Actor and Comedian, Brandon T. Jackson announced today he will be returning to his stand-up comedy roots, launching a national comedy tour “Still Detroit,” that will also be filmed as a comedy special. The stand-up comedy tour kicks off on November 30, 2023, at the Comedy Loft DC in Washington DC followed by Springfield, MI, with more cities to be announced shortly.
“Still Detroit” captures the essence of Detroit as the roots of Brandon’s journey from Michigan to Hollywood, where he was discovered as a teenager at The Laugh Factory, and went on to star in Tropic Thunder, the Percy Jackson films, Big Momma’s and Roll Bounce. The tour will feature special sets and appearances of well-known and local comedians & comic influencers. Brandon will also partner with local and BIPOC businesses during the tour to provide support and awareness through in-store ticket giveaways.
“I feel like it’s the right time for me to return to stand-up, it’s where I was first discovered as a teen and helped launch my film career. There’s a lot of pain in the world right now, and I want to help bring people together to find joy and laugh.” – Brandon T. Jackson
D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince are set to reunite at A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop, which will tape on Nov. 8 at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif. It will mark one of Will Smith’s first major public events since his infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 94th annual Academy Awards in March 2022.
D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince made Grammy hip-hop history twice. The awards show didn’t have a dedicated category for rap or hip-hop until the 1988 awards, which were presented Feb. 22, 1989. The duo’s genial pop hit “Parents Just Don’t Understand” was the first hip-hop recording to win a Grammy (best rap performance). But they weren’t invited to perform on the show that year.
A year later, on Feb. 21, 1990, the duo became the first hip-hop act to perform on the Grammys. “We’d like to dedicate this performance to all the rappers last year that stood with us and helped us to earn the right to be on this stage tonight,” Smith said at the time before he and D.J. Jazzy Jeff launched into “I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson.”
The tribute special will air Dec. 10 from 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop is produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. Collins, Shawn Gee, Dionne Harmon, Claudine Joseph, LL COOL J, Fatima Robinson, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson for Two One Five Entertainment will serve as executive producers and Marcelo Gama as director of the special.
An extended “50 Years of 50-Hop” segment was one of the highlights of the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5. That kicked off a year of hip-hop celebrations that has underscored the importance and dominance of the genre.
The segment drew universal praise. Billboard’s Joe Lynch pegged it as the best performance on the 2023 Grammys telecast. “While it’s an impossible task to sum up 50 years of any genre (much less one that fought for decades to get a modicum of mainstream respect and eventually became the dominant genre in American music), this electrifying medley brought to vivid life the charged personalities, thumping grooves, deft deliveries and unpredictable flourishes that make hip-hop a global force.”
Questlove curated the 15-minute spot on the Grammy telecast, which featured three dozen rap acts. Collins, Robinson and Gee (Questlove’s manager and president of LNU) were also among the producers of that segment.
While many will assume that the success of the spot on the Grammy telecast led CBS to hurry a special into production, the special was in the works before anyone knew there would be a segment on the telecast, according to a source.
Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, hinted at the upcoming special in a statement announcing the telecast segment. “For five decades, Hip Hop has not only been a defining force in music, but a major influence on our culture,” he said. “Its contributions to art, fashion, sport, politics, and society cannot be overstated. I’m so proud that we are honoring it in such a spectacular way on the Grammy stage. It is just the beginning of our year-long celebration of this essential genre of music.”
The show was originally set to tape on Aug. 11, which was the 50th anniversary (to the day!) of a back-to-school party in The Bronx that many point to as the beginning of hip-hop culture. CBS, which has broadcast the Grammy telecast since 1973, aired another Grammy-branded special – A Grammy Salute to The Beach Boys – on April 9. That special was taped on Feb. 8 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Doors open for the Nov. 8 taping at 6 p.m. PT. The concert is set to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are available to the public now at Ticketmaster.com. The YouTube Theater is located at 1011 Stadium Dr., Inglewood, CA 90305.
Source: Billboard
Oct. 31 (UPI) — This year’s Byron Allen Presents The Grio Awards special will air on CBS in November.
CBS and theGrio said in a press release Tuesday that the second annual awards show will air Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS and also stream on Paramount+.
Byron Allen Presents The Grio Awards celebrates excellence in film, music, comedy, television, sports, philanthropy, business, fashion, social justice, and more. The special pays tribute to “the history makers, change agents, and artists who define and influence our world.”
