On this day in comedy on July 27, 2007 Who’s Your Caddy? was released by The Weinstein Company
The maiden voyage flick for Our Stories Films studio was a commercial and critical flop, but carries the distinction of being former-president, Bill Clinton’s favorite comedy. Known as a rip-off of the classic, Caddyshack, Who’s Your Caddy? is a who’s who of pop culture figured of the era. The fast-paced romp starts rapper, Big Boi as a rapper who only wants to be admitted into a private country club, but when the hoity toity board refuse him due to cultural reasons he outsmarts them. The rapper buys property that includes the 17th hole of the oh so precious golf course. Negotiations are a waste of time. The upper crust boys want nothing to do with him and will go to Hell and back before allowing his kind to mix with their kind. Well, then Hell it is.
The film co-stars Faizon Love, Tony Cox, Terry Crews, Jeffrey Jones, Lil Wayne, Sherri Shepherd, Andy Milonakis, Jesper Parnevik, Bruce Bruce, James Avery, Finesse Mitchell, Garrett Morris, Tamala Jones, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Susan Ward and directed by Don Michael Paul. Tracey Edmonds, Kia Jam and Arnold Rifkin produced the film that made $2.76 million it’s opening weekend for a total gross of $5,713,425. Too bad it cost $7 million.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On the Aug. 30 edition of CNN’s “New Day,” comedian D.L. Hughley discussed the hypocrisy surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Over the weekend, Kaepernick ignited a social media maelstrom after announcing he would not stand during the national anthem.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color,” he told NFL.com.
Subsequently, outraged fans hurled racial slurs and burned his jersey online.
In the clip above, Hughley voices his support for the young QB while calling out his critics.
“It’s ironic,” the comedian starts. “Kaepernick is being silent to protest the mistreatment of people of color … America is being silent while people of color are being mistreated. So there’s nothing more American than silence. None of those [critics] have came out … when people are being brutalized.”
Hughley points out that football is just a game and being an athlete is temporary.
“Football is an escape. And Black people oftentimes don’t get an escape from reality,” he explains. “Reality confronts us all the time. There’s no Sunday off.”
Then host Chris Cuomo asks Hughley about the shooting death of Dwyane Wade’s cousin.
He tells Cuomo that Black people in cities like Chicago suffer from extreme poverty and unemployment. Jobs will lower crime, he says.
Source: CNN
In a pairing that resembles a superhero team-up, I have learned that Greg Berlanti, king of the CW’s DC universe, has partnered with The Game and Being Mary Jane creator Mara Brock Akil and her husband Salim Akil for Black Lightning, a drama series based on the DC character created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden. I hear the project, from Warner Bros TV and studio-based Berlanti Productions and Akil Productions, is currently being pitched to networks.
Written by the Akils, Black Lightning centers on Jefferson Pierce. He made his choice: he hung up the suit and his secret identity years ago, but with a daughter hell-bent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang, he’ll be pulled back into the fight as the wanted vigilante and DC legend Black Lightning.
Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil executive produce with Berlanti Prods.’ Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter.
Pierce aka Black Lightning was one of DC Comics’ first major African American superheroes, making his debut in 1977. In the books, Jefferson has two daughters, both of whom have followed in his superhero footsteps — Anissa Pierce aka Thunder, who is a member of the Outsiders, and Jennifer Pierce, aka Lightning, recruited by the Justice Society of America.
On TV, Black Lightning is looking to join another black superhero who toplines his own series, Marvel’s Luke Cage on Netflix.
While it’s being taken out now, a Black Lightning series had been in the works at WBTV for well over a year, going through different incarnations as the studio has taken its time to get the take right.
Greg Berlanti and his Berlanti Prods. are behind all WBTV superhero series on the CW, DC’s Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash and Legends Of Tomorrow, which Berlanti also co-created, as well as the upcoming Archie Comics adaptationRiverdale.
Both Berlanti and the Akils already have high-profile sales this season.
Berlanti Prods. has drama Criminal, co-written by Blindspot creator Martin Gero, which has a put pilot commitment at ABC, and comedy Raised By Wolves, an adaptation of the 2015 UK series, written by Diablo Cody, which also is at ABC with a script commitment plus penalty. The company is repped by WME.
