Showing posts with label Tyler Perry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tyler Perry. Show all posts

Monday, November 30, 2020

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 22nd to 30th, 2020 - Update #31

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 11/27 to 11/29/2020 weekend box office was DreamWorks Animation's "The Croods: A New Age" with an estimated take of 9.7 million dollars.

POLITICS - From GuardianUK:   Why Biden shouldn't extend an olive branch to Republicans

CULTURE - From YahooLife:  If it isn't the most unusual location for a McDonald's restaurant in America, it is one of the most.  See the Ace Hardward-McDonald's in Washington D.C.

MOVIES - From Time:   "Time Magazine" names the "Ten Best" acting performances in film for 2020.

SPORTS/CULTURE - From NPR:   Sarah Fuller of the Vanderbilt Commodores football team becomes the first woman in history to play in a "Power 5" conference football game.  Vanderbilt is a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) as is their opponent in the game played on Sat. Nov. 28th, 2020, the University of Missouri Tigers.

SPORTS/MUSIC - From ESPN:   Grammy-winning, Canadian recording artist, "The Weeknd," will be the headlining act at the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show.

From CoS:  "The Weeknd" did not receive one 2021 Grammy nomination when they were recently announced, although he seemed to be a lock to receive several due to the smash success of his 2020 album, "After Hours."  Sources close to him believe that this lack of nominations is due to him performing at the Super Bowl LV halftime show.

STREAMING - From IndependentUK:   Acclaimed director David Lynch is apparently working on a series entitled "Wisteria" for Netflix.

OSCARS - From Variety:   Netflix could break an 85-year-old Oscar record.  That would be for the studio with the most "Best Picture" nominations in a year - held by MGM with five in 1937.

From Variety:  If you don't like the Academy Awards diversity standards, comedian and actor, Andy Samberg, says that you can f**k off.

CULTURE - From Yahoo/NYT:  A new generation of rich kids wants to tear down capitalism.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Actor Idris Elba will interview rock music legend and former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney for a BBC One special, "Idris Elba Meets Paul McCartney."

MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered:  Disney is apparently considering or developing a spinoff of 20th Century Fox's "Alien" franchise that involves a younger version of the beloved character "Ellen Ripley," made famous by Oscar-nominated actress, Sigourney Weaver.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Netflix has removed Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show" from its streaming service at the request of the series' star, Dave Chappelle.  Chappelle claims that ViacomCBS

POLITICS - From YahooNYT:  The things Donald Trump really liked about being President of the USA.

MOVIES - From Collider:  Writer-director Chris Columbus provides an update on "Gremlins 3," which would be the second sequel to "Gremlins," the beloved 1984 he wrote.

GRAMMYS - From THR:   Trevor Noah, the host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," will host the 2021 Grammy Awards.

From ETOnline:  South Korea's musical act, BTS, has become the first K-Pop (Korean pop) act to receive a Grammy Awards nomination in a major category - "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance" for their English-language single, "Dynamite."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Sports journalists, Jemele Hill, formerly of ESPN, and Kelley Carter, are  joining Gabriele Union and Sony Pictures TV to develop the half-hour comedy, "New Money," for Showtime.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:   Cherokee American actor Wes Studi revisits the Oscar-winning film, "Dances With Wolves" (including winning "Best Picture"), in which he appeared and also talks about the changing depictions of Native Americans in film and television

TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:   "Saturday Night Live" writer reveals how Eddie Murphy saved the late-night show 40 years ago.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 11/20 - 11/22/2020 weekend box office is "Freaky" with an estimated take of 1.2 million dollars.

CELEBRITY - From THR:   Tyler Perry's giveaway of food and gift cards at Tyler Perry Studios on Sunday, Nov. 22nd attracted thousands.  People started lining up in their cars on Saturday...

MOVIES - THR: Tyler Perry, Melanie Lynskey and Ron Perlman are the latest stars to join the all-star cast of Adam McKay’s satire, "Don’t Look Up."

MOVIES - From ShadowandAct:  Grammy-winning recording artist and actor, Nelly, will portray seminal rock 'n' roll musician, Chuck Berry, in "Clear Lake," an upcoming biographical film about the late Buddy Holly.

CELEBRITY - From ShadowandAct:   Taylor Simone Ledward, the widow of actor Chadwick Boseman ("Black Panther"), is the administrator of the late actor's estate.

POLITICS - From Truthout:  President Joe Biden should cancel student debt on "Day One" of his administration.

MOVIES - From THR:   Channing Tatum has reunited with his "21 Jump Street" collaborator, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, for a "tongue-in-cheek" thriller based on the "Universal Monsters" franchise.

OBITS:

From YahooHuffPost:   The British actor and weightlifter and bodybuilder, David Prowse, has died at the age of 85, Saturday, November 28, 2020.  Prowse was best known for playing "Darth Vader" in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, beginning with "Star Wars" in 1977.  Prowse wore Vader's costume, but actor James Earl Jones provided Vader's voice.

From ESPN:   Argentine professional football (soccer) player, Diego Maradona, has died at the age of 60, Wednesday, November 25, 2020.  Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Maradona captained Argentina to the 1986 World Cup championship.

From YahooEntertainment:   The brother of actors, Bill Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray, Ed Murray, has died at the age of 76, Monday, November 23, 2020.  Ed was one of the inspirations for the iconic sports movie, "Caddyshack" (1980), which Brian co-wrote and in which Bill starred.

COVID-19:

From CDC:   The Centers for Disease Control has a "COVID Data Tracker."

From YahooNews:  Why does COVID-19 kill some people and hardly affects others?

From YahooNews:  Yahoo has a dedicated page of links updating news about COVID-19.

From Deadline:  The news site "Deadline" has a dedicated page for news about coronavirus and the film, TV, and entertainment industries.

From TheNewYorker:  The venerable magazine has a dedicate COVID-19 page free to all readers.

From YahooNews:  Re: the federal government's response to COVID-19: What if the most important election of our lifetime was the last one - 2016?

From YahooLife:  What is "happy hypoxia?"  And do you have this COVID-19 symptom?

From JuanCole:  Remember when President Donald went crazy and suggested that we ingest household cleaning supplies and UV light to fight COVID-19.  Here is the video and commentary from Juan Cole.

From TheIntercept:  The federal government has ramped up security and police-related spending in response to the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, including issuing contracts for riot gear, disclosures show. The purchase orders include requests for disposable cuffs, gas masks, ballistic helmets, and riot gloves...

From TheAtlanticThe Coronavirus Was an Emergency Until Trump Found Out Who Was Dying. The pandemic has exposed the bitter terms of our racial contract, which deems certain lives of greater value than others.

From ProPublica:  Hospital's Secret COVID-19 Policy Separated Native American Mothers From Their Newborns

From TheGuardian:  More than 20 million Americans could have contracted COVID-19, experts say.

From RSN/WashPost:  The COVID-19 mutation that has taken over the world.

7/13 - From YahooSports:  Maybe a pandemic means that there will not be college football this fall.

7/13- From YahooNews:  The CDC adds four new symptoms (including nausea and purple or blue lesions on feet and toes) to the list of COVID-19 symptoms.

7/19 - From YahooFinance:  Harvard Public Health professor Dr. Howard Koh says the U.S. "needs to regroup" to find COVID-19.

7/22 - From YahooNews:  A public health employee predicted Florida's coronavirus catastrophe — then she was fired.

7/22 - From YahooLifestyle:  Florida mom loses son, 20, to coronavirus, and then days later, her daughter.

7/23 - From TheWrap:  The site has a list of movie and TV stars, entertainment and sports figures who have tested positive for COVID-19

From Bloomberg:  Will the COVID-19 pandemic turn Millennials into socialists?

7/27 - From CNN:   Chief of critical care at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center, Dr. Joseph Costa, passes away due to Covid-19 complications... after treating the hospital's sickest COVID-19 patients.  He was 56 and leaves behind family, including a husband of 28 years.

7/31 - From Slate:  COVID-19 is airborne - for reals!

8/9 - From YahooAFP:  According to the real-time tally kept by John Hopkins University, the United States has hit 5 million cases of COVID-19.

8/16 - From Truthout: COVID Deaths Continue to Surge in Countries Led by Far Right Authoritarians

9/19 - From WashPost:  U.S. coronavirus death toll reaches 200,000

9/23 - From CNBC:  Mark Cuban, who owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC's "Shark Tank," suggests that every household in American get a $1000 check every two weeks for the next two months.

