Nick Cannon To Host Nickelodeon’s ‘Lip Sync Battle’ Kids Spinoff! #NickCannon #LipSyncBattle #Comedy
Nick Cannon will host “Lip Sync Battle Shorties,” Nickelodeon’s kid-version spinoff of “Lip Sync Battle,”.
Nickelodeon has also cast 14-year-old social media sensation JoJo Siwa to serve as Cannon’s sidekick, providing commentary on each performance.
“I’m excited to host the first season of ‘Lip Sync Battle Shorties,’” said Cannon. “It’s always a pleasure to work with my family at Nickelodeon. It’s going to be a lot of fun watching the kids lip-sync their favorite songs and perform like their favorites artists.”
Cannon, who recently departed NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” as host, got his start on Nickelodoen as a teen on the ’90s sketch series “All That.” Nickelodeon then gave him his own series, “The Nick Cannon Show,” and in years since, Cannon has returned to the kids’ cabler for various awards shows such as “Kids Choice Awards” and more. In 2005, Cannon created and hosts MTV’s improv series “Wild ‘N Out,” which just kicked off its ninth season this summer.
A spinoff of Spike’s flagship show, “Lip Sync Battle Shorties” will span 10 episodes in its first season. The show will feature real-life kids lip-syncing pop songs in celebration of their favorite artists. Each episode will also feature the Shorties Dance Crew, a 10-person backup crew that has mastered all styles of dance from break-dancing to ballroom. The episodes will each conclude with a special celebrity appearance and final performance from all the kids. The series is set to premiere in 2018, and later this year, Nickelodeon will air Halloween and holiday specials.
The series comes after Nickelodeon aired a “Lip Sync Battle Shorties” special in December 2016, drawing over 2 million viewers in delayed viewing. To date, the special has brought in more than 20 million views on the network’s YouTube channel.
“Nick Cannon grew up on Nickelodeon and into one of the best hosts and comedic actors on TV. Along with his passion for music, he brings with him such an amazing understanding and enthusiasm for kid performers. We feel very lucky to have Nick at the helm of ‘Shorties.’ We’re ready to rock!,” said Casey Patterson and Jay Peterson, executive producers on “Lip Sync Battle” and its Nickelodeon spinoff.
“With Nick Cannon at the helm, every episode of ‘Lip Sync Battle Shorties’ will be an over-the-top Nickelodeon event, with real kids in the driver’s seat, battling head-to-head in the ultimate competition show,” added Bronwen O’Keefe, senior vice president of live action and movies at Nickelodeon.
“Lip Sync Battle Shorties” hails from Casey Patterson Entertainment and Matador Content, the production companies behind the original “Lip Sync Battle” on Spike, another Viacom company. The Spike version is hosted by LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen, and has featured A-list lip-synchers including Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Dwayne Johnson, and Channing Tatum. Executive producers are Patterson, Peterson, John Krasinski, and Stephen Merchant. The original series is Spike’s most-watched series of all time.
Source: Variety
WATCH: The New Trailer For NBC’s ‘Marlon’ Starring Marlon Wayans And Essence Atkins! #NBC #Marlon #MarlonWayans #HumorMillMag
Check out a first look trailer for ‘MARLON’, NBC’s upcoming new comedy starring Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins, Bresha Webb and Diallo Riddle.
Loosely inspired by the real life of star Marlon Wayans (“In Living Color,” “Scary Movie”), this update to the classic family comedy centers on a loving (but immature) father committed to co-parenting his two kids with his very-together ex-wife. While his misguided fatherly advice, unstoppable larger-than-life personality and unpredictable Internet super stardom might get in the way sometimes, for Marlon, family really always does come first – even if he’s the biggest kid of all.
The ‘Black-ish’ Spinoff Gets New Title! #Blackish #Freeform #Comedy #HumorMillMag
It looks like the upcoming Black-ish spinoff on Freeform, starring Yara Shahidi (Zoey) has a new name. The show, which was originally set under the working title, College-ish will now be called Grown-ish.
Barris and Shahidi talked about the show in an interview with BlackTreeTV at Essence Fest.
“It’s now called Grown-ish,” said Barris. “We start the writers room Monday. Me and Yara have been in casting, looking for the best, brightest and newest faces. We have some people that we’re really excited about. She is amazing, she’s been my partner on this and it’s great.”
When asked “if Trevor would finally give you a chance?”, referring to the potential relationship between Trevor Jackson’s character and Shahidi’s Zoey, the actress laughed and said, “That’s up to Kenya.” Barris responded with, “We’ve got someone else if he doesn’t!”