Mara Brock and Salim Akil have Documenting Love, a multi-camera comedy at ABC, which has a pilot production commitment.
In addition to drama Being Mary Jane and comedy The Game, Mara also created/executive produced The Game’s predecessor Girlfriends. Salim was director on all and executive produced The Game and Being Mary Jane. The Akils are repped by ICM Partners and Stephen Barnes at Morris Yorn.
Warner Bros’ DC Entertainment has seven broadcast series, with new NBC comedy Powerless joining returning dramas Supergirl, Arrow, Flash, DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow andiZombie on the CW, and Gotham and Lucifer at Fox.
Source: Deadline
UPDATE: 9/1/16: The specific roles that several actors have been cast to play in the upcoming “Spider-Man: Homecoming” movie have mostly been kept underwraps, including those to be played by Zendaya, Bokeem Woodbine, Abraham Attah, Garcelle Beauvais, Hannibal Buress and Donald Glover. An update (below) about 2 weeks ago tagged Zendaya as the new Mary Jane Watson, but Marvel/Sony have yet to confirm this.
Intentionally or not, Hannibal Buress revealed who his character is, during an interview with Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, confirming a previous unverified rumor that he would be a gym teacher at Peter Parker’s high school.
“Small roles in big movies, that should be my thing. ‘Baywatch’ and the Spider-Man movie, coming out next year,” Buress said of two of his upcoming feature film roles. “In ‘Spider-Man’ I play a gym teacher. I play one of the dumb-ass characters that [doesn’t] realize he’s Spider-Man, he’s Peter Parker. ‘Oh man, this guy’s really athletic!’”
So there you have it. Unless he’s intentionally misleading us, it’s case closed in Buress’ case.
Now we wait to learn about who the other actors will play.
Directed by Jon Watts, “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is slated for a July 7, 2017 release.
Source: Shadow & Act
Thoughtful, quirky and sometimes quiet, I’m guessing Atlanta won’t be for some who might be expecting something a bit more overtly “wacky” from Donald Glover, but I’m hopeful others will find it to be the very intriguing and well-crafted comedy I do.
Glover created Atlanta, which he also executive produces and stars in, and this truly feels like a labor of love for the writer, comedic actor and rapper. Glover plays Earnest “Earn” Marks, a decidedly down on his luck young man living in, you guessed it, Atlanta. In a bad financial situation, Earn is trying to support the child he has with Van (Zazie Beeetz) and barely getting by. When he discovers his cousin, Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles, is a rising local rapper, Earn – who has a tiny bit of “previously went nowhere” connections to the local music scene – convinces a reluctant Alfred to take him on as his manager, hoping to better both their lives in the process.
Keith Standfield as Darius, Donald Glover as Earnest Marks, Brian Tyree Henry as Alfred Miles on Atlanta
Donald Glover as Earnest Marks on Atlanta
Ahead of the much-anticipated premiere of her first series with the premium cable TV network (“Insecure”), Issa Rae has inked a 2-year first-look production deal with HBO which will see Ms. Rae develop new programming for all of HBO’s platforms, with an emphasis on diverse voices.
This is certainly wonderful news, as it maybe suggests how high HBO’s expectations are for “Insecure” which premieres on Sunday, October 9, at 10:30pm, exclusively on HBO.
Created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore, the comedy series launches its eight-episode first season, starring Issa and Yvonne Orji as 2 friends (who also happen to be black women, which could be a first for HBO – a series centered around the lives of 2 young black women) navigating relationships, uncomfortable experiences and racy tribulations.
Over the course of the season, Issa attempts to figure out what she wants out of life and how to take control of it, while fumbling her way through this journey. Molly (Orji), a corporate attorney who appears to have everything together professionally, struggles inside as she looks for external ways to fix her life. Meanwhile, Issa’s boyfriend, Lawrence (Jay Ellis), who has fallen victim to complacency, works to get his own act together. Frieda (Lisa Joyce), Issa’s overeager white co-worker, whose enthusiasm is both annoying and endearing, is at the crux of Issa’s racial frustrations at work.
