Getting back onstage during the pandemic was initially tough for comedian Guy Torry.
The St. Louis native, performing this weekend at the Funny Bone, questioned whether it was right to have shows during a pandemic. Would he be responsible if an audience member became ill?
But a show late last year in Kansas City confirmed he’d made the right decision. He’d been enjoying some banter with a man in the audience that was fun — then head-scratching.
The man was at the show with his ex-wife, who’d remarried. Torry had some fun with that, and then the man revealed he was terminally ill. The show took a somber turn.
“He said he just wanted to see one of my shows before he checked out,” says Torry, humbled. “‘Wow, that’s on your list? My list would have been wildin’ out.’ The people started laughing again.”
He realized the audience needed him onstage as much as he needed it.
The timing of the pandemic possibly saved his life.
Before 2020, Torry spent up to 35 stressful weeks a year on the road. That involved drinking, a lot of eating bad food in comedy clubs and the additional stress of being a Black man in America.
He says all that, along with being prediabetic, was a potential cocktail for death.
“Taking me off the road saved my life,” he says. “2020 allowed me to sit down. What I lost in revenue I gained in years of my life,” says Torry, who clarifies that he’s not an alcoholic.
He recognizes the havoc it’s caused. “Personally, in my humble opinion, the pandemic was a godsend,” he says.
Torry returned to the stage in late spring and quickly saw clubs weren’t paying what they once were. “You can’t fill the room to capacity, so how can you ask for the same money when they can’t fill the same seats?”
Though his bookings have been spotty, he says, “I need that stage, and people need to get out.”
In his shows, he addresses the pandemic, relationships, “the state of the union, and the state of the Black union.” His comedy better reflects who he is now — divorced at age 52.
“I’d never settled on who I was as a comedian,” Torry says. “At first I was trying to be Joe (his brother, actor-comedian Joe Torry). We don’t need another Joe.
“When I thought I had my foot pointed in one point of view, now I’m finding myself in a new role.”
He also learned about pivoting during the pandemic. When the filming of a planned comedy special was temporarily nixed, he instead did a cooking show on Instagram Live.
And he can finally say he sees the finish line for “Phat Tuesdays,” his long-in-the-making comedy documentary for Amazon Prime Video.
The title comes from a weekly comedy night he created in Los Angeles, exposing Black comedians to larger audiences. Phat Tuesdays ran at the Comedy Store from 1995 to 2005, with then-budding comedians including Chris Tucker, Chris Rock, Leslie Jones, Martin Lawrence, Kevin Hart, Katt Williams, Dave Chappelle, Cedric the Entertainer, Bernie Mac, Mo’nique and Mike Epps passing through.
Torry filmed interviews with a number of the comedians. Some he wouldn’t have gotten had they not been grounded because of the pandemic.
He came up with the idea for the documentary 12 years ago and is in the final stages of production.
The pandemic allowed him access to a director he might not have had otherwise: Reginald Hudlin of East St. Louis, who directed movies such as “House Party,” “Boomerang,” “Safety,” “Marshall” and the documentary “The Black Godfather.” He also produced “Django Unchained” and last year’s Emmy Awards.
Torry, Hudlin and Kelsey Grammer are executive producing the comedy documentary.
“It means everything,” Torry says of securing Hudlin. “I first talked to him about it while he was on the set of ‘Django.’ I also wanted Regina King to do it, and she wanted to do it, but I would have had to wait a year. Reggie was the guy. He’s the homie. He gets comedy, and I respect his work.”
Torry worked with Hudlin and his brother, Warrington Hudlin, on the 1998 movie “Ride.” The brothers were producers.
He says wrapping the documentary feels surreal.
“There was never a doubt,” he says. “It was gonna happen when it was supposed to happen. I prayed on it, and I tell people to keep working, keep grinding, never give up.”
By Kevin C Johnson For St Louis Today
Dave Chappelle’s personal life has taken on a near-mythic existence. But now the comedic legend is pulling back the veil to give fans a peek at a couple of his long-standing friendships.
On Tuesday, Chappelle announced that he’ll partner with the Luminary subscription podcast network to launch The Midnight Miracle with co-hosts, close friends, and members of Black Star, Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey.
