When Richard Pryor Is The Top Trending Topic On Twitter, It's Time For A Tribute... And A Movie!

Chris Rock and Adam Sandler are producing a new biopic focusing on the life of well-loved comedian Richard Pryor, who inspired countless comics during his career.

Pryor appeared in films and on stage from the 1960s to his 2005 death, though he is best known for his ribald standup routines.

Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said details Pryor’s early life, rise to fame and his serious drug problems, which led to the famous “freebasing incident” of 1981. Marlon Wayans will portray Pryor in the flick, though the role was originally given to Eddie Murphy. Murphy passed on the movie due to “creative differences.”

Rumor has it that Pryor himself, who passed away in 2005 at 65, wanted Mike Epps to play the role.

Chris Rock said that Marlon’s screen test was amazing, and Wayans himself stated “I’m ready” to play the part.

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FLYING OUT OF L.A THIS WEEK? ACTOR WILL SMITH MAY BE PUTTING YOUR PLANS ON ICE

Smith Closes LAX Freeway

"Big Willie" does it - closes down the LAX freeway connection for filming!

Columbia Pictures spent some big cheddar buying city permits to close an elevated section of the 105 Freeway in Southern California to all traffic.

This includes the tunnel under the air strip, for an action film, "John Hancock" staring the Fresh Prince.

Sunday, movie production scheduled a high speed car chase featuring two news helicopters and an explosive car crash. When you see the film, if the actors appear to be sweating - believe that's for real, as temps on the all-cement area hover around 90 degrees.

The closures are expected to be repeated next weekend - so if you live or planning to visit Los Angeles, be forewarned!

Will Smith and action - a winning combo!

HAIRSPRAY THE MOVIE OPENS TODAY, AND SURPRISE ... THEY WANT YOU BLACK FOLKS TO COME!

Why else would all the advertisement include Queen Latifah and the other Black cast members, 'cause the original movie and the Broadway musical sure as hell didn't!

What am I talking about? I'm saying producers of the HAIRSPRAY franchise have finally made a conscious decision to go after a Black audience and our big black dollars. Something they didn't do in the past.

Now let me first state for the record, I am not making a review or comment about the quality of HAIRSPRAY the new movie. In fact I hope it is as good as the Broadway and national "union" tours. That said, I'm talking about the business aspect of this and other theatrical shows that could easily be marketed to a Black audience, but are not. 'Cause Blackness will scare away other "White" Patrons who presumably have deeper pockets.

Case in point, THE LION KING the Broadway musical. When it first came out(be honest now), how many of you knew the cast was 3/4 Black folks. Yes, a lot of them are from Africa and other islands, but they're black folks. So how many of you knew there were so many quality Black folks performing in the show. 'Cause Disney in its "Original" marketing, neglected to mention that fact.

Years ago I went to The Lion King, two days before it's first national tour was to leave Los Angeles. I knew the animated story because that is what Disney pushed. I went because I love musical theatre and animation was my thing back in the day. My first thought sitting there was, "Hey no one told me all these Black Folks were in the show." Then I looked at the audience; very few Black folks. My next thought: I go to a large local church population aprox. 15,000. In the past, I have put together theatre parties for shows that speak to our people and "Damn I could have got 6 bus loads to this show!" But me and my Black face weren't equated into the marketing.

Producers will sacrifice our green dollars in fear that the production will be labeled a "Black thing" and scare White patrons away.

Second case in point: the Hairspray franchise. Before you saw Queen Latifah pumping the movie on talk shows and the Black kids in the poster and TV ads, I ask, how many of you Black folks were interested? Now, when I tell you half the movie cast is Black and the plot of the story centers around the competition between a White TV dance shows ala' American Bandstand and a Black dance show, similarly looking a lot like Soul Train, and how they both become integrated; I bet I got your attention now!
It charged me! And once again, because it wasn't marketed to Black folks I waited and saw the Hairspray national Broadway tour, two days before it left Los Angeles. And again, I said wow, I could have got a truck load of people to this show.

What has changed is that they found a "Safe Negro" in Queen Latifah to front the campaign.
I'm not saying she's not talented. I'm saying with her work in that good Steve Martin movie, that bad taxi cab movie, TV's LIVING SINGLE and the movie CHICAGO, she is a "Safe Negro", not an angry rapper or "SET IT OFF" gangsta; she will not scare White folks away. And they think the Queen will attract an acceptable "type" of Negro, therefore these Hairspray producers finally want your Black dollars ... for now.