Ja’net Dubois — one of the main characters on “Good Times” — was found dead Tuesday.
Ja’net played the Evans family’s sassy neighbor Willona Woods on the classic ’70s TV series. Her family tells us … Ja’net died unexpectedly in her sleep overnight at her home in Glendale, CA.
It’s unclear who discovered her body Tuesday morning. We’re told Ja’net hadn’t complained of any specific ailments recently, and appeared to be in good health to those around her. She even attended a fan event in Hollywood a couple weeks ago.
Ja’net might be most famous for “Good Times,” but she also composed and sang the theme song, “Movin’ On Up” for, “The Jeffersons” — so, she should also be remembered for her voice.
She appeared in tons of movies over the years, including “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka”, “Tropic Thunder” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.”
Ja’net’s acting career began on Broadway, where she was cast in a number of plays including “Golden Boy” with Sammy Davis Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr. — plus “A Raisin In The Sun.”
She also won two Emmy awards for her voice-over work on “The PJs.”
Ja’net is survived by her children — 2 daughters and a son.
She was 74. RIP
Source: TMZ
Showtime Orders ‘First Ladies’ Starring Viola Davis As Michelle Obama
SHOWTIME has given a series order to the first season of the hour-long drama FIRST LADIES, starring and executive produced by Oscar, Emmy and Tony® winner Viola Davis, who will play former first lady Michelle Obama. Produced by SHOWTIME and Lionsgate Television, the series will also be executive produced by Julius Tennon, Oscar winner Cathy Schulman (Crash, Five Feet Apart), Jeff Gaspin (Rhythm + Flow, L.A.’s Finest), Brad Kaplan (Mr. Church) and author Aaron Cooley (Four Seats: A Thriller of the Supreme Court), who created the series and will write. The announcement was made today by Jana Winograde, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.
In the East Wing of the White House, many of history’s most impactful and world-changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America’s charismatic, complex and dynamic first ladies. This series will peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives of these enigmatic women, with season one focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford and Michelle Obama.
“Throughout our history, presidents’ spouses have wielded remarkable influence, not only on the nation’s leaders but on the country itself.” said Winograde. “FIRST LADIES fits perfectly within the SHOWTIME wheelhouse of drama and politics, revealing how much personal relationships impact both domestic and global events. Having Viola Davis play Michelle Obama is a dream come true, and we couldn’t be luckier to have her extraordinary talent to help launch this series.”
Davis won Oscar, Golden Globe®, BAFTA® and Screen Actors Guild Awards® for her performance in the feature film Fences, based upon the play for which she won a Tony Award. She also earned Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Awards for her lead role in How To Get Away with Murder, for which she was a four-time Emmy nominee, as well as two additional Tony Awards for King Hedley II and Seven Guitars. Her career also includes Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG-nominated performances in The Help and Doubt, an Emmy-nominated guest performance in Scandal and a BAFTA nomination for Widows. Davis is a four-time NAACP® Image Award winner and 16-time nominee, beginning with her performance on the SHOWTIME series UNITED STATES OF TARA.
FIRST LADIES is executive produced by Cathy Schulman via Welle Entertainment, Viola Davis and Julius Tennon via JuVee Productions, Jeff Gaspin via Gaspin Media, Brad Kaplan via LINK Entertainment and Aaron Cooley.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. Takes Over The Lead Role In New Apple Basketball Drama Titled ‘Swagger’
O’Shea Jackson is now set to star in the Apple drama series “Swagger.”
Jackson takes over the role from Winston Duke. It was announced that Duke would star in the series back in October, but an individual with knowledge of the situation says he suffered an injury on set, which forced him to drop out of the show.
“Thank you to Imagine, CBS and Apple TV for the opportunity to have collaborated on this project,” said Duke. “As I work toward a full recovery in the coming months, I look forward to joining everyone on future endeavors. Congratulations to O’Shea – I have no doubt that he’ll shine in this role.”
Inspired by NBA champion Kevin Durant’s youth basketball experiences, “Swagger” explores the world of youth basketball, and the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption. Jackson will star as Ike, a youth basketball coach and former star player.
“I’m thrilled to be involved with such a profound and impactful project that stands for family, explores the development and growth of today’s youth, involves the game of basketball, and most importantly addresses such key social issues which are tackled throughout the series,” said Jackson. “‘Swagger’ is an opportunity to explore a fresh, multi-dimensional character under the guidance of an amazing director like Reggie Rock and his team on a daily basis.”
Sources say that Jackson has been highly interested in the series since it was in first in the works and had been offered a different role during the casting process that he was unable to accept at the time it was offered.
The role will be one of Jackson’s first regular television roles in his burgeoning career. He was recently announced as a series lead in the Quibi series “The Now.” His first onscreen credit was in the 2015 film “Straight Outta Compton,” which is based on the rise of the hip hop supergroup NWA. Jackson portrayed his own father, best known to fans as Ice Cube, in the film. Since then, he has gone on to star in films like the recently released “Just Mercy” as well as “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and “Den of Thieves.”