The trio will host guests from their famed friend group (which is known to include Chris Rock, Common, and Kanye West) as well as other cultural icons. Through these conversations, they’re hoping to innovate in the podcast space and offer thoughtful critiques on the world we live in.
“Making a podcast isn’t the obvious next move for me, but it’s the right one,” Chappelle said in a release. “The Midnight Miracle gives you a look into how me and my friends process the world around us, and I think it will change the way listeners think of what a podcast can be.”
Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group has partnered with Verizon on a Black-owned media summit scheduled for May.
The goal of this new diversity, equity and inclusion initiative is to increase media spending with Black-owned companies based in the United States.
“I’m very proud of Verizon, one of the largest advertisers in the world, coming to the table to make sure we have real economic inclusion for Black-owned media,” said Allen, who is the Founder, Chairman & CEO of Allen Media Group. “The biggest trade deficit in our nation is the trade deficit between corporate America and Black America, and we must close that gap immediately.”
“Verizon has been working to address diversity, equity and inclusion issues for years and we are proud of the actions we continue to take to move the industry forward,” added John Nitti, Chief Media Officer, Verizon. “Increasing our financial commitment to Black-owned media companies and partnering with Allen Media Group to host a summit that will provide these companies with resources to help enable long term growth is a crucial part of our responsible marketing action plan. It is also an important step in creating the equity the industry needs.”
Founded in 1993, Allen Media Group owns 16 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations, along with ten 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 180 million subscribers, including The Weather Channel, Pets.TV, Comedy.TV, Recipe.TV, Cars.TV, ES.TV, MyDestination.TV, JusticeCentral.TV, TheGrio.TV and This TV. Adding its eleventh network (The Weather Channel En Espanol) this year, the company is one of the largest independent producer-distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast TV stations, producing, distributing and selling advertising for 67 television programs. Continuing to expand its reach around the globe, Allen Media Group International Television currently has active license agreements and programming in South Africa, The United Arab Emirates, Australia, The Bahamas, Canada and New Zealand.
It was in 2016 that Allen Media Group purchased The Grio, “a highly-rated, digital video-centric news community platform, devoted to providing African-Americans with compelling stories and perspectives currently underrepresented in existing national news outlets.”
While heading up Allen Media Group, Allen also spearheads Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, a full-service, theatrical motion picture distribution company that he founded in 1993. ESMP’s feature credits to date include oceanic thriller 47 Meters Down, Scott Cooper Western, Hostiles, and more.
Allen Media Group is headquartered in Los Angeles, with additional offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Raleigh.
Source: Deadline
The Walt Disney Company has released a new trailer and poster for its all-new live-action feature film “Cruella,” starring Academy Award®-winners Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, directed by Craig Gillespie. The film will release simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access for a one-time additional fee on Friday, May 28. Academy Award® winner Emma Stone (“La La Land”) stars in Disney’s “Cruella,” an all-new live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinemas most notorious – and notoriously fashionable – villains, the legendary Cruella de Vil. “Cruella,” which is set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute, played by two-time Oscar® winner Emma Thompson (“Howards End,” “Sense & Sensibility”). But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella.
Disney’s “Cruella” is directed by Craig Gillespie (“I Tonya”) from a screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, story by Aline Brosh McKenna and Kelly Marcel & Steve Zissis. It was produced by Andrew Gunn (“Freaky Friday”), Marc Platt (“Mary Poppins Returns”) and Kristin Burr (“Christopher Robin”), with Emma Stone, Michelle Wright, Jared LeBoff and Glenn Close serving as executive producers. Two-time Oscar®- winning costume designer Jenny Beavan (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “A Room with a View”) creates the dazzling and imaginative costumes, which take on a life of their own.
Nia Long is joining Storm Reid in the next installment of the box office hit film Searching, for Sony’s Stage 6 Films. Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Daniel Henney, Megan Suri, and Tim Griffin are rounding out the cast.
Searching 2 will not be a direct sequel, but rather a next installment in the Searching franchise. The plot is still under wraps, but it will feature a new set of characters where the story plays out on the screens of the characters’ devices. It is starting production in the spring.
