In a competitive situation, Showtime has landed a comedy series project from former The Daily Show correspondent Jessica Williams and indie filmmaker Jim Strouse, the duo behind The Incredible Jessica James, with Williams set to star.
Williams and Strouse will write and executive produce the comedy, which tells the story of an African American aspiring science fiction writer (Williams) who comes of age in Brooklyn. Strause will direct.
Showtime is the studio. I hear Annapurna TV is in negotiations to come aboard as a producer.
Showtime has upcoming comedy series White Famous which also is toplined by a late-night alum, SNL‘s Jay Pharoah.
Strouse’s The Incredible Jessica James, in which Williams played the title role, premiered as the closing night film at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The duo first teamed on the 2015 Sundance pic People Places Things, which marked Williams’ first major feature role. In TV, she did an arc on HBO’s Girls.
Source: Deadline
Jamie Foxx is a master impressionist, as we all know from his hilarious comedy bits and Oscar-winning performance as Ray Charles. But if you saw his 1999 comedy Held Up, you knew it was only a matter of time before Jamie accepted the role he’s been preparing his whole life to play: “Iron” Mike Tyson.
Sadly, Foxx’s A-1 impression of Mike from Held Up isn’t available on YouTube. But he did give Hot 97’s Ebro In The Morning a killer preview of his version of Mike that could sell out a few theaters without a trailer.
Both Foxx and Tyson have confirmed the project is happening, and the legendary Martin Scorsese is directing. “Filming hasn’t started yet but it’s going to happen,” said Tyson, adding, “A lot of people aren’t going to like the things I’ve done in my life.”
Sources also say that “Mike knows it is Jamie’s dream to play him and they have talked about gym work and how he could put him through his paces. The only thing is if they go sparring and Mike connects, Jamie may never make any movie again.
Jamie’s description of the opening scene had me ready to cop a ticket before anything was filmed. pic.twitter.com/d5MnRtUo44
— Plaintain Supernova (@_ChefDon_) September 19, 2017
Source: Global Grind
Netflix presents a celebration to top all celebrations in honor of the 25th anniversary of “Def Comedy Jam,” the iconic show that made giants out of ferociously funny black comedians like Martin Lawrence, Cedric The Entertainer, Dave Chappelle, Monique, Mike Epps, Adele Givens, JB Smoove, D.L. Hughley, Tracy Morgan and Sheryl Underwood to name a few. Def Comedy Jam 25 celebrates the impact and legacy of the long-running comedy series with surprise guests, tributes and performances in a can’t-miss evening of unbelievably funny and raw moments. Stan Lathan, Russell Simmons, Sandy Wernick and Jesse Collins serve as executive producers.
Def Comedy Jam 25 will launch exclusively on Netflix on September 26th
Martin Lawrence was honored at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Game Changers. Check out the above video of Martin accepting the Award.
Below, Tiny, Salt-N-Pepa, Damon Dash, Remy Ma and more discuss how Martin Lawrence brought hip hop to the masses. Watch video below;
After being a recurring character for four episodes of Power’s Season 4, Larenz Tate has been promoted to a series regular for Season 5.
Tate plays Jamaica, Queens councilman Rashad Tate.
Tate, who we just saw in Girls Trip has also been cast as the lead in an upcoming ABC drama, Salamander.
From Executive Producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and show creator Courtney Kemp, Power is a drama straddling the glamorous lifestyles of Manhattan’s rich and infamous and the dark underworld of the international drug trade.
The cast is led by Omari Hardwick as drug kingpin and nightclub impresario James “Ghost” St. Patrick, Joseph Sikora, as his brother in arms in the drug business, Tommy Egan; Naturi Naughton plays Ghost’ fierce, loyal wife Tasha St. Patrick and Lela Loren as his first love, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Angela Valdes.
Season Four picked up on the heels of James “Ghost” St. Patrick’s highly publicized arrest by his ex-girlfriend, Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Valdes, for the murder of FBI Agent Greg Knox—a crime he did not commit. Ghost can’t outrun his past choices and mounting enemies this season, which threaten his freedom and his family’s safety at every turn. His fight for redemption brings him face-to-face with the Feds, the media, new allies, and old foes. But the biggest obstacle for Ghost remains himself and his internal struggle between the man he wants to be and the one he really is.
Power season 5 premieres in 2018.
