On this day in comedy on April 3, 1961, Comedian, Actor, Writer, Musical Artist, Edward Regan “Eddie” Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York, 1961
When his father, Charles, an amateur comedian, died when Murphy was young, Eddie Murphy and his older brother Charlie found themselves in a foster home for a year because their mother had fallen ill. It was that time, Murphy later said, that helped form his sense of humor. His mother, Lillian, later remarried after regaining her health and reunited the family and young Eddie began performing skits he’d written around the age of 15.
Murphy’s writing skills came in handy in 1980 when he landed a featured player spot on Saturday Night Live during the show’s bleak period. It was Murphy’s infusion of signature characters (Buckwheat, Gumby, Mr. Robinson, and James Brown) that admittedly kept the show afloat during the era creator / producer, Lorne Michaels was absent.
During and after his tenure at SNL, Murphy stretched his stand-up muscles. He released his first album, Eddie Murphy in 1982, Delirious in 1983 and Raw in 1987. However, Murphy virtually abandoned stand-up when his film career took off, starting with 1982’s 48 HRS, co-starring, Nick Nolte. It was a hit as were his next two films, Trading Places with Dan Aykroyd and Beverly Hills Cop (Murphy’s first starring vehicle). With a trifecta like that out of the box, Murphy was a certified movie star. So naturally they dug up one of his early duds and tried to capitalize on his success and momentum. The dud was Best Defense, starring Dudley Moore. Murphy had a small part boosted up in the marketing to be a big part (they dubbed him “Strategic Guest Star”). The main part was Murphy himself said it was a terrible flick and went back to making hits and offered hits. Murphy was originally slated to be the 4th Ghostbuster, a part written specifically for him by Dan Aykroyd for the box office hit, Ghostbusters, but when scheduling conflicts occurred the part of Winston Zeddemore went to Ernie Hudson.
Few things slowed Murphy down in the early days. Similar to the way he saved, SNL from financial ruin, he did the same for the dollar strapped Paramount Studios. Thanks to Murphy the studio came back to profitability. He cranked them out for that studio and others: The Golden Child, Beverly Hills Cop II, Boomerang, Another 48 Hrs., Vampire in Brooklyn (co-written with brother, Charlie), Harlem Nights (where he wrote, directed and starred alongside, Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx), Life, Mulan, Dr. Doolittle, the Shrek Saga, Daddy Day Care, The Haunted Mansion and Bowfinger (with Steve Martin).
It’s no surprise Murphy was criticized for playing multiple parts in his films (Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, The Klumps, etc.), a practice he rightfully defended since it was an homage to one of his comedy idols, Peter Sellers, who did it in many of his films, most notably Dr. Strangelove.
With such massive successes, there were statistically bound to be failures; especially in a collaborative field such as film. And when Eddie Murphy had a bad film it was always reported as the end of his career. The list of laugh-stoppers included Beverly Hills Cop III, Metro, I-Spy, Holy Man and The Adventures of Pluto Nash (rated as one of the worse films ever made with a worldwide box office take of $7 million to prove it).
The film adapted from the Broadway smash hit, Dreamgirls was a turning point in Murphy’s career. He played a dramatic part which required singing and was rewarded for the stretch. He won the Golden Globe, SAG and Broadcast Film Critics Association awards for his performance and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. He left the auditorium when he lost the Academy Award to Alan Arkin. They said the shocker of a loss was because of his film Norbit, in which Murphy played multiple parts, one being a fat woman some found offensive. Any excuse.
Eddie Murphy also sang . . . seriously. He did background vocals for songs released by his buddies, The Bus Boys. He released “Boogie in Your Butt” and had hits with “Party All th Time” which was produced by Rick James and “Put Your Mouth on Me”. Murphy recorded, “I Was a King”, a duet with Shabba Ranks and the reggae song, “Red Light” with Snoop Lion in 2013.
Comedy Central ranked Eddie Murphy #10 on its list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. Box-office takes from Murphy’s films make him the 5th-highest grossing actor in the United States. His films have made over $6.6 billion worldwide and he was awarded by the John F. Kennedy Center, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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Paramount Players has hired Tracy Morgan and Aldis Hodge to join Taraji P. Henson’s comedy “What Men Want.”
It was first reported on Feb. 2 that Adam Shankman had come on board to direct the film, which is inspired by the Nancy Meyers’ 2000 rom-com, “What Women Want.” Will Packer and James Lopez are producing and Shankman executive producing.
