Are two legends preparing to share the stage? Comedian/actor/singer Jamie Foxx sat down with Ellen Degeneres to share some super funny impressions of his celebrity friends, like Jay-Z and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and revealed that he’s returning to his roots: stand-up comedy.
His previous stand-up tours, which infused comedy and his love for music, are still relevant today.
Watch the interview below:
NEW YORK, NY (January 10, 2020)—ESSENCE, the number one media, technology and commerce company dedicated to Black women globally, has unveiled the honorees for its highly-esteemed 2020 Black Women in Hollywood Awards. The highly coveted invitation-only Oscar-week event—spotlighting Hollywood’s most renowned and accomplished women at the forefront of the industry—will be held on Thursday, February 6, 2020 at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, CA. This year’s theme, in honor of the brand’s 50th anniversary, will be a celebration of women owning, expanding and transforming the art of storytelling. ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood is presented by Ford and sponsored by AT&T Humanity of Connection, Geico, L’Oréal Paris and Netflix.
The 2020 illustrious Black Women in Hollywood honorees include: EMMY Award-winning actress, comedian, director and producer Niecy Nash (When They See Us, Claws, Kidnapped: The Kamiyah Mobley Story); DGA nominated director and two-time Grammy Award winning music video director Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim, Master of None’s “Thanksgiving”, “Formation” by Beyoncé); actress Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel and the upcoming No Time to Die); and the trailblazing cast and co-executive producer/director/writer of Pose (Janet Mock, Mj Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, Angelica Ross and Hailie Sahar). The star-studded list of presenters will include EMMY, GRAMMY and Tony award-winning actor Billy Porter (Pose, American Horror Story.) Additional presenters will be announced at a later date.
“For fifty years, ESSENCE has remained committed to portraying and highlighting the triumphs, aspirations and dynamic lives of Black women,” said Michelle Ebanks, CEO of ESSENCE Communications, Inc. “The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood luncheon has become an amazing platform to recognize and honor the unparalleled talents of Black women in an industry that often hasn’t. We celebrate all of our honorees this year for their fearlessness and strength as they boldly continue to own their narratives and share our stories.”
“ESSENCE is thrilled to commemorate the creative and critical achievements of Black women as originators, nurturers, makers and creators during our 13th Black Women in Hollywood awards luncheon,” said MoAna Luu, ESSENCE Chief Content & Creative Officer. “Whether they’re reclaiming our culture or dismantling traditional gender ideas, each of our honorees uplift us as they present their unique gifts on the screen and behind the camera. As ESSENCE celebrates 50 years of the power of our presence, we are proud to salute them all.”
In addition, ESSENCE’s Oscar week activities will culminate with the launch of the inaugural ESSENCE House: Hollywood Edition, which will be held on Friday, February 7th. This communal space will provide a catalyst for diverse creatives to connect and collaborate through an interactive program. The event will feature a curated schedule of panels, workshops and screenings focused on uplifting emerging storytellers through the mentorship of established Hollywood movers and shakers. Scheduled speakers and participants include talent attorney Nina Shaw; celeb hairstylist Kim Kimble; filmmaker/author Nelson George, producer Nina Yang Bongiovi and more. For more on ESSENCE House: Hollywood Edition visit ESSENCE.com.
ESSENCE’s January/February 2020 issue (on newsstands now) features its annual Black Women in Hollywood package highlighting each honoree. Stay tuned to ESSENCE.com for highlights and behind-the-scenes access to the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards Luncheon. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @essence #BlackWomeninHollywood. Join in the discussion on Facebook.
Watch the brand new trailer of the new film, Birds Of Prey, featuring Harley Quinn.
“Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” is a twisted tale told by Harley herself, as only Harley can tell it. When Gotham’s most nefariously narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis, and his zealous right-hand, Zsasz, put a target on a young girl named Cass, the city is turned upside down looking for her. Harley, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya’s paths collide, and the unlikely foursome have no choice but to team up to take Roman down.
Orlando Jones proves that “angry gets s*** done.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor’s union SAG-AFTRA is expanding the inquiry into Fremantle, the production company behind both American Gods and America’s Got Talent. This news comes after Jones revealed he was fired from American Gods after suffering through a toxic work environment. Part of that environment, as he revealed in his initial Instagram video, included current showrunner Charles Eglee assuming Jones’ character, Mr. Nancy, was sending “the wrong message for Black America.”
In the show, Mr. Nancy speaks for the disenfranchised and marginalized Black community and their struggle at the hands of chattel slavery. His message of anger relates directly to that frustration of being treated as less than human. Deadline has since been reported that Jones might be mulling over legal action against American Gods’ leadership because the unexpected firing led to monetary losses for him and his family. Not only that, though Jones was fired, he still hasn’t been officially released from his contract.
