The 49th NAACP Image Awards were handed out over two nights, Sunday and Monday, in Pasadena, awarding director Ava DuVernay with the entertainer of the year prize and Girls Trip with best motion picture of the year.
Black-ish star Anthony Anderson returned as host of Monday’s ceremony, which aired live on TV One (a one-hour preshow aired before the live ceremony).
Power on Starz and black-ish on ABC won best television drama and comedy, respectively. Daniel Kaluuya won best actor in a motion picture for Get Out and Octavia Spencer brought home best actress in a motion picture for Gifted. black-ish‘s Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross landed best actor and actress in a television comedy, respectively, while Power‘s Omari Hardwick and Empire‘s Taraji P. Henson were crowned best actor and actress in a drama series.
Special honors went to the surviving 1968 Memphis sanitation “I Am a Man” workers (Vanguard Award), labor union organizer and leader William Lucy (Chairman’s Award) and actor-activist Danny Glover (President’s Award).
On Sunday, 47 awards were handed out at a gala dinner in the non-televised portion of the awards show. That ceremony was hosted by The Real’s Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai and Tamera Mowry-Housley.
Awards in nine categories, plus entertainer of the year, were handed out Monday.
See all of Sunday’s and Monday’s winners below.
Ava DuVernay (WINNER)
Bruno Mars
Chadwick Boseman
Chance the Rapper
Issa Rae
Jay-Z
Girls Trip (Universal Pictures) (WINNER)
Detroit (Annapurna Pictures)
Get Out (Universal Pictures)
Marshall (Open Road Films)
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out (Universal Pictures) (WINNER)
Algee Smith – Detroit (Annapurna Pictures)
Chadwick Boseman – Marshall (Open Road Films)
Denzel Washington – Roman J. Israel, Esq. (Columbia Pictures)
Idris Elba – The Mountain Between Us (20th Century Fox)
Power (Starz) (WINNER)
Greenleaf (OWN)
Queen Sugar (OWN)
This Is Us (NBC)
Underground (WGN America)
black-ish (ABC) (WINNER)
Ballers (HBO)
Dear White People (Netflix)
Insecure (HBO)
Survivor’s Remorse (Starz)
Omari Hardwick – Power (Starz) (WINNER)
Kofi Siriboe – Queen Sugar (OWN)
Mike Colter – Marvel’s The Defenders (Netflix)
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)
Terrence Howard – Empire (FOX)
Tracee Ellis Ross – black-ish (ABC) (WINNER)
Danielle Brooks – Orange is the New Black (Netflix)
Issa Rae – Insecure (HBO)
Loretta Devine – The Carmichael Show (NBC)
Niecy Nash – Claws (TNT)
Taraji P. Henson – Empire (FOX) (WINNER)
Jurnee Smollett-Bell – Underground (WGN America)
Kerry Washington – Scandal (ABC)
Rutina Wesley – Queen Sugar (OWN)
Viola Davis – How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
Anthony Anderson – black-ish (ABC) (WINNER)
Aziz Ansari – Master of None (Netflix)
Dwayne Johnson – Ballers (HBO)
Keegan-Michael Key – Friends from College (Netflix)
RonReaco Lee – Survivor’s Remorse (Starz)
Octavia Spencer – Gifted (Fox Searchlight Pictures) (WINNER)
Amandla Stenberg – Everything, Everything (Warner Bros. Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)
Danai Gurira – All Eyez on Me (Summit Entertainment)
Halle Berry – Kidnap (Aviron Pictures)
Natalie Paul – Crown Heights (Amazon Studios)
Jay Ellis – Insecure (HBO) (WINNER)
Ernie Hudson – Grace and Frankie (Netflix)
John David Washington – Ballers (HBO)
Omar Miller – Ballers (HBO)
Tituss Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt(Netflix)
Marsai Martin – black-ish (ABC) (WINNER)
Leslie Jones – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Tichina Arnold – Survivor’s Remorse (Starz)
Uzo Aduba – Orange is the New Black (Netflix)
Yvonne Orji – Insecure (HBO)
Joe Morton – Scandal (ABC) (WINNER)
Bryshere Gray – Empire (FOX)
Dondre Whitfield – Queen Sugar (OWN)
Jussie Smollett – Empire (FOX)
Trai Byers – Empire (FOX)
Naturi Naughton – Power (Starz) (WINNER)
Lynn Whitfield – Greenleaf (OWN)
