Lena Waithe, Halle Berry To EP New BET Series ‘Boomerang’ Which Is Now A ‘Sequel,’ Not A Reboot
The network has added Lena Waithe and Halle Berry as executive producers on their upcoming Boomerang series.
Waithe will co-write the pilot with Ben Cory Jones and Dime Davis will direct the pilot, and will be onboard for future episodes. Jones would be an EP and the showrunner.
Initially developed as a reboot of the 1992 film starring Eddie Murphy, Berry and Robin Givens, it is now described as a sequel in them form of a series. The description: The series will follow the lives of Jacqueline Boyer’s (Givens) son and Marcus (Murphy) and Angela Graham’s (Berry) daughter as they attempt to step out of their parents’ shadows and make a legacy of their own.
“I’m thrilled to team up with Lena on this project as she is without a doubt a leading voice of her generation and a trail blazer in her own right,” soon-to-be Bruiseddirector Berry said in a statement Monday. “I’m truly excited to be a part of bringing this iconic and beloved film to the small screen.”
“This is less of a reboot and more of a continuation of the original story. There’s no point in trying to remake a classic,” she noted of the Reginald Hudlin directed film based on a story of commitment phobia by star Eddie Murphy. It can’t be done. So we want to create something fresh that speaks to a new generation. We hope people will come to the show with an open mind and ready to embrace the new world we’ve created!” said Waithe.
“I’m thrilled to team up with Lena on this project as she is without a doubt a leading voice of her generation and a trailblazer in her own right. I’m truly excited to be a part of bringing this iconic and beloved film to the small screen,” said Berry.
“Partnering an icon such as Halle with a disruptor like Lena is a perfect blend for the creation of a project that tells a classic tale in a relevant voice. This partnership demonstrates BET’s commitment to the continued elevation of the brand, collective creativity and authentic storytelling,” said BET Networks president Scott Mills.
Boomerang is a part of an ongoing restructure and new era of scripted content at the network with Mills at the helm.
Source; Shadow & Act
Dave Chappelle Joins Colin Kaepernick For Honoring At Harvard University
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and comedian Dave Chappelle are among eight people being honored by Harvard University for their contributions to black history and culture, the university announced Thursday.
All eight recipients of the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal will be honored Oct. 11 by the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard.
“The medal honors those who have made significant contributions to African and African-American history and culture, and more broadly, individuals who advocate for intercultural understanding and human rights in an increasingly global and interconnected world,” the Hutchins Center said.
Kaepernick, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, created a firestorm when he began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and social injustice. He has more recently been the centerpiece of an advertising campaign by Nike.
He has donated and helped raise millions of dollars for organizations fighting social injustice, and founded the Know Your Rights Camp.
Chappelle is a writer and producer who has appeared in several movies, hosted his own show on Comedy Central and earned a Grammy and two Emmys.
The other honorees are Kenneth Chenault, chairman and a managing director of General Catalyst; Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Pamela Joyner, founder of Avid Partners, LLC; psychologist and author Florence Ladd; Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative; and artist Kehinde Wiley.
“Emerging from a variety of backgrounds and professions, each represents the quest for knowledge, freedom of expression, and pursuit of truth that are foundational to black history and culture, and that were foundational to Du Bois as a thinker and activist,” said Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the Hutchins Center.
Kenan Thompson Set To Star In Single Dad Comedy Series In The Works At NBC Titled ‘Saving Larry’
“Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson has signed on to star in a comedy series that has received a production commitment at NBC.
The series, titled “Saving Larry,” is a single-camera comedy in which Thomson would star as a dad who has to be both mother and father to his kids after his wife dies. And he has to do it all with his father-in-law hovering over him.
Thompson would also executive produce the series in addition to starring. Jackie Clarke is the writer and also executive producer, with Lorne Michaels and Andrew Singer also executive producing. Universal Television will produce along with Michaels’ Broadway Video.
Should the project go to series, it would likely mean Thompson’s exit from “SNL,” where he recently broke the record as the longest-serving cast member in the show’s four plus decades on the air. Thompson first joined the show in 2003 and was recently nominated for his first acting Emmy in the supporting actor in a comedy category. He and Chris Redd, Will Stephen, and Eli Brueggemann won the Emmy this year for original music and lyrics for their song “Come Back Barack.” Thompson’s other TV credits include the Nickelodeon sketch series “All That” and “Kenan & Kel.”
