Netflix Releases Trailer And Premiere Date For ‘Luke Cage’ Season 2!
Luke Cage season 2 is almost here!
Netflix dropped a teaser trailer for the second season and revealed its premiere date, which is June 22, 2018.
This comes after nearly two years of waiting, as the first season came out in June 2016.
Here’s the logline: After clearing his name, Luke Cage (Mike Colter) has become a celebrity on the streets of Harlem, with a reputation as bulletproof as his skin. But being so visible has only increased his need to protect the community and find the limits of who he can and can’t save. With the rise of a formidable new foe, Luke is forced to confront the fine line that separates a hero from a villain.
The series is executive produced by Cheo Hodari Coker (Ray Donovan,Southland) and Aïda Croal (The Returned,True Blood) as co-executive producer, along with Jeph Loeb (Marvel’s Punisher, Marvel’s Inhumans), and Jim Chory (Marvel’s Punisher, Marvel’s Inhumans).
It stars Mike Colter as Luke Cage, Simone Missick as Misty Knight, Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, Alfre Woodard as Mariah Dillard, Theo Rossi as Shades, Gabrielle Dennis as Tilda Johnson and Mustafa Shakir as John McIver.
Watch the teaser below as well as some new images:
Marvel’s Luke Cage
Marvel’s Luke Cage
Source: Shadow & Act
Madeleine Mantock Cast In Pilot For The CW’s ‘Charmed’ Reboot!
The third time’s a charm!
According to several industry publications, Madeleine Mantock has landed the role of the third and eldest sibling in The CW’s Charmed reboot.
She joins Melonie Diaz and Sarah Jeffery as the other sisters, as well as Ser’Darius Blain and Rupert Evans, who are series regulars.
On the planned series, The CW says “this fierce, funny, feminist reboot of the original series centers on three sisters: Macy, Mel and Madison, in a college town who discover they are witches. Between vanquishing supernatural demons, tearing down the patriarchy, and maintaining familial bonds, a witch’s work is never done.”
Mantock will play Macy. Her character description: A “practical, driven, and brilliant geneticist who has her world blown open when she discovers that the supernatural world is all too real.”
Although not officially confirmed yet, it seems that Macy may be a half-sister to Mel and Madison (or at least considering Mantock’s ethnicity, we truly hope the elephant in the room is addressed, at least).
The network has stated this will be a “feminist” version of the show, and what description has received backlash from its original stars, questioning how the long-running cult classic was not feminist.
The new Charmed is based on a story by Jennie Urman, creator of The CW’s Jane the Virgin.
Mantock is most known for her series regular role on the first two seasons of AMC’s Into the Badlands.
Source: Shadow & Act
On This Day In Comedy… In 1954 Comedienne And Actress Marsha Warfield Was Born!
On this day in comedy on March 5, 1954, Comedienne, Actress, Marsha Francine Warfield was born in Chicago, Illinois
A night at comedian Tom Dreesen’s place changed phone company employee Marsha Warfield forever. Prompted by her friend, Evelyn, Warfield went up on the open mic and got laughs and got hooked. A career in comedy seemed a foreign idea, though. There were no relatable role models. She was from a different mold than Moms or Lawanda Page. How do you become a working stand-up? When she met Elayne Boosler it became clear. Warfield said the way was paved for her and others thanks to trailblazers such as Elayne along with Judy Tenuta, Sandra Bernhard, Diane Nichols, Shirley Hemphill and Shelly Pryor. Outside of Phyllis Diller these women knew of no other stage comediennes and it wasn’t like they were having tea with Phyllis daily so they made their own rules. In the case of Marsha Warfield those rules worked.
Warfield got her break when comedian and Richard Pryor collaborator, Paul Mooney picked her when he assembled a cast of virtual unknowns for The Richard Pryor Show in 1977. She was blunt, sexy and uncompromising. The powerhouse comedienne had made her mark on the stand-up comedy circuit and Mooney knew she’d be equal to the task of writing and performing with the red-hot Pryor. At that time Pryor was the comedy god. Or as she once said, “God takes second billing as far as Richard was concerned.” So, there were high expectations. She didn’t disappoint as Warfield and the rest of the cast made an indelible impression in the four short episodes they had on network television. However, the failure of the show left her depressed with thoughts of quitting comedy. That was until she won the prestigious San Francisco National Stand-Up Comedy Competition in ‘79.
