Pam Grier was a guest this week on The Jennifer Hudson Show, and revealed there are big plans afoot for her legendary 1974 Blaxploitation classic, Foxy Brown.
“We’re going to be doing Foxy Brown also as a musical,” Grier announced, but didn’t provide many details. She also shared that a studio is producing a seven-episode limited series based on her 2010 memoir, Foxy: My Life in Three Acts.
The series will detail her relationships with basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the comedians Freddie Prinze and Richard Pryor.
“It can’t be a seven-hour movie, but it’s going to be a [limited] series like the series I’m promoting today, Them, so it’ll be seven episodes, shot like a film,” the actress said.
Foxy Brown was part of a Blaxploitation trilogy, sandwiched between Coffy and Jackie Brown.
“Foxy was strategically more radical and aggressive,” Grier said earlier to EW. “I...
“We’re going to be doing Foxy Brown also as a musical,” Grier announced, but didn’t provide many details. She also shared that a studio is producing a seven-episode limited series based on her 2010 memoir, Foxy: My Life in Three Acts.
The series will detail her relationships with basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the comedians Freddie Prinze and Richard Pryor.
“It can’t be a seven-hour movie, but it’s going to be a [limited] series like the series I’m promoting today, Them, so it’ll be seven episodes, shot like a film,” the actress said.
Foxy Brown was part of a Blaxploitation trilogy, sandwiched between Coffy and Jackie Brown.
“Foxy was strategically more radical and aggressive,” Grier said earlier to EW. “I...
- 5/30/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The Big Cigar is a biographical drama thriller miniseries created by Jim Hecht. Based on the 2012 Playboy article of the same name by Joshua Bearman, the Apple TV+ series is set in the 1970s and it follows the story of Black Panther party founder Huey P. Newton as he tries to escape from the FBI to Cuba with the help of film and TV producer Bert Schneider.
If you love historical figures and their stories, The Big Cigar is for you as we get an in-depth look at the life of Huey P. Newton. So, if you love the Apple TV+ biographical series here are all the release dates for its upcoming episodes.
The Big Cigar – Episode Guide (When Will The New Episodes Come Out?) Credit – Apple TV+
The Big Cigar consists of six episodes in total. The biographical drama miniseries premiered on Apple TV+ with its first two episodes...
If you love historical figures and their stories, The Big Cigar is for you as we get an in-depth look at the life of Huey P. Newton. So, if you love the Apple TV+ biographical series here are all the release dates for its upcoming episodes.
The Big Cigar – Episode Guide (When Will The New Episodes Come Out?) Credit – Apple TV+
The Big Cigar consists of six episodes in total. The biographical drama miniseries premiered on Apple TV+ with its first two episodes...
- 5/25/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Charles Barkley and Miley Cyrus are among the celebs set for upcoming installments of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, which has been renewed for Season 5.
The series, which combines “humor, curiosity and in-depth conversations with extraordinary people,” finds the former Late Night host back in the interview chair following a 33-year reign in late night. Previous guests include Barack Obama, Robert Downey Jr., Will Smith, Cardi B and John Mulaney.
More from TVLineKurt Sutter's The Abandons: Your First Look at the Stacked Cast of 'Bloody' Netflix WesternLiam Hemsworth Is Geralt of Rivia in First Look at...
The series, which combines “humor, curiosity and in-depth conversations with extraordinary people,” finds the former Late Night host back in the interview chair following a 33-year reign in late night. Previous guests include Barack Obama, Robert Downey Jr., Will Smith, Cardi B and John Mulaney.
More from TVLineKurt Sutter's The Abandons: Your First Look at the Stacked Cast of 'Bloody' Netflix WesternLiam Hemsworth Is Geralt of Rivia in First Look at...
- 5/22/2024
- by Keisha Hatchett
- TVLine.com
A reboot of “The Munsters” and a series adaptation of the 1976 Universal Pictures comedy “Car Wash” are among the projects Universal Studio Group (Usg) currently has in development, Variety has learned. In addition, Universal International Studios (Uis) and Carnival Films are developing a drama series about a newlywed woman accused of murdering her husband on their honeymoon.
The “Munsters” reboot is currently titled “1313,” a reference to the fictional family of monsters’ address at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. It is not currently set up at any network or streaming service.
The new show is described as a horror series that “lives and breathes within the Universal Monsterverse,” per the official logline. The project was developed by James Wan, Lindsey Anderson Beer, and Ingrid Bisu. Anderson Beer will serve as showrunner and executive producer via Lab Brew, with Wan, Michael Clear, and Rob Hackett executive producing via Atomic Monster. Bisu will be a co-executive producer.
The “Munsters” reboot is currently titled “1313,” a reference to the fictional family of monsters’ address at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. It is not currently set up at any network or streaming service.
The new show is described as a horror series that “lives and breathes within the Universal Monsterverse,” per the official logline. The project was developed by James Wan, Lindsey Anderson Beer, and Ingrid Bisu. Anderson Beer will serve as showrunner and executive producer via Lab Brew, with Wan, Michael Clear, and Rob Hackett executive producing via Atomic Monster. Bisu will be a co-executive producer.
- 5/22/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
The cult classic 1976 Universal Pictures film Car Wash is getting the small-screen treatment from producer Malcolm D. Lee (“The Best Man” franchise) and writer Opey Olagbaju. A comedy series of the same name is in development at NBC from Universal Television.
Set at a modern-day DC car wash, the TV series focuses on an immigrant family’s generational and cultural clashes between father and son and their eclectic group of employees.
The logline reveals many similarities to the original film while using the TV format to make the story much bigger. The Michael Schultz-directed film follows the lives of a group of friends from Los Angeles who work at the Dee-Luxe Car Wash and the interesting characters they interact with one Friday in July.
Many notable names were part of the large ensemble cast including Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Franklyn Ajaye, Bill Duke, Pepe Serna,...
Set at a modern-day DC car wash, the TV series focuses on an immigrant family’s generational and cultural clashes between father and son and their eclectic group of employees.
The logline reveals many similarities to the original film while using the TV format to make the story much bigger. The Michael Schultz-directed film follows the lives of a group of friends from Los Angeles who work at the Dee-Luxe Car Wash and the interesting characters they interact with one Friday in July.
Many notable names were part of the large ensemble cast including Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Franklyn Ajaye, Bill Duke, Pepe Serna,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Plot: The incredible true story of Hollywood revolution meeting social revolution: it’s a wild caper of Black Panther founder Huey Newton escaping from the FBI to Cuba with the help of famed producer Bert Schneider in an impossibly elaborate plan – involving a fake movie production — that goes wrong every way it possibly can. And somehow, it’s all true. Mostly.
Review: The stories of revolutionary political figures and social reformers have been popular for big and small screen adaptations for decades. There seems to be more focus on the 1960s and 1970s than any other period in American history. The 2021 film Judas and the Black Messiah looked at controversial figure Fred Hampton, while this year’s Shirley chronicled Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s run for United States President. While these and the stories of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X have made for acclaimed productions, the story of Black...
Review: The stories of revolutionary political figures and social reformers have been popular for big and small screen adaptations for decades. There seems to be more focus on the 1960s and 1970s than any other period in American history. The 2021 film Judas and the Black Messiah looked at controversial figure Fred Hampton, while this year’s Shirley chronicled Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s run for United States President. While these and the stories of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X have made for acclaimed productions, the story of Black...