College-ish will follow the eldest Johnson child, Zoey (Shahidi) at college. It will also star black-ish’s Deon Cole.
Both Shahidi and Cole will concurrently appear on both shows, as well as Anthony Anderson (Dre) and Tracee Ellis Ross (Bow).
Trevor Jackson and Mallory Sparks played Zoey’s friends in its backdoor pilot while Chris Parnell and Matt Walsh were college administrators. It hasn’t been officially confirmed yet if any of them will for sure return in the series’ Freeform debut, but you should definitely expect Jackson and Sparks there.
#Shadow & Act, Blacktree TV
Kenan Thompson To Produce New Kids Comedy Sketch Show ‘Skoogle’! #KenanThompson #Skoogle #SNL
Saturday Night Live cast member Kenan Thompson is set to revisit the days of All That with a new live-action sketch comedy show for kids titled Skoogle at pocket.watch, a media brand that creates, acquires, distributes and curates content for kids ages 2-11. Thompson will reteam with Albie Hecht, Chief Content Officer of pocket.watch and former President of Nickelodeon Entertainment for the new series.
Hecht, who was the original executive behind the aforementioned classic ’90s kids sketch show All That, will serve as Executive Producer with Thompson. Co-producers Josh Server, who also worked on All That, and Mason Gordon will executive produce. In a statement, the inspiration for the show’s format was described as “the ‘never too young’ entrepreneurial spirit that is encouraging kids everywhere to start their own businesses at any age. And have a blast doing it!”
“Kenan Thompson is a comedic genius,” said Hecht in a statement. “At Nickelodeon, I witnessed first-hand Kenan and his fellow cast members’ ability to turn everyday scenarios into hilarious adventures. I’m very excited to have the opportunity to once again reteam with Kenan and bring premium sketch comedy to a new generation of fans.”
Skoogle will feature Thompson as the voice of the titular Skoogle, an Siri/Alexa-like digital assistant for kids who has been created to help with their daily problems. Along with his cast of kid entrepreneur inventors, Skoogle will satirize everything from service apps to streaming entertainment to social media. The series marks the first major series production for pocket.watch.
Having been on SNL for 14 season, Thompson is now the longest running cast member on the iconic sketch show. He got his start on All That which led to the feature film Good Burger. He is repped by UTA; Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein & Lezcano, and Michael Goldman.
Source: Deadline
On This Day In Comedy… In 1994 ‘Beverly Hills Cop III’ Was Released! #BeverlyHillsCopIII #Comedy #HumorMillMag
On this day in comedy on May 25, 1994, Beverly Hills Cop III was released by Paramount Pictures
This third installment in the trilogy reteams Eddie Murphy and director, John Landis. They worked previously on the comedy classics, Trading Places and Coming to America. This film does not follow that tradition. In Beverly Hills Cop III Murphy reprises his signature role of Axel Foley, the wisecracking detective from Detroit who always finds himself in Beverly Hills. This time it’s because somebody killed his boss (as opposed to his friend) and Murphy has to get to the bottom of it and the only place to do that is any place but where the murder took place.
On this outing the suspects are counterfeiters (as opposed to drug or gun runners). Murphy hooks up with the newly promoted Billy Rosewood from the first two films (Ronny Cox and John Ashton reportedly passed once they did a little thing like read the script) and his new partner and it’s on and cracking. They’re off to Wonder World in Encino, California (but it was really in Santa Clara) where Murphy gets to know Theresa Randle. Naturally, his cover is blown when he’s caught snooping around where he doesn’t belong and now they’re out to kill him. Even more naturally he avoids all that murder-the-star nonsense and triumphs triumphantly at the climatic end. The owner of Wonder World is so grateful he names a new theme park character he made up in his old hospital ridden head after Murphy, Axel Fox. Corny end to a similar toned flick.
However, despite being critically lambasted, Beverly Hills Cop III had a good cast: Judge Reinhold, Jon Tenney, Hector Elizondo, Alan Young, Joey Travolta, Stephen McHattie, John Saxon, Timothy Carhart, Michael Bowen and Bronson Pinchot. And besides the action sequences one of the highlights of the film were the cameos. George Lucas, John Singleton, Barbet Schroeder, Jerry Dunphy, Ray Harryhausen, Arthur Hiller, Joe Dante and Robert B. Sherman appear (composing brother Richard Sherman shot a part but it didn’t make the final edit).
