Ludacris (Credit: Donna-Permell)
Rapper/actor/host Ludacris has inked an overarching production deal with MTV that will see him develop new programming for the network.
The first project that will fall under this new agreement will be a reboot of the breakthrough competition series “Fear Factor” with “a brand-new twist or two.”
Originally hosted by Joe Rogan, Ludacris will now be the show’s frontman and serve as executive producer.
While the show will continue its tradition of having contestants battle it out for $50,000, its new stunts will take inspiration from urban legends, popular scary movies and viral videos. Some examples mentioned include: “Roach-ella” (we assume it’ll have something to do with roaches; something called “Trap Queen” (your guess is as good as ours), and personal cell phone rescues at heights of over 100 feet.
“MTV is about celebrating youth culture, and with the reinvented ‘Fear Factor,’ we are putting the power in our audience’s hands to face and overcome their biggest fears,” said Chris McCarthy, president of MTV, VH1 and Logo.
“I am excited to kick off my partnership with MTV, starting with the relaunch of ‘Fear Factor,’ which will be even more insane and ludicrous than what you remember,” added Ludacris. “This will be the first of many great projects together.”
MTV’s “Fear Factor” reboot with Ludacris will premiere on Tuesday, May 30 at 10pm ET/PT.
The original “Fear Factor” aired between 2001 and 2006. It was based on a Dutch series titled “Now or Neverland.” It was later revived in 2011, only to be canceled again on May 13, 2012. After its second cancellation, a two-part special aired in July 2012.
The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a grand prize, usually of US $50,000.
MTV has released a sneak peek at the upcoming series reboot. Check it out below:
Source: Shadow & Act
Paramount
Here’s the basic question – was there really much public demand for yet another “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie? Taking that even further, where were the screaming hoards of filmgoers asking for a “Baywatch” film? If the exist, I sure missed them.
As for “Pirates”, people mat not know or forget what a huge risk Disney was taking when they released the first “Pirate” film, subtitled “The Curse of the Black Pearl”, back in July 2003. Though it was based on a popular amusement ride in Disneyland, no studio had made a real pirate movie since the early 80’s. They were considered old fashioned and of no interest to the movie going public. So making a new pirate movie was a big gamble, compounded with the fact that Johnny Depp was far from being a genuine box office draw back then.
He had, at the time, been in a few films that had done OK box office at best, but he also had a long trail of flops, while also being considered too quirky an actor to be a mainstream attraction. So a pirate movie starring a questionable box office lead was a risky deal. In fact, Disney execs were so unprepared and shocked by what they saw Depp doing in the production rushes that they panicked and were convinced the film was going to tank.
It turns out that they had noting to worry about. Not only was the film a massive worldwide box office hit, with Depp even getting an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his inspired groundbreaking performance as Captain Jack Sparrow, the actor joined the A-list. But after three sequels, was it necessary to make another one?
You’d think the franchise has been played out by now, but there are some reasons why Disney and Depp went back to the well one more time. First of all, the “Pirates” franchise has grossed nearly $4 billion worldwide, with three of those films individually earning over a billion globally. So with grosses like that, why not make another one? There might be still some life left in the series.
Also Depp has been in a rough spot, both career and personal. Though he was deservedly praised for his gangster role in “Black Mass” he hasn’t had a real box office hit in some time, and needs something to revive his career. So why not go back to the tried and true, even though the film and his performance could seem pretty stale by now.
And it looks like Disney might be right about life being left in the “Pirates” franchise, despite the terrible reviews it’s been getting, since the new one – “Dead Men Tell No Tales” – was No.1 this holiday weekend, with almost $62 million domestic and $270 million worldwide to date. The number will grow once the late Sunday night/Monday holiday numbers are factored in. And while its $62 million domestic open is nowhere near the $90. 2 million that the last “Pirates” movie – 2011’s “On Stranger Tides” – did on its opening weekend, it’s good enough for Disney, especially when you consider the tough competition that includes “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” which was strong enough to stay No. 2 for the second week in a row with $19.9 million and $333 million domestically.
But what’s more impressive is that domestic tally is exactly the total amount of money that the first “Galaxy” movie made in the U.S., meaning that “Galaxy 2” will far surpass the first film domestically, after all is said and done. In addition, with a worldwide total of $783 million so far, that is $10 million more than what the first “Galaxy” film earned globally in total, and it’ll still be making money for some time to come.