Union, who was fired from America’s Got Talent, also complained of a toxic working environment in which she was exposed to racism and sexism, including notes on her hairstyles and appearance, and offensive jokes about people of color.
“After initial meetings with Gabrielle Union and her representatives about her experiences on America’s Got Talent, and after learning more about Orlando Jones’ experience on American Gods, SAG-AFTRA is expanding its investigation of Fremantle Media,” the organization said in a statement on Friday. “Our enforcement actions are handled confidentially to protect the members involved, and we typically do not publicize these matters unless the affected members request that we do so. We have nothing further to report at this time.”
Jones commented on the expansion of the investigation on Instagram, writing in a post, “Thank you SAG for believing in me and for standing up for equality and for embracing my team and myself in this battle against injustice and lies and thank you to my fans because without you there is no Mr. Nancy.”
Source: Shadow & Act
MGM has released the first trailer for Respect, the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic starring Jennifer Hudson. Franklin personally chose Hudson to portray her in the biopic of her life before her death on August 16, 2018, of pancreatic cancer.
The film is directed by Liesl Tommy, the first Black woman to be nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of A Play. Straight Outta Compton producer Scott Bernstein and Grammy Award-winning music producer Harvey Mason, Jr. will serve as producers.
In addition to Hudson, the all-star cast includes Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Mary J. Blige, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Heather Headley, Tate Donovan and Skye Dakota Turner.
Whitaker stars as Reverend C.L. Franklin. Known as the man with the “Million-Dollar Voice,” Franklin served as the pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. Franklin was also the father of the American singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin and her manager early in her career. Wayans stars as Ted White, Aretha’s first husband. McDonald stars as Barbara Franklin, Aretha’s mother. Sengbloh stars as Erma Franklin, Aretha’s eldest sister. Kilgore stars as Carolyn Franklin, Aretha’s younger sister. Picked from a nationwide search, young Aretha Franklin will be played by Turner. Blige stars as famed recording artist Dinah Washington. Headley will play Clara Ward, the famed gospel artist and leader of The Famous Ward Singers. Burgess stars as Reverend Dr. James Cleveland, who was known as the “King of Gospel.” Maron stars as legendary Atlantic Records music producer Jerry Wexler. Donovan stars as John Hammond, Columbia Records’ influential music producer.
Watch the first footage below:
Source; Shadow & Act
The sixth and final season of the Fox musical drama Empire has continued on without the inclusion of Jussie Smollett, who played Jamal Lyon. However, in an interview with TV Line, showrunner Brett Mahoney revealed that discussions are underway for a possible Smollett return.
“It would be weird in my mind to end this family show and this family drama of which he was such a significant part of without seeing him,” Mahoney said. “It’s fair to say it’s being discussed, but there’s no plan as of yet to bring him back. There’s been no decision made.”
For those unfamiliar, Smollett was written out at the end of the fifth season following accusations of filing a false police report. The report claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in Chicago in January. Charges were eventually dropped against Smollett in March.
Empire‘s midseason finale aired on Tuesday, December 17, 2019.
Former Fam star Tone Bell is returning to CBS with a new multi-camera comedy project. The network is developing the project as a possible starring vehicle for Bell, who is executive producing.
Based on a story by Bell and inspired by real-live events, the untitled comedy is from from writer-producers Craig Gerard and Matt Zinman (Happy Together), director-producer Richie Keen (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Cedric the Entertainer’s A Bird and a Bear Productions, and CBS TV Studios, where Gerard and Zinman are under a deal.
Written by Gerard and Zinman from a story by Bell, in the Untitled Tone Bell Project, after a pregnancy scare, a carefree thirty-something decides he’s ready to settle down and tries to change his life so he can go from Mr. Right Now to Mr. Right.
Gerard and Zinman executive produce with Bell and Keen, along with Cedric and Eric Rhone for A Bird and a Bear Productions via Cedric’s development deal with CBS. CBS TV Studios is the studio.
Bell starred opposite Nina Dobrev in comedy Fam, which aired on CBS for one season. He also previously starred as Carter on Netflix’s Disjointed. He’s repped by CAA, Black Box Management and Hansen Jacobson.
Keen’s episodic directing credits include It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, AP Bio and The Goldbergs. He’s repped by CAA and Hansen Jacobson.
Gerard and Zinman served as writers/co-executive producers on CBS’ comedy series Happy Together as well as writers/co-executive producers on NBC/WBTV anthology comedy series Trial & Error. The duo started their writing careers on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, which was produced by 20th TV. They also served as co-executive producers on CBS/CBS TV Studios’ short-lived freshman comedy series Me, Myself & I. Gerard and Zinman are repped by Hansen Jacobson.
Cedric is star and executive producer of CBS’ sophomore multi-camera comedy series The Neighborhood.
Source: Deadline