WASHINGTON – Millions of people around the country have suffered devastating consequences due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Not surprisingly, the impact for students and families within the Historically Black Colleges & Universities community has been disproportionately high.
Humor Mill TV and Visionary Farm, Inc., are joining forces to make a difference through JUSTFLOW: The HBCU Comedy/Variety Show Telethon. The six-hour event will be live-streamed from select HBCUs and cultural arts centers, including Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington. There will be various comedians, student performances, callouts and much more.
Proceeds will be used for student scholarships and a relief fund for their families. A portion will go to Ellington to support arts education at the high school level. Several acclaimed entertainers, advertisers, and sponsors have expressed interest in joining this monumental effort.
“Our goal is to secure relief funds for as many families as possible,” says Frank Holder of Humor Mill TV, an urban comedy broadcast linear channel. “We need everyone’s support to make that happen.”
“We are looking for partners at various levels to join us in this effort,” says William Overton of Visionary Farm, a nonprofit organization based in Santa Monica, Calif. “That includes possible broadcast networks as well as sponsors to provide specific product-based releases.”
“We are honored to be part of this historic event,” says Ellington Principal Sandi M. Logan. “It will be thrilling for our students to work alongside HBCU students on pre-production and live elements of this fantastic show.”
YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio (WDTN) – Comedian Dave Chappelle is set to open a comedy club in what was formerly the Miami Township Fire Station.
The Yellow Springs Development Corporation (YSDC) said Monday that they finalized an agreement to sell the fire station to Iron Table Holdings, LLC, owned by Chappelle.
YSDC said the agreement came after a several-month long process during which interested buyers were first asked to submit a preliminary development plan to the YSDC Fire Station Subcommittee.
Interested parties later toured the facility and presented detailed business and architectural plans for the building. The presentations were evaluated on several criteria including job creation, local impact, environmental impact and diversity.
YSDC said Iron Table Holdings, LLC ranked highest in the criterias of profits/wages/taxes, environmental impact, local impact, diversity and COVID-19 considerations.
The agreement is the first community-based transaction the corporation has carried out.
Los Angeles – OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network will air “Revisiting Underground,” an all-new half-hour special from Sony Pictures Television, immediately following the previously announced January 5 premiere on OWN of the critically acclaimed historical drama “Underground on OWN” at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The dramatic series acquired from Sony Pictures Television will have a revitalized presentation on OWN, with newly filmed episodic introductions by cast members, never-before-seen behind the scenes footage and more. The premiere episode has been expanded to 90 minutes, with “Revisiting Underground” debuting at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Grounded in this moment of cultural shift, “Revisiting Underground” reminds us of the importance of taking history off of the shelves and bringing it into our daily lives. Executive Producers John Legend, Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, along with the cast and crew, share personal stories, reflect on their time working on the show, and discuss the power of activism and the relevance of the show today.
We’ll look at the research everyone did to prepare for their roles, hear their personal stories of challenges and triumphs from their time working on these intense stories, and explore the music of the show. Finally, we’ll share how the cast honors the heroes of the Underground with the activism in their daily lives.
“Underground,” which aired for two seasons (20 episodes) on WGN America, was co-created by Misha Green (“Lovecraft Country,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “Heroes”) and Joe Pokaski (“Cloak & Dagger,” “Heroes,” “Daredevil”). They serve as executive producers alongside Emmy®-nominated director Anthony Hemingway (“Power,” “Red Tails,” “Treme”); Academy Award-winning writer Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind,” “I Am Legend”) of Weed Road Pictures; Tory Tunnell (“Spinning Out,”“King Arthur”) and Joby Harold (“King Arthur,” “Edge of Tomorrow”) of Safehouse Pictures; and EGOT winner John Legend, Emmy® and Tony® Award winner Mike Jackson and Emmy® winner Ty Stiklorius of Get Lifted Film Co (“Rhythm + Flow”, “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”); and Mark Taylor (“MadTV”). Additionally, Legend and Get Lifted oversaw the score, soundtrack and all music aspects of the series.
