Nick Cannon is expected to fill in as a guest host for season six of the game show Beat Shazam following Jamie Foxx’s ongoing hospitalization.
Foxx regularly hosts and executive produces Beat Shazam, which also features his daughter, Corrine (also an activist, CEO and producer) as the series’ deejay. On April 12, Corinne responded to reports that her father had been hospitalized while filming the upcoming Netflix film, Back in Action, in Atlanta. In an Instagram statement, she expressed that the actor, musician and comedian had “experienced a medical complication” but was “on his way to recovery.”
“We wanted to share that, my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday. Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery,” she added. Since her statement, no further updates have been given on Jamie Foxx.
In his first public statement, Foxx took to Instagram shortly after to share a brief message thanking everyone for their well wishes.
“Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed,” Foxx wrote.
Meanwhile on his Instagram story, Foxx thanked Cannon for filling in to host Beat Shazam in his absence: “Appreciate ya my boy @nickcannon. See u all soon,” he wrote while sharing a screenshot of Corinne’s post sharing the news
Back in Action, which is directed by Horrible Bosses helmer Seth Gordon and will co-star Cameron Diaz and Glenn Close, remained in production and was set to finish filming on schedule, a Netflix source told THR following Jamie Foxx’s hospitalization.
Created by Jeff Apploff and Wes Kauble, the series is an interactive game show that sees two teams go head-to-head — and against the clock — as they work to identify music’s biggest hits. Eventually, the winning team must face off against the actual Shazam app, the world’s most popular song identification application, for a chance at $1 million dollars.
The game show debuted in 2017 and is produced by Apploff Entertainment, MGM Television and BiggerStage in association with Shazam. Foxx serves as an executive producer, alongside Mark Burnett, Apploff, Barry Poznick and Lauren Zalaznick.
Season six of Beat Shazam is slated to debut on May 23.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Terrence Howard (Empire), JB. Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Rebecca De Mornay (Jessica Jones) are set to star in Giving Thanks, a coming-of-age comedy set in Inglewood, California that will go into production in June.
The story revolves around Marcus and Roddy, two best friends who work at a dead-end retail job and dream about jump-starting their dream of living on their own while seeking fame and fortune. The pair come up with an ingenious plan to kidnap the pet iguana of football star Achilles Cooper for ransom, while also forcing the famous player to headline the birthday party of Marcus’s father.
Howard plays Calvin Turner, a hard-working father who wants to see his son, Marcus, take advantage of the opportunities life affords him. Smoove will portray Marcus’s arch-nemesis Dexter, an ambitious hustler who manages the retail box store where he works. And De Mornay is set for the role of Aunt Theodora, an eccentric cabaret/performance artist who tries her best to look out for Roddy, but knows a good opportunity when she sees it.
Leslie Small will direct the film, slated for an early 2024 release. Charles Maye and Michael NJ Wright penned the script from a story by Bill Freas. Brandwood Studios’ Stephanie Weier and Hunter De Vere developed the project with Charlton Jacques of Foresight Entertainment, with the trio to produce alongside 5120 Entertainment.
Howard is an Academy Award nominee who most recently appeared in Peacock’s The Best Man: The Final Chapters and is otherwise perhaps known for his portrayal of music mogul Lucious Lyon on Fox’s Empire. Among his best known films are Crash, Hustle & Flow, Prisoners, The Best Man, The Best Man Holiday, Red Tails and Iron Man. Other upcoming projects for the actor include John Ridley’s Netflix pic Shirley, Orson Oblowitz’s action comedy Showdown at the Grand and the horror thriller Skeletons in the Closet.
An Emmy winner best known for his role as Leon on HBO’s long-running comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm, Smoove has also been seen on series including History of the World: Part II, Mapleworth Murders and The Millers, among others. His film credits over the last decade include Spider-Man: No Way Home, Jerrod Carmichael’s On the Count of Three, John Turturro’s Big Lebowski spin-off The Jesus Rolls, Spider-Man: Far from Home, The Polka King, Barbershop: The Next Cut and Chris Rock’s Top Five. Smoove will next be seen in Amazon Studios’ musical romance pic Música from director Rudy Mancuso.
