Cedric The Entertainer Inducted In The Hollywood walk Of Fame
St. Louis’ own Cedric the Entertainer was honored with the 2,640th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on Thursday.
“Much Love to all of you, for your acknowledgment of me receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to Today,” Cedric said via Twitter. “Your support of my work throughout the years is a big reason why this day has come. Thank you! And I’m only getting started!”
A graduate of Berkley High School and Southeast Missouri State University, Cedric made a name for himself on the St. Louis comedy scene. By the early 1990s, he was primed for the big time.
He became a household name when he was tapped to host the second season of BET’S Comic View – following in the footsteps of fellow future “King of Comedy” D.L. Hughley, who served as the hit urban comedy series’ inaugural host.
Soon after, he co-starred with fellow comic Steve Harvey on the hit WB sitcom “The Steve Harvey Show.” In 2000, Cedric starred alongside Harvey, Hughley and the late Bernie Mac in the record-breaking “Kings of Comedy” Tour, which also spawned a blockbuster film of the same name.
Cedric went on to film and television success in films such as “The Honeymooners,” the “Barbershop” franchise, “Johnson Family Vacation,” “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins” and “Be Cool” to name a few.
He and fellow St. Louis native Niecy Nash (who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last week) starred in the TV Land sitcom “Soul Man” for five seasons.
Cedric currently stars alongside Tracy Morgan in the TBS sitcom “The Last O.G” and is slated to star in the upcoming CBS comedy “The Neighborhood” this fall.
Basketball legend and business mogul Earvin “Magic” Johnson was one of the speakers to address the crowd during Cedric’s ceremony.
Johnson said that Cedric not only entertains – but uplifts the community.
He was still early in his career when he started his scholarship fund. Since its inception in 1996, the fund has provided nearly $200,000 to St. Louis area students who have attended colleges and universities across the nation. Cedric The Entertainer Charitable Foundation has partnered with the United Negro College Fund since 2002.
Cedric also helped raise money for the Rosetta Boyce Kyles Women’s Pavilion at SSM Health in honor of his late mother – who was treated at SSM during her battle with cancer.
“People who don’t have a voice, you give them a voice,” Johnson said. “And you always support people no matter what their status is, no matter how much money they make, you use your platform to always uplift people.”
Source: Stlamerican.com
‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ Reboot In The Works With African American Actress As The Lead
Following the upcoming, diverse reboots Charmed and Roswell, the next The WB series to get a new incarnation could be Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
A reboot is in development at Fox 21 Studios, the cable and streaming arm of 20th Century Fox (Buffy’s original home).
No network is attached as of yet. The previous two will air on The CW.
The producers are looking for a black actress to star in the titular role.
Original Buffy creator Joss Whedon would be on board as an executive producer and Monica Owusu-Breen would be the showrunner. The two worked together on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Owusu-Breen also created NBC’s Midnight Texas.
The Buffy reboot, which will be pitched to streamers and cable networks “will be contemporary, building on the mythology of the original. The producers say: “like our world, it will be richly diverse, and like the original, some aspects of the series could be seen as metaphors for issues facing us all today.”
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a cult classic hit starring Sarah Michelle Gellar that ran from 1996-2003, starring her as the latest in a line of vampire slayers, batting vampires, demons and other forms of darkness.
Source: Shadow&Act
WATCH: New ‘Shazam!’ Trailer Debuts At Comic-Con
With his work as Fandral the Dashing in the latter two “Thor” movies, Zachary Levi is no stranger to superhero movies. But with “Shazam!,” it’s Levi’s chance to feel what it’s like to be the caped hero at the heart of the story.
Levi took the stage in Hall H with a Guinness in hand, which he said was given to him by “Aquaman” star Jason Momoa.
“Jason Momoa gave me this, I’m having a great time,” Levi beamed.
“Shazam!” follows Asher Angel’s character, Billy Batson, a regular teenager who is bestowed with a superpower when a powerful wizard gives him the ability to transform into a Superman-esque adult superhero with a bolt of lightning emblazoned across his chest when he shouts the word “Shazam.”
