Tiffany Haddish is poised to take over Ellen’s TV crown, according to reports.
The “Girls Trip” star, 40, has frequently filled in for Ellen DeGeneres, 63. In the wake of her killing her daytime talk show, a senior NBCUniversal source told us: “Tiffany is a favorite, she has humor and empathy in spades.
“She’s top of the list to get a daytime show – she’s a fresh voice.”
Haddish filled in for DeGeneres – who announced Wednesday she is quitting her show after 19 seasons – last October and this April.
As we revealed in February, DeGeneres owns the rights to her show, which is syndicated and produced by Warner Bros. so it’s impossible to replace her without launching a fresh format with a new host.
Apart from her guest hosting duties, Haddish has been flexing her hosting muscles on CBS’s “Kids Say The Darndest Things.”
She’s also currently appearing opposite Billy Crystal in new movie, “Here Today.”
Meanwhile, DeGeneres has recorded an interview with “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie, who flew to LA to chat with her on Wednesday.
Guthrie was due to break the news of DeGeneres’ exit, alongside The Hollywood Reporter, on Thursday morning, we’re told – but the news was leaked beforehand.
Meanwhile, Kelly Clarkson — whose show airs in most markets after DeGeneres — is a favorite to grab her 3pm time slot.
The singer was wooed by NBC execs, including “The Voice” executive producer Audrey Morrisey who spotted her as a great TV talent, and former NBC execs Paul Telegdy and Meredith Ahr, who thought she would be great at daytime TV.
“The Kelly Clarkson Show” — produced and distributed by NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution — launched in September 2019 and became the most-watched new daytime talk show in seven years, winning three Daytime Emmys last year, including one for Clarkson as best entertainment talk show host.
In January, “The Kelly Clarkson Show” hit a season-high — and matched DeGeneres’ numbers for the first time.
A rep for Haddish was unavailable for comment.
Paramount+, the streaming service from ViacomCBS, today announced that its revival of THE GAME has been ordered to series with original cast members Wendy Raquel Robinson (“Insecure”) and Hosea Chanchez (“Black Lightning”) reprising their roles as sports agent Tasha Mack and footballer Malik Wright, respectively, with several other legacy cast members making special appearances. The half-hour series will be executive produced by original show creator Mara Brock Akil, showrunner and writer Devon Greggory (“American Soul”), Salim Akil (“Black Lightning”), and original executive producer Kelsey Grammer (“Girlfriends”) and Tom Russo (“Black-ish”) of Grammnet NH Productions. The 10-episode first season of the new series will be produced by CBS Studios, Akil Productions and Grammnet NH Productions exclusively for Paramount+.
Relocating from San Diego to Sin City, THE GAME returns with a mix of original cast and new players to offer a modern-day examination of Black culture through the prism of pro football. The team will tackle racism, sexism, classism and more as they fight for fame, fortune, respect and love—all while trying to maintain their souls as they each play THE GAME.
“Fifteen years ago I created ‘The Game’ and am so proud of the success we had, and that I was able to create characters and stories that resonated with so many people,” stated Mara Brock Akil. “I couldn’t be happier about leaving my beloved characters like Tasha Mack and Malik Wright in the hands of Devon, Wendy and Hosea, who I know will build off of the rich foundation the show has.”
“From the moment it debuted, ‘The Game’ was a groundbreaking series that used humor, heart and memorable characters to explore real issues involving race, gender and, of course, football,” said Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, Paramount+. “What better time for Devon and the whole team to reunite for a fresh look at a world that has only become more at-the-center of the cultural conversation today.”
“‘The Game’ is a show I faithfully watched, with characters I grew to love, and now I have the honor of guiding them into the future,” said Greggory. “I’m simply thrilled to be hand-selected by Mara, Julie and CBS Studios to take over the creative reins of such an iconic and culturally significant series.”
“I love this show,” said Grammer. “I am very excited to see this new turn in its life and excited to wave the Paramount+ banner, as well. Grammnet NH Productions has been in business a long time and proudly explored diverse and inclusive material for decades. I am really looking forward to seeing this show on the air.”
