Former Desus and Mero host Desus Nice is getting back behind the podcast mic.
Desus and Scottie Beam will host Bet!, a weekly sports and pop culture podcast produced by DraftKings and Kevin Hart’s company, Hartbeat. The inaugural episode debuts Thursday on all podcast platforms. Alongside the show, DraftKings will also feature free-to-play pools on its betting app tied to each week’s discussions.
“I’m so excited to be back on the podcasting scene, and doing it alongside my longtime friend Scottie Beam,” Desus Nice said in a statement. “We poured our hearts, souls, and hottest takes into this podcast, and I can’t wait for everyone to jump in and have some fun with us.”
Added Beam, a podcaster and former producer for New York’s Hot 97, “There’s a lot of pundits and so-called experts throwing out their opinions, but how many actually get to see their predictions put to the test? Desus and I aren’t just talking — we’re putting it all on the line, and letting our fans jump in to see who can really back up their predictions.”
Along with discussions of the week’s sports and pop culture news, Bet! will also feature Desus and Beam making predictions about everything from which films will top the box office to what will happen on upcoming Real Housewives shows. The DraftKings pools will be tied to those discussions.
“DraftKings is constantly exploring new and creative ways to engage with our customers on a deeper level,” said Stephanie Sherman, the company’s chief marketing officer. “We are excited to work with Hartbeat on Bet! and give listeners a cutting-edge podcast series that lives at the intersection of sports and culture.”
Bet! joins a roster of Hartbeat audio productions that also includes Hart’s Gold Minds, One Song with Diallo Riddle and Luxxury, and Petty Crimes with Ceara Jane O’Sullivan and Griff Stark-Ennis.
Eric Eddings, Lesley Gwam and Tina Maher are the executive producers of Bet!, with Alex Duckworth serving as producer. Hartbeat’s Jeremy Benbow and Tyree Rush are associate producers.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
BET Media Group will premiere the “BET Black Men’s Summit,” hosted by comedian, actor, and radio host D.L. Hughley. Airing on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at 10 PM ET/9 PM CT and streaming on BET+, BET.com, and across the BET social media platforms, this special convenes influential Black men from an array of industries and backgrounds in-depth conversations on the critical issues impacting their communities ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
There is a heightened focus on Black men as a crucial demographic in this presidential election. The “BET Black Men’s Summit invites viewers to reflect on the layered complexities Black men encounter while also celebrating their contributions and strength. From persistent economic disparities and the effects of inflation to reproductive rights and the ongoing fight against misinformation targeting Black voters, this candid conversation creates a space for vulnerability and challenges false narratives in mainstream media.
The summit features prominent guests, including actor Michael Ealy, award-winning music producer Jermaine Dupri, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson, National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial, rapper and philanthropist Vic Mensa, the Honorable Greg Jackson, The Collective PAC Founder and President Quentin James, lifestyle specialist and radio host Kenny Burns, Chair, Congressional Black Caucus and Nevada Representative Steven Horsford, Tennessee State Representative Justin J. Pearson, Virginia State University Political Science Dept. Chair Dr. Wes Bellamy, author and political commentator Keith Boykin, Win With Black Men Executive Director Khalil Thompson, and CEO and co-founder of The Gathering Spot Ryan Wilson.
Economic challenges take center stage, with Kenny Burns reflecting on the pandemic’s impact on Black communities in Atlanta and D.L. Hughley recounting his own experiences with low wages and the inadequacies of the current minimum wage. Charles Phillips, co-chair of the Black Economic Alliance, further highlights the economic disparities exacerbated by the pandemic and discusses the improvements under President Biden’s leadership.
Congressman Steven Horsford explores Black men’s political engagement, debunking misleading narratives and championing Vice President Harris’ Economic Opportunity Agenda for Black men. Jermaine Dupri emphasizes the need for greater political education within the Black community, pointing out how misinformation continues to suppress Black men’s voices.
Vic Mensa and Kenny Burns took it to the street with their “man-on-the-street” segments, which captured real-time perspectives from Black men in the key battleground states of North Carolina and Georgia. The discussions dive into narratives and beliefs surrounding immigration, health, reproductive rights, and the sexism that Black women face in their pursuit of leadership positions.