Samira Wiley – The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Susan Kelechi Watson – This Is Us (NBC)
Tina Lifford – Queen Sugar (OWN)
The New Edition Story (BET) (WINNER)
Flint (Lifetime)
Shots Fired (FOX)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (HBO)
When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story (TV One)
Idris Elba – Guerrilla (Showtime) (WINNER)
Bryshere Grey – The New Edition Story (BET)
Laurence Fishburne – Madiba (BET)
Mack Wilds – Shots Fired (FOX)
Woody McClain – The New Edition Story (BET)
Queen Latifah – Flint (Lifetime) (WINNER)
Jill Scott – Flint (Lifetime)
Oprah Winfrey – The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (HBO)
Regina King – American Crime (ABC)
Sanaa Lathan – Shots Fired (FOX)
Unsung (TV One) (WINNER)
News One Now (TV One)
Oprah’s Master Class (OWN)
The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman (National Geographic)
Through the Fire: The Legacy of Barack Obama (BET)
The Real (Syndicated) (WINNER)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
Super Soul Sunday (OWN)
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
The View (ABC)
The Manns (TV One) (WINNER)
Iyanla: Fix My Life (OWN)
Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party (VH1)
Shark Tank (ABC)
United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell (CNN)
Lip Sync Battle (Spike) (WINNER)
Black Girls Rock! 2017 (BET)
Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas (Netflix)
Def Comedy Jam 25 (Netflix)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Doc McStuffins (Disney Junior) (WINNER)
Free Rein (Netflix)
Nella the Princess Knight (Nickelodeon)
Project Mc² (Netflix)
Raven’s Home (Disney Channel)
Caleb McLaughlin – Stranger Things (Netflix) (WINNER)
Ethan Hutchison – Queen Sugar (OWN)
Lonnie Chavis – This Is Us (NBC)
Marsai Martin – black-ish (ABC)
Michael Rainey – Power (Starz)
Roland Martin – News One Now (TV One) (WINNER)
Fredricka Whitfield – Fredricka Whitfield (CNN)
Morgan Freeman – The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman (National Geographic)
Neil deGrasse Tyson – StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson (National Geographic)
Trevor Noah – The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
LL Cool J – Lip Sync Battle (Spike) (WINNER)
Alfonso Ribeiro – America’s Funniest Home Video (ABC)
Iyanla Vanzant – Iyanla: Fix My Life (OWN)
Michael Smith and Jemele Hill – SC6 with Michael and Jemele (ESPN)
W. Kamau Bell – United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell (CNN)
Idris Elba – Thor: Ragnarok (Marvel Studios) (WINNER)
Laurence Fishburne – Last Flag Flying (Amazon Studios)
Lil Rel Howery – Get Out (Universal Pictures)
Nnamdi Asomugha – Crown Heights (Amazon Studios)
Sterling K. Brown – Marshall (Open Road Films)
Tiffany Haddish – Girls Trip (Universal Pictures) (WINNER)
Audra McDonald – Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures)
Keesha Sharp – Marshall (Open Road Films)
Regina Hall – Girls Trip (Universal Pictures)
Tessa Thompson – Thor: Ragnarok (Marvel Studios)
Detroit (Annapurna Pictures) (WINNER)
Last Flag Flying (Amazon Studios)
Mudbound (Netflix)
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (Annapurna Pictures)
Wind River (Acacia Filmed Entertainment)
STEP (Fox Searchlight Pictures) (WINNER)
I Called Him Morgan (Submarine Deluxe/Filmrise)
Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities (Firelight Films)
The Rape of Recy Taylor (Augusta Films)
Whose Streets? (Magnolia Pictures)
The 44th President: In His Own Words (History) (WINNER)
Birth of a Movement (PBS)
Black Love (OWN)
The Defiant Ones (HBO)
What the Health (AUM Films and Media + First Spark Media)
Janine Barrois – Claws – “Batsh*t” (TNT) (WINNER)
Aziz Ansari – Master of None – “Thanksgiving” (Netflix)
Justin Simien – Dear White People – “Chapter 1” (Netflix)
Issa Rae – Insecure – “Hella Great” (HBO)
Issa Rae – Insecure – “Hella Perspective” (HBO)