By the time she gained fame on the NBC hit sitcom, Night Court Warfield was seasoned and had a reputation of reliability. Though short on acting experience, her deadpan, straight delivery to bailiff counterpart, Richard Moll was as good as team comedy gets and nobody in television gave a better cynical look. The Chicago native embodied Roz to critical and fan approval and had viewers in stitches from 1986-1992.
Warfield pulled double duty in 1990. She was so popular NBC slotted her with a self-titled day time talk show where she and guests discussed hot topics of the day and got a load of laughs along the way. Her show was easy going and lasted for two seasons. Of course, it didn’t stop there. Following her run on Night Court Warfield kept up her AFTRA status on the sitcom, Empty Nest playing Dr. Maxine Douglas from ’93-’95. She did major films (D. C. Cab, Mask, Caddyshack 2), television guests spots (Family Ties, Riptide, Cheers) and of course stand-up.
Then in 1995 tragedy struck. After her house was totaled in the Northridge earthquake, Marsha’s mother and her sister died within three months of each other. Not long after her “lifestyle” caught up with her so she took time to regroup. By the time she returned to the scene a lot of time had passed in show biz terms and newer faces had stepped in to fill the void. She eventually moved to Las Vegas. From there she kept her presence known via social commentary on sites and remained a living inspiration to a whole generation of comediennes who followed in her footsteps.
Marsha Warfield returned to the standup comedy stage in 2015.
On This Day In Comedy… In 2005 ‘Dave Chappelle’s Block Party’ Premiered AT TIFF!
On this day in comedy on March 3, 2005, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
Columbia Records wouldn’t release Lauryn Hill’s songs, so she reunited the Fugees for the event.Chappelle’s version of “Round Midnight”, the Thelonious Monk classic would not make the final cut. All types of legal entanglements swirled regarding music licensing and releases, yet Chappelle went around issuing “golden tickets” to all invitees by hand. Nothing would deter this party from going down.
Chappelle was at the peak of his Comedy Central celebrity thanks to his iconic, Chappelle’s Show and this documentary was meant to be an extremely colorful feather in the cap of Chappelle’s career. Turns out it was the only outside production Chappelle managed to get off before vacating Comedy Central due to a misunderstanding about the show’s direction. Too bad, a follow up would have been eagerly anticipated.
Thrown on the corner of Clinton Street and Downing Street in Brooklyn, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party lived up to the hype. The show was born of imagination and the need to give back to a community that usually gets overlooked. This would be different. Not only would this party be loaded with great music it would have the famed comedian doing material and sketches in between his chosen acts and what acts they were. Chappelle enlisted some of the brightest stars in the hip hop firmament to entertain his massive guest list.
Directed by Michel Gondry the film features the talents of Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Jill Scott, The Roots, Talib Kweli, Common, John Legend, Big Daddy Kane, Dead Prez, A Trak, Bilal, Cody ChestnuTT, Kool G Rap and the Central State University Marching Band. It spawned a bestselling soundtrack and has established itself as a cult classic. Both film and soundtrack were dedicated to the memory of music producer, J Dilla. He died of lupus one month before the film’s release.
Dave Chappelle’s Block Party came in at #6 in its opening weekend, grossing $6 million in 1,200 theaters. On a budget of $3 million it grossed $11,718,595 domestically and $333,329 internationally for a worldwide total of $12,051,924. And since we’re talking about the king of comedy DVD sales, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party sold 1,240,405 copies and counting for a total take of $18,776,445.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1956 Comedian And Actor Angel Salazar Was Born!
On this day in comedy on March 2, 1956, Comedian, Actor, Angel Salazar was born.
Salazar once said that if he had a dollar for every time somebody said to him, “Chi Chi, get the YaYo” he’d be a millionaire. It was the immortal line in 1983’s Scarface uttered by Al Pacino’s drug kingpin character, Tony Montana to Salazar’s henchman during a drug deal gone wrong. That single instructive phrase to grab the almost forgotten cocaine came after a hail of gunfire in an iconic scene that made Salazar a pop culture fixture. Not bad for a Cuban-American comedian in an era when few Latin comedians were on the mainstream radar.
Angel Salazar was 27 years old when Scarface made him a hot commodity. He was a seasoned stand-up comedian, whose style was raw, interactive and manic. Like most ethnic comics he talked about being ethnic; punctuating punchlines as well as set ups with his catch phrase, “Sheck it out”. During his career Salazar opened for the Beach Boys, Billy Ocean, Van Halen, the Miami Sound Machine and Whitney Houston. He also appeared on Last Comic Standing and had numerous HBO specials.
