Author: mlawson

Article written for ew.com by Ashley Boucher

Before I arrived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, I was warned plenty about getting seasick. I was not, however, warned about the potential for nausea from something else entirely – a dead herring in my mouth.

And yet here I find myself decked out in boots and a bright yellow bib while holding the frozen fish with a rubber glove as the crewmen of Captain Keith Colburn’s Wizard, the massive fishing boat made recognizable in households across the world by The Deadliest Catch, count down from three. My goal when they hit “one” is to rip its head clean off… with my teeth. Keith has assured me that I should be grateful the herring is frozen – otherwise, I’d have blood dripping down my chin – but it’s a little tougher than I expected (and honestly, it doesn’t taste too bad; kind of reminds me of eating tinned fish). I’m successful in my quest, though the rip isn’t quite as clean as Keith would like. Naturally, he has to show me how it’s done himself, to cheers from the crew.

I’m here in Captain’s Bay on a cold (but thankfully dry) January morning among towers and towers of crab pots to celebrate the series’ 20th anniversary (season 20 premieres June 11 on Discovery Channel) by learning firsthand what it takes to be a deckhand on an Alaskan crabbing vessel. So for two days, I’m getting put through the paces as a greenhorn, a.k.a. the freshest meat onboard. Hence the herring, every greenhorn’s rite of passage on the Wizard.

For the past two decades since it debuted on April 12, 2005, The Deadliest Catch has taken viewers inside what’s touted as the deadliest job on Earth: crab fishing in the Bering Sea. Almost every channel surfer has seen at least an episode, and many credit the series with launching the “dirty jobs” genre of reality TV.

While much of the series’ format has remained the same, a lot has changed since Keith arrived in Dutch Harbor with nothing but a backpack nearly 40 years ago. “The biggest thing is, it used to be just a wide-open derby, and then it went to a quota base system,” he says as we sit in the Wizard’s control room. He’s talking about the Alaskan crab industry’s switch in 2005 (just after the Deadliest Catch’s inaugural season). “There were too many boats, too many fatalities” in the derby, which led to more regulations when it comes to fishing in the Bering Sea. Under the derby, boats were essentially in a free-for-all to catch as much as they could during a small fishing window. Under the quota system, boats are given a maximum they’re allowed to catch within a longer time frame.

A low crab population caused fisheries to close for two years. (Deadliest Catch fans will know this well, and remember that it led Sig Hansen to Norway for a time to see if he could have better luck there.) When crab fisheries reopened in 2023, regulations included a caveat: Boats were allowed to catch more crab if another boat didn’t meet its quota – rules reminiscent of the old derby days. “That’s really unique about this year,” showrunner Arom Starr-Paul jumps in from across the room while I’m sitting with Keith. “It’s like season 1 again.”

Or as Keith puts it, “The race for crab is back.”

Changing tack

The next day, I’m sitting in the bridge of Sig Hansen’s Northwestern, attempting to steer the 125-foot vessel out of Captain’s Bay. Sig already scolded me for sitting cross-legged in the captain’s seat (“Don’t embarrass me. Spread ’em.”), and corrected my terminology (“You run a boat; you drive a car.”). Now, he looks at me skeptically. “You don’t want to hit that dock, right?”

After I successfully maneuver into more open waters — avoiding the dock and an otter floating nearby — Sig ushers me out on deck, where a handful of his crewmen gamely teach me how to toss the anchor (“You fish with line, not rope,” by the way. According to Sig, rope is for cowboys), throw a pot, pick up a pot, and even operate the crane — which is terrifying enough on this beautiful bluebird day, even as Sig reminds me that usually I’d have waves, wind, and rain to contend with, too.

Like Keith, as I ask Sig about the glory days of crabbing back in the ‘80s, he can’t help but note the industry’s changes. “I see that there’s still a future, but a more controlled future,” Sig tells me as we sail out of the harbor, surrounded by the snow-covered mountains that dot the Aleutian Islands. “[The] industry is getting smaller. They’re streamlining it more… What we had with the derby days and the amount of people, you’ll never see that again. It’s less boats that are fishing the same amount of crab.”

Starr-Paul says the “primal fear and primal danger” keep viewers hooked, but it’s also the captains, deckhands, and their families that reel fans in. “We’ve been able to get really deep into characters’ lives and create relationships with the audience in ways that I don’t know that other shows have had a chance to do,” Joe Boyle, SVP Production and Development, Discovery Channel, tells me.