Source: Shadowandact
Teyana Taylor, Blair Underwood, and rappers French Montana, Wiz Khalifa and Kyle (real name Kyle Harvey) have been cast in an upcoming Netfilx comedy film called The After Party.
The coming-of-age comedy also stars Jordan Rock, Harrison Holzer and Shelley Hennig.
The film’s description, per Deadline: “The pic revolves around two best friends on their last night together trying to achieve a record deal before one heads to college and the other leaves for military service. In one wild night, a lot will go down before the sun comes up and these two lifelong friends either have succeeded on their quest or must go their separate ways.”
Produced by Russell Simmons, the project is from Def Pictures, WorldStar Hip Hop, Hunting Lane Films and Live Nation Productions. This is Live Nation’s first scripted project.
The project was also developed by the late founder of WorldStar Hip Hop, Lee “Q” O’Denat who was inspired to make this Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and American Graffiti. Aside from Simmons and O’Denat — Jake Stein, Jamie Patricof, Heather Parry, Trevor Engelson, Doug Banker are also producers.
Underwood is a series regular on ABC’s Quantico and Taylor stars in The Breaks, which is moving to BET from VH1 for its sophomore season.
Source: Shadowandact
Dominika Egorova is many things. A devoted daughter determined to protect her mother at all costs. A prima ballerina whose ferocity has pushed her body and mind to the absolute limit. A master of seductive and manipulative combat. When she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika and her mother are facing a bleak and uncertain future.
That is why she finds herself manipulated into becoming the newest recruit for Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their bodies and minds as weapons. After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow the program has ever produced. Dominika must now reconcile the person she was with the power she now commands, with her own life and everyone she cares about at risk, including an American CIA agent who tries to convince her he is the only person she can trust.
In Theaters March 2, 2018
Directed by: Francis Lawrence Screenplay by: Justin Haythe Based upon the book by: Jason Matthews Produced by: Peter Chernin, Steve Zaillian, Jenno Topping Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeremy Irons
LOS ANGELES, – Building off of its robust slate of original comedy series for its summer programming lineup, UMC – Urban Movie Channel is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with Insecure star Jay Ellis on the premiere of his latest project, HARD MEDICINE. Produced by Ellis alongside producing partner Paula Bryant-Ellis, the series is a workplace comedy created by Melissa Eno Effa in the vein of “Scrubs” and “The Office.” Comprised of eight 10-12 minute episodes, the show centers around a quirky medical doctor of a low-income health clinic who must maneuver between demanding corporate heads, outlandish patients, and her wacky but loyal staff, all in an effort to keep the community’s haven of health care afloat.
Nicole Slaughter stars as Dr. Moore, the sometimes awkward but beloved lead physician who constantly faces opposition from corporate heads who want the clinic gone for good. Celest Turner plays Rose, the manager of the clinic. Creator Melissa Eno Effa is Clarice, the rough-around-the-edges but loyal receptionist. Jeff Hunt portrays Jason, the extremely emotional nurse, and Ashley Narvaez plays the often mindless nurse assistant.
“I’m thrilled to be working on another project with Angela [Northington] and her team at UMC after the release of Like Cotton Twines earlier this year,” says Jay Ellis. “The world and characters Melissa Eno Effa has created with Hard Medicine are unique, authentic, lovable and relatable. Sharing this journey with her has made this one of my favorite projects I’ve had the opportunity to produce. We are so thankful to have UMC as the home for this new project and to share it with a larger audience.”
The first episode of Hard Medicine premiered last Wednesday August 2nd on Ellis’ Facebook page and has amassed over 1 million views to date. The second episode will air today, August 9th. The remaining six episodes will premiere weekly on UMC every Wednesday beginning August 16th, 2017. The first two episodes of Hard Medicine will also be available to stream on UMC. Available at www.umc.tv, UMC is the first premium subscription streaming service that showcases quality African American and urban entertainment across all genres from RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE).
Created by Robert L. Johnson, Chairman of RLJ Entertainment and founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), Urban Movie Channel (UMC) is the first subscription streaming service created for African American and urban audiences in North America that features quality urban content and showcases feature films, documentaries, original series, stand-up comedy, and other exclusive content. UMC is Available on iOS, Apple TV, Amazon Channels, Roku, Amazon Fire TV & Fire TV Stick. At www.UMC.tv, UMC offers a free 7-day trial and thereafter is just $4.99/month or $49.99/year. Keep up with UMC on Facebook at Facebook.com/UrbanMovieChannel and on Twitter/Instagram @WatchUMC.