In a powerful moment, Vic Mensa addresses the issue of reproductive rights, stating, “Many men I spoke to felt that women’s reproductive rights were important to them but not their top priority. However, the fact remains that maternal mortality rates amongst Black women are exponentially higher in states with abortion bans.” Mensa continues, “As Black men, our primary responsibility in this humanity is to protect Black women. Protecting Black women begins and ends with listening to them about what makes them feel safe….we are seeing the emboldening of the people who seek to destroy us and to destroy our mothers, sisters, nieces, and the women in our lives, so I think that it’s an issue of paramount importance to us and to me.”
“The lived experiences of Black men in this country carry great weight, and the urgency for our voices to be heard has never been more critical,” said Scott Mills, President and CEO of BET Media Group. “The ‘BET Black Men’s Summit’ is more than a conversation—it is a call to action for us to come together, share our truths, and confront the issues that shape not only our communities but the very future of this nation. In a time when our perspectives are often overlooked or misrepresented, this summit creates a powerful space for us to speak boldly, listen deeply, and ignite change. It is a reminder that our stories, our struggles, and our triumphs are central to the progress of this country.”
“BET Black Men’s Summit” underscores the BET commitment to provide a platform for Black men to reclaim their voices, challenge misinformation, and engage in a political process that directly impacts their futures. Through these intimate and honest conversations, the summit not only informs, but inspires action, encouraging Black men to vote and to make their voices heard in the 2024 election.
“According to our Black Male Voter Study conducted by BET Consumer Insights, 89% of Black men we spoke with intend to vote, but we cannot overlook the unrepresented 11% whose voices we risk losing,” said Tiyale Hayes, Executive Vice President, Multiplatform Analytics and Insights and Co-lead of Social Impact at BET. “Nearly 20% of Black men feel ignored in the political process, and the ‘BET Black Men’s Summit’ is an opportunity to address these concerns and ensure Black men feel heard as part of the broader movement toward civic engagement and change.”
Executive produced by Connie Orlando, Jason Samuels, and Erik Parker, with senior supervising producer Steven Ramey, this news special furthers the BET “We VOTE” campaign to increase civic engagement and voter participation within the Black community.
After nearly 20 years and after many starts and stops by Dimension Films which now is under Paramount, it seems that The Scary Movie franchise is about to get underway. Today the announcement was made by Marlon Wayans on Instagram. See the post below;
Since the announcement was made and written with The Wayans being officially back, we can assume that Keenen Ivory Wayans will direct and that Shawn and Marlon will probably write. No word yet if any other family members will be involved or if any of the other members of the cast will return such as Regina Hall or Anna Faris, the driving female lead actors of the franchise.
More as this develops.
Jumanji 3 is happening on December 11, 2026, Sony has just announced. That’s the same pre-Christmas slot that Sony has launched the previous films in its Jumanji franchise. The movie will have full command of Imax and PLF screens that weekend.
Director Jake Kasdan and star posse Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan are expected to return and are in talks. Also back to produce are Matt Tolmach, Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and Kasdan.
Nothing else is dated for that December 2026 frame, but Jumanji 3 opens one week before Disney’s untitled Star Wars movie and Warner Bros/Legendary’s supposed release of Dune 3 on December 18.
The original Jumanji was released in 1995 with Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst starring; it grossed $262.8 million worldwide, a hit back in the day. The movie followed a group of kids who unleash a safari game into the reality of their hometown. The original movie was shot in Keene, NH.
But then Kasdan and Johnson had a way in to reboot the franchise, one that centered on a bunch of kids getting stuck in a video game with alternative-version avatars from who they are in real life. In 2017, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle went on to gross $962.5M at the global box office, followed by 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level doing another $801.6M. The trilogy counts over $2.02 billion around the globe.
Kasdan and Johnson are reteaming this month on the $200M Amazon MGM Studios Christmas feature, Red One, which also stars Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J.K. Simmons and Kiernan Shipka. The movie, opening on November 15, follows the rescue of Santa Claus (Simmons) by his head of security (Johnson) and a notorious bounty hunter (Evans).
Source: Deadline
Following the success of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Sony Pictures and Martin Lawrence are looking to revive another classic comedy from the comedian. Sources say that a sequel to the 1999 buddy comedy Blue Streak is in development. Cole Maliska is writing the screenplay, and insiders say the film is in early development with no other talent involved.
Lawrence is producing through his production company Run Tel Dat along with Robert Lawrence, Rae Proctor, and Stacy Lyles as well as Toby Jaffe and his RDV Films.