- 5/18/2024
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
In “The Big Cigar,” contradictions weigh heavily on Huey P. Newton (played by the magnificent André Holland). He sees them everywhere. For instance, Huey notes that the NRA contradicted their general ideology by helping the GOP pass gun control laws in the 1960s, all because they were afraid of the group Newton co-founded: the Black Panthers. He’s also keenly aware of the contradiction inherent to a Black man being “set free” from a prison of bars and stone into the prison of the American way. “Contrary to propagated belief, I’m not living to die, but I am refusing to live without liberation,” Huey says during his opening voice-over narration.
He even acknowledges the contradiction inherent to “The Big Cigar” itself, saying, “The story I’m about to tell you is true. […] But it is coming through the lens of Hollywood, so let’s see how much of my...
He even acknowledges the contradiction inherent to “The Big Cigar” itself, saying, “The story I’m about to tell you is true. […] But it is coming through the lens of Hollywood, so let’s see how much of my...
- 5/17/2024
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
At one point in the new Apple TV+ miniseries The Big Cigar, Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton (André Holland) attends a party and recalls the time he and film producer Bert Schneider (Alessandro Nivola) tried to write a movie about his life, which would have starred comedian Richard Pryor (Inny Clemons). The key, Schneider explains: “If it’s gonna be a biopic, you have to choose a moment in Huey’s life that means something. Don’t just make it womb to tomb.”
Though The Big Cigar features...
Though The Big Cigar features...
- 5/17/2024
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Some of the greatest comedic actors in Hollywood are known best for their un-shying and generous humor with Robin Williams standing on a pedestal above them all. No matter who the actor encountered, they were all left in an uplifted mood because of his ability to make anyone in the room laugh. No matter how serious the mood, Williams always had a way to bring back the smiles on people’s faces.
Josh Charles in The Veil (2023) | Image via FX
Although comedians are more used to making people laugh, there are rare instances when they too find themselves in a fit of laughter because of one reason or another. Making Williams laugh would be another feat of its own, one that many could have only dreamt of achieving. However, Dead Poets Society star Josh Charles found a way.
Josh Charles Practiced Stand Up Comedy
During an interview on the Rich Eisen Show,...
Josh Charles in The Veil (2023) | Image via FX
Although comedians are more used to making people laugh, there are rare instances when they too find themselves in a fit of laughter because of one reason or another. Making Williams laugh would be another feat of its own, one that many could have only dreamt of achieving. However, Dead Poets Society star Josh Charles found a way.
Josh Charles Practiced Stand Up Comedy
During an interview on the Rich Eisen Show,...
- 5/12/2024
- by Adya Godboley
- FandomWire
Kevin Hart received the top honor for seasoned comedians, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, on March 24 at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The ceremony where actors and comedians honored — and humiliated — the top-earning comedian will be available to stream on Netflix, May 11.
The ceremony featured entertainers Lil Dicky, Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Chelsea Handler, Plastic Cup Boyz, Keith Robinson, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, J.B. Smoove, Jimmy Fallon, Robin Thicke, and others. During the trailer, Seinfeld cracked, “I can’t think of much...
The ceremony featured entertainers Lil Dicky, Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Chelsea Handler, Plastic Cup Boyz, Keith Robinson, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, J.B. Smoove, Jimmy Fallon, Robin Thicke, and others. During the trailer, Seinfeld cracked, “I can’t think of much...
- 5/6/2024
- by Kalia Richardson
- Rollingstone.com
Aida Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican and Dominican comedian, actor, and writer. In 2019, she had her own half-hour special on Netflix's hit comedy series "They Ready," executive-produced by Tiffany Haddish and Wanda Sykes. In November 2021, she released her first-hour stand-up special "Fighting Words," which premiered on Max, and in October 2023, Rodriguez released her memoir "Legitimate Kid."
For Mental Health Awareness Month, we asked Latine comedians we admire how comedy has supported them in overcoming trauma and confronting life's most significant challenges. Read the pieces here.
I've always viewed comedy as a coping mechanism for people who are in lower economic situations or just dealing with very hard circumstances. In the words of Kevin Hart: "Laugh at my pain." My upbringing was no different. I didn't really engage in comedy as much when I was younger because I was a very shy and timid kid. But humor was always around me,...
For Mental Health Awareness Month, we asked Latine comedians we admire how comedy has supported them in overcoming trauma and confronting life's most significant challenges. Read the pieces here.
I've always viewed comedy as a coping mechanism for people who are in lower economic situations or just dealing with very hard circumstances. In the words of Kevin Hart: "Laugh at my pain." My upbringing was no different. I didn't really engage in comedy as much when I was younger because I was a very shy and timid kid. But humor was always around me,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Aida Rodriguez
- Popsugar.com
One of the major themes of Kendrick Lamar’s new Drake diss “euphoria” is the accusation that his rap foe is a “scam artist” and “a master manipulator and habitual liar too.” As it turns out, the seemingly jumbled audio in the intro lays the groundwork by sampling dialogue from the 1978 film The Wiz.
Shortly after the song’s release on Tuesday, multiple fans clipped the brief sample and played the line backward, revealing it to be dialogue from the movie in which The Wiz (played by Richard Pryor) says, “Everything they say about me is true.” Scroll down for the reversed audio below.
For full context, Pryor’s line is taken from a scene in which his character is exposed to be Herman Smith, a washed-up politician from Atlantic City. Admitting to the deception, he says, “Everything they say about me is true. I’m a phony.”
The Genius...
Shortly after the song’s release on Tuesday, multiple fans clipped the brief sample and played the line backward, revealing it to be dialogue from the movie in which The Wiz (played by Richard Pryor) says, “Everything they say about me is true.” Scroll down for the reversed audio below.
For full context, Pryor’s line is taken from a scene in which his character is exposed to be Herman Smith, a washed-up politician from Atlantic City. Admitting to the deception, he says, “Everything they say about me is true. I’m a phony.”
The Genius...
- 5/1/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
One of the major themes of Kendrick Lamar’s new Drake diss “euphoria” is the accusation that his rap foe is a “scam artist” and “a master manipulator and habitual liar too.” As it turns out, the seemingly jumbled audio in the intro lays the groundwork by sampling dialogue from the 1978 film The Wiz.
Shortly after the song’s release on Tuesday, multiple fans clipped the brief sample and played the line backward, revealing it to be dialogue from the movie in which The Wiz (played by Richard Pryor) says, “Everything they say about me is true.” Scroll down for the reversed audio below.
For full context, Pryor’s line is taken from a scene in which his character is exposed to be Herman Smith, a washed-up politician from Atlantic City. Admitting to the deception, he says, “Everything they say about me is true. I’m a phony.”
The Genius...
Shortly after the song’s release on Tuesday, multiple fans clipped the brief sample and played the line backward, revealing it to be dialogue from the movie in which The Wiz (played by Richard Pryor) says, “Everything they say about me is true.” Scroll down for the reversed audio below.
For full context, Pryor’s line is taken from a scene in which his character is exposed to be Herman Smith, a washed-up politician from Atlantic City. Admitting to the deception, he says, “Everything they say about me is true. I’m a phony.”
The Genius...