Gina Prince-Bythewood – Shots Fired – “Hour One: Pilot” (FOX) (WINNER)
Anthony Sparks – Queen Sugar – “What Do I Care for Morning” (OWN)
Ava DuVernay – Queen Sugar – “Dream Variations” (OWN)
Erica Anderson – Greenleaf – “The Bear” (OWN)
Vera Herbert – This Is Us – “Still Here” (NBC)
Abdul Williams – The New Edition Story – Night Two (BET) (WINNER)
Alison McDonald – An American Girl Story: Summer Camp, Friends for Life(Amazon)
Cas Sigers-Beedles – When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story (TV One)
May Chan – An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance (Amazon)
Peter Landesman, Alexander Woo, George C. Wolfe – The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (HBO)
Jordan Peele – Get Out (Universal Pictures) (WINNER)
Dee Rees, Virgil Williams – Mudbound (Netflix)
Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani – The Big Sick (Amazon Studios)
Kenya Barris, Tracy Oliver – Girls Trip (Universal Pictures)
Mark Boal – Detroit (Annapurna Pictures)
Anton Cropper – black-ish – “Juneteenth” (ABC) (WINNER)
Barry Jenkins – Dear White People – “Chapter 5” (Netflix)
Justin Simien – Dear White People – “Chapter 1” (Netflix)
Spike Lee – She’s Gotta Have It – “#NolasChoice” (Netflix)
Ken Whittingham – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – “Kimmy Bites an Onion!” (Netflix)
Carl Franklin – 13 Reasons Why – “Tape 5, Side B” (Netflix) (WINNER)
Ernest R. Dickerson – The Deuce – “Show and Prove” (HBO)
Gina Prince-Bythewood – Shots Fired – “Hour One: Pilot” (FOX)
Jeffrey Byrd – Switched at Birth – “Occupy Truth” (Freeform)
Jonathan Demme – Shots Fired – “Hour Six: The Fire This Time” (FOX)
Allen Hughes – The Defiant Ones (HBO) (WINNER)
Chris Robinson – The New Edition Story – “Night 1” (BET)
Codie Elaine Oliver – Black Love (OWN)
Kevin Hooks – Madiba – “Night 2” (BET)
Mark Ford – Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G. (A&E)
Jordan Peele – Get Out (Universal Pictures) (WINNER)
Dee Rees – Mudbound (Netflix)
Malcolm D. Lee – Girls Trip (Universal Pictures)
Reginald Hudlin – Marshall (Open Road Films)
Stella Meghie – Everything, Everything (Warner Bros. Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)
Tiffany Haddish – Legends of Chamberlain Heights (Comedy Central) (WINNER)
David Oyelowo – The Lion Guard (Disney Junior)
Kerry Washington – Cars 3 (Disney/Pixar)
Loretta Devine – Doc McStuffins (Disney Channel)
Yvette Nicole Brown – Elena of Avalor (Disney Junior)
SZA – Ctrl (RCA Records/Top Dawg Entertainment) (WINNER)
Demetria McKinney – Officially Yours (eOne Music)
Kevin Ross – The Awakening (Motown/Capitol Records)
Khalid – American Teen (RCA Records/Right Hand Music Group)
Vic Mensa – The Autobiography (Roc Nation/Capitol Records)
Bruno Mars – “Versace On the Floor” (Atlantic Records) (WINNER)
Brian McKnight – “Genesis” (SoNo Recording Group)
Charlie Wilson – “In It to Win It” (RCA Records/P Music Group)
Jay-Z – “4:44” (Roc Nation)
Kendrick Lamar – “DAMN.” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)
Mary J. Blige – “Strength of a Woman” (Capitol Records) (WINNER)
Andra Day – “Stand Up For Something” (Warner Bros. Records)
Beyonce – “Die With You” (Columbia Records/Parkwood Entertainment)
Ledisi – “Let Love Rule” (Verve Label Group)
SZA – “Ctrl” (RCA Records/Top Dawg Entertainment)
DAMN. – Kendrick Lamar (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope) (WINNER)
4:44 – Jay-Z (Roc Nation)
Genesis – Brian McKnight (SoNo Recording Group)
In It To Win It – Charlie Wilson (RCA Records/P Music Group)
Strength of A Woman – Mary J. Blige (Capitol Records)
“That’s What I Like” – Bruno Mars (Atlantic Records) (WINNER)
“4:44” – JAY-Z (Roc Nation)
“Gods” – Maxwell (Columbia Records)
“High” – Ledisi (Verve Label Group)
“Strength of A Woman” – Mary J. Blige (Capitol Records)
Kendrick Lamar feat. Rihanna – “LOYALTY.” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope) (WINNER)
Andra Day feat. Common – “Stand Up For Something” (Warner Bros. Records)