As for “Baywatch”, the lesson here is that you can never trust rumors. When the film version of the old 80’s TV show was announced, many thought it was a bad idea, and yet another example of Hollywood’s fear of original ideas. However, a few months ago, rumors that the film was actually genuinely funny and much better than anyone had anticipated, began to travel. Now we know those rumors were totally false since reviews and filmgoer comments have made it clear that “Baywatch” is one of the absolute worst and least funny films of the year.
And that may not be good news for Dwayne Johnson who, despite his popularity and A-list status, is not the most reliable box office draw around. With the exception of last year’s comedy “Central Intelligence” with Kevin Hart, and the disaster film “San Andreas”, he has yet to prove that he can really bring people into the theater when he’s the star of a film. So far his biggest box office hits have been the “Fast and Furious” films in which he is part of an larger ensemble cast. But his starring roles such as in “Hercules”, “Pain and Gain” and “GI Joe Retaliation” have either tanked or have done OK worldwide, but nothing spectacular.
“Baywatch” continues that trend, coming in third with $18 million and $22.7 million total, which may not sound too bad, but is a disappointment since it was predicted to do better. However what is more surprising was the massive 71% drop for “Alien: Covenant” indicating not-so-great word of mouth. At $57 million so far, the film won’t even reach $100 million, although that’s not much of a surprise since no “Alien” film has ever made $100 million domestically at the box office. However 1986’s “Aliens” came the closest with $85 million.
Meanwhile “Everything Everything”, which is been attracting hoards of teenage girls, held up pretty well in a smart counter programming move by Warner Bros and looks likely to hit somewhere between $35-40 million domestically, which would be a nice sum for the very modestly budgeted feature ($10 million production budget). Meanwhile the independently produced and distributed Latino comedy “How to be a Latin Lover” has quietly become a sleeper hit, grossing close to $31 million to far.
And for those of you keeping tabs, “Get Out” is just shy of $9 million to hit the $250 million worldwide mark.
This weekend’s top 12 grossing films below:
1) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales BV $62,179,000
2) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 BV $19,890,000 Total: $333,205,927
3) Baywatch Par. $18,100,000 Total: $22,706,514
4) Alien: Covenant Fox $10,525,000 Total: $57,347,181
5) Everything, Everything WB $6,185,000 Total: $21,541,113
6) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Fox $4,400,000 Total: $13,581,961
7) Snatched Fox $3,905,000 Total: $40,184,625
8) King Arthur: Legend of the Sword WB $3,215,000 Total: $33,870,202
9) The Boss Baby Fox $1,700,000 Total: $168,957,190
10) Beauty and the Beast (2017) BV $1,563,000 Total: $500,563,435
11) The Fate of the Furious Uni. $1,472,545 Total: $222,523,415
12) How to be a Latin Lover PNT $1,000,000 Total: $30,910,580
Source: Shadow & Act
CLAWS – TNT
TNT’s new series “Claws” is described as a “midnight-dark, wickedly funny meditation on female badness set in a South Florida nail salon.” The series, executive produced by Rashida Jones, follows the rise of five diverse and treacherous manicurists working at the Nail Artisan of Manatee County salon, where there is a lot more going on than silk wraps and pedicures.
At the center is salon owner Desna (played by Niecy Nash), who lives with and cares for her mentally ill twin brother, Dean (played by Harold Perrineau). Desna’s staff includes best friend Jennifer (Jenn Lyon), a tenuously sober ex-party girl raising two children from previous relationships; Quiet Ann (Judy Reyes), Desna’s enigmatic driver who also provides security for the salon; Polly (Carrie Preston), a mild-mannered preppy who recently served time in prison for identity theft; and Virginia (Karrueche Tran), who makes no effort to hide her boredom and impatience with her job. Adding chaos to the Nail Artisan mix is Roller (Jack Kesy), a gangstered-out redneck who runs a barely legal pain clinic and uses Desna’s nail salon to launder their obscene profits; Bryce (Kevin Rankin), Jennifer’s husband who is also newly sober and trying to stay legit by working as an abundance coach; and Dr. Ken Brickman (Jason Antoon), a bona fide doctor at a decidedly un-bona fide and illegal drug clinic.