While longtime fan-favorites like Sig and Keith are mainstays on the show, several fresh faces were introduced in season 19, including Sophia “Bob” Nielsen, Jacob Hutchins, and Jack Bunnell, who will all be featured again in season 20. “The future of the show, to me, is continuing to tell the story of the next generation,” Starr-Paul says.

Dead Ahead

Back on the Northwestern, the sun’s reflection on the water is blinding, and it’s so beautiful it almost makes you forget about the biting cold. After we’ve trudged inside once more so Sig can take over running the boat, the captain echoes Starr-Paul. “I want my daughter, I want my grandkids to do this,” he says. But you won’t be able to keep Sig off the water. “I think I’ll always go,” he adds before recalling that very first season. “When we first did it the first year, we didn’t know that this was going to be a thing. I was just happy to participate because it was showing the world what we were doing.”

Twenty years later, and the world isn’t only aware of what they’re doing, but invested. And season 20 will deliver, Starr-Paul promises fans. “They’re going to see danger on the water that they haven’t seen in probably 10 years,” he teases, adding that viewers will be “blown away” by this season’s action. “I don’t think we’ve ever had some of the events that we’ve had this past fall.”

A greenhorn journalist decapitating a frozen herring is just the beginning.

Carla Hall x James Beard Foundation

Join celebrity chef Carla Hall for an unforgettable evening to celebrate the premiere of her upcoming new series on Max, Chasing Flavor. At this exclusive viewing party, guests will enjoy drinks and sweet potato and kale hand pies before joining Carla for an intimate first-look seated screening of the show. Following the screening, Carla will share some of her favorite flavors and stories during a live cooking demonstration (and tasting!) of delectable recipes inspired by the destinations highlighted in the series. Don’t miss this chance to savor both the on-screen and culinary delights with chef Carla Hall herself.

General Admission: $100

PURCHASE NOW

About Carla Hall: 

Chef, best-selling author, and television personality Carla Hall has been entertaining audiences with her enthusiasm for life and warm personality for years. Having spent seven years co-hosting ABC’s Emmy award–winning, popular lifestyle series The Chew, Carla is also featured on multiple Food Network shows and was a judge on Crazy Delicious (Netflix).  She first won over audiences when she competed on Bravo’s Top Chef and Top Chef: All Stars and shared her philosophy to always cook with love.
Carla’s latest cookbook, Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration, was published in 2018, landing on annual “best cookbook” lists across the country and receiving an NAACP Image Awards nomination. She is also the author of a children’s book, Carla and the Christmas Cornbread (Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster), a heartwarming tale inspired by her childhood.

About Chasing Flavor:

Chasing Flavor is a unique food culture show that traces the history of dishes we think are quintessentially American, but have interconnected international origins. The series premieres February 1st on Max and follows chef and best-selling author Carla Hall around the world as she tracks down the unexpected lineage of dishes and learns buried truths that have paved the way for today’s cuisine. Because if you don’t know the story, you don’t know the dish.

Five films will make their world premieres at HIFF

The extended 10-day 30th Annual HIFF, takes place October 7-16. We are pleased to celebrate these debuts and an additional selection of films across our Spotlight and World Cinema programs, and our Signature Programs Films of Conflict & Resolution, Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights, and Views From Long Island.

“It is with great enthusiasm that we are able to once again welcome our film-loving community back to our theaters out East for the 30th anniversary of the festival,” said David Nugent, HamptonsFilm Artistic Director. “With a diverse and robust selection of narrative and documentary films, we are excited to share unique, thrilling stories from this year’s talented filmmakers. We feel so proud to play host to a number of World Premiere screenings, and are honored that these brilliant storytellers have chosen to screen their films for audiences for the first time here at HIFF.”

Learn more about the first ten films announced in the HIFF30 lineup below. Additional programming will be announced in the coming weeks.

A RADICAL LIFE

World Premiere
Directed by Ricki Stern
Films of Conflict & Resolution
This documentary takes an unfiltered look at the former First Lady of ISIS, Tania Joya, who for twelve years was married to John Georgelas, the highest ranking American in ISIS.
• A discovery+ release

WHO INVITED CHARLIE?

