Dick Clark productions and ABC announced today that Golden Globe ® Award winner and Emmy ® nominee Tracee Ellis Ross, star of ABC’s hit comedy “black-ish,” will return as host and an executive producer for the “2018 American Music Awards.” Known for her love of music, impeccable comedic timing and bold sense of style, Ross will once again take the stage to preside over an evening of nonstop musical magic and unforgettable moments. The “2018 American Music Awards,” the world’s
largest fan-voted awards show, will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 8:00 p.m. EDT, on ABC.
Tracee Ellis Ross is the star of the hit ABC comedy series “black-ish,” which is entering its fifth season premiering Tuesday, Oct. 16. For her role, Ross won the 2017 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy. Most recently, Ross was nominated for a 2017 Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. This followed her 2015 and 2016 Emmy nominations in the same category. She also received the 2015 and 2016 NAACP Image Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. In addition, Ross was honored and acknowledged at the 2016 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood luncheon receiving the Fierce and Fearless Award. Ross is known for her starring role on the hit sitcom “Girlfriends,” which ran for eight seasons on the UPN/CW Network.
Nominations for the “2018 American Music Awards” will be announced live by Kane Brown, Ella Mai, Normani and Bebe Rexha on Wednesday, Sept. 12, from YouTube Space LA in Los Angeles. American Music Awards nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected in Billboard Magazine and on Billboard.com, including album and digital song sales, radio airplay, streaming, social activity and touring. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound, and reflect the time period of Sept. 15, 2017, through Aug. 9, 2018. YouTube Music is the presenting sponsor of the “2018 American Music Awards.”
The “2018 American Music Awards” is produced by dick clark productions. Barry Adelman, Mark Bracco and Tracee Ellis Ross are executive producers. Larry Klein is producer.
All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world.
Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston, and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale.
Watch the new trailer below:
Showtime has released a trailer for LeBron James’ Shut Up and Dribble.
The three-part docuseries, set to premiere on Showtime in October, is from James, his SpringHill producing partner Maverick Carter and Gotham Chopra (who is directing).
Shut Up and Dribble takes its title from conservative pundit Ingraham’s remarks to James in February “after players from the Golden State Warriors declined an invitation to the White House after the 2018 NBA Finals. The controversy serves as a prologue to the series as it chronicles the modern history of the NBA and its players, starting with the 1976 merger of the freewheeling ABA and the more conventional NBA of today. The league soon became an incubator for many of its top athletes to grow their brands beyond the court, becoming powerful players in commerce and fashion, and transcending the game to become cultural icons. The series charts this evolution through the experience of basketball players, who by taking control of their own destinies have helped to bring about social change and make their own statements in the current political climate.”
Watch the teaser below:
Source: Shadow & Act
The live-action Lady and the Tramp remake has found its Aunt Sarah.
Yvette Nicole Brown, who previously starred on Community and currently appears on CBS’ Mom in a recurring role, has been cast as the character in the upcoming live-action/CGI film.
In the classic 1955 animated film, Aunt Sarah is the aunt of Lady’s human co-owner Darling who arrives to help look after her niece’s baby. When Sarah’s trouble-making Siamese cats blame their mischief on Lady, she attempts to get the dog a muzzle only for Lady to escape in the middle of the city.
Kiersey Clemons will play Sarah’s niece in the remake which is being developed exclusively for Disney’s planned premium streaming service Disney Play along with a live-action remake of The Sword in the Stone.
While there’s no word on how closely the new film will adapt the original story or if Brown’s Aunt Sarah will come with two Siamese cats in tow, it’s virtually assured she will not get along with the titular cocker spaniel.
Directed by Charlie Bean (The LEGO Ninjago Movie), Lady and the Tramp stars Tessa Thompson, Justin Theroux, Benedict Wong, Kiersey Clemons, Thomas Mann, and Ashley Jensen. It is expected to premiere on Disney Play, Disney’s upcoming premium streaming service, sometime in 2019.
