Brian To/Wenn.com

It looks one of our favorite singers turned actress is going to be very busy in 2013.

Jill Scott, aka Jilly from Philly, is set to c-star in the CBS pilot Second Sight, According to EURweb. The show will likely premiere in the fall.

Second Sight will center around Detective Ross Tanner (played by Jason Lee) who tries to hide the fact that he has an ocular disease that causes him to have hallucinations. But when he tries to catch a serial killer, he realizes that it’ll take his eyesight just as much as his experience as a cop to find him.

Scott will play Dr. Callier, the specialist who treats his disease.

Second Sight will also star Derek Luke, cast as Det. Paul Giroux, an overeager cop who is part of Tanner’s team.  He may or may not know about Tanner’s disease but either way, he wants his job.

Jill Scott is going to be pretty busy this year. In addition to this latest announcement, she’s also in the upcoming film Baggage Claim and she’ll be a performer at the 2013 Essence Festival.  Want more? Jill also casually mentioned on Twitter that she’ll be releasing two albums this year. Whew!

As for the Second Sight, CBS isn’t known for keeping an audience’s attention, especially black viewers, so we’ll see how this goes!

Does this sound like something you’d watch?

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

If you’re not into NFL football, Super Bowl parties or even Beyonce for that matter, Sunday’s big game might not be a highlight for you, but the multi-million dollar commercial advertisements might be!

You might have already seen a few ads here or there gearing up for the Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and San Fransisco 49ers and the record-breaking audience it will receive, including Beyonce’s Pepsi ad for her sponsored halftime show, but there are many more to come. From big household names like Toyota to smaller, but well-established products like Mio drinks, we are anticipating some of the biggest Super Bowl commercials ready to premiere this coming Sunday evening. Are you?

Source: AP

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Arsenio Hall decided to set the record straight about his past, including why he claims his famous talk show wasn’t canceled, and explains how he was supposed to play alongside Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys, not Will Smith. I know, I couldn’t imagine him in such a role either.

At one point in the interview, writer Alex Ben Block asks Hall why his show was canceled in ’94, but he was quick to clarify that it wasn’t canceled per se, but that he chose to walk away from it after five years on air–and some lagging ratings. He also elaborated on why he felt the need to step away:

It wasn’t canceled. I resigned. Sure, there was an erosion of the numbers (audience ratings) as shows tend to do in year five or six. You are a little lower this year than last year. But the show never stopped making money, never stopped being profitable for Paramount…I actually thought I needed changes in my life and I need to try other things. I wanted to do things professionally, like stand-up, and try some acting. I felt my whole life needed broadening. I didn’t have a family. Everything I had done was a gamble because I felt if I missed it as some point, I could get back in. I could still walk into a comedy club and make people laugh every night. That’s what I do. And I could be home in the morning to make breakfast and take my kid to school. What I was confused about was that when you go from being on every night to just being a stand-up, your visibility is on a whole different level.

Hall was also asked why he seemingly disappeared off of the face of the planet for years after his time with The Arsenio Hall Show and didn’t jump back into acting like that. He claimed that the business is just not as easy as it looks. And on top of that, he had just made some questionable decisions…like turning down Bad Boys:

It was one of those things I tried to pursue after I left late-night. I wanted to study and take it seriously and not just be the talk show host who is popular so he gets a role. But I wasn’t able to crack that nut the way I wanted. It’s a tough racket. Sometimes I made bad choices. I remember there was a time I decided not to do more stand-up or go on the road. I turned down a movie called Bad Boys where it would have been me and Martin (Lawrence) instead of Will (Smith) and Martin. You look back and say, It wasn’t a bad decision because I’m happy with my life. I’m a daddy or whatever. But then you realize, that’s not where I’m supposed to be. One day you really miss it.

So after taking his stint as a TV host for granted, Hall realized that he wanted to get back in where he fit in. So he’s of course coming back with a revival of The Arsenio Hall Show on CBS this fall. What can we expect from it? And who is he trying to reach this time around?

