Nick Cannon Tests Positive For COVID; Niecy Nash Steps In
“The Masked Singer” host Nick Cannon has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, which means he won’t be seen in at least the first few episodes of the hit Fox reality series’ fifth season. Instead, producers have tapped actress and host Niecy Nash to fill in.
Nash will take over as guest host as production begins this Thursday on Season 5 of “The Masked Singer,” and until Cannon is ready to get back to work. Cannon is currently in quarantine and resting, a rep for the star confirms exclusively to Variety. Fox expects Cannon to return to the series later in the season.
Season 5 of “The Masked Singer” is scheduled to premiere in March. Returning to the show as usual are panelists Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke.
The celebrity musical guessing game wrapped Season 4 in December as TV’s No. 1 entertainment series, tied with NBC’s “This Is Us.” While it’s been on hiatus, Fox has been airing the spinoff competition show “The Masked Dancer.” As “The Masked Dancer” continues on Wednesday with its top five contestants, already revealed have been Vinny Guadagnino as the Hammerhead; Brian McKnight as the Cricket, Elizabeth Smart as the Moth, Bill Nye the Science Guy as the Ice Cube, and Ice-T as the Disco Ball.
On the Dec. 17 finale of “The Masked Singer,” LeAnn Rimes was unmasked as Season 4 winner — the Sun. Also revealed: Runner-up Aloe Blacc, who had been dressed as Mushroom, and third-place Nick Carter, who had performed as Crocodile.
Since returning to production last summer, “The Masked Singer” has maintained tight COVID protocols, and Jeong, who is a physician, has in particular kept an eye on how the show handled safety.
Meanwhile, Nash is a very familiar face to Fox viewers. On the network, she recently appeared both on companion series “I Can See Your Voice,” hosted by Jeong, and was a guest panelist on “The Masked Singer” last season. She appeared on Fox’s “Scream Queens,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Do Not Disturb,” “The Mindy Project,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” and early in her career, “Party of Five.” She has also done a voice for Fox’s “Family Guy,” among other animated series.
Nash’s recent credits include the “Reno 911!” Revival, as well as FX’s “Mrs. America” and Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever.” She also stars on TNT’s “Claws,” which will return for its fourth and final season later this year. As a host, Nash earned two Daytime Emmy nominations for Style Network’s “Clean House,” which also landed her the 2007 Gracie Allen Award for outstanding program host.
Nash has been nominated three times for a Primetime Emmy: Twice for HBO’s “Getting On,” and in 2019 for “When They See Us,” the critically acclaimed Netflix limited series based on the exonerated Central Park Five. Nash also earned an NAACP Image Award for “When They See Us.”
In film, Nash’s credits include “Selma,” “Guess Who” and “G-Force.” Behind the scenes, she runs the production company Chocolate Chick.
Source: Variety
WATCH: Official Trailer For ‘Coming 2 America’ Released!
The official trailer for Coming 2 America has been released!
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
Jeffrey Wright To Star In New Comedic Take On Batman For Podcast From HBO Max
Do you hear that? It’s the sound of the Batmobile revving its engines.
Batman’s latest heroic exploit will be heard, not seen.
HBO Max is launching a Batman podcast titled Batman: The Audio Adventures, a comedic take on the property that sees Jeffrey Wright lending his voice as the Caped Crusader.
Dennis McNicholas, a longtime writer on Saturday Night Live, penned and directed the multi-episode series that hails from Warner Bros.’ Blue Ribbon Content division and will hit Warners’ streaming service sometime in 2021.
Audio Adventures is separate from DC’s multiyear deal with Spotify to create podcasts based on its characters. The furthest one along in that endeavor is also Bat-centric: Batman Unburied, which has David Goyer as creator and exec producer. (Blue Ribbon Content is also developing and producing that latter series.)
McNicholas produced the project with Angela Petrella (Stone Quackers, Golan the Insatiable). Jon Berg, the former Warner executive turned producer who worked on Justice League, Aquaman and Wonder Woman, is the executive producer.
