Tina Fey and Chris Rock will both appear as featured speakers at the Producers Guild of America’s Produced By: New York 2016 conference, which will be held for the third consecutive year at Time Warner Center in New York on Oct. 29.
The conference will present a pair of in-depth discussions, “Triple Threat: Conversation With Tina Fey” and “Dying Is Easy. Comedy Is Hard” with Rock and Red Hour Films’ Stuart Cornfeld.
“Tina Fey and Chris Rock are each living proof that you can be an excellent producer while being the funniest person in the room,” PGA presidents Lori McCreary and Gary Lucchesi said in a joint statement. “The PGA is thrilled to welcome two of the city’s most practiced and proven artists to Produced By: New York. We are looking forward to each speaker’s unique insight into their careers as actors, writers, storytellers and the path which led to them becoming producers.”
PBNY is chaired by PGA members Bruce Cohen, Dana Kuznetzkoff, and Debbie Myers. Diane Salerno of Six Degrees Global is sponsorship director, Laura Danford Mandel of LDM PR serves as programming director and Liz Hart of Liz Hart Events & Design is the conference’s supervising producer.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Relevé Entertainment, in partnership with Walgreens and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, is proud to announce the return of The Merge Summit– Los Angeles, taking place August 25-27, 2016 at The Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. The Merge Summit is a unique event created to inspire synergy with faith based and entertainment industry leaders to educate, uplift, and encourage attendees to aspire towards their professional and personal goals.
The Merge Summit will commence on August 25th with a welcoming Opening Gala. This year’s gala will honor the outstanding accomplishments of Senior Vice President of Prudential Financial- Dorinda Walker, ESSENCE Magazine Editor At Large-Mikki Taylor, founder and senior pastor of Living Word Christian Center (LWCC)-Dr. Bill Winston and Emmy Award Nominated Actor-Courtney B. Vance. This evening will be hosted by celebrated comedian-Cedric The Entertainer and will feature performances by Jonathan McReynolds and Ezekiel (The Poet). From August 26-27th, 60 top level entertainment executives will lead interactive discussions, workshops and Master Class sessions in personal branding, music, television, film, creative development, and new media. In addition to the enrichment seminars, guests will have the opportunity to participate in the Wellness Lounge® featuring a number of wellness and relaxation services presented by Wellness. This year’s festivities will also feature a faith based comedy show, CHURCH OF LAUGH LIVE hosted by actor/comedian Jonathan Slocumb, and the FREE-PHYER XPerience Concert featuring Kierra Sheard.
The Merge Summit will feature participants including: Multi-Platinum Grammy Award Winning Singer/TV Personality-Michelle Williams; Grammy Award Multi-Platinum Recording Artist-The Game; Grammy Award Winning Universal Motown Gospel Recording Artist-Tasha Cobbs; Vice President and Global Chief Diversity Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance- Steve Pemberton; Co-Chairman of De Passe Jones Entertainment -Suzanne DePasse; Emmy nominated and Peabody Award Winning Motion picture and television producer and owner of Martin Chase Productions – Debra Martin Chase; Vice President Of Talent & Casting for Original Programming at BET Networks-Robi Reed; Head Of Talent and Casting for ABC- Ayo Davis; President of Studio Lambert- Greg Goldman; Film Producer and President/CEO of Franklin Entertainment- DeVon Franklin; CEO of Revelations Entertainment- Lori McCreary ; Film Producer/CEO, 1019 Entertainment-Ralph Winter; Casting Director/Producer (Empire, The Butler)-Leah Daniels-Butler; Head Of Television for Will Packer Productions-Korin Huggins; Revolt TV’s Head Of Programming-Kelly G; Vice President Of Talent Development & Inclusion-Disney/ABC- Tim McNeal; Viral Faith Based Internet Sensations: NotKarltonBanks & The Playmakers; Grammy Nominated Producer- Harmony Samuels; Actresses: Meagan Good Franklin, Tia Mowry-Hardrict, LisaRaye McCoy, Brely Evans, Essence Atkins, Edwina Findley-Dickerson, Salli Richardson Whitfield; Actors: Cory Hardrict, Dondre Whitfield, John David Washington, Brian White; Spiritual Leaders: Pastor Wayne Chaney, Dr. DeForest Soaries, Cindy Trimm, Shawn Bolz, Pastor Mark Baker and many more.
