ESSENCE will be celebrating the cinematic achievements of those in Hollywood within the past year, at the highly anticipated annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards on Thursday, March 7, 2024 for its 17th year!
This year’s entertainment industry trailblazers include Academy Award-nominated actress & Grammy Award winner, Danielle Brooks, six-time Grammy-nominated singer and leading actress, Halle Bailey, acclaimed screenwriter and showrunner of All American, All American: Homecoming and Found, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, industry powerhouse & President of Original Programming for STARZ, Kathryn Busby. Hosted by celebrated actor, Grammy Award winning rapper, and entrepreneur, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, the highly anticipated event returns to Los Angeles to recognize women who are making their undeniable mark in film and television and amplifies their strides in defining what it means to be a Black woman in Hollywood.
ESSENCE will continue its celebration of Black film & television luminaries at the fifth annual ESSENCE Hollywood House, which will be held on Friday, March 8, 2024 at 3322 La Cienega Place in Los Angeles. The experience for aspiring filmmakers, actors and TV & film enthusiasts, will include a day of networking, mentoring and skill-building to educate and inspire the community, while highlighting the vast spectrum of Black excellence. Industry thought leaders, executives and celebrities will take part in thoughtful programming including fireside chats, panel discussions, speed mentoring sessions, and more, providing attendees with real-life action plans for growth within the industry.
Los Angeles-based attendees can register at: ESSENCE.com/HollywoodHouse2024 and virtual attendees can stream the festivities live on ESSENCE.com, X, Facebook, and YouTube.
Netflix is doubling down on its commitment to the ever-busy Tyler Perry.
The streaming service announced Monday that it was adding a multi-year, first-look series deal to its ongoing partnership with Perry. The first series under the new pact is titled Beauty in Black, a 16-episode hour-long drama, written, directed and produced by the man himself. Per Netflix, the project follows two women who lead very different lives — one struggling to make a living after being kicked out by her mother, the other running a successful business — and find themselves entangled in each other’s worlds.
The news comes some four months after Perry revealed his first-look film deal with the service, which has him writing, directing, and producing features including the upcoming World War II period film Six Triple Eight, starring Kerry Washington, and legal drama Mea Culpa, fronted by Kelly Rowland. Past efforts from the prolific filmmaker include A Jazzman’s Blues, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, as well as A Madea Homecoming, the 12th installment in his long-running Madea franchise. (Perry also has a relationship with rival streamer Amazon, which announced a deal in 2022 where he’d also write, direct, and produce four features released on Prime Video.)
As far as Perry’s television footprint is concerned, he has had his TV business at many outlets, from his early 10/90 efforts at what were formerly the Turner networks to his more recent entries at Paramount Global, where he’s had a stake in the BET+ streaming service. In fact, Perry signed a multiyear content partnership with Paramount back in 2017. He was also among those who expressed interest in a potential majority stake in the larger BET business last year, though the company ultimately decided to take down its “For Sale” sign.
Not long after, Perry revealed publicly that he was “disappointed” in the way that Paramount Global had handled the bidding process, noting: “The way it happened was disrespectful in a lot of ways.” Though he didn’t disclose what exactly had occurred, he did add, “Don’t try to get me to pay for something that’s not worth anywhere near the value” that Paramount claimed it was. When asked if he’d reconsider should BET be put up for sale again, Perry said, simply, “No.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Over the weekend, at the Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam in Las Vegas, comedian and actress Aida Rodriguez abruptly walked off stage during her performance. Many fans were thinking that she may have been heckled, but mostly fans in attendance were perplexed on why she walked of stage.
Well, Aida addressed what really happened by posting a response. See below;
Celebrity Family Feud and Jeopardy! Masters have been renewed by ABC.
Celebrity Family Feud will be back for a 10th season, hosted by Steve Harvey. Joining as showrunner is Myeshia Mizuno, who also serves as showrunner on the network’s unscripted courtroom comedy series, Judge Steve Harvey.
Two specials will also air later this year in celebration of the show: Family Feud: Decades of Laughs and Family Feud: The Best of Steve Harvey.
The game show and specials will air this summer on ABC and stream next day on Hulu.
Jeopardy! Masters will return for another tournament-style season later this spring. Produced by Sony Pictures Television and hosted by Ken Jennings, each hourlong episode will showcase some of the highest-ranked current Jeopardy! contestants, with two high-stakes games.
The full field of contestants competing for the title of Jeopardy! Masters champion will be announced at a later date. The show will air on ABC and stream next day on Hulu.
Celebrity Family Feud is produced by Fremantle. Jeopardy! Masters is executive produced by Michael Davies.
Class will stay in session at Abbott Elementary.
Mere days after returning with its strikes-delayed and supersized third season, the Quinta Brunson comedy has been renewed for a fourth season at ABC. The news was announced by co-star William Stanford Davis (aka Mr. Johnson) on Saturday at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour, where he was a surprise guest during ABC’s time before the press corps.
Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich also announced renewals for Celebrity Family Feud and Jeopardy Masters, as sources say Dancing With the Stars will also return for its 33rd season.
