WATCH: Issa Rae, LaKeith Stanfield Fall In Love In ‘The Photograph’ Trailer
Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield will be heating up Valentine’s Day by the looks of the first trailer for Stella Meghie’s upcoming romantic comedy “The Photograph.”
The film follows Mae (Rae), a young woman whose curiosity is piqued after she uncovers a photo of her deceased mother and her mom’s past lover. The discovery of the black and white picture leads her on a journey of self-discovery and love as a relationship begins to form between her and Michael (Stanfield), who plays a journalist. However, her unresolved issues threaten to tear the couple apart.
Switching between timelines depicting two parallel love stories, “The Photograph” promises to be “a sweeping love story about forgiveness, and about finding the courage to seek the truth, no matter where it may lead you,” as the movie’s log line reads.
Joined by fellow “Insecure” star Y’lan Noel, the film boasts an impressive cast, including comedian Chelsea Peretti, Chante Adams, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Jasmine Cephas Jones, Lil Rel Howery, Rob Morgan and Courtney B. Vance. Will Packer, who recently collaborated with Rae on “Little,” will produce. Packer’s other hit films include “Girls Trip” and “Night School,” starring Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart.
“The Photograph” hits theaters on Feb. 14, 2020.
https://youtu.be/kmicB3J1emw
WATCH: Eddie Murphy & The Cast Of ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ Talk In-Depth About The Film
The cast of Dolemite sit down to talk about the making of Dolemite Is My Name, Rudy Ray Moore’s Legacy, and the impact Blaxploitation films had on culture.
Corbin Reid & Andrea Bordeaux Set As Leads In Starz Comedy Pilot Run The World’
Corbin Reid (Valor) and Andrea Bordeaux (NCIS: Los Angeles) are set as the other two leads opposite Amber Stevens West and Bresha Webb in Run the World, Starz’s half-hour comedy pilot. The project hails from Boomerang writer Leigh Davenport; Dear White People co-showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser; and Lionsgate TV, where Bowser’s SisterLee Productions under an overall deal.
Created, written and executive produced by Davenport and directed by Millicent Shelton, Run the World is the story of a group of four black, vibrant, fiercely loyal best friends who work, live and play in Harlem as they strive for world domination. At its core, it’s an unapologetically female show about friendship and not only surviving — but thriving together.
Reid will play Sondi, a righteous, feminist scholar who plays mommy to her older boyfriend’s 6-year-old daughter. He also happens to be her thesis adviser. She’s a Southern belle, so you know all the shade comes with a teaspoon of sugar.
Bordeaux is Ella, a true romantic with an immense amount of wit and currently an equal amount of mess to her life. She’s the glue to this amazing group of friends. A writer searching for her literary career comeback, she’s a dreamer with gusto and slick humor like no other.
Reid was a series regular on the CW’s military drama Valor and recurred on the third season on ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder. Repped by CAA and Myman Greenspan, she next appears in the feature My Fiona.
Bordeaux recurred on Season 9 of CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles and earlier on TBS’ Rizzoli & Isles. Other recent credits include Dynasty and Bones. She is repped by Clear Talent Group and Artists First.
Source: Deadline
Netflix Acquires Action Comedy Vehicle For Jay Ellis And Glen Powell
Netflix has acquired an action/comedy feature pitch by screenwriter Michael Diliberti that he will write as a vehicle for Glen Powell (Set It Up) and Jay Ellis (Insecure), who will be seen together in the upcoming Paramount sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
Diliberti, whose credits include 30 Minutes Or Less, will write a film that revolves around two young Secret Service agents who are stuck with the worst detail in the First Family… the President’s black sheep son.
When the boy is kidnapped abroad, they have to step into the line of fire to get him back. The project will be produced by Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch and Becky Sanderman. Brian Levy will be executive producer.
Diliberti is repped by Brian Levy at Pulse Films and David Krintzman at Morris Yorn; Powell is ICM Partners; Ellis is UTA and Rise Management.
Source: Deadline
Kevin Hart Shares Emotional Video About Car Accident
Kevin Hart has opened up about the September car crash that left him hospitalized with a severe back injury.
The comedian took to Instagram late Tuesday evening, Oct. 29, with a touching video to share his journey from tragedy to triumph.
The video opens up with a black screen that reads, “September 1, 2019, I was in a car accident.” There is audio playing behind the video with Hart’s voice as he says, “Basically what you realize is that you’re not in control. No matter how much you think you’re in control. you’re not in control. And at the end of the day, it can all be over.”
In the nearly two-minute video, Hart gives people an inside look into his daily experience from his near-death car accident, to his road to recovery.
He continued his voiceover message saying, “You know when God talks, you got to listen. I swear life is funny cause some of the craziest things that happen to you end up being the things that you needed most.”
Hart shows visuals of the news reports from the car accident, being in the hospital, being under the care of chiropractors, physical therapy and more.
In the rest of the video the multitalented actor reflected on the lessons he has learned from the tragedy, while giving thanks to his family, friends and his overall support system.