Beverly Hills Cop III was made on a reported budget of $50 million and grossed $42 million domestically and $77.2 internationally for a worldwide box office gross of $119.2 million.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1962 Comedian And Actor Gilbert Esquivel Was Born! #GilbertEsquivel
On this day in comedy on May 21, 1962, Comedian, Actor, Gilbert Esquivel was born in Parma, Idaho, 1962
Esquivel’s parents were migrant workers who kept the family traveling. Eventually, they settled down in Pacoima, California, where young Gilbert became a gangbanger. When he figured out his quality of life aspects would be low based on his lifestyle choice he decided to pull a 180 and get his positive on. He began going to church to hang out with a girl he liked and ended up accepting Jesus as his savior. Next step towards his salvation – he became a comedian. Many of his first bits revolved around his gang life experiences. Why not? It was universal. Who didn’t know a gangbanger?
Gilbert Esquivel found work easily after winning a high-profile comedy competition at the oldest comedy club in Southern California, The Ice House, his first year as a comedian. He came in during the comedy boom and took advantage of the television available. He appeared on a multitude of shows including Que Loco and BET’s Comic View (the first Latin to reach the semi-finals) as well as performing nationally in clubs, prisons and colleges. His comedy style appealed to all audiences; which was evident by his rousing reactions at the Apollo Theater and Caesar’s Palace.
Esquivel is one of the country’s leading Christian Comedians even though he doesn’t classify his comedy by that label. He views himself as a Christian doing comedy. Either way, he’s a funny role model for the nation’s youth. That’s the goal. To show kids it’s more fun to laugh and live a positive life than to cause misery and end up behind bars or under a tombstone.
On This Day Comedy… In 1949, Comedian, Writer, And Actor, Franklyn Ajaye Was Born! #FranklynAjaye
On this day in comedy May 13, 1949, Comedian, Writer, Actor, Franklyn Ajaye was born in Brooklyn, New York
Dubbed “The Jazz Comedian” by his admiring peers for his improvisational comedic style, Ajaye was always more artist than fame seeker. A contemporary of mega-star, Richard Pryor, Ajaye shunned the confining and debilitating effects of stardom after witnessing firsthand those effects had on Pryor the man and comedian. Ajaye disdained being put under the show biz microscope. He just wanted to be funny and get paid for it. Hanging out at comedy clubs when he wasn’t working or with comics he wasn’t working with wasn’t his style.
Ajaye had dropped out of college to become a comedian. His original goal was to become a lawyer, but all that flew out the window when he gave stand-up a try at the encouragement of classmates who thought he was funny and knew law was history. After giving himself a crash course in the art of levity he was ready to work it. Ajaye’s first national recognition was on The Flip Wilson Show in 1973, the same year he released his first comedy album, Franklyn Ajaye, Comedian. In 1974 he debuted on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and dropped his second LP, I’m a Comedian, Seriously.
Franklyn Ajaye’s known as a strong influence among the generations that followed him. He was smart, insightful and above all funny in a broad range of mediums. There were movies: Sweet Revenge, Car Wash, Convoy, Stir Crazy, The Jazz Singer, starring Neil Diamond, Hysterical, Get Crazy, Fraternity Vacation, Hollywood Shuffle, The Wrong Guys, The ‘Burb, The Yakuza and Bridesmaids. Television: Barney Miller, Partners in Crime, Deadwood, The Greenroom. Albums: Don’t Smoke Dope, Fry Your Hair (1977), Plaid Pants and Psychopaths (1986) and Vagabond Jazz & the Abstract Truth (2004) and the book Comic Insights: The Art of Standup Comedy.
In 1997 Ajaye got tired of the whole crazy scene and went south. So south he ended up in Australia, where he stayed. He made occasional trips to the United States for comedy work, but other than that he made his final pilgrimage to the land he would call home following the 2012 election cycle when Ajaye saw just enough and stated ‘as long as Americas going in this direction, I’m going in another” and he left for good; carving out a comfortable niche for himself in Sydney and Melbourne in particular by appearing on the shows, The Panel and Thank God You’re Here. He also mounted one man shows in his new home at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival: “Nothing But The Truth”, Talkin Vagabond Jazz”, and “Vagabond Jazz & The Abstract Truth”.
Franklyn Ajaye is a two time Emmy nominee for Outstanding Writing in a Variety Series for his work on In Living Color and Politically Incorrect.