11/7 - From YahooNews:  "It's a slaughter," doctors say of new coronavirus wave.

11/13 - YahooNews:  "We blew it": U.S. reaches 'explosive' COVID-19 spread as virus is nearly impossible to control, experts say.

11/29 From LATimes:  California sets record with most COVID-19 hospitalizations since pandemic began

BLACK LIVES MATTER:

From RSN:   Judge's Blistering Opinion Says Courts Have Placed Police Beyond Accountability

From TheGuardian:  Yusef Salaam, one of the "Central Park Five," says in an interview, "Trump would have had me hanging from a tree in Central Park."

From NPR:  Prosecutors' plea deal required drug suspect to name Breonna Taylor a "co-defendant."

From ChicagoSunTimes:  Rev. Jesse Jackson: America has millions of people in poverty because Americans choose not to demand the policies that would lift them out of poverty.

From APNews:  No one will be held accountable for the killing of Louisville African-American resident, Breonna Taylor.

From Channel4:  Revealed: Trump campaign strategy to deter millions of Black Americans from voting in 2016

From GuardianUK:  California is going to consider paying reparations to the descendants of African slaves after adopting a landmark law to study and to develop proposals around the issue.

From TheRoot:   What to Do When Your Country Turns Into a Dumpster Fire

From Vox:  It's True: 1 in 1,000 Black Americans Have Died in the Covid-19 Pandemic

From CBS:  Breonna Taylor's boyfriend certain cops didn't identify themselves

From DonaldTrump:  Well, because it has been in the news a lot lately (via Ice Cube and Li'l Wayne), here is "The Platinum Plan."  It is impressive, but no Republican Congress would go along with even 10 percent of this plan which is basically a long list of promises to the Black Americans - individually and as a group.

From Truthout:   Yes, 55 Percent of White Women Voted for Trump. No, I’m Not Surprised.



Sunday, September 6, 2020

Tyler Perry Delivers Two New Hit Sitcoms for BET

6.6 Million Viewers Tuned in to Tyler Perry’s New Sitcoms “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living” Last Wednesday Night on BET

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET adds two more hit series to its winning Wednesday line up, with Tyler Perry’s new sitcoms, “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living.” Executive Produced by Tyler Perry, BET’s new original series swoops into ratings success on its debut night, grossing 6.6 Million viewers P2+ during premiere night across premieres and encores (simulcast across BET and BET Her on 9/2/20).* “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” grew across every quarter-hour, peaking in the final quarter-hour (.592 P18-49 rating).

The two-hour television event delivered the four most social primetime cable comedy episodes of the day on social media.** “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living” occupied the #1 and #2 spots for Program social video views (excluding Sports and News & Talk), posting over 4M streams collectively.** New Episodes of “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living.” air Wednesdays starting at 9 PM ET/PT on BET and BET Her.

The P2+ numbers across the BET and BET Her simulcast are the following:

For “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne”
  •     Episode one premiere telecast: .513 P18-49 rating, 961 K total viewers P2+ (Simulcast across BET and BET Her); .483 P18-49 rating, and 922 K total viewers P2+ (on BET alone)
  •     Episode two premiere telecast: .612 P18-49 rating, 1126 K total viewers P2+ (Simulcast across BET and BET Her); .587 P18-49 rating, and 1087 K total viewers P2+ (on BET alone)

For “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living.”
  •     Episode one premiere telecast: .598 P18-49 rating, 1118 K total viewers P2+ (Simulcast across BET and BET Her); .590 P18-49 rating, and 1082 K total viewers P2+ (on BET alone);
  •     Episode two premiere telecast: .579 P18-49 rating, 1098 K total viewers P2+ (Simulcast across BET and BET Her); .565 P18-49 rating, and 1048 K total viewers P2+ (on BET alone)

“Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living” are executive produced, directed, and written by Tyler Perry. Michelle Sneed serves as Executive Producer of both series for Tyler Perry Studios.


ABOUT “TYLER PERRY’S HOUSE OF PAYNE”:
The seventh season of the hilarious comedy features retired fire chief Curtis Payne (LaVan Davis) and his lovely wife Ella (Cassi Davis Patton) as they pick up five years later as they continue to navigate the problems of life with their quirky modern-day family. “TYLER PERRY’S HOUSE OF PAYNE” airs Wednesdays at 8 PM ET/PT on BET. #HouseOfPayne

Episode #703 -“By Your Side” premieres Wednesday, September 9, at 8 PM ET/PT- C.J and Janine find out that Lisa is pregnant. C.J and Janine decide to stand by Malik’s side. Ella and Curtis are shocked that C.J and Janine are being so lenient.

Episode #704 -“The Old People Game” premieres Wednesday, September 9, at 8:30 PM ET/PT- Jazmine believes that Janine may be expecting again. Jazmine learns that Malik is having a baby. Kaleb wants to have sex with Jazmine for the first time.

Watch and Share the series trailer: https://youtu.be/10ABi9O-Bjs

ABOUT “TYLER PERRY’S ASSISTED LIVING”:
After losing his job, Jeremy (Na’im Lynn), a patriarch of a young family with teenage children, decides to move to the backwoods of Georgia to help his crazy grandfather. Grandpa Vinny (J. Anthony Brown) has foolishly purchased a terribly run-down home for the elderly and he is in way over his head, but comedy ensues as Mr. Brown (David Mann) and Cora (Tamela Mann) show up at the right time as needy investors. “TYLER PERRY’S ASSISTED LIVING” airs at 9 PM ET/PT. Wednesdays on BET. #AssistedLivingBET

Episode #103 “Captain Crunch” premieres Wednesday, September 9, at 9 PM ET/PT- Jeremy tries to convince Vinny to renovate. Sandra and Philip speculate about why Jeremy and Leah seem to be in distress. Philip stumbles upon information about Jeremy that sheds light on their move.

Episode #104 “Assaulted” premieres Wednesday, September 9, at 9:30 PM ET/PT- Jeremy thinks he may have been a little too heavy-handed with Vinny. Vinny calls the police to handle a matter at the living facility. Leah warns Vinny that the police could find more than what he intends.

Watch and Share the series trailer: https://youtu.be/mEpTFaUD2DA

For more information on “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living” log on to BET.com.

* Source: Nielsen | Total viewer claims for night based on cumulative sum of average impressions across episodes (premieres & encores on 9.2.2020) | Simulcast coverage ratings based on BET Coverage Universe.

** Source: Nielsen Social Content Ratings, Trends24 (9.2.2020)

About BET:
BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African American audience. The primary BET channel is in 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

About Tyler Perry Studios:
Tyler Perry Studios is a state-of-the-art film and television production facility founded in 2006 by actor, producer, filmmaker, playwright, and philanthropist Tyler Perry. Located in Atlanta, Georgia on the historic grounds of the former Fort McPherson army base, the new 330-acre campus is one of the largest production studios in the country. It boasts a variety of shooting locations including 40 buildings on the national register of historic places, 12 purpose-built sound stages, 200 acres of green space and an expansive backlot.

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 1st to 5th, 2020 - Update #24

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURAL NEWS:

STREAMING - From Deadline:  "Jack Reacher," the star of author Lee Child's international bestselling series of novels, is coming to Amazon TV.  Actor Alan Ritchson will star as Reacher, who was previously played by Tom Cruise in two films.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Paramount Pictures will release a new edit and restoration of "The Godfather III (1990).  The new version will be entitled "Mario Puzo's The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone."

TELEVISION - From Variety:   Anna Faris is leaving the hit CBS television sitcom, "Mom," ahead of the beginning of production of Season 8.

CULTURE - From RollingStone:   "The Unraveling of America" by Wade Davis.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Amazon will not go forward with the miniseries, "Cortes y Moctezuma," due to the production constraints created by COVID-19, it says.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Production on SyFy/USA's "Chucky" reboot TV series has been pushed to 2021.

COVID-19 - From Deadline:  Superstar actor Dwayne Johnson announced on social media that he, his wife, and their two young daughters have tested positive for COVID-19.  He said that they are all recovering and are no longer contagious.

STAR TREK - From YahooEntertainment:  When "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 3 arrives on Oct. 15th, the series feature the "Star Trek" franchise's first non-binary and transgender characters.