In 1857, a restless slave named Noah (Aldis Hodge) organizes a small team of fellow slaves on the Macon plantation outside Atlanta, and puts together a plan to run for their lives — 600 dangerous miles North — to freedom. The odds of success are slim; the path to freedom’s terrain is unforgiving, and Tom (Reed Diamond), their politically ambitious owner will surely kill anyone attempting to run. For those who make it off the plantation, the risks and uncertainties multiply. They leave family behind to pay for their sins, as they face danger and death at every turn. They’re aided along the way by an abolitionist couple in Ohio, new to running a station on the Underground, unprepared for the havoc it will wreak with their personal lives, while they evade a ruthless slave catcher hell-bent on bringing them back, dead or alive.
“Underground” stars Aldis Hodge (“City on a Hill,” “Brian Banks,” “Hidden Figures”) as Noah, a restless slave who organizes a small team of fellow slaves on the Macon plantation to plan an escape; Jurnee Smollett (“Lovecraft Country,” “Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn,” “True Blood”) as Rosalee, a shy house slave with a powerful inner strength and courage; Emmy-nominated actor Christopher Meloni (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Happy!”) as August Pullman, a secretive man who walks a tightrope between morality and survival; Alano Miller (“Cherish The Day,” “Jane The Virgin,” “Loving”) as Cato, a cunning, charismatic man despised and feared by his fellow slaves; and Jessica De Gouw (“Pennyworth,” “The Crown,” “The Last Tycoon”) as Elizabeth Hawkes, a socialite who shares the abolitionist ideals of her husband, John (Marc Blucas, “Knight and Day,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), a lawyer whose principles clash with the legislation he’s sworn to uphold. The internationally renowned cast includes Adina Porter (“American Horror Story,” “True Blood,” “The 100,”) as Pearly Mae, a strong-willed wife and mother; Mykelti Williamson (“Fences,” “Forest Gump”) as her husband Moses, a fiery preacher; Amirah Vann (“How to Get Away with Murder,” “Star Trek: Picard,” “Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G”) as Ernestine, head house slave and fiercely devoted mother; Johnny Ray Gill (“Rectify”) as Sam, Rosalee’s half-brother and a talented carpenter; Chris Chalk (“When They See Us,” “Perry Mason,” “Homeland”) as William Still, an abolitionist ally; Reed Diamond (“13 Reasons Why”) as Tom Macon, a plantation owner and political candidate; and Jussie Smollett (“Empire”), who joins his sister Smollet in the cast as Josey, a wild-eyed runaway who doesn’t trust anyone. In season 2, Legend guest stars as iconic abolitionist, orator and author Frederick Douglass, Aisha Hinds (“9-1-1,” “Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G,” “True Blood”) steps into a recurring guest star role as HarrietTubman; and Sadie Stratton (“Westworld”) portrays notorious slave trader Patty Cannon.
Bounce TV has set the showrunners and lead cast for its dramedy series Johnson.
The show follows life-long best friends — all with the same last name of Johnson — as they navigate love, friendship, heartbreak and personal growth.
Led by D.L Hughley, the cast also includes Thomas Q. Jones, series creator Deji LaRay, Philip Smithey, Derrex Brady, Khalilah Joi, Terri Abney and Rosa Acosta. Jones and LaRay serve as showrunners.
Johnson has begun filming in Atlanta, where the show also takes place. The dramedy is set to premiere in the summer of 2021.
Created by LaRay, Johnson is produced by Cedric the Entertainer and Eric Rhone’s A Bird & A Bear Entertainment, along with LaRay and Jones’ Midnight Train Productions. Along with Jones and LaRay, Cedric the Entertainer, and Rhone and Reesha L. Archibald will also executive produce. Knoko Chapple is producer.
“Black people are not monolithic and we as Black men can be very complex. We want to peel back those layers on the show and give women an inside look at why men do and say the things we do,” said LaRay. “While our lead characters are specifically speaking from the Black man’s point of view, they truly represent all men. Our goal is for men and women to have a better understanding of each other when they watch the show.”