“I’m excited to have The Merge Summit back in LA. It’s the birthing ground for this vision and I am believing for infinite possibilities for all those who attend. All I can say is…”are you ready for this?” says Dr. Holly Carter- Founder of The Merge Summit.
“What a better place to bring the Word than amongst the brightest of stars and influencers in the entertainment industry,” said The Merge Summit Co-Founder and Co-Chair Robi Reed. “We need as many beacons of love and hope as we can find to light a path in these days and The Merge Summit is the place where those like minds meet. I’m excited to see us climb to a new plateau this year.”
On this day in comedy on July 18, 2003 Bad Boys II was released by Columbia Pictures.
The sequel to the blockbuster action-comedy of the same name once again stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film continues the adventures of detectives Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Smith). It’s been eight years since their last outing and this time the mission is to stop the flow of ecstasy into Miami.
The movie is chucked full of action and almost everything else. There’s the KKK, Russian gangsters, Haitian gangsters, kidnapping, buttocks shooting, ecstasy ingesting, a busted pool, S.W.A.T., and a secret love connection between Smith and Gabrielle Union (secret because Lawrence doesn’t know about it and Union is his baby sister).
Bad Boys II co-starred Theresa Randle, Joe Pantoliano, Jon Seda, Henry Rollins, Michael Shannon and John Salley. Though the critics gave it one star, thumbs down and a middle finger, Bay Boys II grossed practically twice as much as the original. On a budget of $130 million Bad Boys II made $273,339,556 worldwide AND was nominated for “Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture” at the 2nd Annual Visual Effects Society Awards.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on July 17, 1969 Director, Felix Gary Gray (known professionally as F. Gary Gray) was born in New York City, NY.
Educated at L. A. City College, Gray began his directing career shooting music videos. In 1989, he broke out the gate with the Ice Cube video, “It Was a Good Day”. He went on to shoot videos for many major artists in hip hop: Queen Latifah, Dr. Dre, Cypress Hill, Tupac, Jay Z, Stevie Wonder, Outkast and many more.
At the age of 24, Gray directed his first film – Friday, with Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Faizon Love, Bernie Mac, John Witherspoon, Tiny Lister and the phrase “Bye Felecia”. This cultural hit put Gray on the map as a strong commercial and skilled director. He went on to helm, Set It Off, The Negotiator, The Italian Job, A man Apart, Be Cool, Law Abiding Citizen and Straight Outta Compton.
Gray also proved to be an award winning director. For The Negotiator he took home Best Director at the 1998 Acapulco Film Festival and again in 2004 for The Italian Job at the Black American Film Festival. He has The Ivan Dixon Award of Achievement from the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center. He was honored with the Artist Empowerment Coalition’s Artist Empowerment Award and received the Pioneer Director award from the Pan-African Film and Arts Festival in 2010.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on July 16, 1965 Daryl “Chill” Mitchell was born in The Bronx, New York.
Mitchell had early hip hop success in the 1980s with Groove B. Chill then moved into acting. He appeared in the films House Party 1 & 2, Galaxy Quest, Sgt. Bilko, 10 Things I Hate About You and others. He TV work included The John Larroquette Show as Dexter Walker and Veronica’s Closet in the part of Leo Michaels.
In 2001, a motorcycle accident in South Carolina left Daryl Mitchell paralyzed from the waist down. As he lay in the hospital it was a close friend who kept his spirits up and discussed with him the possibilities of Mitchell’s new life in a wheelchair. That support, along with industry friends such as Denzel Washington and Chris Tucker convinced Mitchell to resume his career. In 2002 he took on the role of Eli Goggins in the sitcom, Ed. In 2009, Mitchell co-starred in the short-lived sitcom Brothers. He began a recurring role in NCIS: New Orleans in 2014.
