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YouTube's Todrick Hall Lands MTV Unscripted Series

By goodblacknews on October 22, 2014

Todrick HallAccording to Variety.com, MTV has ordered a new unscripted series, “Todrick,” which takes a docu-style look at the elaborate performance videos crafted by YouTube star Todrick Hall.  
“Todrick” revolves around the lives of Hall (pictured) and the troupe that helps him choreograph and stage his weekly musical efforts.  The half-hour series has an eight-episode order and is on target to debut next year.
“We’re excited to bring Todrick’s tenacious energy and multi-dimensional talent to MTV for his first-ever series,” said MTV programming president Susanne Daniels.
“Todrick” hails from Brian Graden Media. Graden, a former MTV and VH1 chief, executive produces with Danny Salles, Lois Curren and Gaurav Misra as well as Hall, Scooter Braun and Danny Rose.  If you’ve never seen Hall’s work, start with the creative “Cinderoncé” below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r7mGAxWB04&w=560&h=315]
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

Producer Will Packer sells TV Pilot "Like Father, Like Son" to NBC

By goodblacknews on October 22, 2014
Will Packer TV Pilot
Will Packer attends Sony Pictures’ ‘Think Like A Man Too’ Miami red carpet screening at Regal South Beach on June 10, 2014, in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Thaddaeus McAdams/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Will Packer, who produced the hit films Ride Along, Think Like a Man, and Think Like a Man Too, sold a TV pilot for a female cop dramedy to NBC, according to Hollywood Reporter. 
This marks the fourth TV pilot sale for the 40-year old producer in the last year. Earlier this week, Packer sold an autobiographical comedy to NBC called Like Father, Like Son. His production company, Will Packer Productions, has a first look deal with the network.
This is his first year working in television development.
Packer’s as-yet-untitled fourth project will feature two female detectives from LA who investigate homicides and have complicated personal lives. The hour-long project is being billed as a dramedy and riff on the familiar buddy cop formula. Ride Along, Packer’s last buddy cop project starring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube, raked in more than six times its budget and has a sequel planned for early 2016. Packer is set to return as producer for Ride Along 2.
Packer, however, is staying busy in the meantime. In addition to producing the thriller film No Good Deed, which made more than $52 million domestically against a $13 million budget, Packer is also the producer of the upcoming January 2015 Hart film The Wedding Ringer and the N.W.A. biopic slated for August 2015 titled Straight Outta Compton.
Packer will executive produce the new drama-comedy, with Gossip Girl writer and producer Amanda Lasher set to pen the pilot.
article via thegrio.com

"Saturday Night Live" Writer Leslie Jones Becomes Show's Latest Cast Member

By goodblacknews on October 20, 2014
'Saturday Night Live' Adds New Cast

According to Variety.com, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” has added Leslie Jones, a member of its writing staff, to the cast.  She’ll begin in this role as regular performer starting with this week’s Jim Carrey-hosted episode.

The comedian was a contender in the search for a new cast member of color last fall. The spot went to Sasheer Zamata, but producers decided to bring Jones on as a writer.  Jones is the latest “SNL” cast member to be plucked from the writing staff.  Michael Che, the new Weekend Update co-anchor, was also upped from his spot as a writer earlier this season.
Jones has appeared several times on SNL’s Weekend Update segment, including one in the 40th season premiere, proving her onscreen chops. She also starred in her own comedy special, “Problem Child,” for Showtime.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

"The Queen Latifah Show" Veteran Robin Thede Lands Head Writer Spot for Comedy Central's "Minority Report"

By goodblacknews on October 16, 2014

Comedy Central’s The Minority Report With Larry Wilmore has found a head writer.