Janine Sherman Barrois is executive producer and serves as showrunner for “Claws.”
Will McCormack is an executive producer as well.
The pilot was written by series co-executive producer Eliot Laurence and directed by Nicole Kassell.
“Claws is wild and hilarious, and we can’t wait for viewers to immerse themselves in this fascinating world,” said Sarah Aubrey, executive vice president of original programming for TNT, in a previous statement. “This is a show with great storytelling featuring empowered female characters and brought to life by a diverse group of incredibly talented individuals both in front of and behind the camera.”
“Claws is such a unique and special show. We are so grateful to Eliot Laurence, Janine Sherman Barrois, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack and our supremely talented cast for bringing these amazing characters to life, and to TNT for believing in it,” said Susan Rovner and Brett Paul, Co-Presidents of Warner Horizon Scripted Television, also in a previous statement.
TNT ordered a 10-episode first season for “Claws,” and has now set a Sunday, June 11, at 9 p.m. premiere.
“Claws” is produced by Jones and McCormack’s Le Train Train, in association with Warner Horizon Television and Turner’s Studio T.
TNT has premiered a second full trailer for the upcoming series; watch it below:
Source: Shadow & Act
On this day in comedy on March 6, Comedian, Actor, Author, and activist Darryl Lynn “D. L.” Hughley was born in Los Angeles, CA
Hughley’s life arc goes from gangbanger to Los Angeles Times employee to top standup comedian. The comedy part got its start in clubs in L. A. including the Comedy Act Theater and Miss Wiz, where Hughley was house host. He got early recognition and landed a late-night talk show on local based K-CAL, but it was short lived due to his hot competition – Arsenio Hall premiered that same season. The setback was short-lived. Hughley was next pegged to be the first host of BET’s standup showcase, Comic View. He remained there for two seasons (1992-1993) then moved on to tour.
In 1998 D. L. Hughley made his next foray into television on his own self-titled sitcom, The Hughleys, originally airing on ABC, where it was broadcast for two seasons. The show then moved to UPN as Hughley was gaining fame for his contribution in the Original Kings of Comedy in 2000. He replaced Guy Torry, who’d moved on to star on a TV action drama. The tour featuring Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey and Bernie Mac was a cultural phenomenon, packing arenas across the country, being made into a hit concert documentary directed by Spike Lee and spawning a cottage industry of copycats all being packaged as royalty and touring under that brand.
Once The Hughleys ended its run in 2002, D. L. Hughley got traction as a political commentator. He had a Comedy Central program, Weekends at the D.L. and hosted D. L. Hughley Break the News on CNN. Hughley was also a correspondent for NBC’s The Jay Leno Show. He competed on Dancing with the Stars and held down his own radio shows. He released a comedy album (D. L. Hughley: Notes from the GED Section) has had recurring roles (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Scrubs), guest-starred (Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Parkers), hosted award shows (BET Awards), done voice-overs (Inspector Gadget) films (The Brothers, Soul Plane, Scary Movie 3, Spy School) and wrote a book (I Want You to Shut the Fuck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America).
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on March 5, 1954, Comedienne, Actress, Marsha Francine Warfield was born in Chicago, Illinois
A night at comedian Tom Dreesen’s place changed phone company employee Marsha Warfield forever. Prompted by her friend, Evelyn, Warfield went up on the open mic and got laughs and got hooked. A career in comedy seemed a foreign idea, though. There were no relatable role models. She was from a different mold than Moms or Lawanda Page. How do you become a working stand-up? When she met Elayne Boosler it became clear. Warfield said the way was paved for her and others thanks to trailblazers such as Elayne along with Judy Tenuta, Sandra Bernhard, Diane Nichols, Shirley Hemphill and Shelly Pryor. Outside of Phyllis Diller these women knew of no other stage comediennes and it wasn’t like they were having tea with Phyllis daily so they made their own rules. In the case of Marsha Warfield those rules worked.
