(CNN) Jay Pharoah believes his outspoken nature is one of the reasons he’s no longer on “Saturday Night Live.”
Dave Chappelle has teamed up with John Mayer to remember comedian Charlie Murphy, who died from leukemia on Wednesday at the age of 57.
Chappelle appeared onstage at Mayer’s Columbus, Ohio, concert Wednesday night and told the crowd “everybody in comedy is heartbroken” about Murphy’s death from leukemia.
Chappelle told Mayer he was “a sight for sore eyes” after learning about Murphy’s death.
At Chappelle’s request, Mayer played his song “You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me” in tribute to Murphy.
Murphy was a performer on Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show. He was the subject of popular sketches in which Murphy retold his adventures with younger brother Eddie Murphy and celebrities such as Prince and Rick James.
W. KAMAU BELL TO HOST SPECIAL SCREENING OF HIT CNN SERIES “UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA” AT THE CENTER FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN ATLANTA ON APRIL 20
Comedian W. Kamau Bell will be hosting a special advance screening of his Emmy-nominated CNN Original Series, United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell, at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta on Thursday, April 20. The screening of a new episode about Immigrants and Refugees, will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Derreck Kayongo, CEO of the Center for Civil and Human Rights.
WHERE: The Center for Civil and Human Rights
100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd
WHEN: Thursday, April 20, 7p.m. -9 p.m. ET
WHO: W. Kamau Bell is a sociopolitical comedian based in Berkeley, Calif. Before United Shades, he was best known for his critically-acclaimed – and criminally short-lived FX comedy series – Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, executive produced by Chris Rock. His first book, The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell, will come out May 2 from Dutton. Kamau is the host of three popular podcasts: Denzel Washington is The Greatest Actor of All Time Period, Politically Re-Active, and Kamau Right Now!
ATLANTA (April 2017) – NAACP Image Award-winning actor David Mann stars in an all-new episode of Mann & Wife, world premiering on Tuesday, April 18 at 9pm ET on Bounce.
When an email leaks at precinct, chaos erupts as Daniel (David Mann) and Hobbs (Tony Rock) watch their peers begin to turn against each other; comedian George Wallace (Think Like a Man Too) guest stars.
Real-life husband and wife team David and Tamela Mann star and serve as executive producers of Mann & Wife. The half-hour situation comedy follows their characters – newlyweds and second-chance sweethearts Daniel and Toni Mann – as they laugh and love their way through the ups and downs of life as a blended family, each with two children from previous marriages.
Bounce kicked off season three with two all-new episodes back-to-back on Tuesday, March 28 and the premiere telecasts combined to reach over one million unduplicated viewers 2+. Season three is now already pacing ahead of season two in ratings.
Mann & Wife co-creator Roger Bobb (House of Payne The Rickey Smiley Show) serves as executive producer and director of the series.
Mann & Wife has been a smash success, setting network records for viewership in both seasons. Bounce is the only emerging broadcast network producing original scripted series, which in addition to Mann & Wife includes the current mega-hit drama Saints & Sinners and the popular comedies In The Cut and Family Time.
Comedy Central Presents Colossal Clusterfest, the brand new comedy and music festival experience created by Comedy Central and Superfly, the brains behind Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands co-producer Another Planet Entertainment, are excited to announce additional artists to its three day lineup that includes more than 70 comedians and musicians as well as specially curated SF Sketchfest programming.
Stand-up performances added to the schedule include Hasan Minhaj, Correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and T.J. Miller, star of HBO’s Silicon Valley. Additionally, Miller, the voice behind Comedy Central’s new intergalactic late night talk show, The Gorburger Show will be hosting Gorburger Live with T.J. Miller as well as comedians Nick Vatterott and Eliot Glazer. These acts will be joining the previously announced stellar lineup which includes Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, Sarah Silverman, Ice Cube and many others.