World Premiere
Directed by Xavier Manrique
Spotlight Film / Views From Long Island
Shot out East, WHO INVITED CHARLIE? stars Jordana Brewster, Adam Pally, and Reid Scott, and follows a family hiding out in the Hamptons as their bubble is popped when a Bloody Mary-swilling, pot-smoking ‘Charlie’ from their past shows up seeking refuge.
• Spotlight is sponsored by Audi
• Views From Long Island is supported by the Suffolk County Film Commission.

JANUARY 6TH

World Premiere
Directed by Jules and Gédéon Naudet
World Cinema Documentary
This documentary examines January 6th from the unique perspective of the heroes, first responders, and survivors of the attack as they reveal their first-hand experience of the stand.
• A discovery+ release

PINBALL – THE MAN WHO SAVED THE GAME

World Premiere
Directed by Austin and Meredith Bragg
World Cinema Narrative
Starring Mike Faist, Crystal Reed, and Dennis Boutsikaris, PINBALL – THE MAN WHO SAVED THE GAME follows an unsettled writer and his journey to save the game of pinball while also facing life’s challenges.

THE VOLCANO: RESCUE FROM WHAKAARI

World Premiere
Directed by Rory Kennedy 
World Cinema Documentary
A minute-by-minute account of unsuspecting tourists caught in a tragic volcanic eruption while sightseeing on an island off New Zealand in 2019, THE VOLCANO: RESCUE FROM WHAKAARI celebrates the survivors, as well as the everyday people who courageously came to their rescue.
• A Netflix release

Article written by Kristen McCraken on hamptonsfilmfest.org

This year’s crop of new dating shows has already brought us ‘woman tries to meet her Mr. Darcy while indulging in Pride and Prejudice-style cosplay’ (The Courtship), ‘bunch of college-age kids matchmake their single parents while spying on their every move’ (My Mom, Your Dad) and, most bizarrely of all, ‘gym bunnies attempt to find mate by borrowing animal kingdom rituals on a Colombian eco-reserve’ (Love in the Jungle). The premise of Lifetime’s latest foray into the genre, “single lady invites five random men to live in her own house,” therefore, no longer seems quite so deranged.

Adapted from the same-named hit British show that’s just recently returned for a retooled third season, Five Guys A Week (July 13) has nothing to do with the titular burger chain. But it does pursue a similar fast-food approach to love, with each pool of potential suitors whittled down from five to one in the time it takes to eat a bacon cheese dog with Cajun style fries. Indeed, this is no ridiculously drawn-out The Bachelor-esque epic, and it’s all the better for it.

As with every dating contest, casting is key. And in the first and only episode available for review, producers have chosen wisely, with both the selector and selectees displaying both a reality TV savviness and a sense that they’re not just on the show to boost their Instagram follower count.

Mercy, a 36-year-old mental health counselor and two-time divorced mother of one, is the first participant to willingly allow five strange (and in some cases, literally strange) guys to share her humble abode: its limited space means that, amusingly, all potential suitors have to share the same bedroom in the manner of an overgrown sleepover. Of course, due to the show’s rapid-fire nature, one poor schmuck has already been eliminated before he gets the chance to put his PJs on.

Chances are you’ll be able to guess his identity from the opening VTs intercut with all the slightly awkward front door introductions. Without giving too much away, there’s Meech, a sharp-suited and surprisingly shy NBA skills coach who wants to form his own power couple; Eli, an optimistic banker with a penchant for grand romantic statements (“I can see from the beauty in your eyes that you’re looking for love”); and Chris, a 6’11” behavioral specialist with an uncanny ability to put his big foot in his own mouth – in one of the episode’s cringiest moments he introduces himself to Mercy as “your new lover.” Ick.

Then there’s Raul, a medical engineer and in light of a slightly fraught dinner table conversation, probably the likeliest to have been taken in by NFTs. And last but not least there’s Donald, a 55-year-old real estate agent who lists ‘lovemaking’ as one of his key skills and spends most of his screentime talking about his failed internet romances. Sure, he might lack any sense of decorum but Donald should serve as a reminder to casting teams that you don’t have to fixate on insanely ripped millennials to find dating TV gold. The ‘coming up’ trailer suggests that the rest of the series doesn’t discriminate on age, either.

