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Posts published in “Comedy/Humor”

Chris Rock Lands $40 Million Netflix Deal for Two Comedy Specials

By goodblacknews on October 14, 2016
Chris Rock Netflix specials
Chris Rock (A.M.P.A.S./REX SHUTTERSTOCK)

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

According to Variety.com, Chris Rock has signed with Netflix for two new stand-up comedy specials.  The two-special-deal is reported to be worth $40 million. Amazon, Hulu and HBO — where Rock has a long history, starting with his late-night series “The Chris Rock Show” — were also bidding for the specials.

The Netflix specials mark Rock’s return to stand-up after an eight-year hiatus – his last being 2008’s “Kill the Messenger,” which aired on HBO.  Most recently, the comedian hosted the Oscars in January of this year.

“Chris Rock is a beloved actor and director, and his remarkable stand-up makes him comic royalty. There is no one like him, and Netflix offers the global platform and creative freedom that will serve as a perfect home for someone with his incredible talent,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer.

Rock commented, “I’m very excited to be working with Ted and Lisa and all the good people at Netflix. I can’t wait to get back on stage.”

Aside from the 2016 Oscars, Rock recently had a guest-starring role on Fox’s “Empire”, and directed HBO’s comedy special “Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo.”  Some of this Emmy and Grammy winner’s most notable credits include “The Chris Rock Show,” his scripted sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris,” which he created and narrated, “Saturday Night Live” from 1989 to 1993. On the film side, he starred in “CB4”, “Grown Ups,” Top Five,”, “I Think I Love My Wife,” “Down To Earth” and the “Madagascar” franchise.

Jamila Hunter Named New Head of Comedy at ABC

By goodblacknews on October 7, 2016
Jamila Hunter ABC comedy
Jamila Hunter, New Head of ABC Comedy (PHOTO COURTESY ABC)

article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via Variety.com
ABC has named Jamila Hunter senior vice president of comedy, Variety has learned.
Hunter’s promotion follows the exit of longtime head of comedy Samie Falvey, who recently departed for AwesomenessTV where she is now head of content.
In her new position, Hunter — previously ABC’s vice president of comedy — will manage the network’s comedy department, heading development and production of all comedy pilots.
“As one of our industry’s most accomplished executives, Jamila has been instrumental in ABC’s comedy resurgence. She brings a unique perspective to this important role, and I’m thrilled to have her leading our efforts,” said ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey, to whom Hunter will report.
Hunter commented: “I’m honored to join Channing’s senior leadership team. Over the years, our network has built a strong comedy brand featuring unique, culturally relevant shows. I’m excited by this new opportunity and looking forward to working with my talented colleagues at ABC as we continue this tradition.”

Hunter became vice-president of ABC comedy in 2011. Over the past five years in that position, she has worked on “Black-ish,” “Fresh Off The Boat,” “The Real O’Neals” and Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing.” In late 2015, her role was expanded with multi-platform comedy development added to her purview, thus working with talent who develop and produce original short-form content for ABC’s app, plus collaborating with the net’s digital team on marketing and launching each digital series.
Prior to ABC, Hunter was part of the creative team that launched Oprah Winfrey’s OWN, and before that, was senior vice president of alternative and digital programming NBC.
To read more, go to: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/jamila-hunter-head-of-comedy-abc-network-1201881702/

After Hilarious Series of Die-Hard Team USA Tweets, Leslie Jones Officially Joins NBC Olympics Coverage Team

After Hilarious Series of Die-Hard Team USA Tweets, Leslie Jones Officially Joins NBC Olympics Coverage Team

By goodblacknews on August 9, 2016

U.S.A. Superfan Leslie Jones (photo via zimbio.com)
U.S.A. Superfan Leslie Jones (photo via zimbio.com)

article by Daniel Holloway via Variety.com
“Ghostbusters” star Leslie Jones is headed to Rio de Janeiro to join NBC’s Summer Olympics coverage. Jones announced the news via a video posted on Twitter Monday, which featured her wearing an NBC Olympics hat, waving an American flag and singing “Guess who’s going to Rio!”  NBC Sports confirmed to Variety that Jones will be joining its coverage team.
As a contributor to NBC’s Olympics team, Jones will attend live events such as swimming, track and field, gymnastics and beach volleyball and provide coverage on air and online.  Olympics executive producer Jim Bell invited Jones via Twitter last week to join NBC’s coverage team after the comic went on an epic Twitter tear commenting on the games.
The “Saturday Night Live” cast member has been posting Olympics-related comments and videos — mostly of Jones talking over the games on TV — since shortly after the opening ceremonies Friday night.“We’re thrilled to have Leslie come to the Olympics,” said Bell. “She’s a member of the family, and her passion for the Olympics is remarkable.”
Source: Leslie Jones Joins NBC Olympics Coverage Team | Variety