The original movie starred Mel Gibson as a marketing exec who suddenly has the ability to hear what women are thinking after a freak accident. In the remake, the roles are reversed, with Henson playing sports agent who has been constantly boxed out by her male colleagues. When she gains the power to hear men’s thoughts, she is able to shift the paradigm to her advantage as she races to sign the NBA’s next superstar.
“What Men Want” has already been set to open on Jan. 11, 2019. It’s being spearheaded by Brian Robbins and Ali Bell under the newly formed division at Paramount, which launched in June.
The CW again has given an early renewal to the bulk of its lineup, picking up all returning series on its fall schedule for the 2018-19 season as well as freshmen Dynasty and Black Lightning. The list includes all five DC series, The Flash (Season 5), Arrow (Season 7), Supergirl (Season 4) and Legends Of Tomorrow (Season 4), joined by newcomer Black Lighting (Season 2), as well as the venerable Supernatural, picked up for 14th (!) season, sophomore success Riverdale (Season 3) and praised comedies Jane the Virgin (Season 5) and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season 4) for what could be the duo’s final seasons.
“As The CW expands to a six-night, Sunday through Friday schedule next season, we are proud to have such a deep bench of great returning series for 2018-19. By picking these ten series up for next season, we have a terrific selection of programming to choose from when we set our fall schedule in May, with more still to come,” said the CW president Mark Pedowitz. “And I’m especially happy that we’ll continue to work with the incredibly talented casts, producers, and writers who create the series our fans are so passionate about.”
Both new fall CW dramas, Valor and Dynasty, underperformed at similar ratings levels. The former did not get a back order and is expected to get officially canceled. Dynasty‘s ratings continue to be soft as it was moved to the lower-trafficked Friday night. But the reboot of the classic 1980s soap has a lucrative distribution deal with Netflix for CBS TV Studios, whose parent CBS co-owns the CW. Additionally, the CW brass hope that the arrival of Nicollette Sheridan as Alexis Carrington would provide the spark that Joan Collins delivered when she joined the original series as Alexis in Season 2. Sheridan’s first episode recently posted a small viewership uptick.
Of the other CW midseason series, iZombie and newbie Life Sentence are on the bubble. iZombie, now in its fourth season, is in the middle of the pack ratings-wise and has established fan base. Meanwhile, Life Sentence is on shaky ground, logging the smallest Live+same day viewership and 18-49 rating among all CW scripted series this season and recently banished to Fridays after hitting a 0.1 L+SD demo low. There is a glimmer of hope for the dramedy starring Pretty Little Liars‘ Lucy Hale,which has been a solid performer in delayed and digital viewing. That helped Riverdale to snag a Season 2 renewal last year, though renewal for Life Sentence is considered a long shot. Renewal decisions on iZombie, Life Sentence and fellow midseason series The 100, whose new season is yet to premiere, are expected to go down down to the wire in May.
The CW has more real estate to play with next season as it is reclaiming Sunday night for original programming but it also ordered the most pilots ever.
Source: Deadline
Atlanta star Lakeith Stanfield is in talks to join Gina Rodriguez in Netflix’s romantic comedy SOMEONE GREAT, the Tracking Board has exclusively learned. If a deal makes, this would be Stanfield’s fifth Netflix film following War Machine, Death Note, The Incredible Jessica James and the upcoming drama Come Sunday.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (MTV’s Sweet/Vicious) is directing from her own original screenplay. The film follows a young woman (Rodriguez) who suffers a devastating breakup and decides to seek adventure in New York City with her two best friends before she moves across the country for her dream job.
Brittany Snow and DeWanda Wise will play Rodriguez’s two best friends, while Stanfield is poised to play Rodriguez’s ex-boyfriend.
Rodriguez is producing via her I Can and I Will Productions banner along with Paul Feig and Jessie Henderson of Feigco Entertainment, and Anthony Bregman and Peter Cron of Likely Story. Feigco’s Dan Magnante and Likely Story’s Stefanie Azpiazu will serve as executive producers alongside Kaytin Robinson, while I Can and I Will’s Emily Gipson will serve as a co-producer on the project. Production is slated to start next week.