Luckily, the self-assured Mercy is more than capable of presiding over such a motley crew, demanding that each player goes shirtless for a two-on-two basketball match (the speed at which they submit is quite impressive) and borrowing RuPaul’s “Don’t f*** it up” catchphrase in an early warning shot. She even castigates the entire group after discovering that one of her guests has committed the ultimate offense of leaving the toilet seat up.

It’s these domestic squabbles which help set Five Guys apart from the rest of the dating pack. With each new show desperately trying to find new convoluted ways of manufacturing love and tension, it’s refreshing to watch a series which deals in the more relatable humdrum of daily life. The stakes here aren’t particularly high: the end goal here isn’t an undying declaration of love or wedding ceremony that will inevitably be annulled while the ink is still dry on the marriage certificate. It’s simply to find someone worthy of going on a date with once the fully-manned TV crew has gone home. However, that means its characters, free of the usual need to backstab, scheme and contrive drama, feel relaxed enough to be themselves.

Well, most of them, anyway. Mercy’s brother Harlow, one of several friends and family members roped in to make the whole process just that little more awkward, seems hellbent on stealing the limelight, whether it’s assessing the thickness of each guy’s eyebrows on a night out or delivering a brutal post-mortem on their return home (“He talks too much, he can’t dance”). He even quizzes the group, right in front of his visiting mom and uncle, on what size breast job they’d like his sister to undergo post-pregnancy. As with the whole concept in general, you have to wonder why anyone would put themselves through so much effort for no guaranteed reward.

Still, reality TV viewers who prefer their quests for romance to be a little more low-key will be glad that they did. Five Guys A Week may sound like a polyamorist’s dream. Yet despite the extraordinary premise, it stands apart from the crowd by being refreshingly ordinary.

Jon O’Brien (@jonobrien81) is a freelance entertainment and sports writer from the North West of England. His work has appeared in the likes of Vulture, Esquire, Billboard, Paste, i-D and The Guardian. 

Article written by Jon O’Brien on decider.com

Seven days, five men, one house — what could go wrong? Lifetime’s newest reality show, Five Guys a Week, centers on one leading woman each episode as she dates five men, all at the same time, all living in her home. The network calls it a “totally immersive social experiment that redefined relationship television,” and ET got an exclusive first look at all the details.

Over the course of each week, cameras capture the tension, twists and romance that inevitably ensues when five men compete for one lady all under the same roof. Together, the group must navigate the ins and outs of communal living — sharing bathrooms, finding bedrooms, cooking, and a very competitive cocktail hour — while vying for the woman’s attention. The stakes increase with each day, as the woman must eliminate one prospect at a time throughout the week.

Though the show is based on Fremantle’s international series, the American version breaks its own ground for relationship television, offering an expanded repertoire of competitors ranging in age from 20s to 60s. Many are looking for love a second or third time.

The sneak peak teases a healthy dose of competition between the eligible bachelors, along with several moments of undeniable chemistry and some dinnertime advice from the leading ladies’ friends and family. Who does she listen to, and who will she choose? Audiences will have to stick around to figure that out.

Article written by Zoe Phillips on cbs8.com

The 5 Best New TV Shows Our Critic Watched in February 2022

I’ll level with you: this has been an unusually weak month for new shows. Maybe the networks ran out of steam after unveiling some actually-pretty-decent new comedies in January, or maybe some release dates got shuffled to avoid conflicting with an Olympics that very few people ended up watching. All I can say for sure is that I sampled a couple dozen February debuts and was only bowled over by one: Severance. (NB: I’ve had to recuse myself from weighing in on the noteworthy docuseries Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye West Trilogy, on Netflix, because it is produced by my colleagues at TIME Studios and would present a conflict of interest.) The remainder of this roundup consists of shows I happened to enjoy, despite some conspicuous flaws. Criticism is, of course, always subjective—and never more so than in this particular list.

The Girl Before (HBO Max)

An architect builds a breathtaking minimalist house in London and rents it out, at far below market rate, to tenants who meet his exacting specifications. They can’t hang pictures, make messes, have children—and they must consent to monitoring by elaborate smart-home devices. In parallel timelines, two women occupy the space. Emma (Jessica Plummer) shares it with a partner, Simon (Ben Hardy). Three years later, Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) moves in alone and soon makes an alarming discovery about the building. The women bear a jarring resemblance to each other, and each has recently suffered acute trauma.

