The Humor Mill

XSCAPE To Be Honored With The ASCAP Golden Note Award At The ASCAP Awards

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) will host its 31st annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards on Thursday, June 21, 2018 in Los Angeles. ASCAP will honor the popular 90s R&B group Xscape with the ASCAP Golden Note Awardduring this year’s ceremony, and members Kandi Burruss, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, Tamika Scott and LaTocha Scott will be on hand to accept. The event will also honor ASCAP songwriter and publisher members with awards for the most performed ASCAP songs of the past year on the R&B, hip-hop, rap and gospel charts.
The ASCAP Golden Note Award is one of the most prestigious honors ASCAP bestows upon songwriters, composers and artists who have achieved extraordinary career milestones. Previous recipients include: Usher, Lauryn Hill, Ne-Yo, Mary Mary, A Tribe Called Quest, Alicia Keys, New Edition, Lionel Richie, Jermaine Dupri, LL Cool J, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jay-Z and many more.
“Xscape knocked us all out in the 90s with their powerful vocal harmonies on singles like ‘Just Kickin’ It,’ and ‘Understanding,’ and surprised absolutely no one as they went on to become one of the most prolific female R&B groups of all time,” said ASCAP President Paul Williams. “Decades later, all four members have gone on to individual success in music and on screen, and we are thrilled to recognize their achievements with the ASCAP Golden Note Award.”
Hailing from College Park, GA, sisters LaTocha and Tamika Scott, Kandi Burruss, and Tameka “Tiny” Harris, joined forces when they met at a performing arts high school. The R&B quartet was discovered in Atlanta by Jermaine Dupri, who signed them to his up-and-coming label, So So Def.
Xscape changed the face of R&B. Their powerful vocals created an incomparable sound, and their infectious ballads appealed to a wide audience. Their debut album, Hummin’ Comin’ At ‘Cha (1993) went platinum and launched two top 10 singles, “Just Kickin’ It”, and “Understanding”, which both became platinum number-one hits.
After two additional platinum albums, the group split, but each member of the group went on to achieve additional success. Burruss and Harris co-wrote the hit “No Scrubs” for TLC, and scored a Grammy for Best Song, and were later credited as co-writers of the 2017 Ed Sheeran smash, “Shape of You.” Burruss also wrote the number-one hits “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Bug A Boo” for Destiny’s Child and “There You Go” for Pink.  In 2000, she became the first woman to win the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year Award and has over the span of her career contributed to 60+ Million records sold for artist such as Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, *NSYNC, E40 and more. Burruss has created and executive produced several television shows including: Kandi’s Wedding, Kandi’s Ski Trip, and The Kandi Factory. Tameka “Tiny” Harris would hold dual roles as star and executive producer of the reality show Tiny and Toya,” and she and her husband T.I. executive produced and starred in the reality series T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle. LaTocha Scott continued to perform and has produced for artists like Whitney Houston and Tamar Braxton, and in 2013, starred in the second season of the reality show R&B Divas: Atlanta. Tamika Scott has acted onstage and onscreen and has continued to write songs, including “The Greatest Gift” for Tyler Perry’s “Daddy’s Little Girls” film, recorded by Grammy winner Yolanda Adams. She has also written two books and four screenplays.
Last year, Xscape celebrated their 25th anniversary and reunited for the rerelease of their debut album, a docu-series on Bravo capturing their journey toward a momentous group performance in almost 2 decades, an electrifying tour, and an upcoming provocative film that will reveal their untold story from teens in College Park to industry icons.
During the ASCAP ceremony, awards will also be presented for ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song, Top Rap Song and Top Gospel Song. The evening will feature live performances and guests will include top names in the music and entertainment industry.
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Kevin Hart In Talks To Star In Warner Bros.’ ‘Uptown Saturday Night’ Remake

Warner Bros. and Overbrook Entertainment’s long-gestating remake of the 1974 comedy “Uptown Saturday Night” looks to be gearing up again, with Kevin Hart in negotiations to star.