Released in 1999, the original Blue Streak starred Lawrence as Miles, a jewel thief who tries to retrieve a diamond he left at a police station, whereupon he disguises himself as a detective and gets paired with a real policeman, played by Luke Wilson, to investigate burglaries. The film opened No. 1 at the North American box office and went on to gross nearly $120 million globally.
Lawrence most recently starred alongside Will Smith in Sony’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which kickstarted this year’s summer box office by opening to $56 million domestically, and has since grossed more than $403M worldwide, boosting the Bad Boys franchise past $1 billion in lifetime box office. Lawrence is currently on his nationwide comedy tour You All know What It Is, which will run through March 2025.
Lawrence is represented by UTA, Artists First and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman. Maliska is represented by UTA and Kaplan/Perrone.
Source: Deadline
Today, comedic powerhouse Dave Chappelle and influential rap legend Killer Mike with the Mighty Midnight Revival announced their co-headlining 2024 tour. Produced by Live Nation, the 7-city tour featuring a fusion of music and comedy across a joint set kicks off on November 15 at Fox Theatre in Detroit making stops across the U.S. in Atlanta, Boston, New York, and more before wrapping up in Long Beach at Long Beach Terrace Theater on Nov 24.
TICKETS: Tickets will be available through a general onsale beginning on Friday, October 25 at 12PM local time at ticketmaster.com.
DAVE CHAPPELLE + KILLER MIKE 2024 TOUR DATES:
Fri Nov 15 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
Sun Nov 17 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
Mon Nov 18 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre
Wed Nov 20 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Thu Nov 21 – New York, NY – The Theater at Madison Square Garden
Sat Nov 23 – Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre
Sun Nov 24 – Long Beach, CA – Long Beach Terrace Theater
This event will be a phone-free experience. Use of phones, smart watches, and accessories will not be permitted in the performance space. Upon arrival at the venue, all phones, smart watches, and accessories will be secured in individual Yondr pouches that will be opened at the end of the event. Guests maintain possession of their devices at all times and can access them throughout the event only in designated Phone Use Areas within the venue. All devices will be re-secured in Yondr pouches before returning to the performance space. Anyone seen using a device (phone, smart watch, or accessories) during the performance will be escorted out of the venue by security. We appreciate your cooperation in creating a phone-free experience.
Pilot Boy Productions, Inc. and/or Dave Chappelle own all rights in the content and materials, including any jokes and sketches (the “Materials”), delivered during his performance. The Materials may not be copied, translated, transmitted, displayed, distributed, or reproduced verbatim (the “Use”), in whole or in part, in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed, without the express prior written consent of Pilot Boy Productions, Inc. Any Use of the Materials without the express prior written consent of Pilot Boy Productions, Inc. is strictly prohibited and shall be subject to all available legal remedies, whether in equity or at law at the cost of anyone who violates this prohibition.
Last October, Roy Wood Jr. surprisingly announced he was leaving The Daily Show after eight years.
The main reason it was a surprise was that the Comedy Central series was still looking for a permanent host to replace Trevor Noah and no decision had been made at that point, meaning that Wood Jr. was at least in the frame to take the role.
However, the comedian, who is now hosting the U.S. remake of Have I Got News For You for CNN, told Gayle King why he decided to leave the storied late-night franchise.
Last night Roy Wood, Jr. was a guest on Gayle King’s SiriusXM program, where he spoke frankly about fear being behind his reasoning for leaving “The Daily Show,” and why he brought his son with him to clean out his office.
“The Daily Show thing is that, oh, Trevor left. Okay, well what’s next for me whenever I leave? It may not be now, but when I leave, what’s going to be next for me? Huh? Well, what if they get a host that doesn’t want me? What if the Paramount-CBS merger – which was happening at the time – what if that doesn’t… I mean, Gayle, and I don’t like to think like that and talk those things into existence, but we also live in an era where they will spend $100 million to shoot a movie and then not release it. Anybody can get it,” he said on her SiriusXM show.
In terms of timing, he said that leaving before a big election played a large part in his decision.
“Well, if I’m going to leave, when I do leave, I’m going to want to do my own thing. I know that. Well, when would be the best time to shop a show or have an opportunity to get hired to do something else? It would be during an election year. Well, if you’re going to do that after The Daily Show, you may as well leave The Daily Show now and go find that. Because otherwise that window is not coming around for another four years, big dog. So, if there’s ever a chance to do something different, this is probably the time to go. I don’t know whether or not I’m right, but I know if I have a chance at this, now is the time because I do not know what type of position I’m going to be in, where I wake up one morning on Twitter and see that I’m dunzo. And now I have to figure it out in a rush. At least this way I can strategize,” he added.