Added Jones, “We created this series because we weren’t seeing anything like it on television. Insecure and Sex and the City and other shows capture the beautiful essence of friendship among women, but it’s harder to distill that for men.”
Jones, a former NFL running back, has appeared in film and television shows such as Straight Outta Compton, P-Valley, Luke Cage, Shameless, Being Mary Jane, Runaway Island and A Violent Man, which he also executive produced.
Bounce, a broadcast and multi-platform entertainment network that targets African Americans, is owned by Scripps.
Source: Bounce
Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi(Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York – where it all began.
Directed by Craig Brewer
Screenplay by Kenya Barris and Barry W. Blaustein & David Sheffield
Story by Barry W. Blaustein & David Sheffield and Justin Kanew
Based on characters created by Eddie Murphy
Produced by Kevin Misher and Eddie Murphy
Costumes by Ruth E. Carter
Executive Produced by Brian Oliver, Bradley Fischer, Valerii An, Kenya Barris, Charisse Hewitt-Webster, Michele Imperato Stabile and Andy Berman
Starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, with Wesley Snipes and James Earl Jones. Also starring John Amos, Teyana Taylor, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Paul Bates, Nomzamo Mbatha, Bella Murphy
#Coming2America
One of television’s most iconic legal dramas is poised for a comeback. ABC is developing LA Law, a new incarnation of the Emmy-winning Steven Bochco series, with Blair Underwood set to reprise his role as attorney Jonathan Rollins and executive produce.
The new LA Law is written/executive produced by Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow co-creator/executive producer Marc Guggenheim and Arrow/Legends writer Ubah Mohamed, and directed/executive produced by Emmy winner Anthony Hemingway. In it, the venerable law firm of McKenzie Brackman reinvents itself as a litigation firm specializing in only the most high-profile, boundary-pushing and incendiary cases. Underwood reprises his role as Rollins, who has gone from idealistic to more conservative as he clashes with millennial JJ Freeman to decide the best path forward for the firm to effect political and legal change.
While the focus will be on the new generation of lawyers at the firm working with Rollins, I hear other original cast members will likely make appearances should the project go to series.
Bochco’s son, TV director-producer Jesse Bochco, who has played a key role in putting the project together, and the late producer’s widow, Dayna Bochco, executive produce via Steven Bochco Productions. Hemingway’s producing partner Simon Mirren and producer Dan Shaw are also part of the production team. 20th Television, which was behind the original series, is the studio.
Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, LA Law ran for eight seasons on NBC, from 1986-1994, followed by a reunion movie in 2002. The show was set in and around the fictitious Los Angeles-based law firm McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak. Many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot-button issues such as capital punishment, abortion, racism, homophobia, sexual harassment, HIV/AIDS, and domestic violence. Underwood joined the cast in Season 2 and remained on the show until its end, earning a Golden Globe nomination.
L.A. Law won 15 Emmys throughout its run, including four for Outstanding Drama Series.
Underwood, a 2020 Tony nominee for A Soldier’s Play, recently had a major roles on the Netflix limited series Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker opposite Octavia Spencer and on the third season of the streamer’s Dear White People. The Quantico alum also appeared in Ava DuVernay’s Netflix limited series When They See Us, Netflix’s Bad Hair and the new Showtime drama Your Honor. Underwood, an Emmy winner for the non-fiction series Give, is repped by ICM Partners, Thruline Entertainment and Felker Toczek
This marks a return to the legal drama beat for Guggenheim, a lawyer by trade who practiced for five years before pursuing a career as a writer. His first writing job was on ABC’s The Practice, created by another attorney-turned-writer, LA Law alum David E. Kelley. Guggenheim also co-created with frequent collaborator Greg Berlanti ABC legal drama Eli Stone. Guggenheim went on to become one of Berlanti’s top lieutenants in building the Arrowverse on the CW with stints as executive producer/showrunner on Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, which he co-created. During his tenure, Guggenheim also spearheaded the franchise’s annual crossover events, most recently the massive “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” Guggenheim is currently writing/executive producing Berlanti Prods.’ upcoming Green Arrow series for HBO Max as well as a Spider-Man Universe movie Jackpot For Sony and Prophet for Studio 8. He is repped by Syndicate Entertainment.
