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Stars Team Up To Honor Adrienne Shelly at Fundraiser
13 November 2007 (WENN)
Rosanna Arquette, Keri Russell and Edie Falco are among the stars auctioning lunch with themselves in an online fundraiser for the charity set up to honor murdered Waitress filmmaker Adrienne Shelly. Prizes on the eBay auction include lunches with Arquette, Russell, Falco and Cheryl Hines and memorabilia signed by Matt Dillon and the late Richard Pryor. All proceeds will go to The Adrienne Shelly Foundation (ASF), a non-profit organization that awards film school scholarships and grants to women filmmakers. The Asf is also holding its inaugural fundraising gala in New York City on Monday night, where singer Alanis Morissette will perform and stars including Dillon, Falco, Mary-Louise Parker and Ally Sheedy are expected to attend. Shelly was murdered in New York in November 2006. Construction worker Diego Pillco was arrested days later and claims he killed the actress/director after she complained from noise coming from his apartment downstairs. He is currently awaiting trial for the slaying.

Crystal Set for Humor Prize
2 May 2007 (WENN)
Funnyman Billy Crystal is to be honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The City Slickers star will be the 10th recipient of the honor when he's feted at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. in October. Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen Schwarzman insists choosing Crystal for the honor was easy: "The work he has created for stage, film and television has made an indelible impression. It is the work of not just a humorist but also a humanist." Thrilled Crystal, who will join Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, and Richard Pryor mong the recipients, says, "To be given the same award as Richard Pryor, Steve Martin and Neil Simon is a great honor."

Pryor's Widow Plans Huge Benefit
14 December 2005 (WENN)
Richard Pryor's widow Jennifer has announced plans to hold a huge benefit memorial for the late comedian next month. The legendary funnyman died of a heart attack on Saturday, nine days after celebrating his 65th birthday, and his wife is planning to give Pryor the send-off he would have wanted, by calling on several comedians to raise laughter in his honor. She says, "We're having private family services this weekend and then mid-January I'm gonna plan a big benefit, big memorial for Richard and just celebrate him. The shock will be over (by then), so people can get up there, all the comics, a lot of people from the entertainment industry, and celebrate him in the way that he would have wanted. (We'll) have some drinks and toast the man in charge."

Stars Pay Tribute to Richard Pryor
13 December 2005 (WENN)
A host of stars have paid tribute to late comedian Richard Pryor, who died on Saturday aged 65. The funnyman lost his battle with multiple-sclerosis, a disease which robbed him of his ability to walk and, during his final months, his speech. Famous co-stars, contemporaries and admirers have expressed their sadness and hailed his impressive talent for making people laugh. Steve Martin, who starred with Pryor in 1979's The Muppet Movie says, "By expressing his heart, anger and joy, Richard Pryor took comedy to its highest form." Bill Cosby, Pryor's co-star in 1978 film California Suite, adds, "I wish that every new and young comedian would understand what Richard was about and not confuse his genius with his language usage." And music producer Quincy Jones adds, "He was the Charlie Parker of comedy, a master of telling the truth that influenced every comedian that came after him. The legacy he leaves will forever be with us."

Comedy Great Richard Pryor Dead
12 December 2005 (WENN)
Comedy legend Richard Pryor died of a heart attack on Saturday, nine days after celebrating his 65th birthday. The funnyman's wife, Jennifer, has confirmed his passing, revealing she tried to resuscitate him at their home in Encino, California. Pryor had been fighting degenerative nervous system disease multiple sclerosis for the past 20 years. Fans began gathering at his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles soon after hearing the sad news yesterday. Pryor starred in a number of hit comedy movies like Stir Crazy, Brewster's Millions and Car Wash, but he really shone as a standup comedian, often poking fun at race issues and his own well-publicized drug problems. Pryor, who was married seven times and fathered seven children, grew up in a brothel in Illinois, run by his grandmother. He started his comedy career as a touring stand-up in the 1960s and quickly became a cult act. He won several Grammy Awards for his comedy albums and went on to influence many of today's top comedians. As well as his most obvious movie hits, listed above, Pryor also appeared in Superman III in 1983 and The Muppet Movie in 1979. He also starred in innovative musical documentary Wattstax. In paying tribute to Pryor yesterday, movie-maker Spike Lee said, "He was an innovator and a trailblazer. It's a great loss."