There’s probably some marketing person saying it’s a party. It’s a spirited show. It is targeted for a younger demographic. The bottom line is yes it’s a party, just as the powers that be will say it is…The audience we had the first time around is about 40 now. From the (research) we have crunched, I think the audience that will embrace the show is an interesting cross-demographic. That guy has kids now. I think they will both watch.

Well all right. Can’t say I will be thirsty to tune in myself, but I’m all about black folks making good money doing what they’re good at. You can check out the full interview, including an explanation of when Hall realized he was going to try to get back on late night television and how that involves Snoop Dogg, if you click over to The Hollywood Reporter.

iStockphoto

Who’s watching network television these days? Fewer blacks are.

Instead they are turning to cable TV, according to recent Nielsen data. It all started when African Americans tuned in to cable during the football and political seasons. And they haven’t turned back. Though blacks did turn the dial to CBS more than any other network, watching 60 Minutes, and crime shows such as CSI and Criminal Minds, reports Target Market News.

African Americans remain the largest minority segment of the U.S. television household population, comprising approximately 13 percent of the 109.6 million TV households.

The most popular shows on cable television for African-American households include: NFL football on ESPN; VH1′s T.I. and Tiny, Basketball Wives LA 2, and Chrissy & Mr. Jones; and TBS´ For Better or Worse. The only BET series on the top 25 list is Keysha & Daniel: Family First.  Maybe this is yet another sign, BET needs to revamp its programming.

Source: WENN

We’ve heard bits, pieces, and rumors of Queen Latifah landing a daytime talk show in the near future, but now the talk has finally been confirmed with news reporting Ms. Dana Owens’ talk show will definitely hit the airwaves next Fall. As Nelli Andreeva at Deadline.com tells it:

I’ve learned that, in a competitive situation, the daily syndicated talk show, executive produced by Latifah, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, has gone to the CBS TV Stations in a premium deal that will have the strip on the 16 CBS Owned & Operated stations.

The Queen Latifah Show will feature celebrity interviews, human interest stories, comedy, pop culture and musical performances. It is expected to showcase Queen Latifah’s talents, blending comedy and music into her hosting duties.

Can you say yay?

Though Queen Latifah has shut down talk that she’s the next Oprah, that comparison likely won’t disappear anytime soon, especially if her talk show is a hit, and I have a feeling it might be. Queen Latifah is quickly becomming an entertainment favorite across the board, no matter the audience or whether she’s raping, singing, or acting. As Deadline notes:

The Queen Latifah Show is shaping up to be the highest-profile new daytime syndication entry next fall. It will likely be joined by Warner Bros’ Bethenny, which is slated for a 2013 nationwide launch on the Fox stations, probably in the fall, after a successful trial run last summer, likely in the fall. Elsewhere, CBS TV Distribution has been developing a talker hosted by Bobby Flay and Giada de Laurentiis and executive produced by Shane Farley, said to be in the vein of Live With Regis & Kelly and air live. Twentieth Television is finalizing a deal with Kris Jenner to host her own daytime talk show, though that project is eying a summer tryout on the Fox stations in lieu of a traditional fall 2013 rollout. Of this fall’s freshman class, Katie has a two-year deal with the ABC stations, and Steve Harvey, which has exceeded expectations with a solid demo performance, will probably come back. Odds are long for Jeff Probst or Ricki Lake.

This is definitely a good look. Are you excited?

Source: CBS News

This week’s issue of TV Guide is not the first time cast members of the CBS drama “Person of Interest” graced the cover. It’s just the last time the show was featured, Taraji was not one of those said persons.

If you think back to the end of last September, Taraji wrote a not so nice Facebook post after seeing her co-stars Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson on the cover of TV Guide without her. She wrote:

“WOW!!!! TV Guide is NOT including me on the cover with my cast memebers [sic]……..I am the female lead of a 3 member cast and I’m not included on the cover!!!!!! Do you see the [expletive] I have to deal with in this business…..I cram to understand!!!!”

