Small screen: Race is “biggest problem” in Charles Barkley’s life; That’s So Raven’s big future
It won’t air until 2017, but the promo for Charles Barkley’s upcoming The Race Card discussion show is already making an impact. In the video below, the basketball star talks about how race has impacted his life, and how he wants to change that. Meanwhile, a certain Disney star may be experiencing deja vu when she returns to Disney, Jennifer Lopez landed a lead role in an upcoming live musical, and Gabrielle Union is pressing filing lawsuits against BET. For these stories and more, read on:
Cable: A new promo released for Charles Barkley’s upcoming unscripted discussion series The Race Card. “Race has been the biggest problem in my adult life,” the former NBA player says in the video, “and I want to provide a conversation.” The show will air on TNT for 6 episodes in 2017, and will feature Barkley discussing all races, not just “black and white,” giving everyone “a seat at the table.” “People never talk about race until something bad happens, and then all they do is yell and scream,” Barkley says. Barkley currently appears on TNT has a studio analyst for NBA coverage.
Raven-Symone may be exiting ABC and The View, but she’s got a good vision of what the future will hold. The ex-Disney star is returning to the network to star in and executive produce a spin off to her old sitcom, That’s So Raven. The star confirmed on The View it is a sequel show and that she will resume her titular clairvoyant role, this time all grown up. “I’m going to be a single mother raising two kids, and one of them is going to learn that she has visions.” She will have to step down from The View panel to focus on the show, which will film in Los Angeles. The original 2003 show was a hit for Disney, drawing an average 1.1 million viewers per episode.
Gabrielle Union may be having some issues being Mary Jane. The star of BET’s hit drama series Being Mary Jane filed a lawsuit against the network for “fraudulently extending the terms of [her] contract.” Union said the network agreed it would never film more than 13 episodes a season, but that it has been trying to film two 10-episode seasons back to back to “cram all of the episodes into a single season.” She claims by doing this, the network is avoiding paying her contractual raise. Union was supposed to receive $150,000 per episode for season four, and $165,000 for season five. The actress says she would not have agreed to a contract longer than 13 episodes per season so she could continue pursuing her film career.
Starz’ earnings may have gone up during the third quarter of 2016, but so did its expenses. While the network grossed over $3 million more than Wall Street predicted, its earnings per share was 34 cents, finishing below the predicted 52 cents. The drop in earnings is most likely due to increased programming and advertising costs. The company snagged 300,000 more subscribers during the quarter, no doubt thanks to well-received programs such as Power and Survivor’s Remorse. President and CEO Chris Albrecht noted the network delivered a 6 percent year-over-year revenue increase.
Network: Jennifer Lopez will be getting loud at NBC’s next live musical. Jenny from the block will play Rosie in the network’s upcoming production Bye Bye Birdie, to air February next year. The production is the next addition in NBC’s yearly live musicals and will follow Hairspray, which will air this December. Bye Bye Birdie is set in the 1950s and tells the story of an edgy rock and roller who arrives in a small town to stir up trouble. The singer and ex-American Idol judge currently stars on the network’s procedural drama Shades of Blue, and will executive produce the production.
Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions sold its second project to ABC. The single camera comedy The Zipcoders is a family comedy about a single mother of three moving to Austin, Texas to get closer to her estranged sister. Taking place shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., her teenage son forms a rock band in their new town, making waves in their new community. The project comes after JuVee Productions signed an overall deal with ABC Studios, and is the second project sold after neurotic thriller Head Games. Davis and Tennon will executive produce the show.
FOX released the first trailer for its upcoming 24 reboot, 24: Legacy. The intense drama stars Straight Outta Compton’s Corey Hawkins taking over the leading reigns for Keifer Sutherland. Hawkins plays Eric Carter, the sole survivor of an elite task force that attacked a terrorist threat. As the last man standing, Carter becomes the main target of the terrorist group. The much-anticipated show will premier in the coveted post-Super Bowl time slot on February 5.
Online: Check out what’s coming to Netflix this November, featuring performers or filmmakers of color:
Television:
- All Hail King Julien (animated comedy, season 4)
- Estocolmo (Netflix original, season 1)
- Roman Empire: Reign of Blood (Netflix original, season 1)
- K-POP Extreme Survival (drama, season 1)
- 3% (thriller, season 1)
- Love, Now (dramedy, season 1)
Movies:
- Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh (1995 horror)
- Meet the Blacks (2016 comedy)
- Under the Sun (2015 documentary)
- Chalk It Up (2016 indie gymnastics film)
- Carter High (2015 sports film)
- Divines (2016 drama)
- Michael Che Matters (2016 comedy special)
- The Jungle Book (2016 fantasy)