Clarke is a writer and co-executive producer on fellow NBC comedy “Superstore.” She also previously worked on shows like “Undateable,” “Happy Endings,” and “Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television.”
Thompson is repped by UTA, Michael Goldman, and Del Shaw. Clarke is repped by UTA and Felker Toczek.
Source: Variety, Deadline
Leslie Jones Has This To Say About Kevin Hart And Katt Williams Beef
But the SNL star says issa lie! Less Dogg spoke to a Bossip source bout both Kevin and Katt claiming they’re the reason behind her and other female comedian’s success — and sis was not here for it:
Real talk both of them ni**as need to keep my name out they mouth unless they using it to eat my p***y REAL TALK!! None of those ni**as put me on or any woman. While he talking about Katt what did he do to put women on he didn’t help females they wasn’t on his tour F*CK THAT NI**A!! At least Katt put me on his tour. Kevin could have put me on a long time ago but he never respected me or my comedy and trust I can call his card he know I can. Both Kevin and Katt was the same to women like all these ni**as in this game. Sh*tty. and still is. Women have never had it good. At least Katt put women on his tour or shows. How many shows back in the day didn’t have a woman on them. Kevin that mf told me one time I would never make it.
Oop! That’s not all. Leslie says it was actually Chris Rock who put her on, and even then she still had to grind:
So I’m calling all cards I ain’t got to lie I made it without either one of them. Chris rock was the one who put Me on and Neal Brennan a WHITE comic/writer. Not them!! And I still had To work my f***ing ass off to make it happen!! So nobody is telling the truth! everyone need to shut the f*ck up!! Before I tell whats really real!! And they all know I know. I haven’t said shit about anyone and if I do I keep it real and respectful and honest. What’s upsetting me is anybody SAYING ANYTHING!! Shut the f*ck up and do your f***ing job cause this ain’t it. While y’all on columns downing each other and lying on each other no one is telling jokes. SHUT UP AND DO YOUR F***NG JOB!! Keep my name out your mouth I dont talk about any of you!!
Source: Bossip
Wanda Smith’s Husband Explains What Happened With Katt Williams Outside The Atlanta Comedy Theater
LaMorris Sellers (left) said Katt Williams began verbally assaulting his wife Wanda Smith outside the Atlanta Comedy Theater, which led him to chase Katt into the Food Depot. The gun, he said, fell out of his waist when he tussled with Katt’s bodyguard.
LaMorris Sellers, V-103 host Wanda Smith’s husband, said in an exclusive interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tuesday that he did not point a gun at Emmy-winning comic Katt Williams on Saturday night outside the Atlanta Comedy Theater in Norcross.
But he readily admitted he chased after Williams into the neighboring Food Depot supermarket because he felt Williams was verbally assaulting his wife for no good reason.
He said he saw Williams make a bee-line toward Smith outside the club Saturday.
“There’s the lady of the hour,” Williams said at first, according to Sellers.
That’s when Sellers stepped in, telling Williams, “Bro. You need to find something else to do.”
Sellers said at that moment, Williams “turned up 50 notches. He said, “You find something to do? I’ll fight you! I’ll fight your big a**!”
Williams, he said, stepped toward Sellers. In response, he started going toward Williams and Williams quickly bolted toward the Food Depot. Sellers, who is 6’2’’ and 370 pounds, got around Williams’ hefty bodyguard and began chasing the fleeing comedian. The bodyguard caught up to Sellers and they began tussling, Sellers said.
That’s when Sellers said his gun fell out of his waistband and dropped to the ground. Williams saw that and kept running into the supermarket. Sellers said he quickly picked the gun back up and resumed chase.
He said he got to the register area inside the Food Depot and saw Williams had retreated into the aisles. With customers staring at them, Sellers decided to back off.
“I wasn’t trying to cause a commotion,” Sellers said. “I proceeded to walk past the bodyguard. I apologized. ‘Nothing personal against you. He doesn’t pay you enough to do this job.’ I could tell from his expression and demeanor he didn’t want no part of what Katt was doing.” [Sellers never got the bodyguard’s name.]
Sellers said he has carried a gun with him for 10 years and sometimes forgets he even has it. He did not have his gun in a holster that night.
He wanted to make things clear that Williams instigated the situation, not him. The day before, Williams and Smith roasted each other on air on V-103 in a way that made Smith feel put upon.