CELEBRITY - From Forbes: - Media mogul and film and TV creator, Tyler Perry, is a billionaire.  "Forbes" has a cover feature on Perry - "'Poor as Hell' to billionaire."

LGBTQ - From YahooEntertainment:  Actress Niecy Nash comes out and marries girlfriend, Jessica Betts, in surprise wedding ceremony.

STREAMING - From Variety:  David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the masterminds behind "Game of Thones," and Alexander Woo will adapt Chinese book series, "The Three-Body Problem" for Netflix.

RACE-BUSINESS - From YahooBI:   52 Black ex-franchisees file a $1 billion racial-discrimination lawsuit against McDonald's, claiming the company sent them on "financial suicide missions."

CULTURE - From TheDailyBeast:  Larry Flynt, president of Larry Flynt Publications and best known for publishing "Hustler" magazine, takes a victory lap after the Jerry Faldwell, Jr., the son of Flynt's late nemesis, Rev. Jerry Faldwell, takes a fall.

CELEBRITY - From BleedingCool:  Nathan Fillion talks about his audio choose-your-own-adventure, "Starfinder."

OBIT:

From ESPN:  Hall of Fame Major League Baseball pitcher, Tom Seaver, has died at the age of 75, Monday, August 31, 2020 of Lewy body dementia and COVID-19.  Seaver was a three-time Cy Young Winner and 12-time All-Star.  Nicknamed "Tom Terrific," Seaver was also a member of the 1969 World Series champions New York Mets.


REMEMBERING CHADWICK BOSEMAN:

From Slate:  Friends and Fans mourn "Black Panther" star, Chadwick Boseman, dead at 43.

From YahooHuffPost:  Why Chadwick Boseman kept his cancer battle secret, according to his agent.

From Variety:  Chadwick Boseman's life and career in photos.

From CNN:  Denzel Washington offers a tribute to Chadwick Boseman, for whom he once paid school tuition.

From THR:  Co-star Harrison Ford remembers Chadwick Boseman as being "as much a hero as any he played.

From BuzzFeed:  Why Chadwick Boseman's death hurts so much.

From Variety:  Michael B. Jordan remembers his "Black Panther" co-star, Chadwick Boseman.

From YahooEntertainment:  Remembering Chadwick Boseman: A journalist’s cherished, complicated friendship with a superhero.

From Deadline:  The site has a page dedicated to the late actor, Chadwick Boseman.

From Variety:   Chadwick Boseman: A Virtuoso Actor Who Could Do Just About Anything

From Variety:  Chadwick Boseman’s Final Tweet Is Twitter’s Most-Liked Post of All Time

From YahooEntertainment:  Did Chadwick Boseman hint at his cancer battle in a 2017 interview?

From Newsweek:  Chadwick Boseman's final tweet was a picture of him with Vice-Presidential candidate, Senator Kamala Harris.

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION:

From CNN:  Full video of Vice-President Joe Biden's acceptance speech at the 2020 DNC.

From CNN:  Full video of Sen. Kamala Harris acceptance speech at the 2020 DNC


CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 NEWS:

From CDC:   The Centers for Disease Control has a "COVID Data Tracker."

From YahooNews:  Why does COVID-19 kill some people and hardly affects others?

From YahooNews:  Yahoo has a dedicated page of links updating news about COVID-19.

From Deadline:  The news site "Deadline" has a dedicated page for news about coronavirus and the film, TV, and entertainment industries.

From TheNewYorker:  The venerable magazine has a dedicate COVID-19 page free to all readers.

From YahooNews:  Re: the federal government's response to COVID-19: What if the most important election of our lifetime was the last one - 2016?

From YahooLife:  What is "happy hypoxia?"  And do you have this COVID-19 symptom?

From JuanCole:  Remember when President Donald went crazy and suggested that we ingest household cleaning supplies and UV light to fight COVID-19.  Here is the video and commentary from Juan Cole.

From TheIntercept:  The federal government has ramped up security and police-related spending in response to the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, including issuing contracts for riot gear, disclosures show. The purchase orders include requests for disposable cuffs, gas masks, ballistic helmets, and riot gloves...

From TheAtlanticThe Coronavirus Was an Emergency Until Trump Found Out Who Was Dying. The pandemic has exposed the bitter terms of our racial contract, which deems certain lives of greater value than others.

From ProPublica:  Hospital's Secret COVID-19 Policy Separated Native American Mothers From Their Newborns

From TheGuardian:  More than 20 million Americans could have contracted COVID-19, experts say.

From RSN/WashPost:  The COVID-19 mutation that has taken over the world.

7/13 - From YahooSports:  Maybe a pandemic means that there will not be college football this fall.

7/13- From YahooNews:  The CDC adds four new symptoms (including nausea and purple or blue lesions on feet and toes) to the list of COVID-19 symptoms.

7/19 - From YahooFinance:  Harvard Public Health professor Dr. Howard Koh says the U.S. "needs to regroup" to find COVID-19.

7/22 - From YahooNews:  A public health employee predicted Florida's coronavirus catastrophe — then she was fired.

7/22 - From YahooLifestyle:  Florida mom loses son, 20, to coronavirus, and then days later, her daughter.

7/23 - From TheWrap:  The site has a list of movie and TV stars, entertainment and sports figures who have tested positive for COVID-19

From Bloomberg:  Will the COVID-19 pandemic turn Millennials into socialists?

7/27 - From CNN:   Chief of critical care at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center, Dr. Joseph Costa, passes away due to Covid-19 complications... after treating the hospital's sickest COVID-19 patients.  He was 56 and leaves behind family, including a husband of 28 years.

7/30 - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") reveals that he had a bout with COVID-19.

7/31 - From YahooEntertainment:  Writer and actress, Lena Dunham, creator of HBO's "Girls, reveals that she contracted COVID-19 and the symptoms she experiences and still experience.

7/30 - From YahooGMA:  In their bid to crackdown on illegal gatherings amid COVID-19, New York authorities break up an alleged sex party.

7/31 - From Slate:  COVID-19 is airborne - for reals!

8/2 - From TheDailyBeast:  In Mississippi, COVID-19 has coroners terrified.

8/6 - From YahooNews:  Testing everyone constantly could stop the spread of COVID-19... according to this article.

8/8 - From YahooNYT:  The coronavirus is new, but your immune system might recognize it.

8/8 - From YahooNBC:  They thought COVID-19 was a hoax, and they almost died from it or are watching family and loved ones suffer with it or die from it.

8/9 - From YahooNews:  The rest of the world is incredulous at the pitiful U.S. response to COVID-19.

8/9 - From YahooAFP:  According to the real-time tally kept by John Hopkins University, the United States has hit 5 million cases of COVID-19.

8/16 - From Truthout: COVID Deaths Continue to Surge in Countries Led by Far Right Authoritarians

9/1 - From YahooPeople:  Mark Mothersbaugh is the front man of the rock band, Devo," and the prolific composer of music for film and television, but he also had a near-fatal battle with COVID-19.  He recalls it in this article.

9/2 - YahooNews:  The first COVID-19 death linked to the massive biker rally in Sturgis, South Dakota has been reported in Minnesota, several weeks after the event attracted over 400,000 vehicles.  Minnesota is also tracking 50 coronavirus cases related to the event.

BLACK LIVES MATTER:

From RSN:   Judge's Blistering Opinion Says Courts Have Placed Police Beyond Accountability

From Billboard:  In an interview will the venerable music publication, legendary country music singer-songwriter and actress, Dolly Parton, expresses support for the "Black Lives Matter" movement.

From RSN:  Reader Supported News' "Sunday Song" for Aug. 8th, 2020 is "Chain Gang" by Sam Cooke.

From VICE:  One of the 2020 Republican National Convention's top speakers, Abby Johnson, says the police would be justified in profiling her adopted biracial son.

From TheGuardian:  Yusef Salaam, one of the "Central Park Five," says in an interview, "Trump would have had me hanging from a tree in Central Park."

From NPR:  Prosecutors' plea deal required drug suspect to name Breonna Taylor a "co-defendant."


Saturday, July 25, 2020

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 19th to 25th, 2020 - Update #28

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

San Diego ComicCon@Home 2020:

From YouTube:  ComicCon's YouTube channel.