In the end, Jon Stewart’s return created new buzz for the long-running show and it’s unlikely that Wood Jr. would have been interested in being one of the rotating hosts for the other days of the week alongside the likes of Desi Lydic, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta and Ronny Chieng.
SZA is super stressed out in the first trailer for her upcoming film debut in the buddy comedy One of Them Days. The R-rated movie co-starring Keke Palmer focuses on a super relatable problem: paying the rent.
According to a description of the film due out on Jan. 24: “Best friends and roommates Dreux (Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) are about to have one of them days. When they discover Alyssa’s boyfriend has blown their rent money, the duo finds themselves going to extremes in a comical race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact.”
Directed by first-timer Lawrence Lamont (Rap Sh!t) and produced by Issa Rae, the movie features a supporting cast including: Lil Rel Howery, Katt Williams, Janelle James, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Maude Apatow, Joshua Neal, Aziza Scott and Patrick Cage.
The two-and-a-half-minute sneak peek opens to the strains of Saweetie’s Grammy-nominated 2021 hit “Best Friend,” as the incredulous duo meet their perky new neighbor, Apatow, who invites them for a girl’s night of “Prosecco and pals.” After Palmer confirms that SZA paid the rent, the pair get a visit from their irate landlord looking for his money, setting them off on a series of wacky adventures as they try to come up with the dough.
The pair’s easy chemistry is on display as they come up with a series of increasingly ridiculous plots to raise the money before sundown, including SZA climbing a telephone pole to retrieve a lone Air Jordan hanging on the wire (only to get electrocuted) and applying for a criminally ridiculous payday loan and getting laughed at due to their LOL-worthy credit score.
It’s a reunion for Palmer and SZA, who first teamed up for a Dec. 2022 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Palmer, with SZA serving as musical guest.
Watch the One of Them Days trailer below.
Michelle Buteau is making HERstory y’all. As the first female comic to record a special at the iconic Radio City Music Hall, the comedian returns for her second Netflix comedy special: Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall. Celebrate the New Year right as Buteau reflects on motherhood, marriage, and more.
· Her previous special, Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia (2020), won a Critics Choice Award for Best Comedy Special.
· Directors: Page Hurwitz and Sandra Restrepo
· Executive Producers: Michelle Buteau, Page Hurwitz, Wanda Sykes
· Production Company: Push It Productions
· Release Date: December 31, 2024
Michelle Buteau is an actress, comedian, producer and writer. The multihyphenate stars in the Netflix comedy series “Survival Of The Thickest”, which she created and executive produces. Inspired by her autobiographical book of essays of the same name, the series was renewed for a second season and will return in 2025. Buteau received the 55th NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television)” for the series.
Buteau was seen earlier this year in the hit comedy BABES, alongside Ilana Glazer and directed by Pamela Adlon. The film received rave reviews with Variety praising the “unapologetically raw take on pregnancy and female friendship” and Rolling Stone lauding it the “‘Bridesmaids’ of babymaking.” Next, she will soon begin production on the comedy, “Spa Weekend” opposite Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher and Anna Faris.
Buteau is also host of the hit Netflix reality competition show, “The Circle”, which released its seventh season in September 2024, as well as the second season of Netflix’s “Barbecue Showdown”. Her other film and television highlights include MARRY ME, FIRST WIVES CLUB, ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE, SOMEONE GREAT, “Russian Doll” and “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens”. She has also appeared in “Key & Peele”, “Broad City”, “Rick and Morty”, and “Zootopia+”.
In Jamie Foxx’s upcoming Netflix comedy special, What Had Really Happened Was…, the actor makes a startling claim that Sean “Diddy” Combs was behind the stroke he suffered a year ago, according to Media Take Out. Foxx, who is in the middle of filming this special across various Los Angeles venues, goes into detail about what transpired before, during, and after his health scare. In a particularly shocking moment, Foxx reportedly tells the audience, “Diddy was responsible for my stroke.”
According to the report, Foxx alleges that he was drugged by the former Bad Boy music mogul. While this may sound like part of the comedy, Foxx’s delivery quickly changed the room’s energy. Initially, when he made the comment, fans began to laugh, assuming it was just another joke. However, Foxx paused and gave a serious look to one fan in particular, making it clear that he wasn’t kidding.
Source: The Rickey Smiley Morning Show