Timbaland To Perform On ‘The Four’ As Fill-In For Contestant Battling Cancer
This Thursday night’s group number of “The Four” will feature a high-profile stand-in, as hip-hop mega-producer and artist Timbaland will fill in for contestant Sharaya J.
Sharaya, who is battling Stage 2 breast cancer, as revealed on the Fox show, is on doctor’s orders to save her voice and was encouraged to sit out the round and concentrate on her challenge performance. The group number planned for the episode is “The Way I Are” by Timbaland.
Timbaland is close with Missy Elliott — Sharaya’s mentor — and offered to perform as a special surprise. Originally from Jersey City, N.J., Sharaya relocated to Atlanta where she started her career as a dancer. Her father was a member of the ’90s hip-hop group “Double XX Posse” and she quickly moved into hip-hop herself, working closely with Elliott for years.
CREDIT: FOX
Timbaland was approached by P. Diddy, Mario Winans, Laurieann Gibson, and Adam Blackstone to fill in and humbly accepted, he tells Variety. “I was very excited to be a guest on ‘The Four,’ led by some of the biggest names in music — Puff, Khaled, Meghan Trainor, and Fergie,” says Timbaland. “I’ve known Sharaya for years and when I heard that she was unable to participate in the group performance, I felt honored to step in. This platform inspires diverse, undiscovered stars to get started in their music careers with the very best.”
Despite her vocal troubles, Sharaya J has been successful defending her chair against formidable opponents. Just last week, Sharaya was engaged in a female rap battle versus 17-year-old Texas challenger Briana Burns, who goes by the name Lil Bri. Sharaya responded with a blistering version of “Stir Fry” by Migos, earning high praise from Diddy, who exclaimed “You did that!”
Before a rap battle with challenger James Farrow, Sharaya was featured openly discussing her chemo treatments, which she had to fly home for right after her first week.
“I’m chasing the dream and fighting for my life,” she said.“I am a survivor and a fighter, and I will be sitting in one of those chairs until the end.”
In her rap challenge to Farrow in week two, Sharaya threw down the gauntlet, declaring “This is my seat and that ain’tgonna change,” successfully keeping her seat.
Hosted by Fergie, “The Four” stars music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, mega-producer and hitmaker DJ Khaled, and Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. It airs Thursday nights on Fox.
Watch: Trailer For New Regina Hall Sports Bar Comedy Titled ‘Support The Girls’ Debuts
If you’ve seen Girls Trip, you know thatRegina Hall is no stranger to the world of comedy. The Washington D.C. native has made a name for herself in films such as Scary Movie and Think Like A Man. However, the actress and comedian is going the indie route in her upcoming film, Support the Girls, which has released its first trailer.
In the indie comedy, Hall portrays, Lisa Conroy, the general manager at Double Whammies, a sports bar in the design of Hooters, where she also nurtures her female colleagues. However, Conroy finds her optimism tested over the course of one stressful day. While the film is a comedy, the trailer hints at moments of drama we haven’t seen Hall explore before. The film also stars Hayley Lu Richardson, Brooklyn Decker and Shayna McHale. Hall also appears in the upcoming film The Hate U Give, based on the YA novel of the same name by Angie Thomas.
Queen Latifah To Launch Female Comedian Travel Series Titled ‘Friends in Strange Places’
Queen Latifah and Electus are teaming up to develop a travel documentary series, Variety learned exclusively.
Latifah will executive produce via her Flavor Unit Entertainment banner, with Flavor Unit’s Shakim Compere also executive producing. Chris Grant and Drew Buckley will executive produce for Electus, with Allison Mandell Hudson and Randi Michel also executive producing.
“There are so many funny, brilliant women in this industry, and – with plenty of successful male-driven travel series out there – a comedic docu-series about sisterhood and adventure is just the type of uncharted territory we want to plant our flag in,” Latifah said. “I’m so excited to develop a show that not only elevates and highlights female comedians, but also brings them together for an amazing time that will also be a trip for viewers.”
The series, which is currently titled “Friends in Strange Places,” will highlight the global adventures of female comedians and their famous friends. Each episode will document the international travels and escapades of a pair of female stars.
“This creative provides a hilarious, unique and personal look at the power of female friendships, and we can’t imagine a more ideal partner, and consummate dynamo, than Queen Latifah and her incredible team at Flavor Unit,” Grant and Buckley said. “We’re excited to take out to the marketplace a project that brings such a fresh perspective.”
Source: Variety
‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ Sequel Sets Official Release Date
Dwayne Johnson has unveiled an official release date of Dec. 13, 2019, for Sony’s sequel to “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.”
The untitled movie will open a week before Disney-Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: Episode IX” launches. Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman revealed in April at Cinemacon that 2017’s surprise blockbuster would be getting a sequel to premiere during Christmastime next year.