Season three returned Wednesday with ratings that were on par with its sophomore debut (2.8 million total viewers and a 0.5 in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic for its first part and 2.7 million and a 0.5 for the latter). The comedy, which earned Brunson an Emmy, is a co-production between Disney’s 20th Television and Warner Bros. Television, where co-creators and co-showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker are housed with an overall deal.
The Philly-set mockumentary was originally conceived by Brunson as an animated comedy that evolved into a live-action series after meeting Halpern and Schumacker earlier in her career. The duo, who also oversee the animated Harley Quinn franchise for Max, also suggested Brunson star in the series in addition to writing the role that was inspired by her mother, a retired teacher.
The cast includes Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, Davis and Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph. Exec producers include Brunson, Halpern, Schumacker
In a show of its value to ABC, Abbott Elementary is the first series the Craig Erwich-led network has renewed for the 2024-25 broadcast season.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Mo’Nique is turning her latest interview into a bag!
Following her riveting one-on-one with Shannon Sharpe last week, the actor has now joined forces with fellow comedian, Katt Williams. On Friday (Jan. 9), Mo’Nique announced on Instagram Live that she would be going on tour with Williams, who also broke the internet during his nearly three-hour interview on “Club Shay Shay,” earlier in February.
While sitting next to her husband, Sidney Hicks, Mo’Nique dropped the exciting news.
“I wanna tell y’all about my twin brother Katt Williams, baby. Guess what? I’m gonna be joining my brother — my twin brother — Katt Williams on the Dark Matter Tour,” she announced.
“I cannot wait to see y’all, Connecticut,” she spoke of her first date on stage. “I’ll see y’all tomorrow night with our brother, Katt Williams. All over New York with our brother Katt Williams,” she elaborated. “And I’ll say this, too—and I told him this: I said for as funny and as talented as you are, your heart is far bigger.”
Mo has wasted no time getting back into the groove of making fans laugh. So far, Mo has taken center stage in New York and Connecticut.
Mo’Nique’s tour announcement follows Kevin Hart’s ex-wife, Torrei Hart, has also joined Williams on tour.
Last week, while on “Club Shay Shay,” Mo’Nique unleashed bomb after bomb that shocked us. Not only did she call out Tiffany Haddish, but she resurfaced her beef with Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey.
Source: BET
Netflix has picked up the stand-up special “Chappelle’s Home Team – Donnell Rawlings: A New Day,” the latest installment in a series of stand-alone comedy specials executive-produced by Dave Chappelle. “Chappelle’s Home Team – Donnell Rawlings: A New Day” is Rawlings’ first solo stand-up comedy special for Netflix, and is set to premiere on Feb. 27.
Directed by Emmy and Grammy award winner Stan Lathan, the special was filmed at The Hard Rock Cafe in New York City during the New York Comedy Festival in November. “Chappelle’s Home Team – Donnell Rawlings: A New Day” is executive produced by Chappelle, Rikki Hughes, and Lathan.
“It’s a new day, and Donnell Rawlings is feeling good. Dressed in a blue suit, red socks, and lotioned ankles, he’s here to discuss toxic relationships, traveling to New Zealand, aging, co-parenting and much more,” reads the special’s synopsis.
Rawlings was previously featured on “The Degenerates” (2019) and on “Snoop Dogg’s F*cn Around Comedy Special” (2022). Rawlings then joined Chappelle on his special “Dave Chappelle and Friends” at the Hollywood Bowl and performed a solo during the previous Netflix is a Joke comedy festival, where he will perform again as it returns this spring.
Rawlings was previously seen in sketches as “Ashy Larry” on “Chappelle’s Show.” He also appeared as Damien “Day-Day” Price on HBO’s “The Wire,” and he also starred as Dez in the animated Pixar film “Soul.”
The Rawlings special is the third installment of “Home Team,” which features comedians spotlighted and chosen by Chappelle.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, and comedians like Donnell are not only friends but have inspired my own career,” Chappelle said in a statement. “Anyone in the comedy community knows these names and knows their time to shine is long overdue. I am proud to be a part of this moment.”
The first special released as part of “Home Team” was “Chappelle’s Home Team – Earthquake: Legendary,” which premiered in February 2022. It was followed by “Chappelle’s Home Team – Luenell: Town Business” on September 2023.
Source: Variety
Katt Williams will debut his new comedy special, which will stream LIVE on Netflix from the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, as part of Netflix Is A Joke Fest on May 4, 2024 at 7PM PDT/10PM EST.
This will be Katt Williams’s third comedy special with Netflix. His previous specials include World War III and Great America.
The show is part of the Netflix is a Joke Comedy Fest taking place in Los Angeles from May 2-12 with a comedy marathon of over 300 shows across 35+ venues.
Netflix is a Joke Fest, the biggest comedy festival in North America, is back and bigger than ever. Produced by Netflix in association with Live Nation, the star-studded celebration of comedy from May 2 – May 12, 2024 will feature over 300 live stand-up shows, special events, table reads, sketch and more with the best comedians and artists in the world.