In collaboration with SF Sketchfest, the beloved San Francisco Comedy Festival, Colossal Clusterfest will feature Sketchfest curated programming with top-tier comedians featuring Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer from Comedy Central’s critically-acclaimed series Broad City, Rachel Bloom, Fred Armisen, Chris Gethard, Ron Funches and more. The SF Sketchfest shows include:
The three-day Colossal Clusterfest weekend will be jam-packed with a daily lineup featuring comedians and musicians, Q&A’s and podcasts and themed iconic comedy attractions from South Park, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Seinfeld.
Festivalgoers will enjoy the performances while being able to indulge in the best local food, beer and wine vendors in the Bay Area. With a nod to San Francisco’s rich food culture, top local chefs and restaurants will craft menus inspired by their favorite comedic moments.
Facebook: @Clusterfest
Twitter: @Clusterfest
Instagram: @Clusterfest
YouTube: @Clusterfest
WHEN:
Friday, June 2 – Sunday, June 4, 2017
WHERE:
San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza and Bill Graham Civic Center
355 McAllister Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
TICKETS:
Remaining Three day General Admission is $249.50
Three day VIP admission is $599.50
Single day ticket information coming soon
To learn more about ticketing options and to purchase, visit www.clusterfest.com
Cher was previously attached to star in and executive produce but pulled out last month citing a serious family issue that prevents her from leaving Los Angeles. Flint begins production next week in Toronto.
Zadan and Meron of Storyline Entertainment and Couric executive produce alongside Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere via their Flavor Unit. Storyline’s Mark Nicholson serves as co-executive producer.
Breaking Bad alumna Brandt, now one of the stars of the CBS comedy series Life In Pieces, is repped by TalentWorks, Patty Woo management and attorney John Moonves.
Directed by Bruce Beresford from a script by Barbara Stepansky, Flint was inspired by the Time magazine cover story, “The Toxic Tap,” by Josh Sanburn. It follows the true story of three women from Flint who sought justice following the wrongdoing committed against the residents of the city who were unknowingly drinking and using lead-laden water. Their actions inspired a national movement for safe drinking water despite the political powers working against them at every turn. Brandt, Scott and Ireland will play real-life activists and Latifah will play a fourth resident, fighting to expose the poisoning of the community during the horrific events of the water crisis.
Source: Deadline
Kevin Hart has enrolled in Night School.
The actor has signed on to the Universal Pictures comedy, with Tim Story, who previously directed Hart in the studio’s Ride Along series, in negotiations to helm.
Hart will produce via his Hartbeat Productions banner alongside Will Packer, who is working via his Will Packer Productions.
The project has Hart’s handprints in the script, too, as he came up with the story for the feature. The script was written by Hart, Harry Ratchford, Joey Wells and Matt Kellard, with additional script work by Nick Stoller.
The comedy follows a group of misfits who are forced to attend adult classes in the long-shot chance they’ll pass the GED exam.
A release date is expected to be announced shortly.
The project marks the reunion of the star, director and producer of the Ride Along and Think Like a Man franchises.
Hart starred with Dwayne Johnson in last year’s Central Intelligence and voiced a character in The Secret Life of Pets. He recently wrapped filming Sony’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle with Johnson and Jack Black. Hart is repped by UTA, 3 Arts Entertainment and Schreck Rose.
Story, who is directing the pilot for Jamie Foxx’s Showtime comedy White Famous, is repped by UTA and Ziffren Brittenham.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
A Coming to America sequel has been a long-rumored project, but Paramount is finally taking steps toward production.
The studio has hired Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield, who penned the 1988 original, to write the potential sequel, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The project is still early on in the development process, but Kevin Misher (Carrie, Public Enemies) is attached to produce. There is no word yet on whether Murphy will reprise his iconic role.
In the John Landis-directed original, Murphy played Prince Akeem, who traveled from his wealthy African country to Queens, New York, to escape an arranged marriage and find a wife who will love him in spite of his title.
Arsenio Hall and James Earl Jones also starred the comedy, along with Shari Headley and John Amos.
The movie was also the subject of a major breach of contract lawsuit, Buchwald v. Paramount, where writer Art Buchwald alleged that the studio stole his and producing partner Alain Bernheim’s script treatment that eventually became Coming to America. Buchwald won the case in California Superior Court and was awarded $900,000 in damages by Paramount.