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” starring Johnson and Kevin Hart, earned $404 million domestically and $557 million internationally. After coming in second during its premiere weekend to “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Jumanji” accomplished the unusual feat of climbing to No. 1 in its fifth weekend, and remaining at the top for the following three frames.
The sequel will bring back Johnson, Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan to reprise their starring roles, while Jake Kasdan is expected to return to the director’s chair. Matt Tolmach will be back to produce along with the Seven Bucks Productions team of Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia.
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” is a sequel to the 1995 hit “Jumanji,” starring Robin Williams. It was set in the present day with four high school students placed in detention together, much like the premise for “The Breakfast Club.” The quartet is assigned the school’s basement and then transported into the Jumanji board game after they activate the discarded game.
The stoner classic How High is getting a sequel. MTV has teamed up with Universal 1440 Entertainment for a non-theatrical movie followup to the 2001 Universal comedy feature, which starred Method Man and Redman.
In the update, written by Artie Johann and Shawn Ries (Family Guy), two young but business-savvy stoners embark on a pot-filled odyssey through Atlanta to find their missing weed, only to uncover a vast government conspiracy.
Universal 1440 Entertainment, the production entity of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, which develops and produces live-action and animated non-theatrical projects directly for distribution in all media, will act as the studio on the film, slated to shoot in Atlanta in late summer.
Shauna Garr, who was a producer on the original movie, is executive producing. Executives in charge of production at MTV are Morgana Rosenberg, Josh Vodnoy and Jason Goldberg.
The 2001 How High movie, written by Dustin Lee Abraham and directed by Jesse Dylan, starred Redman and Method Man as two underachieving pot smokers who, after smoking a batch of marijuana they had fertilized with the ashes of their deceased friend, ace their college exams and end up at Harvard University.
Here is a trailer:
Source: Deadline
T.I. In Talks To Join Eddie Murphy In Netflix’s ‘Dolemite Is My Name!’
Wesley Snipes, Mike Epps and Tituss Burgess also co-star in the Rudy Ray Moore biopic.
Hip-hop artist turned actor T.I. (aka Clifford Harris), who next appears in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, is in talks to join Eddie Murphy in Dolemite Is My Name!, Netflix’s biopic of envelope-pushing comedian and film producer Rudy Ray Moore.
Murphy is starring as Moore in the production, which began last week with Craig Brewer directing. The call sheet already includes Wesley Snipes, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
Moore has been referred to by some as the Godfather of Rap for his reciting of raunchy, sexually explicit rhymes in his comedy, often depicting pimps, prostitutes, players and hustlers, according to his obituary in the Los Angeles Times. (He died in 2008.) The son of a sharecropper, he broke through in 1970s Hollywood when his underground records became popular in black communities.
Moore used the proceeds to produce and star in Dolemite, a notorious blaxploitation movie featuring a pimp with a harem of kung fu-fighting prostitutes. The film was an underground sensation.
In what is described as a flashy and funny role, T.I. would play a movie producer.
Davis Entertainment’s John Davis and John Fox are producing Dolemite Is My Name! along with Murphy.
T.I. did scene-stealing work in the first Ant-Man as part of the heist crew surrounding the titular hero, played by Paul Rudd; he reprises the role for the sequel that is set to open July 6. He also stars in the unscripted business competition show The Grand Hustle, which will air this summer on BET.
T.I. is repped by APA, Defient Management, Brian Sher of Category 5 Entertainment and Sloane Offer.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Gina Yashere To Debut New Album Titled ‘Ticking Boxes’ From 800 Pound Gorilla Records
800 Pound Gorilla Records announces the July 13 release of Ticking Boxes, the highly-anticipated album from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah’sBritish Correspondent Gina Yashere.
Unfiltered and all-encompassing, the new audio version of Yashere’s third special was SiriusXM’s May 25 Raw Dog Album of the Week. Following previous hours Laughing to America and Skinny Bitch,Ticking Boxes was recorded live at London’s 02 Brixton Academy, and finds the international superstar sharing multihyphenate perspectives as a black female, Nigerian Brit, and a LGBTQ immigrant.
“We couldn’t be more honored to be working with one of the most unique comedy voices in the world.,” says 800 Pound Gorilla co-founder Damion Greiman. “Gina’s fiercely candid outlook belies an undeniable empathy, making the most cutting-edge observations and impressions feel effortlessly timeless.”
Gina Yashere was born and raised in London by Nigerian parents, and previously worked as an elevator operator. As a U.K. stand-up and TV star of several years, she has appeared on such iconic shows as Live at the Apollo and Mock the Week, and created popular characters on The Lenny Henry Show. She relocated to New York City after breaking onto the American comedy scene on Last Comic Standing.
Yashere was named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s Top 10 Rising Talents and became the only British comic to ever perform on the Def Comedy Jam. She since appeared on The Tonight Show, Crashing, Comedy Central’s @Midnight, and as The Daily Show with Trevor Noah’s British Correspondent. In addition to frequently touring across Europe, the U.S., Australia, and Asia, she was named Best Comedian at the U.K.’s Black Entertainment and Comedy Awards four years in a row.