Charlie Wilson feat. T.I. – “I’m Blessed” (RCA Records/P Music Group)
Mary J. Blige feat. Kanye West – “Love Yourself” (Capitol Records)
SZA feat. Travis Scott – “Love Galore” (RCA Records/Top Dawg Entertainment)
“That’s What I Like” – Bruno Mars (Atlantic Records) (WINNER)
“High” – Ledisi (Verve Label Group)
“Honest” – MAJOR. (BOE/Empire)
“Surefire (Piano Version)” – John Legend (Columbia Records)
“U + Me” – Mary J. Blige (Capitol Records)
“HUMBLE.” – Kendrick Lamar (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope) (WINNER)
“Gonna Be Alright” – Mali Music (RCA Records/ByStorm Entertainment)
“Insecure” – Jazmine Sullivan X Bryson Tiller (RCA Records)
“Love Galore” – SZA feat. Travis Scott (RCA Records/Top Dawg Entertainment)
“The Story of O.J.” – Jay-Z (Roc Nation)
Petite Afrique – Somi (Sony Music/OKeh) (WINNER)
Boundless – Damien Escobar (Phoenix Lane Entertainment)
Dreams and Daggers – Cecile McLorin Salvant (Mack Avenue Records)
Poetry In Motion – Najee (Shanachie Entertainment)
So It Is – Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Legacy Recordings)
Greenleaf Soundtrack Volume 2 – Greenleaf Soundtrack (RCA Inspiration) (WINNER)
Close – Marvin Sapp (Verity Records)
Crossover Live From Music City – Travis Greene (RCA Inspiration)
Heart. Passion. Pursuit. – Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Motown Gospel)
Let Them Fall In Love – CeCe Winans (Puresprings Gospel)
The Annotated African American Folktales – Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Author), Maria Tatar (Author) (Liveright Publishing Corporation) (WINNER)
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng (Penguin Random House)
No One Is Coming to Save Us – Stephanie Powell Watts (HarperCollins Publishers)
Sing, Unburied, Sing – Jesmyn Ward (Simon and Schuster)
The Wide Circumference of Love – Marita Golden (Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.)
Defining Moments in Black History: Reading Between the Lies – Dick Gregory (HarperCollins Publishers) (WINNER)
Black Detroit – A People’s History of Self-Determination – Herb Boyd (HarperCollins Publishers)
Chokehold: Policing Black Men – Paul Butler (The New Press)
The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas – Adrian Miller (University of North Carolina Press)
We Were Eight Years In Power: An American Tragedy – Ta-Nehisi Coates (Random House)
No One Is Coming to Save Us – Stephanie Powell Watts (HarperCollins Publishers) (WINNER)
A Beautiful Ghetto – Devin Allen (Haymarket Books)
Chasing Spaces: An Astronaut’s Story of Grit, Grace & Second Chances – Leland Melvin (HarperCollins Publishers)
Rabbit: The Autobiography of Ms. Pat – Patricia Williams (Author) Jeannine Amber (With) (HarperCollins Publishers)
We’re Going to Need More Wine – Gabrielle Union (HarperCollins Publishers)
Becoming Ms. Burton – From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women – Susan Burton (Author), Cari Lynn (Author), Michelle Alexander (Foreword By) (The New Press) (WINNER)
Ali: A Life – Jonathan Eig (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Chester B. Himes – Lawrence P. Jackson (W. W. Norton & Company)
Obama: The Call of History – Peter Baker (New York Times/Callaway)
We’re Going to Need More Wine – Gabrielle Union (HarperCollins Publishers)
The Awakened Woman: Remembering & Reigniting Our Sacred Dreams – Dr. Tererai Trent (Author), Oprah Winfrey (Foreword By) (Simon and Schuster) (WINNER)
Ballerina Body: Dancing and Eating Your Way to a Leaner, Stronger, and More Graceful You – Misty Copeland (Grand Central Publishing)
Exponential Living – Stop Spending 100% of Your Time on 10% of Who You Are – Sheri Riley (Author), Usher (Foreword By) (Penguin Random House)
Kristen Kish Cooking – Kristen Kish (Author), Meredith Erickson (With) (Clarkson Potter)
Notoriously Dapper – How to Be A Modern Gentleman with Manners, Style and Body Confidence – Kelvin Davis (Mango Media Inc.)