De Mornay has previously appeared in films including Wedding Crashers, Lords of Dogtown, Identity, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Backdraft, The Slugger’s Wife and Risky Business, among many others. Her TV credits include Lucifer, Jessica Jones and John from Cincinnati. Among the actress’s upcoming projects are the horror thriller Saint Clare with Bella Thorne and Ryan Phillippe, the horror thriller Angel Baby, and the action thriller Peter Five Eight.
Small has directed a number of Kevin Hart’s comedy specials, as well as on his talk show Hart to Heart. Other notable credits include Real Husbands of Hollywood, Netflix’s Holiday Rush and Undercover Brother 2.
Howard is repped by Universal Bridges; Smoove by UTA, Authentic Talent & Literary Management, and Roger A. Pliakas, Esq.; De Mornay by Innovative Artists and Joanne Horowitz Management; and Small by APA.
Source: Deadline
Sony Pictures has acquired the action horror-comedy Hell Naw, with Scott Mescudi aka Kid Cudi attached to star and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson producing. Oscar-nominated Judas and the Black Messiah screenwriters Keith & Kenny Lucas are writing the script, which is in early development.
Mescudi will also produce along with his partners Karina Manashil and Dennis Cummings through their Mad Solar banner with Sam and Ashley Levinson producing through their Little Lamb production company. Bron and H. Wood Films are also producing.
The plot is being kept under wraps, but we do know the film is set during Paris Fashion Week and there will be zombies. Bron’s Aaron L. Gilbert, Brenda Gilbert and Novo Entertainment’s Stuart Manashil will executive produce along with Kevin Turen, Harrison Kreiss, John Terzian and Jeremy Allen. Brian Toll will serve as associate producer.
“This movie has been five years in the making. I am telling the world now, this film will f*ck you up in all the best ways,” said Mescudi. “I have been a horror fan since I was 7 years old, The first horror movies I ever saw were Night of the Living Dead and Evil Dead. And from that point on, I was hooked on the feeling of being frightened. I’ve been wanting to get into this world creating my own stories for a long time, and now, and after years of working it out in my head, it’s finally happening. Sam, The Lucas Brothers and myself have really crafted a tale we feel everyone who’s a fan of horror and comedy will enjoy. You will laugh, oh yes you will, but the horror aspect of this movie will really be something to see. You will be shook. I promise. Y’all know I don’t play around.”
The project marks a major star vehicle for Mescudi, who recently added the Sonic the Hedgehog spinoff series Knuckles to his future slate, joining Idris Elba last week. He also has the John Woo action pic Silent Night. He is repped by WME.
Levinson recently won a DGA Award for direcing Euphoria and also has his HBO series The Idol with The Weeknd and Lily Rose-Depp bowing this summer after a Cannes Film Festival premiere. He is repped by WME and Novo Entertainment.
The Lucas Brothers earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Judas and the Black Messiah. They are repped by UTA and Fourth Wall Management.
Source: Deadline
The Humor Mill has a first-look photo for Average Joe, BET+’s upcoming dark comedy series starring Deon Cole.
The series is executive produced by Rob Cullen and McG.
Set in The Hill district of Pittsburgh and inspired by Cullen’s life, Average Joe follows blue-collar plumber, Joe Washington (Cole) who discovers his recently deceased father lived a secret, second life and stole millions of dollars from dangerous people just before he died. Now those people think Joe knows where it is. A bloody and violent confrontation triggers a chain of events that force Joe and his close-knit circle of family and friends out of their very average and mundane lives into a life-or-death race against time to find the truth and the millions.
Tammy Townsend, Cynthia McWilliams, Malcolm Barrett, Michael Trucco, Ashley Olivia Fisher, and Pasha Lychnikoff.