The Talk co-host Sheryl Underwood and comedian Roy Wood co-host the event, which recently took place at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
Honorees include singer Mariah Carey (The Music Icon Award), actor Don Cheadle (The Environmental Champion Icon Award), and ballerina Misty Copeland (The Trailblazer Icon Award).
Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett-Helaire, Tamron Hall, Kevin Hart, Steve Harvey, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Eddie Murphy, Reverend Al Sharpton and Denzel Washington will also receive awards.
Performers include Boyz II Men, Jennifer Hudson, Coco Jones, Patti LaBelle, and Smokey Robinson.
“I created the Grio Awards to celebrate and amplify African American excellence and the incredible champions from other communities who truly support us,” Byron Allen said in a statement. “Celebrating and amplifying iconic individuals is something we can never do enough of, especially for our children.”
Allen is known for founding the Allen Media Group.
SHOWTIME today announced that the new documentary feature THRILLER 40 will make its debut on streaming and on demand for Paramount+ subscribers with the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan on Saturday, December 2, and premiere that day at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. The feature will also make its international debut on December 2 on Paramount+ in the UK, Australia, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Latin America and South Korea and on MTV internationally, excluding China and Japan.
Forty years after the release of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” – the best-selling album of all time worldwide – Director Nelson George takes fans back in time to experience the making of the record-breaking album and the release of the accompanying short films that forever redefined the music video format. Featuring never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews, THRILLER 40 chronicles the creation of a pre-internet global phenomenon unlike anything before it or since. “Thriller” launched Michael Jackson into mega-stardom and to this day continues to influence all aspects of culture and entertainment, including the worlds of music, dance and fashion. Music and entertainment luminaries including Usher, Mary J. Blige, Will.I.Am, Mark Ronson, Misty Copeland, Maxwell and John Landis are featured in the documentary.
THRILLER 40 is produced by Optimum Productions and Company Name. Colin Hanks, Sean Stuart, John Branca and John McClain serve as producers.
Today, Disney+ released the trailer for the original family holiday comedy “Dashing Through the Snow,” which will debut on November 17, 2023, exclusively on Disney+. A hilarious and touching story about a social worker for the Atlanta police department and the Christmas Eve journey that helps him to remember the joy and magic of the yuletide season, the film stars Lil Rel Howery and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges.
Eddie Garrick (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) is a good-hearted man who has turned his back on Christmas due to a traumatic childhood experience. At the request of his wife Allison Garrick (Teyonah Parris), from whom he is separated, Eddie takes his 9-year-old daughter Charlotte (Madison Skye Validum) out with him on Christmas Eve, where they meet a mysterious man in a red suit named Nick (Lil Rel Howery). Eddie, who is a social worker, thinks the man is delusional and needs professional help, but when he evokes the wrath of a local politician (Oscar Nuñez), he and his daughter are taken on a magical adventure that just might restore his faith in Christmas.
“Dashing through the Snow,” which is directed by Tim Story and written by Scott Rosenberg, is produced by John Jacobs and Will Packer, with Tim Story, Johanna Byer, Ross Fanger, and Zac Unterman serving as executive producers. The film also stars Teyonah Parris, Madison Skye Validum, Oscar Nuñez, Ravi V. Patel, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Gina Brillon, Sebastian Sozzi, Kevin Connolly, and Zulay Henao.
“Dashing Through the Snow” will stream November 17, 2023, exclusively on Disney+.
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Comedian, writer, and actor Zainab Johnson is known for telling stories about dating, being a Black Muslim in America, and her very big family.
“You know in a house with 15 people, a journal ain’t safe,” she jokes in her new standup special Hijabs Off on Prime Video, “They were so disrespectful. They read my journal, made notes, corrected my grammar… Like, ‘You’ve been talking about him for two years. Let it go.'”
Johnson is also returning as a cast member in the third season of the sci-fi comedy Upload.
For someone so funny, off-stage Johnson can be pretty serious. Raised by a stay-at-home mother and a father who worked for New York City’s transit authority and then managed buildings, she says writing jokes was not her first career choice.
“I studied math and education. I thought I would be a teacher in another life. Maybe I would have been a lawyer. I’m an amazing debater,” she tells NPR, “but the first time I did standup comedy, it felt very different than anything I had ever done. It felt like this was already a part of me.”
Like so many aspiring comics, Zainab began her career doing open mics several nights a week. In her new special, she explains that open mics aren’t like regular comedy clubs. Audiences, she says “were there to smoke hookah,” not watch a rookie try to hone her jokes.
