On This Day In Comedy… In 1961 Comedian And Actor Tim Meadows Was Born!
On this day in comedy on February 5, 1961, Comedian, Actor, Timothy “Tim” Meadows born Highland Park, MI
A student of radio and television in college, Meadows got started in improvisational comedy at the Soup Kitchen Saloon and in show business performing in The Second City troupe. Chris Farley was also a member; which was Meadows first contact with his destiny. A short time later he became a cast member on NBCs long running hit sketch show, Saturday Night Live and went on to be its longest running cast member for a record 9 seasons (until Darrell Hammond broke that record years later). Meadows played a lot of characters: Michael Jackson, O. J. Simpson, Erykah Badu, Tiger Woods and Oprah Winfrey, but it was his signature persona that got made into a film.
The Ladies Man was extremely popular on a sketch show like SNL. In the theater it bombed. Even though the character of Leon Phelps: a horny radio talk show host prone to say whatever inappropriate thing he wants seemed a natural for audiences always on the hunt for shock value, this flick didn’t jolt them enough. Regardless, it was but a minor setback for Meadows. He’d made a lot of friends at Saturday Night Live over the years and they showed it by keeping their alumni buddy working. He made appearances in Mean Girls (a Tina Fey film), The Coneheads (Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Larraine Newman), It’s Pat (Julia Sweeney), Wayne’s World 2 (Mike Myers), The Benchwarmers (Rob Schneider), Trainwreck (Bill Hader) and Grown Ups 1 & 2 (Adam Sandler).
Meadows let friends pay him any time to perform, but he also worked for others. No need to feel bad for the guy because over his career Meadows was a regular on The Michael Richards Show, Lil Bush, The Bill Engvall Show, Glory Dance, and Mr. Box Office. He co-starred on the NBC sitcom, Marry Me. He appeared in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Meadows had recurring roles on Help Me Help You, Living with Fran, The New Adventures of Old Christine, The Life & Times of Tim, Suburgatory and Bob’s Burgers. He’d pop up on The Colbert Report and guest starred on One on One, Everybody Hates Chris, The Office, Reba, According to Jim, Lovespring International, Funny or Die Presents, 30 Rock, The Venture Bros, Comedy Bang! Bang!, The Goldbergs and The Spoils Before Dying.
Like most dedicated entertainers, when not in front of the camera Tim Meadows returns to his roots and continues to perform improv on stages all over the world.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1983 Comedian, Actor, And Writer Hannibal Buress Was Born!
On this day in comedy on February 4, 1983, Comedian, Actor, Writer, Hannibal Buress was born in Chicago, IL
It can be said that Buress is not the corporate type. When he wrote for old-school network NBCs Saturday Night Live in 2009, he left in 2010. That same year he got a job writing for the NBC sitcom, 30 Rock and quit after 6 months. He seemed to work better with the looser constrictions of cable which became evident by his relationship with Comedy Central. He appeared on The Awkward Comedy Show special for them. He did stand-up on Live at Gotham and John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show. Buress released his second album, (His first was My Name is Hannibal from 2010) Animal Furnace in 2012. Comedy Central did it as a special and he did an hour-long comedy special for them called Hannibal Buress Live from Chicago in 2014. He’s on the series Broad City, co-host The Eric Andre Show and has his own show Why? With Hannibal Buress. All on Comedy Central.
This is not to say Buress is exclusive to Comedy Central. He has also been seen on Louie and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell (FX), Lopez Tonight and Conan (TBS), Late Show with David Letterman and The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS), Jimmy Kimmel Live!(ABC), The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) and Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC).
However, what put Buress on the map for many non-comedy aficionados was his bit about Bill Cosby that went viral after being in his set for six months. The routine about the legendary comic dubbed “America’s Dad” and his past rape allegations in the face of his better than thou posture took on a life all its own as woman after woman emerged to either reiterate claims of drugging and sexual abuse or level never-before-leveled claims against the iconic comedian. It was a media circus and Buress was at the center of the controversy. But being a stand-up comedian meant Hannibal Buress had the distinct advantage of dissecting the situation on stage and incorporate in as part of the act that got him into that vortex in the first place.
Hannibal Buress has won Chicago’s Funniest Person Award (2007), the Best Performance in a Host Stand-Up/Sketch Comedy Program Series (2011) and the American Comedy Award (2012).
On This Day In Comedy… In 2009 ‘Diary Of A Tired Black Man’ Was Released!
On this day in comedy on February 3, 2009, Diary of a Tired Black Man was released
This independent film was the brainchild of talented writer/director, Tim Alexander. Using a documentary style Alexander tells his story of a black man in a long-term relationship who finally grows tired of the constant drama and seeks happiness by making his exit. However, he finds out that leaving a drama-filled relationship does not end the drama. For instance, when he comes to his former opulent home to pick up his daughter for his visitation he is ridiculed by his ex-wife’s girlfriends for being a weak ni**a. He must remind them that in the 7 years he and his wife were together he never messed with white women and he is the one who bought the house and all the furniture in it and pays his alimony on time. So, he is not a weak man. He is a tired one. Then he points out that the complaint they all have is that all black men are weak yet none of them have any man.