Mohamed has been working on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow since Season 3 after co-writing an episode of Arrow. She is repped by Gersh.
Hemingway recently wrapped production on Nat Geo’s Genius: Aretha, on which he is executive producer and director. Through Anthony Hemingway Prods., he produces the upcoming animated short Skin Deep alongside 6 Point Harness. He also is attached to direct ABC’s Waiting to Exhale series reboot. Hemingway also has teamed with Pose star Hailie Sahar for a Sir Lady Java biopic and will direct college football drama Workhorses in the works at Amazon, written by Sheldon Turner. Hemingway is repped by WME, Gotham Group and attorney Tom Hoberman.
Through Steven Bochco Prods., Jesse and Dayana Bochco also executive produce 20th TV’s upcoming Doogie Howser reboot Doogie Kameāloha, M.D., based on the series co-created by Steven Bochco, for Disney+. They also executive produced ABC’s 2019 NYPD Blue pilot, based on Steven Bochco’s groundbreaking cop drama.
Source: Deadline
Ray Fisher is set co-star in ABC’s limited series Women of the Movement, from creator-writer Marissa Jo Cerar and a producing team that includes Jay-Z, Will Smith and Aaron Kaplan.
The six-episode series, set to premiere in 2021, centers on Mamie Till-Mobley (Adrienne Warren), who devoted her life to seeking justice for her son Emmett Till (Cedric Joe), following his brutal killing in the Jim Crow South.
Fisher will play Gene Mobley, the man who would have been Emmett Till’s stepfather, if not for his murder. A devoted partner to Emmett’s mother, Mamie, Gene was considered the love of her life. They later married.
Gina Prince-Bythewood is set to direct the first episode of the limited series, which is assembling a team of directors who are all women of color.
“It is an honor to be joining Women of the Movement’s powerful portrayal of Mamie Till-Mobley’s journey,” Fisher said. “To be in service of her story with so many talented women of color at the helm is truly a privilege. Mrs. Till-Mobley’s actions inspired the fight for fundamental change in our country, and her legacy will continue to serve as a much-needed reminder that a single person can indeed change the world.”
Glynn Turman and Niecy Nash also star.
Women of the Movement is inspired by the book Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement by Devery S. Anderson. Cerar serves as showrunner and executive produces with Jay-Z, Jay Brown and Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith via Roc Nation; Will Smith and James Lassiter for Overbrook; as well as Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor and Michael Lohmann of Kapital Entertainment. Also executive producing are Prince-Bythewood, Rosanna Grace for Serendipity Film Group; Alex Foster and John Powers Middleton of Middleton Media Group; and David Clark via Mazo Partners. Kapital Entertainment is the studio.
Fisher is best known for his role as ‘Victor Stone/Cyborg’ in Warner Brothers’ DC Cinematic Universe. ‘Cyborg’ is first introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and was last seen in Justice League. Fisher this past summer spoke up about alleged misconduct on the set of Justice League by replacement director Joss Whedon and others. It led to an Warner Bros. investigation, which resulted in “remedial action.”
In TV, Fisher co-starred in the third installment of HBO’s anthology series True Detective opposite Mahershala Ali. On stage, Fisher is known for his portrayal of Muhammed Ali in the Off-Broadway production, Fetch Clay, Make Man from Tony-winning director, Des McAnuff. Fisher is repped by Paradigm and Management 360.
Source: Deadline
Jennifer Lopez is teaming with Netflix to mount a film adaptation of the bestselling book “The Cipher.”