Her first big break came when her friend and fellow comedian Wil Sylvince urged her to drive from LA to Sacramento to try and convince Shawn and Marlon Wayans to be part of one of their shows, resulting her first, paid standup set.
Another big break came in 2014 when Wanda Sykes and her producing partner Page Hurwitz invited Johnson to compete in the NBC-TV series Last Comic Standing.
“There’s nobody like her in standup,” says Hurwitz who recalled that, at the time, Johnson was bald, which you also “don’t see very often with women in comedy.”
Johnson has mined her bald period for standup material. “Women were like, ‘Wow you must feel so free, so spiritually lifted.’ I was like, ‘It was Tuesday. I didn’t feel like doing my hair. So I shaved it off,'” she says in one.
Hurwitz says Johnson knows how to hit “the sweet spot” of comedy.
“She can be silly and absurd, but she can also just give you a really good gut punch with a line that’s so poignant and substantive,” she says.
That mix of silly and serious seems to come naturally for Johnson. But, she says, her family didn’t always think so.
“I was talking to my mom a couple of weeks ago and I was like, ‘Was I funny as a kid? And she was like, ‘No,'” Johnson laughs. The first time one of her younger brothers watched her standup, he confessed he was terrified she would bomb, “‘Because I don’t ever remember you being funny,'” Johnson recalls him telling her.
Cat’s out of the bag now. Johnson is a regular on the comedy club circuit. In addition to her recurring role on the Prime Video series Upload, she’s appeared on Ramy, A Black Lady Sketch Show, and the kids’ series Tab Time.
In Hijabs Off Johnson spins some not-so-funny topics into laugh-out-loud anecdotes, including a traumatic personal experience from her childhood.
Without giving too much away, Johnson found herself, alone, in a dangerous situation when she was seven years old. The comic relief comes when she tells the audience she escaped, running down “25 flights of concrete steps and didn’t fall once.” She goes on to say she has trouble watching horror movies because, “Every time the girl fell I was like ‘Well that don’t need to happen. My 7-year-old legs made it. You’re a cheerleader, right? You got this.'”
For Zainab Johnson, that’s part of the power of comedy, to allow people to both process and bring levity to painful experiences.
As a Black Muslim, she also hopes her personal stories help non-Muslims see how much they all have in common.
“To walk into a room and try and make a body of strangers laugh and they all come from very different places and walks of life… That’s a very difficult thing, but it is also very rewarding when you do it.”
Johnson says her next project is developing a TV show based on her life growing up in Harlem with her parents and 12 brothers and sisters.
By Elizabeth Blair/NPR
Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary), Timothy V. Murphy (Appaloosa), and Bruce Greenwood (The Fall of the House of Usher) have boarded The Fabulous Four, a new comedy from Bleecker Street, which has entered production in Georgia under an Interim Agreement from SAG-AFTRA.
The actors join an ensemble that also includes Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, and Megan Mullally, as previously announced. Ralph takes over the role of Sissy Spacek, who was attached as of last fall but was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Bleecker Street nabbed North American rights to the pic last October and will release the film in U.S. theaters in 2024. UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance arranged the financing and brokered the deal for U.S. rights, with Sierra/Affinity repping international sales.
Written and directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, the Cannes prize-winner best known for her Kate Winslet pic The Dressmaker, the film follows three life-long friends (Sarandon, Mullally, and Ralph) who travel to Key West, Florida to be bridesmaids in a surprise wedding of their college girlfriend Marilyn (Midler). Once there, sisterhoods are rekindled, the past rises up again in all its glory, and there are enough sparks, drinks and romance to change all their lives in ways they never expected.
Richard Barton Lewis’ Southpaw Entertainment is producing alongside Lauren Hantz of Hantz Motion Pictures.
An icon of stage and screen, Ralph has won an Emmy and numerous other accolades for her portrayal of kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard on Abbott Elementary, the ABC mockumentary that has emerged as one the most popular scripted series on linear. The show, created by and starring Quinta Brunson, was renewed for a third season in January but only recently returned to the writers’ room, following the conclusion of the WGA strike. Otherwise perhaps best known for her Tony-nominated turn as Deena Jones in Broadway’s Dreamgirls, Ralph has also been seen in Mistress with Robert de Niro, To Sleep with Anger with Danny Glover, The Distinguished Gentlemen with Eddie Murphy, and Sister Act 2 with Whoopi Goldberg, along with such series as Moesha and Ray Donovan.
