When Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear teamed up last year for Live In Front Of A Studio Audience on ABC, they garnered super ratings (23 million) and won an Emmy. The special consisted of a reboot of Lear’s 70’s sitcoms All In The Family and The Jeffersons featuring Jamie Foxx, Wanda Sykes, Kerry Washington, Woody Harrelson Will Ferrell and Marla Gibbs. Now, Kimmel and Lear will reteam and bring back another installment of All In The Family and this time around a reboot of Good Times. The casts for both shows haven’t been confirmed yet, but Washington and Ferrell will once again serve as executive producers with Kimmel and Lear. We do know that Good Times, which was TV’s first African American nuclear family, will include both parents, Florida and James Evans, in the reboot. In the 70’s, John Amos, who played father James Evans was fired by Norman Lear after Amos demanded the writers lose the stereotypes and balance the stories with issues as was originally promised. Good Times never recovered critically or in the ratings after Amos was dismissed, so for the reboot producers kept that in mind.
Speaking of Good Times, former castmember (“Penny Woods”) and Superstar Singer/Actress Janet Jackson is opening up about motherhood. Ms. Jackson is talking about the big surprises, including one of them being No Sleep, just like her song (SMILE). Jackson isn’t using a nanny!!! What?!! Perhaps she wanted the full experience, but Jackson is 52 and her 2 ½ year old son Eissa Al Mana apparently has plenty of energy.
Ellen DeGeneres has a primetime special coming and she’s enlisted the help of her friends including our Forever First Lady. Michelle Obama, Michael B. Jordan, Sterling K. Brown,Steph & Ayesha Curry, Chrissy Teigen and Jason Momoa will join my girl for Ellen’s Greatest Night Of Giveaways. DeGeneres says get your hanky ready, and that she and her team are changing lives with these giveaways. It’s what she’s done on her daytime talker Ellen, but going a million times farther. Ellen’s Greatest Night Of Giveaways is a three night event airing at 8pm on December 10th, 11th and 12th on NBC.
Patti LaBelle is writing a book on artists who’ve dissed her. Now I’m not talking because I’m never gonna mess up my invite to Miss Patti’s, so I’ll wait. But you should know as nice as Miss Patti is, sometimes she had to set folks straight, justifiably of course. Now she’s gonna bring the receipts.
We send our prayers and best wishes to Angie Martinez. The radio personality from our New York sister station Power 105.1 was in a severe car accident. Her rehab is going to be extensive as she suffered a broken back. Best wishes Angie and get well soon!
Essence magazine is celebrating its 50th anniversary with some bold changes to the operation. First, the magazine will come bi-monthly (every other month). It will be a much thicker magazine edition, however. The Essence Festival in New Orleans is expanding. In 2020, the festival will run July 1st through the 5th. The festival has become legendary and this growth is an anniversary gift to all the attendees.
Queen Latifah is taking over a hit franchise…..from Denzel. The Equalizer was an Emmy-nominated CBS-TV drama about a special ops military man who became a soldier of fortune for hire to people in need that starred the late Edward Woodward. Denzel Washington and his Training Day Director Antoine Fuqua rebooted the series into two movies in 2014 and 2017 bringing in a near $400 million at the box office. Now, Queen Latifah is set to bring the franchise back to CBS-TV. If all goes well, Latifah would be the new soldier of fortune on television possibly by this fall.
Unfortunately, there’s divorce news with Solange Knowles. Knowles took to social media and announced she and her second husband, Music Video Director Alan Ferguson, have been separated since early this year. The two had a spectacular 2014 wedding ceremony that broke the internet, and involved both their families in a New Orleans ceremony. Despite their May-December gap, she’s 33 and he’s 56, things seemed fine. The internet got a hold of pictures of Solange and Singer John Bogaard, and tried to put them on blast. Solange denied an affair with Boggard on her Instagram and told folks to go back to enjoying their vacation. Knowles first marriage was to Daniel Smith in 2004 and the two share a fifteen-year old son Daniel, Jr.
This week, People magazine will release excerpts from the Whitney Houston tell all from her BFF Robyn Crawford. Crawford’s book is called A Song For You: My Life With Whitney Houston. Among the revelations: They were lovers since teenagers. It ended when Houston signed to Arista Records, who maintained the girl next door image for Houston. Cissy Houston was always against this affair. Crawford claims Whitney ended it by handing her a bible! Huh? I for one believe if Robyn stayed in Whitney’s life, she’d be alive today because Houston was surrounded by vultures at the end. A Song For You: My Life With Whitney Houston by Robyn Crawford is due out November 12th.
If you liked Spider-man: Into The Spider-Verse, then get ready for a sequel. The first movie which came out in December of 2018, took in over $375 million world-wide at the box office. Featuring the voices of Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, Nicolas Cage and Mahershala Ali, this movie was a multi-cultural edition. A young Afro-Latino Spider-Man travels dimensions and teams up with other Spider-Men to defeat super-villain Kingpin. Well after such a huge take at the box office, a sequel is scheduled to hit theaters in the spring of 2022.
Chadwick Boseman stars in Boseman is 21 Bridges. Partially filmed right here in Philly, Boseman is an NYPD detective in hot pursuit of a cop killer. As a result of the chase, Manhattan’s 21 bridges must be shutdown to catch the criminal. 21 Bridges is due out Friday, November 22nd.
Actress and Supermodel Jodie Turner Smith covers the latest issue of Essence. The November issue’s theme is Wok, a state of consciousness, including profiling 100 Black women advocating for change.
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen are on the cover of the December issue of Vanity Fair. They talk about standing up to President Trump’s tweets, overcoming childhood pain and enjoying success as a couple.
Oscar Winner Regina King is on the cover of November’s Marie Claire. The actress and director talks about her superhero moment.
Check out who’s coming to town:
This Friday, November 8th – The O’Jays at the Ocean Casino & Resort in Atlantic City. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
This Saturday, November 9th – The Gentlemen of Soul starring Jeffrey Osborne & Peabo Bryson at The Tropicana in Atlantic City. Tickets and information at ticketmaster.com
November 14th – December 8th - The UniverSoul Circus returns to Fairmount Park on the grounds ofThe Mann Center for The Performing Arts, 52nd and Parkside Avenue. Tickets are on sale at ticketmaster.com.
Saturday, November 30th – Run DMC at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Friday, December 6th– Anita Baker: The Farewell Concert Series at The Liacouras Center. For tickets and information log onto liacourascenter.com.
Saturday, December 7th – The All I Want For Christmas show starring Mariah Carey at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Thursday, December 12th – Sinbad in concert at The Parx Casino Xcite Centerin Bensalem, PA.Log onto tickets.parxcasino.com for tickets and information.
Friday, December 20th– The WDAS Holiday COMEDY Jam starring Nephew Tommy, Earthquake, Kier Spates a.k.a. Junior and J. Anthony Brown at the Met Philly, Broad & Poplar Streets. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Saturday, December 21st – The WDAS Holiday Jam starring Kem, Kirk Franklin and Brownstone at the Met Philly, Broad & Poplar Streets. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Saturday, December 28th – Earth, Wind & Fire at the Mark Etess Arena in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Friday, January 3rd – The Femme It Forward Tour starring Monica, Ashanti, Amerie, Lil Mo & Keri Hilson at the Met Philly, Broad & Poplar Streets. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Friday, February 14th – Boyz II Men’s Valentine’s Day Concert at the Met Philly, Broad & Poplar Streets. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
If you would like more info please email me at PattyJackson@iHeartMedia.com or check me out with my midday reports at 10:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm during the day.