RobertTownsend Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Bill Cosby Talks About 'Why We Laugh'
Filed under: Comedy », Documentary », Casting »
One day it's Rudy Huxtable and the next, it's Cliff. No, I don't mean that he's becoming a prostitute on the big screen. That would never happen. The Hollywood Reporter posts that veteran actor Bill Cosby has joined Robert Townsend's comedian-centered documentary Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy, re-teaming him with his The Meteor Man co-star. Inspired by the book Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh from comedian and writer Darryl Littleton, the documentary is "a no-holds-barred, raw, uncensored, and truthful look at black comedy and its cultural influence. It also takes a critical examination of the social impact of black comedy and its notable artists."I'd say that the inclusion of Cosby is pretty much essential. As Patrick said back in October, when news of the project broke, the names attached include D.L. Hughley, Paul Mooney, Tommy Davidson, Reynaldo Ray, Marla Gibbs, Eddie Griffin, and Katt Williams. THR also lists Chris Rock, Steve Harvey, and George Wallace. Some of these funny people are great, influential, and immensely memorable comic names. Some are not so much. But including any of these is incomplete without Cosby, a man who has made a huge name for himself in comedy on stage, film, and televisions for many years.
Looking at the list above, it's definitely male-centric and missing a few big male and female names. Unfortunately, IMDb says that it is already in post-production. But if the film was in your hands, who would you add?
Rhames to Play Sonny Liston in 'Phantom Punch'
Filed under: Drama », Sports », Casting », Celebrities and Controversy », Scripts »
The man who made one lone bandaid look like the most badass thing around is going to take on an infamous heavyweight role. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Ving Rhames is going to star as boxer Sonny Liston in the upcoming biopic Phantom Punch. Writer/actor/director Ryan Combs wrote the screenplay, and the film is being directed by Robert Townsend (writer, director, and star of The Meteor Man). The film will cover Liston's success as a boxer, and include that "phantom punch" that brought him down.Townsend says: "The thing is that certain people are born to play certain roles and Ving has always gravitated toward Sonny Liston's story. This is his baby, and he's giving birth to it. He's already playing the character at so many levels." Liston's the guy who went up against Cassius Clay/Mohammed Ali and was brought down by the infamous "phantom punch," which was then immortalized on a Sports Illustrated cover. That's really got to suck for a man who won by knock out 39 of his 54 fights, and only lost 4. Instead of being most remembered for that, he's the guy who snoozed in the ring. But boxing isn't all that Rhames will have to take on. Before getting in the ring, Liston's predilection towards fighting got him sent to prison twice, and there's also ties to the mob to deal with. Production began this week in Toronto, and is scheduled to wrap in the beginning of December.
New Documentary Focuses on African-American Comedians
Filed under: Comedy », Documentary », Independent »
As quite possibly the whitest man alive, I feel compelled to tell you about a new documentary called Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy. The film will be produced and directed by stand-up comic Darryl Littleton and Robert Townsend (director of the brilliant satire on the black experience in Hollywood -- Hollywood Shuffle). The film is inspired by Littleton's book Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh, which you can pick up at Amazon here. The film will contain "archival clips, reenactments depicting the evolution of black comedy, and interviews with comedians and social critics." Sounds like it could be both informative and very, very funny.
Variety reports that the filmmakers have already done interviews with comedians like D.L. Hughley (co-star of the thankfully canceled Studio 60), the Wayans brothers (stars of films like White Chicks and Little Man -- neither of which I'd imagine will be discussed in the documentary), Paul Mooney (comedy legend who did those hilarious "Ask A Black Dude" and "Negrodamus" bits on Chappelle's Show), Tommy Davidson (of In Living Color and the shamefully underrated Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls), character actor Reynaldo Ray, Marla Gibbs (from The Jeffersons and 227), Eddie Griffin (star of the very funny Undercover Brother), and stand-up comedian Katt Williams. Representing the social and political commentary side, there will be discussions with Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, Russell Simmons, and Stanley Crouch. I sure hope they can swing an interview with the great Spike Lee, I could listen to that guy discuss anything all day, and he seems an ideal speaker for the project. There are no release details yet for the film.
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