Kevin Hart and his entertainment company Hartbeat are bringing back BET’s “Comic View” stand-up comedy franchise after a nine-year hiatus as part of a four-day weekend event in Las Vegas celebrating his 44th birthday.
The actor, comedian, producer, and entrepreneur’s Hartbeat is teaming with Paramount Global’s BET to relaunch “Comic View” for Hartbeat Weekend, taking place in Las Vegas from July 6-9 and timed for Hart’s birthday (July 6).
Hosted and Executive Produced by Mike Epps, the all-new episodes of “Comic View” will be recorded on location in front of a live audience throughout the four-day event with performances by Tommy Davidson, Tacarra Williams, Tony T. Roberts, Bresha Webb, D.C. Young Fly, and rapper Tip “T.I.” Harris (in what will mark his televised stand-up comedy debut).
“I’m thrilled to partner with BET for the return of ‘Comic View’ as part of Hartbeat Weekend making this can’t-miss celebration of comedy, music and culture,” Hart said in a statement. “Having hosted ‘Comic View’ in the past, I understand first-hand the incredible platform this franchise offers for comedians to showcase their talents on a national stage and I’m excited to continue that tradition in Las Vegas.”
BET president and CEO Scott Mills said, “We’re excited to partner again with Hartbeat to bring back our culturally iconic franchise ‘Comic View’ during Hartbeat Weekend. Over 30 years ago, ‘Comic View’ set the footprint for stand-up specials and launched the careers of some of today’s mega-comedy stars. We can’t wait to see this new group of talented and rising comedians. We are so proud to work with this all-star production team, including Mike Epps and the impressive roster of talent that will bring you the best comedy you’ll see all year long.”
Epps and Hart serve as executive producers for the new “Comic View,” along with Tiffany Williams and Angela Aguilera from BET. Full episodes are to release at a later date on BET. The full “Comic View” episodes will air on BET, with the dates yet to be announced.
BET’s “Comic View” stand-up series originally ran on the cable network from 1992 to 2008, then returned with new episodes from 2012-14.
The “Comic View” showcase joins the lineup of Hartbeat Weekend taking place at Resorts World Las Vegas, featuring live musical performances, parties and more with big names in music and comedy including Hart himself, J. Cole, Jack Harlow, Ludacris, PartyNextDoor and Kaskade. Fans in attendance will be able to sit in on live podcast recordings from the full lineup of Hartbeat’s SiriusXM channel Laugh Out Loud Radio, including “Straight From the Hart,” “Love Thang With Punkie Johnson,” “Quake’s House,” and the live debut of “One Song with Diallo and Luxxury” with Diallo Riddle and Blake “Luxxury” Robin.
Developing opportunities to spotlight emerging voices in comedy and connect audiences through laughter and joy has long been part of Hartbeat’s mission, making us uniquely positioned to curate and produce this series alongside BET and usher in an exciting new era for this beloved comedic institution,” said Jeff Clanagan, Hartbeat’s president and chief distribution officer. “We are also thrilled to have Kevin Hart and Mike Epps on board as executive producers to spearhead a new era for this iconic franchise.”
Source: Variety
The fourth season of the Emmy-winning comedy series “A Black Lady Sketch Show” will be its last, according to reports.
In a statement confirming the decision to end the show, HBO praised series creator and star Robin Thede as a “visionary comedic talent” and saluted the show’s historic achievements.
“For four exceptional seasons of ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ we’ve been thrilled to partner with her on this groundbreaking, hilarious series,” representatives for the network said of Thede. “Robin, alongside Hoorae, Jax Media, and the incredible cast and crew, leave an indelible legacy not only in sketch, but in television comedy, and we look forward to continued creative collaboration under her deal with us.”
Created by Thede, who also served as showrunner, executive producer and writer, “A Black Lady Sketch Show” framed the world in a Black woman’s point of view with sketches that subverted traditional expectations and riffed on relatable themes — like hair woes, ashy skin and the politics of the Black church. Even when the subject matter had nothing to do with Blackness, the show’s very existence was impactful.
