WATCH: Pixar’s ‘Soul’ Debuts First Trailer With Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey
What do you want to be remembered for?
That’s the central question in “Soul,” Disney and Pixar’s upcoming existential animated adventure about a middle school music teacher (voiced by Jamie Foxx) who dreams of being a jazz performer.
“We only have a short time on this planet,” Foxx’s character Joe Gardner says in the new trailer released Thursday. “You want to become the person you were born to be. Don’t waste your time on all the junk of life. Spend your precious hours doing what will bring out the real you, the brilliant passionate you that’s willing to contribute something meaningful to this world.”
But before Joe gets his big musical break, he gets in an accident that causes his soul to be separated from his body. He is transported to the “You Seminar,” an ethereal center where souls are refined before being sent off to human bodies. There, he meets 22 (voiced by Tina Fey), a grim soul with a bleak outlook who is trapped in the You Seminar. (She, for the record, wants to be remembered for “doing this funny cowboy dance.”) Together, the two journey to get Joe’s soul back to his body on Earth before it’s too late.
Pete Docter, best known for Pixar hits including “Monsters Inc.,” “Up” and “Inside Out,” is directing the film. The voice cast also includes Questlove, Phylicia Rashad and Daveed Diggs.
“Soul,” one of two Pixar movies debuting next year, will hit theaters June 19, 2020. In March, the studio is unveiling “Onward” with Tom Holland, Chris Pratt and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Tyler Perry Sets Pair Of Scripted Series At BET’s Streaming Service
Tyler Perry continues to expand his scripted roster for Viacom’s BET platforms.
The multihyphenate has added a pair of scripted series for BET+, the cable network’s recently launched streaming platform. Ordered to series are Bruh, which looks at the world of dating, and The Oval spinoff Ruthless. Both series will be written, directed and exec produced by Perry. Tyler Perry Studios’ Michelle Sneed will also exec produce both.
The two pickups join the previously announced White House soap The Oval and Sistas, which recently launched on linear network BET.
“I’m so grateful for the millions of fans who have been watching the new shows on BET,” Perry said. “And this is only the beginning. I’m excited to bring these two new dynamic series to the BET+ family and continue to tell stories of high stakes drama with emerging talent.”
Perry is a key part of Viacom’s turnaround strategy and is expected to produce 90 episodes of original series annually for BET and other Viacom platforms. He also is a partner in BET+, which was launched in the fall. It features a mixture of library content from various Viacom brands as well as Perry’s former TBS comedies House of Payne and Meet the Browns,in addition to scripted originals, such as Tracy Oliver’s First Wives Club. Perry’s The Oval will launch first on BET’s linear network before moving to the streaming platform.
“Our landmark partnership with Tyler Perry has delivered beyond our expectations,” BET president Scott Mills said. “We are thrilled with the ratings performance of Tyler Perry’s first two original television series and can’t wait to bring fans more of the content they love on our premium streaming product, BET+. Our streaming service is a natural extension of BET’s linear network, and Tyler Perry is the perfect partner. The combination of new, original shows and his robust library of popular movies, series and stage plays that Tyler brings to our joint venture strengthens our position in the streaming landscape and drives subscriber growth, viewership and retention.”
Below are details about both new BET+ series.
Bruh
The half-hour comedy, premiering in 2020, revolves around a group of “bruhs” who will unravel the stereotypes of African American men and manage to maintain their brotherly relationships while finding love and fulfilling careers. Barry Brewer, Mahdi Cocci, Phillip Mullings Jr., Monti Washington, Chandra Currelley, Candice Renee and Alyssa Goss star.
Ruthless
An hourlong drama that will also bow in 2020, the series tells the story of a young woman who becomes entangled in a scandalous cult of powerful sex-crazed fanatics, whom she must now play along with until she can find a way to free herself and her young daughter. Melissa L. Williams (The Oval) stars as Ruth Truesdale along with Matt Cedeño, Lenny Thomas, Yvonne Senat Jones, Baadja-Lyne Odums, Jaime Callica, Nirine S. Brown, Blue Kimble, Stephanie Charles, Herve Clermont, Anthony Bless (Sistas) and Bobbi Baker James. Production is underway at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta.