From YouTubeDispatches from Middle-earth: What’s New for Tolkien Fans.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

MUSIC - From YahooEntertainment:  There is a possibility of a musical collaboration between Big Boi, the rapper of the Grammy-winning OutKast, and reclusive and beloved British singer-songwriter, Kate Bush.

TYLER PERRY - From Deadline:  The first season of a TV series produced entirely during COVID-19 is almost in the can. Filming is scheduled to conclude today, July 25th, on Season 2 of Tyler Perry’s BET series, "Sistas."

SPORTS - From NFL:  Trailblazing Pittsburgh Steelers scout, Bill Nunn, deserves spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, says NFL.com columnist Jim Trotter.

STAR TREK - From Variety:  "Star Trek’" Universe’s Comic-Con Panel Teases New Shows and Champions Diversity

TELEVISION - Variety:  Is Hollywood slowly killing cable television?

MOVIES - From Variety:  Universal Pictures wants the planned "shot-in-outer-space" Tom Cruise movie that will be directed by Doug Liman.  Elon Musk's SpaceX and NASA will fully cooperate with this film's production.

MUSIC - From Variety:  Taylor Swift has announced that she will release a new LP, "Folklore," Thursday (July 23rd) midnight.

POLITICS - From YahooFinance:  Media mogul Byron Allen shares his thoughts on President Trump.  "... he's nothing more than temporary hired help."

DISNEY - From THR:  Disney animation pioneer, Ruthie Tompson, has turned 110-years-old.  Shis is a pioneer both in animation and at Walt Disney.  She first joined the Ink and Paint Department. During the next four decades, Tompson worked in various capacities, including reviewing animation cels before they were filmed and scene planning on films such as "Fantasia," "Dumbo," "Sleeping Beauty" and "Mary Poppins."

MUSIC-CULTURE - From TheAtlantic:  Grammy-winning recording artist, Dave Grohl, writes, "In Defense of Out Teacher."

BLM-CULTURE - From Truthout:  A New Wave of Pan-Africanism Seeks to Combat Global Anti-Black Racism

POLITICS - From TheHill:   On Mon., July 20th, Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) called Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) a "fucking bitch" during a heated confrontation that he initiated.

COMICS - From CNN:  Keanu Reeves is writing a comic book - BRZRKR - which is coming out in October.

NETFLIX:  From Deadline:  Netflix has won the rights to a movie star-cast package featuring Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, and director Sam Esmail, creator of the USA TV series, "Mr. Robot."  Entitled "Leave the World Behind," it is based on the upcoming novel by Rumaan Alam.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. has delayed the release of director Christopher Nolan's upcoming film, "Tenet," indefinitely, but could also announce a new release date in the very near future.  Warner also announced that the film's theatrical role out will not be "nontraditional."

MUSIC - TheGuardian:  The remarkable story of Olivia Records, a California-based, lesbian-feminist record label launched in 1973, that was owned and operated by women.

BOX OFFICE - From THR:  At the foreign box office, the South Korean film, "Peninsula," is the top film with an estimated debut of between 19 and 20 million dollars.

TELEVISION - From BlackEnterprise:  After ABC parted ways with "Dancing with the Stars" hosts, Tom Bergeron (with the series for 15 years) and Erin Andrews, the network made supermodel and businesswoman, Tyra Banks, the new host of the long-running reality competition series.  She will also be an executive producer of the series.

MUSIC - From Variety:  What would happen if Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Drake, decides to become an independent recording artist?

OBITS:

From THR:  The actor John Saxon has died at the age of 84, Saturday, July 25, 2020.  Saxon may be best known for his role as the indebted gambling addict, "Roper," in the legendary Bruce Lee film, "Enter the Dragon."  He also played law enforcement officials in some noted horror films, including "Black Christmas" (1974) and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984).

From Variety:  The Japanese actor and singer, Haruma Miura, has died at the age of 30, Saturday, July 18, 2020.  Miura was best known for his role on the live-action TV series, "Attack on Titan" and "Kimi no Todoke."

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JOHN LEWIS:

From CNNPolitics:  Iconic American Civil Rights Movement leader, Congresmman John Lewis (D-Georgia), has died at the age of 80, Friday, July 17, 2020.  Lewis was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and he was one of the "Big Six" leaders of the groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington.  Lewis played many key roles in the movement, including being one of the original 1961 Freedom Riders.

From IReadsYou:  A review of the first volume of John Lewis' autobiographical graphic novel trilogy, "March: Book One."

From Medium:  President Barack Obama issues a statement on the passing of Congressman John Lewis.

From Variety:  Celebrities and politicians remember Civil Rights Movement icon, Congressman John Lewis, who died on Friday.

From RSN:  Rev. Jesse Jackson says "John Lewis Is What Patriotism and Courage Look Like."

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From CNN:  Iconic American Civil Rights Movement leader and minister, C.T. Vivian, has died at the age of 95, Friday, July 17, 2020.  Among the many important things he did and in which he participated, the images of him being beaten by Alabama sheriff, Jim Clark, helped galvanize wider support for the Civil Rights movement.  In 1961, Vivian also participated in the "Freedom Rides."


BLACK LIVES MATTER NEWS:

From RSN:  The four corners of police violence

From TheIntercept:  Black Lives Matter Wants to End Police Brutality. History Suggests It Will Go Much Further.

From YahooNews:  "The Confederacy of California": life in the valley where Robert Fuller was found hanged

From CNN:  Colorado police officers involved in the death of Elijah McClain reassigned for safety reasons.

From Truthout: " Three North Carolina Police Fired for Racist Rants, Threats to Kill Black People" - and what they said is crazy and scary

From Truthout: Bryant Gumbel Gives Powerful Commentary on the 'Black Tax,' the 'Added Burden' of Being Black

From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-nominated songwriter and Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Ray Parker, Jr., may be best known for writing the theme to the film, "Ghostbusters," but when he was a teenager, Parker was beaten by Detroit police officers.

From RSNewYorker:  Jelani Cobb: An American Spring of Reckoning.

From NBCNews:  Baton Rouge, LA activist, Gary Chambers, makes an impassioned speech about changing the name of Robert E. Lee High School in Baton Rouge.

From YahooNews:  Racial violence and a pandemic: How the Red Summer of 1919 relates to 2020

From DemocracyNow:   Fear Grows of Modern-Day Lynchings as Five People of Color Are Found Hanged

From NYPost:  Caramel, Indiana Catholic priest suspended for comparing Black Lives Matters activists to maggots.

From NBCNews:   NYPD is disbanding a unit that is the 'last chapter' of stop-and-frisk

From YahooLifestyle:  A history of the "Karen."


CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 NEWS:

From CDC:   The Centers for Disease Control has a "COVID Data Tracker."

From YahooNews:  Why does COVID-19 kill some people and hardly affects others?

From YahooNews:  Yahoo has a dedicated page of links updating news about COVID-19.

From Deadline:  The news site "Deadline" has a dedicated page for news about coronavirus and the film, TV, and entertainment industries.

From TheNewYorker:  The venerable magazine has a dedicate COVID-19 page free to all readers.

From YahooNews:  Re: the federal government's response to COVID-19: What if the most important election of our lifetime was the last one - 2016?

From YahooLife:  What is "happy hypoxia?"  And do you have this COVID-19 symptom?

From JuanCole:  Remeber when President Donald went crazy and suggested that we ingest household cleaning supplies and UV light to fight COVID-19.  Here is the video and commentary from Juan Cole.

From TheIntercept:  The federal government has ramped up security and police-related spending in response to the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, including issuing contracts for riot gear, disclosures show. The purchase orders include requests for disposable cuffs, gas masks, ballistic helmets, and riot gloves...

From TheAtlanticThe Coronavirus Was an Emergency Until Trump Found Out Who Was Dying. The pandemic has exposed the bitter terms of our racial contract, which deems certain lives of greater value than others.

From ProPublica:  Hospital's Secret COVID-19 Policy Separated Native American Mothers From Their Newborns

From TheGuardian:  More than 20 million Americans could have contracted COVID-19, experts say.

From RSN/WashPost:  The COVID-19 mutation that has taken over the world.

7/13 - From YahooSports:  Maybe a pandemic means that there will not be college football this fall.

7/13- From YahooNews:  The CDC adds four new symptoms (including nausea and purple or blue lesions on feet and toes) to the list of COVID-19 symptoms.