For the series’ fourth season, which debuted in April, Thede starred alongside core cast members Gabrielle Dennis and Skye Townsend, joined by featured players DaMya Gurley, Tamara Jade and Angel Laketa Moore. Veterans of the show include “Abbott Elementary’s” Emmy-winning creator and star Quinta Brunson, “Ted Lasso” Emmy winner Ashley Nicole Black and “iCarly” reboot star Laci Mosley.
“Thank you to all the immensely talented cast members, guest stars, writers, directors, editors and crew members who have made ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ an Emmy-winning success,” Thede said in a statement to Variety. “I especially want to recognize the Black women and other women of color who excelled in every department at ‘ABLSS.’ I am also eternally grateful for the support of Issa Rae and Jax Media, Amy Gravitt, Casey Bloys and the entire team at HBO, Max and Warner Bros. Discovery.”
The series was executive produced by Thede under her For Better or Words, Inc. banner, as well as Rae for Hoorae; Dave Becky and Jonathan Berry for 3 Arts Entertainment; and Tony Hernandez and Brooke Posch for Jax Media.
The critically-acclaimed series wraps at a creative high-point with its first three seasons earning 13 Emmy nominations, among them three historic wins for editing and directing. The series won back-to-back trophies for outstanding picture editing for variety programming, with Daysha Broadway, Stephanie Filo and Jessica Hernández as the first team of women of color to earn the prize, and in 2022, Bridget Stokes became the first Black woman to win for directing a variety series. “A Black Lady Sketch Show” has also been lauded with the TCA award for outstanding achievement in sketch/variety shows in 2020, as well as five Black Reel Awards, an HCA award and two NAACP Image Award nominations.
For this year’s Emmys, HBO submitted “A Black Lady Sketch Show” for consideration in 30 categories, including the newly-created outstanding scripted variety series (formerly called variety sketch series, where it was nominated for its first three seasons) and sought overdue nominations for its three main actors (with Thede submitted for lead comedy actress and Dennis and Townsend in the supporting comedy actress category).
Following “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” Thede, who inked a three-year overall deal with HBO in 2022 to create content for the network, the Max streaming service and Warner Bros. Television, is developing a half-hour comedy series entitled “Disengagement.”
Source: Variety
Jacky Oh, a former cast member on Wild ‘N Out and longtime partner of D.C. Young Fly, has died. She was 32.
A BET Media Group spokesperson confirmed Jacky Oh’s death, who’s whose real name is Jacklyn Smith, in a statement shared on the MTV show’s social media. According to TMZ, which was the first to report the news Thursday, the mother of three died in Miami. Her cause of death has not been released.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jacklyn Smith, known to the world as Jacky Oh, a talented Wild N’ Out family member whose impact will be forever treasured and missed,” the statement on Instagram read. “Jacky Oh was a loving friend and beloved colleague of the Wild N’ Out cast throughout five seasons. More importantly, she was a tremendous mother to three beautiful children.”
The post continued, “The BET Media Group extends our sincere condolences to the Smith family, DC Young Fly, B Simone, Nick Cannon, and all friends who loved and cared for Jacky Oh during this difficult time.”
Jacky Oh shares three children with D.C. Young Fly, whose real name is John Whitfield. TMZ reported that the two met when the comedian-actor-rapper joined the improv comedy show as one of the recurring cast members in 2015 for season seven. At the time, Jacky Oh was featured as one of the Wild N’ Out girls on the Nick Cannon-created series.
According to the popular website theJasmineBrand, they are reporting new details surrounding Jamie Foxx’s medical scare.
As previously reported, last month Jamie Foxx’s daughter revealed that the “Project Power” actor had been hospitalized in Georgia due to a “medical complication.” In part, she shared,
“From the Foxx Family: 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.”
While it’s still unclear why exactly the 55-year-old actor was hospitalized, our insiders say that Jamie’s team is taking the situation very seriously. Sources close to the actor have let us know that a top-ranked neurologist is flying into Atlanta to assess Jamie and help him along his recovery journey.
As of now, he reportedly remains in the hospital and has taken a step back from work. Due to Jamie’s hiatus from Hollywood, a couple of projects he was working on have opted to continue without him. You may recall that when Jamie was initially taken to the hospital he only had a few days left of filming for his upcoming Netflix film “Back In Action.”