Incendiary Art: Poems – Patricia Smith (TriQuarterly Books/Northwestern University Press) (WINNER)
My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter – Aja Monet (Haymarket Books)
Silencer – Marcus Wicker (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
The Drowning Boy’s Guide to Water – Cameron Barnett (Autumn House Press)
Wild Beauty: New and Selected Poems – Ntozake Shange (Simon and Schuster)
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History – Vashti Harrison (Hachette Book Group)
Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Author), Raymond Obstfeld (With) (Hachette Book Group)
Before She Was Harriet – Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author), James E. Ransome (Illustrator) (Holiday House)
Take a Picture of Me, James VanDerZee! – Andrea J. Loney (Author), Keith Mallett (Illustrator) (Lee & Low Books)
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, A Young Civil Rights Activist – Cynthia Levinson (Author), Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Illustrator) (S&S Children’s Publishing)
Clayton Byrd Goes Underground – Rita Williams-Garcia (Author), Frank Morrison (Illustrator (Amistad/HarperCollins Publishers) (WINNER)
Allegedly – Tiffany D. Jackson (HarperCollins Publishers)
Long Way Down – Jason Reynolds (S&S Children’s Publishing)
Solo – Kwame Alexander (Author), Mary Rand Hess (With) (Blink)
The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas (HarperCollins Publishers)
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
On this day in comedy on January 14, 1972, ‘Sanford and Son’ premieres on NBC
Based on the British hit comedy, Steptoe and Son, the American version was the brainchild of producer Norman Lear (produced for he and partner Bud Yorkin’s Tandem Productions). Starring prolific stand-up comedian, Redd Foxx and actor, Demond Wilson (as the often naïve and combative, but dedicated to his ‘Pops”, Lamont Sanford), Sanford and Son was an instant hit for the network and remained so for its entire 6 season run.
A little-known fact is that Lincoln Perry (aka Stepin Fetchit) was originally cast in the part of the junkman in Watts, California with a cantankerous, acid tongue, stubborn nature and a streak of racism against ‘whitey’ (amongst others such as Puerto Rican neighbor, Julio, played by Gregory Sierra and Ah Chew played by Pat Morita), but when the NAACP zeroed in their focus on negative Black images, the shuffling Perry was replaced by Foxx, who owned the part and became a television icon.
The show was so popular it had two spin-offs (Sanford, Sanford Arms). Neither garnered the acclaim of the original which was in a class by itself. What made Sanford and Son so ground-breaking was its comedic and candid look at Black life. Before it came along there were hardly any Black sitcoms – period. After its success, a slew sprung up in the 1970s (The Jeffersons, Good Times, What’s Happening, That’s My Mama, Love Thy Neighbor) and beyond.
Written by a revolving team of comedians as well as seasoned writers that included Richard Pryor, Paul Mooney and Reynaldo Rey, the show dealt with St. Louis native, Fred G. Sanford (Foxx), his son, Lamont and their junkyard business. Lamont was always trying to move out and get a life of his own and Fred was constantly guilting him back in with frequent warnings that he’d have a heart attack and go to join Lamont’s deceased mother, Elizabeth in Heaven if Lamont were to leave him alone.