Will Merrick & Nick Johnson will make their directing debut on the film. The pic is being produced by Natalie Qasabian, Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian of Search Party, as well as by Bazelevs’ Adam Sidman and Timur Bekmambetov. Jo Henriquez is executive producing and Congyu E is co-producing.
Merrick and Johnson wrote the screenplay, which is based on a story by Ohanian and Chaganty.
Most recently, Long produced and starred in the Netflix thriller Fatal Affair, which debuted at No. 1 on the platform. Additionally, she starred opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie in the Apple film The Banker. Other recent film credits include Janicza Bravo’s Sundance-nominated Lemon and Netflix’s Roxanne Roxanne with Chanté Adams and Mahershala Ali. She is next set to star in the Peacock limited series The Best Man: The Final Chapters, where she will reprise her role alongside the rest of the original cast of the films.
Leung can currently be seen in HBO’s Industry and is also known for his roles on ABC’s Lost, NBC’s The Blacklist and The Night Shift. Landecker is known for her portrayal of Sarah Pfefferman on Amazon’s Transparent. Landecker most recently appeared opposite Bryan Cranston and Michael Stuhlbarg in the Showtime limited series Your Honor and the Netflix film Project Power with Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Henney became a household name in Korea after starring in the TV drama My Lovely Sam-Soon and later went on to star in the Korean series Hello Franceska, Spring Waltz and The Fugitive: Plan B. Suri previously appeared in ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, feature film Valentine’s Day, HBO’s The Brink and Netflix’s Atypical as well as booking her first title role in The Miseducation of Bindu. Griffin recently finished filming the independent features Next Exit and The Seven Neighbours.
Long is repped by Verve, Untitled and by attorneys Neil Meyer and Emily Downs at Meyer & Downs. De Almeida is repped by APA, Lasher Group and Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson. Leung is repped by A3 Artists Agency and PH Entertainment Group. Landecker is repped by ICM Partners, Principal LA and Felker Toczek. Henney is repped by CAA and More/Medavoy. Suri is represented by Clear Talent Group, Apex Talent Group and Skrzyniarz & Mallean. Griffin is repped by Buchwald and Untitled.Bekmambetov is represented by WME and Chase Mellen III.
Source: Deadline
The project would trace the origins of the indelible character in 1970s Atlanta.
Tyler Perry isn’t quite ready to bid farewell to Madea.
The prolific creator and producer is developing a prequel series focused on his iconic character’s origins at Showtime. ViacomCBS’ premium cable outlet has ordered multiple scripts for the project, titled Mabel.
The hour-long drama comes from creators Perry and Tim Palen, with JaNeika and JaSheika James (Empire, HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot) attached to write. All four will serve as executive producers.
Mabel is set in Atlanta in 1972. It will tell the story of Mabel Simmons: Long before she was the force of nature known as Madea, she was a smart, fierce, irresistible, dangerous, crazy 20-something Black woman who set the city — and the world — on fire.
Perry has a massive content partnership with ViacomCBS that includes an ownership stake in streaming service BET+, for which he has produced series Ruthless and Bruh, along with The Oval and Sistas for BET’s cable network.
BET+ also streamed a performance of Madea’s Farewell Play in August 2020, which marked Perry’s final time playing the character — a role that spanned more than 20 plays and 11 feature films.
“I don’t want to be her age playing her, so it was time to shut it down and move on,” Perry told The Hollywood Reporter at the 2019 premiere of A Madea Family Funeral. “I’ve got some other things I want to do, and in this next 50, I’m going to do something different.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Popular co-host of the country’s top-rated The Breakfast Club radio show, Angela Yee, launched a new digital series, MASTERY OF COMEDY on Facebook Monday, April 5, 2021, available via Yee’s Facebook (@teamyee) and IG (@angelayee) pages.
MASTERY OF COMEDY is based on Yee’s “speed dating meets comedic mentorship” concept she created for Facebook’s competitive WE THE CULTURE content program.
Yee partnered with Emmy and Grammy award-winning producer and showrunner Rikki Hughes (Dave Chappelle comedy album and his most recent stand-up show, All Def Comedy, HBO and more) to produce the 6-part weekly series through Hughes production company, Magic Lemonade Productions.