- 5/1/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Film News
I’ve spent the past month theorizing that the root of Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s dysfunction is how philosophically different they seem to be. Their actions speak loudly for two sects of hip-hop in antithetical opposition. While Drake’s three weeks of post-“Push Ups” digital mischief entertained his fanbase and, for some, upped the pressure on Kendrick, the West Coast rhymer’s fans put on an unbothered front, surmising that Drake was anxiously awaiting a potent clapback. True enough, Kendrick opened his diss track “Euphoria” by echoing his...
- 4/30/2024
- by Andre Gee
- Rollingstone.com
Renowned among the 100 greatest comedians by Comedy Central, Lewis Black is an actor, stand-up comedian, playwright, and producer. His comedy routines depict major influence by numerous famous comedians, including George Carlin Lily Tomlin, Lenny Bruce, and Richard Pryor. Aside from his stand-up specials which often border around politics, cultural inclination, and religion, Black is known for hosting the Back in Black commentary segment on The Daily Show. He also hosted Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil on Comedy Central. Lewis Black’s successful comedy career has spawned over 10 stand-up comedy specials, including Thanks for Risking Your Life (2020). Beyond
The post Lewis Black Biography: Where Is the Inside Out Actor From? first appeared on TVovermind.
The post Lewis Black Biography: Where Is the Inside Out Actor From? first appeared on TVovermind.
- 4/30/2024
- by Banks Onuoha
- TVovermind.com
Apple TV+ has just unveiled the trailer for “The Big Cigar,” the six-part limited series about Black Panther party founder Huey P. Newton (André Holland). The show tells the remarkable true story of how Newton, a film producer, and a whole crew of people involved in a fake movie production helped the political activist while he tried to evade the FBI in 1974.
The trailer introduces Holland as Newton and his revolutionary accomplishments, along Alessandro Nivola as producer Bert Schneider. The cast includes Tiffany Boone, Pj Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Moses Ingram, Rebecca Dalton, Olli Haaskivi, Jordane Christie, and Glynn Turman (guest stars include Taylor Jackson as Candice Bergen and Inny Clemons as Richard Pryor). With upbeat ’70s music and the peppy fonts to go with it, the vibe is more upbeat than one would expect of a drama thriller — but as the premise underscores, there’s always more story to tell.
The trailer introduces Holland as Newton and his revolutionary accomplishments, along Alessandro Nivola as producer Bert Schneider. The cast includes Tiffany Boone, Pj Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Moses Ingram, Rebecca Dalton, Olli Haaskivi, Jordane Christie, and Glynn Turman (guest stars include Taylor Jackson as Candice Bergen and Inny Clemons as Richard Pryor). With upbeat ’70s music and the peppy fonts to go with it, the vibe is more upbeat than one would expect of a drama thriller — but as the premise underscores, there’s always more story to tell.
- 4/24/2024
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
Billy Gardell is opening up about his healthy journey and the current struggles he has with eating.
The 54-year-old Bob Hearts Abishola actor lost over 150 pounds in the last few years with the help of bariatric surgery.
In a previous interview, Billy revealed that he weighed 370 pounds about a decade ago and he was down to about 205 to 210 pounds in April 2023. That means he lost between 160 and 165 pounds!
“I went from a young Jackie Gleason to an old Paul Newman,” Billy said on Live with Kelly and Mark this week.
Keep reading to find out more…
“The last three years, I had to make some changes because when Covid hit, in the words of Richard Pryor, I went in the house. I had a lot of the dangerous [conditions]. When they made that list of, you know, overweight. Type 2 diabetes. Smoker. Asthma. I’m like, ‘Check! Check! Bingo!’” he said.
“I said to my wife,...
The 54-year-old Bob Hearts Abishola actor lost over 150 pounds in the last few years with the help of bariatric surgery.
In a previous interview, Billy revealed that he weighed 370 pounds about a decade ago and he was down to about 205 to 210 pounds in April 2023. That means he lost between 160 and 165 pounds!
“I went from a young Jackie Gleason to an old Paul Newman,” Billy said on Live with Kelly and Mark this week.
Keep reading to find out more…
“The last three years, I had to make some changes because when Covid hit, in the words of Richard Pryor, I went in the house. I had a lot of the dangerous [conditions]. When they made that list of, you know, overweight. Type 2 diabetes. Smoker. Asthma. I’m like, ‘Check! Check! Bingo!’” he said.
“I said to my wife,...
- 4/21/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Billy Gardell got candid about his weight loss journey during an appearance on ABC‘s Live with Kelly and Mark as the Bob Hearts Abishola star dropped by the talk show. When Gardell sat down for the interview, Mark Consuelos noted, “Billy, you look great!” That prompted to comedian and actor to say, “Yeah, I went from a young Jackie Gleason to an old Paul Newman.” The comment elicited laughter from both the hosts and the audience. But Kelly Ripa continued with the topic, prompting that Gardell has been on a health journey for a while. He confirmed as such as he said, “Yeah, like the last three years. I’ve had to make some changes because when Covid hit in the words of Richard Pryor, ‘I went in the house.'” Gardell went on to mention how he “had a lot of the dangerous” conditions that could cause bigger problems if he caught Covid.
- 4/19/2024
- TV Insider
On Wednesday night, Broadway’s Marquis Theatre celebrated the official opening of the highly anticipated revival of The Wiz.
After a successful pre-Broadway tour that began last year, this new production breathes new life into the beloved musical. Under the direction of Schele Williams, known for her work on The Notebook and with choreography by JaQuel Knight, this revival promises an exciting and contemporary take on an enduring classic.
Taking on the iconic role of Dorothy is newcomer Nichelle Lewis, who brings a fresh and vibrant energy to the stage. Joining her is a star-studded cast that includes Wayne Brady as The Wiz, Deborah Cox as Glinda, Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow.
The ensemble comprises talented performers, including Allyson Kaye Daniel as Addaperle and Anthony Murphyas Lord High Underling.
After a successful pre-Broadway tour that began last year, this new production breathes new life into the beloved musical. Under the direction of Schele Williams, known for her work on The Notebook and with choreography by JaQuel Knight, this revival promises an exciting and contemporary take on an enduring classic.
Taking on the iconic role of Dorothy is newcomer Nichelle Lewis, who brings a fresh and vibrant energy to the stage. Joining her is a star-studded cast that includes Wayne Brady as The Wiz, Deborah Cox as Glinda, Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow.
The ensemble comprises talented performers, including Allyson Kaye Daniel as Addaperle and Anthony Murphyas Lord High Underling.
- 4/18/2024
- by Baila Eve Zisman
- Uinterview
There's an assumption, especially nowadays in the post-Judd Apatow filmmaking era, that comedies are great big improv fests. A finished script is nice and all, but when you put a bunch of funny people together, you'd be loath not to let them riff up a storm; give yourself a multitude of options in the edit, and, provided your cast brings their A game, you'll wind up finding the funniest possible version of your movie. It's comedy Cassavetes!
This is, of course, nonsense. While great actors are capable of improving a scene via a sudden bolt of inspiration -- be it dramatic or comedic -- you don't waltz into a production with a bare template in the hopes that your cast will deliver inspired daily punch-ups. You plan the living hell out of your movie because you've got to make days; falling behind schedule means going over budget, and unless...
This is, of course, nonsense. While great actors are capable of improving a scene via a sudden bolt of inspiration -- be it dramatic or comedic -- you don't waltz into a production with a bare template in the hopes that your cast will deliver inspired daily punch-ups. You plan the living hell out of your movie because you've got to make days; falling behind schedule means going over budget, and unless...
