Issa Rae News

Netflix has ordered Black Excellence, their first series project with Kenya Barris with Barris and Rashida Jones set to star.

The Webby Awards announced today that comedy duo Desus and Mero and actor Michael Douglas will be recognized with Webby Special Achievement Awards for their contributions to Internet culture at the 23rd Annual Webby Awards celebration at Cipriani Wall Street on May 13, 2019.

Women In Film, Los Angeles (WIF LA) announced today the honorees for the 2019 Women In Film Annual Gala that will be held on Wednesday, June 12 at The Beverly Hilton. Formerly named the Crystal + Lucy Awards®, the annual benefit supports WIF LA's educational and philanthropic programs and its advocacy for gender parity for women throughout the industry.

Comedy Central, the #1 brand in comedy, Superfly, the founders of Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands co-producer Another Planet Entertainment, today announced the Live Read castings for cult hits Clueless and Romy & Michele's High School Reunion at Clusterfest in San Francisco June 21-23. 

Comedy Central, the #1 brand in comedy, Superfly, the founders of Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands co-producer Another Planet Entertainment, today announced the Live Read castings for cult hits Clueless and Romy & Michele's High School Reunion at Clusterfest in San Francisco June 21-23. Wildly popular, the Live Reads are dramatic staged readings of popular movie scripts, and past performances have included Spice World, Planes Trains and Automobiles and Wayne's World. This year they will reach new levels of hilarity with must-see ensemble casts putting their spin on two film favorites. In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Clueless will star Issa Rae (Cher), Amanda Seales (Dionne), Ilana Glazer (Tai), Kumail Nanjiani, star of the upcoming film Stuber (Josh), Chris Redd (Murray) and others. Romy & Michele's High School Reunion will feature drag queens Trixie Mattel (Romy), Katya Zamolodchikova (Michele) and San Francisco legend Peaches Christ (Heather) with supporting roles filled by Matteo Lane, Nicole Byer and more.

Steph Curry, Ellen DeGeneres, The Walking Dead, Ryan Reynolds, Chance the Rapper, and Monica Lewinsky are among the winners of The 23rd Annual Webby Awards.This year's Winners will be recognized alongside Special Achievement honorees, including trailblazerGreta Thunberg, actor Issa Rae, Glossier founderEmily Weiss, artist Tierra Whack, and host and creator Hasan Minhaj.

Local celebrities graced the red carpet for the Los Angeles film premiere of 'Brother's Keeper' in Hollywood at YES Studio. The independently produced film is about two adopted brothers who battle different mental illnesses, accidentally commit murders and in the process of hiding their crimes, they find their true identity. A story of power, control, love and hate, sometimes the only options become deadly.

AT&T* SHAPE, an immersive event exploring the convergence of technology and entertainment, announced multi-hyphenate actressesElizabeth Banks, Mayim Bialik, Geena Davis and more as first speakers of the Los Angeles-based event.

According to Deadline, HBO has confirmed that WESTWORLD, INSECURE and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM are set to return for its third season in 2020. Read more about the news from Deadline here!

Comedy Central, the #1 brand in comedy, Superfly, the founders behind Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands co-producer Another Planet Entertainment, today announced “Comedyville” at Comedy Central Presents Clusterfest featuring iconic immersive attractions from some of the most beloved comedy franchises, including FX's Atlanta,Comedy Central's Crank Yankers and Drunk History, the iconic sitcom Seinfeld, in celebration of Seinfeld's 30th anniversary and NBC's The Office (available on Comedy Central). At the three-day comedy and music festival, fans will step inside the worlds of their favorite television shows, plus enjoy performances from a stacked lineup that includes Amy Poehler & Friends, John Mulaney, Patton Oswalt, Issa Rae, My Favorite Murder, The Roots, Ilana Glazer, Courtney Barnett, and many more. Single-day and three-day general admission, VIP and Platinum tickets are available now exclusively at www.clusterfest.com.