Plot details are hidden in Crime Alley, but it is known to be a comedic take on the usual rain-soaked justice-dispensing crime-fighter.
That aspect is reflected in the cast, which includes several former and current SNL player, as well as other comedians. In addition to Wright, the all-star roll call includes Chris Parnell, Melissa Villaseñor, Seth Meyers, Brent Spiner, John Leguizamo, Ike Barinholtz, Bobby Moynihan, Kenan Thompson, Rosario Dawson, Jason Sudeikis, Alan Tudyk, Heidi Gardner, Brooke Shields, Paul Scheer, Tim Meadows, Fred Armisen, Ray Wise, Ben Rodgers, Katie Rich, Pete Schultz, Paula Pell, Toby Huss, and McNicholas.
Whom each member of the vast cast will portray is being kept in the Batvault for now.
Wright already has a major Bat-connection: He is playing classic character James Gordon in The Batman, Warners’ upcoming movie that stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne.
The Westworld player is well traveled in the voice acting world and is also voicing the part of the Watcher in Marvel’s upcoming animated series, What If…?
Comedy Central Launches New Digital Doc- Series ‘Dark Humor’ On YouTube
New York, NY — Comedy Central launches the new digital docuseries “Dark Humor,” on Comedy Central YouTube. Kicking off Black History Month, the nine-episode series will roll out weekly starting Monday,February 1 at 12pm ET. “Dark Humor” spotlights Black stand-up comedians discussing their approach to comedy and sources of inspiration that speak to their unique experience. Each episode focuses on different themes and issues, including the intersection of comedy and politics, Black women in comedy, speaking out on social issues, performing for different audiences, how Black identity is represented within the community, and more.
The docuseries features comedy from: Greer Barnes, Mike Brown, Tommy Davidson, Nore Davis, Sonia Denis, Ayanna Dookie, Earthquake, Eddie Griffin, Chloe Hilliard, Lil Rel Howery, Josh Johnson, Damien Lemon, Luenell, Ms. Pat, Open Mike Eagle, Donnell Rawlings, Rae Sanni, Yamaneika Saunders, Sinbad, Cipha Sounds, Rob Stapleton, Jordan Temple, Baron Vaughn, Neko White, Roy Wood Jr., Gina Yashere, as well as commentary from Professor of African and African American Studies and English at Harvard University, Glenda Carpio and talent producer Bob Sumner.
Through the docuseries, “Dark Humor,” Comedy Central Stand-Up is teaming up with Color Of Change. As the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, Color Of Change helps people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us by moving decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Viewers can donate to the Color Of Change education fund using the YouTube fundraising tool attached to each episode of “Dark Humor.”
“Dark Humor” is directed by Sacha Jenkins and was co-produced with Mass Appeal. Producers for Comedy Central are Justina Quagliata and Lauren Blassingame. Gabriella Yacyk is the Executive in Charge of Production for Comedy Central.
Kenya Barris To Serve As Ambassador For New ABFF Comedy Festival
ABFF Ventures LLC has launched ABFF Comedy Festival, a spin-off of its long-running American Black Film Festival that is dedicated to supporting emerging Black and Brown comedians and comedy writers. Prolific producer Kenya Barris (Black-ish, Grown-ish, Black AF) will serve as the Ambassador for the inaugural comedy fest, which will be a virtual, five-day event that will stream live and pre-recorded content on ABFF Play streaming service from June 2-6.
The fete is an extension of the ABFF comedy sidebar which has given visibility to the biggest names in comedy including Kevin Hart, Cedric The Entertainer, Mike Epps, Rickey Smiley, Craig Robinson, and JB Smoove. The mission is to be a global stage for the multicultural comedy community and to help propel new generations of diverse artists to stardom by introducing them to the industry-at-large.
