Comedian KevOnStage Makes History With Chicago Show
Texas-native and comedian Kevin Fredericks, also known asKevOnStage, made history by selling out a record-breaking 10,000 seats at anupcoming Chicagoshow duringhis U.S. Real Comedians of Social Media tour.
Fredericks grew in his career as a comedian and entertainer through his use of social media, with nearly 5 million combined followers across a number of platforms. Joining himon tour isTahir Moore and Tony Baker; together they’ve sold out shows in 50 cities across the U.S.
Their Chicago show will take place May 24th at House of Hope.
Michael Peña Lands In New Hybrid Comedy Film ‘Tom & Jerry’
Michael Peña will play the antagonist in Warner Bros’ live-action/aminated take on the classic cartoon, Tom & Jerry, which Tim Story is directing. Peña joins previously announced star Chloe Grace Moretz, who leads the film as Kayla, a new hire at an elegant Park Hotel where Jerry is staying. Worried for her job, she hires a broke alley cat, Tom, to get rid of the mouse.
Peña’s character, Terrance, is the deputy general manager of the hotel. A bit of bully, he hires Kayla as a temporary hire only to end up pitted against her and Tom/ Jerry once she starts impressing upper management.
The slapstick cat-and-mouse antics of Tom & Jerry have been around since 1940 when they were introduced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Between 1940 and 1958, the original Tom & Jerry series yielded 114 shorts and won seven Oscars in the animated short category. Television franchises, more shorts and a 1992 feature film, Tom & Jerry: The Movie would follow over the decades.
Chris DeFaria is producing this latest adaptation with Story and Adam Goodman as executive producers. Tom & Jerry arrives in theaters April 16, 2021.
CAA, Management 360 and attorney Rick Genow rep Peña, who stars in Netflix’sNarcos: Mexico series and up next will Paramount’s Dora and the Lost City of Gold and Sony’s Fantasy Island remake.
Source: Deadline
The Notorious B.I.G. To Get A Street Named After Him In Brooklyn
Today, as the music world celebrates what would have been the 47th birthday of the late Notorious B.I.G., Ms. Voletta Wallace, T’Yanna Wallace, Christopher Jordan Wallace and The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation are excited to announce the official street naming of Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace Way. The street naming ceremony will take place on June 10th from 12pm-2pm in Brooklyn, on St. James Place, at the Fulton Street intersection. Ms. Voletta Wallace, mother of the late rapper, and his children, T’Yanna and Christopher, will be in attendance, along with Brooklyn politicians and a few of his closest celebrity friends.
Brooklyn’s own Christopher George Latore Wallace, best known as The Notorious B.I.G., blew up to Hip Hop stardom in the early 90s. The Bad Boy artist released his critically acclaimed debut album Ready to Die in 1994, which is certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second album, titled Life After Death, hit #1 on the Billboard charts and was certified with diamond status in 2000, the highest RIAA certification given to a solo hip-hop album. Though his career was short lived, due to his untimely death in 1997, B.I.G. is still considered one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, and is continuously celebrated by his peers and millions of fans worldwide. More details about the event to be announced in the coming weeks.
About The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation:
The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation was founded in 1997 by Ms. Voletta Wallace; the mother of the late Christopher G.L. Wallace, a.k.a the NOTORIOUS B.I.G. Christopher G.L. Wallace was killed on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles California. The expressed purpose of The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation is to serve as a vehicle for giving back to the community. As a non-profit organization, its primary target will be in the field of education. Where academics are concerned B.I.G. is an acronym for “Books Instead of Guns.” Through love, admiration and dedication, the CWMF thrives towards its goals and through the support of its contributors the growth of educational success will be FOREVER B.I.G.
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WATCH: Behind The Scenes Photo Shoot Of TNT’s Hit ‘Claws’
It takes a ton of work to prepare for a photo shoot, let us be the first to tell you (in case you didn’t know). With that being said, TNT has just released a new poster for the upcoming season of Niecy Nash‘s hit show titled Claws. The fans get a chance to see a peek behind the curtain to see how this powerful image came together, including interviews with the ladies, world-renowned photographer, Ruven Afanador, and Beyoncé’s personal stylist, Zerina Akers.
Claws returns for season three on Sunday, June 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
This is what was the final result;
WATCH: Ice Cube, Anderson .Paak, CeeLo Green And More Honor George Clinton
A whole lot of rhythm was goin’ down at Live House in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 9, at the “George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic JammJam” presented by Jammcard. George Clinton, the man who invented P-funk, was in attendance to witness stellar roof-tearing performances by some of his best-known acolytes including Ice Cube, Anderson .Paak, CeeLo Green, Eddie Griffin, Battlecat plus members of the original Parliament Funkadelic. Clinton testified, “They had me crying like a bitch with tears of joy.”