Blaustein and Sheffield are repped by Paradigm.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
On this day in comedy on February 1, 1938 comedic actor Sherman Alexander Hemsley was born in South Philadelphia!
Upon leaving the Air Force after a four-year hitch, Hemsley attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Philadelphia at night and worked for the Post Office during the day. He even kept his day job when he moved to New York and spent his evenings acting. One night on his thespian route (he was in Purlie), Hemsley was spotted by TV producer, Norman Lear. The hit maker wanted Hemsley for the role of George Jefferson, a neighbor of Archie Bunker’s on the CBS groundbreaking sitcom All in the Family. Hemsley was leery about leaving Broadway so Lear told him the part was his when his theater commitment was over. Two years later Hemsley took him up on his offer.
The Jeffersons became a spin-off from All in the Family and ran for 11 seasons and 253 episodes. The character of George Jefferson, an upwardly mobile black bigot who made his fortune in the dry-cleaning business was a persona America had never seen before and they couldn’t get enough. Along with Isabel Sanford, Frank Cover, Marla Gibbs, Roxie Roker and Paul Benedict, the sitcom lived beyond its broadcast tenure. Cast members; especially Hemsley and Sanford, reprised their roles on many other sitcoms in guest starring capacities as well as personal appearances at conventions.
Once The Jeffersons officially shut down production Hemsley bounced to the next show. This one had him playing a church deacon and co-starred Clifton Davis. Amen ran on NBC for five seasons and after that Helmsley took on the voice of a dinosaur in ABCs live action puppet show, Dinosaurs. That series ran for four seasons and after his trifecta Sherman Hemsley retired from television. He’d released two albums during his run; one a jazz LP and the other a collection of R&B tunes. So, with a career full of achievements, Sherman Hemsley spent the rest of his day’s guest starring, doing commercials and making cameos.
On July 24, 2012, Sherman Hemsley died from a cancerous lung at his home in El Paso, Texas. That same year he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on January 30, 1951 Actor and Director, Charles Stanley Dutton born in Baltimore, MD!
The first act of Dutton’s life was a bumpy one. For starters, he dropped out before finishing middle school and became an amateur boxer. His ring name was “Roc”, but after a street fight resulted in a boy being killed at the hands of Dutton he had to trade in his name for numbers. Dutton was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to serve 7 years. Once he got out he was right back in after being hit with another 3 years for being caught with a deadly weapon. It was during that second stretch that Dutton had his epiphany.
Charles Dutton got thrown into solitary and accidentally grabbed a book of black playwrights as his reading material for the six-day stint. When he emerged, he petitioned the warden to start a drama group. The warden agreed only if Dutton went all out and got his GED. Proving he was a renewed man, Dutton did not only that, but he also went on to get a two-year degree from Hagerstown Community College in Maryland. After he got out Dutton attended Towson State University and Yale School of Drama.
Though Dutton got initial work as a dramatic heavy on Broadway (winning a Theatre World Award and receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor), it was comedy for which he is most remembered. Prior to getting the part of Roc Emerson, the junkman with a plan on Roc, Dutton was making a good living playing cops and attorneys. Then Fox decided he was perfect for their sitcom and Dutton hit his mark for 72 episodes. Roc was a hit for the new network and Dutton got to stretch his talents and move into directing (later winning a Best Director Emmy for HBOs The Corner). The show was also notable for using stage trained actors and broadcasting the episodes live in the second season.
Once Dutton got into the swing of the Roc shooting routine he jumped into high gear. He made movies: Alien 3, Rudy, Get on the Bus, Crocodile Dundee II, Menace II Society, Cry, the beloved Country, A Low Down Dirty Shame, A Time to Kill and Cookie’s Fortune. He guest-starred on multiple television series (The Sopranos, The Practice, Without a Trace, The L Word, House, My Name is Earl). He won awards (Outstanding Guest Actor Emmys in 2002 & 2003).
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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