Issa Rae's 'Insecure' Series to Debut on HBO October 9

Issa Rae's 'Insecure' Series to Debut on HBO October 9

By goodblacknews on August 4, 2016

Issa Rae, star of the HBO series “Insecure,” during the 2016 Television Critics Assn. Summer Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton. (Chris Pizzello / Invision)

article by Greg Braxton via latimes.com
For years HBO has been criticized for its pattern of featuring shows spotlighting the stories of white women while ignoring the creative voices of women of color. While “Sex and the City,” “Girls” and “Veep” have been solid hits, they have also been blasted for sidelining ethnic characters. “Girls,” created by and starring Lena Dunham, has particularly come under fire for its focus on young white characters even though it is set in New York City.
Starting Oct. 9, the premium network will enter more diverse territory, courtesy of Issa Rae, a former YouTube sensation who is starring in and executive-producing “Insecure.”
The half-hour series explores the friendship between two African American women who deal with their sometimes stormy relationship while also grappling with conflicts inside and outside black culture. Much of the humor has a raw flavor, and does not hold back on sexually frank situations and dialogue.
For full article, go to: Issa Rae takes HBO from white ‘Girls’ to black women with ‘Insecure’ – LA Times

‘Ghostbusters’ Star Leslie Jones Fights Racist Twitter Hate Speech, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Responds

By goodblacknews on July 19, 2016
Leslie Jones arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of “Ghostbusters.” (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

article by Associated Press via yahoo.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Under a barrage of hateful posts on Twitter, “Ghostbusters” star Leslie Jones said she was “in a personal hell” and urged the social networking service to do more to eradicate abuse.  In a series of posts Monday night, Jones said she had been pummeled with racist tweets. She retweeted numerous tweets directed at her with disturbing language and pictures of apes.

Jones said the messages were deeply hurtful and brought her to tears. The “Saturday Night Live” cast member called on Twitter to strengthen guidelines and for users to “stop letting the ignorant people be the loud ones.”

“I feel like I’m in a personal hell,” wrote Jones. “I didn’t do anything to deserve this. It’s just too much. It shouldn’t be like this. So hurt right now.”

The exchanges came at a career high point for the “Saturday Night Live” cast member. “Ghostbusters,” which opened last week, is her first major film role. “It’s like when you think, ‘OK I’ve proven I’m worthy’ and then you get hit with a shovel of (hatred),” she said.

She concluded a string of messages early Tuesday morning. “I leave Twitter tonight with tears and a very sad heart,” wrote Jones. “All this cause I did a movie.”

The tweets caught the attention of Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey, who sent Jones a message asking her to get in touch with him. Twitter later responded in a statement.

“This type of abusive behavior is not permitted on Twitter, and we’ve taken action on many of the accounts reported to us by both Leslie and others,” said a spokesperson for Twitter. “We rely on people to report this type of behavior to us but we are continuing to invest heavily in improving our tools and enforcement systems to prevent this kind of abuse. We realize we still have a lot of work in front of us before Twitter is where it should be on how we handle these issues.”

Many, however, have come to Jones’ defense, tweeting support for the actress under the hashtag “#LoveForLeslieJ.”

To read more, go to: https://www.yahoo.com/news/leslie-jones-under-hateful-barrage-twitter-fights-back-145423122.html?ref=gs

Leslie Jones Pays Touching Personal Tribute to Whoopi Goldberg on "The View" (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on July 15, 2016

Leslie Jones (photo via celebuzz.com)
Leslie Jones (photo via celebuzz.com)

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
While promoting her new film “Ghostbusters” on ABC’s “The View,” comedian and “Saturday Night Live” cast member Leslie Jones spent several minutes paying homage to “View” host and lifelong inspiration Whoopi Goldberg.  She holds herself back from tears as she thanks Whoopi for being someone who she could watch on TV as a young woman who finally looked like her, who she could look up to, and one day emulate.  It is a beautiful, sincere and poignant moment and we wanted to share it. Watch below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUZFkY6rLfc&w=560&h=315]

Hannibal Buress Joins Cast of ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ for Sony and Marvel

By goodblacknews on June 20, 2016
Hannibal Buress Spider-Man: Homecoming
Hannibal Buress (ROB LATOUR/VARIETY/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK)

article by Justin Kroll via Variety.com
Hannibal Buress is joining the cast of Sony and Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
Tom Holland will play Peter Parker in the reboot with Marisa Tomei taking on Aunt May. Michael Keaton is also on board for the role of a villain. Other actors who have joined the cast over the last several weeks include Logan Marshall-Green, Donald Glover, Zendaya and Tony Revolori.
Jon Watts has been hired to direct with Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige producing. Plot details are still being heavily guarded as is Buress’ character. “Vacation” directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein wrote the script.
Production is expected to start this summer with the film hitting theaters on July 7, 2017.
Buress, a stand-up comedian, has recently shifted gears to film, with upcoming roles in some of next year’s more anticipated comedies. First he has “The Masterpiece,” opposite Dave and James Franco, which is a movie about the making of what is widely considered the worst film of all-time, “The Room.”  He will follow that up with Dwayne Johnson’s reboot of “Baywatch,” which bows next summer. He also lent his voice to Illumination’s “The Secret Life of Pets.”
To read more, go to: http://variety.com/2016/film/news/spider-man-homecoming-hannibal-buress-1201799535/