At one point, Ice Cube jumped into the JammJam circle and performed “That New Funkadelic” with Flea, Eddie Griffin, George Clinton and the original Parliament Funkadelic all dancing and singing gang vocals. Anderson .Paak joined in and improvised over “One Nation Under a Groove” and then went over to the drum set and drum battled with the drummer influencer sensation Eric Moore. Some more of the best musicians in the world jumped in to play as well, including Stanley Randolph (Stevie Wonder’s drummer), Ari O’Neal (Beyoncé’s guitarist), Nisan Stewart (Missy Elliott, Jamie Foxx, 50 Cent’s drummer/producer/musical director), Jae Deal (Janet Jackson, Elton John’s arranger), Lynette Williams (Childish Gambino’s keyboardist) and Elmo Lovano (Jammcard’s founder & CEO).
Other notable people getting funked-up in the packed room included musicians Flea, Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Joi Gilliam, Rance Dopson, Lynn Mabry, V. Bozman, Dallas Austin, and actor Guy Torry, who were treated to Hendricks cocktails, Kona Beer, Moet minis and Core Water with official sponsors Westlake Pro & Avid and supporting sponsor peermusic.
Jammcard is the fast-growing music tech startup known to most as the Music Professionals Network and coined the “LinkedIn for musicians” by Forbes. The Los Angeles-based community expanded to Atlanta and Nashville earlier this year and just this week, won the Gold award for Best Mobile App in Social Media at the W3 Awards. The W3 Awards recognize digital excellence worldwide within the tech industry. Jammcard also recently announced the completion of a $1MM seed round from a variety of entertainment industry members and tech angel investors, including music legend Quincy Jones.
The JammJam is one of Jammcard’s many facets, as the app’s base purpose is to connect the music community by way of an invite-only social network for vetted pros. The app has been credited for assembling live bands for some of today’s biggest acts, such as Gwen Stefani, Zedd, Maren Morris, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Jason Derulo, and Grace VanderWaal, among many others. Previous JammJams include takeovers of Tower Records and Capitol Records, and has featured performances by Ty Dolla $ign, Robin Thicke, Judith Hill, Cory Henry, Kamasi Washington and many more.
Source: Radio Facts
Tracee Ellis Ross Lands First Role In Over A Decade In New Comedy Titled ‘Covers’!
Tracee Ellis Ross has been tapped for what will be her first major film role in a decade.
She’ll star with Fifty Shades of Grey’s Dakota Johnson in Covers, a comedy set against a backdrop “among the talent, fame, and fast-paced world of Hollywood’s music scene.” Focus Features is distributing in the U.S. while Universal has the rights internationally.
Covers was initially set to be directed by up-and-coming Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu, but the news of Ross and Johnson’s casting comes with the update that Nisha Ganatra is now the director.
Rafiki helmer Kahiu is incredibly booked right now, with upcoming projects including Universal’s adaptation of The Thing About Jellyfish, which will star Millie Bobby Brown. Ganatra pulled in rave reviews for directing Emma Thomspon and Mindy Kaling in Late Night, which hits theaters next month.
Ross had a minor role in the 2009 film, Labor Pains, but her last sizeable role was in the 2007 Tyler Perry film, Daddy’s Little Girls opposite Idris Elba and Gabrielle Union. She also had a minor voice role in this year’s film, Little, starring Marsai Martin and Issa Rae. She currently stars in ABC’s black-ish, winning numerous awards for her role as Rainbow Johnson. Before that, she had an eight-season turn in the comedy, Girlfriends.
Source: Shadow & Act
Regina Hall Lands In New Comedy Film ‘Breaking News In Yuba County’ With An All Star Cast!
Tate Taylor (The Help) has gathered an all-star cast for his upcoming comedy-drama Breaking News In Yuba County, including Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Mila Kunis (Bad Moms), Regina Hall (Girls Trip), Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) and Samira Wiley (Orange Is The New Black).
Bridget Everett (Patti Cake$), Jimmi Simpson (Date Night) and Keong Sim (Dead To Me) will also star while Oscar-nominee Juliette Lewis (August: Osage County), Golden Globe nominee Ellen Barkin (Animal Kingdom) and Emmy-winner Wanda Sykes (Bad Moms) are in advanced negotiations to join. Like Taylor’s Oscar-nominated box office hit The Help, this is a cast packed with girl power. Additional names are also expected to join the impressive ensemble.
Shoot is due to get underway in Mississippi next month. Laura Dern was previously aboard but had to drop off for scheduling reasons. Script comes from Amanda Idoko.
Recent Oscar-winner Janney will portray a pencil pusher who catches her husband in bed with another woman, which causes him to die of a heart attack. So she buries his body and takes advantage of the growing celebrity status that comes from having a missing husband. However, she soon finds herself in over her head, dodging cops and criminals, all while trying hide the truth, especially from her half- sister (Kunis), a local news anchor who’s desperate for a story, and a determined local police detective (Hall).
AGC Studios is fully financing and handles international sales. The movie largely sold out at AFM last year. Producing are Taylor’s Wyolah Films, Jake Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker’s Nine Stories, John Norris, and Franklin Leonard’s The Black List. CAA Media Finance and Endeavor Content rep domestic.
Taylor, coming off solid performer The Girl On The Train, has Jessica Chastain pic Eve and Octavia Spencer horror Ma in post-production.