Watch the emotional video in its entirety below.
John Witherspoon, Comedian And Actor In ‘Friday,’ ‘Tracy Morgan Show,’ Dies At 77
In a TV and film career that spanned five decades, the comedian also starred in popular TV series ‘The Wayan Bros.’ and ‘The Boondocks’ as well as movies such as ‘Bulworth,’ ‘Vampire in Brooklyn’ and ‘Dr. Doolittle 2.’
John Witherspoon, the prolific comic actor who starred in the cult Friday franchise as well as his long stint on The Wayan Bros. and The Tracy Morgan Show, has died. He was 77.
A statement from Witherspoon’s family posted on his official Twitter account confirmed that the comedian had died. “It is with deep sadness we have to tweet this, but our husband & father John Witherspoon has passed away. He was a Legend in the entertainment industry, and a father figure to all who watched him over the years. We love you “POPS” always & forever.”
In a long film and TV career that spanned five decades, Witherspoon also had major roles in cult animated show The Boondocks (voicing the role of Gramps) and roles in cult films such as House Party and Meteor Man as well as Hollywood movies like Vampire in Brooklyn, Bulworth and Dr. Doolittle 2.
But on the big screen, Witherspoon is most immediately associated with his hilarious role as Ice Cube’s dog-catcher father in F. Gary Gray’s Friday (1995)and its two sequels Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002). Witherspoon was set to reprise his role in Last Friday, but the project was in preproduction and had yet to start filming.
On TV, Witherspoon played the memorable role ofJohn “Pops” Williams on The Wayan Bros. show that aired on The WB from 1995 to 1999.
Born in Detroit, Witherspoon first broke into stand-up comedy in the 1960s and 1970s and was a contemporary of the likes of Robin Williams and Richard Pryor. He transitioned into TV roles with parts in the The Richard Pryor Show, The Incredible Hulk and Good Times.
Witherspoon was a prolific worker and had major roles deep into his seventies. He recently starred in Adult Swim’s Black Jesus, and the Obama-inspired sitcom The First Family.
He is survived by his wife Angela, and his sons JD and Alexander.
Eddie Murphy Reveals He’s Leaning Towards Quitting Acting
How would you feel if Eddie Murphy didn’t star in any movies anymore?
We recently reported that Murphy was making his return to stand-up in 2020. Although fans are anticipating his stand-up return, Murphy revealed that he “can’t image” wanting to do movies anymore. “Once I get back on stage, I kind of feel like that’s what I was born to do more than anything.”
His return to stand-up will air in a series of Netflix specials. “When I get back on the stage, I can’t imagine wanting to do movies again.”
Murphy explained that filming movies keeps him away from his 10 children for too long. “What I like to do more than anything is just be home with my family, chilling,” Murphy said. “It’s really easy to feel like you’re working when you make a movie. You’ve got to get up at five, six in the morning. I started making movies when I was 20 years old, when I made 48 Hrs. That’s f—ing 38 years. You’ve been on a movie set, you see how this sh– is. It’s not a fun process.”
He continues, “Once I get back onstage again, I want to do whatever, be funny—I can do that whenever I want to. You know? But making movies? Being an old dude in the movies? That’s not it. Let them watch me get old, get all old looking. Like, ‘You see Eddie’s new movie? He looks terrible,’ ” he added.
This will be Murphy’s first time returning to the stage since he was 27. “I look at some of my old stuff and cringe. Sometimes I’m like, I can’t believe I said that! I’m 58 now so I don’t think I’m gonna’ approach it the same way,” he said.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Eddie Murphy Plans To Revisit Old ‘Saturday Night Live’ Characters
This week, Chance the Rapper is the host and musical guest on “Saturday Night Live.” Kristen Stewart hosts on Nov. 2 with musical guest Coldplay, and Harry Styles hosts and sings on Nov. 16.
But, since the show returned for its 45th season last month, the buzz has been all about Eddie Murphy. The former cast member (1980-84), whose career was launched on the show, is returning to host on Dec. 21.
Promoting his new Netflix movie, “Dolemite Is My Name,” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Thursday night, Murphy said he hopes to bring back some of his 1980s characters to “SNL.” Mr. Robinson, Gumby, and Buckwheat are on his to-do list, he said, and “I’m trying to figure out some reason to do Velvet Jones.”
UMC’s ‘A House Divided’ Renewed With LisaRaye McCoy & Parker McKenna Posey Added To Cast
Following the announcement of its new docuseries “Behind Her Faith,” UMC (Urban Movie Channel) – the first streaming service for Black TV and film from AMC Networks – recently announced that it will continue its original series, “A House Divided” for a second season. The multi-generational family saga, which debuted with six episodes on the streaming network earlier this year in July, follows the members of a wealthy, prominent family in the Los Angeles community who deal with the loss of the family’s matriarch while uncovering and facing a variety of secrets and scandals.
