Cedric The Entertainer To Produce Multi-Cam Comedy At CBS
The Neighborhood” star Cedric the Entertainer is set to executive produce an untitled multi-camera project in the works at CBS.
The series follows two young women who, after repeatedly being turned down by investors, hatch an outrageous plan to raise capital for their new sports app. According to sources, the project had been in development under the title “How to Be a White Guy,” with the two main characters recruiting a white man to pose as the CEO of their company.
The project hails from creators Adrienne Rose White and Aliee Chan, who will also executive produce along with co-writer Christopher Case. Eric Rhone of Cedric’s A Bird and a Bear Productions will also executive produce along with Jon Thoday, Richard Allen-Turner, David Martin, Jakob Markovits, and Aaron Brown of Avalon Entertainment. CBS Television Studios, where A Bird and a Bear currently has a development deal, will produce.
White and Chan have previously collaborated on shows such as “Quirky Female Protagonist,” “Perceptions,” and “Sh!T Happens.” Case’s past credits include “Mad About You,” “Spin City,” “Titus,” and “Legit.” He also co-created the show “Sin City Saints” and created “Retired at 35.”
In addition to his starring role in the CBS comedy “The Neighborhood,” Cedric is known for his performances in the “Barbershop” film franchise, and has appeared in other films such as “Be Cool” with John Travolta, “Intolerable Cruelty” with George Clooney, and the “Madagascar” animated franchise. He was also a key figure in “The Original Kings of Comedy,” MTV’s documentary directed by Spike Lee which captured the phenomenon of the record-breaking “Kings of Comedy Tour.”
Cedric the Entertainer and A Bird And A Bear Entertainment are represented by CAA, Visions Management, and attorneys Gordon Bobb and Nina Shaw. Chan is repped by Avalon Management and Myman Greenspan. White is repped by Element Talent Agency, Avalon Management, and Myman Greenspan. Case is repped by Management 360 and Morris Yorn.
Source: Variety
Kevin Hart New Docuseries A Go At Netflix
Netflix and Kevin Hart are cementing their relationship with a docuseries that follows the comedian over the past year of his life.
The series, unsubtly titled Don’t Fuck This Up, is set to premiere Dec. 27 on the streaming platform (two weeks after Hart’s latest movie, Jumanji: The Next Level, debuts). Over six episodes, the show will follow Hart through his day-to-day life as he deals with the fallout from his Oscars controversy — he was named as host of the 2019 awards, then stepped down two days later after old tweets using anti-gay slurs surfaced — his marriage and his career.
Don’t Fuck This Up, which the comic’s HartBeat Productions is producing, will also include interviews with Hart’s friend and family, archival footage from Hart’s childhood and early stand-up gigs and personal anecdotes.
Hart, who suffered major back injuries after a car accident earlier this year, announced the series on Instagram on Tuesday morning saying the behind-the-scenes look into his life over the last year and a half life will cover “a hell of a rollercoaster; peaks, hills, valleys, ups, downs. It’s as real, as raw, as transparent as you could be.”
Hart has done one original special for Netflix: Irresponsible, released earlier this year. Three prior specials that were initially released theatrically (2016’s What Now?, 2013’s Let Me Explain and 2011’s Laugh at My Pain) are also available on the streamer, and Hart has said he’ll release future specials on Netflix as well.
Along with HartBeat Productions, Lionsgate, Makemake, 3 Arts Entertainment and Magical Elves are producing Don’t Fuck This Up.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Nick Cannon Syndicated Talk Show Cleared For Launch
A syndicated talk show starring The Masked Singer host Nick Cannon has locked in its first distribution deal — with the station group that airs his primetime hit.
Fox Television Stations will serve as the launch group for Cannon’s untitled show, which comes from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury. The show, targeted for fall 2020, will air twice daily on Fox-owned affiliates in some of the country’s biggest markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
“We need to take big swings, and Nick Cannon should be a natural fit with our lineups,” said Frank Cicha, executive vp programming for FoxTelevision Stations. “Plus, he can help me a lot in our Masked Singer office pool.”
Cannon served as a guest host for The Wendy Williams Show, also produced by Debmar-Mercury, when Williams took an extended hiatus earlier this year after being diagnosed with Graves’ disease. Debmar-Mercury and Cannon’s Ncredible Entertainment will co-produce the new show.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to host my own talk show, and I’m fortunate to have found great partners in Fox and Debmar-Mercury,” said Cannon. “My experience with Fox as a producer and host on both The Masked Singer, as well as the soon-to-air Nick Cannon’s Hit Viral Videos, has been exceptional. I’m looking forward to continuing our amazing track record together.”