Lopez will produce and star in the feature vehicle, written by Isabella Maldonado. Lopez will play FBI agent Nina Guerrera, who finds herself drawn into a serial killer’s case after he strategically posts complex codes and riddles online. The codes correspond to recent murders, designed to lure her into a cat-and-mouse chase.
The streamer optioned the book for Lopez and producing partners Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina. Liza Fleissig, Ginger Harris-Dontzin, Catherine Hagedorn and Maldonado will executive produce. Courtney Baxter will serve as associate producer.
Lopez is represented by CAA, The Medina Co., and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman. Maldonado is represented by CAA, and Liza Fleissig and Ginger Harris-Dontzin of the Liza Royce Agency.
Lopez has a slew of movies in the pipeline, including: “Marry Me” from Universal Pictures, the tale of a pop star who spontaneously weds a fan during an arena performance; “The Godmother,” a look at the rise and fall of the late drug lord Griselda Blanco from director Reed Morano at STX; and “Shotgun Wedding,” about a couple whose destination wedding is highjacked by criminals, co-starring Armie Hammer and distributed by Lionsgate.
She’ll also serve as the headline performer for the 2020 edition of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”
Source: Variety
Samuel L. Jackson is set to star in the limited series “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” at Apple.
The six-episode series is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Mosley, who will adapt the book for the screen. Jackson stars as the titular Ptolemy Grey, a 91 year old man forgotten by his family, by his friends, by even himself. On the brink of sinking even deeper into a lonely dementia, Ptolemy experiences a seismic shift when he’s given the tremendous opportunity to briefly regain his memories, and uses this precious and fleeting lucidity to solve his nephew’s death and come to terms with his past.
Jackson and Mosley will both executive produce the series, along with David Levine and Eli Selden of Anonymous Content and Diane Houslin. Apple Studios will produce.
Jackson previously partnered with Apple on the release of the film “The Banker,” in which he starred opposite Anthony Mackie. This also marks the second series starring role Jackson has signed onto in his career. It was reported in September that Jackson would reprise the role of Nick Fury in a new series for Disney Plus, which was confirmed to be based on the “Secret Invasion” comics during Disney Investors Day.
Jackson is repped by ICM, Anonymous Content, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Mosley is the author of over sixty books and was recently awarded the National Book Award’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. His work has previously been adapted into television and film, including the 1995 feature “Devil in a Blue Dress” starring Denzel Washington. He has also written for shows like “Snowfall” at FX.
Source: Variety
Some of the darndest things are happening in the television world of late.
CBS has announced that it has picked up the revival of “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” which ABC canceled earlier this year, for a second season. Tiffany Haddish will return to serve as host and executive producer.
News of the pickup comes around seven months after ABC gave the series the chop. It also represents a return to the show’s original home, as CBS aired the Bill Cosby-hosted version from 1998 to 2000.
Hailing from CBS Studios and Anvil 1893 Entertainment, the new edition will debut sometime in the 2020-21 broadcast season, with a precise premiere date yet to be announced at a later date. Casting is already underway, per CBS.
“Few things have more universal appeal and humor than the unfiltered honesty of a child, and the comedic genius of Tiffany Haddish takes that to the next level. It’s great to have ‘Kids Say’ back on CBS and part of our expanding alternative slate for 2021,” said Mitch Graham, senior vice president of alternative programming at CBS Entertainment.
The reimagined unscripted series sees Haddish interact with real kids from across the country in an unpredictable and hilarious way. The kids in question are all unrehearsed and have no filters as they share their opinions about the world the way they see it.
“I see my role as giving kids a safe environment where they can say anything they want with complete freedom and no judgement. What I love about this show is that we let kids truly be themselves. I’m the straight man here, and that’s fine with me,” added Haddish.
“Kids Say the Darndest Things” is produced in association with She Ready Productions. Eric Schotz, Bellamie Blackstone and Ruth Rivin executive produce alongside Haddish.
Haddish is represented by UTA, Ziffren Brittenham and Kovert Creative. Anvil 1893 Entertainment is repped by UTA.
Source: Variety