Jordan Peele Signs 5-year Deal with Universal Pictures

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan Peele has inked a five-year deal with Universal Pictures.

Through a statement published on Forbes, Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, states: “Jordan has established himself as a premier voice and original storyteller with global appeal. He is leading a new generation of filmmakers that have found a way to tap into the cultural zeitgeist with groundbreaking content that resonates with audiences of all backgrounds. We also share an important goal with Monkeypaw when it comes to increasing representation onscreen in the characters that are portrayed, the stories that are told and the people who tell them.”

Jordan also expresses excitement about the deal, “It would not have been possible to make Get Out and Us without the endless trust and support we received from Donna Langley and the team at Universal. Their willingness to take risks and their commitment to original content makes them the perfect collaborative partner for Monkeypaw. I couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead.”

Monkeypaw (Peele’s production company) is currently in production on a reimagining of the horror film Candyman, written by Peele and Rosenfeld and directed by Nia DaCosta (“Little Woods”). Peele also expressed his thankfulness through his Twitter account, “Thank you for all the support and love! More content coming at ya!”

Peele got his career started in 2003, as a cast member on the Fox sketch comedy series Mad TV. After starring on the series for five seasons, he left the show in 2008. He and his Mad TV collaborator, Keegan-Michael Key, created and starred in their own Comedy Central sketch comedy series Key & Peele (2012–2015). Peele also co-created the TBS comedy series The Last O.G., which stars comedians Tracey Morgan and Tiffany Haddish (2018–present) and also serves as the host and producer of the CBS All Access revival of The Twilight Zone (2019–present).

His movie credits include Peele co-writing, producing and starring in Keanu (2016) and has voice acted in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) and Toy Story 4 (2019). The 2017 horror film Get Out was his directorial debut, for which he received numerous accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, as well as nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. He received another Academy Award nomination for Best Picture for producing Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman (2018). His most recent film horror film, Us, which he directed, wrote, and produced, was another critically acclaimed hit that was released earlier this year.

Get Out holds the record as the highest-grossing movie ever for a feature debut from a writer/director with an original screenplay. It grossed $176 million at the North American box office on a $5 million budget. While his second movie, Us, took in $255 million at the global box office. According to The Wrap, Us had the highest-grossing opening ever for an original horror film, the highest-grossing opening ever for an R-rated film, and the highest-grossing opening for a live-action original since 2009’s Avatar.

 

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Tracee Ellis Ross dishes about Hollywood snubs during ‘Girlfriends’ days

Although Tracee Ellis Ross is enjoying the fruit of a very successful turn on black-ish, she was virtually invisible at the beginning of her career, which is the case for most Blacks in Hollywood.

—Tracee Ellis Ross on how Pattern Beauty fills in the gaps in the natural hair community—

Ellis Ross opened up on Essence’s The Color Files podcast about the lack of support that accompanied being a lead star on a show starring an all-Black female cast on Girlfriends.

In fact, she said she was never invited on talk shows by David Letterman, or Jay Leno, a perk she now has due to her popularity on the award-winning black-ish.

“My career was not handed to me,” she explained. “When I was on Girlfriends, I couldn’t even get on a late-night show. No joke. I was never on Jay Leno, David Letterman, any of those shows. I was the lead. It was a huge hit in our community and we had a lot of eyeballs.”

“I had never gone to the Golden Globes. I’d never gone to the Emmys. I’d never gone to any of those award shows,” the actress added. “All of that has happened since I got on ‘black-ish’ in my mid-40s. None of that was a part of my experience in the early part of my career.”

Girlfriends ran from 2000-2008, which is TV gold, given that it survived so long. Yet after it ended, Ellis Ross said scripts weren’t flying at her feet and it was a struggle to get cast or any work in the Hollywood real.

The actress saw brief success on BET’s “Reed Between The Lines” with Malcolm-Jamal Warner in 2011, but that show as soon canceled after just one season.

But things turned rosy in 2014, when she was offered a role as Rainbow on black-ish.

—Tracee Ellis Ross announces lush new hair care line for curly hair—

She’s also been able to spread her wings too and produce episodes on black-ish something she recently dished about in an interview last month on the “Tamron Hall Show”.

“They [the titles] don’t matter to me, but they matter in the context of our history and our world and our life and as women and as black women they do,” she explained.

“And I think it’s really important for us to have equity in the things that we create. And I think culturally and historically that hasn’t been the case. Personally, the title is not the thing, it’s being involved in creating content,” Ellis Ross added.

The post Tracee Ellis Ross dishes about Hollywood snubs during ‘Girlfriends’ days appeared first on theGrio.

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Jordan Peele Signs 5-year Deal with Universal Pictures

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan Peele has inked a five-year deal with Universal Pictures.

Through a statement published on Forbes, Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, states: “Jordan has established himself as a premier voice and original storyteller with global appeal. He is leading a new generation of filmmakers that have found a way to tap into the cultural zeitgeist with groundbreaking content that resonates with audiences of all backgrounds. We also share an important goal with Monkeypaw when it comes to increasing representation onscreen in the characters that are portrayed, the stories that are told and the people who tell them.”