“This situation made me look like the weakest, lamest person in the world,” Sellers said. “It made me look like I got mad because my wife got roasted by Katt Williams on the air. It had nothing to do with what was on the air. That’s what comedians do. When he came to the club, he targeted my wife. As a man, I’m not built like that. I couldn’t possibly let that happen. I have to protect my wife. I wasn’t looking for conflict. I just wanted him to keep it moving. He chose to do different.”
Sellers, who has been married to Smith for nine years, believes Williams created drama to help generate headlines to promote his upcoming tour and Netflix special.
To the Gwinnett County police officer, Williams claimed that Sellers stuck a gun to his face. Though there was no video of the tussle between Sellers and the bodyguard outside the club, the Food Depot video indicated no gun in sight.
“He never saw the barrel of the gun,” Sellers said. “The video shows I had nothing in my hand. I had shoved it back into my waist.”
To TMZ Monday night after the Emmy’s, Williams declined to say anything definitive about the incident, instead asking quizzically, “If someone did pull out a gun, why would you do that for? If it’s not to shoot somebody, what is it?”
The TMZ reporter asked, “Do you scare easy?”
“Yes,” Williams replied.
My colleague Sheila Poole reached out to Williams’ PR person, who said he is not doing any formal interviews.
Sellers said this has been a stressful few days for his wife and he himself has gotten all sorts of nasty notes on social media from Williams fans. “She’s taking things day by day,” he said. “This is not the kind of lifestyle we lead. We’re not chaotic people. We’re laid back home bodies.”
UPDATE 9/19/18: TMZ released a video from a bystander which shows Sellers walking toward the Food Depot after Williams ran into the supermarket. Sellers appears to be his gun in his right hand and TMZ helpfully places an arrow there at about the 1:15 point of the video. This video does not show any moment where he held a gun to William’s head. The bystander is chortling as he says, “Katt hauled a** into the store!”
In a follow-up interview, Sellers said the video coincides with what he said happened. After the scuffle with the bodyguard, he picked up the gun and walked toward the store but said he shoved it back in his waistband before he entered the Food Depot. By the time he was in the market, he no longer had the gun in hand. There is no video evidence of Sellers ever raising the gun toward Williams.
Source: AJC
Jordan Peele To Host And Narrate ‘Twilight Zone’ For CBS All Access
Jordan Peele is entering a new dimension.
Already set to exec produce CBS All Access’ The Twilight Zone reboot, Peele has signed on to serve as host and narrator for the series as well.
Peele will take on the gig made famous by Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling in the reboot, which is described as a modern reimagining of the original series. Production on the new take will begin in the fall for a 2019 premiere on the subscription video-on-demand platform. A specific premiere date has not yet been determined.
“Rod Serling was an uncompromising visionary who not only shed light on social issues of his time, but prophesied issues of ours,” Peele said. “I’m honored to carry on his legacy to a new generation of audiences as the gatekeeper of The Twilight Zone.”
Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions and Simon Kinberg’s (X-Men) Genre Films will exec produce the CBS Television Studios drama alongside Win Rosenfeld, Audrey Chon, Carol Serling, Rick Berg and Greg Yaitanes (Banshee).
Original Twilight Zone episodes are available to stream on CBS All Access.
The hosting and narrating role comes as Peele continues to find himself in demand for film and TV projects. The Get Out Oscar-winning writer — who recently moved his TV overall deal to Amazon — next has feature BlacKkKlansman, HBO drama Lovecraft Country and Amazon’s The Hunt. He’s repped by CAA, Artists First and Morris Yorn.
Watch a video announcing the new Twilight Zone, with a mix of Serling’s and Peele’s narration, below.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Jamie Foxx And Joseph Gordon-Levitt Join Netflix’s New Untitled Sci-Fi Feature
Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are boarding Netflix’s untitled sci-fi movie which long-time collaborators Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are directing off Mattson Tomlin’s screenplay.
The pic’s storyline is being kept under wraps.
Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless’ Screen Arcade will produce as part of their first look deal with Netflix. Newman, who has been behind such productions as the Oscar-nominated Children of Men, and Zack Snyder’s reboot of Dawn of The Dead, has a strong, ongoing relationship with Netflix that goes back to the streaming service’s second original series Hemlock Grove. He also conceived and packaged Narcos for Netflix on which he serves as writer, show-runner and EP.