Added Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus, “Fox has been an indispensable station group partner for us and we’re excited to team with them once again. They share our strong belief in Nick, a multi-talented force of nature who will bring his fresh approach and track record of success to daytime talk. Nick has been able to build a brand name across all platforms with unique ability to connect to the audience, which is exactly what you need to do to succeed in this competitive world.”
Cannon’s show joins Sony’s The Good Dish, a food-centric spinoff of The Dr. Oz Show, in hitting the syndication market for fall 2020 (the latter doesn’t have any distribution deals lined up yet). The current season has seen one of the biggest first-run syndicated pushes in years, with seven national launches including talk shows from Kelly Clarkson and Tamron Hall and a court show headed by Jerry Springer.
Fox stations also carry Extra, TMZ, TMZ Live and The Real in syndication, all of which recently earned multi-year renewals.
Ciara To Host The 2019 American Music Awards On ABC
dick clark productions and ABC announced today that multiplatinum, award-winning singer/songwriter Ciara will host the “2019 American Music Awards®.” Known for her incredible high-energy performances, including 2018’s show-stopping collaboration with Missy Elliott and timeless R&B/pop hits, she will once again take the American Music Award’s stage, this time as host, for an evening of incredible music and unforgettable live moments. Chart-topping singer/songwriter Kesha, joined by Big Freedia, will make her return to the American Music Awards stage for her first performance since 2013. The “2019 American Music Awards” will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 8:00 p.m. EST, on ABC.
Kesha and Big Freedia join previously announced performers Camila Cabello, Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Thomas Rhett and Shania Twain, as well as Taylor Swift, the “2019 American Music Awards” Artist of the Decade award recipient.
The American Music Awards is where the world’s biggest artists and pop-culture icons come together to honor idols, newcomers and record-breakers in the contemporary music scene. As the decade comes to a close, this year’s show celebrates the past 10 years with some of the best moments in music and live performances from the biggest names in the industry. From Pop and Rock to Country, Hip Hop and beyond, it only happens here.
Ciara is a GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter, producer, model and actress. Over her 15-year career, her music catalogue has surpassed over 2 billion streams, selling over 23 million records and 22 million singles worldwide, including chart-topping hits “Goodies,” “Ride,” “Oh,” “1, 2 Step,” “Body Party” and “I Bet.” Most recently, Ciara released her seventh studio album, “Beauty Marks,” which spawned platinum-selling hit “Level Up,” and is the first release from her newly formed label, Beauty Marks Entertainment (BME). In an effort to reclaim creative control over her artistry, Ciara formally launched BME as a boundless platform for her music, media, film, fashion, philanthropy, technology and entrepreneurial pursuits. Since launching BME, Ciara has formed Why Not You Productions and West2East Management alongside husband Russell Wilson. Ciara is a devoted wife and mother of two as well as a philanthropist who sits on the board of her and her husband’s Why Not You Foundation, and is dedicated to improving the lives of children and empowering women across the globe.
Kesha’s forthcoming album, “High Road,” will be released Jan. 10, 2020, via Kemosabe Records/RCA Records. The first single, “Raising Hell” feat. Big Freedia, has been critically acclaimed with NPR calling the track a “gospel-inspired rave-up banger.” It’s been an incredible two years since Kesha returned to the charts in 2017 with her critically acclaimed No. 1 Billboard 200 album, “Rainbow,” which earned the singer/songwriter her first GRAMMY nominations, and was called “an artistic feat” by Entertainment Weekly and “the best music of her career” by Rolling Stone. The singer/songwriter was also named one of Time Magazine’s Time 100; released a behind-the-scenes Webby-winning documentary “Rainbow: The Film” on Apple Music; performed “Praying” at the 2018 GRAMMYs, which Vanity Fair called “the night’s most powerful performance”; set sail on her own festival cruise (“Kesha’s Weird & Wonderful Rainbow Ride”); headlined Dan Reynolds’ LoveLoud Festival; collaborated with Macklemore (“Good Old Days”) and The Struts (“Body Talks”); and contributed to the soundtracks for “On the Basis of Sex” with “Here Comes The Change” and “The Angry Birds Movie 2”’s “Best Day.” Kesha has earned more than 14 million total album equivalents worldwide, has approximately 6.9 billion audio streams and 1.7 billion video streams worldwide, and has had nine Top 10 hits on The Billboard Hot 100, including four No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Mainstream Top 40 radio airplay chart – “TiK ToK,” “Your Love Is My Drug,” “Die Young” and “Timber.”