 Comedy Central, the #1 brand in comedy, Superfly, the founders behind Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands co-producer Another Planet Entertainment, today announced “Comedyville” at Comedy Central Presents Clusterfest featuring iconic immersive attractions from some of the most beloved comedy franchises, including FX's Atlanta, Comedy Central's Crank Yankers and Drunk History, the iconic sitcom Seinfeld, in celebration of Seinfeld's30th anniversary and NBC's The Office (available on Comedy Central). At the three-day comedy and music festival, fans will step inside the worlds of their favorite television shows, plus enjoy performances from a stacked lineup that includes Amy Poehler & Friends, John Mulaney, Patton Oswalt, Issa Rae, My Favorite Murder, The Roots, Ilana Glazer, Courtney Barnett, and many more. Single-day and three-day general admission, VIP and Platinum tickets are available now exclusively at www.clusterfest.com.

The NAACP today announced that globally dominant pop culture icon Shawn 'JAY-Z' Carter will receive the prestigious President's Award during the 50th NAACP Image Awards. The President's Award is presented in recognition of a special achievement and distinguished public service with previous recipients including Jesse Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Soledad O'Brien, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Muhammad Ali among others. NAACP President Derrick Johnson will present the award to Shawn 'JAY-Z' Carter during a LIVE TV special on TV One on Saturday, March 30, 2019 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by Anthony Anderson.

Deadline reports Insecure's Issa Rae and Atlanta's LaKeith Stanfield will star in Universal/Will Packer Productions' romantic drama The Photograph, written and directed by Stella Meghie. Rae is executive producing.

 Comedy Central, the #1 brand in comedy, Superfly, the founders behind Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands co-producer Another Planet Entertainment, today announced that Amy Poehler & Friends, Fred Armisen, Neal Brennan, and a live read of Clueless featuring Issa Rae, have been added to this year's Clusterfest lineup, joining an impressive roster including John Mulaney, Patton Oswalt, Leslie Jones, The Roots, Chelsea Peretti, Courtney Barnett, My Favorite Murder, and many more. In addition, the daily lineup was released for the three-day comedy and music festival with single-day tickets on sale today at 10 a.m. PT. General admission three-day, VIP and Platinum tickets are already available. All tickets can be purchased exclusively at www.clusterfest.com.

Comedy Central, the #1 brand in comedy, Superfly, the founders behind Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands co-producer Another Planet Entertainment, announced today the initial lineup for the return of Comedy Central Presents Clusterfest, a three-day comedy and music festival now in its third year. Clusterfest will feature its most diverse lineup to date with top-tier talent, more emerging comics, music and musical comedy, podcasts and live reads. Must-see performances include John Mulaney, Patton Oswalt, Issa Rae, Ilana Glazer, The Roots, Lovett or Leave It and My Favorite Murder, one of the most successful podcasts in the country. From Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 23, Clusterfest will take place in the heart of San Francisco at Civic Center Plaza and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Loyalty pre-sale tickets will be available to returning Clusterfest patrons Friday, March 8 at 10 a.m. PT. General admission three-day and VIP on-sale starts Monday, March 11 at 10 a.m. PT. All tickets are available exclusively at www.clusterfest.com.

On June 22 and June 23,  powerhouse global lifestyle brand POPSUGAR, along with event partner Reed Exhibitions, the world's leading event organizer, will return to Pier 94 in New York City to present the second annual POPSUGAR Play/Ground, an experiential wonderland for women. Following the huge success of last year's inaugural festival, the event will provide experiences both playful and grounding, bringing together a large and engaged community of women with today's most compelling leaders, experts, and artists.

The nominees for the 50th NAACP Image Awards were exclusively announced today at the Television Critics Association's (TCA) TV One's joint press conference with Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP and Alfred Liggins, Chairman and CEO of TV One. The winners will be revealed during the Two-Hour LIVE TV special airing on TV One on Saturday, March 30, 2019.

Desus Nice and The Kid Mero will welcome fellow Bronx native Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) as the first guest in studio on their new SHOWTIME weekly half-hour late-night talk show, DESUS & MERO. The series will premiere on Thursday, February 21 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT and air on Thursday nights from New York City. In the premiere episode, the duo will also visit the Congresswoman's new offices in D.C. determined to make her feel at home, as well as give their take on the day's hot topics in their signature style in front of a small live studio audience. Upcoming guests on DESUS & MERO will include John Legend, Vince Staples, Ben Stiller, Issa Rae, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Pusha T.

HBO has given a series order to A Black Lady Sketch Show, according to Deadline. The half-hour sketch comedy stars creator Robin Thede, who also executive produces alongside Issa Rae.