J.B. Smoove Inks Talent Holding & Development Deal With 20th Century Fox TV
Comedian, actor and author J.B. Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm) has signed a talent holding and development deal with 20th Century Fox TV. The pact calls for Smoove to develop, potentially star in, and executive produce a comedy series under his Four Square miles Inc banner. He may also develop and executive produce additional projects under the deal, with casting in other existing comedy and drama projects possible as well.
“Nobody makes me laugh harder than JB Smoove,” said 20th Century Fox Television President of Creative Affairs Jonnie Davis. “His work on Curb or his interviews with Howard Stern – you can’t deny his amazing comedic pov! He’s a gifted writer, comedian and actor we are so lucky to have him in a deal at the studio.”
Smoove is currently filming the upcoming season of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm in his regular role of Leon Black. He also recently wrapped shooting a starring role in the highly anticipated feature Spider-Man: Far From Home alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, set for a July 5, 2019 release. In addition, tickets go on sale today, October 19, for his 2019 nationwide Lollygagging stand-up tour. Smoove is repped by UTA, Rick Dorfman at Authentic Talent & Literary Management and attorney Roger A. Pliakas.
Source: Deadline
Stephen Curry To Executive Produce Faith-Based Drama ‘Breakthrough’
The move, which was finalized several months ago, is one of the first for Curry’s burgeoning media career and one of the first to be revealed since the Golden State Warrior point guard officially launched his banner, Unanimous Media, earlier this year.
NBA superstar Stephen Curry has quietly come aboard Breakthrough, a faith-based drama from Fox 2000, as an executive producer.
The move, which was finalized several months ago, is one of the first for Curry’s burgeoning media career and one of the first to be revealed since the Golden State Warriors point guard officially launched his banner, Unanimous Media, earlier this year.
Unanimous, which has an overall film and TV deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment, is developing many of its own projects, but Curry couldn’t pass up getting involved with Breakthrough since it dovetailed with his own focus on faith and family-friendly material.
Based on a book by Joyce Smith titled The Impossible, Breakthrough tells the true story of how Joyce’s son, John Smith, fell through the ice and drowned, and was declared legally dead. A hour later, however, the basketball-loving 14-year-old was miraculously revived through the power of prayer.
This Is Us actress Chrissy Metz stars as Smith, while Topher Grace plays a pastor. Breakthrough is set for a April 12, 2019, release.
“John’s story is nothing short of incredible,” said Curry in a statement to THR. “It’s a story about the power of prayer and perseverance and one I immediately connected to. After reading the script, I knew I wanted to be a part of bringing it to life onscreen.”
DeVon Franklin, who focuses on faith-based projects and produced Breakthrough, said Curry was moved by the true-life story and the movie “checks all his boxes: faith, true story, family and sports.” Curry and Franklin had a meeting on general movie projects and Franklin pitched him Breakthrough, the movie he was working at the time. Franklin gave him the script, which Curry read almost immediately; 24 hours later the basketball star was ready to get involved.
Curry and his co-founders at Unanimous, Jeron Smith and Erick Peyton, gave overall notes on themes tackled in the movie as well detailed notes on a couple of key scenes. They also gave editorial notes on the basketball scenes and helped license some of the imagery in the film.
“When we first set out in the entertainment business, we had a simple objective: we wanted to tell stories that would move people,” Peyton, Unanimous’ co-founder and CCO, told THR in a statement. “It’s been paramount that we work on projects that are meaningful and resonant, and Breakthrough perfectly embodies what Unanimous and Stephen stand for.”
Curry will also help with the marketing of the movie in the run-up to its release.
“He will bring attention to this story, which I think is powerful,” stated Franklin.
The movie is already starting to build a grassroots campaign, and Curry is expected to be a player in that via videos and social media.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Roy Wood Jr. To Host The Billboard Live Music Awards
Billboard has announced the nominees for this year’s Billboard Live Music Awards, honoring the top tours, festivals, venues and executives and touring artists in music. The awards take place the first night of the Billboard Live Music Summit, Nov. 13. at the Montage in Beverly Hills.
Comedian Roy Wood Jr. from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah will host this year’s Billboard Live Music Awards, bringing his “charismatic crankiness” to the star-studded evening, that includes top honors for John Mayer, who is accepting the Legend of Live award; Shawn Mendes, who is accepting Billboard’s first ever Artist of the Year award and Sebastian Maniscalco, who is accepting Billboard’s first ever Comedian of the Year award. Known for his thought-provoking humor, Wood Jr. is also the host of Comedy Central story-telling series This Is Not Happening and in 2017 released the critically acclaimed one-hour standup special Father Figure. His second Comedy Central one-hour special, No One Loves You, will premiere at the beginning of 2019.
