NEW YORK, January 23, 2018 – This Is Not Happening has big things in store with new host Roy Wood Jr. at the helm of the storytelling madness. Season four debuts on Friday, February 2 at Midnight ET/PT on Comedy Central with a supersized one-hour premiere featuring stories about “filth” from Roy Wood Jr., Howie Mandel and Scott Thompson. Wood Jr. is extending his hosting duties to include original companion interstitials that will air on Fridays beginning with the launch of season four of This Is Not Happening.
Each episode of This Is Not Happening centers on a specific theme – e.g. “wasted,” “romance,” et. al. – with host Wood Jr. and a roster of comedians recounting their most outrageous true-life tales in front of a live audience at Cheetahs in Hollywood. This Is Not Happening originally debuted as a digital series on cc.com, which will continue to feature exclusive digital stories throughout the run of new episodes.
Season four episodes include:
February 9: “Romance” – Kevin Smith, Louis Katz
February 16: “Famous” – Tom Green, Michael McDonald, Brad Williams
February 23: “Nightmare” – Dan Soder, Shane Mauss
March 2: “Moms” – Roy Wood Jr., Kathleen Madigan, Bret Ernst
March 9: “Dads” – Louie Anderson, Byron Bowers, DeRay Davis
March 16: “Wasted” – Theo Von, Chris Porter, Dave Landau, Tom Rhodes (One-Hour Episode)
March 23: “Combat” – Chris Redd, Martha Kelly, Lil Rel Howery
March 30: “Strangelands” – Rob Christensen, Talib Kweli, Harland Williams
April 6: “Shame” – Big Jay Oakerson, Michael Kosta, Tom Arnold
Episodes of This Is Not Happening will be available the day of each new premiere on the Comedy Central App and ThisIsNotHappening.com, on which seasons 1-3 are currently available. In addition, episodes will launch the day after each linear premiere on iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play, VUDU, Verizon Flexview, Microsoft Movies & TV, Sony PlayStation, and Frontier Communications. Leading up to the on-air premiere, Comedy Central Stand-Up and ThisIsNotHappening.com will feature preview stories and digital exclusives from the new season. Additional exclusives and extended versions of many stories will appear on the site throughout the season and following the season finale. Stories from This Is Not Happening can also be found during the season in the CC app. Fans can follow Comedy Central Stand-Up on Twitter at @standup, and follow Wood Jr. on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and tweet using the hashtag #ThisIsNotHappening to join the social conversation around the series. Wood Jr. will also provide fans with tips on effective storytelling via @ccstandup’s Instagram story on February 2.
In 2015, Wood Jr. became a part of “The World’s Fakest News Team” as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He has been described by The Hollywood Reporter as “a standout,” and Entertainment Weekly called his brand of thought provoking comedy “charismatic crankiness.” In 2016, Variety named him one of “10 Comics to Watch.” He filmed his first one-hour stand-up special, Roy Wood Jr.: Father Figure, at Center Stage in Atlanta, which premiered on Comedy Central last year.
This Is Not Happening was created by Ari Shaffir, Eric Abrams and Avalon’s Sam Saifer. Jeff Tomsic, Saifer, and Abrams (who serves as showrunner and director) are Executive Producers. Mark Palansky also directs. Anne Harris and Ryan Moran are the Executives in Charge of Production for Comedy Central. Wood Jr. is represented by UTA and Mainstay Entertainment.
Bill Cosby Has First Stand Up Comedy Set Since Sexual Assault Trial
While many have argued that Bill Cosby’s legacy as a comedian has been disgraced and tarnished because of his legal troubles, it appears that the 80-year-old is back on the circuit. The funnyman performed at the Lorosa Jazz Club on Monday night (January 22) alongside the Tony Williams Jazz Quartet. Representatives for Cosby have reportedly said that he is “proclaiming to honor his fans with a historic performance,” and that is why he performed a “special comedy concert” for the Philadelphia crowd.
This is the first time Cosby had done standup since his sexual assault trial last summer. In a video obtained by TMZ, Cosby seems to focus most of his material on being blind and not the mistrial. The 80-year-old has claimed to be going blind with the onset of old age.
The retrial in the sexual assault case where Cosby faces accusations from Andrea Constand is scheduled to take place in April with the jury selection beginning on March 29. Constand is just one of many women who has accused Cosby of drugging and assaulting them; her allegations stem from 2004. Cosby asserts that the sexual relationship between he and her was 100% consensual. A judge in Norristown, PA as made that decision and it is reported that the jury will be made up of only local residents. The timing of the comedy special in Philly is suspicious considering these facts.
Source: TMZ, Twitter, Vlad TV
Jordan Peele And ‘Get Out’ Nominated For Oscars!
Oscar nominations for the 90th annual awards were announced on Tuesday morning from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Academy President John Bailey was joined by Tiffany Haddish and Andy Serkis to reveal the nominees in 24 categories.
Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” continued its awards show streak, leading the pack with 13 nominations. Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” followed behind with nine nods and “Dunkirk” with seven. All three films earned best picture nominations. The rest of the category was rounded out by “Call Me By Your Name,” “Darkest Hour,” “Get Out,” “The Phantom Thread,” and “The Post.”