SNL's Leslie Jones Graces the Cover of ELLE’s 1st Women in Comedy Issue

By goodblacknews on June 8, 2016

ELLE
Comedian Leslie Jones on Elle Magazine (photo courtesy ELLE)

article via clutchmagonline.com
Leslie Jones is looking fierce with her signature spiky hair on July’s cover of Elle, which celebrates women in comedy.
Jones, who is starring in the upcoming Ghostbusters remake, made mention of her Elle cover at an impromptu stand-up appearance.
“I ain’t used to that (crap)!” she said, adding that her recent fame has inhibited her love life. “I used to be able to be on those sites, you know Tumblr, Grindr, Tinder. Yeah, I said Grindr, I ain’t passed trickin’ a gay man into (having sex) with me,” she joked.

“I just knew that I was funny, and I knew that it was just a matter of time. I didn’t know what was going to actually happen—this is definitely way bigger than I thought—but I knew there was no way I was going to be that funny and nobody was going to notice it.” — Leslie Jones

Jones even joked about how uncomfortable she was dressing for the cover, especially as a size 12.
“I had 22 (bleeping) outfits on today. Jimmy Kimmel had on one (bleeping) suit,” she complained. “I can’t move in this (outfit), trying to be cute. You’re going to see some bra straps.” She said she took off the jacket and then her shoes. “Let me take these shoes off, too,” she said, kicking off her heels.
Well, no one never said Jones doesn’t keep it real.

NBC Renews "The Carmichael Show" Starring Jerrod Carmichael, David Alan Grier and Loretta Devine for a 3rd Season

By goodblacknews on May 15, 2016
THE CARMICHAEL SHOW renewed season 3
THE CARMICHAEL SHOW (Photo Courtesy NBC)

article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via Variety.com

After back-and-forth negotiations between NBC and 20th Century Fox Television, “The Carmichael Show” has finally been renewed for a third season. The network and studio have settled on a 13-episode order for Season 3 of the critically-acclaimed comedy.

Inspired by the life and comedy of stand-up comedian Jerrod Carmichael, “The Carmichael Show” follows Jerrod and his opinionated southern family as they reluctantly deal with modern-day America knocking at their front door. The show covers topics of religion, sex, politics, mental health and gender identity, and has tackled controversial subject matter such as Black Lives Matter and the Bill Cosby scandal.
David Alan Grier stars as Carmichael’s father, Loretta Devine plays his devoutly religious mother, Amber Stevens West plays his progressive fiancée, Rel Howery plays his brother and Tiffany Haddish plays Howery’s estranged and outspoken wife.
The series debuted as a summer show with a six-episode run. In its second season, it struggled in the ratings, averaging a 1.2 rating in adults 18-49 and 5.1 million viewers overall in Nielsen’s “live plus-3” estimates. However, NBC does not have any other returning comedies on the 2016-2017 slate, other than “Superstore,” which is getting a hard push Thursday nights this fall.  The critical praise for “Carmichael Show,” in addition to the network’s desire to find a bigger comedy presence, likely helped with the Season 3 renewal.
To read full article, go to: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/the-carmichael-show-renewed-season-3-nbc-1201775319/

Dave Chappelle Honors and Remembers Prince With Stand-Up Set: ‘This is the Black 9/11’

By goodblacknews on April 24, 2016
Dave Chappelle Prince
Comedian Dave Chappelle (CINDY BARRYMORE/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK)

article by Alex Stedman via Variety.com
Devastated by the sudden death of Prince on Thursday, Dave Chappelle almost canceled his Friday San Francisco stand-up show.
But he didn’t, and instead remembered the late music icon with a four-hour comedy set, riffing on Prince and his impact on pop culture, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Chapelle explained that he contemplated not showing up that night, but his band told him, “‘Yo, Prince would definitely not condone that.’ And now there is no place I’d rather be.”

Taking the stage, Chappelle told the audience that “this is the black 9/11.” He said he only heard of Prince’s death after media outlets began calling him for comment.  “I’ll tell you what: I didn’t know him well, but I knew him well,” he said.
Chappelle and Prince became intertwined after the comedian portrayed Prince in one of the most famous sketches from his Comedy Central series “Chappelle’s Show.”
Prince clearly took the joke in stride. In fact, he one-upped Chappelle by using an image of him in his Prince get-up, holding a plate of pancakes, as the cover art for 2013’s “Breakfast Can Wait.”
Chappelle admitted defeat in a 2014 interview with Jimmy Fallon.  “That’s a Prince judo move right there,” Chappelle said. “You make fun of Prince in a sketch and he’ll just use you in his album cover. … That’s checkmate right there.”
Chappelle is one of many to pay tribute to Prince over the weekend. “Saturday Night Live” dedicated a “Goodnight Sweet Prince” tribute to the musician, and Bruce Springsteen opened his Boston show with a cover of “Purple Rain.”