Director Malcolm D. Lee (Of ‘Girl’s Trip’ & ‘Night School’) Sets Hip-Hop Comedy ‘Real Talk’ As His Next Film
Radha Blank, who penned episodes of ‘Empire’ and ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ will write the script.
Just ahead of the opening of his Universal movie, Night School, director Malcolm D. Lee is reuniting with the studio for a new comedy.
Lee and Universal are developing Real Talk, an homage to old-school hip-hop that will be penned by Radha Blank, a writer whose credits include episodes of Empire and She’s Gotta Have it.
Based on a concept by Lee, the story tells of an old-school rapper who attempts to reunite his group to reclaim their past glory as one of the most influential hip-hop acts ever.
Lee is attached to direct the pic and will produce via his Blackmaled Productions banner.
Blackmaled senior vp productions and development Melanie N. Clark will oversee alongside Universal executive vp production Kristin Lowe and creative executive Mika Pryce.
Lee has made a career of black-centric comedies ranging from Undercover Brother to Barbershop: The Next Cut. He last directed Universal’s Girls Trip, the surprise hit that made over $115 million domestically. Night School, which stars Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, bows Friday.
Lee is repped by Paradigm and Del Shaw. Blank is repped by CAA and Del Shaw.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
‘Saturday Night Live’ Has Awkwafina Of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Fame To Host
Crazy Rich Asians‘ Awkwafina will host Saturday Night Live‘s second show of the season on Oct. 6, making her SNL debut. Seth Meyers, the show’s former Weekend Update co-anchor, will host the third episode on Oct. 13.
Musical guests for the episodes are Grammy Award-nominated Travis Scott, making his first SNL appearance on Oct. 6, and for the Meyers episode, Paul Simon, returning to the show for the 15th time.
The appearance by Simon is of particular note to longtime SNL fans. Lorne Michaels’ old pal was a frequent presence on the show in its early days, and he recently concluded what he’s said is his final tour. His just-released 14th studio album, “In the Blue Light” revisits 10 of his personal favorites from his body of work.
Simon will celebrate his 77th birthday on Oct. 13, the night of his SNL appearance.
This week’s season premiere host is Adam Driver with musical guest Kanye West.
Source: Deadline
Comedy Central Records Debuts Comedian Langston Kerman’s New Album And Special Titled ‘Lightskinned Feelings’
Comedy Central Records announced today that Langston Kerman’s debut album, Lightskinned Feelings, will be released on Friday, September 28, the same day Kerman is featured in the Season 2 premiere episode of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents… at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central.
In Lightskinned Feelings, Kerman is super afraid to explore difficult topics like the Baha Men and white women who believe in ghosts, but somehow he powers through and does it anyway. Recorded at the historic Punchline Comedy Club in San Francisco, the album is available for purchase on iTunes and for on-demand streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora Premium and Stitcher Premium.
Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents… showcases emerging classes of exciting, dynamic stand-up talent through its slates of half-hour specials airing on Comedy Central. The weekly series is a vital springboard in the network’s talent-development pipeline for stand-up and scripted projects on all platforms.
Lightskinned Feelings Track List
Intro Baby Girl
Oh Canada (With Yo’ Fine Ass)
Bipartisan Issue
Monte Da Gawd
The White Spirit
Y’all Just Making This Shit Up
A Grandfather’s Love
Horny from a Distance
Built for Stamps
The Atlanta Invitational
People Who Don’t Know How to Work the Internet
An Ode to The Pink Slipper
Eloquent & Broke
Early Retirement
Cocaine is for Closers
Langston Kerman is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comic, actor and writer originally from Oak Park, IL. Kerman was chosen by director/executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to star in their FX pilot Singularity, which was written and also executive produced by Sonny Lee (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). Last year Kerman recurred as “Jared” on the HBO series Insecure. Kerman has appeared Adam Devine’s House Party, High Maintenance, Strangers and Comedy Bang! Bang!. Kerman was a part of Chris Rock’s writing staff for the 2016 Oscars and also wrote for Comedy Central’s Problematic with Moshe Kasher and the network’s forthcoming scripted series South Side. In 2015 Kerman was honored as a New Face at the Just For Laughs festival and chosen as a finalist for the StandUp NBC diversity showcase at the Hollywood Improv. He has toured all over the country.
Comedy Central Records is home to the biggest names in stand-up with albums from top comedians Amy Schumer, Daniel Tosh, Kevin Hart, Hannibal Buress, Jim Gaffigan, Tracy Morgan, Patton Oswalt, Nate Bargatze, John Mulaney, Marc Maron, Natasha Leggero, and many more.