Sources: CBR.com, Variety
In this clip, Rickey Smiley discussed his start on the comedy circuit. He talked about being a part of the legendary Def Comedy Jam as well as performing at other cultural institutions like the Apollo. Rickey Smiley also detailed his role in the film, Friday After Next. Despite being the franchise’s third installment, Rickey admitted that the original Friday is by far his favorite.
Source: Vlad TV
Here is another episode of our weekly movie review; this week we review the new film titled SEARCHING. The new film stars actor John Cho (of Star Trek fame) as he launches a search for his missing daughter with the help of Debra Messing (of Will & Grace fame). As we state in the below review, this film has tons of twists and unexpected turns that will leave you on the edge of your seat. The most surprising thing about the film is that this type of film wasn’t expected from our review of the trailer before we viewed the film, and the unexpected drama and suspense were quickly welcomed.
But the best thing that stood out about the film was the way the film was shot; the audience witnessed the entire film from the perspective of the computer and smart devices that are our everyday tools of communication.
If you are unfamiliar with the film and you haven’t seen the trailer, please read the synopsis below;
Film synopsis-After David Kim (John Cho)’s 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter’s laptop. In a hyper-modern thriller told via the technology devices we use every day to communicate, David must trace his daughter’s digital footprints before she disappears forever.
Check out the review below;
Our demand for ’90s nostalgia just got kicked up a notch.
Jaleel White, best known for portraying the original black nerd Steve Urkel on the ’90s classic Family Matters, is slated to guest star on a season 5 episode of the hit ABC comedy Fresh Off The Boat.
Light years removed from his famed portrayal from the bespectacled blerd, White will portray Calvin, a wisecracking manager of a car dealership where the show’s patriarch, Louis (Randall Park) purchases a car.
Jaleel’s casting is perfectly in line with the show’s premise, which details the Eddie Huang’s life as an Asian-American kid coming of age in Orlando, Florida during the mid-90s. Jaleel White’s casting is another of satisfaction for a show that is rife with popular cultural signifiers from the decade.
The fifth season of Fresh Off The Boat will premiere on ABC on Oct. 5 at 8 p.m.
Source: Shadow & Act
Today we discovered the news that comedian and musician Bobby Law, also known as Cleophus the comedian, passed away from his long battle with cancer.
Not much is known about Bobby Law, except that Law was from Columbus, GA, and he later joined the Marines over 30 years ago and he eventually became a recruiter for them. He also joined a band and he did impressions for years while eventually becoming more and more of a stand-up comedian.
Anyone who met him will tell you he was one of the nicest people you would ever meet, and we here at the Humor Mill wish his family our most sincere condolences.
We will have info on where the funeral arrangements will b.
The 22nd Annual Urbanworld Film Festival (www.urbanworld.org), presented by AT&T’s The Humanity of Connection along with founding partner HBO, presented its 2018 festival slate today. The slate of 69 official selections and 7 spotlight selections represent inclusion BEYOND ethnicity. The annual showcase of diverse culture and sensibility will be experienced in Manhattan September 19-23, 2018 at AMC EMPIRE 25 on 234 West 42nd Street.
“As we continue to evolve our programming slate to reflect the broadest lens of inclusion across stories, characters, themes and cultures, we are thrilled to collaborate with our presenting partner AT&T and founding partner HBO to showcase a collection of films, web originals, screenplays and music videos that represent distinct voices from around the world,” said Gabrielle Glore, Festival Director & Head of Programming, Urbanworld Film Festival. “Each year, we welcome content creators, studios, networks and film enthusiasts into our festival family to experience the magical energy that is Urbanworld.”
Universal Pictures’ Night School will open the festival on Wednesday, September 19, at 7:30 P.M. at New York’s SVA Theater on 333 West 23rd Street. Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish star in the new comedy from director Malcolm D. Lee (Girls Trip) and producer Will Packer that follows a group of misfits who are forced to attend adult classes in the longshot chance they’ll pass the GED exam. Co- stars Rob Riggle, Taran Killam and Romany Malco join Hart and Haddish on-screen for the film that Hart produces for his Hartbeat Productions and Packer via his Will Packer Productions. Hart and Haddish are confirmed to attend the festival and a conversation with Lee will immediately follow the screening.