American Music Awards nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected on Billboard.com, including streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, social activity and touring. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound, and reflect the time period of Sept. 28, 2018, through Sept. 26, 2019. The American Music Awards winners are voted entirely by fans.
Voting is open for all AMA categories. Fans can access the official voting ballot for the American Music Awards directly by visiting goo.gle/AMAsVote or by going to Google.com and using the search terms “AMAs Vote” or “[Nominee Name] AMAs Vote.” Fans can submit up to 30 votes per category per day per Google account while voting is open. Voting will close on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, at 11:59:59 p.m. PST.
The “2019 American Music Awards” is produced by dick clark productions. Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are executive producers. Larry Klein is producer.
For the latest American Music Awards news, exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the AMAs on social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube) and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #AMAs.
Eva Longoria Producing New Latin Comedy At ABC Inspired By Celebrity Chef Aarón Sánchez
ABC has put into development a family restaurant comedy inspired by the memoir by celebrity chef Aarón Sánchez. The project hails from The Real O’Neals writer-producer Rob Sudduth, Eva Longoria and Ben Spector’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment and 20th TV, where the company has a first-look deal.
Penned by Sudduth, the untitled Where I Come From project centers on divorced chef Zoila Sanchez, who has always told stories through her food. And that food’s got some explaining to do: she uprooted her fraternal twin sons Alex and Rafael from El Paso to New York so she can fulfill her dream of opening a restaurant. As they all struggle to make sense of their odd new world, they must lean on each other like never before and use the family business to forge a new community — one meal at a time.
The story is inspired by Sánchez’s memoir Where I Come From: Life Lessons From a Latino Chef, which was published last month. The characters Zoila Sanchez and her fraternal twin sons, Alex and Rafael, were inspired by Aaron’s mother, Zarela Martinez, who was also a famous chef, and Aaron and his fraternal twin brother, Rodrigo.
Sudduth, who was born and raised by a Latino family in Texas, executive produces alongside Longoria and Spector through UnbeliEVAable and Sanchez.
The Food Network staple and James Beard winner Sánchez also co-stars on Fox’s MasterChef and MasterChef Jr, and in 2016 founded a scholarship fund for aspiring chefs from the Latin community, providing mentorship opportunities and scholarships to the International Culinary Center in New York.
UnbeliEVAble is coming off the soapy summer drama Grand Hotel, which ran on ABC for one season. It featured a strong Latinx presence in front of and behind the camera. The company also produced the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary Reversing Roe which premiered this fall at Telluride.
Sudduth’s writing credits include the upcoming Netflix comedy series Slutty Teenage Bounty Hunters, Lifetime’s American Princess, and Netflix’s On My Block.
UnbeliEVAable is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Sánchez is repped by CAA.
Source: Deadline
Alicia Keys To Return As 2020 Grammy Awards Host
Keys will be just the third woman — and the first female music star — to host the show more than once.
Alicia Keys will return as the host of the Grammy Awards in 2020.
After making a well-received debut as host at the 61st annual Grammy Awards earlier this year, Keys will do the honors again for the 62nd annual Grammys, which are set to air Jan. 26.
“At first, I did think last year was a one-time thing, but when the opportunity came back around, there was no question about returning as host,” Keys said Wednesday in a statement. “Last year was such a powerful experience for me. Not only did I feel the love in the room, but I felt it from around the world, and it confirmed the healing and unifying power of music.”
Keys will be just the third woman and the first female music star to host the show more than once. She follows Ellen DeGeneres, who hosted in 1996-97, and Rosie O’Donnell, who hosted in 1999-2000. Just two other women have hosted since the show became a live telecast in 1971: Whoopi Goldberg in 1992, and Queen Latifah in 2005.
Deborah Dugan, the Recording Academy’s first-year president/CEO, added in a statement, “From best new artist recipient to Grammy Award host, Alicia Keys has been a beacon of artistry within the music community for more than two decades. Last year was a testament to her compelling creativity, and we are thrilled that she will return to the Grammy stage as our host.”