The running gags were plentiful: Fred and his get-rich-quick schemes to make Sanford and Son a huge financial success, Aunt Esther (played by pioneering comedienne, LaWanda Page) and her attempts to convert the heathen Fred to be the kind of Christian her departed sister would’ve been proud of, Fred’s affection for songstress, Lena Horne (who he finally met in one of the episodes), his gaggle of friends who hung out (comedians, Bubba Bexley, Slappy White, Leroy and Skillet, as well as actor Whitman Mayo as Grady), Lamont’s chum Rollo, who was also Lamont’s supplier of good times and sexy ladies, Fred’s own affection for the ladies (when he wasn’t dating his girlfriend, Donna (who Lamont refers to as ‘the barracuda’ because she was not his mother) – he kept them coming to “Casa Sanford”), the cops of the neighborhood, Smitty (Hal Williams) and Swanny (Noam Pitlik) and later Hoppy (Howard Platt); (one Black and one White, who always needed the Black one to translate what was said in ghetto terms by Fred or one of his pals and vice versa – other cops thrown in the mix were Jonesy (Bernie Hamilton and Percy (Pat Paulsen) and there was Fred’s need to refer to Lamont as “you big dummy”.
Behind the scenes, Foxx had recruited most of his old friends from the chitlin circuit to portray his on-camera comrades, including Page, who studio heads originally fired for her lack of television etiquette. However, Foxx was not only hilarious, making him indispensable to the program, but he was a loyalist. If she had to go – he had to go and so LaWanda Page also became a comedy legend with her take on the Bible-thumping sister from church who could turn on a dime and thump you upside the head in the name of the Lord.
Sanford and Son was a formula that crossed over effortlessly, to the point of driving it competitor, the seemingly invincible TV mainstay, “The Brady Bunch” off the air. But not all was well when Foxx took a few self-imposed hiatuses in disputes that he wasn’t being treated fairly. Rival sitcom star, Carroll O’Conner of the CBS hit and Norman Lear production, All in the Family, had a window in his dressing room. Foxx did not and he didn’t return until he got one. Foxx made sure he received the same perks and money the other stars of hit shows got at the time and paved the way for better conditions for future Black TV leads.
Sanford and Son received 3 Emmy Nominations for Best Series and Foxx chalked up the same number for Best Outstanding Actor. The top-rated show ended its run March 25, 1977.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
Check out this clip:
Several days ago it came to our attention that UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley hit the comedy stage for the first time! According to comedian Adam Hunter who was there, it seemed to go rather well. Hunter tells us all about the performance to TMZ on the show The Hollywood Beatdown With Tyron Woodley.
Check out the video below;
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Last week it seemed that actor and comedian John Witherspoon, apparently suffered a stroke while on stage during an Improv performance.
At the time, there was video taken by a member of the audience which seemed to show showed Witherspoon telling the fellow comedians on stage that something was wrong with him while yelling out to the audience not to worry and that he’d be back on stage.
Anyway, we have since spoken to several members related to Witherspoon who did state that he was “under the weather” but he has recovered fully and will be able to make any gigs he is contracted to do in the next upcoming weeks.
Look at the video from the audience member taken last week;
Aziz Ansari has responded to an anonymous woman’s claim of sexual misconduct in a story posted on Babe.net.
The woman, identified as a 23-year-old photographer based in Brooklyn, said her path crossed with the Master of None star and co-creator in September at the 2017 Emmy Awards, where she gave him her number at his request (he won an Emmy that night for best comedy series writing, an honor he’d also received a year earlier). After a week of texting, he asked her out on a date that ended with her in tears and feeling “violated,” which she told him the next day.
Ansari said in a statement Sunday that he “took her words to heart” at the time and reached out to her privately “after taking the time to process what she had said.” He added that he continues to support anti-sexual assault and harassment movements like #MeToo and Time’s Up.
In the Babe story, the woman said she met Ansari at his Manhattan apartment and then they went to an oyster bar. Afterward, they walked back to his apartment, where she complimented his countertops, made out of marble.
“He said something along the lines of, ‘How about you hop up and take a seat?'” He then began kissing her, she claimed, and “in a second, his hand was on my breast.” He began undressing her and then himself, she alleges, and then he said he was going to get a condom. “I said something like, ‘Whoa, let’s relax for a sec, let’s chill.'”
He continued kissing her and then performed oral sex on her briefly, she claims. “It was really quick,” she said. “Everything was pretty much touched and done within 10 minutes of hooking up, except for actual sex.”
She also alleged that he pulled her hand toward his penis “five to seven” times even after she moved it away and said he wouldn’t let her move away from him: “It was 30 minutes of me getting up and moving and him following and sticking his fingers down my throat again. It was really repetitive. It felt like a fucking game.”