The Academy Awards — hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the second time — will air live on ABC on March 4.
Here is the list of 2018 Oscar nominations:
Best Picture:
“Call Me by Your Name”
“Darkest Hour”
“Dunkirk”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“Phantom Thread”
“The Post”
“The Shape of Water”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Lead Actor:
Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”
Lead Actress:
Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Meryl Streep, “The Post”
Supporting Actor:
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Supporting Actress:
Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”
Director:
“Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
“Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro
Animated Feature:
“The Boss Baby,” Tom McGrath, Ramsey Ann Naito
“The Breadwinner,” Nora Twomey, Anthony Leo
“Coco,” Lee Unkrich, Darla K. Anderson
“Ferdinand,” Carlos Saldanha
“Loving Vincent,” Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, Sean Bobbitt, Ivan Mactaggart, Hugh Welchman
Animated Short:
“Dear Basketball,” Glen Keane, Kobe Bryant
“Garden Party,” Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon
“Lou,” Dave Mullins, Dana Murray
“Negative Space,” Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata
“Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer
Adapted Screenplay:
“Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory
“The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
“Logan,” Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green
“Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin
“Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees
Original Screenplay:
“The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh
Cinematography:
“Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins
“Darkest Hour,” Bruno Delbonnel
“Dunkirk,” Hoyte van Hoytema
“Mudbound,” Rachel Morrison
“The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen
Best Documentary Feature:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten, Julie Goldman
“Faces Places,” JR, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda
“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan
“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed, Soren Steen Jepersen
“Strong Island,” Yance Ford, Joslyn Barnes
Best Documentary Short Subject:
“Edith+Eddie,” Laura Checkoway, Thomas Lee Wright
“Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Frank Stiefel
“Heroin(e),” Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Kerrin Sheldon
“Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon
“Traffic Stop,” Kate Davis, David Heilbroner
Best Live Action Short Film:
“DeKalb Elementary,” Reed Van Dyk
“The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale, Josh Lawson
“My Nephew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson, Jr.
“The Silent Child,” Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton
“Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath, Tobias Rosen
Best Foreign Language Film:
“A Fantastic Woman” (Chile)
“The Insult” (Lebanon)
“Loveless” (Russia)
“On Body and Soul (Hungary)
“The Square” (Sweden)
Film Editing:
“Baby Driver,” Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss
“Dunkirk,” Lee Smith
“I, Tonya,” Tatiana S. Riegel
“The Shape of Water,” Sidney Wolinsky
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Jon Gregory
Sound Editing:
“Baby Driver,” Julian Slater
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mark Mangini, Theo Green
“Dunkirk,” Alex Gibson, Richard King
“The Shape of Water,” Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ren Klyce, Matthew Wood
Sound Mixing:
“Baby Driver,” Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hephill
“Dunkirk,” Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo
“The Shape of Water,” Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick
Production Design:
“Beauty and the Beast,” Sarah Greenwood; Katie Spencer
“Blade Runner 2049,” Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola
“Darkest Hour,” Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
“Dunkirk,” Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis
“The Shape of Water,” Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Shane Vieau
Original Score:
“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer
“Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood
“The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell
Original Song:
“Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” Mary J. Blige
“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” Sufjan Stevens
“Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez
“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” Diane Warren, Common
“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” Benj Pasek, Justin Paul
Makeup and Hair:
“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick
“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten
Costume Design:
“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran
“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran
“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges
“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira
“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle
Visual Effects:
“Blade Runner 2049,” John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover, Gerd Nefzer
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick
“Kong: Skull Island,” Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza, Mike Meinardus
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, Neal Scanlon
“War for the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist
Weinstein Company Pulls Kevin Hart’s Latest Film ‘The Upside’ From Schedule
In the last stretch of its current existence, The Weinstein Company has pulled three films from its upcoming schedule, including The Upside.
The film was set for a March 9 release date.
We’re sure this will be a big film to pick up by another distributor or whoever buys TWC now, as Hart is having huge successes with his latest release, Jumanji, and Kidman is sweeping awards season for her role in television’s Big Little Lies.
The Upside is the American remake of the international French blockbuster, The Intouchables, which helped make Omar Sy a star. It’s also a role for which he won the Cesar (the French equivalent of the Oscars) in 2012, for Best Actor.
The remake stars Hart and Cranston in the roles originated by Frenchmen Sy and Francois Cluzet.
Joining Hart and Cranston in the film are Julianna Margulies, Nicole Kidman, Aja Naomi King and Jahi Winston.
Source: Shadow & Act
Sterling K. Brown Makes History At The SAG Awards!
At Sunday night’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, Sterling K. Brown became the first black actor to win Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Randall Pearson in NBC’s critically-acclaimed drama series, This Is Us.
This was not the only award he picked up for the night, as he also won a second as a part of the cast of This Is Us — Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
We just discovered the heartbreaking news that Newark, New Jersey comedian Willie Asbury passed away this morning. According to our sources, Asbury was hospitalized and was sick from cancer and being treated, but word was he was expected to recover after his six month stay. Asbury was a frequent performer in New Jersey, especially at The Peppermint Ballroom and he performed frequently for the Troops overseas.