The festival will feature four competitions: Stand-Up Performance, Comedy Web Series, Comedy Shorts, and Comedy Podcasts. Submissions for the four categories are now open and are due no later than March 8. Participants must be over the age of 21, and of African descent, or who identify as Latinx, or Native American, who reside, and are eligible to work, in the U.S.
The event also includes live stand-up comedy performances, panels, master classes, digital screenings of studio and network films and television content in the comedy genre as well as Black Comedy Live, a global pay-per-view special featuring top headline comics.
“I’m thrilled to be partnering with American Black Film Festival on their very first ABFF Comedy Festival,” said Barris. “Jeff and Nicole Friday have built a long legacy of identifying new Black talent over the past 25 years, and as someone who shares their passion for championing and amplifying Black and Brown voices, I am excited to see them expand the ABFF imprint in this way. To be a part of something that will provide greater exposure, access, and opportunities to these comedians and comedy writers while also giving our community a reason to laugh together….this was a no-brainer and I’m honored to lend my support.”
“We are proud to expand our legacy of supporting Black talent in the early stages of their careers with the launch of the ABFF Comedy Festival. I’m very appreciative and excited to have Kenya Barris serve as our inaugural Ambassador. He is one of my favorite writers and sits amongst the most prolific content creators in the comedy arena,” said Jeff Friday, ABFF Ventures CEO.
Source: Deadline
Nick Cannon Daytime Talk Show Gets Official Revival
Nick Cannon is getting a second chance to launch a syndicated daytime talk show.
Debmar-Mercury and Fox Television Stations have committed to a fall launch of the daytime strip fronted by “The Masked Singer” host, an ambitious production that was originally set to premiere last September. But in July Debmar-Mercury postponed the rollout of “Nick Cannon” after comments he made on a podcast about the ancient history of Black people and Jews surfaced and were widely condemned as anti-Semitic.
“It’s been a longtime dream of mine to host my own daytime talk show and that I’m able to do this in New York City, bringing daytime television back to the place that has fostered generations of talent, is very special to me,” Cannon said in a statement. “With this show, we’ll be uniting all aspects of entertainment in a unique way in the very place where a lot of what we know today as our culture started. I couldn’t ask for better partners than Debmar-Mercury and Fox and thank them for supporting me in this endeavor.”
As the controversy raged last year, Cannon apologized and vowed to become better informed on history and why his comments were offensive. The outrage spurred also cost Cannon his deal with MTV to produce and host sketch comedy series “Wild ‘N Out,” his morning radio perch on Los Angeles’ Power 106 and his syndicated radio show.
Cannon spent time last year meeting with prominent rabbis and other Jewish leaders as part of his rehabilitation tour. In September, Cannon resumed his syndicated radio program with Skyview Networks and Meruelo Media, owner of Power 106. With the daytime talk show back on track, Cannon is also expected to soon return to Power 106 and to reach an accord ViacomCBS owner MTV to return to “Wild ‘N Out.”
Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus, co-presidents of Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, said last year that if Cannon proved to be genuinely contrite and did the work to understand the impact of his words, they would revive what had been an eagerly anticipated entry into the daytime yack pack. Originating from a studio in Harlem, “Nick Cannon” promises to serve up a blend of celebrity interviews, comedy sketches, performances and pop culture dish.
“We, along with our many other strong broadcast partners, are excited to be able to bring Nick’s unique, light-hearted and entertaining style to the daytime audience starting this fall,” Bernstein and Marcus said in a statement.
Cannon’s long history in TV and high-profile gig as host of primetime’s top-rated unscripted series, “The Masked Singer,” made Fox Television Stations eager to grab his daytime talk show when it was first shopped to buyers in 2019. With Fox O&Os on board, it’s likely that “Nick Cannon” will have no trouble re-engaging with other station groups that had been on board for “Nick Cannon” before it was shelved last summer.
