SHOWTIME has renewed the critically acclaimed late-night variety sketch series ZIWE, starring and executive produced by Ziwe (DESUS & MERO®), for a second season of 12 episodes to be split into two installments. The inaugural season of ZIWE included interviews with Phoebe Bridgers, Fran Lebowitz, Andrew Yang, Eboni K. Williams, Gloria Steinem and Stacey Abrams, along with musical performances by Ziwe, sketches and more – including unscripted and unpredictable interactions with everyday people. “This show has exceeded my wildest imagination thanks to my brilliant cast, crew and iconic guests,” said Ziwe. “I am famously delighted to continue my collaboration with Showtime and A24.”
Previously, Ziwe wrote for DESUS & MERO,OUR CARTOON PRESIDENT and Dickinsonand rose to viral popularity with her ground-breaking and provocative Instagram Live series questioning cultural figures on race. She has also voiced Kamala Harris and other roles for OUR CARTOON PRESIDENT, as well as Tooning Out the News, and appears in her own Pop Show, which she created and performs at Brooklyn’s Union Hall with original pop songs off her album Generation Ziwe. ZIWE is produced by A24 for SHOWTIME. In addition to Ziwe, Jamund Washington and Hunter Speese serve as executive producers.
Netflix has opted not to proceed with a second season of Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!, a father-daughter comedy starring and executive produced by Oscar winner Jamie Foxx. The series, inspired by Foxx’s relationship with his daughter, Corinne Foxx, who produced alongside Alex Avant, debuted its eight-episode first season on April 14th.
Kyla-Drew played Foxx’s daughter, with David Alan Grier also starring on the multi-camera comedy, alongside Porscha Coleman and Jonathan Kite.
Foxx, who was reportedly involved in the decision to end the series, co-created Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! with sitcom veteran Jim Patterson who stepped down as showrunner ahead of start of production and was replaced by Bentley Kyle Evans. Ken Whittingham directed the first six episodes. Evans directed the last two.
Netflix and Foxx have a long-standing creative partnership, which includes two upcoming films, They Cloned Tyrone and Day Shift.
Following the breakout success of Fuller House and The Ranch, also co-created by Patterson, Netflix, which does not do pilots, going straight-to-series on all of its shows, has faced challenges launching a hit multi-camera family comedy series, with most sitcoms not going beyond one season. Family Reunion has been a solid performer, with The Upshaws showing promise.
Source: Deadline
Will Smith is set to host and star in a new one-hour comedy variety special at Netflix, according to sources.
The special will include comedy sketches, musical performances, surprise celebrity guests, and noteworthy conversations among other things. It is set to launch on Netflix globally later this year.
Westbrook Studios will produce the special for Netflix. Smith will serve as an executive producer in addition to starring and hosting. Westbrook Studios’ Terence Carter, Miguel Melendez, Sahara Bushue, and David Boorstein will also executive produce.
Smith is a multi-talented performer who is no stranger to working across all facets of entertainment one could expect to see in a variety special. He is of course now best known for his blockbuster film career, having starred in smash hits like the “Bad Boys” and “Men in Black” franchises, and critically-acclaimed dramas like “Ali” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.” The latter two films earned him Academy Award nominations.
Smith first broke out, however, as a rapper, performing under the name The Fresh Prince. He parlayed that success into the beloved sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which ran six seasons and nearly 150 episodes on NBC.
In addition to his acting work, Smith and Westbrook are at work producing a number of projects across film, television, and digital platforms. Among those is “Bel-Air,” a reimagining of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” that has received a two-season order at Peacock. The show is based on Morgan Cooper’s viral video that reimagined the NBC comedy series as a drama.
Smith is repped by CAA, Three Six Zero Entertainment, Hertz Lichtenstein & Young, LLP, and The Lede Company.
Source: Variety
Dave Chappelle has just served up another block party—sort of.