- 4/15/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The talented Wayne Brady will appear in an iconic role this month as he suits up for his latest adventure in entertainment.
Brady, best known for hosting TV’s Let’s Make a Deal, and his improv comedy skills on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, has also had plenty of unique roles on stage.
Now, he will appear in the Tony Award-winning musical The Wiz as the title character.
He recently addressed what it’s like to take on that role as he admired a larger-than-life image of himself as the character.
“Does it really sink in when you see your face on the wall?” CBS Sunday Morning’s interviewer asked him.
“I think it sinks in. This never gets old,” he admitted, adding, “I mean, come on. It’s my big old head on Broadway.”
Brady talks about the ‘the energy to live up to’ the role of The Wiz...
Brady, best known for hosting TV’s Let’s Make a Deal, and his improv comedy skills on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, has also had plenty of unique roles on stage.
Now, he will appear in the Tony Award-winning musical The Wiz as the title character.
He recently addressed what it’s like to take on that role as he admired a larger-than-life image of himself as the character.
“Does it really sink in when you see your face on the wall?” CBS Sunday Morning’s interviewer asked him.
“I think it sinks in. This never gets old,” he admitted, adding, “I mean, come on. It’s my big old head on Broadway.”
Brady talks about the ‘the energy to live up to’ the role of The Wiz...
- 4/10/2024
- by Matt Couden
- Monsters and Critics
Film icon Pam Grier has teamed with Village Roadshow Pictures to develop a project based on her bestselling 2010 memoir, “Foxy: My Life in Three Acts.”
Known as the queen of 1970s Blaxploitation classics like “Coffy” and “Foxy Brown,” plus Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-nominated film “Jackie Brown,” Grier is enjoying her latest act thanks to movies like 2023’s “Cinnamon.” That film kicked off her relationship with Village Roadshow Pictures, which produced the title under the company’s Black Noir Cinema banner for Tubi.
“Foxy: My Life in Three Acts” details Grier’s legendary screen career; her relationships with Richard Pryor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Freddie Prinze, among others; her experience as a Black female star in an era with rampant racism and sexism; and her battle with stage-four cervical cancer, diagnosed in 1988, when she was told she had 18 months to live.
The production is in the early stages of development, so fans...
Known as the queen of 1970s Blaxploitation classics like “Coffy” and “Foxy Brown,” plus Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-nominated film “Jackie Brown,” Grier is enjoying her latest act thanks to movies like 2023’s “Cinnamon.” That film kicked off her relationship with Village Roadshow Pictures, which produced the title under the company’s Black Noir Cinema banner for Tubi.
“Foxy: My Life in Three Acts” details Grier’s legendary screen career; her relationships with Richard Pryor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Freddie Prinze, among others; her experience as a Black female star in an era with rampant racism and sexism; and her battle with stage-four cervical cancer, diagnosed in 1988, when she was told she had 18 months to live.
The production is in the early stages of development, so fans...
- 4/4/2024
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Veteran actor and comedian Eddie Griffin has signed with Independent Artist Group across the board, Deadline has learned.
Appearing in over 50 films and TV shows over more than three decades, Griffin won an NAACP Image Award from multiple nominations for his starring role in Malcolm & Eddie, a sitcom that aired on Upn for four seasons.
Appearing alongside Dave Chappelle, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the latter’s Academy Award winner A Star Is Born, he’s also been seen over the years in titles like the Denzel Washington thriller John Q, blaxploitation pic Undercover Brother, Armageddon, the Deuce Bigalow comedy franchise, Eddie Murphy starrer Norbit, Date Movie, Scary Movie 3, and My Baby’s Daddy, which he wrote, exec produced and starred in for Miramax.
Previously, Griffin also voiced the role of Richard Pryor on Adult Swim’s animated series Black Dynamite and starred on BET’s The Comedy Get Down.
Appearing in over 50 films and TV shows over more than three decades, Griffin won an NAACP Image Award from multiple nominations for his starring role in Malcolm & Eddie, a sitcom that aired on Upn for four seasons.
Appearing alongside Dave Chappelle, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the latter’s Academy Award winner A Star Is Born, he’s also been seen over the years in titles like the Denzel Washington thriller John Q, blaxploitation pic Undercover Brother, Armageddon, the Deuce Bigalow comedy franchise, Eddie Murphy starrer Norbit, Date Movie, Scary Movie 3, and My Baby’s Daddy, which he wrote, exec produced and starred in for Miramax.
Previously, Griffin also voiced the role of Richard Pryor on Adult Swim’s animated series Black Dynamite and starred on BET’s The Comedy Get Down.
- 3/27/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
From his childhood job in Disneyland and huge standup success to movie stardom and later life career as a dry humorist this is a fascinating insight into a wild and crazy career
Comedian Steve Martin now comes as close as he’s ever going to get to opening up about his life, his thoughts and his feelings in this absorbingly detailed two-part Apple documentary by director Morgan Neville. Part one is conventionally autobiographical, with archive clips and family photos and Martin’s own sonorous, ironic voiceover covering his painful childhood: failing to please his strict dad and then the extraordinary, 15-year battle to make it as a standup, finally becoming a colossal stadium-level success in his mid-30s powered by smash-hit TV appearances on David Letterman and Johnny Carson. America loved his wacky, formless but almost childishly innocent and in many ways old-fashioned routines – a world away from the tougher...
Comedian Steve Martin now comes as close as he’s ever going to get to opening up about his life, his thoughts and his feelings in this absorbingly detailed two-part Apple documentary by director Morgan Neville. Part one is conventionally autobiographical, with archive clips and family photos and Martin’s own sonorous, ironic voiceover covering his painful childhood: failing to please his strict dad and then the extraordinary, 15-year battle to make it as a standup, finally becoming a colossal stadium-level success in his mid-30s powered by smash-hit TV appearances on David Letterman and Johnny Carson. America loved his wacky, formless but almost childishly innocent and in many ways old-fashioned routines – a world away from the tougher...
- 3/26/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Kevin Hart wiped away tears on stage as he looked up from the bronze bust on a pedestal to the trio of comedy legends who had come to witness his professional highlight.
In the VIP balcony of the Kennedy Center opera house, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle sat side by side, watching Hart accept the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy Sunday night.
“I didn’t start doing what I was doing to get awards,” Hart said. “I just fell in love with the idea of comedy.”
Hart rose from the open mics and comedy clubs of his native Philadelphia to become one of his country’s most recognizable performers — honing a signature style that combines his diminutive height, expressive face and motormouth delivery into an arena-packing stand-up act. He became the latest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in a raucous ceremony...
In the VIP balcony of the Kennedy Center opera house, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle sat side by side, watching Hart accept the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy Sunday night.
“I didn’t start doing what I was doing to get awards,” Hart said. “I just fell in love with the idea of comedy.”
Hart rose from the open mics and comedy clubs of his native Philadelphia to become one of his country’s most recognizable performers — honing a signature style that combines his diminutive height, expressive face and motormouth delivery into an arena-packing stand-up act. He became the latest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in a raucous ceremony...
- 3/25/2024
- by The Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Plot: The life and career of Gene Wilder are remembered by his friends and colleagues.