The series is executive produced by Robb Cullen, McG, Mary Viola and Corey Marsh. Eric Dean Seaton, Christoph Schrewe, Marshall Tyler, David Katzenberg, and Joy T. Lane serve as directors.
Average Joe premieres on BET+ on June 26 with new episodes dropping weekly until the season finale on Aug. 10.
Martin Lawrence received the 2,753rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week but his friend Jamie Foxx wasn’t far from his mind. Foxx, 55, has been hospitalized since last week when his daughter announced via his social media accounts that he was dealing with a “medical complication.”
Lawrence told Extra’s Rachel Lindsay that the actor/comedian was improving.
“Well, I hear he’s doing better,” Lawrence said. “My prayers go out for him every night and just wishing the best for him, one of the best that we got in Hollywood. Not only one of the best entertainers but a good person.”
Fellow comedian Tracy Morgan had his own health challenge when he was severely injured in a car accident on a New Jersey highway in 2014. At Lawrence’s Hollywood Star presentation, he told Entertainment Tonight that he believes Foxx will come out of the incident “stronger and better.”
“I love Jamie. Jamie’s a good friend of mine … my prayers go up for Jamie,” Morgan told Entertainment Tonight. “He’s strong, he’s a fighter, he’s gonna come out of it and he’s good. He’s gonna be stronger and better than ever.”
“I’ve been there,” he added. “I was on the other side in a coma for 10 days,” he said referencing his 2014 crash on a New Jersey highway when a Walmart truck slammed into his limousine. His close friend, comedian James McNair was killed and Morgan was hospitalized with severe injuries.
“Jamie, I love you,” Morgan said. “My prayers go out to you and your family. Please get well.”
Martin’s co-star on Martin, Tichina Arnold attended his Walk of Fame induction as well, echoing his comments.
“Jamie’s such a good human being, great person, does a lot for a lot of people, and I just pray for his strength,” Arnold said.
Steve Harvey expressed concern as well, saying he’s always known the Collateral star to take care of himself.
“Jamie’s fit,” Harvey said. “He don’t do nothin’, man. That dude is fit so I was really concerned. I hope it works out. I’m pretty sure it will.”
Foxx was in Atlanta shooting Back In Action for Netflix with Cameron Diaz when his daughter announced that he’d experienced a “medical complication.” No further information has been released, though CNN reports the incident did not happen on set nor was he rushed to the hospital in an emergency vehicle.
Source: AP
In Mo’Nique’s new Netflix stand-up special, the Academy Award winner spends some time talking and joking about her stint on The Parkers. However, a profit participation suit filed today against Paramount Pictures, CBS TV Studios, and others is no laughing matter.
“While the Series has proven to be a major financial success for its producers and distributors, the series’ talent has not been permitted to share in the fruits of that success,” declares the breach of contract action over the sitcom that ran on the now defunct UPN from 1999 to 2004 (read it here).
“Plaintiff is further informed and believes and thereupon alleges that the Series’ writers and creators performed a forensic audit that this forensic audit of the Series’ books and records strongly suggested that Defendants have inequitably structured the Series’ finances to artificially depress its profitability and retain millions that would otherwise be contractually due and owing to Plaintiff,” adds the filing from the deRubertis Law Firm, APC and Schimmel & Park, APLC on behalf of Mo’Nique’s production company Hicks Media.
“Plaintiff only recently discovered the breaches and/or concealment of material facts described herein when it learned of details of the publicly-filed lawsuit by the writers and creators of the Series,” the compliant in the docket in LA Superior Court notes. “Before that, they had been lulled through the words and actions of the Defendants into believing that all moneys were properly paid.”
