Update:TBS announced the development of an animated series
"THE BLACK FAMILY – Executive producer/writer Ali LeRoi (Everybody Hates Chris, TBS’s Are We There Yet?); executive producer/artist Todd Goldman; executive producers Keenan Ivory Wayans, Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans (Scary Movie, White Chicks, Little Man); and executive producer Rick Alvarez (Dance Flick) introduce a blended interracial family, the Blacks. "info from
hereAlso Five questions for Damon Wayans, author of 'Red Hats' Actor/comedian Damon Wayans has written his first novel, Red Hats (Atria, $19.99). He spoke with USA TODAY.
1. What inspired you to write about a 64-year-old woman who joins the Red Hat Society? I was in search of a new challenge, because it's so easy for artists to become stagnant and then self-destructive, and I had reached that point.
2. Alma seems to be the exact opposite of you. She's angry and lonely. Is there anything autobiographical behind her story? I was going through a midlife crisis, and I dealt with a lot of things that Alma did in terms of "who am I now?" I'm single and afraid of heartbreak. There's a lot of me in Alma.
3. Was writing this book part of the healing process for you during a painful time? Yes, my mission in life is to fix my relationships with the people I love. I'm going to be 50 this year and by the grace of God I'll get 30 or 40 more years, and I don't want my last words to be "I'm sorry" to anyone.
4.Have you found a new calling? Definitely. I want to write, I love the fact that I can go anywhere in the world and just write.
5. Of all the characters you have played, who is your favorite? I haven't created him yet
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hereAlsoDamon Wayans on his bppk and other things...
“I wrote this from passion,” said Wayans at Georgia Perimeter College’s Clarkston campus, where he spent an hour answering questions from students and fans before signing his new book. “I wanted to do something different, to do something that spoke to me.”
He admitted to writing difficulties after the1994 film “Blankman” he wrote bombed. “It made me so insecure, I stopped writing,” he said. “And even when I did, I have a stack of scripts I’m too afraid to let anyone read.” He didn’t let his mom (who is a member of the Red Hats) to read his novel, much less any other Wayans family member except his sister Kim.
He ripped through the first 100 pages of “Red Hats” in ten days. Then he got really insecure, he said. He sold it based on those 100 pages, then spent a year procrastinating and being scared of finishing it. Once he got a book deal, he did. (Want an autographed copy of his book? You can get one at Eagle Eye Bookshop at 2076 North Decatur Road in Decatur, which sponsored the talk and signing.)
Now he writes a daily journal for himself. “It keeps me in check,” he said. “In my journal, I can get really hard on myself.” He also hopes to eventually write an autobiography and a book focused on the how to’s of comedy.
Although he didn’t say it directly, he did allude to tension between him and his older brother Keenan that hasn’t been fully resolved. “I still love and worship my brother,” he said. “He’s the greatest in the world. I’m a grandfather. You can’t just punk me around like we were four or five years old. My grandkids are looking at me. I have to stand up to you.”
He hopes his book will resonate with Oprah (Ron Clark’s bud). “I did Gayle King’s [Sirius XM radio] show. I hope she whispers in Oprah’s ear. I think it’s an Oprah story. It’d be cool for her show to promote her sisterhood.”
And he’s proud of his son Damon Jr. “There’s a lot of pressure with that. When he shows up, ‘Wait. I thought you were Damon Sr.!’ Now he has to step up. He’s doing it. Just booked a pilot with ABC. He’s got a movie coming out this summer with Will Ferrell ["The Other Guys"]. It takes guts and talent.”
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hereAlsoMarlon on Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien...
He is a Leno fan. In fact, when we caught up with him in D.C. before he attended the dinner, he told Vulture that he actually thinks Leno's only gotten better since the Conan imbroglio. “He used to be all soft and stuff, but after that whole Conan thing, he got some anger on him,” Wayans told Vulture before the dinner. “He’s like Jay Pryor.” And this is no idle comparison; last year, Wayans was signed to play Pryor in a biopic. (We did not find him after Leno's performance, so we could get no opinion as to whether Jay had been Live on the Sunset Strip Pryor, or See No Evil, Hear No Evil Pryor.)
The Zen-like Wayans said that the NBC imbroglio was just show business as usual: "The thing is to keep doing what you're doing. I think Conan will be happy on TBS, and I think Jay's gonna be happy back at NBC, and everything's gonna work out and they'll forget all this happened and it's going to be great for both of them." And if not? "We let them slap-box and see who wins and gets the time slot. It’ll be like Mayweather versus Mosley.” And who would win? "My vote's on Conan, because Jay's got that chin."info from
hereAlsoActor and comedian Marlon Wayans said it is “tough” to make jokes about President Barack Obama because he’s “actually trying to do something good” but added that “they had a field day with Bush” and “the Sarah Palin jokes are hilarious.” Film Director Judd Apatow said he agreed with Wayans.
At the recent Creative Coalition’s “Art and Soul” gala, CNSNews.com asked Wayans, “As an actor and a comedian, what do you think about the comedy shows and the jokes that have been made about President Obama? Do you think they’ve been fair? Are they too easy on him?”
Wayans said, “Honestly, I haven’t seen any hilarity yet. I think he’s a tough one because he’s actually trying to do something good. Like, they had a field day with Bush -- Bush jokes all day. But I haven’t seen a really good one [about Obama].”
“Now, the Sarah Palin jokes are hilarious,” said Wayans. “I think Tina Fey doing all that on Saturday Night Live is hilarious. She does a better Sarah Palin than Sarah Palin does. So, I mean, Barack, he’s a tough one. He’s a tough cookie to crack, if you will. He’s hard.”
When asked if he has any ideas for jokes or sketches about the president, Wayans -- whose brothers are the famous comedians and actors Damon, Shawn, and Keenan -- said he does but will save them for later.
“I’ve got some but I’ll wait until after the dinner to do them,” said Wayans. “You ain’t getting me kicked out before I go into the dinner,” said the "White Chicks" and "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" star.
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hereAlsoThe 2nd season of My Wife And Kids was released May 11, 2010. It's about $24.
AlsoDamon Jr. stars in an upcomin ABC sitcom called "Happy Endings"
["i]The network also has ordered "Happy Endings" for next fall. Created by David Caspe, that single-camera comedy is about a couple that breaks up at the altar and their group of friends. The cast includes: Elisha Cuthbert ("24"), Zachary Knighton ("Flash Forward"), Eliza Coupe ("Scrubs"),
Damon Wayans Jr., Casey Wilson and Adam Pally.[/i]"
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