Richard Pryor: 1940-2005
10 December 2005 (IMDb News Flash)
Richard Pryor, one of the most groundbreaking comedians of the late 20th century, died Saturday morning of a heart attack at his home in the San Fernando Valley; he was 65. Pryor had been suffering from multiple sclerosis for years, and according to his wife Jennifer Pryor, passed away very quickly with little suffering. Born in Peoria, Illinios, Pryor reportedly grew up in a brothel run by his grandmother, and was performing at as young an age as 7, when he played drums for a nightclub. After graduating high school and serving two years in the army, Pryor began his comedy career in the 60s, working in nightclubs and earning a reputation for himself. Soon talk show and variety show appearances led to small parts in movies throughout the late 60s and early 70s, with a noteworthy supporting role opposite Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues (1972). He also wrote for a number of television shows, including Sanford and Son, and worked on the script for Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles. Pryor skyrocketed to fame, however, on the strength, appeal, and hilarity of his stand-up performances, which challenged the establishment at a time when censorship laws still held sway, and his explicit, profane routines, centering on racial and sexual topics and everything in between, won him both controversy and fame. He also became a highly popular (and highly paid) actor in the 70s, with hit films such as Silver Streak to his credit and a controversial TV show on NBC. His biggest film success, though, was with a concert film of his stand-up routines, and Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979) remains one of his best and one of the most influential comedy films of all time.

Just as his fame reached its zenith in 1980 (the year the hit film Stir Crazy was released), Pryor almost lost his life in a notorious drug-related accident, as he suffered burns on over 50% of his body while freebasing cocaine at home. The incident began Pryor's long road to recovery, and he talked and joked freely about it in his next concert film, Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip. Free to make whatever films he liked, Pryor signed a $40 million, five-year contract with Columbia Pictures in 1983, which took him from cult hero to mainstream star, though the movies, including Superman III, The Toy and Brewster's Millions, diluted his considerable talent. He had more critical, if not commercial, success with two autobiographical-influenced films, Some Kind of Hero and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, a thinly fictionalized biopic. By the late 80s, though, Pryor's films were becoming bigger and bigger failures, and he all but retired from performing in the 90s, after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; in 1990 he suffered a massive heart attack and underwent triple bypass surgery. He made a brief appearance in the film Lost Highway, and did a guest stint on Chicago Hope, which earned him an Emmy nomination, but rarely worked; in 1998, he received the first Mark Twain Prize for humor from the JFK Center for the Performing Arts. He married six times, and had two sons and three daughters, including actress Rain Pryor. Pryor is survived by his wife Jennifer, who was his fourth wife and whom he remarried in 2001. --Prepared by IMDb staff

Comedian Richard Pryor Dies at 65
9 December 2005 (WENN)
Richard Pryor, one of the most groundbreaking comedians of the late 20th century, died Saturday morning of a heart attack at his home in the San Fernando Valley; he was 65. Pryor had been suffering from multiple sclerosis for years, and according to his wife Jennifer Pryor, passed away very quickly with little suffering. Born in Peoria, Illinios, Pryor reportedly grew up in a brothel run by his grandmother, and was performing at as young an age as 7, when he played drums for a nightclub. After graduating high school and serving two years in the army, Pryor began his comedy career in the 60s, working in nightclubs and earning a reputation for himself. Soon talk show and variety show appearances led to small parts in movies throughout the late 60s and early 70s, with a noteworthy supporting role opposite Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues (1972). He also wrote for a number of television shows, including Sanford and Son, and worked on the script for Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles. Pryor skyrocketed to fame, however, on the strength, appeal, and hilarity of his stand-up performances, which challenged the establishment at a time when censorship laws still held sway, and his explicit, profane routines, centering on racial and sexual topics and everything in between, won him both controversy and fame. He also became a highly popular (and highly paid) actor in the 70s, with hit films such as Silver Streak to his credit and a controversial TV show on NBC. His biggest film success, though, was with a concert film of his stand-up routines, and Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979) remains one of his best and one of the most influential comedy films of all time.