Alexander’s mixing of comedy, drama and interviews makes for an interesting film. The theme is familiar, but seldom has it been played out so frankly and universally. The problems this man faced are not exclusive to black men and not exclusive to just men. There are many tired women of all races coming home to dysfunctional pairings and a film like this can wake up all viewers to cut your losses and seek happiness before it’s too late.
Diary of a Tired Black Man stars Jimmy Jean-Louis as James, the tired black man. Paula Lema plays is wife who is prone to go off and runs him off. The film also features Natasha M. Dixon, Kimmarie Johnson and Alexander as himself.
New Book On The Hit FOX Show ‘In Living Color’ Debuts!
Decatur-based writer David Peisner regularly watched “In Living Color,” the rollicking African-American-themed sketch comedy series, during its run on the then-fledgling Fox network from 1990-1994.
He didn’t think about “In Living Color” very often over the next two decades, until he considered writing a magazine article on the 25th anniversary of the show’s debut. “I pitched it for Details as an oral history of the show,” Peisner says, “but there was way more here than was going to fit into a magazine story.”
Upon that initial article, Peisner wrote his new book, “Homey Don’t Play That!,” titled after the catchphrase of Damon Wayans’ cantankerous Homey the Clown, one of the show’s most popular characters. The subtitle, “The Story of ‘In Living Color’ and the Black Comedy Revolution,” signals the book’s breadth.
“I started to think of the show as a hinge moment in culture,” Peisner says. “It was part of this movement that changed culture. And it happened slowly — it didn’t happen overnight.”
The book begins with creator Keenen Ivory Wayans accepting the show’s Emmy for outstanding variety, music or comedy series in 1990. Then “In Living Color” goes unmentioned for almost 100 pages. Peisner explores in depth such topics as trailblazing black entertainers, especially Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy; the background of the Wayans family; and the American racial and political tensions of the 1980s that would inform the show’s satire. Peisner describes how Keenen collaborated with actor Robert Townsend on “Hollywood Shuffle,” a film that anticipated the TV show’s irreverent sensibility and was famously funded by Townsend maxing out his credit cards.
Keenen found an opportunity for a TV series, pitched as an African-American version of “Laugh-In,” with the emergence of the Fox network, then airing only a few nights a week. “It’s hard for people to remember when TV was three channels. It was crazy that someone was going to try a fourth channel,” Peisner says. “Certainly in 1990, Fox had nothing to lose. All the executives I talked to wanted to rock the boat, they wanted something edgy — but maybe not so edgy that it would make advertisers complain.”
Popular — and controversial — from its premiere, “In Living Color” became a breakthrough show for such future movie stars as Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey and Jennifer Lopez (one of the backup dancers, the Fly Girls), as well as Keenen, Damon, Kim, Shawn and Marlon Wayans.
Peisner speculates about why so many of the Wayans went into comedy following their impoverished New York childhood. “Ten kids growing up in a small apartment, it was kind of a comedy boot camp for the family members inclined that way,” he says. “So many people said to me how incredible tightly knit that family is, they really look out for each other. Keenen was the first through the door, and he brought his family with him.”
One of surprises of “Homey Don’t Play That!” was that behind the scenes, the show’s writing staff was heavily white. Peisner points out that this was not for lack of trying by Keenen and the other producers. “They would’ve loved to have more black writers, but there weren’t many black writers with TV resumes. This was coming off an era when the black shows like ‘The Jeffersons’ and ‘Good Times’ had almost entirely white writers. ‘In Living Color’ hired a bunch of stand-ups — one guy was a dancer, but he was funny. One had been a receptionist at The Hollywood Reporter.”
Peisner acknowledges that some of the show’s sketches have aged better than others, citing the stereotypical gay film critics from “Men on Film.”
“The ‘Men on Film’ sketches can be hard to watch now, although they weren’t mean-spirited,” Peisner says. “In some ways, that makes you optimistic, since it shows how attitudes towards gay people and sexuality have improved since then.”
The book also explores how “In Living Color” opened up new audiences to the then-resurgent musical form of hip-hop, and not just through performances by the likes of Queen Latifah, Arrested Development and Tupac Shakur. “Hip-hop filtered into the sketches, the attitudes, the dress, the energy,” says Peisner. “(The show) brought something that was on the coasts to a lot more people. Rapper Big Daddy Kane told me, ‘There was no hope that people in Middle America could know anything about me, until I could get on that show.’