Source: Variety
SiriusXM And Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Launches Three New Programs
SIRIUSXM and KEVIN HART’s LAUGH OUT LOUD launched three new programs including INSIDE JOKE WITH KEVIN HART. The original podcast will feature HART in conversation with comics including JERRY SEINFELD, STEVE HARVEY, BILL BURR, CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER, DESUS & MERO, ZAINAB JOHNSON, HASAN MINHAJ, and more.
LAUGH OUT LOUD RADIO also launches new shows THE LADIES ROOM WITH JAZZY and DATE NIGHT WITH CHRIS AND VANESSA.
HART commented, “I’m sitting down with some of the best voices in comedy to give my listeners the stories behind the jokes they hear on stage. Comedians have been through it all, and I’m excited that I’ll be digging deep into the lives of my peers for my first podcast. I also think our fans will love the slate of new LOL programming on SIRIUSXM and can’t wait to introduce audiences to the dynamic talents of JAZZY, CHRIS, and VANESSA.”
SIRIUSXM Pres. and Chief Content Officer SCOTT GREENSTEIN added, “The only thing funnier than KEVIN HART is KEVIN HART in conversation with another comedian. I’m excited to present our INSIDE JOKES podcast to listeners across the globe, in addition to the new shows on SIRIUSXM, as we continue to collaborate with LAUGH OUT LOUD to shape KEVIN’s channel into the pinnacle of diverse comedy programming in audio entertainment.”
Faizon Love Settles With Universal Over ‘Couples Retreat’
The potentially high stakes battle over the Couples Retreat poster and more is in retreat.
“Universal Pictures and Faizon Love reached an amicable agreement,” attorneys for the actor/plaintiff told Deadline today. The resolution comes two months after Love sued Universal over the erasure of the actor from international promotion for the 2009 comedy – a deletion that Love’s lawyers termed an “act of racism,” at the time.
While not details of how things were resolved between the Comast-owned studio and Faizon were revealed, we do know that a request for dismissal in the tense case was filed on January 21 in LA Superior Court. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, paperwork has often been slow to appear on LASC dockets in recent months, however multiple sources confirm the filing took place.
The move comes rather suddenly as Love’s Browne George Ross O’Brien Annaguely & Ellis LLP lawyers were attempting to get Universal execs in faster than usual for interviews and depositions. On the flip side, defendants Universal were angling to have the whole matter, including claims that Love was promised future roles, hidden in arbitration.
Now, such moves seem old news.
Faizon Love sued Universal Pictures today, accusing it of violating California’s fair employment and civil rights laws with the international poster for its 2009 comedy movie Couples Retreat, calling it an “act of racism.” It also claims the studio reneged on a promise to get Love future roles when they originally sought to placate him over the controversy.
Love co-starred in the movie with Vince Vaughn, Kristen Bell, Jason Bateman, Malin Ackerman, Jon Favreau, Kristen Davis and Kali Hawk as a quartet of couples who travel to a tropical island where marriage therapy classes are a requirement.
The film’s international poster, left, and the U.S. posterUniversal
Filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the 45-page suit (read it here) from Love and his loan-out company The Burning House recounted that Universal’s marketing for the film in domestic markets during its original featured all four couples in the key art. Faizon and Hawk, the only Black couple in the ensemble, were excised from the international English-language poster, both in the photo and in the cast listing.
The discrepancy was noted in the UK during the film’s original 2009 release, with a Universal spokesperson at the time saying the cut was “‘to simplify the poster to actors who are most recognisable in international markets.” Universal eventually removed the international poster from use overseas, though part of Faizon’s suit today says it remains in circulation as part of the film’s promotion.
“Rather than enjoy maximum visibility with the film’s release, Mr. Love was demoted to the proverbial ‘Invisible Man,’ as penned by Ralph Ellison,” reads the lawsuit. “Although Couples Retreat achieved a first-place box office opening weekend ranking, and went on a spectacular run that grossed more than $171 million worldwide, Universal Studios placed Mr. Love in the back seat of the ride enjoyed by his six White costars. Mr. Love and his Black costar, Kali Hawk, were expunged completely from the film’s principal international advertisement, while the other ‘couples’ basked in the publicity and acclaim of an international box office hit.”