After a brief filming pause, production resumed with a body double brought in to stand in for Jamie and film his remaining scenes.
Source: TheJasmineBrand
Tasha Smith will join Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the latest installment of Sony Pictures’ “Bad Boys” franchise.
In “Bad Boys 4,” Smith will play Theresa, Marcus Burnett’s (Lawrence) loving and devoted wife, a role previously inhabited by Theresa Randle in the first three “Bad Boys” films. Plot details for “Bad Boys 4” have been kept under wraps.
Smith is best known for her roles as Carol in the drama series “Empire,” Ronnie Boyce in HBO’s Emmy-winning series “The Corner” and Angela in Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married?” She has also directed episodes of “Our Kind of People,” “Mayor of Kingstown” and “Bel-Air.”
Smith is repped by Greene Talent & Fox Rothschild.
The “Bad Boys” series stars Will Smith and Lawrence as Miami-Dade detectives Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett. The fourth film also features Paola Núnez, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig and “Euphoria’s” Eric Dane.
The original “Bad Boys” earned $141 million at the global box office, while the 2003 sequel “Bad Boys II” totaled $273 million. “Bad Boys for Life” outgrossed its predecessors with a combined $426.5 million.
Following the release of the 2020 threequel, it was quickly announced that Sony Pictures was developing “Bad Boys 4.” Will Smith and Lawrence teased the film in January with a reunion video posted to social media with the caption: “IT’S ABOUT THAT TIME!”
At this year’s CinemaCon, both Will Smith and Lawrence expressed their excitement for the film, revealing that they were roughly four weeks into filming the movie.
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah return to direct “Bad Boys 4″ with a script written by Chris Bremner. Jerry Bruckheimer, Will Smith and Doug Belgrad are producers, while Lawrence, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson, Jon None, James Lassiter and Barry Waldman executive produce.
Source: Variety
Three weeks after his hospitalization following an emergency “medical complication,” Jamie Foxx has broken his silence and is thanking those who have rallied behind him.
The beloved 55-year-old actor took to his Instagram account on Wednesday and published a text post, saying, “Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed.” He also included a hands pressed together, fox and heart emoji. He captioned the post with a hands pressed together emoji and a blue heart.
He also took to his Instagram Story and thanked Nick Cannon, after it was revealed the TV personality would fill in for Foxx as the guest host of Beat Shazam during its sixth season.
“Appreciate ya my boy @nickcannon,” Foxx wrote on his Instagram Story. “See u all soon.”
Foxx’s daughter, Corinne, who serves as a DJ on Beat Shazam, is also said to be sitting out of the upcoming season as TMZ reports that she remains by the Oscar winner’s side in the hospital. Beat Shazam is filmed in Ireland and is scheduled to air on Fox beginning May 23.
“Beat Shazam has been an unscripted mainstay on the FOX schedule for six seasons and counting. This season, not wanting fans of the game show to miss a minute of fun, Nick Cannon has offered to fill in as guest host for his friends, Jamie and Corinne Foxx. Kelly Osbourne will be filling in as guest DJ,” a statement shared on Instagram read. “Everyone at FOX Entertainment wishes Jamie well as he continues his recovery and we greatly appreciate Nick’s willingness to jump in and help this summer.”
oxx’s message comes at a time when all of Hollywood and beyond have rallied behind the Oscar-winning actor. Foxx has been hospitalized in Atlanta for three weeks now with an undisclosed “medical complication,” which Corinne first disclosed on April 12.
When Corinne first announced the news, she wrote in a post on social media, “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 turned off the comments on her post, and did not go into detail about the “medical complication.”
A source previously told ET that Foxx is “healing” following the announcement. “He feels the love from everyone,” the source added.
Jennifer Hudson, Kerry Washington, Tracy Morgan and Nicole Murphy were among the many celebs who offered an outpouring of support to Foxx amid his medical emergency.
“I love Jamie. Jamie’s a good friend of mine… my prayers go up for Jamie,” Tracy Morgan told ET at the unveiling of Martin Lawrence’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last month. “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.”
Source: Entertainment Tonight
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.