7/19 - From YahooFinance:  Harvard Public Health professor Dr. Howard Koh says the U.S. "needs to regroup" to find COVID-19.

7/22 - From YahooNews:  A public health employee predicted Florida's coronavirus catastrophe — then she was fired.

7/22 - From YahooLifestyle:  Florida mom loses son, 20, to coronavirus, and then days later, her daughter.

7/23 - From TheWrap:  The site has a list of movie and TV stars, entertainment and sports figures who have tested positive for COVID-19

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Thursday, June 25, 2020

BET Orders Second Seasons for Two Tyler Perry Dramas

BET Greenlights Second Seasons for Hit Scripted Series “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” and “Tyler Perry’s Sistas”

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET announced second season pick-ups of original dramas “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” and “Tyler Perry’s Sistas” from Tyler Perry. The two series hold top spots as the #1 and #2 as new scripted cable series, respectively, for general market P18-49 & P2+*. Production of the original drama is slated to start at Tyler Perry Studios on July 8, 2020, with premiere dates for both series forthcoming.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with Tyler Perry and for the renewals of our two Wednesday night programming staples, ‘The Oval’ and ‘Sistas.’ BET is committed to investing in quality programming from top industry power players and giving viewers more of the content they love and expect from the brand across our platforms,” said Scott Mills, President of BET.

The series renewals land as BET Networks premieres the new half-hour original comedy, “Tyler Perry’s Bruh” on BET+. Perry’s second original series on the premium streaming service follows four longtime friends as they navigate life and relationships through the strength of their brother-like bond. In a society where relationships between men of color are often misjudged and misrepresented, the series embraces male vulnerability versus hypermasculinity. “Tyler Perry’s Bruh” joins Mr. Perry’s first series on the service, “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless,” a spin-off of the hit television series “Tyler Perry’s The Oval.” Streaming now on BET+, “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless” tells the riveting story of a woman named Ruth, who kidnaps her young daughter to join her in the dark underworld of a fanatical religious cult. New episodes of “Tyler Perry’s Bruh” and “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless” launch every Thursday on BET+.


About “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” Season One:
“Tyler Perry’s The Oval,” tells the story of a family placed in the White House by people of power while also highlighting the personal side and everyday lives of the staff who run the inner workings of the nation’s most iconic residence. “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” stars Ed Quinn, Kron Moore, Javon Johnson, Ptosha Storey, Vaughn Hebron, Teesha Renee, Paige Hurd, Daniel Croix Henderson, Lodric Collins, Ciera Payton, Walter Fauntleroy, Taja V. Simpson, Brad Benedict, Travis Cure, and Matthew Law.

About “Tyler Perry’s Sistas” Season One:
“Tyler Perry’s Sistas,” follows a group of single black females as they navigate their “complicated love life,” careers and friendship through the ups-and-downs of living in a modern world of social media and unrealistic relationship goals. The one-hour drama takes viewers on a roller coaster ride of emotions and hilarious moments that are the epitome of #squadgoals. “Tyler Perry’s Sistas” stars KJ Smith, Mignon Von, Ebony Obsidian, Novi Brown, DeVale Ellis, Chido Nwokocha, Anthony Dalton, Brian Jordan Jr., and Kevin Walton.

For more information, viewers can log on to BET.com and join the conversation on social media by using the hashtags #TheOvalOnBET and #SistasOnBET on all social platforms.

“Tyler Perry’s The Oval” and “Tyler Perry’s Sistas” are executive produced, directed, and written by Tyler Perry. Michelle Sneed will also serve as Executive Producer of the series for Tyler Perry Studios.

*Source: Nielsen Live + SD, Premieres airing M-Sun 7p-12a, 9/30/19-4/26/20, excluding sports, kids, news, rankings on impressions (000), 2+ telecast min.

ABOUT BET
BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

ABOUT TYLER PERRY STUDIOS
Tyler Perry Studios is a state-of-the-art film and television production facility founded in 2006 by actor, producer, filmmaker, playwright, and philanthropist Tyler Perry. Located in Atlanta, Georgia on the historic grounds of the former Fort McPherson army base, the new 330-acre campus is one of the largest production studios in the country. It boasts a variety of shooting locations including 40 buildings on the national register of historic places, 12 purpose-built sound stages, 200 acres of green space and an expansive backlot

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Friday, May 1, 2020

Review: "BOO! 2: A Madea Halloween" is a Typical Inferior Sequel

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 8 (of 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017)
Running time:  101 minutes
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual references drug content, language and some horror images
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Tyler Perry
PRODUCERS:  Ozzie Areu, Will Areu, Tyler Perry, and Mark E. Swinton
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Richard Vialet (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Larry Sexton
COMPOSER:  Philip White

HALLOWEEN/COMEDY

Starring:  Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, Yousef Erakat, Diamond White, Lexy Panterra, Andre Hall, Brock O'Hurn, Tito Ortiz, Taja V. Simpson, Inanna Sarkis, Hannah Stocking, Mike Tornabene, Akende Munalula, and Elizabeth Hinkler and Emily Hinkler

Boo 2! A Madea Halloween is a 2017 comedy and Halloween movie from writer-director Tyler Perry.  It is a direct sequel to Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016) and is also the tenth film in the Madea film series.  In Boo 2!, Madea and friends travel to a supposedly haunted campground to rescue a teen relative, but end up running for their lives from the boogeyman.

Boo 2! A Madea Halloween opens on the 18th birthday of Tiffany Simmons (Diamond White).  Tiffany is the daughter of Brian Simmons (Tyler Perry) and his ex-wife, Debrah (Taja V. Simpson).  Tiffany wants to be treated like an adult, which is just fine with Debrah and her new husband, Calvin (Akende Munalula).  However, Brian still sees Tiffany as a baby girl, and he has planned for Tiffany a birthday party that is more appropriate for a child.

Brian's aunt, Mabel “Madea” Simmons (Tyler Perry); Brian's father who is also Madea's brother, Joe Simmons (Tyler Perry); Betty Ann “Aunt Bam” Murphy (Cassi Davis); and Hattie Mae Love (Patrice Lovely) also attend the party.  Unhappy with the party and the guests, Tiffany and her friend, Gabriella (Inanna Sarkis), make plans to attend a late-night Halloween party being thrown by Jonathan (Yousef Erakat) and the brothers of Upsilon Theta fraternity.  However, the party is being thrown at the notorious and supposedly haunted campground at “Lake Derrick.”

Madea overhears Tiffany's Lake Derrick plans and alerts her father, Brian, who decides to let Tiffany attend the party just to teach her lesson.  Madea is unwilling to let it go at that, so she rounds up Joe, Bam, and Hattie to take a trip to Lake Derrick and rescue Tiffany and Gabriella from that Halloween party.  However, it is Madea and company who will find themselves needing to be rescued from a chainsaw wielding maniac, ghostly sisters, and assorted monsters.

I am playing catch-up on my Madea movies, as this film was released almost two-and-a-half years ago, and the (allegedly) last Madea film, A Madea Family Funeral (2019), was released a year ago.  When I reviewed Boo! A Madea Halloween back in 2017, I wrote that the film had “its moments,” and I gave it a grade of “B-.”  Since that review, I have seen the film countless times, and it has become one of my favorite Madea movies and one of my favorite Halloween movies.  If I graded the original film now, I would give it at least an “A-.”

Boo 2! A Madea Halloween actually has its moments.  The first hour of the film has an awkward pace, and that hour is not well-written.  Early on, Boo 2! seems like nothing more than a quickly-produced sequel meant to grab cash from a surprise hit movie.  The final forty minutes of t Boo 2! really picks up, and it gets close to being as funny as the original film.

So if you did not get enough Boo! A Madea Halloween and want a little more, you have Boo 2! A Madea Halloween.  And if you need to see every Madea movie, then, you will want to see Boo 2!  If you don't like Madea, well...

C+
5 of 10

Tuesday, March 10, 2020


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.


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Saturday, April 11, 2020

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 1st to 11th, 2020 - Update #43

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 and Hollywood and Beyond:

From YahooNews:  Why does COVID-19 kill some people and hardly affects others?

From YahooNews:  Yahoo has a dedicated page of links updating news about COVID-19.

From Deadline:  The news site "Deadline" has a dedicated page for news about coronavirus and the film, TV, and entertainment industries.