Netflix recently released a promo for their latest run of online content, and Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock happened to be included in the latest batch of shows, stand-ups, and series to be pushed. This promo is interesting because it finds comedians breaking through important scenes from popular Netflix shows and delivering their own style of dialogue to fit the scene. Some of the comedians seen in different scenes during the promo include Ellen DeGeneres, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, and Chris Rock.
Previously, Dave Chappelle signed on for two Netflix comedy specials that gained him tens of millions of dollars. Now, news has surfaced revealing Chappelle may have more on the way. In the promo, one clip finds Dave Chappelle walking into a Stranger Thingsclip with all of the kids from the show, where he catches them trying to break into a room. Another clip finds Chris Rock standing up on lunchroom table while firing off an O.J. Simpson joke to the ladies of Orange Is The New Black. From there, we see Chappelle and Rock screaming at the fact that Eleven from Stranger Things can crush a coke can with her mind.
Watch above.
Silver Spring, MD –TEGNA Inc. and TV One, the network which represents the best in Black culture and entertainment, announced that “Sister Circle,” a live, daily talk show hosted by a panel of four female hosts, will premiere on a new date, Monday, September 18. Led by News One Now, which will expand to 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., “Sister Circle” will air live weekdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on TV One as part of the morning news and lifestyle programming block, as well as in 12 TEGNA markets. This is the first-time TV One, which reaches 59 million households, will carry original programming from a local station group. “Sister Circle” will be produced out of TEGNA’s WATL in Atlanta and reach 60 percent of U.S. television households.
“The collaboration between TV One and TEGNA allows us to present a talk show uniquely tailored to African-American women that will bring the energy and fun of a good get together with your best girlfriends to our daily morning line up,” said D’Angela Proctor, head of original programming, TV One. “Watching ‘Sister Circle’ will be like having brunch with your best girlfriends every day. While the audience will come for the conversation, they’ll stay for the sisterhood.”
“Sister Circle” will empower and inspire African-American women and include news and insights on relationships, parenting, fitness, personal finances, the latest trends and the joys and frustrations of everyday life, all from the compelling, humorous and sincere perspective of the show’s hosts. The show will also feature interviews with celebrity guests and expert opinions on key and relevant issues. “Sister Circle” will also offer multiple ways for the audience to engage in the program, including the launch of a live, interactive polling app, which will help drive discussion across social media 24/7.
The dynamic hosts of “Sister Circle” have spent their careers in journalism, business, music and entertainment. They include: Quad Webb-Lunceford, “Married To Medicine” reality-TV breakout star; Syleena Johnson, a Grammy-award nominated singer and “R&B Divas” TV star; Rashan Ali, TV Host, sports reporter and radio show host; and Kiana Dancie, a stand-up comedienne, radio personality and actress. The hosts will be joined by ‘DJ Q,’ who, when not spinning records, adds a guy’s unique POV to the ‘Sister Circle’ discussion.
“We are excited to bring this diverse and groundbreaking live show to audiences across multiple platforms,” said Bob Sullivan, senior vice president, programming, TEGNA. “Audiences will love the chemistry and personalities of our hosts and engaging with them across platforms throughout their day. The show will discuss important issues facing the African-American community and offer insight and perspective that is not easily found on daytime TV. We are excited to bring the show’s point of view to our TEGNA communities and thrilled to partner with TV One to air the show nationally. The channel represents the best in Black culture and entertainment and ‘Sister Circle’ is a perfect fit in their morning news and lifestyle lineup.”
Veteran television executive Helen Swenson has been named senior executive producer and showrunner for “Sister Circle.” Swenson has spent more than 30 years in live television, program development, sales, digital and marketing. As senior vice president of The Weather Channel, Swenson created and developed “Wake Up With Al” featuring Al Roker. She was in charge of overseeing all live programming development for the cable network. Swenson has also served as general manager and news director at various television stations across the country.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of ‘Sister Circle.’ We’ve assembled an amazing team of people both in front of and behind the camera,” said Swenson. “The dynamic hosts and the creative team will produce a show that will be entertaining and fun but will also generate meaningful, relevant, engaging conversations in a live, multi-platform format. This is one of the most exciting and meaningful projects I’ve ever been a part of.”