He is repped by WME and Ziffren Brittenham.
“Swagger” will be written and directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood, who will also serve as executive producer and showrunner. Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo will executive produce for Imagine Television Studios along with Durant and Thirty Five Ventures’ Rich Kleiman. The series hails from Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios. James Seidman will oversee the project for Imagine. Sarah Flynn will serve as executive for Thirty Five Ventures.
Loinsgate Debut’s New Trailer For Chris Rock’s ‘Saw’ Horror Film Titled ‘Spiral’
A sadistic mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in SPIRAL, the terrifying new chapter from the book of SAW. Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
SPIRAL stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson, and is produced by the original SAW team of Mark Burg and Oren Koules. The film is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Josh Stolberg & Pete Goldfinger.
Watch the new trailer below
LA City Council Honors Comedians Tiffany Haddish, Luenell, Eddie Griffin, And More For Black History Month
A trio of big-name comics — Eddie Griffin, Tiffany Haddish and Luenell Campbell — were honored by the Los Angeles City Council Tuesday to mark the beginning of Black History Month.
Councilmen Herb Wesson, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Curren Price welcomed the comedians, who have filled stadiums and theaters and made their mark on television and film.
Luenell, as she’s known “mononymously,” has been a stand-up comic for decades, and appeared in recent films such as “A Star is Born” and “My Name is Dolomite.” But her film career truly gained traction after her cameo in Sacha Baron Cohen’s 2006 film “Borat.”
Before her career took off, she said she spent some time in Los Angeles’ Twin Towers Correctional Facility.
“We didn’t think anything like this would ever happen for black comedians in Los Angeles,” Luenell said. “Often times, we’re out there working our butt off, but we feel invisible, like maybe the people are riding with us, but the executives and other people don’t pay attention to us.”‘
Griffin, who never shies from blue language, dropped several expletives in his high-tempo speech in the Council Chamber.
The longtime comic has multiple stand-up specials to his name, along with dozens of comedy films. But he said was actually homeless for three months when he first moved to Los Angeles, living on the corner of West Fifth Street and South Hill Street after moving from Kansas City.
“To turn back around … what is this, 30-something years later, and to be here in with all you beautiful people — some of y’all ugly, but you know it,” Griffin said.
Griffin thanked the council, but then chided the city for needing to fix its streets and provide assistance to homeless people.
“You can’t Taze the homeless because that homeless person might be a diamond in the rough, might be the next (expletive) Eddie Griffin,” he said.
Haddish, originally from South Los Angeles where she still resides, was recognized by the council five years ago, when she said she bought her first home. Since then, she said she’s purchased many other properties and she wants to buy more for a cause.
“It’s good to be back,” Haddish said. “I would love to get into
business with the city of Los Angeles and maybe start putting some foster youth in those homes. Not even maybe, I’m gonna do that.”
Haddish most recently released a Netflix comedy special, “Black Mitzvah,” and she appears on the TBS program “The Last O.G.” alongside Tracy Morgan.
The council also played a video recognizing other black comedy greats such as Paul Mooney and Dick Gregory.
Source: CNS
Kevin Hart Adds John Travolta In New Quibi Series Titled ‘Die Hart’
Add John Travolta to the list of big names joining a Quibi series.Travolta is set to star opposite Kevin Hart in the action-comedy Die Hart (formerly Action Scene) at the shortform streaming service. Production on the series is scheduled to begin Sunday.
Die Hart will have Hart playing a fictionalized version of himself, someone who’s tired of being the comedic sidekick. A famous director offers him the shot to be the lead in an action movie, but there’s a catch: Kevin first must train at the world’s greatest action-star school, which is run by a lunatic (played by Travolta). Pushed to his limits by the coach and a tough-minded rival student, Kevin must survive a series of over-the-top action sequences and face his fears if he wants to achieve his dream and land the role of a lifetime.
Hart is executive producing with Jeff Clanagan, president of his Laugh Out Loud production company. The two created the action sequence that opened Hart’s 2016 concert film What Now? (along with its director, Tim Story), which served as the inspiration for the Quibi show.
Candice Wilson and Bryan Smiley are producers on Die Hart, while Eric Appel (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Silicon Valley) is directing and Tripper Clancy (Stuber) and Derek Kolstad (John Wick) are the writers.
Travolta is coming off a year in which he starred in the features Trading Paint, The Poison Rose and The Fanatic. He earned an Emmy nomination for playing lawyer Robert Shapiro on The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (and, as a producer, shared in the show’s win for best limited series).
Travolta joins a roster of A-listers working with Quibi that includes Laura Dern, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheadle, Dwayne Johnson, Lena Waithe, Sophie Turner and Idris Elba, among others. The service is scheduled to launch April 6 and will offer scripted and unscripted series in short “chapters” of 10 minutes or less, along with daily news, sports and lifestyle programs.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Tyler Perry Bringing Back Comedy ‘House Of Payne’, New Series ‘Assisted Living’ To BET
Tyler Perry is bringing back the multi-cam comedy series “House of Payne” at BET.