According toVariety, Chappelle brought out Q-Tip, Fat Joe, De La Soul, A$AP Ferg, Talib Kweli, Ghostface Killah and more for a 30-minute concert at Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall to close out the 2021 Tribeca Festival on Sunday night (June 20). Because there were no cameras or phones allowed in the screening, it’s unclear which songs were performed at the event.
Chappelle pulled up to this year’s Tribeca Festival in support of This Time This Place, a new Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar-directed documentary chronicling of his carefully planned series of socially distanced comedy concerts he threw in Yellow Springs, Ohio amid the COVID-19 pandemic last summer. The concerts took place in a five-acre cornfield owned by one of Chappelle’s friends. COVID-19 tests were administered at each of the 50 concerts, and Chappelle’s comedian friends Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Kevin Hart, Michelle Wolf and Tiffany Haddish appeared for some of the shows, too. Reichert and Bognar happen to be Chappelle’s neighbors, and in order to suggest a collaboration, he approached them in neighborly fashion.
“I literally just knocked on their door the same way Black people do when they’re having barbecues,” Chappelle joked to audience members. “‘Hey, I’m having a barbecue. Can I borrow some hotdogs, neighbor?’”
Variety says that, in addition to the logistics of hosting these comedy shows near the peak of the pandemic, This Time This Place puts a spotlight onto the way Yellow Springs responded to the Black Lives Matter movement and the death of George Floyd.
This news arrives nearly 17 years after Chappelle took over Brooklyn to host a surprise concert featuring Kanye West, The Roots, Black Star and more. Chappelle had a documentary titled Dave Chappelle’s Block Party made for the event, and it was released in March 2006. Chappelle delivered a quasi block party concert for Barack Obama as he prepared to exit the White House in November 2016. That one featured performances from Usher, Common, Jill Scott and more.
Source: Revolt
New York, NY – (June 11, 2021) – Today, BET announces that Academy Award®-nominated and Golden Globe®-winning actor, filmmaker and philanthropist Taraji P. Henson will host the 2021 “BET AWARDS” and GRAMMY® award-winning musician, critically acclaimed Golden Globe®-winning and Academy Award®-nominated actor Queen Latifah will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement BET Award. The “BET AWARDS” airs LIVE on BET on Sunday, June 27 at 8:00 PM, ET/PT.
“For more than 20 years, the BET Awards have been a celebration of Black creativity, art and excellence,” said Taraji P. Henson. “Returning live, this year’s show will be unlike anything we have ever seen before, and I am honored to be sharing the stage with so many powerful and prolific women in music and entertainment. The BET Awards will once again be at the forefront of Black culture.”
“Black women have been essential drivers of change throughout history, from the political sphere to the cultural zeitgeist,” said Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET. “The BET AWARDS is the ultimate celebration of Black culture, and we are looking forward to spotlighting and celebrating Black women during this year’s show, recognizing them for everything they’ve accomplished and applauding them for what’s to come.”
Taraji P. Henson most recently wrapped her iconic run as “Cookie Lyon” on Fox’s hit musical drama EMPIRE, which has earned her three Emmy® nominations, a Golden Globe® Award, a Critics Choice Award, and three BET Awards. She portrayed NASA mathematician Katherine G. Johnson in the Academy Award®-nominated film HIDDEN FIGURES, as well as lent her voice to Disney’s RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2. In Fall 2018, she launched the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in honor of her late father. The organization provides scholarships to African-American students majoring in mental health disciplines, offers mental health services to youth in urban schools, and works to lower the recidivism rates of African-American men and women. Henson, along with her best friend and foundation partner, Tracie Jade, recently co-hosted the Facebook Watch series on mental health called PEACE OF MIND WITH TARAJI, for which they received a Daytime Emmy® Award nomination for “Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host.”