Will Smith and his Overbrook Entertainment partner James Lassiter are producing with “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris writing the most recent draft. For years, the project was developed as possible starring vehicle for Smith and Denzel Washington, but busy schedules for both A-listers have forced Smith to serve as a producer on the project, opening the door for Hart to take the lead.

Sources say the studio is now focused on finding a director before tapping Hart’s co-star, and should have one locked in soon.

The original pic starred Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby and followed two friends who sneak out to visit a high-class but illegal club and trouble ensues. Jesse Ehrman is overseeing for the studio.

Hart has become one of Hollywood’s most bankable comedians and is coming off his biggest hit to date with Sony’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” which grossed $962 million worldwide, including $404 million domestically. Sony is currently developing a sequel to the film and hopes to start production by early 2019, allowing Hart time to squeeze another movie in before that starts.

Hart can be seen next in the Universal comedy “Night School,” which opens this September and also stars Tiffany Haddish. He is repped by UTA and 3 Arts.

Source: Variety

Drama Starring Bokeem Woodbine, ‘Cagney And Lacey’ Reboot Both Passed Over At CBS

Two pilot season casualties at CBS include Main Justice and Cagney and Lacey.

This is per intel from The Hollywood Reporter’s Lesley Goldberg.

Main Justice would have centered on the tumultuous world of the 5th floor of the Department of Justice, where he takes on the biggest legal and investigative cases in the country all while being the youngest person to ever hold such an esteemed position. Bokeem Woodbine would be the Holder-inspired character while Deborah Ayorinde was also a series regular.

Cagney and Lacey, based on the 80s procedural of the same name, would have followed the two female police detectives and friends who keep the streets of Los Angeles safe. Michelle Hurd starred as Lacey alongside Sarah Drew’s Cagney. Ving Rhames would have portrayed their captain.

Other pilots passed over (given Shadow and Act‘s stated interest) are Chiefs (starring Aunjanue Ellis) and an L.A. Confidential reboot (starring Alana Arenas).

Source: Shadow & Act/The Hollywood Reporter

Tone Bell/Sheryl Lee Ralph Comedy And Brandon Micheal Hall Comedy Picked Up By CBS

CBS has completely most of its pilot season pickups and passes.

Three series with black leads or primarily black casts have been picked up.

They include:

The Red Line: Written by Caitlin Parrish and Erica Weiss, the series “explores what happens after a white cop in Chicago mistakenly shoots and kills a black doctor.” It will follow “three different families that all have connections with the case as the story is told from each perspective.”  DuVernay executive produces with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, as well as Parrish and Weiss. Stars include Emayatzy Corinealdi, Howard Charles and Aliyah Royale.

Brandon Micheal Hall

Brandon Micheal Hall

God Friended Me: God Befriended Me is described as “a humorous, uplifting series, which explores questions of faith, existence, and science. It centers on Miles, an outspoken atheist whose life is turned upside down when he is ‘friended’ by God on Facebook. Unwittingly, he becomes an agent of change in the lives and destinies of others around him.” Brandon Micheal Hall toplines the series as Miles and Joe Morton will play his father.

Fam:  “Clem (Nina Dobrev) whose dreams of an upstanding life with her new fiancé and his upstanding family (Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sheryl Lee Ralph) are dashed when her younger train wreck half-sister (Odessa Adlon) comes to live with her to escape their train wreck of a father.” Tone Bell will play the fiancé, Jay, “a sophisticated NYU history professor who comes from old money, but is refreshingly unaffected and down-to-earth despite his refined background. Deeply in love with Clem, he proposes to her — much to the delight of his parents, Walt and Rose, who think Clem is a real catch. But he learns that Clem has not been completely honest about a few key elements in her life… for example, her father isn’t actually dead… and it drives a wedge of mistrust between them that may not be easily mended.”

Network schedules will be announced over the next week during upfronts.

Shadow & Act

Eddie Murphy Set To Star In New ‘Dolemite’ Remake!