The Daryl Mitchell Foundation was founded by him to raise awareness of spinal cord injuries. Mitchell is a Minority Outreach spokesperson for the Christopher Reeve Foundation and is also a strong advocate for employing actors with disabilities.
In 2010 Mitchell won an NAACP Image Award.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on July 15, 1976 Comedian, Actor, Writer, Producer, Voice-Over Artist, Gabriel Iglesias (Gabriel J. Iglecias) known professionally as Fluffy was born in San Diego, California.
Like most successful comedians, Iglesias came from a poor background. He was raised by a single mother along with his five siblings in Section 8 housing. When he was old enough to work he got a job at a cell phone company. When he thought about giving comedy a try of course his family tried to talk him out of it. Stay at the job for security. Don’t risk it. Where will you be able to get another job at a cell phone company? He tried to do both and like most successful comedians, failed. Comedy requires concentration. So in 1997 he left his job, lost his car and got evicted.
Iglesias stuck to his guns. He struggled on the circuit in the San Gabriel Valley, L. A. and Inland Empire and made a name for himself. With his signature Hawaiian shirt and infectious smile, Iglesias built a formidable fan base. It was increased when he appeared on Nickelodeon’s All That with Nick Cannon. In 2006 he was finalist on Last Comic Standing, but got eliminated for smuggling in a Blackberry against the rules and not for comedy related reasons. Other standup shows he performed on were Premium Blend, Comedy Central Presents, Live at Gotham and Just for Laughs.
Gabriel Iglesias has had a fine film career (El Matador, Magic Mike, A Haunted House 2, Magic Mike XXL), television (My Wife and Kids) and a healthy Internet presence. He loves to do voice-over work and he’s has the pleasure on Family Guy, The Emperor’s New School, Planes, The Nut Job, El Americano: The Movie, The Book of Life, Norm of the North, The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange and Blazing Samurai.
Over the course of his career, Iglesias released three albums and scored big with his specials, Gabriel Iglesias: I’m Not Fat . . . I’m Fluffy, Hot and Fluffy Aloha Fluffy: Parts 1 and 2. Comedy Central is the home of his highly acclaimed show, Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution. His reality show on Fuse TV is entitled, Fluffy Breaks Even.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on July 14, 2006, Little Man was released by Columbia Pictures.
This film is a labor of love by the Wayans Family. Keenan Ivory Wayans co-produced it, co-wrote it and directed it. Brothers Marlon and Shawn Wayans co-produced it, co-wrote it and co-starred in it. And in the pivotal co-co-co-starring role of the Officer Wilson – Damien Dante Wayans. Other non-Wayans members of the cast are David Alan Grier, Molly Shannon, Uriel Garcia, Brittany Daniel, Lochlyn Munro, Kelly Coffield, Dave Sheridan, Fred Stoller, Alex Borstein, Rob Schneider and John Witherspoon.
The story revolves around a dwarf of a jewel thief who heists a priceless diamond (aren’t they all in the movies? There’s never a retail price) and before getting busted with it he stashes it in the purse of an innocent citizen (Kerry Washington) and now has to get it back. Retrieving means going to her home, discovering she and her husband (Shawn Wayans) want a baby and masquerading as a baby to get inside.
Once in Wayans does his best to find the diamond, but his attentive parents are always in his face. He tries to get help from his partner in crime (Tracy Morgan), but he’s already been approached by the local gangster (Chazz Palminteri) who knows the score and wants the priceless diamond. And as if that wasn’t enough, none of the couple’s friends or relatives think Wayans is an adorable baby. Maybe not, but when everything swirls out of control it’s baby Wayans who saves himself, his ‘parents’ and gets the gangster jailed.
All ends happily ever after. The baby Wayans (now an admitted criminal) gets to hang out with the couple and play games in the park with his ‘parents’, who now have a newborn who looks like daddy and not Baby Wayans (who also got some booty from the wife).