The DC superhero is trying to drum up the same excitement as Marvel’s playful “Deadpool,” which took Hall H by storm in 2015.
“Shazam!” also stars Mark Strong as the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, one of Shazam’s major archenemies, a brilliant-yet-selfish scientist who seeks to use his newfound telekinetic powers to enrich and empower himself as well as Djimon Hounsou, who plays the ancient wizard also named Shazam who gives Batson his powers.
The film is directed by “Annabelle: Creation” helmer David F. Sandberg, and is set to strike theaters on April 5, 2019.
Source: Variety
WATCH: New Trailer For DC’s ‘Aquaman’ Released At Comic-Con!
DC has finally released the new trailer for Aquamanover the weekend at Comic-Con. The film stars Jason Momoa and is directed by James Wan and will be released on December 21, 2018.
Check out the trailer below;
Just For Laughs Comedy Festival Unveils Its New Faces Of 2018
Just For Laughs, in partnership with Amazon’s Prime Video, is thrilled to reveal the 2018 lineup of Just For Laughs New Faces, a series conceived to launch the careers of tomorrow’s top comedic talent. The pinnacle series, fueled by fresh-faced comics set to break the future of comedy’s glass ceiling, has been a Just For Laughs Festival highlight since 1996. With four distinct showcases – New Faces of Comedy, New Faces: Characters, New Faces: Unrepped, and New Faces: Creators, this series promises to introduce the world to the next group of comedic brilliance.
“The New Faces showcase at Just For Laughs has catapulted the careers of so many of today’s most celebrated comedians,” shares Bruce Hills, President of Just For Laughs. “For more than twenty years, we have offered the brightest comedy stars of tomorrow an unparalleled opportunity to showcase their talents in front of industry tastemakers and the most influential people in the comedy business.”
Just For Laughs New Faces is responsible for propelling the careers of many world-renowned artists, including: Jimmy Fallon (1996), Gabriel Iglesias (1999), Kevin Hart (2001), Hannibal Buress (2006), Amy Schumer (2007), Chris D’Elia (2009), Jerrod Carmichael (2011), Ali Wong (2011), The Lucas Brothers (2012), Pete Davidson (2013) and Michelle Wolf (2014).
New Faces of Comedy
Rosebud Baker
Emmy Blotnick
Joel Boyd
JC Currais
Rocky Dale Davis
Robert Dean
Kenny DeForest
Kellen Erskine
Jourdain Fisher
Simon Gibson
Mekki Leeper
Zach Noe Towers
Erica Rhodes
Paris Sashay
Usama Siddiquee
Daphnique Springs
Nina Tarr
Ron Taylor
Jordan Temple
Jeremiah Watkins
The New Faces of Comedy showcases will take place at Salle Ludger-Duvernay at the Monument National on July 25, 2018 at 7:00 and 9:30 pm.
New Faces: Characters
Sheila Carrasco
Chloe Fineman
Katie Hartman
Michael Hartney
Andrew Leeds
Matt Richards
Becky Robinson
Sarah Shook
Sarah Smallwood Parsons
James III
New Faces: Characters will take place at Salle Ludger-Duvernay at the Monument National on July 26, 2018 at 7:00 pm.
New Faces: Unrepped
LeClerc Andre
Vincent Bryant
Katie Hannigan
Joe McMahon
Avery Moore
Dan Perlman
David Rodriguez
Amy Silverberg
Dusty Slay
Caitlin Weierhauser
Ashton Womack
New Faces: Unrepped will take place at Salle Ludger-Duvernay at the Monument National on July 26, 2018 at 9:30 pm.
New Faces: Creators
Abby Feldman
Anwar Jibawi
Sydney Marquez and Alan Wagner
Manon Mathews
Frankie Quiñones
Josh Ruben
Molly Schreiber
New Faces: Creators will take place in the Grand Salon Opera at the Hyatt Regency Montreal on July 26, 2018 at 12:30 pm.