“Today, hip-hop culture has become pop culture. It’s mainstream in a way that people born in 2000 don’t remember,” Peisner says.
The book reveals that in some ways, the lasting legacy of “In Living Color” belongs with the show’s many writers, producers and performers who went on to create more African-American programming. “Larry Wilmore started as a writer on ‘In Living Color’ and became a one-man wrecking crew who changed a lot of TV,” with creative or producer credits including “The Bernie Mac Show,” “The PJs,” “Black-ish” and “Insecure.”
Plus, the show inspired a younger generation of young viewers who followed. “People who grew up on shows like ‘In Living Color’ became showrunners and creators,” says Peisner. “Before Robert Townsend and Keenen, there were no examples of African-American creators apart from a couple of blaxploitation filmmakers. They were like the first guys over the hill.” They helped set examples for the likes of “Atlanta” creator Donald Glover or “Get Out” director Jordan Peele.
“I’m not saying that all of these happened because of ‘In Living Color,’ but it helped change the culture,” says Peisner. “It helped say that black culture isn’t just for black people. White people can like it, too.”
Readers can debate the extent of the influence of “In Living Color,” but “Homey Don’t Play That!” makes a compelling case for how much more colorful the culture became after the show’s run.
EVENT PREVIEW
“Homey Don’t Play That!” by David Peisner (Atria Books, 353 pages, $28)
Source: Curt Holman/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Michael Blackson Pokes Fun At Kevin Hart Over Trophy Ceremony Rejection
Michael Blackson didn’t miss the opportunity to take a petty shot at Kevin Hart after seeing the Philly-born comic get rejected from joining the Eagles players for the Lombardi Trophy ceremony following their 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 4.
The very next day Blackson reposted a viral video clip of the moment Hart was stopped short of advancing to the stage set up in the middle of the U.S. Bank Stadium field. The snippet that Blackson used was labeled with text that read “Trying To Get Into VIP” – which he played off of in the way he worded the caption.
“When you thought just because you from Philly you can join in the festivities, get your narrow ass back here with us Z list Little n**ga,” Blackson wrote.
As a resident of Philadelphia since migrating to the United States from Ghana, Blackson was also in Minnesota for the big game. Judging by some of the photos and recordings he has uploaded to the internet, it doesn’t appear that the comedy peers ever crossed paths. Blackson did get a moment to snap a flick with Chris Long and his Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end father Howie before the game.
Cedric The Entertainer Makes The World’s Greatest Man-wich For GQ
Comedian and actor Cedric The Entertainer stopped by the GQ offices to share a family secret of how to make a full blown sandwhich, which he calls a MAN-wich… Watch the video below:
Brandon Micheal Hall, Star Of ABC’s ‘The Mayor’ Tapped As Lead In CBS Pilot, ‘God Befriended Me’
Just a few days ago we reported that The Mayor‘s Brandon Micheal Hall is hot commodity for networks during pilot season.
Now, the reports have come to fruition as he’s been tapped as the lead for CBS’s potential procedural, God Befriended Me.
The series is from Warner Bros. Television and Greg Berlanti’s Berlanti Productions.
Its description: “God Befriended Me is described as a humorous, uplifting series, which explores questions of faith, existence, and science. It centers on Miles (Hall), 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.”
A relative newcomer, Hall earned rave reviews headlining The Mayor at ABC, which despite getting critical acclaim, is virtually canceled at the Mouse House. He also co-starred on TBS’ Search Party.
If ordered to series, this could make Hall one of only two black male leads on the network in many years, with the first being Jermaine Fowler on Superior Donuts. However, due tothe recent flack CBS has gotten for diversity, and their recent commitment to change for the better, this may be a movement for more diverse leads at the network.
Kevin Hart’s Digital Network Laugh Out Loud Headed To Canada
Hart’s Laugh Out Loud streaming service, a partnership with Lionsgate, will anchor Bell Media’s new Snackable TV.
Comedian Kevin Hart is taking his online comedy network, Laugh Out Loud, to Canada.
The Jumanji actor will see his LOL service, a partnership with Lionsgate, anchor a new free, ad-supported video streaming service, Snackable TV, launched in Canada by Bell Media. Hart and Lionsgate introduced the online comedy network in August 2017 stateside, and LOL is now expanding internationally with a slate of several comedies, unscripted series and licensed programs.
Snackable TV will launch north of the border with comedy brands from HBO, including its High Maintenance shortform series; Comedy Central; Just for Laughs; and the original Canadian comedyLetterkenny. Besides LOL, Bell Media has other premium U.S. TV brands like Showtime and Starz under its content umbrella via similar exclusive content deals.
Hart first announced his plans for LOL in March 2016. The service is run by his longtime business partner Jeff Clanagan.