Review: Gene Wilder was a one-of-a-kind talent. While it seems like he’s mostly remembered these days for playing Willy Wonka (with his performance inspiring Timothee Chalamet’s recent take), there was a lot more to him than just that one film. For one thing, his cinematic partnership with Mel Brooks resulted in three all-time classics: The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Plus, he and Richard Pryor made an iconic mismatched duo in a slew of films (some better than others), while Wilder directed several highly successful films on his own.
In this loving tribute to the late icon, director Ron Frank pulls back the curtain to dip into both Wilder’s creative process and sometimes tragic life. Pulling from an audiobook he recorded of his memoirs, the film is distinguished because Wilder himself tells much of the story.
Review: Gene Wilder was a one-of-a-kind talent. While it seems like he’s mostly remembered these days for playing Willy Wonka (with his performance inspiring Timothee Chalamet’s recent take), there was a lot more to him than just that one film. For one thing, his cinematic partnership with Mel Brooks resulted in three all-time classics: The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Plus, he and Richard Pryor made an iconic mismatched duo in a slew of films (some better than others), while Wilder directed several highly successful films on his own.
In this loving tribute to the late icon, director Ron Frank pulls back the curtain to dip into both Wilder’s creative process and sometimes tragic life. Pulling from an audiobook he recorded of his memoirs, the film is distinguished because Wilder himself tells much of the story.
- 3/22/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Things were going badly on Saturday Night Live‘s 1980-1981 season, even before producer Jean Doumanian realized than the January 10, 1981 episode was headed towards disaster.
The previous season had seen the departure of Lorne Michaels and the entire cast, including founders Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and Laraine Newman, as well as Bill Murray and Harry Shearer. Doumanian had tried to pitch her incoming group of comedians as the next generation for the hit series, but the performers quickly gained reputations as also-rans. Charlie Rocket was a less funny Chevy Chase, Gail Matthius an off-brand Jane Curtin, and so on.
But on that Jan. 10, 1981 episode, hosted by actor Ray Sharkey, things were going particularly badly. The skits went faster than anticipated and the show had five extra minutes to fill. So in an act of desperation, Doumanian followed the advice of writer Neil Levy and pushed 19-year-old featured player...
The previous season had seen the departure of Lorne Michaels and the entire cast, including founders Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and Laraine Newman, as well as Bill Murray and Harry Shearer. Doumanian had tried to pitch her incoming group of comedians as the next generation for the hit series, but the performers quickly gained reputations as also-rans. Charlie Rocket was a less funny Chevy Chase, Gail Matthius an off-brand Jane Curtin, and so on.
But on that Jan. 10, 1981 episode, hosted by actor Ray Sharkey, things were going particularly badly. The skits went faster than anticipated and the show had five extra minutes to fill. So in an act of desperation, Doumanian followed the advice of writer Neil Levy and pushed 19-year-old featured player...
- 3/20/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
"All in the Family" might've been Norman Lear's finest half-hour as a sitcom producer, but I'm not sure he ever put a funnier show on the airwaves than "The Jeffersons." For 11 seasons, Sherman Hemsley's dry-cleaning magnate George Jefferson and Isabel Sanford's good-hearted Louise "Weezy" Jefferson led a stellar cast that delivered edgy-for-network-television laughs revolving around race, class, gender, and whatever happened to be grinding the hot-headed George's gears that particular week. It was the African-American answer to "All in the Family" (on which the characters of George and Weezy originated), and might actually be more shocking today for its fearless deployment of the n-word (particularly early in the series' run).
And if you're making a list of the most memorable theme songs in television history, "The Jeffersons" better be in the top five. Anyone who grew up watching the show in prime time or via syndication should...
And if you're making a list of the most memorable theme songs in television history, "The Jeffersons" better be in the top five. Anyone who grew up watching the show in prime time or via syndication should...
- 3/18/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Netflix has become the latest home for the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
The streamer has struck a multi-year deal with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to air the event. Last year, the event aired on CNN and before that PBS aired it for over 20 years. Comedy Central hosted it before PBS.
The move comes as Kevin Hart, who has done a number of standup specials for Netflix, is set to be honored at the ceremony, which has previously feted the likes of Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Steve Martin, George Carlin, Tina Fey, Carol Burnett and Richard Pryor.
The show will also feature Dave Burd aka Lil Dicky, Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Chelsea Handler, Nelly, The Plastic Cup Boyz, Keith Robinson, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and J.B. Smoove.
The streamer will not, however, be adding the Mark...
The streamer has struck a multi-year deal with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to air the event. Last year, the event aired on CNN and before that PBS aired it for over 20 years. Comedy Central hosted it before PBS.
The move comes as Kevin Hart, who has done a number of standup specials for Netflix, is set to be honored at the ceremony, which has previously feted the likes of Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Steve Martin, George Carlin, Tina Fey, Carol Burnett and Richard Pryor.
The show will also feature Dave Burd aka Lil Dicky, Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Chelsea Handler, Nelly, The Plastic Cup Boyz, Keith Robinson, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and J.B. Smoove.
The streamer will not, however, be adding the Mark...
- 3/14/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
A year after it moved from its longtime PBS home to CNN, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is switching telecast partners again. Netflix has struck a multi-year deal with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to move the Mark Twain Prize event to the streamer.
The deal begins this year, with Kevin Hart honored at the ceremony. This marks the 25th anniversary of the Mark Twain Prize, and Hart will be recognized “for his extraordinary contributions to the genre and his impressive achievements across comedy, film, and television.” This year’s event takes placeat the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Sunday, March 24, and will be taped to premiere on Netflix on Saturday, May 11 — as the Netflix is a Joke Fest takes place in Los Angeles.
Performers set for this year’s Mark Twain ceremony including Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd, Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, Tiffany Haddish,...
The deal begins this year, with Kevin Hart honored at the ceremony. This marks the 25th anniversary of the Mark Twain Prize, and Hart will be recognized “for his extraordinary contributions to the genre and his impressive achievements across comedy, film, and television.” This year’s event takes placeat the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Sunday, March 24, and will be taped to premiere on Netflix on Saturday, May 11 — as the Netflix is a Joke Fest takes place in Los Angeles.
Performers set for this year’s Mark Twain ceremony including Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd, Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, Tiffany Haddish,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
An estate in L.A.’s Northridge neighborhood once owned by Richard Pryor — and the site where the late comedian famously set himself on fire in 1980 — has hit the market.
Known as Hacienda de los Suenos, the gated, walled property is currently owned by one-time pro football player Rashard Mendenhall, who became a TV writer on Ballers post-nfl. According to Mansion Global, Mendenhall purchased the spread, located in the Sherwood Forest enclave of Northridge, for $2.5 million in 2017; he’s now set his sale price at $4.236 million, an homage to the total rushing yards he had in his career of 4,236.
“I’m a fan of Richard Pryor,” Mendenhall told Mansion Global. “He’s iconic, and I feel a special connection to him because we’re both from Illinois — I’m from Skokie, and he’s from Peoria. He’s a man of such magnitude that when I saw the property, I thought,...
Known as Hacienda de los Suenos, the gated, walled property is currently owned by one-time pro football player Rashard Mendenhall, who became a TV writer on Ballers post-nfl. According to Mansion Global, Mendenhall purchased the spread, located in the Sherwood Forest enclave of Northridge, for $2.5 million in 2017; he’s now set his sale price at $4.236 million, an homage to the total rushing yards he had in his career of 4,236.
“I’m a fan of Richard Pryor,” Mendenhall told Mansion Global. “He’s iconic, and I feel a special connection to him because we’re both from Illinois — I’m from Skokie, and he’s from Peoria. He’s a man of such magnitude that when I saw the property, I thought,...