Warfield got her break when comedian and Richard Pryor collaborator, Paul Mooney picked her when he assembled a cast of virtual unknowns for The Richard Pryor Show in 1977. She was blunt, sexy and uncompromising. The powerhouse comedienne had made her mark on the stand-up comedy circuit and Mooney knew she’d be equal to the task of writing and performing with the red-hot Pryor. At that time, Pryor was the comedy god. Or as she once said, “God takes second billing as far as Richard was concerned.” So, there were high expectations. She didn’t disappoint as Warfield and the rest of the cast made an indelible impression in the four short episodes they had on network television. However, the failure of the show left her depressed with thoughts of quitting comedy. That was until she won the prestigious San Francisco National Stand-Up Comedy Competition in ‘79.
By the time she gained fame on the NBC hit sitcom, Night Court Warfield was seasoned and had a reputation of reliability. Though short on acting experience, her deadpan, straight delivery to bailiff counterpart, Richard Moll was as good as team comedy gets and nobody in television gave a better cynical look. The Chicago native embodied Roz to critical and fan approval and had viewers in stitches from 1986-1992.
Warfield pulled double duty in 1990. She was so popular NBC slotted her with a self-titled day time talk show where she and guests discussed hot topics of the day and got a load of laughs along the way. Her show was easy going and lasted for two seasons. Of course, it didn’t stop there. Following her run-on Night Court Warfield kept up her AFTRA status on the sitcom, Empty Nest playing Dr. Maxine Douglas from ’93-’95. She did major films (D. C. Cab, Mask, Caddyshack 2), television guests spots (Family Ties, Riptide, Cheers) and of course stand-up.
Then in 1995 tragedy struck. After her house was totaled in the Northridge earthquake, Marsha’s mother and her sister died within three months of each other. Not long after her “lifestyle” caught up with her so she took time to regroup. By the time she returned to the scene a lot of time had passed in show biz terms and newer faces had stepped in to fill the void. She eventually moved to Las Vegas. From there she kept her presence known via social commentary on sites and remained a living inspiration to a whole generation of comediennes who followed in her footsteps.
Marsha Warfield returned to the standup comedy stage in 2015.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on March 3, 2005, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
Columbia Records wouldn’t release Lauryn Hill’s songs so she reunited the Fugees for the event. Chappelle’s version of “Round Midnight”, the Thelonious Monk classic would not make the final cut. All types of legal entanglements swirled regarding music licensing and releases, yet Chappelle went around issuing “golden tickets” to all invitees by hand. Nothing would deter this party from going down.
Chappelle was at the peak of his Comedy Central celebrity thanks to his iconic, Chappelle’s Show and this documentary was meant to be an extremely colorful feather in the cap of Chappelle’s career. Turns out it was the only outside production Chappelle managed to get off before vacating Comedy Central due to a misunderstanding about the show’s direction. Too bad, a follow up would have been eagerly anticipated.
Thrown on the corner of Clinton Street and Downing Street in Brooklyn, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party lived up to the hype. The show was born of imagination and the need to give back to a community that usually gets overlooked. This would be different. Not only would this party be loaded with great music it would have the famed comedian doing material and sketches in between his chosen acts and what acts they were. Chappelle enlisted some of the brightest stars in the hip hop firmament to entertain his massive guest list.
Directed by Michel Gondry the film features the talents of Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Jill Scott, The Roots, Talib Kweli, Common, John Legend, Big Daddy Kane, Dead Prez, A Trak, Bilal, Cody ChestnuTT, Kool G Rap and the Central State University Marching Band. It spawned a bestselling soundtrack and has established itself as a cult classic. Both film and soundtrack were dedicated to the memory of music producer, J Dilla. He died of lupus one month before the film’s release.
Dave Chappelle’s Block Party came in at #6 in its opening weekend, grossing $6 million in 1,200 theaters. On a budget of $3 million it grossed $11,718,595 domestically and $333,329 internationally for a worldwide total of $12,051,924. And since we’re talking about the king of comedy DVD sales, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party sold 1,240,405 copies and counting for a total take of $18,776,445.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on March 2, 1956 Comedian and Actor, Angel Salazar was born.
Salazar once said that if he had a dollar for every time somebody said to him, “Chi Chi, get the YaYo” he’d be a millionaire. It was the immortal line in 1983’s Scarface uttered by Al Pacino’s drug kingpin character, Tony Montana to Salazar’s henchman during a drug deal gone wrong. That single instructive phrase to grab the almost forgotten cocaine came after a hail of gunfire in an iconic scene that made Salazar a pop culture fixture. Not bad for a Cuban-American comedian in an era when few Latin comedians were on the mainstream radar.