She added: “I know I was physically giving off cues that I wasn’t interested. I don’t think that was noticed at all, or if it was, it was ignored.”
She said that, after spending a few minutes in the bathroom, she told him she felt uncomfortable, and he seemed to understand, but then not long after she felt pressured to give him oral sex and he continued to ask repeatedly, “Where do you want me to fuck you?”
He also continued to aggressively kiss her before she finally left: “I cried the whole ride home. At that point, I felt violated. That last hour was so out of my hand.”
She texted him the next day, telling him how “uneasy” his behavior made her feel. According to a text she saved that allegedly is from Ansari, he responded: “Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I’m truly sorry.”
His full statement, released Sunday via his rep:
In September of last year, I met a woman at a party. We exchanged numbers. We texted back and forth and eventually went on a date. We went out to dinner, and afterwards we ended up engaging in sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual.
The next day, I got a text from her saying that although “it may have seemed okay,” upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable. It was true that everything did seem okay to me, so when I heard that it was not the case for her, I was surprised and concerned. I took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said.
I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
There are 62,000 Google search results for the pairing “Tiffany Haddish” and “Groupon.” The Girls Trip star has not been shy about sharing her love of the discount e-commerce marketplace, evidenced by many interviews and media appearances but most notably on Jimmy Kimmel Live!when she told Kimmel about going on a swamp tour with Will and Jada Pinkett Smith in Louisiana while on location filming the blockbuster comedy.
Her loyalty is paying off: Groupon has named Haddish as its new spokesperson for a series of ads including the company’s Super Bowl commercial, its first in seven years.
According to a press release announcing the partnership, Haddish “ranks in the top one percent of most frequent Groupon purchasers and has literally saved thousands of dollars as a Groupon customer,” and the ads will find her showing “why it makes sense to use Groupon every day to save money and support small businesses.”
In a statement, Haddish joked that the deal is long overdue.
“Nobody knows Groupon like I know Groupon. I’ve been speaking out for them for years,” she said. “In fact, I should have already been their spokesperson. I’ve invested lots of money into buying Groupon deals, and it’s about time I got an even bigger return on my investment than just saving money at my favorite local businesses.”
As part of the deal, Haddish will clue users in on some of her favorite Groupon categories, available here. Groupon chief marketing officer Vinayak Hegde said the company is thrilled to have her on board, adding, “Tiffany’s award-winning talent and well-known passion for our brand make her the perfect choice to serve as the face of Groupon.”
Creative for the 30-second spot — to air Feb. 4 during the fourth quarter of the game — is being handled by O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul.
Haddish, who recently published a comedic memoir titled The Last Black Unicorn, will next be seen starring alongside Tracy Morgan in the new TBS show, The Last O.G., and recently wrapped production alongside Kevin Hart for Universal’s Night School. She made her Saturday Night Live debut in November, opening with a joke about her net worth. “I googled myself — it said I’m worth $2 million!” she quipped. “What do I need to do to get this money?”
While her salary has not been revealed, the Girls Trip star should be closer to that goal with the new Groupon gig.
Haddish is repped by APA, Principato-Young Entertainment and the law firm of Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
If you haven’t heard, MAJOR. has two hit singles (“Why I Love You” & “Honest”) and counting. “Honest” is #8 on BILBOARD’S TOP 10 and is streaming in over 20 Countries. MAJOR. was The Featured Artist to Watch on Billboard.com, iHeartRadio’s On The Verge Artist & the ‘17 NAACP Image Awards Nominee for Outstanding New Artist, to name a few. MAJOR. carries an inspiration that is undeniable & bridges worlds together. His conversation is hope & his power is love. NOW THAT’S MAJOR.!
US: You kicked off 2018 with a NAACP nomination for the category of “Outstanding Song” for your song “HONEST” how does this honor make you feel? What would a win mean to you?
M: Crazy right?!? I’m excited about this journey of mine. Here and there, I’m reminded the blood, sweat, and tears haven’t been in vain. A WIN?!? Oh, I’d be so hype & honored.
US: You have championed yourself to be the Dr. King of music so your listeners can experience hope. The NAACP Image Awards air on Martin Luther King’s birthday this year, what is the inspiration behind your hope?