Universal declined comment on the lawsuit.
The suit also includes claims of fraud, breach of contract and false promise against defendants Universal City Studios LLC, Eden Resort Inc. and Relativity Media LLC, with Faizon and his lawyers saying that he reached out to the studio at the time and “[r]ather than react with adversity … endeavored to engage constructively.”
“Universal Studios (on behalf of Defendants), in turn, attempting to assuage Mr. Love and prevent his filing suit, promised both (i) the immediate cessation of the racist international poster, and (ii) prompt recompense to Mr. Love in the form of lucrative, career-making film roles,” the suit adds.
“Universal Studios lied. Not only did it flout its promise of career assistance to Mr. Love, Universal Studios continues to this day to use the offending poster—not merely internationally but now also domestically. What Universal Studios had initially portrayed to Mr. Love as an unintentional act of oversight and carelessness was, we now know, an intentional act of disparate and discriminatory treatment by Universal Studios and the remaining Defendants.”
“As far as Universal was concerned, its contract meant nothing, its promises to correct its egregious behavior meant nothing, and its pledges to Faizon Love meant nothing,” Love’s lead attorney Eric George of BGR said today. “Yet this is not merely a breach of contract and good faith: It is nothing less than a deliberate act of racism on the part of Universal Studios at the highest levels.”
Source: Deadline
Rickey Smiley To Host 22nd Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration On BET
(NEW YORK, NY) — January 25, 2021 – For the eighth consecutive year, the 22nd AnnualSuper Bowl Gospel Celebration will air on BET during Super Bowl LV week on Saturday, February 6th at 8/7c.
The theme “Nothing Can Stop Us” is the inspirational message for this highly anticipated night of praise and worship during Super Bowl LV. This year’s event will be hosted by national radio and TV personality Rickey Smiley and feature performances by TheNFL Players Choir, Erica Campbell, Voices of Fire presented by Pharrell Williams, PJ Morton, Kierra Sheard, Koryn Hawthorne, Zacardi Cortez, and an exclusive performance by gospel music pioneer and living legend John P. Kee. Additionally, the show will feature appearances from NFL Players Desean Jackson-Philadelphia Eagles WRand Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys QB.
The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will present Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson with this year’s “Faith In Action Award.” The son of a courageous cancer survivor, Watson is one of the NFL’s youngest philanthropists and is committed to causes that support families and youth in underserved communities.
In collaboration with the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, the American Cancer Society will highlight the need to eliminate barriers to prevention and treatment in the black community during the broadcast. African Americans have the lowest survival rate for most cancers, and the pandemic has caused a devastating drop in cancer screenings. Viewers will be encouraged to donate during the show on BET by texting HOPE to 20222 to donate $10 to the American Cancer Society.
Originating at Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999, the annual event joins key NFL Players, top Gospel/Contemporary Christian, and mainstream GRAMMY® Award-winning artists, and special guests all on one stage to bring audiences an evening of uplifting music and inspirational messages.
Super Bowl Gospel Celebration (SBGC) is the largest multicultural event during the Super Bowl weekend. In its 22-year run as an NFL-sanctioned event, SBGC has featured artists including Patti LaBelle, Yolanda Adams, Gladys Knight, Natalie Grant, Mary Mary, Fantasia, Donnie McClurkin, Anthony Hamilton, among many others.
Melanie Few is theFounder and NFL Sanction Holder of the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. The show’s Executive Producer’s are Connie Orlando, EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET, Jamal Noisette, VP of Specials & Music Programming at BET, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, CEO of J. Rou Productions Inc.
For more information, visit superbowlgospel.com and join the social conversation using #SuperBowlGospel and #NothingCanStopUs.