Unkeless recently produced the three-time Oscar-nominated film I, Tonya, starring Margot Robbie and Allison Janney; the latter winning an Academy Award for best supporting actress. Unkeless’ film First Match, which he produced for Netflix, won the Audience Award at SXSW earlier this year.
Ray Oscar best actor winner Foxx is currently shooting the courtroom drama, Just Mercy opposite Michael B. Jordan and Brie Larson for director Destin Cretton. Foxx can next be seen in Lionsgate’s Robin Hood on Nov. 21 and his Fox show Beat Shazam, which he serves as EP and hosts, was recently renewed for a third season. Gordon-Levitt can next be seen in the airline hijacking thriller, 7500 from Patrick Vollarth. Gordon-Levitt is a two-Golden Globe nominee in the comedy/musical lead actor category for 50/50 and (500) Days of Summer. Foxx is repped by CAA and LBI Entertainment. Gordon-Levitt is repped by WME and Jackoway Austen.
Source: Deadline
Michael B. Jordan Set To Play Tom Clancy Character John Clark In New Film Series
Another Tom Clancy character is headed to Hollywood.
Paramount Pictures has tapped Michael B. Jordan to play Clancy hero John Clark in a new film series, Variety has learned.
Sources tell Variety that Paramount is developing two pics based on the Clancy books “Rainbow Six” and “Without Remorse,” both novels in which Clark is the main star. “Without Remorse” will be the first film of the two, serving as an origin story for the character.
Akiva Goldsman, who’s heading the new “Transformers” universe, will also be spearheading this endeavor as the film’s main producer with Jordan, Josh Appelbaum, and Andre Nemec also producing. Paramount is currently meeting with writers and directors for “Without Remorse.”
The news comes after Amazon and Paramount TV recently released a rebooted “Jack Ryan” series on its streaming platform, starring John Krasinski, to positive reviews.
Clark, a.k.a. John Terrence Kelly, is an ex-Navy Seal-turned-operations officer for the CIA and would go on to appear in 17 novels starting with 1988’s “The Cardinal of the Kremlin.” Though mainly seen as a secondary character who helps CIA analysis Jack Ryan with more of the physical elements of any mission, Clark finally stepped into the spotlight with “Without Remorse,” which tells his backstory on how he came to work for the CIA.
Clark was also the focus of “Rainbow Six,” with followed his new task force and its mission to protect the world from its greatest terrorist threats. In films, Clark has been played by Willem Dafoe in Paramount’s “Clear and Present Danger” adaptation, starring Harrison Ford as Ryan, as well as by Liev Schreiber in “The Sum of All Fears,” which starred Ben Affleck as Ryan.
The studio has been trying for years to get adaptations off the ground for both “Without Remorse” and “Rainbow Six,” with Chris McQuarrie and Ryan Reynolds circling the projects at one point. Jordan is considered one of Hollywood’s biggest stars currently, and is coming off the massive hit “Black Panther,” which has earned him Oscar buzz for his role as antagonist Killmonger.
Jordan has “Creed 2” bowing this Thanksgiving, and has been plotting out his future slate before filming his legal drama “Just Mercy” in the fall. Warner Bros. had been aggressive by pitching him on several properties before Paramount arrived with the prospect of leading a film franchise, instead of just one movie.
The Clark projects mark Jordan’s second film series, along with “Creed,” that isn’t comic book-related — an impressive feat for any movie star today. He is repped by WME.
Source: Variety
“Nephew Tommy” Miles Of The Steve Harvey Morning Show Lands New Show On The OWN Network!
OWN announced today new unscripted series that will join the network’s successful Saturday night lineup: “Chad Loves Michelle,” “Family or Fiancé” and “Rocket City Revival” (working title). “Chad Loves Michelle” featuring Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child and Pastor Chad Johnson navigating the road from engagement to marriagewill premiere Saturday, November 3 (9-10 p.m. ET/PT).
Additionally, box office hitmaker Will Packer’s previously announced new dating series “Ready to Love” hosted by Thomas “Nephew Tommy” Miles (“The Steve Harvey Morning Show”) is set for a two-night premiere on OWN Tuesday, October 23 (10-11 p.m. ET/PT) and Saturday, October 27 (10-11 p.m. ET/PT) and will air Saturdays at 10 p.m. for the remainder of its series run.