Most recently recurring on Law & Order: Organized Crime and ABC’s The Company You Keep, Murphy previously reprised his role in Uni’s comedy MacGruber on the same-name Peacock series. Other recent credits for the actor on the TV side include S.W.A.T., Snowpiercer, Westworld, and True Detective, to name just a few. Additional feature credits include In Full Bloom, The Lone Ranger, and National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
Greenwood puts in a stellar turn as Fortunato Pharmaceuticals CEO Roderick Usher in Netflix’s Edgar Allen Poe-inspired miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher from Mike Flanagan, which bowed on the platform earlier this month. He also recently starred in the Fox medical drama The Resident, which ran for six seasons, and will soon appear in fantasy pic The Invisibles with Tim Blake Nelson and Gretchen Mol, among other projects.
At this year’s Toronto Film Festival, Bleecker Street nabbed U.S. rights to James Hawes’ One Life, starring Anthony Hopkins, and the starry British comedy Fackham Hall, which goes into production next year. The company also locked down UK rights, alongside Elysian Film Group and Anonymous Content, to Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. Upcoming releases include the Meg Ryan-helmed rom-com What Happens Later, coming to theaters November 3, which she leads with David Duchovny, and Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson’s Waitress: The Musical, out December 7 with Fathom Events.
Ralph is represented by Innovative Artists, Neon Kite, and Sutton, Barth & Vennari; Murphy by Buchwald; and Greenwood by Gersh and Binder & Associates.
Source: Deadline
Wanda Sykes will embark on her “Please & Thank You” comedy tour in 2024, the veteran stand-up comedian’s first major tour in six years.
The first 29 dates of the tour will begin on March 1 in Concord, N.H., and carry through June 15 in Kansas City, Mo., with more dates to be added into the fall. Artist presales will start on Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. local time, with tickets available to the general public on Oct. 27 at the same time, all on Sykes’ website.
Sykes hasn’t toured since the COVID-19 pandemic, but she did appear occasionally in clubs and venues post-2020 to hone material for her most recent Netflix special, “I’m an Entertainer,” which debuted in May. That special — which was nominated for Emmys for best variety, music, or comedy special and best writing for a variety, music, or comedy special — focused on some of the most hot-button topics of the pandemic era, like the Jan. 6 insurrection, the importance of trans rights, and the murder of Black Americans like George Floyd and Elijah McClain.
The dates for Sykes’s new tour are below.
Fri., March 1, 2024 — Chubb Theatre at Capitol Center for the Arts — Concord, NH
Sat., March 2, 2024 — Tarrytown Music Hall — Tarrytown, NY
Sun., March 3, 2024 — The VETS — Providence, RI
Fri., March 15, 2024 — Chrysler Hall — Norfolk, VA
Sat., March 16, 2024 — Dominion Energy Center — Richmond, VA
Sun., March 17, 2024 — Crown Theatre — Fayetteville, NC
Sat., April 6, 2024 — Hawaii Theatre Center — Honolulu, HI
Fri., April 12, 2024 — Kodak Center Main Theater — Rochester, NY
Sat., April 13, 2024 — Ulster Performing Arts Center — Kingston, NY
Sat., April 20, 2024 — Warner Theatre — Washington, DC
Sun., April 21, 2024 — Count Basie Center for the Arts — Red Bank, NJ
Fri., May 3, 2024 — Silver Legacy Resort Casino — Reno, NV
Sat., May 4, 2024 — Emerald Queen Casino & Hotel — Tacoma, WA
Sun., May 5, 2024 — Atwood Concert Hall — Anchorage, AK
Thurs., May 9, 2024 — Ovens Auditorium — Charlotte, NC
Fri., May 10, 2024 — Atlanta Symphony Hall — Atlanta, GA
Thurs., May 16, 2024 — Clowes Memorial Hall — Indianapolis, IN
Fri., May 17, 2024 — The Fillmore Detroit — Detroit, MI
Sat., May 18, 2024 — The Chicago Theatre — Chicago, IL
Fri., May 31, 2024 — Jackson Hall (UC Davis) — Davis, CA
Sat., June 1, 2024 — Paramount Theatre — Denver, CO
Sun., June 2, 2024 — Fox Tucson Theatre — Tucson, AZ
Thurs., June 6, 2024 — McCallum Theatre — Palm Desert, CA
Fri., June 7, 2024 — Luther Burbank Center for the Arts — Santa Rosa, CA
Sat., June 8, 2024 — The Masonic — San Francisco, CA
Sun., June 9, 2024 — Sycuan Casino Resort — El Cajon, CA
Thurs., June 13, 2024 — Lexington Opera House — Lexington, KY
Fri., June 14, 2024 — Stifel Theatre — St. Louis, MO
Sat., June 15, 2024 — Music Hall Kansas City — Kansas City, MO
Nick Cannon is set to introduce new talent discovered during his Future Superstars Tour 2023. VH1 and Cannon’s Ncredible Entertainment have teamed on Nick Cannon Presents: Future Superstars, a new docuseries slated to premiere next month on VH1.