It’s a premise worthy of Hitchcock, and the Master of Suspense’s influence is indeed palpable in this four-part adaptation of J.P. Delaney’s best-selling novel The Girl Before. While the last act doesn’t rise to the level of earlier episodes, stellar performances further elevate this chilly, cerebral, sophisticated psychological thriller. Mbatha-Raw strikes the right balance of fragility and strength. David Oyelowo is equally mesmerizing as the architect, whose serene veneer renders his intentions opaque. And maybe it goes without saying, but the interiors are stunning.

Inventing Anna (Netflix)

Shonda Rhimes‘ latest Netflix megahit has divided audiences, and you know what? I get it. I even agree with the most of the common criticisms. The episodes are too long. The acting is uneven. Rhimes is too generous to her subject, the “Soho Grifter” formerly known as Anna Delvey, while the portrayals of her victims can be egregiously nasty. Journalism doesn’t work like that. Something something girlboss something something.

And yet… there’s a lot about the show that I enjoyed. Although there were certainly some dud performances, Julia Garner was magnificent as the intense, chameleonic Anna; her outlandish accent put some viewers off, but for me it worked as the big honking red flag that everyone around her failed to see. Anna Chlumsky was perfectly cast as a disgraced everywoman reporter scrambling to redeem herself. And, in all honesty, I appreciated the show’s refusal to reproduce the same bland, measured morality tale we always get when TV rips scammer stories from the headlines. Who needs another sociopath saga? Inventing Anna may not be a masterpiece, but it does understand the core appeal of con artists: they’re fun. Our appetite for them is endless because their appetites for life—for money, power, achievement, glamour—are endless.

Phat Tuesdays: The Era of Hip Hop Comedy (Amazon)

Behind every superstar stand-up (at least until the social media era), there is a local comedy community that prepared them for prime time. For many of the biggest breakouts between 1995 and 2005, that community was headquartered at Phat Tuesdays, a weekly showcase by and for Black talent at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. Opening with the scene’s origins at South L.A.’s Comedy Act Theater in the late ’80s and early ’90s, this three-part doc makes the persuasive argument that when Black comedians secured a platform at the same storied venue that hosted the biggest white acts of the era, it led to a seismic shift in the industry. Phat Tuesdays didn’t just launch individual careers; it helped to desegregate comedy.

As an amendment to a historical record that too often whitewashes L.A. comedy and credits the synergy between hip hop and stand-up solely to Def Comedy Jam, Phat Tuesdays is invaluable. Would it, like just about every other docuseries in this era of streaming bloat, have benefited from being cut down to the length of a feature? Absolutely; whole segments of the final episode verge on inanity. But the messiness of the editing is far outweighed by the pleasure of watching some of the funniest people in the world reminisce about their youthful shenanigans. Executive producer Guy Torry, the actor and comedian who founded Phat Tuesdays, and Reginald Hudlin (who also directs) assemble dozens of interviews with everyone from A-listers like Tiffany Haddish and Anthony Anderson to comics’ comics like J.B. Smoove, Luenell and the pioneering trans stand-up Flame Monroe. (The presence of Regina King and Snoop Dogg underscores Phat Tuesdays’ influence on the entertainment industry at large.) When even the documentary crew can’t stifle their laughter, you know you’re in for a treat.

Severance (Apple TV+)

Set in a snowy parallel universe (or perhaps near-future), the show centers on Lumon Industries, an all-American megacorp overseen by a family dynasty that dates back to a supposedly benevolent philosopher-founder in the mold of Henry Ford or Andrew Carnegie. In recent years Lumon has pioneered a procedure known as severance, which allows the company to split employees’ consciousness for the purposes of conducting top-secret work. After they consent to having an implant placed in their brains, “severed” staffers essentially become two people. While they’re still the same person they always were outside of office hours, their second self exists only at Lumon. Neither half retains any memory of the other’s life. “Outies” wonder, with increasing anxiety, what their “innie” does at work; innies speculate on the very basics of who their outie is.

State of the Union (SundanceTV, Sundance Now and AMC+)

I’m cheating a bit with this entry, because State of the Union is an anthology series, and the season that premiered earlier this month was its second. Stephen Frears directs, Nick Hornby writes and the conceit is that each 10-minute episode consists of a conversation between separated spouses on their way to couples therapy. And I’m counting the latest edition as a new show because you don’t have to know anything about its predecessor to watch.

