Tisha Campbell-Martin Confirms ‘Martin’ Reboot, Her Involvement
Rumors have been circulating for a few weeks about a potential reboot of Martin.
Now in a recent interview, one of the show’s leads, Tisha-Campbell-Martin is confirming the news — and says she is involved with it.
She said, “I can’t tell you…It has been an honor to be Gina all these years. So….I can’t tell you guys anything. But it’s very exciting.”
A lot has happened since Martin was on air last. Recently, cast member Thomas “Tommy” Mikal Ford passed away. Then, we can’t forget that the show ended on a sour note behind-the-scenes as Tisha Campbell-Martin sued both Martin Lawrence and the show’s producers for sexual harrassment and verbal and physical assaults, which led to her not appearing in most of the show’s final season. The lawsuit was settled and the actress appeared in the last episodes, but in scenes without Lawrence.
Martin, which aired from 1992-1997, starred Lawrence, Campbell-Martin, Ford, Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II.
Campbell-Martin and Arnold reunited in Everybody Hates Chris, in which Arnold starred and Campbell-Martin was a recurring cast member. Campbell-Maritn has been busy in recent years, starring in the recently-canceled ABC sitcom, Dr. Ken, and she starred in a film that recently bowed at Sundance, Blindspotting.
Source: Shadow & Act
‘Bad Boys 3’ Eyes New Directors And New Start Date
Is it time for Bad Boys to report for duty once more?
Sony is taking another shot at making a Bad Boys sequel and is in early negotiations with directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to helm, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The filmmakers would take on Bad Boys for Life, which would reunite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence for a third chapter in the buddy-cop film series. The duo played Miami police detectives in the first two installments, which were directed by Michael Bay. The pair of films, released in 1995 and 2003, took in a collective $414.7 million worldwide.
A third Bad Boys effort has been in development for years, with Joe Carnahan most recently attached to direct before exiting last March.
El Arbi and Fallah were born in Morocco and studied film in Belgium. They recently directed episodes of FX crime drama Snowfall and have their third feature Gangsta due out this year.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
Bilall Fallah (left) and Adil El Arbi
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Marlon Wayans’ New Stand Up Special Sets Its New Debut Date on Netflix!
Pull up a seat bon appetit. Sit back and laugh this month with our favorite Wayans brother (you know he is) first original stand up special, Marlon Wayans: Woke-ish.The 1-hour special won’t be featuring Pops but will definitely bring in the raw jokes as Wayans shows off his woke-ish side.
Wayans, Rick Alvarez, Steve Harris and Michael Rotenberg will produce the special taped in front of a live audience as the new special sets its debut date for Feb. 27th, only on Netflix.
Godfrey: “Steve Harvey Isn’t the Only Black Guy Who Can Host Game Shows”
Godfrey sat down a couple of days ago with VladTV and shared his thoughts on certain black actors getting roles in Hollywood, including Steve Harvey, who has played host to various shows over the years. Godfrey spoke about meeting Steve and hearing stories that he was mean, but added that Harvey has always been cool with him.
When it comes to seeing more black men hosting game shows, Godfrey pointed out that game shows used to be primarily hosted by white men, and he thinks that there should be more representation in that sector. To hear more, including how he thinks Sammy Davis Jr. changed things in Hollywood, hit the above clip.
Source: Vlad TV
Michael K. Williams Set To Co-Star In ‘Superfly’ Remake
EXCLUSIVE: The Wire alum Michael K. Williams has signed on to play Scatter in the Director X-helmed Superfly redo from Sony, which will bow in theaters June 15. Esai Morales has also come onboard to play Adalberto. The Alex Tse-penned script is based on the 1972 original blaxploitation crime drama, which followed African American cocaine dealer who tries to secure one more deal before getting out of the business.
REX/Shutterstock
Williams and Morales joins Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Lex Scott Davis, Andrea Londo, Jacob Ming-Trent, Omar Chapparo, and Allen Maldonado.
Joel Silver is producing with rap star Future, who is also putting together the film’s soundtrack. Exec producers are Steven R. Shore, Matthew Hirsch, Hal Sadoff, and Aaron Auch.
