September 28, 2024
According to usatoday.com, “Empire” star Taraji P. Henson will make her “Saturday Night Live” hosting debut on April 11, 2015. On that day, Henson will join the short list of black women who have taken the SNL reins: Cicely Tyson, Kerry Washington, Queen Latifah, “Empire” castmate Gabourey Sidibe, Janet Jackson, Halle Berry and Oprah Winfrey, to name the few.
Mumford & Sons will be the show’s musical guest – their second time.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
Film and television awards season continued ramping up as the nominations for the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning.
Martin Luther King Jr. biopic “Selma” scored big with nominations not only for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Original Song (“Glory” by John Legend and Common) and Best Actor (David Oyelowo), but also with the first Golden Globe nomination for an African American female director, Ava DuVernay.
“Annie” star Quvenzanhé Wallis earned a nod in the Best Actress – Comedy or Musical category and in television, Viola Davis was honored with a nom in the Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama for her starring role in “How To Get Away With Murder.” Don Cheadle was recognized in the Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical for his work in “House of Lies” and Uzo Aduba received a nod for her supporting work in “Orange is the New Black.”
The Golden Globes, hosted for the second year by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will take place Jan. 11 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and air live on NBC at 8pm EST.
Below is the full list of nominations:
BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
BOYHOOD
IFC Productions and Detour Filmproduction; IFC Films
FOXCATCHER
Annapurna Pictures; Sony Pictures Classics
THE IMITATION GAME
Black Bear Pictures; The Weinstein Company
SELMA
Paramount Pictures and Pathé; Paramount Pictures
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
Working Title Films; Focus Features
Add Chris Paul to the list of NBA stars producing autobiographical TV projects. Paul has teamed with comedy writer Warren Lieberstein and producers Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum to develop a family comedy for CBS TV Studios that is inspired by his experiences growing up in North Carolina with his older brother.
The untitled project revolves around two brothers who work at a service station owned by their grandfather, who champions old-school values in contrast to the attitude of their guarded, politically-correct mother.
Paul, a point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers, is executive producing with his brother, CJ Paul, Lieberstein and the Tannenbaums. Paul began his NBA career with the New Orleans Hornets in 2005. He joined the Clippers in 2011.
Lieberstein had a long run on NBC’s “The Office.” More recently he was an executive producer on ABC’s James Caan comedy “Back in the Game.”
Paul’s project comes to ABC at a time when LeBron James’ early years have become the inspiration for the Starz comedy “Survivor’s Remorse,” which was recently renewed for a second season with James among the exec producers. Former NBA player Baron Davis just set up a project at Fox about his experiences growing up in South Central L.A. while attending a prestigious suburban school.
Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant will also be in the spotlight next month with the premiere of the Showtime documentary “Kobe Bryant’s Muse.”
article by Cynthia Littleton via Variety.com
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
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.
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
Bill Cosby could be returning to the network with a new comedy as soon as next summer. The series, described as a “classic, extended-family sitcom” with Cosby as the patriarch, is currently in the writing stage, NBC executives said at Sunday’s session of the summer TV critics’ tour. It was first announced in January.
Cosby, 77, has a long history with NBC, including his seminal “The Cosby Show,” which became a smash hit 30 years ago and helped rescue a network then at the bottom of the ratings. It ran for eight seasons.
After that, Cosby headlined a sitcom at CBS, among other series. If the new Cosby project isn’t ready for next summer, it could be a contender for fall 2015.
The upcoming Cosby venture will use multi-cameras and be filmed in front of a studio audience, a format that has lost ground at NBC, where single-camera comedies like “30 Rock,” ”The Office” and ‘Parks and Recreation” have thrived. NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said the network is trying to bring back this classic “multi” form, which goes back to “I Love Lucy” and the earliest days of network television (and which is going strong at CBS with shows like “The Big Bang Theory” and “Mike & Molly.”)
“There’s been a generation of writers and producers who have gone away from multi-cam, and we are trying to revitalize (that form),” Greenblatt said. “There was such cachet with ’30 Rock’ and ‘The Office,’ which reinforced single-camera as the ‘better’ form, and I hope we can balance the scales a little.”
article via nydailynews.com
Michael Strahan is in negotiations to join ABC’s Good Morning America. Strahan will remain cohost with Kelly Ripa of Live with Kelly and Michael, the Disney-distributed syndicated morning show. He’s expected to join the GMA ensemble in the studio a couple of times a week.
Strahan, a former NFL player, is also an analyst on Fox’s NFL Sunday. He was a surprise choice to fill Regis Philbin’s shoes opposite Ripa on Live in the fall of 2012. Since then, he’s been widely praised for his warmth and versatility on-air. The Disney parentage of Live and ABC makes it feasible for him to shuttle between the two morning shows.
Sources said GMA’s discussions with Strahan have been going on for months and are not tied to Josh Elliott’s recent departure for NBC Sports.
article via Variety.com
Grammy Award-winning producer/musician Pharrell Williams will join NBC’s singing competition The Voice next season, the show announced on Twitter. He replaces original coach CeeLo Green who recently announced his departure.
“It’s been a huge year for Pharrell, with recognition for his contribution in the world of music — the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise soundtracks, his Oscar-nominated song ‘Happy’ and his Grammy-winning collaboration with Daft Punk on the breakout dance hit ‘Get Lucky.’ His dominance in record sales in 2014, coupled with his incomparable accomplishments in the world of fashion and design, make him an irresistible addition to ‘The Voice’ family,” said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment.
Said executive producer Mark Burnett: “I am thrilled to have Pharrell come back to ‘The Voice’ family, and this time … as a coach. Continuing in ‘The Voice’ tradition of having the biggest and most current music stars as coaches, Pharrell fits perfectly.” Pharrell, who was previously an adviser to team Usher on season four of “The Voice,” is a multi-platinum and international singer-songwriter, producer and fashion designer.
article by Nellie Andreeva via deadline.com