- 3/9/2024
- by Degen Pener
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tom Hanks will host and narrate a 20-part documentary series about World War II on the History Channel.
The project from Nutopia is one of several unveiled Wednesday by A+E Networks as it convened its virtual upfront presentation to advertisers.
Along with the Hanks series, History is also teaming with Barack and Michelle Obama on a podcast exploring America’s Reconstruction Era. It is getting into business with former New York Yankees great Derek Jeter for two series, one about great warriors and the other about entertainers. And Danny Trejo will also host and narrate a new History series exploring “some of the greatest underground mysteries and the fascinating stories surrounding buried artifacts and lost civilizations,” as a press release put it.
As yet untitled, the Hanks-hosted docuseries “offers a comprehensive view of World War II,” History says, “thanks to new scholarship and rarely seen archive, that illuminates both the...
The project from Nutopia is one of several unveiled Wednesday by A+E Networks as it convened its virtual upfront presentation to advertisers.
Along with the Hanks series, History is also teaming with Barack and Michelle Obama on a podcast exploring America’s Reconstruction Era. It is getting into business with former New York Yankees great Derek Jeter for two series, one about great warriors and the other about entertainers. And Danny Trejo will also host and narrate a new History series exploring “some of the greatest underground mysteries and the fascinating stories surrounding buried artifacts and lost civilizations,” as a press release put it.
As yet untitled, the Hanks-hosted docuseries “offers a comprehensive view of World War II,” History says, “thanks to new scholarship and rarely seen archive, that illuminates both the...
- 3/6/2024
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Individuals like Andy Kaufman, Richard Pryor, John Candy, Sam Kinison, Bill Hicks, Robin Williams, Gilda Radner, George Carlin, and Gene Wilder come to mind in a list of late comedic greats who changed the comedy landscape. Their influence remains a part of the art, with up-and-coming joke-slingers citing them as sources of inspiration. Sometimes, it’s good to reflect on the contributions of comedy’s titans. So Kino Lorder is proud to present Ron Frank’s Remembering Gene Wilder trailer, celebrating the life and career of the curly-haired clown alongside notable friends.
Remembering Gene Wilder is a heartfelt documentary and entertaining portrait of the life and career of the beloved actor, featuring an extensive array of highlights from Wilder’s most memorable films and interviews with his closest friends, family, and fellow comics.
Here’s the official description for Remembering Gene Wilder:
Remembering Gene Wilder is a loving tribute to...
Remembering Gene Wilder is a heartfelt documentary and entertaining portrait of the life and career of the beloved actor, featuring an extensive array of highlights from Wilder’s most memorable films and interviews with his closest friends, family, and fellow comics.
Here’s the official description for Remembering Gene Wilder:
Remembering Gene Wilder is a loving tribute to...
- 3/5/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
While Frieze Los Angeles, Felix and Spring/Break Art Show will certainly be the draw of the international collecting crowd descending upon the city for L.A. Art Week (Feb. 26 to March 3), there are plenty of local artists, galleries and events taking place outside an overcrowded tent or booth that are equally worthy of attention.
THR rounded up some of our favorite art happenings in and around the city — from two psychedelic painters turning their visions into wearable art to a group of Mexican-American artists taking over Jeffrey Deitch Gallery — so you’ll have other nice things to look at when you leave the Frieze VIP section.
Jeremy Shockley at Saint Laurent
At the 2022 gala of the Flea-founded Silverlake Conservatory of Music Benefit auction, Saint Laurent’s Farrah Katina, who specializes in public relations and collaborations, fell in love with a painting by Jeremy Shockley. A year later, Katina was...
THR rounded up some of our favorite art happenings in and around the city — from two psychedelic painters turning their visions into wearable art to a group of Mexican-American artists taking over Jeffrey Deitch Gallery — so you’ll have other nice things to look at when you leave the Frieze VIP section.
Jeremy Shockley at Saint Laurent
At the 2022 gala of the Flea-founded Silverlake Conservatory of Music Benefit auction, Saint Laurent’s Farrah Katina, who specializes in public relations and collaborations, fell in love with a painting by Jeremy Shockley. A year later, Katina was...
- 2/23/2024
- by Michael Slenske
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Comedy actor and writer Gene Wilder is to be celebrated in documentary Remembering Gene Wilder, and here’s the trailer.
To several generations, Gene Wilder will forever be known as the definitive screen version of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka in 1971 film Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. To others, he might be best known for his frequent collaborations with comedian Richard Pryor in films like Silver Streak, Stir Crazy, See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Another You.
Going on to forge a career as a writer and director, one of the most underrated comedies of the 1970s, and one that is well worth tracking down if you haven’t had the pleasure, is The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes’ Younger Brother. Wilder’s 1975 directorial debut saw the actor star alongside the powerhouse pairing of Madeline Kahn and Marty Feldmen, both of whom he worked with in Young Frankenstein, the...
To several generations, Gene Wilder will forever be known as the definitive screen version of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka in 1971 film Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. To others, he might be best known for his frequent collaborations with comedian Richard Pryor in films like Silver Streak, Stir Crazy, See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Another You.
Going on to forge a career as a writer and director, one of the most underrated comedies of the 1970s, and one that is well worth tracking down if you haven’t had the pleasure, is The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes’ Younger Brother. Wilder’s 1975 directorial debut saw the actor star alongside the powerhouse pairing of Madeline Kahn and Marty Feldmen, both of whom he worked with in Young Frankenstein, the...
- 2/19/2024
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
Mojo Nixon was absolutely himself right to the end. The cult hero died Feb. 7 on board the Outlaw Country Cruise, where he’d performed and caroused in signature fashion the night before (“passing after a blazing show, a raging night, closing the bar, taking no prisoners,” according to a statement from his family).
Less than a year before that, he was in peak form as well, speaking with Rolling Stone about the making of his 2023 documentary, The Mojo Manifesto. It was a wide-ranging, side-splitting conversation, going over the wildest early...
Less than a year before that, he was in peak form as well, speaking with Rolling Stone about the making of his 2023 documentary, The Mojo Manifesto. It was a wide-ranging, side-splitting conversation, going over the wildest early...
- 2/8/2024
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
With its scathing social satire, raunchy humor and frequent use of the controversial N-word, “Blazing Saddles” got mixed reviews upon its release February 7, 1974. Nonetheless, it galloped to the top of the box office and earned three Oscar nominations, and set new standards for comedy films with its irreverence, spoofs and just plain silliness. Some reviewers did get the joke from the beginning, including Roger Ebert, who awarded it four out of four stars, saying it’s “a crazed grab bag of a movie that does everything to keep us laughing except hit us over the head with a rubber chicken.” On its 50th anniversary, we look back at how “Blazing Saddles” has endured as one of the greatest and most beloved comedies of all time.
It all started when Mel Brooks bought the film rights to a story titled “Tex-x” (changed so it wouldn’t be mistaken for an X-rated...
It all started when Mel Brooks bought the film rights to a story titled “Tex-x” (changed so it wouldn’t be mistaken for an X-rated...
- 2/7/2024
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Dave Chappelle won the Best Comedy Album Grammy on Sunday for the second year in a row, beating Chris Rock, among other contenders, with his What’s In A Name?