While the first season cast Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd as Brits prepping for their shrink over pints at the pub, the sequel pairs up Patricia Clarkson and Brendan Gleeson as American boomers who’ve grown apart after decades together. Clarkson’s Ellen is a free spirit experimenting with Quaker faith and progressive activism; Scott (Gleeson) doesn’t seem to have revised his worldview since the ’70s. Even the coffee shop where they meet up is too newfangled for him, with its non-dairy milks and its non-binary barista (Esco Jouley). The dialogue can get stagey, and the old timer who can’t wrap his mind around they/them pronouns is fast becoming a stock character. But the central question is solid: What happens to a couple when one person evolves with the times and the other stays stuck in the past? And the real draw (aside from the mercifully short total runtime) is the intimacy and pathos generated by two of the most skilled character actors of their generation.

Article written by Judy Berman on time.com

We’re so excited to share Lacey Leone McLaughlin’s first episode of her podcast, Unfolding Leadership, of which Original Productions Jeff Hasler is her first guest! What can older business leaders learn from Gen Z and Millennials? Why is running a Hollywood company not all glamour? How can we, as leaders, combat the great resignation? All topics we touch on that I find fascinating and invigorating. Give it a listen wherever you find podcasts or watch the video on Youtube…link below!

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS5G0w5bvf0 [youtube.com]

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unfolding-leadership-with-lacey-leone-mclaughlin/id1599371169?i=1000544359441

Prime Video has given a series greenlight to Phat Tuesdays, a docuseries from Guy Torry, creator and host of the famed Phat Tuesday comedy shows at LA’s The Comedy Store, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Reginald Hudlin (The Black Godfather, Marshall), Amazon Studios, Original Productions, Phat Tuesday Productions and Kelsey Grammer’s Grammnet Productions.

The three-episode docuseries celebrates Torry’s Phat Tuesdays at The Comedy Store, the influential comedy showcase that helped launch the careers of some of the most famous Black comedians in the industry. It’s set to premiere exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, February 4, in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Phat Tuesdays is the inspiring story of how a little experiment to help Black comedians following the tragedy of the 1992 LA riots turned into a triumphant must-see experience. The showcase regularly brought together people from all walks of life—icons and ex-cons, stars and starlets, pros and regular joes—for one purpose, laughter, and became the most popular comedy show in Hollywood during the ‘90s.

Featuring a who’s who of comedians and personalities, including Anthony Anderson, Tichina Arnold, Nick Cannon, Dave Chappelle, Snoop Dogg, Cedric the Entertainer, Tiffany Haddish, Steve Harvey, Lil Rel Howery, Regina King, Jo Koy, Luenell, Flame Monroe, Jay Pharoah, Craig Robinson, JB Smoove, Chris Tucker, Kym Whitley, and more, Phat Tuesdays chronicles how Torry moved mountains to launch an all-Black comedy night at The Comedy Store. What started as an experiment in ‘90s Los Angeles turned into a must-see, hilarious experience, elevating Black voices to have their turn on the stage.

The docuseries includes exclusive interviews with comedians and celebrities who were there, and never-before-seen footage of legendary comedy sets.

Comedian, writer, and actor Torry (American History X, Life) serves as executive producer, along with Hudlin, who also directs. Byron Phillips also executive produces, along with Jeff Hasler, Brian Lovett, and Jeff Bumgarner for Original Productions, and Kelsey Grammer and Tom Russo for Grammnet Productions. Joshua Firosz, Darren Toon for Original Productions, and Jordan McMahon for Grammnet Productions serve as co-executive producers.

“I can’t wait for the world to experience the story of Phat Tuesdays,” said Torry. “It was more than a night of laughter—it was a movement. Phat Tuesdays was Black, bold, and brilliant. It was the best damn comedy show, period!”

“Against all odds, Guy Torry created a venue where the next generation of comedy superstars could launch their careers, and turned the lamest night of the week into the hottest, with the sexiest superstars in Hollywood showing up to laugh till they cried,” said Hudlin. “Phat Tuesdays tells that story and much more. It’s the funniest people on Earth explaining comedy from every perspective as an artform, as a business, and as a force for social change.”

