Gina Yashere News

NY Laughs, in partnership with The Actors Fund has announced a special one-night-only streaming event 'Laughter in Lockdown,' to benefit comedians and other comedy professionals in need on Friday, May 29 at 8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT on nylaughs.org/lockdown.

Netflix Is A Joke, Netflix's comedy brand, is throwing a week-long comedy festival, Netflix Is A Joke Fest. Produced by Netflix in association with Live Nation, the star-studded celebration of comedy will take over Los Angeles April 27th - May 3rd and feature live stand-up shows, special events and activations with Netflix comedians and artists from around the world. Featured Netflix talent include Ali Wong, Amy Schumer, Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, David Letterman, Jamie Foxx, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Kevin Hart, Martin Lawrence, Sebastian Maniscalco, the cast of Schitt's Creek and more. The fest will also include STAND OUT: An LGBTQ+ Celebration  with headliners Alan Carr, Hannah Gadsby, Margaret Cho, Rosie O'Donnell, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes and more.

Award-winning recording artist, composer, lyricist, and advocate Cyndi Lauper has been named the first recipient of The High Note Global Prize, an award honoring and celebrating major recording artists for outstanding achievement in using their music and celebrity platform to advocate for social justice worldwide.

Hollywood Power Broker Creator and Executive Producer Koshie Mills, presented a live audience taping of her groundbreaking cultural talk show series 'The Diaspora Dialogues' Live in Los Angeles on Friday, November 1st at the California African American Museum. The show and movement is designed to bridge the gap between Africans from Africa and African descendants in the Diaspora. 'The Diaspora Dialogues will ignite the long-overdue conversations needed between black people globally to extinguish our cultural disconnection and create a better understanding of our different experiences but shared identity.' says Mills.

Cyndi Lauper a?" the Grammy, Emmy and Tony-winning icon and advocate a?" has announced the lineup for her 9th annual Cyndi Lauper & Friends: Home for the Holidays benefit concert, presented by Marriott International and AEG. The event will take place in Los Angeles for the first time ever at The Novo at L.A. Live on December 10th.  Tickets will be available to the general public 10am PT on Friday, November 8 at AXS.com.  

The CBS Television Network announced today that it has rewarded all five series from its top-rated freshman class with new production orders.

Trevor Noah welcomes Presidential candidate Mark Sanford on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Watch the interview Monday, September 30 at 11pm ET/PT on Comedy Central.

BET Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), and Tyler Perry Studios today announced that, BET+, their joint venture and premier subscription video-on demand service, will launch in the U.S. on Thursday, September 19. For $9.99 per month, BET+ will feature more than 1,000 hours of premium content, including exclusive new original programming and fan-favorite series, movies, and specials from BET Networks, as well as a host of leading African American content creators, including Tyler Perry, Tracy Oliver, Will Packer and more.

BET Networks, a unit of  Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), and Tyler Perry Studios today announced that, BET+, their joint venture and premier subscription video-on demand service, will launch in the U.S. on Thursday, September 19.  For $9.99 per month, BET+ will feature more than 1,000 hours of premium content, including exclusive new original programming and fan-favorite series, movies, and specials from BET Networks, as well as a host of leading African American content creators, including Tyler Perry, Tracy Oliver, Will Packer and more.

The Paley Center for Media announced today that it will host its 13th annual PaleyFest Fall TV Previews September 5-15, 2019, at the Paley Center's Beverly Hills location. The ten-day festival celebrates the most anticipated new shows of the Fall 2019 television season as well as returning favorites from all five major broadcast networks, cable television, and premium streaming services. Each event includes screenings followed by star-studded discussions with the series cast and creatives.

On Wednesday night's episode of The Daily Show, host Trevor Noah tries to understand special counsel's Robert Mueller statement on the Russia investigation's findings and the choice not to charge President Trump with a crime.

WarnerMedia's truTV is expanding on its roster of original comedies as the network today unveiled its 2019-20 programming slate ahead of next week's first-ever WarnerMedia Upfront event at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The cable network, which since 2014 has established itself as the home to a portfolio of distinct, creator-driven comedic shows, announced greenlights of its first animated series, This Functional Family from comedian Jo Koy, as well as new series Game Changers (wt) from Clayton English and Noah Gardenswartz. Additionally, the network has ordered a third season of its Emmy-nominated and critically lauded series At Home with Amy Sedaris, as well as announced new seasons of Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks and The Carbonaro Effect, and additional episodes of Adam Ruins Everything, all launching later this year.

Underbelly Festival Southbank's 2019 programme is shaping up to be its most exciting and diverse to date, with over forty more shows added to the line-up today bringing some of the very best circus, comedy, cabaret, variety, live podcasting and family entertainment to the banks of the Thames.

CBS has ordered a pilot for “The Story of Us,” the comedy from writer and executive producer Mike Royce, according to Variety.

New casting announcements have been made for the CBS multi-camera comedy pilot Bob Hearts Abishola, according to Deadline. Folake Olowofoyeky has been cast in the title role opposite Billy Gardell. Christine Ebersole, Maribeth Monroe, Shola Adewusi, Barry Shabaka Henley, and Matt Jones round out the family for the series, created by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky and Al Higgins, who have teamed with The Daily Show contributor Gina Yashere.

SF Sketchfest presented by Audible announces additions to the lineup for the 18th annual San Francisco Comedy Festival January 10-27, 2019.  The 17-day festival of more than 200 shows features major comedy stars and the best up-and-coming comedians from around the world performing in venues across the city bringing non-stop entertainment including sketch, stand-up, alternative comedy, music, improv, films, tributes, live podcasts, storytelling, family shows, workshops, panels and more. Tickets for all previously announced shows now on sale at sfsketchfest.com. Round Two shows go on sale this Friday at 10am PT / 1pm ET at sfsketchfest.com.

Cyndi Lauper – the Grammy, Emmy and Tony-winning icon and advocate – has announced the lineup for her 8th annual Cyndi Lauper & Friends: Home for the Holidays benefit concert, presented by Marriott International. The star-studded event will take place December 8th at New York City's Beacon Theatre. This year's concert will also celebrate the tenth anniversary of the True Colors Fund, which was co-founded by Cyndi Lauper.

Actor James Purefoy (Hap and Leonard, Altered Carbon) joins Matthew Goode (The Crown, Downton Abbey) in the second season of the fan-favorite lifestyle/documentary series The Wine Show, coming to Ovation TV this November. From their beautiful new villa in France, Purefoy and Goode set off on a new challenge in every episode, uncovering some of the best wines in the world, and telling the stories that surround them. Back in the UK, Matthew Rhys (The Americans) is in glamorous and historic London St James's on his quest to find gadgets old and new. Season Two of The Wine Show will air on Ovation starting Thursday, November 15th at 10pm ET / 7pm PT.