Just as his fame reached its zenith in 1980 (the year the hit film Stir Crazy was released), Pryor almost lost his life in a notorious drug-related accident, as he suffered burns on over 50% of his body while freebasing cocaine at home. The incident began Pryor's long road to recovery, and he talked and joked freely about it in his next concert film, Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip. Free to make whatever films he liked, Pryor signed a $40 million, five-year contract with Columbia Pictures in 1983, which took him from cult hero to mainstream star, though the movies, including Superman III, The Toy and Brewster's Millions, diluted his considerable talent. He had more critical, if not commercial, success with two autobiographical-influenced films, Some Kind of Hero and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, a thinly fictionalized biopic. By the late 80s, though, Pryor's films were becoming bigger and bigger failures, and he all but retired from performing in the 90s, after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; in 1990 he suffered a massive heart attack and underwent triple bypass surgery. He made a brief appearance in the film Lost Highway, and did a guest stint on Chicago Hope, which earned him an Emmy nomination, but rarely worked; in 1998, he received the first Mark Twain Prize for humor from the JFK Center for the Performing Arts. He married six times, and had two sons and three daughters, including actress Rain Pryor. Pryor is survived by his wife Jennifer, who was his fourth wife and whom he remarried in 2001. --Prepared by IMDb staff

Steve Martin's Comedy Career Honored
25 October 2005 (WENN)
American actor Steve Martin was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at Washington DC's Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Sunday. A galaxy of stars including Tom Hanks, Paul Simon, Eric Idle, Diane Keaton, Lily Tomlin and Claire Danes attended the gala evening to celebrate the 60-year-old's glittering career. Idle hailed Martin as "the most intelligent man I ever met," adding, "Honesty simplicity and truth are the secret to comedy." While Oscar-winner Hanks attributed Martin's comedy to "self-loathing and unhappiness". But he added, "He redefined comedy by defining the moment of our ascendancy as a generation. As did Charlie Chaplin, as did the Marx Brothers, as did Laurel And Hardy define their own times, Steve Martin defined ours." Accepting his award, Martin made mention of his previous honors, including a 1969 writing Emmy, saying, "But of course the Mark Twain Prize is more special to me - because it is more recent!" Previous winners include Richard Pryor and Whoopi Goldberg.

Wife Is Behind Pryor Lawsuit, Claims Daughter
5 August 2005 (WENN)
Richard Pryor's daughter Rain Pryor is blaming her father's wife Jennifer Lee Pryor for the lawsuit against her and moviemaker Penelope Spheeris. The ailing comedian, who has been crippled by multiple sclerosis, reportedly claims that Lee Pryor and Spheeris took the master copy of his first film appearance in Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales and never returned it. But the situation is shrouded in suspicion, as Rain has a good relationship with her father, and she insists his wife, who has power of attorney, is behind the legal action. Rain fumes, "My father's wife is using my father's name to action a lawsuit against me." A source tells British newspaper Daily Express, "The lawsuit was filed in LA last week. People were taken aback to see Rain's name on there as she and her father are known to get along. It's a strange state of affairs."

Pryor Sues Director Over Lost Film
29 July 2005 (WENN)
Ailing comedian Richard Pryor is suing movie-maker Penelope Spheeris in a bid to get a lost film back. The 64-year-old funnyman, who has been crippled my multiple sclerosis, claims his daughter Rain and Spheeris conspired to take the master copy of his first film appearance, which the Wayne's World director shot when she was a film student in 1968 and they haven't returned it. In a suit filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Pryor, who raised the money for the film and hired Spheeris, claims he's the only person entitled to decide what's to become of the mystery movie and he wants it back. He claims the negatives and prints went missing from his house 20 years ago and feels sure his daughter and Spheeris have the footage. Pryor believed the film, Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales, was lost until scenes appeared earlier this year, when the comedian was honored by the Directors Guild of America. According to his suit, he contacted Spheeris after the tribute and she revealed she had given the footage to the Academy Film Archive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Pryor Loses Voice
30 December 2004 (WENN)
Multiple sclerosis has robbed tragic comedian Richard Pryor of his voice. The funnyman has been suffering the debilitating disease since 1986, but was forced to quit acting after appearing in 1997 movie Lost Highway. Now, on a US television appearance, his sister Jennifer has revealed Pryor, 64, can no longer speak. Jennifer also said the comedian - who appeared with her - tried to kill himself during a film stunt in 1981. Pryor was thought to have set himself on fire accidentally, but Jennifer said, "No, no, it was not an accident. I think Richard wanted to take his life."