The Comedian Known As Luenell Stuns In A New Spread For Penthouse Magazine!
Long before her breakout role as the “hooker with the heart of gold” in the 2006 hit comedy Borat, comedian Luenell spoke openly about her body, beauty, and public perception. Now, fans can see this extraordinary diva in all her glory, along with an evocative interview that sheds more light on one of today’s biggest and brightest stars. The exposé titled “HEY, LUENELL” is a key feature in the April edition of Penthouse magazine slated to hit newsstands on March 21st!
“It was the opportunity of a lifetime because Penthouse wanted to do much more than just go skin deep,” said Luenell. “Looking closer at social media, Hollywood stereotypes, body shaming, and the current political landscape, posing for Penthouse empowered me to be real with y’all in a way that was previously unavailable to me.” Luenell continued, “ These things affect us all, and this is a more honest look than anything you’ll see in the mainstream. Naked truth can be as sexy as a naked body.”
Penthouse CEO Kelly Holland added, “For the past 52 years, Penthouse magazinehas lead the conversation about the progression of sex, sexuality, and sex appeal—a conversation that is still woefully unexplored today.” Holland continued, “We’re huge fans of Luenell—her style, her attitude, her fierce honesty—and her layout reveals everything about who she is, who we are as a brand, and the world we want women to live in today.”
“I want to make history with this shoot,” said Luenell. “It’s already made history for me. I had cold feet, but they warmed up very quickly when I walked on set. I just said, “Eff it!” People can go fuck themselves if they feel any type of way about what I’m doing.”
Take a look at one of today’s sexiest renegades when the April issue of Penthousemagazine hits newsstands March 21st and see for yourself!
Luenell can be seen next in the new film A Star Is Born with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga on Oct 5th and in the upcoming remake of Dolemite titled Dolemite Is My Name with Eddie Murphy set to premiere on Netflix sometime in 2019, On TV Luenell will be in TV Land’s Lopezon March 29th.
Bill Cosby Sentenced To 3-10 Years In State Prison
Just less than two hours after being designated a sexually violent predator, Bill Cosby has been sentenced to xxx years in prison by a Pennsylvania judge after being convicted for the 2004 rape of former Temple University employee Andrea Constand.
The ruling by Judge Steven O’Neill comes nearly three years after the much accused actor once known as “America’s Dad” was arrested an charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault against Constand. With Cosby sitting in the Norristown, PA courthouse, Tuesday’s long-expected decision comes six months after a jury found the actor guilty of all three counts in a retrial.
“No one is above the law,” O’Neil said from the bench to Cosby, who was seated just in front of him in the Montgomery County courtroom. He added that it’s no matter what their “wealth, fame, celebrity or even philanthropy” — a clear dig at the latter element Cosby’s lawyers frequently brought regarding their client’s character.
Proclaiming he felt feel a duty to “the public, the Commonwealth and the defendant,” O’Neill said there would be “no probation, no limited confinement” such as home arrest. “I am compelled to consider the guidelines,” O’Neill told the court of the prison time, which is up to four years under legislative rules in the law.
“This is a court of law and I plan to sentence you under the law,” O’Neill said.
Attorneys for Cosby are expected to quickly file an appeal, but their client will have to cool his heels in prison while that case moves up to the state Supreme Court. His prison time will start immediately in a state facility; he had been under house arrest and out on $1 million bail.
Reading poetry of a great fall and noting “who he is and who he was,” O’Neill told Cosby while reading his sentence that he will have to participate in sex offenders treatment while behind bars.
More than 60 women have come forward in the past few years with accounts of Cosby drugging and assaulting them, but the Pennsylvania action was the only criminal case in the country due to the Keystone State’s longer-than-usual statute of limitations for sex crimes. Constand and several other alleged victims were in the jam-packed courtroom this afternoon.
Cosby is the first major conviction of the #MeToo and Time’s Up era that has seen the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, ex-CBS boss Les Moonves and others investigated, dethroned and, in the case of Weinstein, charged with crimes in the past year.
Having gone through a battalion of defense lawyers since being charged, Cosby sat in court yesterday and today as his current team tried to convince O’Neill to spare the 81-year-old prison time based on his age and health. But with more than 80 inmates older than Cosby in Pennsylvania’s prison system, and a recently opened $400 million facility for seniors with health issues like the actor, the argument never gained traction with either the judge or the D.A.