Starring Demetria McKinney (Freeform’s “Motherland,” Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne”), Paula Jai Parker (“Ray Donovan,” “True Blood”), Lawrence Hilton Jacobs (“The Jacksons: An American Dream”), and Brad James (Syfy’s “Superstition,” Tyler Perry’s “For Better or Worse”); the second season will also feature LisaRaye McCoy (“All of Us,” “Single Ladies”) and Parker McKenna Posey (“My Wife and Kids,” “Games People Play”) in new recurring roles.
“The first season of ‘A House Divided’ performed incredibly well on UMC,” said Nikki Love, VP of Development & Production for UMC. “The response we’ve seen from viewers and our subscribers has shown us that this series has developed a very dedicated and passionate audience and they are more than ready for another season of the Sanders family’s antics. We look forward to delivering more juicy storylines and can’t wait to showcase the new dynamic LisaRaye and Parker will bring to the show.”
“A House Divided” comes from Dan Garcia, the creator of UMC’s Daytime Emmy nominated series, “Bronx SIU.” Currently in production, Season 2 of the series is slated to return in the spring of next year.
Dave Chappelle Receives The Mark Twain Prize For American Humor At Star Studded Event
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Comedian Dave Chappelle was presented with the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for
American Humor Sunday night following a barrage of heartfelt tributes praising his courage, his spontaneity and his genius at drawing laughter from sobering racial commentary.
The Twain event, now in its 22nd year, was a non-stop love fest as a parade of admiring entertainers saluted Chappelle before a packed house at the center’s Concert Hall. It began with a tribute from Lorne Michaels about Chappelle’s hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live” immediately following the 2016 presidential election, and ended with comedian Jon Stewart’s reflections about his former Comedy Central colleague and recent traveling companion on the road.
Slotted in between were Sarah Silverman, Common, Bradley Cooper, Morgan Freeman, Tiffany Haddish, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, rapper Q-Tip and others. It was accompanied by a decidedly mellow band led by music director Adam Blackstone, joined by singer Erykah Badu, harmonica virtuoso Frederic Yonnet, and Legend.
An animated Chappelle, sitting with family and friends in a box near the stage, took it all in with enthusiasm.
Highlights included a riotous testimonial by comedian/writer/producer Neal Brennan, a longtime collaborator and co-writer of “Chappelle’s Show.”
“He gave me my career,” said Brennan, who reminisced at length about projects including the ill-fated 1998 film “Half Baked.” He also discussed how the success of his groundbreaking Comedy Central sketch comedy series “Chappelle’s Show” came to a sudden halt when Chappelle left the show for a lengthy visit to Africa, a dark period in the comic’s life.
A trio of “SNL” regulars – Kenan Thompson, Colin Jost and Michael Che – jointly delivered accolades about Chappelle’s genius displayed on the SNL set and other venues. Silverman recalled that she met Chappelle in a D.C. comedy club when she was 19 and he was 17. “Dave is always funny and constantly growing. His critical thinking is his true art,” she insisted.
Selected use of video clips began with 19-year-old Chappelle’s appearance on “Star Search” hosted by Ed McMahon. Other clips included the riotous “Chappelle’s Show” segment “Clayton Bigsby, Part 1” and another with Cooper, who worked with Chappelle on last year’s “A Star is Born.”
Upon accepting the Twain Prize from KenCen Chairman David Rubenstein, Chappelle reflected about the “incredibly American genre” of standup comedy.
“No other country can produce this many comedians,” he said, while surmising that “there isn’t an opinion that exists in this country that is not represented in a comedy club by somebody,” including racists opinions. But comics can generally talk out their differences, he said, unlike others.
“The First Amendment is first for a reason,” he told the audience. “The Second Amendment is just in case the first doesn’t work out.”
The format of the Twain event, and the 90-minute TV show produced for PBS, continues to evolve in the second year under producing partner Done + Dusted. The team succeeded producers Bob and Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz, and John Schreiber, who co-founded the Mark Train Prize with the Center and creator Cappy McGarr. The program was directed by Chris Robinson.
D+D trimmed the show’s overuse of video highlights of the recipient’s comedic career with last year’s honoree, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The use of unrelated schtick from assembled comics has also been nixed in favor of relevant testimonials. Generally omitted from this year’s version was reliance on soft political targets such as President Donald Trump.
Both trends were visible this year in the tribute for Chappelle, who grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, attended the local Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and began his stand-up career at
local venues during high school.
Changes are also in store for the TV audience when the Twain program airs on PBS stations Jan. 7. Instead of the standard replay of the event, viewers will see a more nuanced production that blends the awards show’s highlights with moments captured during Chappelle’s busy weekend revisiting his childhood haunts.
“We will present a more engaging product that highlights Dave’s celebration as one of D.C.’s own,” promised Matthew Winer, the Kennedy Center’s director of special programming in comedy. He said the format changes accompany the center’s efforts to elevate comedy programming in general and broaden the Twain event’s image as the nation’s premier award for comedic achievement. A $3 million grant from Capital One supports the initiative and the Twain event.