Additionally, the “BET AWARDS” will be honoring Queen Latifah with this year’s Lifetime Achievement BET Award. Latifah has had amazing success since her career began in Hollywood and became the first hip-hop artist to be crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. She received rave reviews, industry recognition, and accolades for her roles in feature musical CHICAGO and cable films LIFE SUPPORT and BESSIE, which she also produced. Additionally, Latifah starred in the hit comedy GIRLS TRIP and has also taken to the stage and small screen as the title character in the television musical, THE WIZ LIVE!. Flavor Unit Entertainment, the production company owned and operated by Latifah and Shakim Compere, was behind the hit comedies, BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, BEAUTY SHOP, and THE PERFECT HOLIDAY. Latifah currently stars in and is an executive producer on the CBS series reboot of THE EQUALIZER, which quickly became TV’s #1 scripted series this year.
Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET will oversee The “BET Awards” 2021 and serve as Executive Producer along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.
Voting for the 2021 BET AWARDS ‘Viewer’s Choice Award’ is now open here. BET.com/betawards is the official site for the “BET Awards” and will have all the latest news and updates about this year’s show.
Will Packer’s production company and Red Arrow Studios’ Kinetic Content have secured the film and television rights to “Seven Days in June,” a bestselling romance novel by Tia Williams. Will Packer Media and Kinetic will adapt the novel, a June selection by Reese Witherspoon’s book club, for the small screen.
The novel follows Eva Mercy, a successful erotica author and the daughter she’s raising on her own in Brooklyn. Unbeknownst to Eva, the love of her life is about to return— and she hasn’t seen him since their affair ended abruptly, fifteen years ago.
“Every so often I get to engage in a project that I am absolutely sure will be a game-changer. This is that project. ‘Seven Days in June’ is provocative, timely and wildly entertaining,” Packer said in a statement. “The sexiness, the intensity, the unashamed Blackness makes this an ideal project for us at Team Packer. Tia is so incredibly talented and Kinetic Content are such perfect partners, this is the right project for the right team at the right time!”
“We were blown away by Tia’s masterful storytelling on ‘Seven Days in June’ and were passionate about winning the commission, which was sought after by so many in our industry,” Melissa Myers, president and partner of Kinetic Content, added. “We are excited about working with Tia and the team at Will Packer to bring this beautiful and emotional love story to the screen.”
The novel from Grand Central Publishing hit book stores this month and immediately notched a slot on the New York Times best seller list for fiction. Williams previously wrote “Accidental Diva” and the “It Chicks” series; “The Perfect Find,” is being adapted into a Netflix feature starring Gabrielle Union. She is repped by Cherise Fisher of Wendy Sherman Associates and Olivia Blaustein of CAA.
Alongside Williams, Chris Coelen, CEO of Kinetic Content, Myers, Packer and Carolyn Newman, head of WPM Scripted Television, will executive produce the show. The project is the first to be announced since the launch of Kinetic Content’s scripted division last year.
Packer, producer of “Girls Trip,” has a number of TV and film projects in the works and recently produced “The Photograph,” starring Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield.
Source: Variety
Jaboukie Young-White is headed for HBO.
The writer-comedian is adapting Vanessa R. Panfil’s book The Gang’s All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members as a TV series for HBO.
Young-White will pen the script and exec produce the half-hour entry for the premium cable network. Issa Rae and her HBO-based Hoorae banner will exec produce the potential series alongside 3 Arts.
The project, currently in the development stages, revolves around a closeted 20-something in Chicago who, grieving a gang-related death, ditches college to find closure.
Young-White and Rae exec produce alongside Hoorae’s Montrel McKay and 3 Arts’ Jonathan Berry, Olivia Gerke and Dave Becky. Hoorae’s Sara Rastogi will co-exec produce.
Young-White, who came out as gay during an appearance on The Tonight Show in 2017, counts writing credits on Netflix’s Big Mouth and American Vandal and was a correspondent on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah. On the acting side, his credits include Rough Night, Set It Up, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens. He’s repped by CAA, 3 Arts and Lev Ginsburg.
Rae, who inked a sprawling five-year overall deal at WarnerMedia earlier this year, has a number of projects in the works for the company. They include the recently renewed A Black Lady Sketch Show, HBO Max comedy Rap Sh*t, a revival of Project Greenlight and Nice White Parents, among others. Rae is repped by UTA, 3 Arts and John Meigs.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
If you have been following the drama over the last couple of days where comedian Katt Williams claims that Cedric The Entertainer stole his joke years ago while Ced was on the Original Kings Of Comedy Tour, then you know things have been heating up in comedy circles for Ced to address it.