While Taraji had everyone feeling her omission was a not so subtle instance of racism and possibly even sexism, Debra Birnbaum, the Editor-in Chief of TV Guide Magazine, diverted the situation telling TooFab.com:

“I made an editorial decision to do a story about the relationship between the two male characters on Person of Interest and that’s who I was going to put on the cover. That has been my decision all along, ever since I saw the pilot. We’re certainly fans of Taraji Henson and her storyline on the show was never intended to be the focus of our cover story. I don’t know where there was a misunderstanding about this, but it’s been clear to everyone from the start. I don’t make decisions on who is put and not put on the cover based on race or gender.”

Fast forward to October 10 and there Taraji stands with her co-stars as the “vigilante dream team.” Inside, a feature on the hit series discusses the relationship between the characters each actor plays on-screen with Taraji discussing the relationship between her character, Detective Carter, and John Reese, played by Jim Caviezel.

“The first season, there was so much tension because she didn’t know if she could trust him, but now they’ve become really good friends,” Taraji said. “There’s a definite respect and love for each other.”

It’s good to see TV Guide is showing her some love and respect this year. And I must say that purple dress looks good on her. This issue of TV Guide hits newsstands tomorrow!

Do you think TV Guide is making up for last year’s omission by giving Taraji cover time this year?

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Source: sportshawaii.com

The Arsenio Hall Show was everything in the early ’90s and now the man behind the late-night talk show phenom is getting a second chance at recreating that host magic.

On the heels of his “Celebrity Apprentice” win, Arsenio has become a bit of a hot commodity, which is why CBS and Tribune Company are partnering with him on a new nightly syndicated show that’s expected to launch in 2013. The show will air at 11pm on the distribution companies’ 17 TV stations, including WGN-TV in Chicago and KTBC-TV in Los Angeles which, according to the Boston Herald, will give it instant access to more than half the country.

The first time around, Arsenio’s show had a decent five-year run. It opened strongly in 1989 and reached the pinnacle of success in 1992 when Bill Clinton made an appearance and played his saxophone in front of the live audience. Unfortunately when David Letterman entered the late-night arena, Arsenio couldn’t compete and his show was taken off the air in ’94.

Unphased by his first bout with television, Arsenio is more than ready to come back to TV. Before he even won this season of “Celebrity Apprentice” he’d expressed strong interest in getting another crack at late-night TV, and he thinks no one is better suited for the job than him. The 56-year-old said during an interview yesterday:

“In the end I’m a comic, and nothing fits the talk-show mode like a stand-up comic.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be going home to my old friends and colleagues and firing up our night thing,” he added in a statement. “Let’s get busy … Again!”

Will you tune in to Arsenio’s new show next year?

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To Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i, instilling diversity isn’t just a job; it’s her passion and her mission. Black Enterprise reports that the Howard University graduate became a CBS Entertainment as a publicist in 2000 and spent almost 10 years supervising publicity strategies for the network’s primetime series, movies and specials. Her career path has recently led her down a different road with an appointment as CBS’ vice president of entertainment diversity and communications on the West Coast. The newly created executive level position is aimed at broadening the company’s diversity across the region.

“Diversity on a whole is a global issue that will continuously be a work in progress,” Smith-Anoa’i said to Black Enterprise.  “I challenge myself and others on a daily basis to find obvious and practical solutions to this specific problem. There has been progress, however, much more needs to be done and is being done day in and day out.”

In her position Smith-Anoa’i leads the CBS Diversity Discussion, a highly regarded workshop that gathers together minority leaders in the industry for discussion on inclusion and diversity with the company’s executive producers and executive leaders. Smith-Anoa’i strongly believes that diversity is a key to financial and company accomplishment.