Robinson is a Best Actress NAACP Image Award recipient and a 2021 Emmy-nominated executive producer. In addition to her nine seasons as Tasha Mack on THE GAME, she is best known as the no-nonsense diva principal, Regina Grier, on “The Steve Harvey Show,” and she made television history as the first African American actress to portray iconic Disney villain Cruella DeVille in the Disney Channel’s “Descendants.” Additional television credits include “Dear White People,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “The Parkers,” “Here We Go Again,” “Family Guy,” “Cedric the Entertainer Presents!,” “Minor Adjustments,” “Insecure,” “Grand Hotel,” and CBS’ MACGYVER. Feature film credits include “A Weekend with The Family,” “Miss Congeniality,” “Something New,” “Rebound,” “Two Can Play That Game,” and “A Christmas Surprise.”
Chanchez was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy Series at the NAACP Image awards for THE GAME, which he starred in for all nine seasons. He was recently featured in the Lifetime event movie series “Seven Deadly Sins,” playing a leading role in “Lust” and “Envy.” Additional television credits include “Black Lightning,” “All American,” “Major Crimes,” “Fanatic” and “Down For Whatever.” Film credits include “96 Minutes,” as well as Regina King’s directorial debut, “Let the Church Say Amen,” for BET. Chanchez created his own one-man show “Good Mourning” at the Hudson Theatre and is currently developing the independent feature “Ruth,” which he wrote to direct and star in.
All nine seasons of THE GAME, which originally aired on The CW and then BET, are currently available to binge on Paramount+. The series will be distributed internationally by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.
Lavell Crawford returns for his third SHOWTIME comedy special LAVELL CRAWFORD: THE COMEDY VACCINE, premiering Friday, May 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. In the hour-long special filmed at the Tempe Improv in Arizona, Crawford reflects back on a tumultuous year of living through a global pandemic with an added punchline. From the panic of looking for toilet paper to attending virtual church services and wearing masks, Crawford brings levity to the many shared lifestyle changes we’ve experienced during a life in lockdown while also touching on his own quarantine frustrations with whimsical banter.
A beloved comedian and actor by audiences far and wide, Crawford is quickly climbing the comedic ranks to become one of the hottest stars. His numerous television appearances include Better Call Saul, New Girl, Workaholics and Breaking Bad along with his previous standup specials on SHOWTIME: NEW LOOK, SAME FUNNY! and HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. Additionally, his film credits include Compton’s Finest, Love Is Not Enough, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, American Ultra, Beverlyhood and The Ridiculous 6.
LAVELL CRAWFORD: THE COMEDY VACCINE is directed by Brian Volk-Weiss (Pete Davidson: Alive From New York, Ali Wong: Baby Cobra), who produced with Cisco Henson for Comedy Dynamics. Justin Edbrooke serves as executive producer.
In this interview with comedian George Wallace, we talk about Wallace’s new book, titled Bulltwit and his new TV show he was able to land in with his new show with Norman Lear and Laverne Cox titled Clean Slate. A very hilarious interview you don’t want to miss!
“I just wanna do what your mom woulda wanted me to do…” Netflix has released the official trailer for a new “heartwarming, funny and emotional true story” movie called Fatherhood, the latest film directed by Paul Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy, Cirque du Freak, Being Flynn, Bel Canto). Adapted from the book “Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love” by Matthew Logelin.
Kevin Hart stars in this film as a widower taking on one of the toughest jobs in the world: fatherhood. He doesn’t really know what to do and struggles to figure out how to raise her correctly on his own, trying his best to be “perfect” for her. The impressive ensemble features Alfre Woodard, Lil Rel Howery, DeWanda Wise, Anthony Carrigan, Melody Hurd, Deborah Ayorinde, Teneisha Collins, as well as Paul Reiser. This looks surprisingly charming and not too cheesy, which is impressive for a Kevin Hart movie. Might actually be worth a watch.
In this heartwarming, funny and emotional true story, Kevin Hart stars as a widower taking on one of the toughest jobs in the world: fatherhood. A father named Matt brings up his baby girl as a single dad after the unexpected death of his wife who died a day after their daughter’s birth. Fatherhood is directed by award-winning American filmmaker Paul Weitz, director of the films American Pie, Down to Earth, About a Boy, In Good Company, American Dreamz, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Little Fockers, Being Flynn, Admission, Grandma, and Bel Canto previously. The screenplay is written by Dana Stevens and Paul Weitz; adapted from the book titled “Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love” written by Matthew Logelin. Produced by Marty Bowen, Kevin Hart, David Beaubaire, and Peter Kiernan. Netflix will debut Weitz’s Fatherhood streaming starting on June 18th, 2021 this summer.
This summer, all the rules are broken as a sect of lawless marauders decides that the annual Purge does not stop at daybreak and instead should never end in The Forever Purge.