For 11 days, the comedy community will take over more than 35 of Los Angeles’ most beloved landmarks such as Hollywood Bowl, The Greek, The Dolby, The Forum, The Palladium, Orpheum Theatre and The Wiltern as well as historic comedy venues including The Hollywood Improv, Largo, Laugh Factory and The Comedy Store.
Comedian Kevin Hart and his global media company Hartbeat have taken more and more of a role in the sports world over the past few years. Hart has been doing his Cold As Balls cold-tub interview series since 2018, in addition to showing up on various other networks’ sports coverage, and Hartbeat has come up with a variety of other sports-related programming during that time too.
And now, Hartbeat is doing some notable things around Super Bowl week. They’ve announced two live tapings of Cold As Balls Thursday and Friday, and will also be presenting Shaquille O’Neal’s “Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam” Friday and Saturday.
Here’s more from a release there:
Hartbeat, the global media company creating entertainment at the intersection of comedy and culture, will further expand its ongoing investment into the sports content and experiential space by launching two live events at Resorts World Las Vegas during Super Bowl weekend. Starting Thursday, February 8, 2024, Hartbeat will deliver special live tapings of “Cold As Balls” – the hit sports interview series hosted by Kevin Hart – in collaboration with The Giving Back Fund and the Inspiring Children Foundation’s “Big Game Big Give” fundraising event Hartbeat and Shaquille O’Neal’s Jersey Legend Productions will also present the return of Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam at Resorts World Theater.
Cold As Balls (Presented by Old Spice Total Body Deodorant)
Kevin Hart and a star-studded lineup of athletes and sports personalities will take center stage at the annual “Big Game Big Give” fundraising event for back-to-back afternoons of laughs with live episode tapings of the internet’s biggest sports interview series, Cold As Balls (Presented by Old Spice Total Body Deodorant). Watch Kevin Hart interview his guests about their careers as they take the plunge into the “post-game” cold tub. Guests to be announced.
Shaq’s All Star Comedy Jam
Hartbeat and Shaquille O’Neal’s Jersey Legends Productions are bringing the beloved stand-up comedy showcase, ALL STAR COMEDY JAM, to Resorts World Theatre inside Resorts World Las Vegas for back-to-back nights of championship-level comedy, hosted by Deon Cole and featuring performances by D.L. Hughley, Earthquake, Desi Banks, and Aida Rodriguez. For more information and tickets, visit the site.
And over email, Hartbeat president and chief distribution officer Jeff Clanagan told AA the live format’s the natural next step for Cold As Balls:
“The synergies between sports and entertainment have long been something we’ve been interested in, dating back to the launch of Cold As Balls in 2018 and the viral Peacock series Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg,” Clanagan said. “At Hartbeat, we’ve created an ecosystem that can produce, market, and monetize IP and experiences all under one roof.
“By expanding Cold As Balls to a new live format alongside our longtime partners at Old Spice, and bringing Shaq’s All Star Comedy Jam to Super Bowl Weekend in Las Vegas, we’re excited to continue our investment in the sports space and unlock new ways to create memorable experiences that unite comedy, culture, and sports.”
We’ll see how this shift to a live format goes for Hartbeat and Cold As Balls. But the show has certainly made an impact over its seasons so far, and has made some significant pivots amidst challenging times. And Hart has continued to be a notable sports figure, including even with ESPN alternate NBA telecasts recently. We’ll see what comes from his live shows.
Source: Awful Announcing
Peacock‘s limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist continues to add to its A-list cast.
Don Cheadle is the latest actor to sign on to the drama, which tracks an armed robbery (and its fallout) on the night of Muhammad Ali’s 1970 comeback fight in Atlanta. Cheadle joins a cast that also includes Kevin Hart (who’s also executive producing), Samuel L. Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Dexter Darden (who’s playing Ali), and Myles Bullock.
Fight Night is based on an iHeart podcast and will follow “the heavyweight fight and criminal underground heist that introduced the world to the city dubbed ‘the Black Mecca,’ and the cop and the hustler at the center of it all,” according to the show’s logline. Oscar and Emmy nominee Cheadle will play the aforementioned cop, JD Hudson, one of the first Black detectives on Atlanta’s police force who is assigned to Ali’s security detail and to work the robbery case.
Fight Night comes from Universal Television, Will Packer Media and Doghouse Pictures, which produced the podcast. Shaye Ogbonna (The Chi) created the TV series and will serve as co-showrunner with Jason Horwitch (Peacock’s The Calling). They executive produce with Hart and his Hartbeat Productions partners Bryan Smiley and Mike Stein; Packer and Sabrina Wind of Will Packer Media; Conal Byrne and Carrie Lieberman of iHeartPodcasts; Jeff Keating of Doghouse Pictures; Lars Jacobson; and Craig Brewer (Dolemite Is My Name, Hustle & Flow), who’s also directing four episodes. Tiffany Brown of Hartbeat, Kenny Burns and Erika Johnson are co-EPs.
Cheadle’s recent credits include Marvel’s Secret Invasion, where he reprised his long-running character James “Rhodey” Rhodes, feature film White Noise and Showtime’s Black Monday, for which he earned a pair of Emmy nominations. He is repped by UTA and Viewpoint.