A lover of comedy, Yee’s concept for the series came from her own query, “outside of hard work, what does it take to become a great stand-up comedian? “ She explains, “I was interested in combining the process of what it takes to become a successful comedian with mentorship, and I wanted to offer comedians around the world a lens into what it takes to develop a set that keeps the audience launching and engaged.”
The veteran comedian mentors are: Donnell Rawlings, actor and radio host best known as Ashy Larry from Chappelle’s Show, The Wire and Pixar’s Soul; actor, producer and writer Aida Rodriguez featured in Tiffany Haddish’s Netflix special She Ready, NBC’s Last Comic Standing and her own upcoming HBO Max comedy special; Karlous Miller of MTV’s Wild’n Out; and Roy Wood Jr. from The Daily Show.
Each comic brings their edgy personalities and insights. Rawlings brings a “to the point” mentorship style. Rodriguez teaches her mentee to bring their lived experiences to life with satiric storytelling by being “authentic and conversational.”
Miller shares his beliefs that “it’s the delivery, the comedian, the mindset, the body language” that makes a good comedian with his mentee. While Wood believes the origin point of any joke you write, should be “intentional” and the way your jokes make people feel is as important as making them laugh.
For the second consecutive year, McDonald’s USA, through its Black & Positively Golden Scholarship Program, is awarding half a million dollars to incoming and current HBCU students. Through this initiative, in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), McDonald’s is furthering its support of the next generation of leaders.
According to “Moving Upward and Onward: Income Mobility at Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” a study conducted by Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute/Rutgers Graduate School of Education, more students experience upward mobility at HBCUs than any other institutions, and nearly 70% of HBCUs students attain at least middle-class incomes. Understanding the impact of HBCUs on Black youth, McDonald’s is committed to helping elevate the Black community by awarding scholarships to students who are striving to turn their dreams of attending and graduating from an HBCU into reality.
“We are proud to continue our longstanding partnership with McDonald’s and work with these exceptional students,” said Dr. Harry L. Williams, President and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF). “Amid the uncertainty and confusion of the current state of the world, students remain some of the key drivers of change. They are rising to the challenges they are facing and working hard to provide much-needed support to their families and communities. With the help of partners like McDonald’s, TMCF is committed to supporting these outstanding students and helping them develop into tomorrow’s industry leaders.”
Incoming and current HBCU students are encouraged to apply for the Black & Positively Golden Scholarship now through May 10 at 11:59 PM EST at www.tmcf.org. Thirty-four scholarships, up to $15,000 each will be awarded to students for the 2021-2022 academic year, and winners will be announced this summer.
Launched in 2020, McDonald’s created the Black & Positively Golden Scholarship Program to help HBCU students continue their education in the midst of COVID-19, which caused financial strain on many students and their families. As a result, 34 students received funding that helped them stay in school, despite challenging circumstances.
“The McDonald’s scholarship I received came at a critical time and allowed me to focus on academics and my career aspirations,” said Olivia Harris, a 2020 Black & Positively Golden Scholarship recipient and junior at North Carolina Central University. “The knowledge I’m gaining at my HBCU is preparing me for the real world, and it’s incredible to see others have this scholarship opportunity as they pursue their dreams.”
McDonald’s is dedicated to providing skills, training and education programs that support people who are building a path forward and achieving their goals, no matter where they are in life. The Black & Positively Golden Scholarship Program is one of many company initiatives that is helping serve up bright futures in the communities McDonald’s serves. The company has a longstanding history of supporting HBCUs through scholarships, partnerships and its presence on HBCU campuses and at Classics around the country. During its 20-year partnership with the TMCF, McDonald’s has invested millions of dollars in direct and indirect support to benefit the organization and students, including providing career-building resources and supporting the TMCF Leadership Institute.
“As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the ability of students to attend college, we are honored to provide support and financial resources to help HBCU students nationwide turn their dreams of going to and staying in college into reality,” said Marty Gillis, New Jersey McDonald’s Franchisee and National Diversity Marketing Committee Lead. “We are committed to feeding and fostering the communities we serve, and seeing young, gifted and Black students succeed, and couldn’t be prouder to partner with the TMCF for more than 20 years to do so.”