Sidney Poitier To Get A School Named After Him
NEW YORK (AP) — In 1963, Sidney Poitier made a film in Arizona, “Lilies of the Field.” The performance led to a huge milestone: He became the first Black winner of a lead-acting Oscar.
Now, Arizona is the site of another career milestone for the legendary actor and filmmaker — Arizona State University has named its new film school after him. The Sidney Poitier New American Film School was unveiled at a virtual ceremony on Monday.
The decision to name the school after Poitier, 93, is about much more than his achievements and legacy, but because he “embodies in his very person that which we strive to be — the matching of excellence and drive and passion with social purpose and social outcomes, all things that his career has really stood for,” said Michael M. Crow, president of the university.
“You’re looking for an icon, a person that embodies everything you stand for,” Crow said in an earlier interview. “With Sidney Poitier, it’s his creative energy, his dynamism, his drive, his ambition, the kinds of projects he worked on, the ways in which he advanced his life.”
“Look at his life: It’s a story of a person who found a way,” he said of the actor, who was born in Miami and raised in the Bahamas, the son of tomato farmers, before launching a career that went from small, hard-won theater parts to eventual Hollywood stardom. “How do we help other young people find their way?”
The university, which is expanding its existing film program into its own school, says it has invested millions of dollars in technology to create what’s intended to be one of the largest, most accessible and most diverse film schools. Crow said that much like the broader university, the film school will measure success not by exclusivity but by inclusivity.
Poitier in 1964 at the 36th Academy Awards.. (AP Photo)
By expanding both its physical resources and flexible learning options like online study, it hopes to enroll thousands more students, teaching them skills that go far beyond traditional moviemaking.
The school will move in the fall of 2022 to a new facility in downtown Mesa, Arizona, 7 miles from the university’s Tempe Campus. It will also occupy the university’s new center in Los Angeles.
The university did not make Poitier, who has been out of the public eye for some time, available for an interview. His daughter Beverly Poitier-Henderson told The Associated Press her father was “doing well and enjoying his family,” and considered it an honor to be the namesake of the new film school.
Poitier-Henderson and two of Poitier’s other daughters described in interviews how the film school’s emphasis on inclusivity and access aligned with their father’s long-held ideals.
“If it has my Dad’s name on it, it has to be inclusive, because that’s the foundation of who he is and what he stands for,” said Anika Poitier, like her father a filmmaker. “And it’s important to not only have inclusion but to have diversity, and to give people the opportunity to tell their stories. I think it’s imperative to cast a wide net and allow anyone who’s called to tell their story to learn how to do that.”
Sydney Poitier Heartsong, the actor’s youngest daughter, noted that the two most important things to her father as she grew up were education and the arts.
“Those are the two tracks that run throughout his life, that define what he has contributed and defined what he felt was important to impart to his kids,” she said. “The arts were also a form of education. He wanted to pass that on to all young people but specifically young people of color.”
President Barack Obama presents the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Poitier. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Poitier Heartsong, who followed her father’s footsteps into acting, added that the new school had special resonance in a time when “we’ve come to recognize that from a socioeconomic standpoint, a lot of (elite) schools exclude people of color disproportionately — and people without the means to go to them. That is the antithesis of what my father would want to be a part of.”
And she noted that in Poitier’s heyday, when he won his Oscar, one of his biggest complaints was that “he was the only one up there, and he wanted others to be up there with him. Well, others can’t be up there with him if they don’t have access to these tools and these educations. Not the way the world works today. ”
The ASU film production programs now enroll 700 students, said Steven Tepper, dean of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts there, but that number is expected to double over three to five years.
“I just hope that the students at the Sidney Poitier Film School take up the mantle of responsibility the way our father took up the mantle when he was coming up in his career,” said Poitier-Henderson, “and tell their stories regardless of finances, which is easy for us to say. But you’ve got to be true to yourself. It’s a very powerful thing, and I’m looking forward to seeing who comes out of it.”