Though terms like “millions” are to be founded in the suit, the action doesn’t actually specify a number that Mo’Nique and her company are seeking. However, with a wide array of damages, a full accounting and a judicially ordered constructive trust as a part of the relief the plaintiff is seeking and the long runway that The Parkers has had in first run TV and syndication, streaming, we’re talking big bucks here
Now, if you only know Mo’Nique from her work on the spinoff, Precious or her comedy, you won’t be surprised to learn the actress doesn’t have much patience for the particulars of Hollywood accounting and punishments. Back in 2019, Mo’Nique stood up and sued Netflix for racial and gender bias, plus “a discriminatory low-ball offer and ended with a blacklisting act of retaliation.” After the streamer failed to have the action tossed out, the parties settled in June last year. On April 4 this year, the take-no-prisoners special My Name Is Mo’Nique launched on Netflix.
Finding themselves in Mo’Nique’s legal spotlight, reps for corporate mothership Paramount Global did not respond to request from Deadline for comment on this latest lawsuit. If and when the CBS-owners do respond, we will update this post.
Source: Deadline
Martin Lawrence has had an illustrious career in television and film and will receive his just due with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. The 57-year-old actor and comedian’s star ceremony now has an official date.
“Comedian Martin Lawrence to be honored with [a] star on the Walk of Fame on April 20th! #walkoffame,” tweeted Ana Martinez, Vice President Of Media Relations for the Hollywood Chamber Of Commerce, on Tuesday (April 11). This comes after it was revealed that he would receive a star in June 2022.
“We did it, bruh! We did it!” the comedian said in a reaction video after the announcement. “All the way from Landover, Washington D.C., all the way to Hollywood. We did it. Oh, man. God bless. God bless.”
Martin Lawrence has been a mainstay in film, television, and comedy since the late 1980s. His breakthrough came as the star of the sitcom Martin before he joined forces with Will Smith for the long-running Bad Boys franchise. Lawrence has also appeared in House Party, Boomerang, Open Season, Wild Hogs, Big Momma’s House, and several other major productions.
Earlier this year, Variety revealed that the NAACP Image Award Winner will join Anthony Mackie and Chloe Bailey for the animated film Sneaks. The star-studded cast also includes Roddy Ricch, Ella Mai, Swae Lee, Macy Gray, Quavo, Sam Jay, Coi Leray, Keith David, and Laurence Fishburne. Sneaks is set to be finished in 2024.
If that isn’t enough to be excited for, Lawrence and Smith have confirmed that Bad Boys 4 is in the works. “It’s about that time,” the Oscar winner said before meeting up with his partner in fighting crime.
U.S. actor Jamie Foxx is recovering following “a medical complication”, his daughter Corinne Foxx has said.
The Oscar winner was hospitalized in Atlanta, where he was filming a new comedy with actress Cameron Diaz, according to Hollywood industry publication Variety.
“We wanted to share that my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday. Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery,” Corinne Foxx said in a statement on behalf of the Foxx family shared on Instagram late on Wednesday.
“We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time.”
She did not share any further details.
Foxx, 55, is known for films such as “Ray”, “Collateral” and “Django Unchained”.
The Humor Mill Digital catches up with Grasie Mercedes and Aaron Jennings of NBC’s Grand Crew to learn more about the upcoming season 2; what they enjoy doing when they’re not sipping wine on TV, and whether we’ll see sparks fly among the friends this season.
Please watch the interview above!
Even as Chris Meledandri prepares to launch Mario onto movie screens, the Illumination founder and CEO is simultaneously juggling several new movies and sequels in his ever-expanding animation empire. These range from follow-ups to his “Sing,” “Despicable Me” and “Secret Life of Pets” franchises, as well as original movies like this fall’s “Migration,” the story of a family of ducks who live in a pond in New England and no longer have to migrate because the winters are milder. But before all that, there’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which is expected to achieve box office domination when it opens on April 5.
Beyond running Illumination, Meledandri, who sat down with Variety with Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto for this week’s cover story on the making of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” also serves as a creative partner to DreamWorks Animation as it looks to reboot the “Shrek” franchise. In that capacity, he’s keen to see the return of the film’s original voice cast (which includes Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy) for “Shrek 5.”