We just discovered the news that actor and comedian Eddie Murphy is preparing to star and film in the new Dolemite remake!

According to our sources, Murphy is playing the lead role, such as Rudy Ray Moore did in the original film, and also like Moore, Murphy also co-wrote the film. FIlming is set to begin in a few weeks.

If you are familiar with the original 1975 film, Dolemite is a pimp and nightclub owner who is serving 20 years in prison after being set up by a rival, Willie Green. One day, his friend and fellow pimp Queen Bee helps him get out of jail, and plots with him to get revenge on Green by becoming an alter-ego, Dolemite. The film was a hit and Moore not only wrote the film, he also wrote its soundtrack. Moore was also a stand-up comedian, so this seems like a perfect fit for Murphy.

Since Dolemite, had two sequels, if successful, its a pretty safe bet that this vehicle could be a new franchise for Murphy.

No word yet if Murphy will be lending some of his music to the film, but this story is still developing.

 

Comedian, Actor, And Former Mascot Of The Golden State Warriors, Sadiki Fuller Passes Away From A Heart Attack!

We just discovered the terribly sad news that Houston’s own Sadiki Fuller, who got his start in comedy in San Francisco, has died unexpectedly from a massive heart attack as he was found in his bed Saturday morning.

If you are familiar with Fuller, you may know he started doing comedy way back in 1999 and he worked as a professional mascot for the Golden State Warriors.

Mre news on this story as it develops.

Sadiki doing stand up below;

FOX Brings Back ‘Lethal Weapon’ With Seann William Scott To Join Damon Wayans!

Meet the new Riggs.

Fox and producers Warner Bros. Television have recast fired Lethal Weapon star Clayne Crawford with Seann William Scott, triggering a third-season renewal for the procedural. Scott (aka Stifler from the American Pie franchise) will join the series in what the network says is a new character who folds into a partnership with Murtaugh (Damon Wayans). Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Scott may play the brother to Crawford’s Martin Riggs, thus keeping the well-known name in the mix.

The news comes days after Crawford was fired from the Fox drama following bad behavior on the set. The actor recently apologized for two incidents for which he was reprimanded during the sophomore season. Warner Bros. on Sunday confirmed Crawford will not return to the drama with a statement: “Warner Bros. Television has decided not to renew Clayne Crawford’s contract for Lethal Weapon.”

Sources tell THR that Warner Bros. opted to fire Crawford after he was disciplined each time for his poor behavior. Despite the studio’s repeated reprimands, the actor did nothing to change his behavior and Warners instead opted to fire him and would not even consider the show moving forward with Crawford attached. Instead, the Peter Roth-run studio aggressively pursued a number of actors to step in rather than take a large financial blow by ending it prematurely. Fox never had the option to renew the series with Crawford attached.

Lethal Weapon is a strong performer domestically and internationally — the film franchise was a global smash, grossing hundreds of millions of dollars — and the network was willing to work with the studio to find a way to move forward. Lethal Weapon is currently the only show produced outside of Fox counterpart 20th TV on the network’s 2018-19 roster.

“Seann is a fantastic addition to this already amazing cast,” Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn said Sunday, a day before the network presents its fall schedule to Madison Avenue ad buyers. “Lethal Weapon is packed with action, drama and pure fun and we can’t wait to see Damon and Seann together on screen. [Showrunner] Matt Miller, his incredible team and everyone at Warner Bros. have been tremendous partners, and we’re thrilled to bring this show back for another season.”

In his apology, Crawford detailed the two incidents that ultimately led to his eventual firing. He said the first incident happened when he became angry with what he deemed unsafe working conditions on the set. After the outburst, the actor said he met with human resources, apologized for his role in the conflict and completed studio-appointed therapy, while also sharing a “sizable portion” of his paycheck with one of the parties involved — at Warners’ request. The second incident occurred during an episode Crawford was directing when another actor on set felt unsafe after being hit by a piece of shrapnel from an effect.