For the first time this year, Billboard has created a new award honoring industry pioneer Chip Hooper. Developed in association with Hooper’s family and Paradigm, the Chip Hooper Award will be presented to a rising star in music. The nominees for the inaugural award are Kelly Stelbasky with Live Nation, Brittanie Delava with AEG, Rebeca Leon from Lionfish Management, Jeff Krones with CAA and Alicia Karlin at Madison House Presents. A special jury compromised of Billboard editorial staff, Paradigm agents, music industry executives and friends and family of Chip Hooper will vote to determine this year’s winner, who will be announced at the awards.
Billboard is also happy to present Kevin Lyman from the Kevin Lyman Group with Billboard’s Humanitarian Award for the work he has done with FEND, an anti-opioid mobile phone app that uses gamification to teach young people about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs. Through activations like last year’s Warped Tour and cutting-edge apparel, FEND (Free Energy, No Drugs) encourages young people to check in, learn about the dangers of opioid use, earn points and win prizes.
Below is the full nominees list for this year’s Billboard Live Music Awards.
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
Maluma
Cardi B
Post Malone
TOP WORLD TOUR
Beyoncé & Jay-Z
Ed Sheeran
Taylor Swift
TOP U.S. TOUR
Beyoncé & Jay-Z
Ed Sheeran
Taylor Swift
TOP DRAW
Beyoncé & Jay-Z
Ed Sheeran
Taylor Swift
TOP COMEDY TOUR
Kevin Hart
Sebastian Maniscalco
Chris Rock
TOP FESTIVAL
Life is Beautiful Festival
Lollapalooza Brazil
Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival
TOP AGENCY
CAA
Paradigm
WME
CONCERT MARKETING AND PROMOTION
Travis Scott x Red Bull, Lyft, Snapchat + American Express for the “ASTROWORLD” Album & Tour Launch
Marshmello x Bumble
Khalid x Hollister
TOP MANAGER
Andrew Gertler
Sharon Osbourne
Dre London
TOP ARENA
The Forum, Inglewood, Calif.
Madison Square Garden, New York
O2 Arena, London
TOP VENUE (UNDER 10,000 SEATS)
Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City
Radio City Music Hall, New York
Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas
TOP VENUE (UNDER 5,000 SEATS)
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Fox Theatre, Atlanta
Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis
TOP CLUB (UNDER 2,000 CAPACITY)
9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.
Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn
The Showroom at the Flamingo, Las Vegas
TOP AMPHITHEATER
Greek Theatre, Los Angeles
Hearst Greek Theatre, Berkeley
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
TOP PROMOTERS
AEG
Frontier Touring Group
Live Nation
TOP INDEPENDENT PROMOTER
Another Planet Entertainment
OCESA-CIE
T4F-Time For Fun
TOP BOXSCORE
Ed Sheeran
Wembley Stadium, London
June 14 – 17, 2018 (4 shows)
Taylor Swift
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
July 20 – 22, 2018 (2 shows)
U2
Estadio do Morumbi, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Oct. 19 – 25, 2018 (4 shows)
Source: Amp The Mag
Cardi B Wins Big At The 2018 ‘BET Hip Hop Awards’
The BET “HIP HOP AWARDS” 2018 brought the heat to Miami, Florida on Saturday, October 6, 2018 for the annual taping of the most prominent hip hop showcase on television. Comedian and Actor Deray Davis hosted hip-hop’s biggest night of the year at The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater. THE BET “HIP HOP AWARDS” 2018 premiered on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 8:00PM ET.
Cardi B reigned supreme with four wins for ‘MVP of the Year’, ‘Hustler of the Year’,
‘Made-You-Look Award (Best Hip Hop Style)’, and ‘Sweet 16,’ for her verse on Migos’ “Motorsport.” The Carters followed closely picking up three awards for ‘Album of the Year’, ‘Best Collabo’ and ‘Single of the Year’ for “Apes**t”. XXXTentacion, who passed away earlier this year, was awarded for ‘Best New Artist.’ Anderson .Paak took to the stage for a tribute to his friend Mac Miller, who also passed away unexpectedly in 2018. Lil Wayne took home the night’s biggest honor, the ‘I Am Hip Hop Award’ for his over two decades of contributions to hip hop culture.