As previously announced, the upcoming Grammy telecast will be the last one to be executive produced by longtime Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich. Following next year’s telecast — Ehrlich’s 40th with the Grammys — the show will be taken over by Late Late Show With James Corden executive producer Ben Winston.
In Ehrlich’s long run as Grammy producer or executive producer, LL Cool J was the most frequent host, with five hosting gigs. John Denver and Garry Shandling each hosted four times on Ehrlich’s watch (Denver hosted two additional times before Ehrlich took over in 1980). Billy Crystal is next in line, with three hosting assignments, followed by Kenny Rogers, DeGeneres, O’Donnell, Jon Stewart, Corden and now Keys, with two each.
Keys has won 15 Grammy Awards since her debut album was released in 2001. Only one other Grammy host has won as many or more Grammys: Paul Simon, who hosted the show in 1981, is a 16-time Grammy winner.
Nominees for the 62nd annual Grammy Awards will be announced Nov. 20.
Source: Billboard
New Stand-Up Special From Eddie Griffin Titled ‘EDDIE GRIFFIN: E-NIGGMA’ To Premiere December 6th On Showtime
Veteran entertainer Eddie Griffin is back for his third SHOWTIME comedy special, EDDIE GRIFFIN: E-NIGGMA, premiering on Friday, December 6 at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The hour-long special is filmed at the restored, historic landmark Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, home to many iconic performers including Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Lena Horne. Griffin’s unapologetic storytelling canvasses his 30-plus year comedy career and offers an intimate glimpse into the 10th year of his nightly Las Vegas residency, The Eddie Griffin Experience. Through his quick wit and a fiery rhetoric, Griffin flexes his perspective on a number of personal family situations and real-world issues while teaching sociopolitical and hypothetical history lessons along the way.
Griffin started his career on stage in Kansas City, Missouri as a dare when he was a teenager, made his way west to Los Angeles to the Comedy Store and continues to build his fan base worldwide. His career leapt from the stage to the screen with nearly 75 television and film credits to his name, from the classic Undercover Brother to John Q, A Star Is Born (2018) and most recently the remake of The Comeback Trail, starring opposite Morgan Freeman and Robert De Niro. Griffin’s previous SHOWTIME specials include FREEDOM OF SPEECH and UNDENIABLE.
EDDIE GRIFFIN: E-NIGGMA is directed by Brian Volk-Weiss (KEVIN SMITH: SILENT BUT DEADLY, The Toys That Made Us). Cisco Henson serves as executive producer for Comedy Dynamics along with Sylvia V. Hillman and Devin Green.
Lil Rel Howery Joins Huge Cast Ensemble For Ben Afflek’s New Thriller ‘Deep Water’
Filming is underway on Deep Water, the first movie from Indecent Proposal and Fatal Attraction director Adrian Lyne in almost two decades. Among cast joining Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas, Tracy Letts and Rachel Blanchard are Dash Mihok (Ray Donovan), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Jacob Elordi (Euphoria), Kristen Connolly (House Of Cards), and Jade Fernandez (Little).
This is Lyne’s first movie since 2002’s Unfaithful. New Regency fully financing. Zack Helm (Stranger Than Fiction) and Sam Levinson (Euphoria) have adapted from the Patricia Highsmith novel, and Garrett Basch and Steven Zaillian are producing with Entertainment 360’s Guymon Casady and Ben Forkner, and Anthony Katagas (12 Years A Slave). Arnon Milchan is also producing.
Pic is an erotic thriller, right in Lyne’s wheelhouse. Affleck and de Armas play Vic and Melinda Van Allen, an attractive young married couple whose mind games with each other take a twisted turn when people around them start turning up dead. The couple staves off divorce in a loveless marriage by allowing each to take lovers, but it becomes messy as Highsmith exposed the surface facade of American suburban life.
Mihok is repped by The Gersh Agency and Authentic Talent & Literary. Elordi is repped by Gersh, Fourward, Rogers & Cowan, and Nicky Gluyas Management in Australia. Howery is repped by Fourthwall Management, The Aziza Work Group and UTA. Connolly is repped by Paradigm and Authentic. Fernandez is repped by AWA and Zero Gravity.
Source: Deadline
Mo’Nique Sues Netflix For Discrimination Stand-Up Special Offer
Nearly two years after Mo’Nique called for a Netflix boycott on Twitter, the comedian is suing the streaming giant for racial and gender discrimination over the $500,000 offer she received to do a stand-up special.