Robin Thede has been tapped to lead Larry Wilmore‘s upcoming late-night show, which replaces The Colbert Report in January when Stephen Colbert segues to CBS’ Late Show.
Thede was most recently head writer on syndicated daytime talker The Queen Latifah Show and also wrote for Chris Rock when he hosted the 2014 BET Awards, as well as the NAACP Image Awards. She was previously a writer on BET’s satirical comedy Real Husbands of Hollywood, which starred Kevin Hart, Boris Kodjoe and Nick Cannon for the first two seasons.
A Second City and Improv Olympic alumna, Thede’s sketch/improv credits includeI n the Flow With Affion Crockett, Mike Epps‘ sketch comedy series Funny Bidness and Clunkers. She has appeared in BET’s Second Generation Wayans, Fox’s Goodwin Games, TV Land’s Hot in Cleveland, UPN’s All of Us and Comedy Central’s Key & Peele, in addition to the Marlon Wayans film A Haunted House. 
The Minority Report, like the Daily Show and The Colbert Report, aims to provide a comedic look at news, current events and pop culture from different perspectives not typically seen on television.
The news comes three months after former The Daily Show showrunner Rory Albanese was tapped to head up the 11:30 p.m. show, reuniting him with Daily Show corespondent Wilmore. Jon Stewart also serves as an executive producer. Wilmore, a veteran producer in his own right, transitioned from his duty as executive producer/showrunner on ABC’s black-ish, which earned a full-season order this week, in September to focus on launching Minority Report.
article by Philiana Ng via hollywoodreporter.com

Chris Rock and Prince Set for November 1st Episode of "Saturday Night Live"

By goodblacknews on October 14, 2014

Chris Rock Prince Split - H 2014
Chris Rock and Prince (AP Images/Invision)

Chris Rock is returning to Saturday Night Live.  The comedian and former SNL cast member will be back at Studio 8H to host the Nov. 1 episode, the show announced Tuesday. Rock was part of the main ensemble for three seasons, from 1990-93.
Joining him as the musical guest will be Prince, who released two albums, Plectrumelectrum and Art Official Age, earlier this month.
Rock marks the latest ex-SNL cast member to take hosting duties during the show’s 40th season. Sarah Silverman, who was a main player from 1993-94, and Bill Hader, who left in 2013, have both led episodes. Rock next stars in Top Five, a Toronto title that hits theaters Dec. 5.
Jim Carrey, promoting Dumb and Dumber To, has been set as host for the Oct. 25 episode with musical guest Iggy Azalea.
article by Philiana Ng via hollywoodreporter.com

Sasha and Malia Obama, Mo’ne Davis Top Time Magazine’s "25 Most Influential Teens Of 2014" List

By goodblacknews on October 13, 2014

Mo'ne Davis
First Daughters Sasha Obama and Malia Obama, Little League superstar Mo’ne Davis and Jaden Smith are included in Time Magazine’s “25 Most Influential Teens of 2014” list.
Davis (pictured above), is the first girl to earn a win and pitch a shutout game in Little League World Series history.  The braided cutie is also the first Little League baseball player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a Little League player.
The Obama girls are bright, opinionated and it is already very evident that they will one day be accomplished, strong, opinionated leaders in their own right, just like their famous mom and dad.
Jaden Smith (pictured), the 16-year-old son of Hollywood A-listers, Will and Jada is an accomplished actor in his own right and the kid already has quite a way with words.  Known for his brow-raising Twitter postings, Jaden has managed to garner 5 million followers on the popular social medium.
The unranked list, which was released Monday morning, “analyzed social-media followings cultural accolades, business acumen and more” in order to highlight worthy candidates who influence society in a positive way.
article by Ruth Manuel-Logan via newsone.com

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks' "Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts, 1, 2 & 3)" Opens Tuesday at Public Theater in New York

By goodblacknews on October 12, 2014
Sterling K. Brown in “Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3).” (Photo: Richard Termine)
Sterling K. Brown in “Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3).” (Photo: Richard Termine)

In “Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3),” a new drama by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (“Topdog/Underdog”), Hero, a slave, is offered a deal by his master: Leave behind his family and fight for the Confederacy in exchange for his freedom.  This decision and its implications are at the heart of this historical tale, whose first three parts open Tuesday at the Public Theater.  If this work sounds too familiar to be a “world premiere,” as it is billed, that’s because it has been gestating for years, with workshop productions staged at the Public Lab in 2009 and this year.  Sterling K. Brown (“The Brother/Sister Plays”) is Hero, and Jo Bonney directs. (425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, 212-967-7555, publictheater.org.)

article by Jason Zinoman via nytimes.com

ABC Gives Full-Season Orders to ‘Black-ish’ and ‘How to Get Away with Murder’; CBS Renews "Extant"

By goodblacknews on October 9, 2014

Blackish, Murder, Extant
According to Variety.com, television projects featuring African-American leads have fared extremely well this season.  ABC has given full-season orders to the Anthony Anderson/Tracee Ellis Ross comedy “Black-ish” and the Viola Davis vehicle “How to Get Away with Murder,” two of the highest-rated new programs on all broadcast channels.  CBS, in turn, has picked up summer sci-fi drama “Extant” for a second season.  “Extant” stars Halle Berry and is produced by Steven Spielberg.