HBO will present two spotlight selections for festival-goers. The Sentence, screens on Thursday, September 20, 2018. Directed by first-time filmmaker Rudy Valdez, the documentary takes a searing look at the devastating consequences of mandatory minimum sentencing through the lens of his own family. Cindy Shank, sister of Valdez and mother of three, is taken from her family to spend 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy charges. Valdez copes with the tragedy by filming his nieces for over a
decade to capture the moments his sister misses. United Skates explores what happens when America’s last standing roller rinks are threatened with closure and a community of thousands battle in a racially charged environment to save an underground subculture. Co-directed and produced by Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown, the documentary screens on Friday, September 21, 2018.
Inspired by the life of Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Fox’s “Rel” will debut at the festival on Saturday, September 22, 2018. The multi-camera comedy stars Howery as a successful, hardworking father and husband on the West Side of Chicago, whose life is perfectly on track. That is, until he discovers his wife is having an affair with his own barber – the worst person for your wife to sleep with, because as hard as it is to find love, it’s even harder to find a good barber. Howery will appear at the festival for a post-screening Q&A.
Along with founding partner HBO, key supporters include BET as prestige partner and NBCUniversal as premiere partner. Industry partners include AMC Independent, ARRAY, MPAA, Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America and Writers Guild of America East.
Passes for the festival are on sale now and tickets for official selections and spotlights will be available in September on urbanworld.org. Additional festival announcements will also be made in September. Follow @UWFilmFest and use #Urbanworld to join the conversation about Urbanworld on social media.
URBANWORLD 2018 FILM SLATE
*As of 08.28.18*
SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATIONS
“Night School” – Directed by Malcolm D. Lee (Presented by Universal Pictures)
“Rel” – Executive Produced by Lil Rel Howery & Jerrod Carmichael (Presented by 20th Century Fox)
“The Sentence” – Directed by Rudy Valdez (Presented by HBO)
“United Skates” – Directed by Dyana Winker & Tina Brown (Presented by HBO)
“Little Woods” – Directed by Nia DaCasta (Presented by NEON)
“Tyrel” – Directed by Sebastian Silva (Presented by Magnolia Pictures)
Jinn” – Directed by Nijla Mu’min (Presented by Orion Classics)
YOUNG CREATORS SHOWCASE
“Casey” – Directed by Shanrica Evans (New York Premiere)
“Kinto” – Directed by Joshua Paul (New York Premiere)
“Same, Old” – Directed by Haya Alghanim (World Premiere)
“Silvia In The Waves” – Directed by Giovana Olmos (New York Premiere)
“Sugar” – Directed by Emiliana Ammirata (New York Premiere)
Three In Stride – Directed by Sasha Whittle (World Premiere)
Woke – Directed by Venk Potula (New York Premiere)
U.S. NARRATIVE FEATURES
“1 Angry Black Man” – Directed by Menelek Lumumba (New York Premiere)
“Flavor of Life” – Directed by Rajesh Golla (East Coast Premiere)
“It’s A Party” – Directed by Weldon Wong Powers (New York Premiere)
“PIMP” – Directed by Christine Crokos (World Premiere)
“Skin In The Game” – Directed by Adisa (World Premiere)
WORLD CINEMA NARRATIVE FEATURES
“El Chata / The Sparring Partner” (Puerto Rico) – Directed by Gustavo Ramos (U.S. Premiere)
“The Burial of Kojo” (Ghana) – Directed by Blitz Bazawule (World Premiere)