No word yet on the reasoning behind his passing, but as soon as we find out we will let you know. We will also post the word on his funeral arrangements.
See a performance of his below;
Tracee Ellis Ross Denies ‘Black-ish’ Exit
Tracee Ellis Ross is blasting a report that suggest she will leave “Black-ish” or demand higher pay because she makes significantly less than Anthony Anderson. The Hollywood Reporter reported on the pay disparities between men and women in Hollywood and used the show “Black-ish” as an example.
But while the report revealed that Ross made less than Anderson, it also did not state that Anderson is also an executive producer of the show. Actors who have dual roles usually get paid more than their co-stars.
Ross used Twitter to share her true feelings about the show and her contract negotiations.
She wrote, “There has been a lot of conversation and speculation the last few days regarding my blackish salary. I was in a renegotiation, like many actors find themselves in during the fourth season of a successful show. I wanted to be compensated in a way that matches my contribution to a show that I love for many reasons, including the opportunity it allows me to reshape what it is to be a fully realized black woman on TV. The words and thoughts that were in the original article that started this public conversation were not mine; there were never any threats. I wish I would have been called by the reporter to confirm that. Having had my renegotiation become a public conversation was awkward, but I’m grateful for the outpouring of support. I’m truly thankful that important conversations are taking place about fighting for women’s worth and equality, and tightening the pay gap in the industry.”
“Black-ish” recently won an NAACP Image Award and has been nominated for several Emmy Awards.
Source: Rolling Out
Forest Whitaker Says ‘Black Panther’ Is ‘Something That Hasn’t Been Seen Before’
“Black Panther” hits theaters next month, but the comic movie is already one of the most anticipated films of the year, breaking pre-sales records as Marvel’s fastest-selling movie in the first 24 hours.
Forest Whitaker, who stars in the film as Zuri, says “Black Panther” is resonating early with moviegoers because the film is bringing something new to theaters, especially in the superhero drama genre.
“It’s a unique piece. It’s a multicultural piece. I think people are waiting to find something new,” Whitaker said on Sunday at the Variety Studio at the Sundance Film Festival, where he was on hand for his film “Burden,” which premieres Sunday in Park City, Utah.
“This superhero from Africa who is in this society and trying to fix the world is something that hasn’t been seen before,” Whitaker added. “I think Ryan [Coogler]is a great director so there’s always going to be some social conscious inside of it. … And at the same time, the action is something we haven’t seen before.”
Without revealing too much, Whitaker teased a bit more about the Marvel film, saying, “We’re going to see not only tribal things, but things that take us into outer space, things that take us into the James Bond space. It’s a really unique amalgamation of different things that come together in an exciting way.”
Whitaker revealed that the first time the cast screened the film together, some people cried from excitement.
“The first time we saw it, just as a cast, after it, everybody leapt up to their feet — literally some were in tears, they were so excited about what was actually occurring. I think people have that same excitement around the movie. I’m expecting something great, and something great for Ryan.”
Source: Variety
Rapper Fredo Santana Passes Away At 27!
Fredo Santana aka King of Chiraq and CEO of Savage Squad Records passed away at the age of 27, late on January 20, 2018, according to a family member. His girlfriend reportedly found him unconscious at his Reseda area home. Fredo whose real name was Derrick Coleman leaves behind a son, his girlfriend, his cousin, fellow rapper and collaborator Chief Keef, family and a host of fans and friends.
Santana was described as loyal by DJ Akademiks who followed his career extensively from Chicago to California, where he signed to a major label in 2012. Santana’s death has rocked the Hip-Hop community who has seen so many of their stars who unexpectedly fall for a variety of issues from medical to violence. An autopsy has been scheduled to discover his official cause of death.
-Josaynemeant2be
Wanda Sykes Says Netflix Offered Her Less Money Than Mo’Nique!
Mo’Nique has at least one fellow Hollywood supporter in her boycott against Netflix.
On Saturday night, actress and comedian Wanda Sykes spoke up for Mo’Nique, who claims the streaming company is guilty of gender and color bias after it reportedly offered her $500,000 for a comedy special while other stand-up stars like Amy Schumer and Dave Chappelle were give $13 million and $20 million.
“@MoWorldWide, thank you for speaking out,” Sykes tweeted. “@Netflix offered me less than half of your $500k. I was offended but found another home. #EPIX.”
While Sykes, 53, did not share more details about her discussions with Netflix, followers were quick to chime in.
“Whoa. I’m glad u shed some light on what Monique was talking about with Netflix,” said one person. “It’s a damn shame Netflix be low balling women of color. But will pay another woman of a different race more. It has nothing to do with relevance. U and Mo’Nique put in the years and deserve the $.”
On Sunday morning, Mo’Nique, 50, who won an Oscar in 2010 for “Precious,” shared a quick Instagram video shimming with the caption, “To my beautiful sisters, when they tell you no, you must keep telling yourself yessss. Love yall.”