Chappelle’s fifth win in eight years and second in a row moves him into a tie with Richard Pryor and George Carlin for second-most career comedy Grammys. The latter holds the nominations record with 16. Bill Cosby remains the all-time leader in the category, winning seven times, including six straight from 1965-70.
Chappelle beat out fellow nominees Trevor Noah’s I Wish You Would, Wanda Sykes’ I’m an Entertainer, three-time caregory winner Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage, third-time nominee Sarah Silverman’s Someone You Love for the prize.
Related: Killer Mike Hit With Misdemeanor Battery Charge By LAPD From Altercation Outside Grammys; Award Winning Rapper Released By Cops Tonight
Chappelle was not at Sunday’s pre-show ceremony at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Chappelle’s fifth win in eight years and second in a row moves him into a tie with Richard Pryor and George Carlin for second-most career comedy Grammys. The latter holds the nominations record with 16. Bill Cosby remains the all-time leader in the category, winning seven times, including six straight from 1965-70.
Chappelle beat out fellow nominees Trevor Noah’s I Wish You Would, Wanda Sykes’ I’m an Entertainer, three-time caregory winner Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage, third-time nominee Sarah Silverman’s Someone You Love for the prize.
Related: Killer Mike Hit With Misdemeanor Battery Charge By LAPD From Altercation Outside Grammys; Award Winning Rapper Released By Cops Tonight
Chappelle was not at Sunday’s pre-show ceremony at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
- 2/4/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Dave Chappelle has four previous Grammy nominations for Best Comedy Album and four previous wins: “The Age of Spin and Deep in the Heart of Texas” (2018), “Equanimity and The Bird Revelation” (2019), “Sticks and Stones” (2020) and “The Closer” (2023). Indeed, he’s undefeated in the category and is a contender again this year for “What’s in a Name?” If he prevails again he’d tie for second place on the all-time list of winners in the category.
SEEGrammys dilemma: Will Taylor Swift win another controversial Album of the Year title?
To date the biggest winner for Best Comedy Album is the now-disgraced Bill Cosby. He claimed six in a row from 1965 to 1970, and then won a seventh in 1987. Of the five comedians who are next in line, Chappelle is the only one still living. The late George Carlin and Richard Pryor won five apiece, and Chappelle shares fourth place with fellow quadruple...
SEEGrammys dilemma: Will Taylor Swift win another controversial Album of the Year title?
To date the biggest winner for Best Comedy Album is the now-disgraced Bill Cosby. He claimed six in a row from 1965 to 1970, and then won a seventh in 1987. Of the five comedians who are next in line, Chappelle is the only one still living. The late George Carlin and Richard Pryor won five apiece, and Chappelle shares fourth place with fellow quadruple...
- 1/31/2024
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
L-r, from top: You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah; Blazing Saddles; School Of Rock; The Mitchells Vs. The Machines; Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga; Forgetting Sarah MarshallScreenshot: Netflix/Rotten Tomatoes Trailers/YouTube
Netflix’s film library is positively gargantuan, so how is a couch...
Netflix’s film library is positively gargantuan, so how is a couch...
- 1/31/2024
- by The A.V. Club
- avclub.com
Recently, I wrote an article about movies that were surprisingly hard to find on streaming or Blu-ray, and one of the movies I mentioned was a little-remembered 1988 thriller called Shoot to Kill (aka Deadly Pursuit in the UK). The film was a decent box office hit in its day, but outside of a DVD release many years ago, it has sunk into obscurity.
This is a shame, as Shoot to Kill is a nifty little movie. After a few comments praised the film, I decided to revisit it for myself, as I honestly hadn’t seen it since the nineties and had no idea if it would hold up. To my surprise, not only did it hold up, but Shoot to Kill is a bit of a lost 80s action classic.
The film stars Sidney Poitier as a veteran FBI agent investigating a strange robbery where the owner of a...
This is a shame, as Shoot to Kill is a nifty little movie. After a few comments praised the film, I decided to revisit it for myself, as I honestly hadn’t seen it since the nineties and had no idea if it would hold up. To my surprise, not only did it hold up, but Shoot to Kill is a bit of a lost 80s action classic.
The film stars Sidney Poitier as a veteran FBI agent investigating a strange robbery where the owner of a...
- 1/28/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Way back in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, we saw reports that filmmaker Kenya Barris was set to write and direct a film based on the life of iconic comedian, Richard Pryor. However, like so many projects in the works at that time, we haven’t really heard much about it over the past few years. But according to Barris, not only is the project still alive and well, but it’s actually turned into a TV series.
Continue reading Kenya Barris Says His Richard Pryor Biopic Has Become A 10-Part Limited Series at The Playlist.
Continue reading Kenya Barris Says His Richard Pryor Biopic Has Become A 10-Part Limited Series at The Playlist.
- 1/22/2024
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Kenya Barris joined the Variety Studio presented by Audible at the Sundance Film Festival and provided some new updates on three of his most high-profile new projects. It was announced back in 2020 that Barris was set to direct a biopic on Richard Pryor, one of the most influential comedians of all time. The project remains in development, only Barris now confirmed that it’s actually a television series.
“It’s a 10-part limited biographical series that takes a look from cradle to grave,” Barris said. “From his earliest upbringing — he grew up in a ho house, or a house of ill repute — and became, at one point, the biggest star in the world.”
Barris said he is “in the room with it right now” as far as the development on the Richard Pryor series, adding, “It is my baby. I love it. He is my comedy god. A super flawed guy,...
“It’s a 10-part limited biographical series that takes a look from cradle to grave,” Barris said. “From his earliest upbringing — he grew up in a ho house, or a house of ill repute — and became, at one point, the biggest star in the world.”
Barris said he is “in the room with it right now” as far as the development on the Richard Pryor series, adding, “It is my baby. I love it. He is my comedy god. A super flawed guy,...
- 1/20/2024
- by Zack Sharf and Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix generates more contemporary content than anyone, but they’re dipping into the past to curate the great movies from the ’70s. These are the films that people like myself discovered as kids in the early days of when HBO premiered on cable. Bravo, I say. Here’s the preliminary list.
Alice Doesn’T Live Here Anymore
A widowed singer and single mother starts over as a diner waitress in Arizona, befriending her coworkers and romancing a ruggedly handsome rancher.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Robert Getchell
Producers: Audrey Maas, David Susskind
Key Cast (Alphabetical): Ellen Burstyn, Jodie Foster, Diane Ladd, Alfred Lutter, Harvey Keitel, Kris Kristofferson, Vic Tayback
Distributed By: Warner Bros. Discovery
Initial Release Date: December 9, 1974
At the 47th Academy Awards, Burstyn won Best Actress
Black Belt Jones
High-kicking Black Belt Jones is dispatched to take down a group of Mafia goons trying to muscle in on a downtown karate studio.
Alice Doesn’T Live Here Anymore
A widowed singer and single mother starts over as a diner waitress in Arizona, befriending her coworkers and romancing a ruggedly handsome rancher.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Robert Getchell
Producers: Audrey Maas, David Susskind
Key Cast (Alphabetical): Ellen Burstyn, Jodie Foster, Diane Ladd, Alfred Lutter, Harvey Keitel, Kris Kristofferson, Vic Tayback
Distributed By: Warner Bros. Discovery
Initial Release Date: December 9, 1974
At the 47th Academy Awards, Burstyn won Best Actress
Black Belt Jones
High-kicking Black Belt Jones is dispatched to take down a group of Mafia goons trying to muscle in on a downtown karate studio.