Stanfield recently starred in Jordan Peele’s Best Picture nominee Get Out and he made a memorable appearance onstage at the Oscars in support of that film. Stanfield can currently be seen on FX’s hit series Atlanta, which just started its second season, and he’ll soon be seen as the lead in the Sundance sensation Sorry to Bother You. He’s also part of the impressive ensemble of Sony’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web.
On this day in comedy on April 2, 1997, Smart Guy premiered on the WB
This spin-off of Sister, Sister, stars Tahj Mowry, real-life little brother to Sister, Sister stars, Tia and Tamera Mowry. On this show, Mowry plays a child genius (photographic memory, speaks multiple languages, etc.), who went from the 4th Grade to the 10th grade and all the adjustments he must make in his new life. He now attends the same high school as his older brother (Jason Weaver) and sister (Essence Atkins), which they’re not crazy about. For one – they’re not as smart as him (at least his older brother isn’t anyway – he’s the dumb one, sis is smart). After that, there’s no reason for a second reason they don’t like it.
Set in Washington, DC, the sitcom was created by Danny Kallis and produced by de Passe Entertainment. Omar Gooding plays Tahj’s older brother’s underachieving friend and John Marshall Jones has the role of the trio’s single-parent father. Kyla Pratt also has a recurring role.
Smart Guy aired its final episode on May 16, 1999. During its three-season run, Smart Guy was nominated for 7 major awards including American Cinema Foundation, Humanitas Prize, NAACP Image, Young Artist and Young Star Award. Four of those nominations were for Tahj Mowery’s acting.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on April 1, 1994, Sister, Sister premiered on ABC
Starring the Mowry Twins (Tia & Tamera), this sitcom also lived two lives. Starting out as a mid-season replacement on ABC it was cancelled by the network when the show didn’t perform up to its ratings standards in the second season. The fact the network changed its time slot might’ve had something to do with it, but it didn’t matter. The newly founded WB stepped in and slotted it on their schedule. There it caught its stride.
The show was about identical twins separated at birth and adopted into two very different situations. After 14 years they discover each other and reunite. They’re now one big happy family with one twin’s father (Tim Reid) and the other’s mother (Jackee Harry) under the same roof. Naturally, there’s an annoying neighbor who stops by unannounced; this time it’s in the form of Marques Houston. The boyfriends who come along later are played by RonReaco Lee and Deon Richmond. Other characters included Tahj Mowry as cousin, Tahj, Brittany Murphy as their best friend, Dorien Wilson as a boyfriend to Jackee Harry and Sherman Hemsley as Tim Reid’s daddy.
Sister, Sister was created by Kim Bass, Fred Shafferman and Gary Gilbert. A device used early on had the girls breaking the fourth wall often and talking to the audience. That was tapered down once the show moved to the WB and was eliminated altogether by the series final season. Sister, Sister won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Comedy Series for George Spiro Dibie; four acting Image Awards for The Mowrys and Jackee Harry; three Kids’ Choice Awards for acting for the Mowrys and a Young Artist Award for Marques Houston. It aired its final episode May 23, 1999.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on March 31, 1938, Actor, Nathaniel Taylor was born in St. Louis, Missouri
Nathaniel Taylor gained popularity during the Blaxploitation Era. In 1972 he was featured in the Robert Hook’s hit movie, Trouble Man. Taylor played the most visible henchman; the one with speaking lines as opposed to one of the disposable, die quick henchman. However, Taylor is known chiefly for his role as Rollo Larson on NBC’s hit sitcom, Sanford and Son. Taylor was Lamont Sanford’s recurring running buddy; the embodiment of the cool, yet shifty brother in the hood. He played opposite Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson in the original and reprised the part in the 1980-1981 spin-off Sanford, also starring Foxx (Demond Wilson did not return).
Taylor was more than just a comedic actor. He displayed his range as a sax player looking for his roots with his father (Clarence Muse) in the 1977 film, Passing Through, written by Ted Lange and Lenny Clark. However, comedy was his thing. Taylor worked with Redd Foxx again on the short-lived ABC series The Redd Foxx Show in 1986. He also appeared on What’s Happening!! as Rerun’s brother-in-law, Ike.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on March 30, 2005, Beauty Shop was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 2005
This spin-off of Ice Cube’s Barbershop franchise stars Queen Latifah as Gina, a character introduced in 2004’s Barbershop 2. The plot in this installment has Latifah moving from Chicago to Atlanta to give her daughter a better life and so she can attend a private music school. Latifah is a great hair stylist but driven away from her home salon by her jealous boss (Kevin Bacon), she opens her own shop. It’s a shop of misfits: old ornery customers, new dumb and lazy stylists and a rapper wannabe (Lil JJ) who’s always filming himself.