DL Hughley Docu-Comedy Special ‘How Not To Get Shot And Other Advice From White People’ Greenlit At Comedy Central
Comedy Central today announced a greenlight for a one-hour comedic documentary from D.L. Hughley, How Not to Get Shot and Other Advice from White People, based on Hughley’s New York Times bestselling book of the same name. Hughley will executive produce and star in the project, which will follow him into the field to explore the state of race in America. By following behavioral advice given to African Americans, will Hughley make all the problems of race in America disappear, or will he bring systemic prejudice to light?
“I look forward to working with Comedy Central on this documentary, where we’ll get to explore deeper into the state of race as I see it today. And then…leave it to me to point out the absurd,” said Hughley. “I dig how Comedy Central saw How Not To Get Shot as I did — knowing the conversation would extend far beyond the length of a book.”
“We’re incredibly excited to work with D.L. again and build on our award-winning partnership,” said Sarah Babineau and Jonas Larsen, Co-Heads of Original Content, Comedy Central. “D.L. has an eye for the absurdities that mainstream America too often accepts as normal, especially when it comes to race. His incisive wit and comedic genius will be on full display in How Not to Get Shot.”
How Not to Get Shot and Other Advice From White People is executive produced by Hughley, 3Arts, Hugh Fink, Adam Mansbach, and Vikram Gandhi, who is also director and showrunner. Sonya Vaughn is a producer. Hughley is repped by 3Arts and UTA. Fink and Vikram are repped by UTA. Jonas Larsen, Christian McLaughlin, Ola Iko, and Michael Stanger are the Executives in Charge of Production for Comedy Central.
Hughley’s 2012 docu-comedy special with Comedy Central, D.L. Hughley: The Endangered List (2012), was awarded the George Foster Peabody Award in the 72nd Annual Peabody Awards competition.
How Not to Get Shot is the latest project to advance Comedy Central’s expansion into the documentary space, following the network’s October announcement of plans for a deep-dive documentary about the life of comedian Patrice O’Neal. Earlier this year, Comedy Central premiered Klepper, an eight-episode immersive documentary series about American activism, and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents Desi Lydic: Abroad, a one-hour special chronicling Lydic’s international exploration of how the U.S. has fallen behind other nations on issues of gender equality. Prior Comedy Central docu-comedy specials include Jeff Ross Roasts the Border: Live from Brownsville, Texas (2017), Jeff Ross Roasts Cops (2016), and Jeff Ross Roasts Criminals: Live at Brazos County Jail (2015).
Today’s greenlight announcement comes as Comedy Central closes a 2018-2019 fiscal year of strong overall growth and series performance, including among African American audiences. Recently renewed for a second season, the network’s summer hit South Side was the #1 new cable comedy of 2019 with African American Men 18-49 and Comedy Central’s highest-rated new series among African-American Adults 18-49 since the launch of Key & Peele in 2012. South Side is 100% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Singer Chris Brown Holding High-End Yard Sale At His Home
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Brown says he’s having a high-end yard sale at his Los Angeles home, and a crowd has been gathering for hours.
The singer posted a flyer on his Instagram and Twitter accounts that included his home address in the Tarzana neighborhood and says the event started at 10 a.m. Wednesday and will go until 7 p.m.
The flyer says the sale will feature “significantly marked-down high-end designer items.” He captioned the posts: “DA CRIB … 2 day event.”
People began gathering at the house Tuesday night, and a long line stretched down the sidewalk of the residential neighborhood before the event Wednesday.
Yvette Nicole Brown To Host New Show ‘The Big Fib’ On Disney +
Disney+’s original unscripted slate is expanding into game shows with The Big Fib, hosted by Community alumna Yvette Nicole Brown. The streamer has ordered 30 episodes of the half-hour game show for kids, based on the popular Gen-Z Media podcast Pants on Fire.