“I absolutely love, respect and care for my crew and cast, and would never intentionally jeopardize so many jobs,” Crawford wrote. “I an incredibly sorry if my passion for doing good work has ever made anyone feel less than comfortable on our set, or feel less than celebrated for their efforts. Furthermore, I apologize to all the crew and cast for any negative attention Lethal Weapon is receiving because of these incidents.”

Crawford’s behavior had left Lethal Weapon — one of Fox’s better-performing dramas — on the bubble as many connected with the series (including, Wayans, sources note) have said they would rather not work with the actor.

Lethal Weapon is Fox’s fifth-most-watched drama, trailing only 911, Empire, The Gifted and The Resident, all of which have also been renewed. Still remaining on the bubble is Warners’ Batman prequel Gotham, which sources say could return for an abbreviated 13-episode run in order to reach the 100-episode threshold needed for syndication. Lethal Weapon joins a retooled slate at Fox that focuses on broad comedy and procedurals. The network has changed its creative direction ahead of the $52.4 billion sale of Fox assets — including studio 20th TV — to Disney. Regulators are expected to approve the deal, which will leave the network to focus on sports after landing the NFL’s Thursday Night Football.

For Scott’s part, Lethal Weapon will be his first TV series regular role. The actor was previously attached to star in the Amy Poehler comedy The Baby for NBC in 2016, but that script never moved forward. His feature credits include the American Pie franchise as Steve Stifler; Dude, Where’s My Car; Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back; The Dukes of Hazzard; Ice Age: The Meltdown; and the cult-favorite hockey drama Goon. Scott is repped by ICM Partners, 3 Arts and Sloane Offer.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

 

New RuPaul Comedy Series Titled ‘AJ And The Queen’ Set At Netflix!

RuPaul and Michael Patrick King are teaming up.

Netflix has ordered hourlong comedy series AJ and the Queen from the drag queen and former Sex and the City showrunner. RuPaul will star in the 10-episode series, which he and King are writing and executive producing. The project hails from MPK Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

The comedy will follow RuPaul as Ruby Red, a bigger-than-life but down-on-her-luck drag queen who travels across America from club to club in a rundown 1990s RV with her unlikely sidekick, AJ, a recently orphaned, tough-talking, scrappy 11-year-old stowaway. As these two misfits, one tall, one small, travel from city to city, Ruby’s message of love and acceptance winds up touching people and changing their lives for the better. Oh, and RuPaul performs a killer musical number in every drag club.

RuPaul’s Emmy-winning VH1 series, RuPaul’s Drag Race, is airing its 10th season. At Hulu, he has half-hour dramedy Queen in the works, loosely based on his rise from club kid to drag queen, gay icon and global star. The show comes from J.J. Abrams’ production company Bad Robot, where it’s been a passion project of TV head Ben Stephenson. RuPaul has also appeared on Broad City, Please Like Me and Girlboss.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

CBS Not Picking Up A Third Season Of ‘Superior Donuts’!

It’s official — CBS is not picking up a third season of Superior Donuts, its multi-camera workplace comedy starring Jermaine Fowler and Judd Hirsch.

After a decent ratings start last spring, goosed by a plum lead-in from The Big Bang Theory, Superior Donuts was renewed for a second season with some casting changes, including the addition of Diane Guerrero, and got a full-season Season 2 pickup last fall.

CBS had been looking to make changes on Monday where the network was once the dominant force with hit comedies and CSI: Miami at 10 PM. CBS’ fortunes on the night have declined over the past couple of years, hitting a low point this season. Superior Donuts was the lowest rated of the three returning CBS series on Monday which were in a renewal contention, averaging a 1.1 adults 18-49 rating (most recent)

While the cast of the sitcom has been well received, the show didn’t quite gel together. Still, it was the only comedy series with a diverse lead on the network, something that is no longer the case as CBS just gave series orders for next season to multi-camera comedies Welcome to the Neighborhood starring Cedric the Entertainer and untitled Damon Wayans Jr. project.