So, earlier today, Cedric The Entertainer decided to address the news, and we can only imagine the conversations that lead up to it. Here is his response;
Kenya Barris and Jonah Hill have teamed up for a comedy feature at Netflix.
Hill will star in the project, which he co-wrote with Barris. Barris, perhaps best known for creating the critically acclaimed ABC comedy Black-ish, is set to make his feature directorial debut.
The two are also producing, Barris via his Khalabo Ink Society banner, Hill through his Strong Baby shingle. Also producing is Kevin Misher of Misher Films.
Plot details are being kept under the cloche, but it is said to be a modern look at the themes tackled in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, the 1967 classic that saw a white couple’s daughter surprise her parents with a Black fiancé. (The movie starred Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton.)
The aim is to shoot this fall in Los Angeles.
Exec producing are E. Brian Dobbins, Strong Baby’s Matt Dines and Ali Goodwin, and Andy Berman.
Barris’ Black-ish ran seven seasons on ABC and spawned a few spinoffs, with the showrunner also directing a handful of episodes. As an in-demand screenwriter for Black voices in film, his recent credits include Coming 2 America with Eddie Murphy and the Cheaper by the Dozen remake, now filming. The multi-hyphenate has numerous film and TV projects on the go, including a Richard Pryor biopic that he is to write, producer, and direct, as well as a feature based on the songs of Bob Marley.
Hill recently wrapped a starring turn opposite Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio in Adam McKay’s satire Don’t Look Up, which Netflix will release later this year. He last wrote Mid90s, a coming-of-age drama that he also directed.
Barris is repped by CAA, Artists First and attorney Gregg Gellman. Hill is repped by WME, LBI and attorney Karl Austen.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Today, Montreal-based comedy festival Just For Laughs unveiled the concept and lineup for their first-ever curated travel experience, Just For Laughs Escapes – Cancun, taking place November 3-7, 2021. Collaborating with leading travel company Pollen Presents, Just For Laughs will be taking over Barcelo Maya Grand Resorts, creating a premier experience of top-tier comedic programming, featuring stand-up comedy, interactive events, bespoke activities, pool parties, club nights, all-inclusive amenities and more with fans from around the world. This new project welcomes fans to experience star-studded stand-up comedy and comedy podcasts in sunnier and more exotic destinations.
Lauded as the world’s largest international comedy festival, Just For Laughs has brought the industry’s most iconic names to Montreal for nearly 40 years. As a mecca for both emerging and established comedians alike, JFL’s events have featured the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Burr, Kevin Hart, Trevor Noah, Hannah Gadsby, Sebastian Maniscalco, Russell Peters, John Mulaney, Bo Burnham, Jo Koy, Amy Schumer, and countless others.
Whether you’re a comedy enthusiast or simply want to experience something outside of the norm, Just For Laughs Escapes – Cancun will pair one of the world’s marquee travel destinations with a powerhouse comedy lineup including star acts such as Jim Jefferies, Tom Segura, Nikki Glaser, Steve-O, Nicole Byer, Jay Pharoah, Girls Gotta Eat, Donnell Rawlings, Ron Funches, Debra DiGiovanni, the Goddamn Comedy Jam and more! Programming includes solo/headlining shows, multi-comic shows, Q&As, podcast recordings, exclusive VIP events and more.
Travel packages include five-star luxury accommodations, full Just For Laughs hotel takeover, and gourmet food and drink, plus access to stand-up comedy sets, live podcast recordings, and late-night events. Early bird packages start at $859 USD.
Pollen Presents also offers a COVID-19 Money Back Guarantee ensuring the event is 100% refundable if cancelled or rescheduled due to COVID-19.
More information on travel packages and prices can be found on the Pollen Presents website – pollen.co