Vaulting from the record-shattering success of 2018’s The First Purge, Blumhouse’s infamous terror franchise hurtles into innovative new territory as members of an underground movement, no longer satisfied with one annual night of anarchy and murder, decide to overtake America through an unending campaign of mayhem and massacre. No one is safe.
Adela (Ana de la Reguera, Cowboys & Aliens) and her husband Juan (Tenoch Huerta, Days of Grace) live in Texas, where Juan is working as a ranch hand for the wealthy Tucker family. Juan impresses the Tucker patriarch, Caleb (Will Patton, Halloween), but that fuels the jealous anger of Caleb’s son, Dylan (Josh Lucas, Ford v Ferrari).
On the morning after The Purge, a masked gang of killers attacks the Tucker family—including Dylan’s wife (Cassidy Freeman, HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones), and his sister (Leven Rambin, The Hunger Games), forcing both families to band together and fight back as the country spirals into chaos and the United States begins to disintegrate around them.
From a screenplay by franchise creator and narrative mastermind James DeMonaco, The Forever Purge is directed by Everardo Gout, writer-director of the award-winning thriller Days of Grace. The film is produced by the franchise’s founding producers: Jason Blum for his Blumhouse Productions; Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller; and Man in a Tree duo James DeMonaco and his longtime producing partner Sébastien K. Lemercier. The film’s executive producers are Marcei A. Brown, Everardo Gout and Jeanette Volturno. Universal Pictures presents, in association with Perfect World Pictures, a Platinum Dunes/Blumhouse/Man in a Tree production.
Genre: Action-Thriller
Cast: Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, Josh Lucas, Cassidy Freeman, Leven Rambin, Alejandro Edda and Will Patton
Director: Everardo Gout
Writer: James DeMonaco
Producers: Jason Blum, Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, James DeMonaco, Sébastien K. Lemercier
Executive Producers: Marcei A. Brown, Everardo Gout, Jeanette Volturno
Yaya DaCosta has been cast in the lead role of the upcoming Fox drama series “Our Kind of People,” Variety has learned. With the casting, DaCosta will exit the NBC series “Chicago Med,” on which she has starred for six seasons.
Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s book, “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class,” the series takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful Black elite have come to play for over 50 years. The series follows strong-willed, single mom Angela Vaughn (DaCosta) as she sets out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary haircare line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of Black women. But she soon discovers a dark secret about her mother’s past that will turn her world upside-down and shake up this community forever.
DaCosta first rose to prominence during her time on “America’s Next Top Model” in 2004. She has gone on to a successful acting career, having starred in shows like “All My Children” and “Ugly Betty.” She has been a main cast member of “Chicago Med” since 2015, playing ED nurse April Sexton. She has also made appearances on both “Chicago PD” and “Chicago Fire.” Her feature credits include “The Butler,” “The Nice Guys,” the Whitney Houston Lifetime biopic “Whitney,” and “The Messenger.”
She is repped by Gersh and ID PR.
Fox opened a writers’ room for “Our Kind of People” in September 2020 and was ordered to series in March 2021. Karin Gist is writing and executive producing. Lee Daniels and Marc Velez also executive produce via Lee Daniels Entertainment along with Pam Williams and Claire Brown of The Gist Of It Productions, Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens and Rodney Ferrell of Propagate, and Montrel McKay. Tasha Smith will direct the pilot episode. 20th Television and Fox Entertainment will produce. Gist and Daniels are currently under overall deals at 20th Television.
Billy Porter (“Pose”), Zachary Quinto (“Star Trek”) and EJ Johnson (“Rich Kids of Beverly Hills”) have joined the cast of the upcoming Disney+ animated series “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.” Porter and Quinto, respectively, voice Randall and Barry Leibowitz-Jenkins, mixed-race adoptive parents to 14-year-old activist Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, previously announced to be voiced by Keke Palmer. Johnson will voice Michael Collins, Penny’s best guy friend who is a non-conforming trendsetter, serving up fierce looks at school and on the basketball court. New character images were released today.
