BV Entertainment Newswire July 12

Wayans' World

Contributing to the hype machine for 'Little Man,' which opened in theaters July 14, the Starz InBlack premium cable channel presented "The Wayans Brothers Marathon" July 13-14.

Hosted by Marlon and Shawn Wayans, the night of comedy begins with 1997's "The Sixth Man" and will also include 1996's "Don't be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood," and 2004's box-office smash "White Chicks," along with exclusive clips of their latest flick.

Part of the most successful African-American filmmaking family in cinema history, Marlon and Shawn got their start on elder brother Keenen Ivory Wayans' groundbreaking television sketch comedy show, 'In Living Color,' in 1990.

The duo also enjoyed success with their own sitcom 'The Wayans Bros.,' which headed up the WB network lineup for five years. "Our development process is strange and very involved," Marlon said. "We just let our minds roll free. I have to admit that our ideas are getting stranger and stranger as we go along."

Marlon and Shawn also starred in the first two films of the hugely successful 'Scary Movie' franchise, which Keenen created.

In the new Revolutions Studios comedy, lead character Darryl Edwards (played by Shawn) is so eager to become a father that he mistakes Calvin Sims (played by Marlon), a short, baby-faced thief on the lam, for an abandoned toddler. He and his wife (played by Kerry Washington ) take the "baby" into their home while Calvin's partner Percy P (played by Tracy Morgan) tries to help him recover a stolen diamond.

"All our movies have one goal, we're always thinking about the audience and how to make them laugh," Shawn said recently. "We just want them to enjoy our films and not take them seriously. Take your brain out of your head, sit down and just have a ball."

Out Of Africa

August 1, the Washington, DC market will be the very first to experience The Africa Channel, a new cable television network showcasing all things African.

Launching with more than 1,600 hours of original and first-run English-language programming, ranging from news, music, feature films, reality, talk and event specials to soaps, travel, lifestyle and documentaries — many of them among the top-rated and longest-running series in Africa-- The Africa Channel will debut on Comcast Digital Cable Channel 678.

According to a spokesperson, "virtually none of the programs have been seen in the U.S. until now."

The channel will offer a breadth of news and information programming. Through its relationship with 'Reuters,' The Africa Channel has secured the exclusive U.S. cable television rights to the weekly 'Africa Journal' series which aggregates key stories, interviews and news from across the African continent. 'Africa Report' offers a comprehensive look at the business opportunities on the continent, while the flagship series, 'Carte Blanche Africa,' is known as 'The 60 Minutes of Africa' due to its investigative journalism and highly popular newsmagazine format.

UN Ambassador Andrew Young and his company Goodworks International, NBA stars Dikembe Mutombo and Theo Ratliff are on board as backers for the channel. "There may be no more important market for The Africa Channel than the nation's capital, thanks to the numerous political and economic ties between our government and the governments of Africa," said Mr. Young. "Washingtonians know about the rich culture and emerging economies of Africa, and I’m sure they’ll be especially responsive to the informative, entertaining and unique programming that The Africa Channel delivers."

Knight Time Is The Right Time

R&B legend Gladys Knight has joined forces with a leading fashion retailer for full-figured women to create "The Ashley Stewart Stores Community Foundation."

The foundation’s primary mission is to provide resources that help individuals and organizations who share a commitment to improving the lives of children, women and people of color through the power of education. It provides funding to organizations that focus on women’s issues and awards scholarships to low income students to help advance their educational opportunities.

According to a spokesperson, the foundation’s first charitable contribution will go to Dress For Success, the international not-for-profit organization that assists more than 45,000 disadvantaged women each year as they transition into the workforce.

The collaboration between Ashley Stewart and the seven-time Grammy Award winner will also include personal appearances, to be announced at a later date, where Ms. Knight will conduct seminars in Ashley Stewart Stores with the local Dress for Success affiliates.

Knight's upcoming album, 'Before Me,' due October 10, features covers of songs made popular by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Lena Horne, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone and Mahalia Jackson. The CD will be sold in Ashley Stewart stores across the country, with all of the profits from the in-store sales going to the foundation.

In addition, on October 26, a star-studded charity event is scheduled at the Apollo Theater. Knight will perform with proceeds from that event going to the foundation.

OutKast Has 'Battle'

Universal Pictures will roll out the red carpet for the upcoming OutKast musical 'Idlewild.'

The studio has confirmed that the film's August 21 premiere will serve as a special benefit for the not-for-profit organization the Hinton Battle Theatre Laboratory (HBTL).

Battle, a three-time Tony Award winner, choreographed dance sequences in the Prohibition-era film, which synthesizes drama, music, cinema and style to bring the tale of struggling singers to life.

It is the feature film-directing debut for Bryan Barber, the award-winning director and longtime OutKast music video collaborator, and stars André "Andre 3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, along with Malinda Williams, Ving Rhames, Terrence Howard, Patti LaBelle, Macy Gray, Ben Vereen and Cicely Tyson.

HBTL is a non-profit theater company whose purpose is to become the leading organization to discover, develop and present compelling, original theatrical works that reflect American's rich multi-cultural heritage.

"I am so pleased that Universal is taking advantage of this opportunity to utilize 'Idlewild' to spotlight the important work being done at HBTL," said Battle. "It is my hope that this benefit will allow even more deserving children the opportunity to showcase their talent and experience the theater and arts."

Action Jackson

Just as his latest movies are about to land into theaters, Samuel L. Jackson has scored yet another gig.

The 'Snakes on a Plane' star recently landed a starring role in 'Jumper' based on the Steven Gould 'novel. 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' director Doug Liman will helm the sci-fi thriller about a kid from a broken home who discovers that he has the ability to teleport. In his search for the man he believes is responsible for his mother's death, the kid draws the attention of the National Security Agency and another youth with the same abilities. Jackson will play the NSA agent tracking the jumper.

Jackson's next film, 'Snakes on a Plane,' will be released August 18. See a clip here via AOL Moviefone.