Prior to Scarface Salazar had a productive film career going. He had roles in Boulevard Nights, Walking Proud, Where the Buffalo Roam and A Stranger is Watching. After Scarface he stayed right on track with appearances in The Wild Life, Sylvester, Hot to Trot, Punchline (w/Tom Hanks), Maniac Cop 2, Carlito’s Way (w/Al Pacino again), Vote For Me, Harlem Blues, Rose Woes and Joe’s, Made In Brooklyn, Trust Me, Crumble and The Last Gamble. Angel Salazar liked popping up in documentaries, too such as 2002’s Comedian and The Latin Legends of Comedy featuring Joey Vega and JJ Ramirez in 2006. Though mainly Salazar liked doing stand up and would take year-long extended breaks from films to hit the road and just be a comedian.
On This Day In Comedy… In 2000 The Comedy Film ‘3 Strikes’ Was Released!
On this day in comedy on March 1, 2000, 3 Strikes was released by MGM
Written and directed by DJ Pooh, 3 Strikes stars Brian Hooks as a guy caught up in the system. Hooks gets out of jail after a year for his second offense as he discovers there’s a new three strikes law. If he goes down one more time, it’s for a minimum of 25 years. No problem. He has no intention of ever going back inside. He’s a new man. Changed life. This is what he tells JJ, a guy who picked him up instead of his real friend. So as JJ, the substitute pick-up ride listens to this tale of personal revelation, the cops pull up behind them and this forces JJ into an inconvenient admission. Seems the pick-up car was stolen and now JJ must have a gun battle with the cops. Next thing Hooks knows – it’s on!
3 Strikes is a full-on chase film. Hooks spends most of his time alluding the cops in hopes of proving his innocence. In the meanwhile, JJ has been apprehended, taken to the hospital with buttocks wound (he’s hung in a sling with his bandaged ass hiked up in the air), raped by a gay janitor and vows to pin the crime all on Hooks when the cops come asking. Hooks, during this time, makes a deal to get a tape with JJ admitting wrongdoing. All he has to do is go to bed a woman he does not want to go to bed with. That’s all, but it turns out it doesn’t matter. Hooks is caught and through the miracle of movie storytelling he is only found to be in violation of his parole, goes to jail for 30 days and gets out because the prison was overcrowded.
3 Strikes co-stars David Alan Grier, Faizon Love, N’Bushe Wright, Antonio Fargas, E-40, DJ Pooh, George Wallace, Meagan Good, Mo’Nique, De’Aundre Bonds, Phil Morris and Vincent Schiavelli. Cameos are made by Mike Epps, Anthony Anderson, Jerry Dunphy and Big Boy. The film was poorly received by critics but was nevertheless profitable. On a budget of $3.4 million, 3 Strikes pulled in $3,684,704 in its opening weekend for the #12 spot and an eventual box office take of $9.8 million.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1972 Comedian And Actor Maz Jobrani Was Born!
On this day in comedy on February 26, 1972, Comedian, Actor, Maziyar “Maz” Jobrani was born Tehran, Iran
Jobrani was part of the Middle-Eastern comedian boom that came to the forefront after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to bring a better understanding of the misunderstood culture in America. He adopted the nickname, The Persian Pink Panther and focused his material on race relations and tolerance. He took his stand-up act on the road with the touring group, “The Axis of Evil”. They were so popular they had a special on Comedy Central.
Funny is funny and with an ever-growing platform and fan base Jobrani could take advantage of other media opportunities. He’s appeared on the television shows: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Talkshow with Spike Feresten, Still Standing, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, The Colbert Report, Malcolm in the Middle, Whitney, The West Wing and CBS’s Superior Donuts (as a regular).
Jobrani has also racked up an impressive film resume in The Interpreter, Friday After Next and Dragonfly. He’s used radio to his advantage as well on NPR, WTF with Marc Maron and his own podcast, All Things Comedy.
Lil Rel Howery Joins BET’s ‘The Bobby Brown Story’!
BET has added to the cast for The Bobby Brown Story, its two-part miniseries starring Woody McClain as the veteran R&B singer. Mekhi Phifer, Lil Rel Howery, T.K. Carter, Laz Alonso, Lance Gross, Alyssa Goss and Sandi McCree also are set to star as production begins toady in Atlanta.
BET
The New Edition Story broke BET ratings records when it aired in January 2017, and The Bobby Brown Story picks up where that pic left off following Brown’s successful solo run. McClain is reprising his role as Brown, one of the genre’s original “bad boys” whose life epitomizes the meaning of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. His hits may have kept him at the top of the charts, but his antics kept him on the front page.