Created and executive produced by Issa Rae, this series is also executive produced by Prentice Penny, Melina Matsoukas, Michael Rotenberg, Dave Beck, Jonathan Berry, and Larry Wilmore as a consultant.
I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of this new 2-year/first-look relationship with HBO.
Source: Shadow & Act
Fox, the network of The X-Files, is taking in Ghosted. In a very competitive situation with a slew of buyers, Fox has landed a single-camera comedy from Tom Gormican (That Awkward Moment) that has The Office alum Craig Robinson and Parks and Recreation’s Adam Scott set to star and executive produce.
Described as a sort of comedic X-Files, Ghosted centers on Leroy Wright (Robinson), a cynical, hilarious skeptic, and Max Allison (Scott), a genius “true believer” in the paranormal, who are hired by the Underground Investigative Service to look into the rampant “unexplained” activity in Los Angeles — all while uncovering a larger mystery that could threaten the existence of the human race.
Gormican will write the script. He executive produces with Robinson, Scott and 3 Arts’ Mark Schulman and Oly Obst. 20th Century Fox TV is the studio, producing with 3 Arts Entertainment.
Ghosted reunites Robinson and Scott, who starred together in another sci-fi-themed comedy, the 2015 feature Hot Tub Time Machine 2.
Gormican is repped by WME, 3 Arts and attorney Micahel Schenkman.
The Office alum Robinson, who headlined a comedy series on NBC, has been recurring on Fox comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine and on USA’s drama series Mr. Robot. He is repped by UTA, 3 Arts and attorney Matthew Johnson.
Party Down and Parks and Rec alum Scott next co-stars in the HBO limited series Big Little Lies. He is repped by WME and Julie Darmody & Christie Smith of Rise Management and attorney Wendy Heller.
Source: Deadline
On this day in comedy on July 24, 1992 Mo’ Money was released by Columbia Pictures!
This action comedy is the classic formula of Boy Meets Girl. Boy Wants to Impress Girl. Boy Steals Credit Cards. In this version Damon Wayans is the guy out to win over the heart of Stacey Dash. In his quest he and his cinematic brother (real life brother Marlon Wayans) use his insider job in the mailroom at a big time credit card firm to rip off dead people in an identity theft scam to the tune of whatever will make him look good in the eyes of the superficial Dash. The fact he’s a con man anyway makes the task a lot easier on his conscience. They’re dead!
Along the way there’s a series of seemingly unrelated murders committed by a bigshot played by John Diehl. They become very related when Wayans (Damon) is forced to kill Diehl to protect himself from being killed by Diehl’s hitman and to rescue Marlon who was kidnapped by Diehl. In the end all’s well that ends well. Marlon is safe and Damon is happy that he finally gets Stacey Dash before she reveals the fact she’s a rapid Republican.
Directed by Peter MacDonald from a Damon Wayans script, Mo’ Money also featured Joe Santos, Harry J. Lennix, Garfield, Rondi Reed, Quincy Wong, Mark Beltzman, Evan Lionel Smith, Kevin Casey, Larry Brandenburg, Alma Yvonne, Matt Doherty, Richard E. Butler and Bernie Mac, in his film debut.
Mo’ Money was shot on a budget of $15 million and grossed $40,277,006 at the box office.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on July 27, 1973 Actor, Producer, Director, Brian Hooks was born!
Hooks first acting role came in 1996 in Phat Beach. They loved him in that one. Film work poured in: High School High, Bulworth, Beloved and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Hooks also did his part for the small screen. He’s appeared on NYPD Blue, Moesha, ER, The Parkers and Cracker.
In 2000 Hooks starred alongside Faizon Love, David Alan Grier and N’Bushe Wright in the DJ Pooh written and directed comedy hood classic, 3 Strikes. He paid attention to the movie making process and began to star in and produce low budget DVD releases such as Nothin’ 2 Lose, The Luau, The Chatroom and Malibooty.
Meanwhile back on TV, Hooks played on the UPN sitcom, Eve as Nick Delany. However, when he’s not hitting his mark, Brian Hooks enjoys a lucrative partnership with major film distributors like MGM to get his product before the public. One of his films, Q: The Movie made a staggering 5,000% return on its investment. Brian Hooks is so successful behind-the-scenes that he is known as “The King of DVD.”
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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