On This Day In Comedy… Comedic Actress, And Director Kim Fields Was Born! #KimFields #TheFactsOfLife
On this day in comedy on May 12, 1969, Comedic Actress, Director, Kim Victoria Fields was born New York City, New York
Thanks to actress/stage mother Chip Fields, Kim got an early start in show business. Following a craft honing period of performing on commercials, TV movies (Have I Got a Christmas for You) and guest starring roles in sitcoms (Good Times), Fields got her first co-starring role in the Demond Wilson / Denise Nicholas show, Baby, I’m Back. The return didn’t last long and Fields was back to making guest appearances (Different Strokes, Mork & Mindy) until she learned The Facts of Life.
The part of “Tootie” put Fields on the sitcom map. She had a catchphrase (“We’re in troou-ble”) and a following. Why not? The Facts of Life was a ratings bonanza for NBC from 1979 to 1988 (spinning off several specials) and allowed Fields to branch off into other areas of show business, such as recording. Fields released a disco single (“He Loves Me He Loves Me Not”) and the R&B hit, “Dear Michael” while on The Facts of Life.
Once the show ended, Fields took time off to complete her education at Pepperdine University. Then in 1993, she returned with a vengeance on the Fox sitcom, Living Single, co-starring with Queen Latifah, Erika Alexander, and Kim Coles. They played four friends doing what the title says – living single. During the show’s run Fields took her skills learned at Pepperdine and started directing, beginning with a couple of episodes of Living Single. She then transitioned into a 26 episode run of directing, Kenan & Kel, then helming installments of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, his Meet the Brown’s and BET’s Let’s Stay Together.
Once Living Single went off the air, Fields started rapping with the group Impromp 2. She also went back to guest starring (One on One, The Steve Harvey Show, The Drew Carey Show, Eve). In 2015 she began a short stint on The Real Housewives of Atlanta and she competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2016.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1987 ‘Uptown Comedy Express’ Premiered! #UptownComedyExpress #Comedy #HumorMillMag
On this day in comedy on May 9, 1987, Uptown Comedy Express premiered.
Taped Live at the Ebony Showcase Theater in Los Angeles as part of the On Location series, this 1-hour comedy special was produced by Eddie Murphy Productions and featured standup and sketch performances by up & coming comedians Chris Rock, Marsha Warfield, Barry Sobel, Arsenio Hall and Robert Townsend. The quintet portrayed night club employees with the MC played by Ray Murphy (Eddie Murphy’s Uncle Ray).
Directed by Russ Petranto, Uptown Comedy Express was written by Ilunga Dell, Margaret Oberman and the five featured comedians. There are uncredited cameos by Jasmine Guy, Paul Mooney, Magic Johnson, Gladys Knight and Eddie Murphy as audience members. Mark Corry and Clint Smith were the producers of the special and played servers on the show. Eddie Murphy was executive producer with musical guests; Eddie Murphy favorites – The Busboys.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1977 Comedian, Actor, Voice-Over Artist, Jeff Garcia Was Born! #JeffGarcia
On this day in comedy on May 3, 1977, Comedian, Actor, Voice-Over Artist, Jeffrey “Jeff” Garcia was born in LaPuente, CA
Garcia got started in comedy early – age 15. A few years later he was working steadily in clubs and bars on the Latin circuit in Southern California such as The Wild Coyote. He became a popular club host and in-demand headliner. Known as a quick wit with a strong stage persona, he soon got the attention of mainstream establishments and the industry. Garcia performed on televised standup showcases and toured nationally as well as overseas.
The masses got the biggest Jeff Garcia impact through his voice. Garcia was the voice of Buster the Dog in 1999’s Toy Story 2. Then he got the role that gained him fame – Sheen Estevez in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. The film was nominated for an Academy Award and when it crossovered to television he remained in the Neutron world through its various phases and specials. He also did Planet Sheen on Nickelodeon. Garcia has played Pip Nemo. He was Tipa Bat in Rio and a spoonbill in Rio 2. He’s also voiced numerous video games for Nicktoons including one for Happy Feet and SpongeBob SquarePants
However, Jeff Garcia’s more than just a funny voice. His face is too and has been seen in 3 Strikes, Caroline in the City, Dangerous Minds, Something to Sing About, Mr. Box Office, Transformers: Robots in Disguise and Clone High.
Garcia has done radio with the KMRK-FM 96.1 Wild Wake Up Crew. He performed a half-hour special on Comedy Central Presents and hosted Latin Comedy Fiesta Volume 1. In 2004 he won the Annie Award for Outstanding Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production.
