor, investor and entrepreneur-brings his unique perspective and desire to inspire the country’s sharpest entrepreneurs in an all-new episode. First into the Tank are entrepreneurs from Los Angeles, California, who pitch their fun tool that takes snacking to the next level.
Hart joins Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary, and Lori Greiner.
Entrepreneurs from Los Angeles, California, introduce their out-of-this-world product made from space-age materials that they hope will replace a good patented before the lightbulb; while entrepreneurs from Flossmoor, Illinois, present their online social network that allows fans to have a real connection with their favorite celebrities and influencers.
Entrepreneurs from Middletown, Delaware, and Vancouver, British Columbia, hope their independent Black content book publishing company will help change the way people learn about African history on an all-new episode of “Shark Tank,” Friday, January 7 (8:00-9:01 p.m. EST), on ABC. (TV-PG) Watch episodes on demand and on Hulu the day following their premieres.
“Shark Tank,” the critically acclaimed and multi-Emmy®Award-winning entrepreneurial-themed reality show that has reinvigorated entrepreneurship in America, returns to ABC this fall for its eleventh season.The business-themed show thathas become a culturally defining series and inspires a nation to dream bigger, recently amassed an amazing $100 million in deals offered in the Tank.
LOS ANGELES, CA – With the help of his A-list celebrity buddies Nelly, Nick Cannon, Robin Thicke and more, Kevin Hart is prepared to revive his long-running toxic bromance sitcom Real Husbands Of Hollywood (RHOH) ahead of Super Bowl LVI weekend.
The new limited series, Real Husbands Of Hollywood: — More Kevin More Problems will be available for streaming exclusively on the Tyler Pery Studios-backed BET+ platform starting on Thursday (February 10). In addition to original cast members such as Jackie Long, JB Smoove, Boris Kodjoe and Duane Martin, newcomers Michelle Weaver and Angela Rye will also join the show.
Picking up where the original RHOH left off after the final season aired in 2016, Kevin and the gang find themselves dealing with each other and even more money, and problems with the addition of six strenuous years invested into their tumultuous friendships.
Kevin Hart’s HartBeat Productions and Jesse Collins Entertainment produced the six-part limited series directed by Chris Robinson, Ali Leroi and Leslie Small.
Along with the new season of RHOH, fans of the Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air are also getting the full dramatic reboot of the 90s sitcom during Super Bowl LVI weekend.
Last week, Peacock confirmed their contemporary dramatic rework BEL-AIR, which based on the viral short film director Morgan Cooper released in 2019, is scheduled to premiere in 2022 following the Super Bowl on Sunday (February 13).
With the announcement of the upcoming season of RHOH in 2022, Kevin Hart has effectively extended his 2021 dominance into the New Year.
Following the popularity of his Netflix drama True Story, Kevin Hart took the lead in the live in-studio remake of Facts Of Life and Different Strokes, which also included appearances from Snoop Dogg, Boyz II Men and more.