M: The many Bible stories I’ve read & my own Life-lived have proven the great benefits of HOPE. Dr. King & his legacy are a full expression of HOPE rewarded. I’ve accepted the call to be just that. HOPE.
US: Do you feel like you are living the dream, right now?
M: Absolutely… I’m living my dreams and then some. God is always showing up & out. Gotta love it. And we’ve only just begun.
US: What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words “INDEPENDENTLY MAJOR”?
M: That’s exactly who I am as an artist. I don’t have the current blessing of a Major label behind me but I’ve made the most with what I do have and that’s “INDEPENDENTLY MAJOR.” for sure. Can’t forget the period. That makes it official.
US: IF MAJOR. were a mantra, what would the acronym spell out?
M: MIGHTY AMBITIOUS JUSTIFIED OVERCOMER ROCKSTAR
US: Since MAJOR. personifies your movement and you are the leader of it, where do you see yourself going from here?
M: ONWARD & UPWARD ONLY!
US: As a “trained” student of music from Houston (HSPVA) to a Julliard Intensive program to the prestigious Berklee College of Music, what would you say is your biggest lesson from your education?
M: GREAT OPPORTUNITIES ONLY REWARD THE EXCELLENT & READY. SO GET READY & STAY READY. THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM TO BE DOPER THAN YOU WERE A MOMENT AGO. PUT IN THE WORK IF YOU WANT THE WIN.
US: You give your fans an experience every time you perform with your distinguished sound, tone and range, what are your thoughts on the live performance versus the lip synch?
M: DO YOU. BUT DO IT WELL. Lip Synching is a special skill. I’m not that great at it but it’s a skill nonetheless.
US: Your name has evolved over time from MAJOR. Choirboy, the crooner to the one word category, does that have something to do with the legacy you want to leave behind?
M: EVOLUTION IS THE WAY OF LIFE. If you pay attention, all those stage names simply took me to my actual name: “MAJOR.”. I capitalize every letter and close it out with a period because at the end of the day the best of me is the truest me.
US: It is no secret that you are a man of faith, besides strengthening your character in an industry where you need a moral compass, how else does your faith navigate where you are and where you want to be?
M: I choose not to go anywhere or make any decision without God at the center of it. I tried it the other way and failed. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
US: Music greats like STEVIE WONDER and PATTI LABELLE have reached out to you after they heard your music, what do you look for in artists when you want to collaborate on a project?
M: Truth and distinction. If that ain’t there, we don’t need to go any further.
US: Where can your supporters keep up to date with your releases, tours and next moves?
BE SURE TO TUNE IN TO THE 49TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS LIVE ON MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2018, 9PM EST ON TV ONE.
Interview By: Josayne M Anderson-Tejera,
Humor Mill Music Correspondent & CEO of The UndergroundSeen
Twitter: @undergroundseen
Facebook: @theundergroundseen
Instagram: @undergroundseen
There’s big-time payback for Anna Faris against Eugenio Derbez in the first trailer for the remake of “Overboard.”
The new film, which opens April 20, is a role reversal on the 1987 original. Goldie Hawn played a selfish heiress who got amnesia when she fell off her yacht, while Kurt Russell portrayed a carpenter who ultimately fell in love with her in the romantic comedy.
The footage shows Faris — a single mother struggling to make ends meet — picking up a carpet cleaning gig on the yacht of a millionaire, played by Derbez, who treats her abusively and tosses her rented cleaning equipment overboard. But then a storm sends him tumbling overboard and he loses his memory, opening the door for Faris and to persuade him that she’s his wife, the father of her children, and a financial provider holding down three jobs.
Eva Longoria stars as Faris’ best friend who helps her cook up the ruse, describing it as “almost poetic in its justice.” John Hannah, Swoosie Kurtz, and Josh Segarra also star.
The remake is co-directed and written by Rob Greenberg (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Bob Fisher (“We’re the Millers”). Ben Odell and Derbez are producing through their 3Pas Studios. MGM partnered with Pantelion Films to co-produce, co-finance, and co-distribute the film.
Source: Variety
Blige explained, “Jimmy Iovine took me in to his Malibu home, he and his beautiful wife, Liberty. I will never forget that.”