From TheNewYorker:  The venerable magazine has a dedicate COVID-19 page free to all readers.

From YahooNews:  Re: the federal government's response to COVID-19: What if the most important election of our lifetime was the last one - 2016?

From THR:  Universal test the bounds of premium on-demand (VOD) with the release of DreamWorks Animation, "Trolls World Tour," the sequel to its 2016 animated hit, "Trolls."  The film will also be released in the few movie theaters that remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Truthout:  Venture capitalist says that we should let "hedge funds" and billionaire CEOs get wiped out by the COVID-19 economic meltdown.  And that venture capitalist is himself a billionaire.

From Deadline:  The COVID-19 production shutdown of Hollywood has also halted production on the "Friends" reunion special that was set to debut with the streaming service, HBO Max's launch.

From YahooNews:  Veteran big rig truck driver describes the "chaos" after COVID-19.

From TheDailyBeast:  Filmmaker Tyler Perry payed for senior citizens' groceries in more than 70 stories combined in Georgia and Louisiana.  These were people who shopped during the time reserved for seniors to avoid COVID-19.

From YahooSports:  With the NBA shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard, CJ McCollum, says that some NBA players are living paycheck to paycheck.

From YahooEntertainment:  "Harry Potter" author, J.K. Rowling, says that she is fully recovered from having COVID-19 symptoms.

From YahooNews:  U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who revealed on March 27th that he had tested positive for COVID-19, recently entered the hospital.  Now, he has been moved to intensive care.

From YahooGMA:  Disney has launched a new free website for quarantined family, DisneyMagicMoments.com.

From Truthout:  In the age of COVID-19, is it time to abolish all debt?  It's time for a "Jubilee Year."

From YahooEntertainment:  Recording artist, John Taylor, bassist for the legendary British pop band, "Duran Duran," reveals that he tested positive for COVID-19 three weeks ago, and he reminds fans that testing positive doesn't not always mean death.

From PageSix:  On Friday (April 3rd), Grammy-winning recording artist, Pink, revealed that both she and her three-year old son had tested positive for COVID-19

From Variety:  U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who revealed on March 27th that he had tested positive for COVID-19, has entered the hospital.

From YahooNews:  President Donald and the federal government's 14 biggest failures in response to COVID-19.

From TheWeekPresident Donald is incapable of taking the coronavirus outbreak seriously.

From YahooTheWeek:  In having Navy Captain Brett Crozier of the USS Theodore Roosevelt removed, President Donald is playing with "revolutionary fire" in how he handles COVID-19 among military members.

From ShadowandAct:  The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Universal Pictures and MGM to move their "Candyman" remake from its June 12th release date to September 25, 2020.

From CNN:  CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin announced today (Fri., April 3rd) that she has tested positive for COVID-19.  She said that she experienced symptoms on Thursday afternoon, when "chills, aches, fever," suddenly came on her.

From Deadline:  British television writer, Dominic Minghella, creator of the comedy series, "Doc Martin" (ITV), says that he was hospitalized for five days with COVID-19 symptoms.

From CBSNewsDaniel Newman, a 38-year-old film and TV actor who appeared in 10 episodes of AMC's "The Walking Dead" across Seasons 6, 7, and 8, has said that he was billed $9,000 for a coronavirus test.  However, the Georgia hospital that performed the test said that they could not process the test, but still billed Newman.

From YahooSports:  NFL player agent, Buddy Baker, has announced that both his parents died Sunday (March 29, 2020), six minutes apart from complications of COVID-19.

From Variety:  The All England Lawn Tennis Club has announced the cancellation of the 2020 Wimbledon Tennis Tournament (which was to be the 134th edition of the tournament), the first time the tournament has been cancelled since World War II.  The 134th edition of the tournament will now be staged from June 28 to July 11, 2021.

COVID-19 OBITS:

From Deadline:  Veteran actor Allen Garfield has died at the age of 80, Tuesday, April 7, 2020 of complications of COVID-19.  He impressive resume includes performances in such films as "The Conversation," "The Candidate," and "Nashville."

From Deadline:  Country folk singer-songwriter, John Prine, has died at the age of 73, Tuesday, April 7, 2020, of complications of COVID-19.  A two-time Grammy Award winner, Prine was considered one of the most influential songwriters of his generation.

From YahooEntertainment:  The actor Jay Benedict has died at the age of 68, Saturday, April 4, 2020 of complications of COVID-19.  Although born in the United States, Benedict worked mainly in the United Kingdom and Europe after moving there in the 1960s.  He best known work includes an appearance in James Cameron's "Aliens" (1986) and two episodes in the Brit TV drama, "Foyle's War."

From YahooSports:  Former NFL placekicker, Tom Dempsey, has died at the age of 73, Saturday, April 4, 2020 of complications of COVID-19.  Dempsey is best known for his time with the New Orleans Saints when he kicked a then-record 63-year field goal.

From Variety:  The actress Lee Fierro has died at the age of 91 of complications of COVID-19.  She is best known for playing the role of Mrs. Kintner, the mother of the second victim of the shark in "Jaws" (1975).

From CNN:  The American jazz pianist and educator, Ellis Marsalis, Jr., has died at the age of 85, Wednesday, April 1, 2020 from complications of COVID-19.  Marsalis was also the patriarch of a legendary musical family, which included sons, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, and Jason Marsalis, who all became jazz musicians.  His two others sons are Ellis III and Mboya.  Ellis' noted students include Harry Connick, Jr. and Terrence Blanchard.

From Variety:  Singer, songwriter, and recording artist, Adam Schlesinger, has died at the age of 52, Wednesday, April 1, 2020.  Schlesinger was the co-founder of the rock band, "Fountains of Wayne."  He won three Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award.  He was also nominated for a best song Oscar for the song, "That Thing You Do," from the 1996 film, "That Thing You Do!"

MOVIE NEWS:

From Variety:   Director Luca Guadagnino says that actors Timothy Chalamet and Armie Hammer are returning for a sequel to his Oscar-winning film, "Call Me by Your Name."

From THR:  How the 1918 Spanish flu shut down Hollywood.

From YahooEntertainmentMichael Caine said that Christopher Nolan is so secretive about his new film, "Tenet," that Nolan did not give him a full script, but only the pages he needed for his scenes.  Caine said that he shot for only a day and acted with the film's lead, John David Washington.

TELEVISION NEWS:

From Deadline:  The sixth and final season of Fox's "Empire" will end early.  The 18th episode was the last filmed before production was shutdown because of COVID-19, and it will now serve as the series finale.  It will air April 21st.

STREAMING NEWS:

DISNEY - From Newsarama:  The streaming service Disney+ has surpassed 50 million subscribers worldwide.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Late last week Disney announced that its big-budget fantasy film, "Artemis Fowl" would move to the streaming service, Disney+, although it had been meant for a post-Memorial Day theatrical release.  Disney executive chairman, Bob Iger, says a few more movies might be going directly to Disney+

STAR TREK - From Variety:  Showrunner Michael Chabon is glad that his CBS All Access series, "Star Trek: Picard" is so divisive.

From BET:  Will Smith has two comedy shows, "This Joka" and "Will From Home," to entertain in these difficult times.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The actor James Drury has died at the age of 85, Monday, April 6, 2020.  Drury is best known for playing the nameless title character on the long-running Western TV series, "The Virginian" (NBC, 1962 to 1971).

From BBC:  The British actress Honor Blackman has died at the age of 94, Sunday, April 5, 2020.  Blackman is best known for several roles.  She was "Cathy Gale" on the first two seasons of the cult British TV series, "The Avengers."  She was the classic Bond girl, "Pussy Galore," in the 1964 James Bond film, "Goldfinger."  She was also the goddess, "Hera," in "Jason and the Argonaunts" (1963)

From Variety:  R&B singer and songwriter, Bill Withers, died at the age of 81, Monday, March 30, 2020.  Withers actively recorded music from 1970 to 1985, and his biggest success came in the 1970s with such timeless hits as "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Lean On Me" (1972), and "Use Me" (1972), all or which he wrote.  Withers won three Grammy Awards and was nominated for another four.  Withers was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 (by Stevie Wonder).

From TheWrap:  The actor Logan Williams has died at the age of 16, Thursday, April 2, 2020.  Williams was best known for his role on The CW's superhero TV series, "The Flash."  He also appeared in Hallmark's "When Calls the Heart."