- 1/17/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
1974 was quite a year for cinema; 50 years later, Netflix (of all places) is celebrating the golden jubilee.
In recognition of the anniversary, the streamer on Wednesday launched a new, dedicated content row (and direct URL link) with the first films being honored under its new “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection” banner. Each of the 14 films came to Netflix this month by way of Warner Bros., Paramount, or Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
The 1974 collection includes “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Black Belt Jones,” “Blazing Saddles,” “California Split,” “Chinatown,” “The Conversation,” “Death Wish,” “The Gambler,” “The Great Gatsby,” “It’s Alive,” “The Little Prince,” “The Lords of Flatbush,” “The Parallax View,” and “The Street Fighter” (“Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken”).
Netflix doesn’t plan to stop with disco’s heyday. In April, the streaming service will do the same for films from 1984 (turning 40); July will celebrate 1994 movies (turning 30); and in October...
In recognition of the anniversary, the streamer on Wednesday launched a new, dedicated content row (and direct URL link) with the first films being honored under its new “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection” banner. Each of the 14 films came to Netflix this month by way of Warner Bros., Paramount, or Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
The 1974 collection includes “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Black Belt Jones,” “Blazing Saddles,” “California Split,” “Chinatown,” “The Conversation,” “Death Wish,” “The Gambler,” “The Great Gatsby,” “It’s Alive,” “The Little Prince,” “The Lords of Flatbush,” “The Parallax View,” and “The Street Fighter” (“Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken”).
Netflix doesn’t plan to stop with disco’s heyday. In April, the streaming service will do the same for films from 1984 (turning 40); July will celebrate 1994 movies (turning 30); and in October...
- 1/17/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
In early January, comedian Katt Williams went on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast and took aim at Cedric the Entertainer for stealing “my very best joke.” The bit in question — which involved a pantomime of driving with music blasting — was first performed by Katt in a 1998 appearance on ComicView, then reproduced by Cedric (according to Katt) for his set in Spike Lee’s The Original Kings of Comedy. Cedric called the accusations “revisionist history” on Instagram.
We’ve been down this road many times before. For much of the 20th century, joke stealing was an open secret. “All comedians steal from all comedians,” the legend Stan Laurel once mused. Some of the biggest names in comedy did it. Milton Berle was so blatant in his joke stealing that he earned the nickname “The Thief of Bad Gags.” Richard Pryor admitted on The Tonight Show that he ripped off his comedy idols,...
We’ve been down this road many times before. For much of the 20th century, joke stealing was an open secret. “All comedians steal from all comedians,” the legend Stan Laurel once mused. Some of the biggest names in comedy did it. Milton Berle was so blatant in his joke stealing that he earned the nickname “The Thief of Bad Gags.” Richard Pryor admitted on The Tonight Show that he ripped off his comedy idols,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Eric Spitznagel
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gene Wilder is rightfully remembered fondly for his performance as Willy Wonka. However, the comedic actor’s career is the stuff of legends, thanks to his collaborations with legendary comedian Richard Pryor, as well as starring in Mel Brooks classics like The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. The beloved actor has a new documentary that tells the story of his life from filmmaker Ron Frank. The film, Remembering Gene Wilder, has just picked up distribution from Kino Lorber, which has planned the movie’s release for this March.
According to Deadline, the documentary “touches on the actor’s Jewish upbringing in Milwaukee, marriage to Gilda Radner, and his final chapter living with Alzheimer’s. It will include never-seen-before home movie footage, narration by Wilder from the audiobook of his memoir, and interviews with collaborators including Mel Brooks, Alan Alda, Carol Kane, and his widow Karen Boyer Wilder.
Directed by...
According to Deadline, the documentary “touches on the actor’s Jewish upbringing in Milwaukee, marriage to Gilda Radner, and his final chapter living with Alzheimer’s. It will include never-seen-before home movie footage, narration by Wilder from the audiobook of his memoir, and interviews with collaborators including Mel Brooks, Alan Alda, Carol Kane, and his widow Karen Boyer Wilder.
Directed by...
- 1/11/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Kino Lorber has acquired all rights worldwide to Ron Frank’s documentary Remembering Gene Wilder, a portrait of the life and career of the beloved actor and comedian.
Featuring highlights from Wilder’s most memorable films as well as interviews with his closest friends, family, and fellow comics, the film will next play as the Closing Night movie of the New York Jewish Film Festival on January 24.
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release in March 2024, followed by a home video, non-theatrical, and digital release.
Wilder, who died in 2016, is best known for his collaborations with Mel Brooks in The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles, his partnership with Richard Pryor in movies like Silver Streak and Hear No Evil, See No Evil, and his performance as the mysterious chocolatier in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
The doc touches on the actor’s Jewish upbringing in Milwaukee, marriage to Gilda Radner,...
Featuring highlights from Wilder’s most memorable films as well as interviews with his closest friends, family, and fellow comics, the film will next play as the Closing Night movie of the New York Jewish Film Festival on January 24.
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release in March 2024, followed by a home video, non-theatrical, and digital release.
Wilder, who died in 2016, is best known for his collaborations with Mel Brooks in The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles, his partnership with Richard Pryor in movies like Silver Streak and Hear No Evil, See No Evil, and his performance as the mysterious chocolatier in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
The doc touches on the actor’s Jewish upbringing in Milwaukee, marriage to Gilda Radner,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
In the 1920s, a pair of comedians were paired together by chance, and showed a chemistry that caught the attention of audiences; Laurel and Hardy went on to make over 100 short and feature-length films that pioneered movie comedy. Over the next few decades, the studios were quick to seize upon a popular pairing, both comedic and romantic, creating some of the most popular duos in screen history – some of which carried over into offscreen friendships and real-life love stories. In the years since the downfall of the studio system, actors haven’t been paired as they were during the Golden Age, when they were contracted to do a studio’s bidding, but friendships and mutual respect has led to some memorable modern-day pairings.
From the earliest days of cinema to Abbott and Costello to Martin and Lewis to Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, a successful comedy pairing can lead to big box office returns.
From the earliest days of cinema to Abbott and Costello to Martin and Lewis to Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, a successful comedy pairing can lead to big box office returns.
- 12/7/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
The 80s. It has given us so much in pop culture. From the best Saturday Morning Cartoons, the greatest action figure series of all time, and some of the most quotable movies. You can’t talk about 80s films without thinking of movies like Back To The Future or The Breakfast Club. If someone says, “Goonies never say die,” then you know it’s someone you can hold a conversation with.
The flip side of this is that over the last 40 years (gulp!), society has changed. Somewhat for the better, but there are still downsides. Now, when you look back at some of your favorite 80s films, you might find that maybe they haven’t aged as well as you had hoped. What childhood memories can we ruin by figuring out which 80s movies haven’t aged well?
(Editor’s note – this article is meant to entertain. If you still...
The flip side of this is that over the last 40 years (gulp!), society has changed. Somewhat for the better, but there are still downsides. Now, when you look back at some of your favorite 80s films, you might find that maybe they haven’t aged as well as you had hoped. What childhood memories can we ruin by figuring out which 80s movies haven’t aged well?
(Editor’s note – this article is meant to entertain. If you still...
- 12/3/2023
- by Bryan Wolford
- JoBlo.com
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