“We are proud to celebrate the legacy of Phat Tuesdays and shine the spotlight on Guy Torry for his trailblazing efforts to give Black comedians their turn on stage in ‘90s Hollywood,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon Studios. “The stories and first-person accounts that Reggie Hudlin and Guy help showcase in this docuseries are not only hilarious and entertaining, but powerful as well, and celebrate how the Black community came together to evolve comedy and entertainment.”

Phat Tuesdays is produced by Amazon Studios, Original Productions, Phat Tuesday Productions and Grammnet Productions.

Article written by Denise Petski on deadline.com

Lifetime is building on the success of unscripted series such as Married At First Sight with a new slate of originals.

The A+E Networks cabler has ordered three new series: plastic surgery transformation series My Killer Body with K. Michelle, dating series Five Guys a Week, based on the UK format and family docuseries Leave it to George, from RuPaul’s Drag Race producer World of Wonder.

Five Guys A Week, which was originally produced by Fremantle’s Label1 for Channel 4 in the UK, is a dating series that sees one lady looking for love inviting five men she has selected to move into her home. As they all live together, the guys will also meet her family and friends who will weigh in along the way on who should be the last man standing. As the week goes by, she eliminates them one by one, until she finds the one.

The 20-episode series is produced by Fremantle’s Original Productions and exec produced by Brian Lovett, Jeff Hasler and Roy Orecchio for Original Productions and Amy Winter and Shura Davison for Lifetime.

“We are so excited for this addictive new slate of unscripted programming that I know will speak to so many women,” said Amy Winter, EVP and Head of Programming, Lifetime and LMN.  “We know our audience wants to exhale at the end of a long day and these are three great series that deliver on Lifetime’s legacy of escapist entertainment, whether it’s laughing along with Geege and her unforgettable family, going along for the ride as romance unfolds with Five Guys, or watching someone rebuild their confidence with My Killer Body with K. Michelle.”

Article written by Peter White on deadline.com

Legendary comic, host, and recent Automotive Hall of Fame inductee Jay Leno is back on the road for a sixth season of “Jay Leno’s Garage,” starting Wednesday, September 22 at 10pm ET/PT. Twelve new episodes feature even more speed, strength, shocks…and a space race! Jay shifts gears this season with superstar friends including Tiffany Haddish, Kelly Clarkson, James Corden, Mark Cuban, Ashton Kutcher, Michael Strahan, Margaret Cho, Trevor Noah, Kevin Bacon, Rick Ross, Ray Liotta, Scott Eastwood, Tim Allen, Sebastian Maniscalco, Offset, Cedric the Entertainer, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jeff Gordon, James Brolin, and more.

“The fun part of going into your sixth season is people know the show and they are excited to come on and talk cars, share stories and do a couple of burnouts,” said Jay Leno. “I’m thrilled to see guests come back like Kelly Clarkson, Trevor Noah, and Tim Allen. We are also getting a lot of first timers like Tiffany Haddish, Mark Cuban, Offset, James Corden and more.”

“Our primetime programming is designed to inspire and no one does it better than Jay Leno and his unyielding passion for cars and the stories behind them,” said Denise Contis, Executive Vice President and Head of Content, CNBC Primetime.

In the September 22^nd season premiere episode entitled “Big Dreams,” Jay starts by kicking Drew Carey’s soccer dreams into high gear with a crazy game of “car soccer.” Talk show icon James Corden usually steals the show, but after sampling a little of his automotive life, he tries to steal Jay’s Jag! Jay and actor Gary Sinise salute a decorated veteran who’s helping other vets achieve their dreams, with a little four wheeled surprise. And comedian Tammy Pescatelli may be a small-town girl with a big career… but could she be the first guest to crash a car?

“Jay Leno’s Garage” is a star-studded, action-packed exploration of all things automotive.  Leno and his celebrity friends are only happy to celebrate anything on four wheels – from extravagant supercars to the wildest art cars, never forgetting that it’s the people behind the wheel who provide the real stories.

“Jay Leno’s Garage” is produced by Original Productions, a Fremantle Company, and Kitten Kaboodle, with Jay Leno, Jeff Hasler, Jeff Bumgarner, Ernie Avila, Brian Lovett and Abby Schwarzwalder as executive producers. Adam Barry is the executive producer for CNBC.