Williams received back-to-back Emmy noms for his role in the HBO TV movies Bessie, and the premium cabler’s miniseries, The Night Of, respectively. He currently stars in the SundanceTV series, Hap & Leonard, which will return with its third season March 7, and co-stars in Emilio Estevez’s film, The Public, which will open the Santa Barbara Film Festival on January 31. Williams is repped by Silver Lining Entertainment and WME.
Morales, who currently stars on ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder, is repped by Innovative and LINK.
Source: Deadline
WATCH: New Trailer For ‘Ant-Man And The Wasp’
Evangeline Lilly’s superhero is front and center in the first trailer for “Ant-Man and the Wasp.”
Marvel Studios released the trailer on Tuesday, debuting the first footage of the film a day after the world premiere of another Marvel tentpole: “Black Panther.”
The trailer opens with Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang asking Lilly’s Hope van Dyne if she would have helped him, Captain America, and the Avengers crew, if he had asked for aid.
“I guess we’ll never know,” she responds. “But if you had, you’d have never been caught.”
Michael Douglas’ Hank Pym also returns for the sequel, which picks up after the events of 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” and finds the trio on the run.
With the power to shrink and enlarge themselves and other objects, even a Hello Kitty Pez dispenser can be used as a deadly tool.
The film, directed by Peyton Reed, also stars Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Abby Ryder Fortson, Tip “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Walton Goggins, Randall Park, Laurence Fishburne, Hannah John-Kamen, and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Rudd told Variety at the Sundance Film Festival that it was a thrill to work with “legends” Pfeiffer and Douglas on the movie.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp” hits theaters on July 6.
Leslie Jones Returns As NBC Contributor For The Winter Olympics!
Leslie Jones will be back at the Games – and, no, not Game of Thrones, that’s her other obsession. The SNL cast member will once again join NBC Olympics as a contributor on its coverage of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
The assignment is a no-brainer, given Jones super-fan status, first made evident with her enthusiastic tweets while watching the 2016 Rio Olympic Games – tweets that caught the attention of NBC higher-ups and got her an assignment to attend the Games, meet and interview athletes.
Now she’ll do the same in PyeongChang.
“Experiencing the Olympics through the lens of Leslie is unlike anything else,” said Jim Bell, President, NBC Olympics Production and Programming. “Her passion for Team USA is contagious, and her adventures in South Korea should be fascinating.”
At the start of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Jones tweeted a video of herself in the American flag and wearing plastic gold medals, cheering for Team USA and displaying her love for the Olympics. Bell saw, and was impressed.
Jones more recently has been nominated for an Emmy for her work on Saturday Night Live, hosted the 2017 BET Awards and was included in the Time’s list of 100 most influential people for 2017.
NBC’s Live Primetime coverage of the Winter Olympics begins February 8.
Source: Deadline
NFL Star Von Miller Jumps Into Comedy, To Host Live Comedy-Variety Show For Facebook Watch
Denver Broncos star Von Miller is heading to Facebook Watch as the host of a live weekly comedy-variety series to originate from his mansion in the Mile-High City.
“Von Miller’s Studio 58” is described as a mix of comedy bits, celebrity guests and conversations between Miller and his brothers — Vins, Tony, and Cyrus — and some of his NFL teammates as well as interaction with fans via Facebook. The series hails from High Noon Entertainment, known for producing TLC’s “Cake Boss” and HGTV’s “Fixer Upper.”
Facebook Watch has ordered eight episodes of the series, which bows Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
“Having my own show is a dream come true,” Miller said. “I look forward to bringing the fans into my home and into my world each week. I know we are going to have some fun.”
Miller’s activity on social media (he boasts 1.2 million Instagram followers) made him an attractive choice to host a Facebook Watch series. Ricky Van Veen, Facebook’s global head of creative strategy, has said the social media giant is looking for original programming for the nascent Facebook Watch platform that integrates Facebook communications tools directly into the show.
Miller, High Noon chief Jim Berger, Scott Feeley and Scott Tomlinson are exec producers. Tomlinson (“Tosh.0”) is serving as showrunner.