“Murder” is the fall’s highest-rated new series in adults 18-49, and the premiere also set DVR playback records, gaining about 6 million viewers within the first three days of its airing. It is created and executive produced by Pete Nowalk (“Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy”). Shonda Rhimes (“Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy”), Betsy Beers (“Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) and Bill D’Elia (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “The West Wing”) also serve as executive producers.
“Black-ish” has come on strong as the fall’s top new comedy in 18-49 (2.9 rating) and total viewers (9.1 million) in same-day viewing estimates. This week, the show saw a 12% week-to-week increase in adults 18-49, retaining about 80% of its “Modern Family” lead-in. It was created by Kenya Barris and is executive produced by Anderson, Barris, Jonathan Groff, Larry Wilmore, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland and E. Brian Dobbins.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

R.I.P. Tony-Award Winning Dancer, Actor and Artist Geoffrey Holder

By goodblacknews on October 6, 2014

Geoffrey Holder, the dancer, choreographer, actor, composer, designer and painter who used his manifold talents to infuse the arts with the flavor of his native West Indies and to put a singular stamp on the American cultural scene, not least with his outsize personality, died on Sunday in Manhattan. He was 84.

Charles M. Mirotznik, a spokesman for the family, said the cause was complications of pneumonia. Few cultural figures of the last half of the 20th century were as multifaceted as Mr. Holder, and few had a public presence as unmistakable as his, with his gleaming pate atop a 6-foot-6 frame, full-bodied laugh and bassoon of a voice laced with the lilting cadences of the Caribbean.

Mr. Holder directed a dance troupe from his native Trinidad and Tobago, danced on Broadway and at the Metropolitan Opera and won Tony Awards in 1975 for direction of a musical and costume design for “The Wiz,” a rollicking, all-black version of “The Wizard of Oz.”

His choreography was in the repertory of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Dance Theater of Harlem. He acted onstage and in films and was an accomplished painter, photographer and sculptor whose works have been shown in galleries and museums. He published a cookbook.

Mr. Holder acknowledged that he achieved his widest celebrity as the jolly, white-suited television pitchman for 7Up in the 1970s and ’80s, when in a run of commercials, always in tropical settings, he happily endorsed the soft-drink as an “absolutely maaarvelous” alternative to Coca-Cola — or “the Un-Cola,” as the ads put it.

Long afterward, white suit or no, he would stop pedestrian traffic and draw stares at restaurants. He even good-naturedly alluded to the TV spots in accepting his Tony for directing, using their signature line “Just try making something like that out of a cola nut.”

TRAVEL: Tim Howard and Angela Simmons Bring Sportiness and Style to Marriott's Inclusive #LoveTravels Campaign (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on October 3, 2014

Tim Howard, Angela Simmons
Tim Howard, the American soccer goalie who won our hearts with his unforgettable, valiant efforts during the World Cup and the artistic style maven, cultural icon and entrepreneur, Angela Simmons, are featured in the latest installment of Marriott International’s beautiful, all-inclusive extension of its #LoveTravels campaign.
Marriott has done something special and smart here with this branding campaign. They are encouraging travelers to not only share their own travel experiences (via social networking) but promoting the feeling of true comfort and connectivity that enriches our lives — and all lives. The original content video series featuring notable individuals like Tim and Angela, launches alongside visually stunning images presented in an online portrait gallery and display ads. Through these digital experiences the passion of travel and following one’s personal journey are highlighted.
Tim Howard
“I was inspired by Marriott International’s idea of #LoveTravels, and thought it was an incredible opportunity to share my love of soccer as well as my other personal passions,” said Howard. “#LoveTravels is about elevating travel beyond basic necessities and making it more about the people walking through the door. It is about feeling comfortable with who you are and tapping into that sense of belonging for the ultimate travel experience.”
In the clip below, see the extremely likeable Howard wax about how love travels with him. He lights up when he speaks about traveling to see his children, for a job that he loves and even when the destination is purely for relaxation.  Love certainly travels with this diverse athlete, and it’s refreshing to hear his personal story and about his inspirations:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKqrZplQc4I&w=560&h=315]