“It’s not that dissimilar to the process that we went through with ‘Mario,’ where you look at what the core elements are that audiences have loved, and you do your very best to honor those core elements,” Meledandri said. “And then you’re hard at work to build story elements and new characters that take you to brand new places. The original cast is a huge part of that.”
Though no deals are in place, he said negotiations with the actors are going well. “We anticipate the cast coming back. Talks are starting now, and every indication that we’ve gotten is there’s tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of the actors to return,” he said.
And Meledandri has good reason to be optimistic. Following the success of the 2022 “Shrek” spinoff sequel “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” Murphy said in January, “If [DreamWorks] ever came with another ‘Shrek,’ I’d do it in two seconds. I love Donkey. They did ‘Puss in Boots’ movies. I was like, ‘They should have done a Donkey movie.’ Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he ain’t funny as the Donkey.”
Meledandri said he was “thrilled” when he read Murphy’s comments, adding, “It’s evidence of his strong enthusiasm for a role that he so brilliantly inhabited and really created alongside the artists at DreamWorks. I found that comment to be very exciting.”
When asked if he thought Donkey was a character that could support its own film, similar to the fighting feline spinoffs starring Antonio Banderas, Meledandri answered, “Without question.”
Throughout his interview, Meledandri also teased the other animated projects Illumination is cooking up. He’s looking for a fresh way to return to the world of dogs, cats, goldfish, and all other forms of domesticated animals.
“We’re developing a couple of scripts in ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ world,” he said. “While we’re not ready yet to start a film, we’re absolutely continuing to develop in that franchise.”
So what would a possible “Secret Life of Pets 3” look like?
“One of the stories that we’re developing involves one primary character from the first two films, but introduces a new set of characters,” Meledandri added. “And then another story that we’re developing is the ensemble. So we’re looking at it from different angles.”
And Meledandri is also “deep into development” on “Sing 3,” a new installment of his hit series about a group of animals competing in a talent competition. “It will involve characters from the original cast, but it will take us into a new world,” he said.
“Sing 2” generated more than $400 million at the box office, but it had the misfortune to debut as the omicron COVID variant was spreading wildly, which depressed ticket sales. However, Meledandri says the film was a streaming smash. The sequel was the third highest-streamed movie overall in the U.S. in 2022 and was streamed over 80 million times on Netflix.
“We don’t just look at box office,” Meledandri says of the decision to make more “Sing” films. “We gauge the audience response in different ways. The streaming success of ‘Sing 2’ signals that fans want to stay in this world with these characters.”
And while little is known about “Migration,” other than it’s written by “The White Lotus” creator Mike White and directed by “Ernest and Celestine’s” Benjamin Renner, audiences at “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” will be among the first to get a look at what Illumination has in store. A trailer for the film will be released alongside the studio’s Nintendo adventure.
“It represents Illumination’s ongoing commitment to telling original stories, which I think is absolutely essential to culture,” Meledandri said.
In “Migration,” the family of ducks finds themselves at odds. With the weather warming, the father in the family wants to remain safe and comfortable in their pond in New England, while the wife wants them to explore the wider wold.
“The film is very beautiful and has a painterly quality that is quite different from anything we’ve done at Illumination,” Meledandri said. “The story is told with humor and heart. It’s a remarkably human story with characters who are very relatable and end up wrestling with issues that we all understand, even though they are ducks. And their qualities as ducks are incredibly well executed, from the smallest detail on a feather to their movements and their flight. So it’s a movie that transports you into this world up in the sky, but at the same time it’s very true to who we are.”
And Meledandri isn’t just sticking to movies. Illumination has teamed with Pierre Coffin, the writer and director of the “Despicable Me” films, on two short series that will premiere on TikTok in May before going to YouTube. One, “Who’s Who,” is set in the world of Minions, while the other, “Bones Story,” tells a wholly original tale.
“We like to follow the creativity of our team,” Meledandri said. “This is something Pierre wants to do and it’s exciting to experiment in serialized storytelling.”
Source: Variety