Phifer (Frequency) plays Tommy Brown, Bobby’s brother. Howery (The Carmichael Show) is Brian Irvine, Bobby’s business manager. Carter (The Corner) plays Herbert “Pops” Brown, Bobby’s father. Alonso (The Mysteries of Laura) is Louil Silas Jr, an MCA producer-executive who helps make Bobby a solo star. Gross is set as Steven Sealy, a childhood friend of Bobby’s who is killed in a gunfight after hanging with him at a hometown bar. Goss plays Bobby’s current wife, Alicia Etheridge, and McCree will reprise her New Edition Story as Bobby’s mother Carole Brown.
The Bobby Brown Story is executive produced by Jesse Collins (The New Edition Story) for JCE Films, a division of Jesse Collins Entertainment; written by Abdul Williams (Lottery Ticket, The New Edition Story) and directed by Spike Lee protégé Kiel Adrian Scott.
BET plans a two-night September premiere for The Bobby Brown Story.
Source: Deadline
Vanessa Williams Lands In New ABC Comedy Soap Titled ‘False Profits’!
Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty alumna Vanessa Williams is returning to ABC with a co-starring role in another comedic soap. She has signed for a major role opposite leads Bellamy Young, Shelley Hennig, and Kosha Patel in the hourlong pilot False Profits, set in the world of cosmetics marketing, from former Code Black writer-producer Kayla Alpert, Jason Reed, and ABC Studios.
Written by Alpert, False Profits is described as Desperate Housewives meets Glengarry Glen Ross. It follows a team of down-and-out women in suburban Arizona as they fight their way to the top of the cutthroat world of a multi-level marketing cosmetics business.
ABC
Williams will play Suzanne, chief of a highly successful “tribe” of Brava Natural saleswomen, and she wants to add Laura (Young) to her cluster of money-making devotees. Cast also includes Kapil Talwalka.
Alpert executive produces with Reed and former Desperate Housewives exec producer Sabrina Wind via Jason T. Reed Productions. ABC Studios is the studio.
Williams, who received three Emmy nominations for the role of Wilhelmina Slater on ABC’s, Ugly Betty, co-starred in the final season of Desperate Housewives as Renee Perry and headlined ABC’s 666 Park Avenue and VH1’s Daytime Divas. She also co-starred in the TV movie The Trip to Bountiful opposite Cicely Tyson. Williams is repped by UTA and GEF Entertainment.
Source: Deadline
Tiffany Haddish To Star In Tyler Perry’s New Movie ‘The List’
Tiffany Haddish has signed on to star alongside Tika Sumpter and Omari Hardwick in Tyler Perry’s The List, Perry’s next film which is in the works at Paramount Players. Perry wrote and is directing and producing, and the Paramount label has already set a November 2, 2018 release date.
The pic’s logline: When her wild sister (Haddish) gets released from prison and re-enters her life, Danica (Sumpter) is forced to accept that she may be getting “catfished” by an online boyfriend whom she has never met in person.
Haddish, who was all over the place at the Oscars last night and had one of the show’s best presenter moments with Maya Rudolph, most recently starred in Universal’s Girls Trip, which earned a Critics’ Choice nom this year. She’s been on a roll since, making Saturday Night Live history in November by becoming the first black female stand-up comic to host the show. She also will host the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards in June.
Haddish is set to star opposite Tracy Morgan in the TBS sitcom The Last OG, and alongside Kevin Hart in Universal’s Night School, the later of which bows in September. She and Perry reteam from his OWN series If Loving You Is Wrong, on which she appeared during the 2014-2015 season.
In February, word came that Haddish and Melissa McCarthy were finalizing a deal to star in The Kitchen — a female-focused drama, not the pair’s usual comedy pic — on which Andrea Berloff will make her directorial debut. New Line Cinema and DC Entertainment are making the film, with a screenplay that Straight Outta Compton scribe Berloff wrote based on the 2014 comic book series by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle for DC’s Vertigo.
The Kitchen is an Irish mafia story set in Hell’s Kitchen, New York in the 1970s. An FBI sweep catches mob leaders, and while they are under arrest and their criminal enterprise is jeopardized, the mob wives take over. They end up running the illicit business in more vicious fashion than their husbands ever did.
Paramount Players has been expanding its slate since AwesomenessTV founder Brian Robbins came aboard in June 2017. Devoted to producing films derived from the Viacom flagship brands, it has in the pipeline What Men Want starring Taraji P. Henson; Action Man, based on the Hasbro toy line; the horror pic Eli; a Dora the Explorer movie; and a 48 Hrs redo.