Students interested in applying must meet the following eligibility requirements:
Will you or your HBCU scholar be next?
To learn more about the Black & Positively Golden movement and scholarship, follow @wearegolden on Instagram and visit blackandpositivelygolden.com.
The 2017 blockbuster film Girls Trip starring Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Tiffany Haddish and Regina Hall has a sequel in the works. With the initial offering grossing over $140 million, the film’s producer Will Packer recently stopped by the “Jemele Hill Is Unbothered” podcast and revealed that talks have begun for the follow up.“Here’s the thing, everybody is busy. I want to do it and they want to do it. First of all, we got to crack the story. Tracy Oliver, an amazing sister, who wrote the original along with Kenya Barris, they’re great, already working on some ideas. So I got to get the right idea, then the right window to get the squad back together. … Tiffany, Latifah, Jada, Regina … nobody is sitting around. They’re all booked and busy,” explained Packer.
The Hollywood producer made it clear too that he didn’t want to rush the project and have people disappointed because it didn’t live up to the hype either.“And the other thing Jemele is saying ‘I don’t want to do the sequel and everyone goes, why did you mess it up?’ So it’s got to be right. If I’m going to do Girls Trip 2, it’s really gotta be right. But we are working on it behind the scenes, I will tell you that. Stuff is happening, it just hasn’t happened yet and I think it will be right. I don’t mind that it’s a little bit of time in between, because I think it makes you miss those characters more,” added Packer.
In related news, Packer will serve as the jury president for the 2021 American Black Film Festival. The annual festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with a hybrid model, with live events held November 3-7 in Miami Beach, Florida followed by a week of virtual events on abffplay.com available from November 8-14.
“ABFF is one of the single most instrumental institutions in my career. This is more than just a festival for me,” Packer said in a statement to Variety. “Its very existence guarantees there will be more Will Packers making movies from a unique perspective and telling the stories of underserved audiences.”
The ABFF jury presidential appointment is also a homecoming for the producer of hit films like Think Like A Man and Ride Along. Packer got his start when his independent feature film Trois premiered at the festival in 1999.His films Girls Trip, Think Like A Man Too, This Christmas, Takers and Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain all premiered at the festival in the past as well. Packer also received the Distinguished ABFF Alumni Award at ABFF Honors in 2016.
Actor and comedian JB Smoove, best known for his iconic role as Leon in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” will host the 25th Annual Art Directors Guild Awards (ADG, IATSE Local 800) on Saturday, April 10, 2021. Recognizing 25 years of outstanding production design in film, television, animation and commercials, this year’s awards ceremony will be presented on a virtual platform, streaming to a worldwide and more inclusive audience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is free to everyone, but registration is required at www.adgawards25.com.
“We are thrilled to welcome JB Smoove with his amazing comic sensibility to host the 25th Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Awards. His wide range of talent and remarkable career in film, television and live performance will no doubt add the perfect spark to energize what is burgeoning into an amazing awards anniversary night,” said Nelson Coates, President of the Art Directors Guild.
As previously announced, Ryan Murphy, one of television’s most successful award-winning writers-directors-producers whose shows have consistently reflected the highest quality of production design, will receive the esteemed Cinematic Imagery Award, presented by actor Matt Bomer, star of Murphy’s “American Horror Story,” “Glee,” “American Crime Story,” “The Normal Heart” and, most recently, “The Boys in the Band.”
Additional presenters include entrepreneur, supermodel and Emmy®-winning television producer and personality Tyra Banks; executive producer and actor Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman); producer, writer and director Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman};Aasif Mandvi (CBS’s hit show “Evil)”; and Brian Tee (“Chicago Med”), among others.
Production Designer Stuart Wurtzel (AD), Set Designer Martha Johnston (SDMM), Concept Artist John Eaves (IMA), and Scenic Artist Patrick DeGreve (STG) will all be presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards for their outstanding legacies and contributions to their crafts. A full list of nominees of the 25th Annual ADG Awards, originally announced on February 25, 2021, is available on www.adg.org #iwillbethere #adgawards