From Deadline:  Visual effects producer, Rebecca Ramsey, died at the age of 53, Saturday, March 7, 2020.  Among her dozens of credits are "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," "The Hunger Games," and "Watchmen."


Monday, March 23, 2020

BET Announces "What to Watch on BET"

What to Watch on BET, BET+ and BET Digital

Week of Thursday, March 19 - Wednesday, March 25, 2020

“TYLER PERRY’S RUTHLESS” PREMIERED MARCH 19 ON BET+. First three episodes, of the one-hour drama, are available now with new episodes launching every Thursday.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--What to watch across all BET platforms the week of March 19- 25, 2020, including “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless” on the premium streaming service BET+, New episodes of “Tyler Perry’s Sistas,” “Twenties” and “Boomerang” on BET, “Being” on BET Her, “Finding” on BET’s YouTube Channel and more.

WHAT-TO-WATCH SPOTLIGHT

“TYLER PERRY’S RUTHLESS” PREMIERED MARCH 19 ON BET+
#Ruthless @RuthlessBETplus

“TYLER PERRY’S RUTHLESS,” a spin-off of the hit television series “Tyler Perry’s The Oval,” tells the riveting story of a woman named Ruth who kidnaps her young daughter to join her in the dark underworld of a fanatical religious cult. “TYLER PERRY’S RUTHLESS” is the first new original series from Tyler Perry to stream on BET+, a joint venture between BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios. First three episodes, of the one-hour drama, are available now with new episodes launching every Thursday. “TYLER PERRY’S RUTHLESS” stars Melissa L. Williams, Matt Cedeño, Lenny D. Thomas, Yvonne Senat Jones, Baadja-Lyne Odums, Jaime Callica, Nirine S. Brown, Blue Kimble, Stephanie Charles, Hervé Clermont, Anthony Bless, and Bobbi Baker. “TYLER PERRY’S RUTHLESS” is executive produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. Michelle Sneed also served as Executive Producer of the series for Tyler Perry Studios.

“BEING” SEASON SEVEN AIRS SATURDAYS AT 10: 00 PM ET/PT ON BET HER @BETHerTV

Season seven of BET Her hit docu-series, “BEING,” returns to chronicle the lives of dynamic African American women and their intimate stories of struggle, perseverance, and success in the entertainment industry. Each one-hour episode will highlight one of music and entertainment's most compelling figures, featuring never-before-seen photos, videos, revealing interviews and more. This season will document the lives of Deborah Cox, Arlan Hamilton, Angela Yee, Yandy Smith and Kemba Smith. “Being: Angela Yee” premiered Saturday, March 21, 2020.

“TYLER PERRY’S SISTAS” AIRS WEDNESDAYS AT 9:00 PM ET/PT ON BET & BET HER
#SistasOnBET

Episode #121 “From The Balcony” airs Wednesday, March 25- The dating game has Danni at a disadvantage when her feelings get the best of her. Andi tries to be strong for Gary. Karen stands strong on her principles. Sabrina opens up in the midst of a tragedy.

“TYLER PERRY’S SISTAS” follows a group of single black females as they navigate their “complicated love lives,” careers and friendships through the ups-and-downs of living in a modern world of social media and unrealistic relationship goals. The one-hour drama takes viewers on a roller coaster ride of emotions and hilarious moments that are the epitome of #squadgoals. KJ Smith, Mignon, Ebony Obsidian, Novi Brown, DeVale Ellis, Chido Nwokocha, Anthony Dalton, Brian Jordan Jr., and Kevin A. Walton star in “TYLER PERRY’S SISTAS.

“TWENTIES” AIRS WEDNESDAYS AT 10:00 PM ET/PT ON BET & BET HER
#TwentiesOnBET

Episode #105 “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” airs Wednesday, March 25- A earthquake shakes up the girls’ relationships. Marie becomes wary of Chuck when a night watching porn together goes awry. Hattie grows more fond of Ida when tasked with sorting her old manuscripts, leading to a heart-to-heart that proves both intimate and endearing. The episode features guest appearances by Sean “Big Sean” Anderson and NBA Player Iman Schumpert.

“TWENTIES,” from Executive Producer and Creator Lena Waithe, centers around a screenwriter, Hattie, and her girlfriends Marie and Nia as they pursue their dreams and love, while testing the limits of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” in Los Angeles. While they live separate lives, the girls lean on each other for guidance as they navigate their twenties. Jonica T. Gibbs, Christina Elmore, and Gabrielle Graham star in “TWENTIES.” Lena Waithe executive produced with Susan Fales-Hill, who co-show ran with Waithe. Rishi Rajani and Andrew Coles also executive produced. Justin Tipping directed the pilot, and, also executive produced

“BOOMERANG” AIRS WEDNESDAYS AT 10:30 PM ET/PT ON BET & BET HER
#BoomerangOnBET

Episode #203 “Don’t Wanna Love You” airs Wednesday, March 25- - The powers of influence are explored when social media influencer, Tia, lands a high-paying one-night gig at a strip club while David comes under the influence of a new megachurch. The episode will feature a guest appearance by Jaleel White.

Executive Produced by Lena Waithe and Halle Berry, “BOOMERANG” is a half-hour subversive, smart, serialized comedy, fueled by romance, friendship, gender politics, love, and of course, sex. Starring Brittany Inge, Tetona Jackson, Leland Martin, Lala Milan, Tequan Richmond and RJ Walker, the series follows a group of childhood friends who are looking to make their own mark in the world…all while navigating their feelings for each other

Following are some of the week’s additional highlights on BET:

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

“BLACK-ISH” MARATHON STARTING AT NOON ET/PT— Starring Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin, Laurence Fishburne, Jenifer Lewis, Jeff Meacham, Peter Mackenzie, and Deon Cole.

“TYLER PERRY’S DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN” at 5:30 PM ET/PT – Starring Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris, Shemar Moore, Cicely Tyson, and Tyler Perry.

“ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS” at 8:30 PM ET/PT— Starring Mike Epps, Ice Cube, and Eva Mendes.

SATURDAY, MARCH 21

“RAY” AT 4:30 PM ET/PT – Starring Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, and Regina King.

“DJANGO UNCHAINED” AT 8:00 PM ET/PT– Starring Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson.

SUNDAY, MARCH 22

“TYLER PERRY’S THE FAMILY THAT PREYS” AT 6:00 PM ET/PT– Starring Tyler Perry, Alfre Woodard, Sanaa Lathan, Kathy Bates, and Taraji P. Henson.

“STOMP THE YARD” AT 9:00 PM ET/PT – Starring Columbus Short, Meagan Good, Ne-Yo, Darrin Henson, Laz Alonso, Valarie Pettiford, and Chris Brown.

MONDAY, MARCH 23

“TYLER PERRY'S TEMPTATION: CONFESSIONS OF A MARRIAGE COUNSELOR” AT 6:00 PM ET/PT– Starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Lance Gross, Brandy Norwood, Vanessa Williams, Robbie Jones, and Kim Kardashian.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24

“TYLER PERRY’S MEET THE BROWNS” AT 9:00 PM ET/PT – Starring David Mann, Tamela Mann, Tyler Perry, Lamman Rucker, LaVan Davis, Rick Fox, Chloe Bailey, Angela Bassett, Lance Gross, and Sofia Vergara.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25

“TYLER PERRY’S SISTAS” AT 9:00 PM ET/PT ON BET & BET HER.*

“TWENTIES” AT 10:00 PM ET/PT ON BET & BET HER.*

“BOOMERANG” AT 10:30 PM ET/PT ON BET & BET HER.*

**Descriptions are listed above under “What To Watch” Spotlight section.

Following are additional highlights now streaming on BET+:

To subscribe to BET+ visit https://www.BET.com/BETPlus

“FIRST WIVES CLUB” ON BET+
#FirstWivesTV @FirstWivesclub

After neglecting their friendship, best friends Ari (Ryan Michelle Bathe), Hazel (Jill Scott) and Bree (Michelle Buteau) reunite to help each other through rough patches in their lives. Together, they navigate music superstar Hazel's tabloid-ridden divorce, campaign manager Ari's unsatisfying marriage to her political candidate husband, and orthopedic surgeon Bree's cheating husband. Tired of always being the ones to make sacrifices in their lives, Ari, Hazel and Bree vow to prioritize their friendship and have more fun. Along the way, the women learn that as long as they have each other, there's nothing they can't do. The 9-episode, half-hour, scripted series, “First Wives Club,” is based on the popular 1996 film from Paramount Pictures, which featured Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn. Executive produced and written by Tracy Oliver, writer for the box office hit, "Girls Trip."