Eventually, things start to look up. Latifah’s old clients return to her, her old boss’ clients come her way and the new people start to trust her and give up some business. Then the jealous ex-boss sends in a guy to destroy Latifah’s business. It almost works at a crucial time, but thanks to Latifah’s loyal employees it all turns out right. That also means Kevin Bacon gets paid a visit by some folks from the shop who give him a proper shaving.
Beauty Shop was directed by Billie Woodruff and co-stars Alfred Woodard, Alicia Silverstone, Andie MacDowell, Mena Suvari, Della Reese, Paige Hurd, Octavia Spencer, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Golden Brooks and Djimon Hounsou. It also features the comedy talents of Adele Givens, Sherri Shepherd, Laura Hayes and Sheryl Underwood with cameos by LisaRaye McCoy, Birdman, Kimora Lee Simmons and Wilmer Valderrama.
The film received numerous award nominations for directing, acting (Latifah and Bacon) and writing (Kate Lanier, Audrey Wells and Norman Vance, Jr.). On a $25 million budget, Beauty Shop earned $37,245,453 at the box office.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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Production begins today in Philadelphia on Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures (MGM) and Warner Bros. Pictures’ Creed II, starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone, reprising their roles of Adonis Creed and Rocky Balboa respectively. Creed II is the continuation of the Rocky saga and sequel to the 2015 critically acclaimed and crowd-pleasing 2015 hit Creed, which took in more than $170 million at the worldwide box office. Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), who directed the first film, returns to the franchise as an executive producer on Creed II. The new film is being directed by Steven Caple Jr., who helmed the acclaimed 2016 drama The Land.
“When I wrote and directed Creed, I wanted to tell a human story about a family from a new perspective, while also paying homage to the Rocky characters we’ve all grown up knowing and loving. I’ve known Steven was an amazing filmmaker since our days at USC film school together, so I can’t wait to see what he, Sly, Mike and Tessa bring to this next chapter,” said Coogler.
Caple Jr. said, “It’s an honor to be a part of the franchise and work with such a thoughtful team. I got involved because I’ve always been a Rocky fan and I enjoy stories with heart and substance. But when Ryan put his touch on Creed I felt another level of connection to the franchise. It started to feel personal for many different reasons. This next Creed is a tale beyond the boxing ring and dives deeps into family, legacy, and fears. I’m excited to share my view and collaborate with the talented cast and crew.”
“Ryan and Steven are voices for their generation and their shared vision for Creed has brought the Rocky franchise to an entirely new audience. We know audiences will continue to embrace the legacy that Sly created so many years ago,” said producer Irwin Winkler.
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.
Also reprising their roles from the first film are Tessa Thompson as Bianca, Phylicia Rashad as Mary Anne, Wood Harris as Tony ‘Little Duke’ Burton, and Andre Ward as Danny ‘Stuntman’ Wheeler.The new cast is rounded out with Florian “The Big Nasty” Munteanu as Viktor Drago, Dolph Lundgren returning to the role of Ivan Drago, and Russell Hornsby as Buddy Marcelle. Creed II will be distributed theatrically in the U.S. by MGM on November 21, 2018, and Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute the film internationally.
Caple Jr. directs from an original screenplay written by Stallone based on characters from the Rocky franchise. The film is produced by Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Kevin King-Templeton and Stallone. Coogler, Jordan and Guy Riedel will executive produce.
Collaborating with Caple Jr. is a creative team led by director of photography Kramer Morgenthau (Thor: The Dark World, Game of Thrones); production designer Franco Carbone (The Expendables, Billionaire Boys Club); costume designers Lizz Wolf (A Single Man, Dreamgirls); art director Jesse Rosenthal (Black Panther, Trumbo); fight coordinator Daniel Hernandez (Avengers: Infinity War, The Fate of the Furious); technical boxing advisor Robert Sale (Grudge Match, Ali); special effects coordinator Patrick White (Baby Driver, Deepwater Horizon) and VFX producer Crystal Dowd (Straight Outta Compton, Pitch Perfect 2). Filming will take place primarily in Philadelphia with additional locations in New Mexico.
Creed, directed by Coogler, was released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema in November 2015 and went on to garner many honors for Stallone, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.