The critics didn’t care for Little Man, but when have the Wayans ever cared about critics. Bottom-line – on a budget of $64 million Little Man grossed $101.595,121 million at the worldwide box office.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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On this day in comedy on July 12, 1959 Comedian, Actor, Writer, Voice-Over Artist, Charles Quinton “Charlie” Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York.
Charlie Murphy got started in comedy after a short jail stint as a minor, followed immediately by a six-year stint in the US Navy. During this period his younger brother, Eddie had become a star and when Charlie came to town the first thing casting agents wanted was an Eddie Murphy look alike. They soon found out after a lot of four letter words, that Charlie was nobody’s look alike. He didn’t have to be – he was funny.
Murphy took comedy seriously and got into standup, working out in small spots to hone his craft. However ,there was no need to squander his in born celebrity so while getting good enough to use the title of ‘standup comedian’, Murphy acted in films: Harlem Nights, Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever, CB4, King’s Ransom, The Players Club, Roll Bounce, Night at the Museum, Paper Soldiers (which he wrote), Norbit (which he co-wrote with Eddie), The Perfect Holiday, Lottery Ticket, Meet the Blacks and others. He wrote songs for the hip hop group, K-9 Posse and was the executive producer of their debut album and his television credits include Martin, One on One, Wild ‘n Out, Are We There Yet? and Black Jesus
Charlie Murphy became a public celebrity when he was featured on Chappelle’s Show. He tapped into the public’s thirst for Hollywood gossip with his Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories, where he would regal the audience with pre-taped sketches of his adventures with stars, most popularly Rick James and Prince. The show was a surprise hit and Murphy was credited as part of the reason for its success. So when Dave Chappelle left his own show and Comedy Central made the decision to broadcast the remaining footage without Chappelle’s participation, it was Charlie Murphy and fellow cast member, Donnell Rawlings who got the call to host those shows. They came to be known as The Lost Episodes, but the only thing lost was the opportunity for more Chappelle’s Show. It was over and Murphy moved on.
Charlie Murphy toured the nation as a standup comedian – solo and as part of packaged celebrity comedian tours. He had his own sketch comedy show on Crackle called Charlie Murphy’s Crash Comedy and a Comedy Central standup special, Charlie Murphy: I Will Not Apologize. Besides his work in front of the camera and on the road, Murphy has been heard providing voices for The Boondocks, Thugaboo and Grand Theft Auto. And he not only wrote Paper Soldiers and Norbit, Murphy also penned Vampire in Brooklyn, which starred his brother Eddie and Angela Bassett.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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Detectives Burnett and Lowery’s new case has an official name.
Sony has titled Bad Boys 3 as Bad Boys For Life, EW confirmed. The name change comes with the project moving closer to reality with a Jan. 12, 2018 release in mind, a source tells EW.
The new title is a fitting throwback to 2003’s Bad Boys II where star Will Smith tells his cop partner Martin Lawrence, “We ride together, we die together. Bad boys for life.” (See the clip, below.) The two will reprise the roles they debuted in 1995’s Bad Boys — Michael Bay directed that movie and the sequel. The Grey’s Joe Carnahan is in the director’s chair for Bad Boys For Life, not Bay.
FX will premiere Donald Glover’s much-anticipated “Atlanta” on Tuesday, September 6 at 10pm, unfolding over a 10-episode first season, each a half-hour long, revolving around two cousins on their way up through the Atlanta rap scene whose opposing views on art versus commerce, success and race, will make their quest anything but easy.
Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Lee Stanfield and Zazie Beetz all join Glover in the series.
Finally, FX has dropped a full trailer after numerous 10 to 15 second teasers. Although the full trailer is a still only a minute long, and includes some footage we’ve already seen in the previous teasers. Regardless, it’s the first official as FX is calling it, so watch it below. And if you missed the previously-released teasers, you’ll find them underneath the trailer.
Source: Shadow & Act