The much anticipated cyphers were hosted by DJ Premier and featured a bevy of emcees dropping hot 16’s including Vic Mensa, Taylor Bennett, G Herbo, YBN Cordae Duckworth, Tobe Nwigwe, Blocboy JB, Casanova, Shawn Smith, Nick Grant, Reason, Armani White, Wynne, Flawless Real Talk, Phora and Big Pale. Erykah Badu jumped on the turntables for a special “ladies only” cypher highlighting some of the hottest “Femcees” including Neelam Hakeem, Chika, Bri Steves and Sharaya J.
The show opened with a spellbinding performance by Lil Pump featuring Gucci Maneperforming a medley of “Esskeetit,” “Kept Back,” and “Gucci Gang.” Lil Baby & Gunna kept it sexy with performances of “Yes, Indeed,” “Yosemite,” and “Drip Too Hard.” Yella Beezy brought everyone to their feet with his performance of “That’s On Me.” Over at Club Liv, Cardi B was joined by Pardison Fontaine where they performed a medley of club bangers including “Get Up 10″ and “Backin’ It Up.” YG and A$AP ROCKY got the crowd ready for anything with their performance of “Band Drum.” T.I. took us to an exotic nightclub for his performance “Jefe” and brought out Yo Gotti for a special performance of their single “Wraith.” Young M.A. brought down the house with her performance of “Petty Wap,” before presenting the award for ‘DJ of the Year.’ Flipp Dinero kept the energy going with his performance of “Leave Me Alone.” Lil Duval hit the stage with a much-anticipated performance of his Billboard Chart-topping hit,“Smile (Living My Best Life)” featuring Ball Greezy.
The complete list of 2018 BET “Hip Hop Awards” winners are:
Best Hip-Hop Video
Childish Gambino – “This is America”
Best Collabo, Duo or Group
The Carters – “APES**T”
Hot Ticket Performer
Drake
Lyricist of the Year
Kendrick Lamar
Video Director of the Year
Karena Evans
DJ of the Year
DJ Khaled
Producer of the Year
Pharrell Williams
MVP of the Year
Cardi B
Single of the Year
“Apes**t” – Produced By Pharrell (The Carters)
Album of the Year
The Carters – Everything Is Love
Best New Hip-Hop Artist
XXXTentacion
Hustler of the Year
Cardi B
Made-You-Look Award (Best Hip-Hop Style)
Cardi B
Best Hip-Hop Online Site/ App
Worldstar
Best Mixtape
BlocBoy JB – “Simi”
Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse
Cardi B – “Motorsport” (Migos Feat. Cardi B & Nicki Minaj)
Impact Track
Childish Gambino – “This Is America”
Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment, served as Executive Producer of the BET Hip Hop Awardsalong with Connie Orlando, BET Head of Programming and Jeannae Rouzan–Clay, Vice President of Specials, Jesse Collins Entertainment.
BET.com/HipHopAwards is the official site for the BET “HIP HOP AWARDS” 2018 where fans can visit to get up-to-date info on this year’s show and take a look back on past BET Hip Hop Awards. The BET “HIP HOP AWARDS” 2018 will premiere on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at8:00PM ET.
Comedian-Actor Zainab Johnson To Host The NBCUniversal SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
The 13th Annual NBCUniversal SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, which celebrates diverse stories while finding the next generation of storytellers, is hosting its finale screening and awards ceremony on October 24, 2018 at the Directors Guild of America.
Comedian-actor Zainab Johnson (“All Def Comedy,” “Last Comic Standing”) will host the finale event featuring screenings of the six finalist shorts: “B.U.T.S: Spanish Class,” “Kyenvu,” “Masks,” “Monday,” “Rani” and “We Know Where You Live.” Four of the finalist shorts were either written or directed by women, setting a record for female representation in front of and behind the camera.
The screening will be followed by an awards ceremony where celebrity presenters will hand out awards in eight categories including Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Comedy, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Writer, Outstanding Actor, the Audience Award, Critics’ Choice Award and HARNESS Social Impact Award presented by NBCUniversal Social Responsibility.
Fox Developing Biblical Police Drama From Ice Cube
Ice Cube’s production company, CubeVision, and The Chi co-executive producer Joseph C. Wilson are bringing the Bible to the standard procedural. Ice Cube and Wilson have garnered a script commitment plus penalty from Fox for Wilson’s faith-oriented police drama, according to Deadline. The show will reimagine stories from the Bible through the guise of a police force in Baltimore.