“You were old then,” the judge said while reading the sentence today, decimating the belief that Cosby is too old and sick for prison.
The guilty verdict at the April retrial held a combined sentence of up to 30 years, but on Monday the Montgomery County D.A. and the defense agreed to collapse the three counts into one with a 10-year maximum sentence. In recently filed paperwork and in closing arguments, D.A. Kevin Steele advocated for a sentence close to a decade plus fines and court costs. However, O’Neill indicated Monday that he was looking at a sentence closer to the state guidelines of 22 to 36 months.
Surrounded by his legal team, including an already hired appeal lawyer, Cosby was in apparently intense conversation with the attorneys before the final stage of the sentencing hearing began Tuesday. Unlike when he became a convicted felon this spring, he did not verbally lash out at the prosecution with shouts of “a**hole.”
Meanwhile, today’s earlier ruling labeling Cosby a sexually violent predator means he must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and check in with state police monthly. With the prison time, Cosby will also be required to attend counseling and provide details of any change in residence once he is released.
As sources told Deadline today, the Cosby will be handcuffed in the courtroom and led out by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department deputies. He will then be taken to the lower part of the courthouse to complete paperwork before being transported to a nearby state prison.
Even as Cosby has admitted in depositions in a civil suit more than 10 years ago to giving Constand several Benadryl pills on the night of the alleged assault in his Philadelphia-area mansion in 2004, Cosby has unsuccessfully insisted through various investigations and two trials that the encounter with the ex-Temple University employee was consensual.
Source: Deadline
Rapper Lil Yachty To Star In Comedy ‘How High 2’ for MTV
Rapper Lil Yachty has been cast in the lead role of the MTV film “How High 2,” its been reported.
The film began production in Atlanta today. It is a follow up to the 2001 stoner comedy “How High” starring Method Man and Redman. It will premiere on MTV in 2019.
Lil Yachty plays Roger, an entrepreneur and the younger brother of one of the protagonists from the original film. Per the official description by MTV, Roger and his friend go “on a magical hash-fueled journey to fund their on-demand munchies delivery start-up.”
This will not be Lil Yacthy’s first acting role. He previously appeared as himself in an episode of George Lopez’s TV Land series “Lopez” and provided the voice for Green Lantern in the hit animated film “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.” The Atlanta rapper also acted in a very different recent project: an improbable sing-dong duet with ‘70s teen-pop icon Donny Osmond for Chef Boyardee. “Start The Par-dee,” a full-length jingle that debuted as a music video and an original track on streaming outlets last month. It’s the most recent in a series of high-profile commercial team-ups for the Atlanta rapper, who’s also worked with Target & Carly Rae Jepsen as well as Sprite & Lebron James (and released his second full-length album, “Lil Boat 2,” last March).
“How High 2” is written by Alex Blagg, Neel Shah, Shawn Ries, and Artie Johann. Bruce Leddy will direct. Shauna Garr returns as a producer alongside Mike Elliot. Josh Vodnoy, Morgana Rosenberg, and Jason Goldberg serve as executive producers for MTV. The film is produced by MTV and Universal 1440 Entertainment.
Source: Variety
Trailer For New Trailer ‘The Oath’ Starring Tiffany Haddish And Ike Barinholtz Political Dark Comedy Released
The latest trailer for The Oath, a political comedy starring Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz,teases more from the film, such as John Cho’s role as a government agent.
Cho plays one of the government agents assigned to check individuals who prohibit others from signing the compulsory oath to the president. The oath, in the film’s slightly alternate universe of American politics, comes from a draconian right-wing president who wants the entire country to swear loyalty to him. Haddish and Barinholtz play a liberal couple who must survive a Thanksgiving with conservative family members as the countdown to the deadline for signing the oath dwindles.
Haddish’s role is also fleshed out more. In the official description, her character, Kai, is described as level-headed compared to her news junkie husband, Chris (Barinholtz), and this trailer does show more of Kai’s frustration with Chris’ inability to keep his mouth shut long enough to get out of the family Thanksgiving visit unscathed.
The Roadside Attractions film also stars Jon Barinholtz, Nora Dunn, Carrie Brownstein, Billy Magnussen and Chris Ellis. Barinholtz wrote and directed the film. He also acted as a producer with Sean McKittrick, David Stassen, Andrew Robinson and Ray Mansfield. Haddish, Edward H. Hamm Jr. and Kristen Murtha are executive producers. The Oath comes to select theaters October 12 and opens nationwide October 19th.
Source: Shadow & Act
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.