On this day in comedy on January 16, 1998, Half Baked was released by Universal Pictures
Half Baked is a stoner comedy about the saga of four lifelong friends and their love of weed. From the time they first get high together as middle schoolers, it was all good. Then tragedy strikes while one of the potheads goes on a standard munchies run and is arrested for killing a diabetic police horse with sweet snacks. It’s now up to his posse to get him out of the pokey before he gets poked. Fortunately, one of the pals works as a janitor at a place where they test marijuana. Voila! The 3 amigos would steal the weed, sell it and bail their friend out. It’s going to take a lot of dope slinging (the bail is 1 million, but they only have to come up with $100,000), but they’re up to the task. Plus, along the way there’s romance and hallucinating.
Directed by Tamra Davis from a Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan script, Half Baked stars Dave Chappelle, Harland Williams, Jim Breuer and Guillermo Diaz. It also features the talents of Clarence Williams III, Tracy Morgan, Rachel True, Tommy Chong, Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, Jon Stewart, Bob Saget, Laura Silverman, Steven Wright, Stephen Baldwin, Neal Brennan and Janeane Garofalo.
Half Baked is a cult classic taking in a box office gross of $17,460,020 on a budget of $8 million.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
Check out this clip:
Jenifer Lewis is already a riot … but add a crazy circumstance plus an amped up fan and the interaction is pure gold.
While at the NAACP Image Awards HH chatted with the black-ish actress about her experience with racism in Hollywood. Lewis, who is a legend in La La Land, was giving us an animated answer about how she didn’t have time to worry about losing roles because of her skin color, that is until a fan excitedly interrupted her. Not once, but twice!
Ms. Lewis handled the situation like a pro — but also added a side of shade — and the whole encounter ended up being funny as h*ll!
Source: Hip Hollywood
BET Networks announced the nominees and host of “THE BET SOCIAL AWARDS.”Comedian and actor Michael Blackson will host this first-of-its-kind awards show that celebrates the very best (and worst) in social media over the past year. Executive produced by Mike Epps, the social media extravaganza will be filmed LIVE on Sunday, February 11 at 10 PM ET/ 7PM PT in Atlanta. From favorite celebrity follows, to the biggest memes, hashtags and trends of the year, this one-hour event will cover all of the most memorable and talked about social media moments that flooded 2017 timelines.
Blackson also known as “The African King of Comedy” has been entertaining audiences all across the country and around the globe for more than a decade. From his gut-busting stand-up comedy on BET’s Comic View to the scene-stealing performance in the Ice Cube film Next Friday, Blackson continues to bring the LOLs to fans on his social platforms with his one-of-a-kind comedy sketches and humor.
Cardi B, OffSet, Jess Hilarious, Lil Uzi Vert, Duckie Thot, Tami Roman, Tyrese, Salt Bae, the ‘roll safe’ meme are just a few of the nominees up for an award. Who will trend to the top? The power is in the viewer’s hands! Go to BET.COM/SOCIAL to select the five (5) nominees that should make it to the final round for consideration and potentially taking the title in categories such as “Clapback,” “Social Hustle” and more! First round of voting closes Sunday, January 21 at 6 PM EST. The second round of voting featuring the top (5) nominees chosen in the online voting categories opens on Tuesday, January 23 at Noon EST.
The categories for round one of “THE BET SOCIAL AWARDS” online voting are:
ISSA WAVE:
Gone are the days of record sales reigning supreme! To be the most influential social artist, you need streams, likes and views — these bubbling artists nabbed all 3. Now the question is, who’s wavy enough to take the crown?
SOCIAL HUSTLE:
#BookedAndBusy! These influencers are the definition of “no days off.” From sliding onto our timeline and into our hearts, all while securing the bag, that’s a true hustler mentality. Vote now for your favorite!
LMAO!:
Social media is the new frontier of comedy and these nominees always keep us laughing 24/7. From their hilarious posts to their ability to pick us up when we’re down, these nominees take the cake for best social media comedians. Who served up the best kiki?
CLAPBACK:
If you troll, they’re trolling back! Internet beef is nothing new, but when these nominees let loose, the whole world notices. From clever reads to snatching edges, these nominees are known to put people back in their place. Whose clapback game was the strongest?
BEST PODCAST:
Pop in your headphones, you’re in for a treat. These podcasts are the voice of the people, and we want to know which one is your favorite!
MOOD AF:
Let’s celebrate the memes and gifs that came out of nowhere, took over our timelines and showcased clever moods, shade and subs we didn’t even know we needed.
BAEWATCH:
These power couples epitomize #relationshipgoals and we’re here for it! Rep your favorite couple and vote below!
Produced by BET Networks, “THE BET SOCIAL AWARDS” is executive produced by Mike Epps, Kyra Robinson and Eric Conte.
LOS ANGELES – January 17, 2018 – Celebrating his 30-year anniversary in comedy, veteran comedian Eddie Griffin takes to the stage in the hilarious new special EDDIE GRIFFIN: UNDENIABLE, premiering on SHOWTIME on Friday, February 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on-air, on demand and over the internet. Filmed at the Berklee Performing Arts Center in Boston, Massachusetts, Griffin offers his prolific and entertaining point of view on the state of the world, tackling politics, racism, relationships, religion and humanity as a whole. Ultimately reflecting on his long-standing career, he pays tribute to close friends and late comedians Charlie Murphy, Bernie Mac, Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor (among others) with flawless impersonations. With his quick wit and animated delivery, Griffin does not mince words in this comedy event.
Griffin started his career on stage as a dare when he was a teenager and has continued to build his fan base worldwide. The Kansas City native had been voted “Class Clown” three years in a row when his cousin dared him to get on stage at a local comedy club. He was given only a few minutes to impress the audience but ended up successfully performing off-the-cuff for 45 minutes and was hooked, purchasing a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian. Griffin’s career leaped from the stage to the screen with nearly 50 credits to his name, including starring roles in the feature filmUndercover Brother, John Q (with Denzel Washington) and the upcoming feature, A Star is Born with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, as well as his own television series Malcolm & Eddie.
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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