Angel Salazar was 27 years old when Scarface made him a hot commodity. He was a seasoned stand-up comedian, whose style was raw, interactive and manic. Like most ethnic comics, he talked about being ethnic; punctuating punchlines as well as set ups with his catch phrase, “Sheck it out”. During his career, Salazar opened for the Beach Boys, Billy Ocean, Van Halen, the Miami Sound Machine and Whitney Houston. He also appeared on Last Comic Standing and had numerous HBO specials.
Prior to Scarface Salazar had a productive film career going. He had roles in Boulevard Nights, Walking Proud, Where the Buffalo Roam and A Stranger is Watching. After Scarface, he stayed right on track with appearances in The Wild Life, Sylvester, Hot to Trot, Punchline (w/Tom Hanks), Maniac Cop 2, Carlito’s Way (w/Al Pacino again), Vote for Me, Harlem Blues, Rose Woes and Joe’s, Made in Brooklyn, Trust Me, Crumble and The Last Gamble. Angel Salazar liked popping up in documentaries, too such as 2002’s Comedian and The Latin Legends of Comedy featuring Joey Vega and JJ Ramirez in 2006. Though mainly Salazar liked doing stand up and would take year-long extended breaks from films to hit the road and just be a comedian.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on March 1, 2000, the film 3 Strikes was released by MGM.
Written and directed by DJ Pooh, 3 Strikes stars Brian Hooks as a guy caught up in the system. Hooks gets out of jail after a year for his second offense as he discovers there’s a new three strikes law. If he goes down one more time it’s for a minimum of 25 years. No problem. He has no intention of ever going back inside. He’s a new man. Changed life. This is what he tells JJ, a guy who picked him up instead of his real friend. So, as JJ, the substitute pick up ride, listens to this tale of personal revelation, the cops pull up behind them and this forces JJ into an inconvenient admission. Seems the pick-up car was stolen and now JJ must have a gun battle with the cops. Next thing Hooks knows – it’s on!
3 Strikes is a full-on chase film. Hooks spends most of his time alluding the cops in hopes of proving his innocence. In the meanwhile, JJ has been apprehended, taken to the hospital with a buttocks wound (he’s hung in a sling with his bandaged ass hiked up in the air), raped by a gay janitor and vows to pin the crime all on Hooks when the cops come asking. Hooks, during this time, makes a deal to get a tape with JJ admitting wrongdoing. All he has to do is go to bed a woman he does not want to go to bed with. That’s all, but it turns out it doesn’t matter. Hooks is caught and through the miracle of movie storytelling he is only found to be in violation of his parole, goes to jail for 30 days and gets out because the prison was overcrowded.
3 Strikes co-stars David Alan Grier, Faizon Love, N’Bushe Wright, Antonio Fargas, E-40, DJ Pooh, George Wallace, Meagan Good, Mo’Nique, De’Aundre Bonds, Phil Morris and Vincent Schiavelli. Cameos are made by Mike Epps, Anthony Anderson, Jerry Dunphy and Big Boy. The film was poorly received by critics, but was nevertheless profitable. On a budget of $3.4 million, 3 Strikes pulled in $3,684,704 in its opening weekend for the #12 spot and an eventual box office take of $9.8 million.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on February 26, 1972, Comedian, Actor, Maziyar “Maz” Jobrani was born in Tehran, Iran.
Jobrani was part of the Middle-Eastern comedian boom that came to the forefront after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to bring a better understanding of the misunderstood culture in America. He adopted the nickname, The Persian Pink Panther and focused his material on race relations and tolerance. He took his stand-up act on the road with the touring group, “The Axis of Evil”. They were so popular they had a special on Comedy Central.
Funny is funny and with an ever-growing platform and fan base Jobrani could take advantage of other media opportunities. He’s appeared on the television shows: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Talkshow with Spike Feresten, Still Standing, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, The Colbert Report, Malcolm in the Middle, Whitney, The West Wing and CBS’s Superior Donuts (as a regular).
Jobrani has also racked up an impressive film resume in The Interpreter, Friday After Next and Dragonfly. He’s used radio to his advantage as well on NPR, WTF with Marc Maron and his own podcast, All Things Comedy.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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