“BIGGER” on BET+
#BiggerOnBET

“BIGGER,” a half-hour scripted comedy starring Tanisha Long, Angell Conwell, Rasheda Crockett, Chase Anthony, and Tristen Winger, takes place in the East Atlanta neighborhood, Little Five Points. The series follows a single-black-woman who is dealing with the threat of marriage to a boring-in-bed boyfriend and the sudden, random death of a college acquaintance. The tragedy drives her ambitious group of friends to take a deeper look at their stagnant lives, asking themselves— is there something bigger and better in life. The first three episodes of the series will be made available at launch with additional new episodes rolling out on a weekly basis. “BIGGER” was created by Felisha Marye and executive produced by Will Packer and Devon Shepard, who also served as the showrunner.

“SACRIFICE” on BET+
#SacrificeFilm

BET+’s new original movie “SACRIFICE” starring Paula Patton (“Hitch,” “Precious”), takes place in Los Angeles following Daniella Hernandez, played by Patton, a highly sought-after entertainment lawyer. The legal thriller tracks Daniella as she navigates the nefarious lives of her rich and famous clients. Daniella has a reputation that proves problematic to LA Law enforcement, forcing her to be at odds with her sorority sister turned nemesis District Attorney Beverly Rucker. In an attempt to protect her often unscrupulous clients, Daniella enlists the services of her resourceful assistant and a young ex-hacker and tech genius. “SACRIFICE” is executive produced, written, and directed by Chris Stokes. Marques Houston also serves as the film’s co-executive producer for Footage Films. For images, bios and additional show assets go to: https://www.betpressroom.com/program/sacrifice/

“AMERICAN GANGSTER: TRAP QUEENS” on BET+
#AmericanGangster

An adaption of the groundbreaking, critically acclaimed television version American Gangster, “AMERICAN GANGSTER: TRAP QUEENS” will give audiences a look into the lives and trials of some of America’s most notorious female gangsters. Each episode employs first-person accounts from the women themselves and cinematic re-creations to give viewers a fully immersed experience into the twisted criminal lives they led.

“DARK MONEY” on BET+
#DarkMoney

“DARK MONEY” tells the fictional story of the Mensahs, an ordinary working-class family from North London whose youngest son, Isaac (Max Fincham), upon returning home from filming a major Hollywood movie, shatters the family’s world when he reveals he was abused by a renowned filmmaker while abroad. The four-part BET+ original explores the impossible set of decisions and the consequences that follow when Issac’s parents, Manny (Babou Ceesay) and Sam Mensah’s (Jill Halfpenny) decide to accept a substantial pay-off in return for their silence. A timely and relevant story about the struggle to heal, protect those you love, and seek justice in the face of unfathomable trauma; attempting to answer the question “what is the real cost of silence?”

“PREACHER LAWSON: GET TO KNOW ME” ON BET+
#GetToKnowMe

In BET+’s first original comedy special, “PREACHER LAWSON: GET TO KNOW ME,” Preacher offers a hilarious spin on his life experiences, including his run on American’s Got Talent, and his ongoing life struggles with kitten allergies, veganism, and cold weather-induced ashiness. The hour-long special is now available exclusively through BET’s new streaming service. Filmed at the renowned Vic Theatre in Chicago, “GET TO KNOW ME” is directed by Brian Volk-Weiss, and produced by Comedy Dynamics, A Nacelle Company, the team behind dozens of Grammy award-winning comedy programs, as well as platinum-level specials like Ali Wong’s Baby Cobra and Tiffany Haddish’s She Ready: From The Hood To Hollywood.

Additionally, the first twelve episodes of season one of “TYLER PERRY’S THE OVAL,” original film “INFLUENCE,” thousands of TV episodes and movies from the best Black creators are available to stream now exclusively on BET+, all in one place, commercial-free.

Following are additional digital highlights to read and watch on BET Digital:

“FINDING”
#FindingBET

BET’s original music series, “FINDING,” based on the long-lost talents of the ‘90s and early 2000s industry scene highlight hit-makers prepared to peel back the layers of their rise to stardom and rewinding to R&B and hip-hop’s prized era. “FINDING,” season 2 features Lil’ Zane, Chingy, Nicole Wray, Case, Young Bloodz, Murphy Lee and more. Watch and share Lil’ Zane’s episode now at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31CP7rM6i70&list=PLJHDZGUl8IlqTLU_4oJD8MIZPrqHYMz9k

“THE KICK-BACK COUCH: TWENTIES”
A rotating list of guests, including everyone from some of your internet faves to weekly home-viewers, jump in for a hilarious weekly reaction/recap video covering the latest episode of Lena Waithe’s “TWENTIES.” Watch and share the link below: https://www.bet.com/shows/twenties/the-kickback-couch.html

“BOOMERANG” AFTERSHOW:
In a funny and occasionally over-the-top recap series, Lena Waithe catches up with the breakout stars of her hit show “BOOMERANG” to get their reactions and in-depth character analysis on situations in the show. Click and share the link below: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2745788722185236

“BET BUZZ”: 5 daily topical news and entertainment videos

BET Digital launched a new daily video series highlighting the trending topics of the day. From celebrity news and election insights to COVID-19 updates, BET.com has you covered. Watch and share the link below:

    Zion Williamson Vows to Help Arena Workers:
    https://www.bet.com/video/news/bet-buzz/zion-williamson-vows-to-help-arena-workers.html

“106&PARK: MIC CHECK”

BET relaunches the beloved music franchise with a new weekly video series featuring music artists answering social media questions from their fans. Watch and share the links below featuring Masego:

    BET.com - https://www.bet.com/video/amplified/season-1/exclusives/masego-106-and-park-mic-check.html
    BET YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1nvbxURcgo&t=18s

Glam Gap

Exploring influencers in the style, beauty, and lifestyle space, BET.com launched their weekly Glam Gap video series featuring Honey Pot founder Beatrice Dixon discussing her startup journey and the positive response she received after the backlash to her Black History Month ad for Target. Watch and share the links below:

    BET Her YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr9-SeRccYg&t=34s
    BET.com – https://www.bet.com/video/the-glam-gap/season-1/full-episodes/the-glam-gap-episode-103.html

#ReclaimYourVote: Mike Bloomberg interview

BET Digital traveled to Washington, DC to interview Democratic presidential Mike Bloomberg about his plan to address the concerns of the American-American voters prior to dropping out of the campaign race. Watch and share the links below:

    Full interview on BET YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avBTUO8XhTA
    Full interview on BET.com - https://www.bet.com/video/news/politics/2020/bloomberg-discusses-his-economic-plan-for-black-america.html
    BET writeup: https://www.bet.com/news/national/2020/03/03/candidate-michael-bloomberg-on-his-economic-plan-for-black-ameri.html

Black Women’s History Month Trading Cards

To celebrate the accomplishments of Black women during Women’s History Month, BET Digital launched a series of beautifully designed trading cards highlighting the achievements of actresses, influencers, startup founders and more.


About BET
BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

ABOUT BET+
BET+ is a premium online streaming service with exclusive originals and thousands of TV episodes and movies from the best Black creators. A joint venture between BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios, BET+ allows users to stream Black culture including hit movies, TV shows, stand-up comedy, award shows, and specials, all in one place, commercial free. The new service from BET Networks, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc., is the official home of Tyler Perry’s film, TV and stage works. The ad-free subscription video-on-demand service also provides users with access to original content from the likes of Will Packer, Tracy Oliver and many more. Visit BET.com/BETPlus to learn more.

About BET Digital
BET Digital is the interactive arm of BET, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B) and the preeminent provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs initiatives for the consumers of African-American culture. BET.com, the premier online destination managed by BET Digital, is a leading Internet source for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news. Other divisions managed by BET Digital portfolio include BET Mobile, which provides apps, ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; BET.com/BETHer the online extension for the 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American woman; BET Video On Demand (VOD), one of the largest On Demand service providing African-American content; and the BET Vertical Ad Network, a leading advertising network targeting the high quality consumers of African-American culture with more than 150 content publishers.

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