The drama’s main character, Melvin Reed, is described as “a larger-than-life District Commander” and is inspired by Baltimore Lieutenant Colonel and preacher Melvin Russell. Like Russell, Reed is described as a person who “sets out to do the impossible–transform one of the most crime-ridden districts in Baltimore by transforming the hearts and minds of both his officers and the residents they’re sworn to protect.” Russell acts as a producer on the show.
Ice Cube has several upcoming producer credits including Humbug, a retelling of A Christmas Carol, Last Friday and Ride Along 2, all of which stars him. On the television side, Ice Cube’s producing credits include Hip Hop Squares, Friday: The Animated Series and the TV adaptations of Are We There Yet? and Barbershop.
SOurce: Shadow & Act
WATCH: Trailer Released Tilted ‘Best Of Enemies’ Starring Taraji P. Henson
Days after the release date was unveiled, we now have the first trailer for Best of Enemies.
The film stars Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson and Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell.
The official description: Based on a true story, the film centers on the unlikely relationship between Ann Atwater (Henson), an outspoken civil rights activist, and C.P. Ellis (Rockwell), a local Ku Klux Klan leader who reluctantly co-chaired a community summit, battling over the desegregation of schools in Durham, North Carolina during the racially-charged summer of 1971. The incredible events that unfolded would change Durham and the lives of Atwater and Ellis forever.
Babou Ceesay, Anne Heche, Wes Bentley, Bruce McGill, John Gallagher Jr. and Nick Searcy also star.
The film is written and directed by Robin Bissell, who executive produced The Hunger Games and Seabiscuit. Best of Enemies is inspired by Osha Gray Davidson’s book The Best Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South.
WATCH: New Trailer For BET’s ‘RUNNING OUT OF TIME’ Starring Tasha Smith & RonReaco Lee
Watch the new trailer for BET’s new film titled ‘Running Out Of Time’ starring Tasha Smith and RonReaco Lee which premieres on BET on Nov. 17th and then goes to digital/VOD on Nov. 19th. The film is directed by Chris Stokes and co-written with Marques Houston. “Running Out of Time” is about newly widowed Brenda Harper (Smith) and her family being taken hostage over something from her late husband’s (Lee) past.
Read the synopsis below;
Brenda Harper (Tasha Smith) recently suffered the loss of her husband from a sudden death. Newly widowed, taking care of her teenage daughter and ailing mother (Telma Hopkins), Brenda is the sole beneficiary of her husband’s assets, which include millions of dollars, property, and most importantly, a secret file that she has yet to discover. Brenda finds out from her husband’s closest friend, Cain (RonReaco Lee) that the file is hidden inside their home, so they think, when they are all taken hostage at Brenda’s Summer home by two masked men, who are now threatening to kill them all one by one if they don’t turn over the file. Having no answers, Brenda, her daughter, mother and Cain are tied up and held hostage until these masked men get what they want. With time running out, Brenda has to do whatever she can to ensure her family’s survival and fight for their lives.
Here’s the trailer;
Michael B. Jordan To Star In And Produce Hitman Film Titled ‘The Silver Bear’
Black Panther and Creed II star Michael B. Jordan will play the deadly assassin Columbus in The Silver Bear, a potential franchise launch for Lionsgate based on the book series by Wanted and 3:10 to Yuma screenwriter Derek Haas. Frank Baldwin (The Godmother) has written the script that tells the formative story of a man who becomes the most feared and respected hit man in the criminal underworld.
The film will be produced by Jordan through Outlier Society and Nickel City Pictures’ Vishal Rungta, Mark Fasano, Ankur Rungta. Haas, Michael Garnett and Tobias Weymar will serve as executive producers.
Haas wrote three followup novels featuring an assassin who is so effective he becomes what Russian criminals call a silver bear: he never fails, and he seems immune to the stresses of his work. But he comes up against his own nightmarish origins when he takes on the job of killing the Speaker of the House, who is also a leading presidential candidate—and Columbus’ father. Beyond playing strong physical roles in Black Panther and the upcoming Creed sequel, Jordan has been gathering steam for his Outlier Society, the production shingle he formed in 2016 with Alana Mayo heading production and development. He’s shooting the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed Just Mercy, and Outlier Society has a slate of percolating projects that includes Gen:Lock, Raising Dion and David Makes Man.
Nickel City optioned the rights to the book franchise last year and hired Baldwin, who also scripted the Liam Neeson-starrer Hard Powder.