Perry and the cabler have commissioned a new season of the series. The revival picks up five years after the conclusion of the original series. Original stars LaVan Davis, Cassi Davis Patton, Lance Gross, Demetria McKinney, China Anne McClain, Larramie “Doc” Shaw, Keshia Knight Pullam, and Allen Payne will all return.
House of Payne” originally aired in syndication before moving to TBS for the rest of its run. It would go on to air over 250 episodes before wrapping up in 2012. The spinoff “The Paynes” aired two seasons on OWN in 2018.
In addition, production is also underway on another Perry project at BET, “Assisted Living.” In that series, Jeremy (Na’im Lynn), a patriarch of a young family with teenage children, decides to move to the backwoods of Georgia after losing his job to help his crazy grandfather. Grandpa Vinny (J. Anthony Brown) has purchased a terribly run-down home for the elderly and he is in way over his head, but comedy ensues as Mr. Brown (David Mann) and Cora (Tamela Mann) show up at the right time as needy investors. The cast also includes Courtney Nichole, Tayler Buck, and Alex Henderson.
Both series are set to premiere on BET this summer. Perry is credited as writer, director, and executive producer on both shows. Michelle Sneed will executive produce for Tyler Perry Studios, Perry’s sprawling production facility in Georgia.
Perry currently has the shows “Sistas” and “The Oval” at BET and is developing multiple projects for the standalone streaming service BET Plus. BET parent company Viacom announced last year that they were teaming with Perry to launch the service.
Gabrielle Union Developing Drama Titled ‘Afro.Punks’ HBO Max
Gabrielle Union is continuing to make moves behind-the-scenes as a producer. The latest project she has lined up is Afro.Punks, a coming-of-age drama series that is in development at HBO Max.
The hour-long series is from writer Jenina Kibuka, Union and Holly Shakoor Fleischer’s I’ll Have Another Productions and Sony Pictures TV. I’ll Have Another is under a deal at SPTV. Anton Cropper will direct and executive produce. Cropper also directs and executive produces L.A.’s Finest, which Union stars in for Spectrum Originals.
Deadline, who first reported the news, calls Afro.Punks “a coming-of-age, one-hour drama that will follow three teenage misfits on the brink of rebellion as they navigate life, love and Afro-Punk.”
Union’s other projects include Morgan Cooper’s Black Coffee, which is set up at Quibi.
Source: Shadow & Act
‘Lethal Weapon 5’ Is In Development At Warner Brothers
The Lethal Weapon cast is coming back together for Lethal Weapon 5.
According to The Playlist, producer Dan Lin told The Hollywood Reporter that Warner Bros. is working on a fifth Lethal Weapon film, the last of the series. Lin revealed that Danny Glover and Mel Gibson are expected to return, along with the series’ director, Richard Donner.
Lin called the project “amazing,” and that the story is “very personal” to Donner. “Mel and Danny are ready to go, so it’s about the script,” he said.
Seeing how so many franchise films have come back over the past few years, it’s no big surprise that Lethal Weapon might return. But you have to wonder how the film will play in a Twitter landscape where transgressions aren’t forgotten. To put it bluntly, how will audiences accept a new Lethal Weapon film with Gibson’s past racist tirades clouding their minds? It seems like there could be a PR disaster waiting in the wings. But time will tell how well the film will do once it gets to the production stage.
Source: Shadow & Act, The Playlist
Joe Torry’s ‘Pawn Shop’ Set To Premiere On YouTube
With over 2 billion viewers logging in monthly, YouTube is free TV, and the comedy “Pawn Shop” is set to premiere on a premium channel Sunday, Feb 9th.
Starring Garret Morris (“Two Broke Girls”), Joe Torry (“The Workout Room”), comedian Foolish along with influencer Deelishis, and Reynaldo Rey in his final film, “Pawn Shop” is the first feature being released on YouTube–direct to consumer–by C.O.D., a new multicultural, multichannel, network.
As the streaming wars rage on with no end in sight, an emerging media distributor, C.O.D. is founded on the simple belief that “there is a greater need for content than new streaming portals.” C.O.D. aims to reduce the barrier for creators to reach their desired audiences by taking content direct to consumers via user-generated platforms like YouTube and Amazon.
“Originally released in 2013, the movie aired briefly on a small cable system, but very few people got a chance to see it,” says Torry. “I am excited that more of our fans and followers will finally have a chance to watch “Pawn Shop” because it is for our audiences.”
“Pawn Shop” is the first feature acquired by C.O.D. and the network has high expectations for its performance on YouTube. The movie will be available for a limited time on MReckTV, a urban YouTube Channel. Consumers are the real beneficiaries, as C.O.D. provides a platform for projects like “Pawn Shop.” The movie will be available for free for a limited time before being released for purchase on Amazon via download or on DVD.