In The Big Fib, two grown-ups claim to be experts on a topic and one of them is lying. It’ll be up to our kid contestant to try and figure out which one is telling “the big fib”. Described as “big fun with a mission,” the series, from Haymaker Prods. (Southern Charm), features fascinating facts, tricky fibs, a supportive host and a lovably goofy robot.Brown, one of the stars of Lady and the Tramp, Disney+’s upcoming live-action adaptation of the 1955 animated classic, which will be available at launch on Nov. 12, will be joined by co-host Rhys Darby (Jumanji: Welcome To the Jungle).
The Big Fib is executive produced by Aaron Rothman, Josh Halpert, and Irad Eyal of Haymaker Prods. along with Ben Strouse of Gen-Z Media.
Disney+’s inaugural non-scripted slate features mostly documentary and competition reality series, including Marvel’s Hero Project,The World According to Jeff Goldblum, Ink & Paint and Be Our Chef.
The Big Fib was co-packaged by Verve, which reps Gen-Z Media, and CAA, which reps Haymaker Prods.Gen-Z Media specializes in fun scripted podcasts featuring humor and heart. Gen-Z founders, Ben Strouse, David Kreizman, and Chris Tarry are co-creators of the Peabody award-winning podcast The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel (Disney/Anonymous Content).
At Disney, Brown also voices a character on hit series Elena of Avalor. Darby next is set to reprise his role as in-game guide Nigel in Jumanji: The Next Level.
Source: Deadline
Keegan-Michael Key To Host New CBS Sports Game Show Titled ‘Game On’
CBS and James Corden are teaming up for a sports-based game show.
The network has ordered Game On, a comedic mix of trivia game and physical challenge that’s based on British format A League of Their Own (which Corden has hosted for much of its nine-year run). Keegan-Michael Key will host the show, and tennis great Venus Williams and former NFL star Rob Gronkowski will serve as “team captains.” Comedian Bobby Lee and Late Late Show writer Ian Karmel will be regular panelists.
Corden and his Fulwell 73 partner Ben Winston are among the executive producers.
“We are so delighted to be making this show with CBS,” said Winston. “We couldn’t have found a better host and partner in Keegan, and I can’t wait to see Gronk and Venus as we’ve never seen them before, going head to head in some epic yet ridiculous battles.”
Game On will feature two teams of three, captained by Williams and Gronkowski, along with Lee, Karmel and a rotating mix of athletes, comedians and other celebrities. They’ll compete in over-the-top physical challenges like seeing who can dunk the most basketballs over a tank of water while harnessed to a bungee cord. They’ll also answer sports-adjacent trivia questions like, “Which football player cried longest after winning a championship?”
The show comes from CBS’ Eye Productions Inc. and Fulwell 73 with CPL Productions, a Red Arrow Studios company (Red Arrow distributes the A League of Their Own format globally outside the U.S. and Canada). Executive producers are Winston, Corden and Emma Conway for Fulwell 73; David Taylor, Murray Boland and Danielle Lux for CPL Productions; Gronkowski, Elle Key, Keegan-Michael Key, Henry Penzi and Williams.
CBS hasn’t set a premiere date for Game On. It will join an unscripted lineup on the network that includes Survivor, The Amazing Race, Big Brother, Love Island and the recently ordered Tough As Nails.
Source; The Hollywood Reporter
WATCH: New Trailer For Apple TV’s ‘The Banker’ Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie
Apple TV+ has released the official trailer to George Nolfi’s The Banker, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Nicholas Hoult, and Nia Long. The film is opening in theaters December 6 before debuting on Apple TV+ in January.
A fact-based drama written by Nolfi and Niceole Levy, the story follows two African American entrepreneurs, Bernard Garrett (Mackie) and Joe Morris (Jackson), who spent the 1950s trying to circumvent racial limitations by recruiting a working class white guy named Matt Steiner (Hoult) and training him to pose as the head of their business. At the same time, they posed as a janitor and a chauffeur.
Bernard’s wife Eunice (Nia Long), plays a key role in setting up the enterprise with the pair becoming two of the wealthiest and most successful real estate owners in the country with Steiner as their frontman. Their success soon brings about unforeseen risk of exposure that threatens everything.
Brad Feinstein produced the film.