Pryor and Perry Offer Reward for Dog-Drowning Arrest
10 October 2004 (WENN)
Comedian Richard Pryor and actor Matthew Perry are offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the drowning of a dog. The golden retriever, which police said had been tied up, muzzled and stuffed inside a burlap bag, was found on September 21 by a person walking on the beach in Nahant, Massachusetts. Pryor heard about the incident through a network of fellow animal lovers, says Linda Horsley, a pet sitter from Nahant, who is helping to organise the reward efforts with the Massachusetts Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (Mspca). She says, "The thinking is just so sick. It's important to raise the awareness that cruelty to animals is just not tolerable." Pryor and his wife Jennifer have donated $1,000 to the reward fund. They have also paid for a banner to appear at a fundraising walk for the Mspca on October 17. The Mspca has so far raised a total of $12,000.

Pryor Takes on KFC Over Chicken Cruelty
30 January 2004 (WENN)
Disabled comedian Richard Pryor has joined animal activists People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals' (PETA) fight against fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). As part of Peta's international campaign to pressure Kfc to crack down on its suppliers' cruel treatment of birds, the animal rights group has created new ads featuring the comic. In the ads, Pryor urges people to join him "in boycotting KFC restaurants until the company agrees to meet PETA's simple demands to eliminate the very worst abuses". Billboards featuring Pryor will run in Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, and a print-ad version will appear in the top 10 African-American newspapers. Pryor is the latest in a growing roster of celebrities who have joined PETA's KFC campaign. Seinfeld star and ex-KFC pitchman Jason Alexander had his contract with the chain cancelled after PETA enlisted him to speak to company executives about the suffering of chickens. And Pamela Anderson publicly offered to meet with KFC representatives on her syndicated radio show. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 protests against KFC have taken place in cities around the world.

Actor and Dancer Gregory Hines Dies at 57
10 August 2003 (WENN)
Tony-award winning actor and dancer Gregory Hines, who wowed audiences onstage as well as in film and television, died Saturday in Los Angeles of cancer, according to his publicist, Allen Eichorn; Hines was 57. A boisterous performer with seemingly unending energy, who made tap dancing look both elegant and effortless, Hines first gained fame as a child star alongside his brother, fellow dancer Maurice Hines, and their father as part of the tap-dancing act "Hines, Hines and Dad." In the `70s, Hines went on to worldwide acclaim and Broadway stardom, most notably in Eubie!, Comin' Uptown and Sophisticated Ladies, all of which earned him Tony nominations. Hines first film role came almost by accident in Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I, where he was a last-minute replacement for Richard Pryor and stole scenes from old pros Brooks and Madeline Kahn. He went on later that year to co-star in the thriller Wolfen, and then in 1984 danced for the first time onscreen with brother Maurice in The Cotton Club, where the two played characters based on Broadway stars The Nicholas Brothers. Film hits White Nights (opposite Mikhail Baryshnikov) and Running Scared (with Billy Crystal) followed in the `80s, and the actor went on to travel effortlessly between stage, screen and television in the `90s. Hines won a Tony in 1993 for Jelly's Last Jam, appeared in 1995's Waiting to Exhale, starred in sitcom The Gregory Hines Show in 1997, and portrayed Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in the acclaimed 2001 TV movie Bojangles. Most recently he hosted the 2002 Tony Awards broadcast with Bernadette Peters and had a recurring role on TV hit Will and Grace. --Prepared by IMDb staff

Actor and Dancer Gregory Hines Dies at 57
10 August 2003 (IMDb News Flash)
Tony-award winning actor and dancer Gregory Hines, who wowed audiences onstage as well as in film and television, died Saturday in Los Angeles of cancer, according to his publicist, Allen Eichorn; Hines was 57. A boisterous performer with seemingly unending energy, who made tap dancing look both elegant and effortless, Hines first gained fame as a child star alongside his brother, fellow dancer Maurice Hines, and their father as part of the tap-dancing act "Hines, Hines and Dad." In the `70s, Hines went on to worldwide acclaim and Broadway stardom, most notably in Eubie! , Comin' Uptown and Sophisticated Ladies, all of which earned him Tony nominations. Hines first film role came almost by accident in Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I, where he was a last-minute replacement for Richard Pryor and stole scenes from old pros Brooks and Madeline Kahn. He went on later that year to co-star in the thriller Wolfen, and then in 1984 danced for the first time onscreen with brother Maurice in The Cotton Club, where the two played characters based on Broadway stars The Nicholas Brothers. Film hits White Nights (opposite Mikhail Baryshnikov) and Running Scared (with Billy Crystal) followed in the `80s, and the actor went on to travel effortlessly between stage, screen and television in the `90s. Hines won a Tony in 1993 for Jelly's Last Jam, appeared in 1995's Waiting to Exhale, starred in sitcom The Gregory Hines Show in 1997, and portrayed Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in the acclaimed 2001 TV movie Bojangles. Most recently he hosted the 2002 Tony Awards broadcast with Bernadette Peters and had a recurring role on TV hit Will and Grace. --Prepared by IMDb staff