In January 2018, Mo’Nique posted a video alleging gender and color bias because her offer was significantly lower than the millions paid to the likes of Amy Schumer, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle. Wanda Sykes responded on Twitter, thanking her for speaking out and saying she walked away from a deal that was “less than half” of what Mo’Nique was offered.
Mo’Nique is suing the streaming giant for race and gender discrimination and unfair business practices, according to a complaint filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Mo’Nique says Netflix is perpetuating the pay gap suffered by black women, and when she told the company its offer was discriminatory, it “refused to negotiate fairly.” She notes that when “a white female comedian [Schumer] objected to her offer (given how much lower it was than comparable males), Netflix reconsidered and upped her offer.”
In the suit, Mo’Nique lists examples of what other comedians, who aren’t black women, were reportedly paid by Netflix: Jerry Seinfeld ($100 million), Eddie Murphy ($70 million), Chappelle ($60 million), Rock ($40 million), Ellen DeGeneres ($20 million), Jeff Dunham ($16.5 million) and Ricky Gervais ($40 million).
A Netflix spokesperson on Thursday sent this statement to THR: “We care deeply about inclusion, equity, and diversity and take any accusations of discrimination very seriously. We believe our opening offer to Mo’Nique was fair — which is why we will be fighting this lawsuit.”
The complaint also includes headshots of seven top Netflix executives, all of whom are white, in support of her contention that the company’s lack of racial diversity contributes to a culture of discrimination.
“In short, as this lawsuit shows, Netflix’s treatment of Mo’Nique began with a discriminatory low-ball offer and ended with a blacklisting act of retaliation,” states the complaint, which is posted below. In 2015, Mo’Nique told The Hollywood Reporter that she was blackballed after her best-supporting actress Oscar win in 2010 for her role in Precious because she was “difficult” to work with.
Source; The Hollywood Reporter
Byron Allen Wins Two Big Federal Court Victories Against Comcast And Charter Communications
Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios (ES) and the National Association of African-American Owned Media (NAAAOM) – plaintiffs in federal lawsuits filed against Comcast and Charter Communications – are pleased to announce two decisions issued today by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The lawsuits were filed against two of the largest cable television carriers in the country—$20 billion against Comcast and $10 billion against Charter—for violating the Civil Rights Act of 1866, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, prohibiting racial discrimination in contracting. For years, Entertainment Studios has been requesting that Comcast and Charter carry its networks, which are distributed by Comcast and Charter’s competitors, including Verizon, DirecTV, AT&T, DISH, and many other carriers, to millions of people around the country.
Both Comcast and Charter, however, rebuffed all of Allen’s requests for network carriage. Accordingly, Allen filed lawsuits in federal district court in Los Angeles. The cases are entitled National Association of African American-Owned Media, et al. v. Comcast Corporation, Case No. 2:15-cv-01239-TJH-MAN (C.D. Cal.) and National Association of African American-Owned Media, et al. v. Charter Communications, Case No. 2:16-cv-00609-GW-FFM (C.D. Cal.).
In two historically significant decisions, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected Comcast and Charter’s attempts to dismiss the cases before trial. The Court upheld Entertainment Studios’ Section 1981 claims against both Comcast and Charter; and instead ruled that both cases could proceed in the trial courts to discovery and trial.
“These two decisions against Comcast and Charter are very significant, unprecedented, and historic,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Entertainment Studios. “The lack of true economic inclusion for African Americans will end with me, and these rulings show that I am unwavering in my commitment to achieving this long overdue goal.”
“The Court’s rulings overwhelmingly reflect the Ninth Circuit’s rejection of the Defendants’ positions and arguments,” said Mark DeVitre, President of plaintiff, NAAAOM. “I look forward to quickly moving into discovery where we expect much more evidence to surface.”
“These decisions are hugely important in terms of opening the courts to African American-owned media. The Court paved the way to our eventual success at trial by ensuring that the proper ‘mixed motive’ standard for our claims – a lower standard of proof than the ‘but for’ standard argued by Comcast and Charter – applies,” said Entertainment Studios’ attorney, Skip Miller, partner in Miller Barondess. “Additionally, the Court dismissed Charter’s and Comcast’s attempts to use the First Amendment as a shield for their alleged discrimination. I very much look forward to trying these cases. And I give Mr. Allen tremendous credit for having the will and the constitution to invest the capital and resources to pursue them relentlessly.”