“OWN viewers are looking for real and honest stories that are relatable to their own lives,” said Erik Logan, president of OWN. “These new shows all feature passionate relationships and the desire to keep love alive and will captivate viewers from the very beginning. I’m excited about our growing roster of unscripted programs joining our Saturday night lineup.”
About the new series:
CHAD LOVES MICHELLE (premieres Saturday, November 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT)
“Chad Loves Michelle,” from Relevé Entertainment and InventTV, will feature an honest inside look at the path to marriage between Grammy award-winning singer Michelle Williams, one-third of chart-topping Destiny’s Child, and Chad Johnson, sports chaplain to professional sports organizations. Having been together for a year and never in the same city for more than seven days, the newly engaged couple is turning to intensive pre-marital counseling to help prepare them for life together as husband and wife. Both are relocating to Los Angeles from different cities in the months leading up to their wedding, but not to the same bedroom. Guided by their faith and unwavering values, the couple has vowed to consummate the relationship only after they are wed. Each episode will feature real issues the couple is tackling in their everyday lives, including Michelle’s high-profile battle with mental health issues, and the lessons they learn from the pre-marital counseling sessions that bond them stronger together. Sergio Alfaro, Michaline Babich, Holly Carter, Michelle Williams and Chad Johnson are executive producers.
READY TO LOVE (two-night premiere Tuesday, October 23 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and Saturday, October 27 at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
“Ready to Love,” a dating series from Will Packer Media and Lighthearted Entertainment, explores the real-life dating interactions of sexy, successful and grown Black men and women in their 30s and 40s who are each looking for lasting love and an authentic relationship. A unique twist on a typical dating show, “Ready to Love,” highlights the men’s observations and experiences in the search for true love in Atlanta. The series is hosted by Thomas “Nephew Tommy” Miles of “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” and joins OWN’s popular Saturday night unscripted programming lineup. “Ready to Love” is produced by Will Packer Media and Lighthearted Entertainment. Will Packer is executive producer. Will Packer Media’s Kelly Smith, Lighthearted’s Rob LaPlante and Jeff Spangler also executive produce along with Anthony Sylvester.
FAMILY OR FIANCÉ (premieres in 2019)
In “Family or Fiancé,” from Bunim/Murray Productions, newly engaged couples whose families have voiced paralyzing concerns (both real and imagined) over their proposed marriage, will bring their families to live together under the same roof. The stakes have never been higher as they take on activities designed to strengthen their bond, unpack their differences, and show the betrothed couple in a whole new light. Will the week of experimental “family time” confirm their families’ concerns and lead to a breakup? Will the families discover enough common ground to give their blessings? If all else fails, how will the couple face the future knowing that their families may never accept their partner? Executive producers are Gil Goldschein, Julie Pizzi, Jonathan Murray and co-executive producer Erica Ross.
ROCKET CITY REVIVAL (working title – premieres in 2019)
“Rocket City Revival,” from Kingdom Reign Entertainment, brings together three high-powered African-American couples who have returned to Huntsville, Alabama (nicknamed “The Rocket City” for its close association with NASA and U.S. space missions) to help revitalize the region through their joint real estate venture. The couples are long-time friends and avid socialites who all have their own personalities, strong points of view, and individual strategies for wanting to make this huge undertaking a success. We’ll see if they can succeed at mixing business with pleasure for all the right reasons, or if the cutthroat industry makes foes of the longtime friends. Rocket City Revival is produced by Kingdom Reign Entertainment for ITV America. Carlos King, Gil Lopez and Andrew Hoagland are executive producers.
Steve Harvey’s Daytime Talk Show About To Be Cancelled In Some Markets And Replaced With New Show By Kelly Clarkson
Rumor has it that Steve Harvey’s daytime talk show “Steve” has gotten the ax and will be replaced by an upcoming talk show hosted by pop star and American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson.
NBC has officially decided to pick up The Kelly Clarkson Show in 11 cities and have already decided what time slot it would have. The Kelly Clarkson Show will serve as the lead in to Ellen, a timeslot previously held by Steve Harvey’s “Steve”, which has reportedly been canceled. The show has been described as a “weekday brunch party” with celebrity interviews, games and more.
The Kelly Clarkson show will begin airing next fall. Steve Harvey has not spoken publicly about the fate of his show.