Founded in 2016, 800 Pound Gorilla Records distributes comedy albums to more than 100 digital retail partners in the United States, and an additional 300 partners in nearly 200 countries internationally. In addition to working with Spotted Dog Entertainment and the estate of Richard Pryor, 800 Pound Gorilla artists include George Lopez, Jim Jefferies, Kathleen Madigan, Demetri Martin, John Heffron, Ms. Pat, Maz Jobrani, Chad Daniels, and more. 800 Pound Gorilla Records comedians are regularly featured on Pandora’s New Comedy Alerts as well as SiriusXM programming including Laugh USA’s Comedian of the Month, Raw Dog’s Album of the Week, and Kevin Hart’s LOL Backstage.
New SVOD Service Titled BLK PRIME Announces A New Original Series: ‘hella-Oakland’
BLK PRIME, the Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) service available worldwide, has signed Kimberly Adair Clark, who is the voice of Honey in the Incredibles movie, and Joe Torry, (“HBO’s Def Comedy Jam 25”, “Poetic Justice”) as lead actors for a new on-demand web series sitcom, ‘hella-Oakland.
Kimberly Adair Clark’s fans will have an opportunity to see her for the first time on blkprime.com. BLK PRIME’S COO, LaLene Shepherd, says Clark is the perfect addition to the BLK talent list, “We are thrilled to work with Kimberly Adair Clark. She aligns with our mission of presenting diverse talent, programming, content, and partnerships.” Joe Torry’s dedicated fans have been following him for decades. Now they will get to see his authentic comedic views on the BLK PRIME network.
Long associated with the Bay Area, the name ‘hella-Oakland is authentic to the community of Oakland.
‘hella-Oakland is a quick-witted, half-hour ensemble comedy that takes a satirical look at relationships, family, race, gender and gentrification in modern America. After 35 years together, Kim Barnes, (Kimberly Adair Clark), and Harry Barnes, (Joe Torry), find their marriage staring down the barrel of divorce. Like their marriage, the Oakland community that they’ve known all of their lives is at risk of disappearing, the victim of gentrification. Kim and Harry must navigate history, hurt, real love and disappointment to figure out what the future holds. They join friends and family in an attempt to keep it real and hold their own, while integrating with outsiders who are unfamiliar with the ways of Oakland. Barbecue Becky anyone?
Production starts July, 2018.
BLK PRIME is available on Roku, and Apple TV streaming services. The video Over the Top, (OTT) subscription service is a metric and analytical driven business. The (SVoD) service is providing entertainment in a variety of genres to viewers worldwide, filling a void in offering diverse entertainment to viewers around the world 24 hours a day.
BLK PRIME is currently working on providing even more entertainment options and has been purchasing content to give their domestic and international audiences thousands of hours of diverse content.
“I could not be more excited with where the company is today. We have connected with incredible directors, writers and influencers to expand our content and to reach people who are looking for more colorful content,” says Shepherd.
WATCH: New Trailer For “Creed 2” Released!
Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family’s past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what’s worth fighting for, and discover that nothing’s more important than family. Creed II is about going back to basics to rediscover what made you a champion in the first place, and remembering that, no matter where you go, you can’t escape your history.
Release Date: November 21, 2018
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Russell Hornsby, Florian “Big Nasty” Munteanu, Andre Ward, Phylicia Rashad, Dolph Lundgren
Writer: Sylvester Stallone
Producers: Sylvester Stallone, Kevin King-Templeton, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Irwin Winkler
Executive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, Guy Riedel
Distributor: MGM, Warner Bros. Pictures
Mary J. Blige Cast In New Horror-Thriller ‘Body Cam’ For Paramount Studios
“Mudbound” star Mary J. Blige has come on board in a leading role in “Body Cam,” a horror-thriller set up at Paramount.
Variety first reported on March 21 that Malik Vitthal had been tapped to direct “Body Cam” for Paramount Players. The project, produced by Matt Kaplan, was the first major purchase for Paramount Players chief Brian Robbins last year.
Nick McCarthy and John Ridley have performed rewrites of the spec script originally penned by Richmond Riedel. Described as “Get Out” meets “End of Watch,” the story follows several LAPD officers who are haunted by a malevolent spirit that is tied to the murder of a black youth at the hands of two white cops — all of which was caught on a body cam video that was destroyed in a cover-up.
Blige will portray a police officer in “Body Cam” who begins seeing visions and starts to investigate the cover-up.
Blige started her musical career in the early 1990s, won nine Grammy Awards and sold an estimated 75 million records. She had starred in Tyler Perry’s “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” and Tom Cruise’s “Rock of Ages,” then broke out in last year’s “Mudbound,” receiving Oscar nominations for best-supporting actress and in the original song category for “Mighty River.”
Blige is also starring in Netflix’s series “The Umbrella Academy.” She is repped by APA.