“Three And A Half” / “Teen aur Aadha” (India) – Directed by Dar Gai (U.S. Premiere)
“Respeto” (Philippines) – Directed by Alberto Monteras II
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
“21 and Done” – Directed by Kiara C. Jones (World Premiere)
“Don’t Be Nice” – Directed by Max Powers (New York Premiere)
“Mr. Soul!” – Directed by Melissa Haizlip
“She Did That.” – Directed by Renae Bluitt
“The Pushouts” – Directed by Katie Galloway (New York Premiere)
NARRATIVE SHORTS
“8 Million Miles from Hintahood” – Directed by Justin Luis Denis (New York Premiere)
“Are We Good Parents?” – Directed by Bola Ogun (East Coast Premiere)
“Blood Runs Down” – Directed by Zandashé Brown (East Coast Premiere)
“Cross My Heart” – Directed by Sontenish Myers (New York Premiere)
“French Fries” – Directed by Janine Sherman Barrois
“Hunger” – Directed by Wesley Wingo (World Premiere)
“I Am My Own Mother” – Directed by Andrew Zox (U.S. Premiere)
“Jitters” – Directed by Otoja Abit (New York Premiere)
“Kyenvu” – Directed by Kemiyondo Coutinho (New York Premiere)
“LABOR” – Directed by Cecilia Albertini (East Coast Premiere)
“Let Them Die Like Lovers” – Directed by Jesse Atlas
“Mama Said No White Barbies” – Directed by Tiye Amenechi
“Myself When I Am Real” – Directed by Nefertite Nguvu (New York Premiere)
“Piu Piu” – Directed by Naima Ramos-Chapman (New York Premiere)
“Salam” – Directed by Claire Fowler
“Shame” – Directed by Anusha Bose
“Sin Cielo” – Directed by Jianna Maarten
“Sojourn” – Directed by Jonathan Lewis (World Premiere)
“Somebody’s Daughter” – Directed by Shalini Adnani (World Premiere)
“The Announcement” – Directed by Attika J. Torrence (World Premiere)
“The Hangman” – Directed by Zwelethu Radebe (New York Premiere)
“The Mute” / “Câm L?Ng” – Directed by Pham Thien An (East Coast Premiere)
“Time 2 Surrender” – Directed by Elvis Nolasco (New York Premiere)
“Unspoken” – Directed by Danae Grandison (World Premiere)
“Wale” – Directed by Barnaby Blackburn
“We Know Where You Live” – Directed by Honora Talbott
“What Happened to Evie” – Directed by Kate Cheeseman (East Coast Premiere)
“Wolf” – Directed by Brittany Ballard (East Coast Premiere)
LATE NIGHT SCREENING
“Asian Mob” – Directed by Hezues R (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
“Pa’lante” (Puerto Rico) – Directed by Ramón Rodríguez (New York Premiere)
ANIMATION SHORTS
“iRony” – Directed by Radheya Jegatheva (New York Premiere)
“Lazare” (France) – Directed by Mélisandre Hennuyer, Pierre Chupeau, Victor Besseau, Cassandra Haulot & Cyprien Beyaert
“Riot” – Directed by Frank Ternier (New York Premiere)
WEB ORIGINALS
“40 and Single” – Directed by Leila Djansi (East Coast Premiere)
“Brooklynification” – Directed by Keith Miller
“F*N Your Life Up” – Directed by Fredrick Leach
“Frank and Lamar” – Directed by Fred Soligan
“I Used to Love Her” – Directed by Steven Chew (World Premiere)
“Otis” – Directed by Alexander Etseyatse (New York Premiere)
MUSIC VIDEOS
“New Phone, Who Dis?” (Featuring Cyanca) – Directed by Alexander Hall
“Pa’lante” (Featuring Hurray for the Riff Raff) – Directed by Kristian Mercado Figueroa
“Panic” (Featuring Pablo Nouvelle and Fiona Daniel) – Directed by Maximilian Speidel (U.S. Premiere)
“Run This” (Featuring Vinida + DJ Mustard) – Directed by Arden Tse (East Coast Premiere)
“Scandal” (Featuring Bashton and Maya Azucena) – Directed by Pablo Mengin
SCREENPLAYS
“A Precise Understanding of Darkness” – Written by Robin Shanea Williams
“Johnny Ace” – Written by Moon Molson
“Northern Cross” – Written by Melody Cooper
“The Mujahid’s Bride” – Written by Rafa Russo