“Von is smart, curious, funny and incredibly adventurous. He’s as energized and unpredictable off the field as he is on,” said High Noon Entertainment CEO Jim Berger. “With Facebook as our partner, this presents a unique chance for his legion of fans to interact with him and see the fascinating man behind the helmet.”
Miller is repped by UTA, Ziffren Brittenham, Joby Branion of Vanguard Sports, and Rob Wilson of C1MG.
Source: Variety
Is ‘Martin’ Going To Finally Come Back
‘Martin’ sitcom may be making it’s return. Today (January 25th), Martin Lawrence’s fiancee – Roberta Moradfar – shared the news on social media writing,
Got word from my fiancé that my favorite show may be coming back..
Martin responded, leaving an eyeball emoji.
Martin aired for five seasons on Fox from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997. The show was one of the network’s highest-rated shows during the sitcom’s run. The series starred Martin Lawrence, who was also one of the creators of the series, along with Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne II, Thomas Mikal Ford and Tichina Arnold.
What are your thoughts on the show’s return?
Source: The Jasmine Brand
On This Day In Comedy… In 1942 Comedian And Actor John Witherspoon Was Born!
On this day in comedy on January 27, 1942, Comedian, Actor, John Witherspoon was born in Detroit, MI
Born John “Weatherspoon”, he changed his name because of course “Witherspoon” is an obvious improvement. He had other moniker alterations as well. For instance, he also went by the name of “Mexico” John Witherspoon and Johnny Witherspoon. Then again, he broke into show business as a male model (he was a “Duke Man” in Jet magazine) where aliases’ were a necessity, but in the late 60s he drifted into stand-up comedy.
John Witherspoon’s onstage persona was accessible and animated. In other words, it was a perfect combination for film and television. His first role was as a youth counselor on an episode of the CBS detective show, Barnaby Jones. He went on to guest star in such 70s hits as Good Times, The Incredible Hulk and What’s Happening!! Comedian / Writer, Paul Mooney pegged Witherspoon to be part of the ensemble for The Richard Pryor Show in 1977. The show only lasted 4 episodes, but Witherspoon made an impression. He also made a string of guest starring roles: WKRP in Cincinnati, Hill Street Blues, L. A. Law, You Again? Frank’s Place, 227, What’s happening Now!!, Amen, Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and as a regular on Townsend Television.
Film work has been a constant thread throughout Witherspoon’s career. He started out in 1980’s The Jazz Singer as the M C and 1986s Ratboy, but in 1987 things went into overdrive. Hollywood began making black films again and Witherspoon was in practically all of them beginning with the Robert Townsend / Keenen Ivory Wayans parody, Hollywood Shuffle. After that they just kept coming: I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, Bird, House Party, Talkin Dirty After Dark, The Five heartbeats, Boomerang, Meteor Man, Fatal Instinct, Murder Was the Case and Friday.
The Ice Cube / Chris Tucker blockbuster, Friday spawned a franchise and gave Witherspoon his largest role to showcase his talents. In Boomerang he popularized in catchphrase “Bang, bang, bang, bang”, but in the Friday films he was able to utilize all his antics. He played Ice Cube’s father; the kind of dad that would call you into the toilet for a family conference / chastising session while he took a dump. Those same hilarious ticks and verbal assaults got a long-term workout back on television on the WB sitcom, The Wayans Bros. Witherspoon played father to Shawn and Marlon Wayans (Williams on the show). He ran a café by day and the attention to him in every scene he stole.
Witherspoon loved stealing scenes. He did it in 2003 on The Tracy Morgan Show for all 18 episodes. He did on Living Single, Black Jesus and Black-ish. He stole them in even more films: Vampire in Brooklyn, Sprung, Bulworth, I Got the Hook Up, Fakin Da Funk, Little Nicky, Soul Plane, Little Man, and A Thousand Words. He did it when he did voice-overs for animated series, Wayneshead, The Proud Family, Kim Possible and The Boondocks. He’s done it in music videos for Goodie Mob, L L Cool J, Field Mob, Hitman Sammy Sam and Jay-Z and John Witherspoon always steals the show whenever he tours as a stand-up comedian.
