New this week: Jennifer Lopez, Sam Smith and 'You People'
This weekโs new entertainment releases include fresh albums from Sam Smith and Elle King, the return of Jennifer Lopez in the rom-com โShotgun Wedding,โ and the TV show โPoker Face,โ starring Natasha Lyonne as a wise-cracking, friendly drifter who has an uncanny ability to immediately know if someone is lying.
Eddie Murphy inducted into NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame
FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2020, file photo, Eddie Murphy accepts the lifetime achievement award at the 25th annual Critics' Choice Awards in Santa Monica, Calif. Murphy will be inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame this month. The NAACP announced Thursday, March 11, 2021, that Murphy will be inducted during the March 27 ceremony, which will air on CBS. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)LOS ANGELES โ Eddie Murphy was inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame at the organizationโs show that highlighted works by entertainers and athletes of color. Iโm very moved.โMurphy went on to send a message to Hall about his famous red leather suit from his 1983 stand-up special โDelirious.โโMy red suit was not that tight Arsenio,โ Murphy said. โI get a lot of cracks about that red suit.
Eddie Murphy to be inducted into NAACP Hall of Fame
FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2020, file photo, Eddie Murphy accepts the lifetime achievement award at the 25th annual Critics' Choice Awards in Santa Monica, Calif. Murphy will be inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame this month. The NAACP announced Thursday, March 11, 2021, that Murphy will be inducted during the March 27 ceremony, which will air on CBS. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)LOS ANGELES โ Eddie Murphy will be inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame this month. The NAACP announced Thursday that Murphy will be inducted during the March 27 ceremony, which will air on CBS. The NAACP Image Awards honoring entertainers and writers of color will also simulcast on BET, MTV, VH1, MTV2, BET HER and LOGO.
33 years later, Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall return to Zamunda
NEW YORK โ When Eddie Murphy made the original โComing to America,โ he was, almost indisputably, the funniest man in America. โNow I take nothing for granted and appreciate everything.โThirty-three years after โComing to America,โ Murphy and Hall have returned to Zamunda. At the barbershop, where Murphy and Hall also reprise their characters, the conversation bounces from Teslas to transgender people. Before making โBlack Panther,โ Murphy has said Ryan Coogler approached him about a โComing to Americaโ sequel. Ruth E. Carter designed the costumes of both โBlack Pantherโ and โComing 2 America.โ Both were shot in Atlanta.
Tommy โTinyโ Lister, who played Deebo in โFriday,โ dies
FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 10, 2015 file photo, Tommy 'Tiny' Lister greets fans as he arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Straight Outta Compton" at the Microsoft Theater. Tommy Tiny Lister, a former wrestler who was known for his Deebo character in the Friday films, has died. (Photo by John Salangsang/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES โ Tommy โTinyโ Lister, a former professional wrestler who was known for his bullying Deebo character in the โFridayโ films, has died. His character was known for his infamous line โGet knocked out like your father used to.โโRIP Tiny โDeeboโ Lister,โ Ice Cube said Thursday night on Instagram. โWWE is saddened to learn that Tom โTinyโ Lister, known as Zeus to the WWE Universe, passed away today,โ the WWE said in a tweet.
โSelena: The Seriesโ starts streaming on Netflix this week
Hereโs a collection curated by The Associated Pressโ entertainment journalists of whatโs arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. Because live shows arenโt really a thing in 2020, sheโs launching a holiday TV special on Apple TV+ on Friday. โMariah Careyโs Magical Christmas Specialโ will includes a mix of musical performances and dancing with amination. Along with the album is the Netflix documentary called โShawn Mendes: In Wonder,โ which is available for streaming and follows Mendesโ rise and journey over the last few years. โ Christmas came early when Carrie Underwood released her first holiday album in September, and on Thursday sheโll debut a musical TV special to accompany the album.
'Coming 2 America' to launch on Amazon Prime in March
โComing 2 America,โ the sequel to the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy, has landed on a date to come to audiences. The film which reunites Murphy and Arsenio Hall will debut on Amazon Prime Video on March 5, 2021, Amazon Studios said Friday. Originally a Paramount Pictures theatrical release, the studio sold the film to the streamer last month but had yet to finalize a date. โComing to America was a cultural phenomenon that is one of the most loved and celebrated comedies of all time,โ said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, in a statement. โWe know audiences around the world will fall in love with this hilarious, joyful movie that will surely become a timeless favorite.โJames Earl Jones, Shari Headley and John Amos will also be reprising their roles alongside new additions like Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan and KiKi Layne.
โSaturday Night Liveโ has best season opener since 2016
โSaturday Night Liveโ scored its biggest season premiere audience in four years and second best in 12 years, emphasizing the importance of presidential election time for the NBC comedy show. During a busy week for news and sports, โSaturday Night Liveโ was the most-watched entertainment show, despite starting at 11:35 p.m. on the East Coast, the Nielsen company said. With 8.24 million viewers, it was the second most-watched โSNLโ episode since May 2017, with the exception being last December's triumphant return of Eddie Murphy. โWe needed โSaturday Night Liveโ to rise to the occasion for this moment, and it didn't,โ agreed Eric Deggans, critic for National Public Radio. โDebate Analysis,โ NBC, 6.94 million.
Oops, says Emmy: 'This Is Us' actor gets Emmy after mix-up
(The Television Academy via AP)LOS ANGELES โ In a virtual Emmys version of the wrong-winner Oscars gaffe, Ron Cephas Jonesโ guest actor award for โThis Is Usโ was announced for another nominee, Jason Bateman. In a voice-over announcement, Bateman was declared the winner for his guest appearance on HBO's โThe Outsider,โ while the screen displayed Jones' name. Other winners Saturday included Eddie Murphy, whose return to โSaturday Night Liveโ after more than three decades earned the star his first Emmy Award, for guest comedy series actor. Maya Rudolph claimed the categoryโs guest actress trophy for her portrayal of Sen. Kamala Harris on the same episode. Cherry Jones was honored as guest actor in a drama series for โSuccession."