“The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” will pick up the story of its central character Penny Proud and also include her madcap family: parents Oscar and Trudy, twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, and her grandmother Suga Mama (and Puff!). Of course, it would not be “The Proud Family” without Penny’s loyal crew Dijonay Jones, LaCienega Boulevardez and Zoey Howzer, among others. Cast members reprising their voice roles from the original series are: Kyla Pratt as Penny Proud, Tommy Davidson as Oscar Proud, Paula Jai Parker as Trudy Proud, JoMarie Payton as Suga Mama, Cedric the Entertainer as Uncle Bobby, Carlos Mencia as Felix Boulevardez, Maria Canals-Barrera as Sunset Boulevardez, Alvaro Gutierrez as Papi, Karen Malina White as Dijonay Jones, Soleil Moon Frye as Zoey Howzer and Alisa Reyes as LaCienega Boulevardez. Currently in production at Disney Television Animation for a 2022 launch on Disney+, “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” is executive-produced by Bruce W. Smith (“The Princess and the Frog”) and Ralph Farquhar (“Moesha”), both of whom led the original series. Calvin Brown, Jr. (“Moesha”) is co-executive producer and story editor, Jan Hirota (“Big Hero 6 The Series”) is producer, and Eastwood Wong (“Carmen Sandiego”) is art director. All previous seasons of “The Proud Family” are currently available on Disney+.
HBO Max is adding another comedy to its roster.
The streamer has handed out a series order to half-hour scripted entry Gordita Chronicles.
The comedy, which was first put into the WarnerMedia-backed platform’s development pipeline in February 2020, revolves around a 12-year-old Dominican girl who struggles to fit into hedonistic 1980s Miami as her family pursues the American dream.
Newcomer Olivia Goncalves stars in the single-camera comedy from Sony Pictures Television. Claudia Forestieri (Good Trouble, Selena) penned the script and exec produces alongside Josh Berman (Drop Dead Diva), Jennifer Robinson and Chris King of Osprey Productions. Brigitte Munoz-Liebowitz (HBO Max’s Love Life) also exec produces and serves as showrunner. Zoe Saldana, Mariel Saldana and Cisely Saldana exec produce via their Cinestar Pictures label. Eva Longoria directed the pilot and also is credited as an exec producer on the series via her UnbeliEVAble banner.
“We are thrilled to partner with Zoe, Eva, Josh and Sony Pictures Television to bring to life this beautiful coming-of-age story inspired by Claudia’s personal journey,” said Jennifer O’Connell, exec vp nonfiction and live-action family programming at HBO Max. Added Sarah Aubrey, head of originals st the streamer: “HBO Max is proud to work with the powerhouse Latinx talent in front of and behind the camera for this series, which we believe will resonate with all families.”
Goncalves leads the cast that also includes Diana Maria Riva, Juan Javier, Savannah Nicole Ruiz, Noah Rico and Cosette Hauer.
Gordita Chronicles has been fast-tracked at HBO Max. The project spent the bulk of 2020 in development and was ordered to pilot in March, receiving a speedy green light as sources note execs at both HBO Max and producers Sony TV (which was the studio on Netflix’s Latinx reboot of One Day at a Time) loved the creative.
Gordita Chronicles joins a roster of scripted comedies at HBO Max that also includes Hacks, Generation, Love Life, Made for Love, Rap Shit, Search Party, The Sex Lives of College Girls and the upcoming Sex and the City update, among others.
“From the minute we heard Claudia’s childhood story, we knew it was not only incredibly funny, but emotionally poignant and an important story to tell,” said Jason Clodfelter, co-president at Sony Pictures Television Studios. “Cucu and the Castellis remind us of the iconic sitcom families we grew up watching, but none of those ever captured a Dominican family’s experience of coming to America. This show changes all of that, and we are thrilled and grateful to dive back in and make a wonderful series for our friends at HBO Max.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Fans of the iconic sitcom Martin will be thrilled to see a launch of Martin-themed Pistons merch. 30 years after the show made Detroit it’s home, Lawrence and the Pistons have reunited for this limited-edition collaboration showcasing Detroit’s love for Martin, and Lawrence’s love for the city the TV hit took place in. The line will be available this Friday, May 14th, exclusively on Pistons313shop.com.
Included in the release is jerseys, hats, shorts, sweats, t- shirts and more, bringing in quoted lines from the scenes of the show.
“Detroit has always shown me so much love and always shows up for me,” said Lawrence. “From stand-up tours to fans on the street Detroit has felt like home. It’s an honor to be part of something that means so much to me to this many years later.”
“With the city of Detroit as the show’s backdrop, Martin became must-watch TV in the 90’s,” said Mike Zavodsky, Chief Business Officer of the Detroit Pistons. “Martin’s love for the Pistons in the show translated into passion for the team – the fact that he has a ring from the 2004 team is proof of that. We’re thrilled to partner with Martin to introduce a merchandise line that pays homage to both Martin and the show’s Detroit roots.”