Jordan also expresses excitement about the deal, “It would not have been possible to make Get Out and Us without the endless trust and support we received from Donna Langley and the team at Universal. Their willingness to take risks and their commitment to original content makes them the perfect collaborative partner for Monkeypaw. I couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead.”

Monkeypaw (Peele’s production company) is currently in production on a reimagining of the horror film Candyman, written by Peele and Rosenfeld and directed by Nia DaCosta (“Little Woods”). Peele also expressed his thankfulness through his Twitter account, “Thank you for all the support and love! More content coming at ya!”

Peele got his career started in 2003, as a cast member on the Fox sketch comedy series Mad TV. After starring on the series for five seasons, he left the show in 2008. He and his Mad TV collaborator, Keegan-Michael Key, created and starred in their own Comedy Central sketch comedy series Key & Peele (2012–2015). Peele also co-created the TBS comedy series The Last O.G., which stars comedians Tracey Morgan and Tiffany Haddish (2018–present) and also serves as the host and producer of the CBS All Access revival of The Twilight Zone (2019–present).

His movie credits include Peele co-writing, producing and starring in Keanu (2016) and has voice acted in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) and Toy Story 4 (2019). The 2017 horror film Get Out was his directorial debut, for which he received numerous accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, as well as nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. He received another Academy Award nomination for Best Picture for producing Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman (2018). His most recent film horror film, Us, which he directed, wrote, and produced, was another critically acclaimed hit that was released earlier this year.

Get Out holds the record as the highest-grossing movie ever for a feature debut from a writer/director with an original screenplay. It grossed $176 million at the North American box office on a $5 million budget. While his second movie, Us, took in $255 million at the global box office. According to The Wrap, Us had the highest-grossing opening ever for an original horror film, the highest-grossing opening ever for an R-rated film, and the highest-grossing opening for a live-action original since 2009’s Avatar.

 

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21 Savage: Young undocumented immigrants should be ‘exempt’

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rapper 21 Savage believes undocumented immigrants like him who lived in America as children should automatically become U.S. citizens.

The Grammy-nominated artist who earlier this year was held in federal immigration detention told The Associated Press on Thursday night that undocumented immigrants also shouldn’t have to endure the lengthy process to obtain visas. He spoke in an exclusive interview before receiving an award from the National Immigration Law Center.

READ MORE: The Forgiveness Trap – Botham Jean’s family’s response to Amber Guyger triggers debate

“When you’re a child, you don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “Now, you grow up and got to figure it out. Can’t get a job. Can’t get a license. I’m one of the lucky ones who became successful. It’s a lot of people who can’t.”

NILC honored 21 Savage for being an advocate for immigrant justice. He was arrested in February in what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said was a targeted operation over his expired visa.

He spent 10 days in a detention center in south Georgia before being released.
The Atlanta-based rapper, whose given name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, is a British citizen who moved to the U.S. when he was 7. His visa expired in 2006, but his lawyers had said that wasn’t his fault.

“When you ain’t got no choice, you should be exempt,” 21 Savage said. “It’s not like I was 30, woke up and moved over here. I’ve been here since I was like 7 or 8, probably younger than that. I didn’t know anything about visas and all that. I just knew we were moving to a new place.”

He said people in his shoes should be made citizens.

“I feel like we should be exempt,” he reiterated. “I feel like we should automatically become citizens.”

READ MORE: Adele rumored to be dating UK rapper Skepta

Federal immigration officials have known 21 Savage’s status since at least 2017, when he applied for a new visa.

The 26-year-old rapper’s immigration case still remains pending a hearing before a new judge, according to his lawyer.

21 Savage said the process to apply for a visa discourages a lot of other immigrants who don’t have documents because it “hangs over your head forever.”

“They just lose hope,” he said. “I feel like kids who were brought here at young ages, they should automatically be like ‘Yeah, you good to stay here, work and go to college.’ It should be nipped in the bud before it gets to a point before you come of age.”

Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors applauded 21 Savage for becoming an advocate for social justice and also shedding light on immigrant issues for black people.
“Up until the moment when he was arrested, there wasn’t a nationally or public conversation about black immigrants,” said Cullors, who introduced 21 Savage and handed him the Courageous Luminaries award. Her activist organization led a coalition to facilitate his release from ICE custody.

“The conversation primarily revolved around Latin immigrants,” she continued. “His detention really pushed a national conversation and it made us talk about what’s happening with black people who are undocumented. All the black people in America aren’t just citizens.”

21 Savage was thankful for the award, but said there are countless immigrants who are battling to stay in the U.S.

“We got a fight that we need to continue in this country,” he said. “It ain’t over yet. Even after everything is cool with me, we still have to fight and help people who can’t fight for themselves.”
___
Follow AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MrLandrum31

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Expletive-Laced Locker Room ‘Pep Talk’ Has LA Sparks GM Penny Toler in WNBA’s Sights

The WNBA is looking into what was reportedly an expletive- and epithet-laden locker room “pep talk” given by Los Angeles Sparks general manager Penny Toler to her losing team during Game 2 of the WNBA playoffs.

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