Source: Deadline
Comedian And Actor Justin Hires To Try His Hand In Hip Hop And Debut New Mixtape
Comedian and actor Justin Hires, probably best known for his roles in Rush Hour,the 2012 action-comedy film 21 Jump Street and in the MacGyverreboot series on CBS has decided to debut a mixtape.
According to his Facebook post, it seems that Hires is going to try his hand in the new hip hop venture. The new title of the venture is J. Hires – Chapter 1: I Do This Too
Here’s what he posted;
Jason Mitchell Dropped From ‘The Chi’ and Netflix Film Amid Misconduct Claims
A source with knowledge of the Showtime series says Tiffany Boone, who played the ‘Straight Outta Compton’ star’s girlfriend, was among several actresses on the drama who had issues with the actor.
In the wake of multiple allegations of misconduct, Straight Outta Compton star Jason Mitchell has been terminated by his agent and manager and dropped from Showtime’s The Chi and an upcoming Netflix film, Desperados.
Showtime, Netflix and Fox 21, which produces The Chi, declined to comment.
A source with knowledge of the Showtime series says Tiffany Boone, who played Mitchell’s girlfriend on The Chi, was among several actresses on the series who had issues with Mitchell. She made repeated complaints of sexual harassment and allegedly felt so unsafe with her co-star that at times her fiance, Dear White People actor Marque Richardson, came to set when she shot scenes with him. Boone declined to comment.
The source also says Boone ultimately informed producers at Fox 21 that she could no longer work with Mitchell. Initially, he was retained while she was released at her request to pursue other projects. Other actresses on the series also were said to have had problems with Mitchell. It’s unclear what finally led the studio to act.
Mitchell had not yet started filming Desperados, a comedy set in Mexico, when he was replaced in recent weeks by Lamorne Morris (New Girl). A source close to the project, which Lionsgate’s Good Universe is producing for Netflix, says the producers received “specific information which was investigated immediately and thoroughly and dealt with as quickly as possible.”
Netflix referred queries to Good Universe, which declined to comment. Sources said all three of Mitchell’s co-stars on the film — Nasim Pedrad, Anna Camp and Robbie Amell — had complaints about Mitchell.
Mitchell, 32, was considered a rising star, having won accolades for his performance as rapper Eazy-E in 2015’s Straight Outta Compton. He also appeared in Mudbound and Detroit, and was a series regular on the Lena Waithe-created The Chi. Waithe did not respond to a request for comment.
UTA, which dropped Mitchell several weeks ago, declined to comment. A source with knowledge of the situation says the agency “made a very quick decision” to drop the actor based on multiple allegations of misconduct.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Yara Shahidi To Star In Stan Lee Audible Drama ‘A Trick of Light’
Yara Shahidi is lending her talents to one of Stan Lee’s final creations.
Shahidi, who broke out with ABC’s Black-ish and leads the spinoff Grown-ish, is set to star in the Audible drama Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light.
“I’m honored to help bring to life Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light,” Shahidi said in a statement. “This project has allowed me to dive deeper into a world of imagination created for us By Stan Lee, whose stories seem to always transcend time.”
Lee, who died in November 2018, spent years developing a new universe he created with Ryan Silbert and Luke Lieberman. He penned A Trick of Light with Kat Rosenfield before his death.
“We’re thrilled to have Yara Shahidi bring this amazing story to life — she is both an enormously talented performer and one of the most progressive voices of her generation,” David Blum, editor in chief of Audible Originals, said. “We expect that Yara’s riveting performance paired with this extraordinary new universe will make A Trick of Light an instant favorite among our listeners.”
A Trick of Light centers on a mysterious young woman named Nia. She becomes intertwined with Midwestern teenager Cameron Ackerson, who travels to the Great Lakes triangle as part of his quest to become a YouTube star. It’s there that he is granted the power to see and hear a new reality. Nia and Cameron use this power to try to create a more righteous online universe but end up on the wrong side of a shadowy group called OPTIC, which hunts them down. If that’s not enough, a galactic threat emerges that could end all of humanity.
“At its heart, A Trick of Light is about the need for human connection and the power that comes from youth-led action and discovery of collective purpose,” said co-creators Lieberman and Silbert. “Yara embodies all of that and more. Her thoughtful social engagement and passion for science and technology echoes so much of what Stan was aiming for in this new universe. We can’t wait for Yara to present this story to the world.”
Cowriter Rosenfield added: “Yara’s voice will make this story sing. As an accomplished artist and profoundly talented performer, I’m excited to hear her bring these strong characters to life.”
A Trick of Light will be rolled out internationally, with translations and global performers to be announced at future dates.
Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment president Gill Champion said, “Stan was always an innovator and I know he would have loved this first-of-its-kind global launch. This innovative global deal with Audible is part of our continued efforts to propel Stan’s iconic legacy to his loyal fans who span the entire world.”
A Trick of Light, which debuts June 27,is the first of what could be a series of audio dramas, and is part of Audible’s push into original content. It is now available for preorder on Audible’s website. It will also be published as a novel by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in September.
Shahidi will next be seen on the big screen in the YA adaptation The Sun Is Also a Star, which opens Friday.