Presented and hosted by Cannon, the docuseries takes viewers on a coast-to-coast journey during the 2023 tour, showcasing the talents of nine emerging artists: Big Boss Vette, DW Flame, Hitman Holla, JD McCrary, Jilly, Klondike Blonde, Pop Money, Symba, and Trae Two Three. Described as artists who are on the cusp of making their mark in the music industry, each half-hour episode delves into their unique musical gifts and personal journeys. Cannon will interview emerging stars while offering insightful mentorship as they strive to become the industry’s next big sensations. The series wraps with a finale that looks back at the artists’ progression throughout the season. Nick Cannon Presents: Future Superstars premieres with back-to-back episodes on VH1 on Tuesday, November 21 starting at 9 PM ET/PT.
“VH1 has a legacy of celebrating the magic of music and the brilliance of artists, from established icons to rising stars,” said Tiffany Lea Williams, Executive Vice President, of Unscripted Programming and Development of BET Media Group. “Now, with Nick Cannon Presents: Future Superstars, we’re about to add a thrilling new chapter to that tradition and introduce you to a new wave of musical talent. We’re proud to collaborate with Nick Cannon and Ncredible Entertainment again, and look forward to bringing viewers an engaging and entertaining docuseries highlighting these future superstars.”
“I have created a platform for the next generation of superstars,” said Cannon. “Within this docuseries, you go on a journey with each artist as they are given the superstar starter kit with everything from artist development, publicity, touring, and mentorship to succeed in the competitive music industry. You get to see the raw behind-the-scenes footage of what it takes to be a star. I am excited to have VH1 as a partner because they have always been one of the curators of the culture.”
Nick Cannon Presents: Future Superstars is executive produced by Cannon, Benjamin Sumpter, and Tia Wong Katoa for Ncredible Entertainment. Tiffany Lea Williams, Angela Aguilera, and Ia A. Robinson will serve as executive producers for BET Media Group.
Cannon and Ncredible Entertainment are represented by Michael Goldman, CAA, and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang.
Source: Deadline
NEXT for AUTISM, a nonprofit dedicated to building national programs that enhance the lives of autistic adults, will welcome a star-studded lineup to the return of its popular live comedy event Night of Too Many Stars.
The show, which will take place on Dec. 11 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, will feature performers including Rachel Bloom, Stephen Colbert, Ron Funches, James Austin Johnson, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Amy Schumer, Jon Stewart and the cast of How to Dance in Ohio. The event will also include a live auction, as NEXT celebrates its 20th anniversary; the organization has funded more than 350 projects at 145 organizations across the United States and impacted more than 100,000 autistic individuals.
The Night of Too Many Stars was created by longtime SNL and Conan writer-producer Robert Smigel and his wife Michelle Smigel, who struggled to find effective education for their autistic son Daniel. The Smigels’ extended comedy family has been supporting this event over the past two decades and has raised over $30 million to support programs that enhance the lives of autistic individuals, particularly in the areas of education, home, work, social, health, and well-being. Past event performers include Steve Carell, George Clooney, Billy Crystal, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, John Oliver, Katy Perry, Amy Poehler, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman and Ben Stiller.
The event committee includes Michal Shtender and Michael Auerbach, Tanja and James Dixon, Dee, and Tommy Hilfiger, Dr. Jen Clark and Andy Korbak, Bellanca Smigel Rutter and Mitch Rutter, Jackie and Adam Sandler, Rena and David Schwartzbaum, Laura and Harry Slatkin, Lucia Smigel, Michelle and Robert Smigel, Tracey and Jon Stewart, and Christopher “CJ” Wallace.
Tickets to the event start at $134.55 and will be available to the general public on Friday via Ticketmaster and on Saturday at the Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and Beacon Theatre box offices.
Source; The Hollywood Reporter