Whoopi Goldberg Tapped For Twain Prize
16 October 2001 (WENN)
American comedienne Whoopi Goldberg has been named the recipient of the 2001 Mark Twain Prize For American Humor - becoming the first woman to receive the award. The ceremony will air on November 21st in America under the title On Stage At The Kennedy Center: The Mark Twain Prize. Taping of the show will take place on November 15th, and will include testimonials by a cast set to include Harry Belafonte, Ken Burns, Billy Crystal, Tommy Davidson, Alan King, Mike Nichols, Caroline Rhea, Wanda Sykes, Bruce Vilanch and Robin Williams. Previous recipients of the prize include Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters and Richard Pryor.

Richard Pryor Remarries
29 June 2001 (WENN)
Dying comic Richard Pryor has remarried his fourth wife Jennifer Lee to thank her for all her bedside support. The 60-year-old comedian, confided to a wheelchair by multiple sclerosis, whispered "I do" during a low-key wedding ceremony at his Encino, California, home last week. There was no best man or bridesmaids at the ceremony. Lee, 49, the fourth of five wives, was wed to Pryor for less than a year in 1981, but she has remained a close friend and his manager. She says, "I'm his longest living friend. This is a day I will never forget."

Town To Consider Naming Street After Richard Pryor
13 April 2001 (WENN)
Richard Pryor's hometown may get a second chance to honor the tragic comedian after rejecting a proposal to rename part of a street after him. The Peoria City Council, Illnois, introduced a measure on Tuesday to reconsider the idea. And the council will vote in two weeks on whether to rename South Sheridan Road after Pryor. Council members originally decided against the renaming partly because of Pryor's personal battles, and also because of his profanity-laced comedy routines. Councilman Eric Turner, who claims to have known Pryor while growing up on the city's south side, says he believes national publicity about the failure to honor Pryor has given the city a bad reputation. Turner adds, "We've had nothing but negative recognition lately, and this is one way that maybe we can start to turn that around." Pryor, 60, suffered near-fatal burns in a 1980 fire linked to cocaine freebasing. He announced in 1991 that he had the degenerative nerve disease multiple sclerosis and now spends most of his time at home in California.

Movie Reviews: The Original Kings Of Comedy
18 August 2000 (StudioBriefing)
Getting the best reviews by far from the critics this weekend is Spike Lee's comedy concert film The Original Kings of Comedy, featuring Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac. Chris Vognar's review in the Dallas Morning News is typical: "The film has more genuine belly laughs than any comedy this year. ... No one will argue that the Kings are a match for Richard Pryor, or even Eddie Murphy in his stand-up prime. But together, they form a hilarious and even poignant conscience for a brand of black humor much deeper and wiser than what we've seen on screen this year. If these are indeed the voices of the old school, then maybe it's time to re-enroll." And Steve Murray concludes in his review in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "For the most part Kings is a rollicking good time, and one of the funniest movies you'll find in a summer that's a little low on laughs at the megaplex."

PJS Not Pc?
18 January 1999 (StudioBriefing)
Meanwhile, Spike Lee has called Eddie Murphy's new animated hit The PJs, which airs on Fox, "hateful toward black people" and "very demeaning." Speaking during a video conference with the TV critics on Sunday, Lee said, "I'm kind of scratching my head why Eddie Murphy is doing this." He said that the new series "shows no love at all for black people." But exec producer Larry Wilmore told today's (Monday) Washington Post that the show does not intend to suggest that the characters represent black people, "just in the same way you wouldn't say Seinfeld represents all Jews. ... This is not new territory. ... Richard Pryor did every one of these characters in all of his routines. ... And he has been applauded for it and cherished for it."