“Having more diverse perspectives is always a combination for success,” she said. “When you know better, you do better and it is important and invaluable to have a voice that can ultimately bring change and raise a level of awareness that was not there before.  It is pertinent to incorporate people of color at every phase of the process to insure a clear picture of Diversity is being painted.”

Smith-Anoa’i says her just her presence as an African American in an office discussion changes the dynamic of the room, even if she chooses not to say anything. It is her goal to continue to further diverse hiring and inclusion so that the discussions at CBS will continue to change and reflect a diverse staff as well as its diverse viewers.

“When diversity becomes the norm and is no longer viewed as a thorn in the side, I will rest,” she said. “Bottom line, everyone wants to feel acknowledged, included, respected and not invisible.”

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Veteran journalist and “60 Minutes” interviewer Mike Wallace dies at 93 years of age.

Mike was a regular contributor to the iconic show for over 25 years. His broadcast career spanned 65 years beginning in radio.

Mr. Wallace quickly became known for his muckraking stories, ambush interviews and sit-downs with celebrities and heads of state. He was later coined “America’s toughest interviewer”.

Read full story here..

Source: neontommy.com

If you were like me, you probably loved the original cast of CBS’ “The Talk.” (Minus Marissa Jaret Winokur, who left the show last January.) “The Talk,” which was clearly CBS’ answer to ABC’s “The View”was strong in the fact that its co-hostesses all came from diverse backgrounds. There was a lesbian (Sara Gilbert), a Brit (Sharon Osbourne), a black woman (Holly Robinson Peete), an Asian woman (Julie Chen) and the feisty Jewish and Italian woman, Leah Remini. In an industry dominated by white men, it was more than refreshing to see such a diverse cast on daytime television. In all seriousness, it was beautiful. And often more light-hearted and less controversial than “The View.” Sometimes all that screaming over one another really is too much.

But all good things must come to an end right? In a shocking and unexplained move, the network axed Peete and Remini and replaced them with Sheryl Underwood and Aisha Tyler. Interesting, right? While I don’t mean to throw any shade whatsoever to Underwood and Tyler, I miss the old lineup! I loved Leah’s authentic frankness and Holly’s delightful overshares. The dynamic of all the women and how they communicated with one another really made for good television. But what was so unsettling about Peete and Remini’s exit was the fact that no one said a thing about it.

Until now.

Leah Remini took to the 24 hour celebrity press conference, a.k.a. Twitter, to finally address why she and Peete had to go. (Finally, some closure.)

This is what she had to say: (Buckle your seat belts.)

“Sharon thought me and Holly were ‘Ghetto’, (her words) we were not funny, awkward and didn’t know ourselves… She had us fired.”

Oh lawd.

Before we get into this, let’s pause for the cause, if I hear yet another ignorant person, Caucasian or otherwise, incorrectly use the word “ghetto,” I’m going to start a riot…in the confines of my own apartment…without breaking any valuables, of course.

Leah went on to tweet that Sharon revealed all of this on Howard Stern when she, Chen and Gilbert appeared on his show back in December. Looking at the some excerpts of the interview, Sharon did say that the two didn’t “know themselves.” But the ghetto thing, I didn’t see. But who knows. In Ms. Osbourne’s defense though, if she thought Holly and Leah were ghetto, I’m sure Sheryl, though she is not ghetto, would probably be waaay too much for her to handle. And I’m not the only one who believes this, one of Remini’s followers tweeted:

@LeahRemini if so then it looks like Sheryl is the next to go cause Sharon looks like “shut up Beyotch” when Sheryl is talking

(On the real, sometime Sheryl says some very cringe worthy things.)

And Leah replied,

“That’s who she is. she did that to me everyday. I feel for them.She has the power that was given to her. And yes, you are also right”

Looking at these allegations, what do you think? Do you think Osbourne really had the two of them fired? Do you prefer the new line- up on “The Talk”? Hell, do you even watch “The Talk”? Maybe I’m the only one who is still tripping about this absolute scandal…

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