Written/executive produced by Bob Daily, Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan based on the play by Tracy Letts, Superior Donuts follows the relationships among the gruff owner (Hirsch) of a small donut shop he opened in 1969, his young and enterprising new employee/aspiring artist (Fowler) and their colorful loyal patrons in a quickly gentrifying Chicago neighborhood. Katey Sagal, David Koechner, Maz Jobriani and Rell Battle also star.

Bob Daily, Neil Goldman, Garrett Donovan, Mark Teitelbaum, John R. Montgomery, Michael Rotenberg, Josh Lieberman, Fowler and Betsy Thomas are the executive producers; CBS TV Studios is the studio.

Superior Donuts originally was piloted in January 2016 and retooled for the next development cycle with Hirsch replacing Brian d’Arcy James.

Sorce: Deadline

‘L.A.’s Finest’, The ‘Bad Boys’ Spinoff Starring Gabrielle Union And Jessica Alba Passed Over At NBC

Sources say talks between NBC and producers Sony Pictures TV broke down.
Photofest

Pilot season’s biggest front-runner has been passed over.

NBC has opted to bypass a series order for L.A.’s Finest, the Bad Boys spinoff starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. The Sony Pictures Television Studios drama from exec producer Jerry Bruckheimer will be shopped to other outlets following the surprising pass from NBC.

Sources say talks between NBC and Sony TV broke down as part of the annual packaging negotiation between the network and studio which, this year, focused on Norman Lear’s Guess Who Died, L.A.’s Finest and bubble dramas The Blacklist and Timeless.

L.A.’s Finest, which saw Union reprise her role from the second Bad Boys feature film, was considered the biggest slam dunk of pilot season given its built in premise, star and producing team. Union also personally recruited Alba — who hadn’t done TV in years — to be her co-star. The drama landed at NBC with a sizable penalty and was among the network’s first pilot pickups.

The pass comes as this was the first season that studio Sony TV’s new executive team was negotiating with NBC for a multiple-series package. Trio Chris Parnell, Jason Clodfelter and Jeff Frost replaced Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht at the studio after the latter duo had successfully packaged shows including The Night Shift and Community for seasons well beyond what many in the industry had expected. (Despite the pass at NBC, Parnell, Clodfelter and Frost successfully got The Goldbergs spinoff, Schooled, on the air at ABC with a straight-to-series order a year after the Disney-owned network passed on the pilot. The 1990s-set spinoff aired as an episode of the flagship series this season, a rare and impressive move for a busted pilot that will be reworked to add a new central character.)

What remains unclear now is if another suitor will step up to pick up L.A.’s finest, given that the drama boasts a sizable price tag and hails from an outside studio in an era where many broadcast, cable and streaming outlets are increasingly focused on ownership. In addition to the budget on the drama — with two big stars — whomever decides to kick the tires would have to likely get a piece of the ownership pie and negotiate a reasonable licensing fee for the project.

The drama revolves around free-spirited former DEA agent Syd Burnett (Union), who has a fresh start in her new job as an LAPD detective. She is partnered with Nancy McKenna (Alba), a working mom who can’t help but look at Syd’s freedom with some grass-is-greener envy. These two have totally different lifestyles and approaches, but they both are at the top of their fields in the action-packed, character-driven procedural. Ernie Hudson, Ryan McPartlin, Zach Gilford and Duane Martin co-starred. The Blacklist duo Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis penned the script and exec produced alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed, Jeff Gaspin, Jeff Morrone, Doug Belgrad, Union, Alba and Anton Cropper, the latter of whom directed.
Still to be determined are the fates of bubble dramas Timeless and The Blacklist. Sources say The Blacklist star James Spader has two years remaining on his contract, which would make a renewal still a possibility. Timeless, on the other hand, has not been a ratings juggernaut since it was revived after Van Amburg and Erlicht saved the series after its surprising cancellation last year. The season two finale ends on a cliffhanger.
Source The Hollywood Reporter
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