Just For Laughs and Main Event Media recently announced that Amazon has greenlit a six-episode untitled docuseries, exclusively for Prime Video, that will follow up-and-coming comedians in New York and Los Angeles as they go through the annual process of being selected for the New Faces showcase, beginning with the auditions and callbacks, through selection, and into the preparation of their comedy sets. Viewers will receive unprecedented behind-the-scenes access as the cameras will be with the comics every step of the way as they write and hone the jokes that they hope will impress the talent scouts, producers, and managers who attend Just For Laughs in Montreal each July.
The series was developed by Emmy-winning producer Jimmy Fox(United Shades of America) who will executive produce under his Main Event Media banner in conjunction with All3Media America. Neil Berkeley (Gilbert, Harmontown),Star Price(Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, Active Shooter: America Under Fire), Bruce Hills (Funny As Hell, Hilarity for Charity, Craig Ferguson: Tickle Fight), Just For Laughs Media and Main Event Mediawill also executive produce.
Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival runs from July 11-29, 2018 in Montréal, Canada.
Find us on social media #JFLMTL
Facebook: @JustForLaughs
Twitter: @JustForLaughs
Instagram: @JustForLaughs
For tickets to the Montreal festival:
By phone, online or in person: The Just For Laughs Box Office, 514-845-2322, website: hahaha.com
R. Kelly Responds To Sexual Misconduct Allegations In 19-Minute Song, ‘I Admit’
R. Kelly addresses the multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against him in a sprawling 19-minute song called “I Admit It” that dropped Monday morning.The singer strikes a familiar defensive tone in the song, singing about the tall odds he overcame to attain success, accusing haters of trying to destroy his career and hangers-on of spending his money or benefiting from his largess. He admits “I done made some mistakes” but fiercely denies the strongest accusations against him. “How they gon’ say I don’t respect these women, when all I’ve done is represent / Take my career and turn it upside down, ’cause you mad I’ve got some girlfriends,” he sings.
He sort-of admits to his widely reported predilection for younger women, at one point singing “I admit I f— with all the ladies, that’s both older and young ladies/ But tell me how they call it pedophile, because that sh– is crazy.”
He describes his admitted transgressions in graphic terms: “Went and f—ed a n—a’s b—h/ I admit, I admit that I did/ I f—ed my girlfriend’s best friend/ Yeah I tapped that in the back of my Benz/ I admit I’m sorry for my sins.”
“You may have your opinions, entitled to your opinions/ But really am I supposed to go to jail or lose my career because of your opinion/ Yeah, go ahead and stone me, point your finger at me/ Turn the world against me, but only god can mute me,” he continues.
He even addresses the recent accusations that he’s brainwashed and held women in a “sex cult.”
“Said I’m abusing these women, what the f— that’s some absurd sh–/ They’re brainwashed, really?/ Kidnapped, really?/ Can’t eat, really?/ Real talk, that sh– sound silly.”
He goes on to claim the parents of Jocelyn Savage, who have accused the singer of kidnapping their daughter, of introducing her to him. “And if you really, really wanna know/ Her father dropped her off at my show/ And told this boy to put her on stage/ I admit that she was over age/ I admit that I was feelin’ her and I admit that she was feelin’ me/ I admit that that’s the sh– that comes with/ being a celebrity/ I ain’t chasing these ladies/ These ladies are chasing me, yeah.”
Kelly also acknowledges, as he has in the past, that he suffered sexual abuse an early age: “Now, I admit a family member touched me/ From a child to the age 14/ While I laid asleep, took my virginity.”
He also points a finger at Chicago journalist Jim DeRogatis, who first reported the existence of the sex tape at the center of the child-pornography case, ultimately dismissed, against Kelly in 2000, and has continued to report on the singer’s alleged misconduct in the years since. He accuses DeRogatis of building a career off of Kelly’s name.
“To Jim DeRogatis, whatever your name is (whatever your name is)/ You been tryna destroy me for 25 whole years/ Writin’ the same stories over and over against/ Off my name, you done went and made yourself a career/ But guess what? I pray for you and family, and all my other enemies/ I’m not gonna let y’all steal my joy, I’m just gonna keep on doing me.”