WATCH: New ‘Bad Boys For Life’ Trailer Debuts
A new trailer for Bad Boys for Life has dropped by Sony. The third and final film in the franchise is set for release soon.
The film which stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Paola Nunez, Kate Del Castillo, Nicky Jam and Joe Pantoliano has been in development for some time. In 2016, it was announced that the project was pushed to 2018, but it then moved off the schedule. Martin Lawrence even said in an interview last year, “I don’t think we’re going to get one, not the way everything’s turning out. Will is off doing another movie, and I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Sony announced in May 2018 that the movie would be released Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2020 on January 17.
From Jerry Bruckheimer, the directors are Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Joe Carnahan and Chris Bremner wrote the script.
Source: Shadow & Act
Watch the trailer below:
DL Hughley, Bill Bellamy, Chris Tucker & Cedric the Entertainer At John Witherspoon’s Homegoing
John Witherspoon‘s Celebration of Life: David Letterman, Ice Cube, Chris Tucker & More Honor the Late Comic
John Witherspoon’s Life Celebrated At Star-Studded Memorial Service.
“Pops” was celebrated in style.
Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, David Letterman, Cedric the Entertainer, and more attended John Witherspoon’s funeral at Forrest Lawn in Los Angeles on Tuesday (Nov. 5). Instead of wearing basic black, attendees were encouraged to show up in colorful ensembles to celebrate the life of the legendary actor and comedian.
Watch video below, Ice Cube was one of several speakers and he paid a touching tribute … saying he enjoyed the hell outta John since he could remember.
Ice Cube Speaks at John Witherspoon’s Celebration of Life
‘Live in Front of a Studio Audience’ To Return Recreating ‘Good Times’ & ‘All In The Family’!
“Live in Front of a Studio Audience,” the live broadcast television event that captivated audiences with its all-star cast recreating episodes of “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” last spring, is set to return to ABC on Wednesday, Dec. 18, with newly recreated, live installments of Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin’s Emmy® Award-winning series “All in the Family” and groundbreaking sitcom “Good Times,” created by Mike Evans, Eric Monte and developed by Lear. The holiday-inspired live event produced by Sony Pictures Television, will reunite executive producers Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmel, Brent Miller, Will Ferrell and Justin Theroux. Kerry Washington, who portrayed Helen Willis of “The Jeffersons” in the original special in the spring, will join as an executive producer.
ABC’s “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’” was nominated for three EmmyAwards, and took home the prize for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). The premiere of ABC’s “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and “The Jeffersons’” on Wednesday, May 22, averaged 14.29 million Total Viewers and a 2.86 rating in Adults 18-49 across all platforms after 35 days of TV playback and reached 23.5 million Total Viewers for its original Wednesday broadcast and two encore airings on Saturday, May 25, and Saturday, Aug. 17.
“The holiday season is the perfect time for families to come together and enjoy another ‘Live in Front of a Studio Audience’ special on ABC,” said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. “Only Jimmy and Norman can top what they accomplished the first time. From the superstar talent to the unforgettable music and the richly deserved Emmy win, their collective vision has introduced a whole new generation of people to these groundbreaking and timeless stories – and now with ‘Good Times’ as part of the lineup, this will surely be another can’t-miss television event.”
“Being a part of Norman Lear’s world was a career highlight; and working with great actors on these great shows was so much fun, we couldn’t resist tackling a holiday episode of ‘All in the Family’ and one of my favorites, ‘Good Times,’” said Kimmel.
Added Lear, “I don’t know which is greater – bringing back ‘Good Times’ or co-hosting with Jimmy Kimmel?”
“We are so thrilled to be working with this brilliant team again to bring another groundbreaking special featuring Norman’s timeless and prolific works. The themes are as relevant today as when they were first presented,” said Jeff Frost, president of Sony Pictures Television.
“Live in Front of a Studio Audience: ‘All in the Family’ and ‘Good Times’” will be produced by Kimmelot, ACT III Productions, Gary Sanchez Productions, D’Arconville, Simpson Street,and Sony Pictures Television. Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmel, Brent Miller, Kerry Washington, Will Ferrell and Justin Theroux will executive produce.