Said Nickel City’s Rungta: “We could not be more excited to work with Michael and Lionsgate. We have been huge fans of Michael all the way back to his days in The Wire, and from our first meeting we knew that he was the perfect fit for the role of Columbus.”
In confirming the story exclusively for Deadline, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake called The Silver Bear “the kind of story that needs to be experienced on the big screen and Michael is the perfect movie star to inhabit the skin of this dynamic character and take us into the cinematic world of Columbus.”
Jordan is represented by WME and attorney Greg Slewett. Haas is WME and Adam Kaller; Baldwin is Syndicate Entertainment, Leverage Management and Stuart Rosenthal. WME and Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal represent Outlier Society and Endeavor Content and Jerry Dasti of Sloss Eckhouse LawCo represented Nickel City Pictures.
Source: Deadline
TV ONE Highlights TICHINA ARNOLD & WAYNE BRADY In Premiere Of Series ‘UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD’ & ‘UNCENSORED’
TV One’s original, documentary series UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD and UNCENSORED will air new episodes Sunday, October 21. Kicking off at 9 p.m. ET/8C with untold stories from comedian/actor/singer Wayne Brady, the popular franchise UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD profiles influential black celebrities in Hollywood. UNCENSORED, which gives unprecedented access to your favorite personalities, follows at 10 p.m ET/9C with actress Tichina Arnold.
UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD
Multi-Emmy Award winning comic, singer and actor Wayne Brady broke barriers as one of the first African Americans to specialize in improvisational humor but his success triggered backlash from some members of the black community who felt his style was too safe. On Sunday, October 21at 9/8C, Wayne Brady reveals to UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD his professional ups and downs, and personal struggles that nearly cost him his career and life.
Wayne Brady shot to fame on the primetime hit series “Whose Line Is It Anyway” where his quick-witted riffs earned him an Emmy award in 1993. He went on to star in his own variety show, “The Wayne Brady Show,” as well as a talk show of the same name, for which he would win four more Emmy’s. While he gained mainstream popularity, his style of comedy didn’t go over well with all audiences. Many in the black community felt he watered down his style in attempts to be more likeable. In true comedic fashion, Wayne Brady responded to his critics with an unforgettable portrayal of a ruthless, hardcore gangster on the “Dave Chappelle Show.” He continued to demonstrate his versatility as a performer when he released a rendition of the Sam Cooke classic “Change is Gonna Come,” which earned him a Grammy nomination in 2008. Wayne Brady hosted Fox’s “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” and currently hosts the classic CBS daytime game show “Let’s Make a Deal.” For all of his accolades, his personal life has been filled with divorce, drinking and a longtime battle with clinical depression. Find out how Wayne Brady navigated Hollywood while dealing with his private battles.
UNSUNG HOLLYWOOD is a spin-off born of TV One’s longest-running, six-time NAACP Image Award winning franchise UNSUNG, and profiles some of the most talented, versatile, and influential black celebrities in Hollywood, from movies and television to comedy, sports and more. The remaining episode delves deep into the life of comedian/TV/radio personality Rickey Smiley.
UNCENSORED
Hollywood leading lady Tichina Arnold has captivated audiences with her quick wit and undeniable charm for over four decades. On the next episode of TV One’s hit auto-biographical series UNCENSORED airing Sunday, October 21 at 10/9C, Tichina Arnold discusses her rise from humble beginnings and the challenges of balancing a successful career with motherhood.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Tichina Arnold was encouraged by her family early on to pursue her dreams of acting. After landing her first role in a play, she knew acting was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She eventually booked her first acting job on the soap opera “Ryan’s Hope” and went on to land a major role in the film “Little Shop of Horrors,” where she would meet her longtime best friend Tisha Campbell.
Together, they ventured to California and Tichina secured a string of roles in hit shows including “All My Children,” “Martin,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” and “Survivors Remorse.” Her years of success were also accompanied by loss and hardships but she remained focused on her dreams. A three-time NAACP Image Award winner, Tichina Arnold finds joy in her most challenging role to date – motherhood. She’s transcended generations and continues to bring laughter and love into the lives of millions. This episode goes deep into Tichina Arnold’s life chronicling her journey of good times and bad.
UNCENSOREDexplores the lives of your favorite personalities as they reveal secrets to their success, obstacles they’ve faced, and how they manage this new world of social media that has helped, but sometimes haunted their careers. The episodes give unprecedented access to stars of film, television, music, and pop culture, including actor/comedian Lil Rel Howery as they personally reveal their own stories, in their own words.