Kelly also obliquely references Aaliyah — his protege, whom he allegedly married in 1994 when she was underage — as well as the sex tape, in the form of recalling a conversation with a woman, and claims that he was framed. “She said ‘What about Aaliyah said?’/ Love/ She said ‘What about the tape?’/ I said hush/ I said my lawyer said ‘don’t say nothin”/ But I can tell you I’ve been set up.”
There’s plenty more (listen below, if you must), but Kelly’s professed motivation for issuing the song is in this lyric:
“I never thought it would come to this, to be the most disrespected artist/ So I had to write a song about this, ’cause they always take my words and twist it/
Believe me, its hard to admit all this, but I’m in my feelings about this sh–/ But I had to set the f—in’ record straight.”
Source: Variety
Jamie Foxx Explains Why He Was OK With Heavy Usage Of N-Word In ‘Django Unchained’ Script
In a new interview with Yahoo!, Jamie Foxx is reflecting on his biggest roles of all-time, and one of them of course is Django Unchained.
The script for the highly-successful film got heavy backlash due to the heavy usage of the n-word (over 100 times).
Foxx says while many took issue with it (and still continue to), it was not a problem for him.
“I understood the text. The N-word was said 100 times, but I understood the text — that’s the way it was back in that time,” said Foxx.
He also talked about netting the role, which Will Smith and Idris Elba were also considered for.
“Will Smith would have been fantastic. I know at one point, Idris Elba — I said. ‘Idris, are you Django?,’ and he said (impersonating Elba), ‘Quentin Tarantino is talking about this movie called ‘Django Unchained,’ and I was like, ‘Boy, your pretty black ass playing Django — it’ll be crazy!’”
Foxx’s latest film is in Robin Hood, releasing on November 21. He also just signed on to the Spawn reboot and is circling Just Mercy with Michael B. Jordan.
Source: Yahoo, Shadow & Act
Pam Grier Lands In New Cheerleading Comedy Film Titled ‘Poms’
Sierra/Affinity has added Pam Grier, Alisha Boe, Phyllis Somerville, Charlie Tahan, Bruce McGill, Rhea Perlman and Celia Weston to its cheerleading comedy “Poms.”
Diane Keaton and Jackie Weaver are already set to star in “Poms,” which has begun principal photography in Atlanta, Ga. Zara Hayes is directing from a script by Shane Atkinson based on a comedic story by Hayes and Atkinson about a group of women who form a cheerleading squad at their retirement community.
Grier is best known for starring in Quentin Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown” and “The L Word.” Boe plays Jessica Davis in the Netflix drama series “13 Reasons Why.”
Sierra/Affinity is producing, financing and handling international sales of the project, and co-representing U.S. rights with Endeavor Content. Producers are Kelly McCormick; Alex Saks; Mad as Birds Films’ Andy Evans, Ade Shannon, Celyn Jones, and Sean Marley; and Rose Pictures’ Rose Ganguzza. Keaton; Sierra/Affinity’s Nick Meyer and Marc Schaberg; and Will Greenfield are executive producing.
Source: Variety
Nick Cannon To Host The 2018 Teen Choice Awards
According to reports, comedian and TV personality Nick Cannon has been tapped to host the 2018 Teen Choice Awards, airing Aug. 12th on the FOX network.
The former “America’s Got Talent” host will emcee the two-hour show at the Forum, which will feature the 2018 nominees including Lucy Hale, Hudson Yang, and Maddie Ziegler.
More details soon!
Social Media Comedian Shiggy Freestyles Over Busta Rhymes’ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See”
Social media comedian Shiggy is having a moment after starting the #DoTheShiggy challenge for Drake’s hit song, “In My Feelings.” He recently sat down for an interview with Hot 97, where he showed off multiple talents, including freestyling over Busta Rhymes’ classic “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” beat.
Check it out in full starting at the 23:25 mark above.