“Today’s launch of SnackableTV represents an opportunity in the shortform content landscape in Canada, and our exciting new content partnerships provide for a healthy beginning in this growing new area,” Bell Media president Randy Lennox said in a statement.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Teyonah Parris of ‘Survivor’s Remorse’ Fame To Star In New CBS Pilot Titled ‘Murder’
CREDIT: SAMANTHA NANDEZ/BFA/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
Teyonah Parris has been cast in one of the lead roles in the CBS drama pilot “Murder.”
The series explores crime through the unique and often conflicting perspectives of cops and killers, witnesses and victims, friends and family. Shot like a true crime documentary, the series invites the audience inside the emotional journey of an investigation, allowing them to discern the truth and judge the suspects’ guilt or innocence for themselves.
Parris will star as Det. Ayana Lake, a rising star in the NYPD whose keen intellect and quick, analytic mind are the keys to her success. But when she’s partnered with instinctive, intuitive Det. Jack Garrity, styles and personalities sometimes clash.
Parris is known for her roles in films like Spike Lee’s “Chiraq” and Justin Simien’s “Dear White People. She has also appeared in hit TV shows like AMC’s “Mad Men,” Fox’s “Empire,” and Starz’ “Survivors’ Remorse.”
Parris is repped by APA and Vanguard Management Group.
“Lethal Weapon” vet Amanda Green will write and executive produce “Murder.” Dan Lin will also serve as executive producer, with Lindsey Liberatore serving as co-executive producer. Lin Pictures will produce in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios. Variety reported exclusively on the project’s development in September.
Source: Variety
Why Jermaine Fowler Was Compelled to Write His First Episode of ‘Superior Donuts’
CREDIT: MONTY BRINTON
“Superior Donuts” star Jermaine Fowler wrote the episode of the CBS sitcom airing this week, with the comedian telling Variety that his desire to write the episode was born out of a simple feeling: frustration.
In the episode, Fowler’s character Franco is upset by Fawz (Maz Jobrani) and his willingness to exploit Black History Month to make a buck. So Franco invites Wheels Langdon (Bill Cobbs), a former Negro League baseball player, to the donut shop to share his unsung story.
“I was passionate about it,” Fowler said. “I wrote it out of frustration. I grew up watching people and companies commercialize Black History Month. I watched old McDonald’s commercials and they’d blacken up the commercials for 28 days then go back to normal in March. It got annoying to me… I also grew up around a lot of black folks who were bitter and cynical, to the point they couldn’t really appreciate the milestones we’d accomplished. It’s not their fault, they’d just been disenfranchised to the point that they just didn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. It happens. I wanted to write an episode where I got to voice those frustrations in a comedic way. I’m glad I got to write this episode. It means a lot to me.”
“The main thing I wanted to express is that not every black person thinks the same,” he continued. “We’re all different, just as people. One thing we all agree on most of the time is the struggle of course, but how we get there and how we deal with it, that’s all different. So this episode is kind of like that to me. I wanted to write an older black character who — something got taken away from him at a very young age and he stopped giving a f–k. And Franco, who’s this young black millennial, he still gives a f–k. He’s expecting something from this older guy. He thought he’d be one thing and it turns out he’s something else. That fault is actually my character’s. He wanted something from this guy and so he didn’t open his heart and mind to accept him… So because of that, he shuts this guy off. And that’s one of the problems we have in this country. Just because someone has a different opinion than you, a different upbringing than you, a different perspective than you, people shut them out without trying to see where they’re coming from.”
Fowler, who in addition to starring in and executive producing “Superior Donuts” also performs stand up comedy, said he would like to try his hand at directing an episode of the series now that he has a writing credit under his belt.
“There are certain angles we haven’t really explored with this show yet,” he said. “There are certain intricacies that we haven’t explored with certain characters. I just know if I were to direct an episode it would be different. It’d be weird, but it’d be fun, and hilarious and it would go pretty deep. That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed working with all the directors who have been on the show, like Betsy Thomas and Jimmy Burrows, Phill Lewis, and Victor Gonzalez. I’ve learned so much just watching them work that I think I’d love to try my hand at it. I just know the show so well and how far it can go.”
“Superior Donuts” is unique among CBS’ programming. The network is frequently criticized for its lack of diversity, with Fowler being the first black lead on a CBS sitcom in a decade. But Fowler and the show frequently tackle serious topics like race, police violence, and gentrification in comedic ways. He hopes that will inspire the next generation to not simply accept the status quo.
“Hopefully, young kids of color who are used to watching CBS’ current broadcasting, are going to watch ‘Superior Donuts’ and aspire to disrupt what society has projected as normal. CBS garners a predominately older white audience and by having a show like ‘Superior Donuts’ on their weekly programming it distorts what people are used to seeing in a positive way. It’s a show I think was necessary.”
The Fowler-penned episode of “Superior Donuts” airs Feb. 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
