Before there was Pim, some folks thought there was going to be Paley instead.
31.03.2022 - 13:19 / deadline.com
SPOILER ALERT! Do not read unless you’ve watched the season finale of Bel-Air on Peacock.
It took a few seasons before fans met Will Smith’s dad Lou in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air (played by Ben Vareen). But Peacock’s Bel-Air — like it’s already demonstrated in its first 10 episodes — is nothing like the ’90s sitcom that starred Will Smith in the title role.
In the season one finale of the drama, Marlon Wayans shows up as Lou, the long lost father of Will (Jabari Banks). Before his unexpected homecoming, Will was led to believe by his mom Vy (April Parker Jones) and Uncle Phil (Adrian Holmes) that Lou abandoned his family; in reality, Lou was serving time in prison and never wanted his son to see him behind bars.
Here, co-showrunners and executive producers T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson talk about the decision to introduce Will’s dad in the show’s first season (the show’s already been picked up for a second year) and the trouble his sudden appearance brings to the family.*
DEADLINE Why introduce the dad so soon?
T.J. BRADY Bel-Air is complete reimagining of Fresh Prince and we wanted to upend expectations and not drag it out. Several times throughout the season, Will had made mention of not having a father, and growing up without a dad and how Uncle Phil fulfilled that role. Sometimes he said it to justify self-destructive behavior, other times to explain why he would keep a distance. We wanted to upend audience expectations by having him be challenged, having this man show up again in his life and discover that the story he had been told his whole life, that he had built an identify around, wasn’t true.
RASHEED NEWSON It had to be accelerated because this is one of the things that comes with taking a sitcom and turning it
Before there was Pim, some folks thought there was going to be Paley instead.
DJ Jazzy Jeff has become the latest artist to wade into the Will Smith Oscars slap debate, defending the actor for his “human” reaction.Last month, Smith struck Chris Rock on-stage during the Academy Awards ceremony following a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Following numerous apologies over the incident, Smith resigned from the Academy and described his actions as “shocking, painful, and inexcusable,” before being banned from the Oscars for a decade.Since the incident, Smith has been condemned by a number of celebrities including A$AP Rocky, Janet Hubert, Jim Carrey, Amy Schumer and Zoë Kravitz, while the likes of Denzel Washington and UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak have supported him.Speaking at a live event in Chicago, Jazzy Jeff – who formed the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince with Smith in 1986 and won two Grammys for ‘Parents Just Don’t Understand’ and ‘Summertime’ before they split in 1994 – defended his former bandmate.“Don’t get it twisted that it was something he was proud of.
SPOILER ALERT: This post contains details of tonight’s The Walking Dead 11B midseason finale.
Peyton List and her “Cobra Kai” co-star Jacob Bertrand have taken their romance public, and demonstrated some serious PDA during a recent outing in Los Angeles.
Things are heating up in the official trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds!
SPOILER ALERT: The following article contains details about the “Bel-Air” season finale.
LAPD arrived at Will Smith’s Los Angeles home on Tuesday to investigate a possible drone flying over the residence.
Will Smith’s Los Angeles home on Tuesday to investigate a possible drone flying over the residence.«Yesterday, 03/29/22, at approximately 2:30 p.m., deputies responded to Will and Jada Smith’s residence in Calabasas regarding a drone flying over the property,” a statement provided to ET by the Lost Hills Station that services Calabasas, California, read. “When they arrived, they contacted private security at the location and searched the area for the drone/operator. They were unable to locate either.
On Tuesday (March 29), the police responded to a call at Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith‘s home.
Having kept three of her albums under wraps until their release, Beyoncé is a true professional when it comes to surprises. So it's no perhaps no surprise she had no trouble keeping her Oscars outfit a secret - but it's one that was worth waiting for.
Kelly Clarkson, 39, is one of the biggest household names but that hasn’t stopped her from going through with legally changing her name. The American Idol star has dropped her last name, as confirmed in docs obtained by Page Six. “There being no objections, the petition for change of name is granted,” the docs read. “The Decree is signed and filed. The Petitioner’s name is changed from KELLY BRIANNE CLARKSON to KELLY BRIANNE.”
Jabari Banks revealed that he has “mixed feelings” about the “slap heard around the world” from Will Smith to Chris Rock in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife at the The 4th Annual Griot Gala Oscars After Party (presented by Beam Suntory/Courvoisier) on Sunday March 27. The Bel-Air star admitted that he felt that Will shouldn’t have acted violently, but he also understood that he was sticking up for Jada Pinkett Smith.
Zack Sharf Diddy told Page Six that Will Smith and Chris Rock settled their feud after an altercation at the 94th Academy Awards. Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head while presenting the documentary feature category (the comedian said he could not wait to see Pinkett Smith star in “G.I. Jane 2,” a reference to the 1997 film where Demi Moore appears with a shaved head), which resulted in Smith taking to the stage to slap Rock.
Tommy Shelby’s past life might be coming back to haunt him. Tommy’s one night stand with the character Zelda 20 years ago is coming to surface in the Peaky Blinders world.
Clayton Davis The Oscars best picture win was a March Madness upset of streaming proportions — though the slap heard round the world threatened to overshadow the achievements of “CODA” and other winners.What started out as a great improvement in the presentation was diminished by Will Smith charging the stage and smacking comedian Chris Rock after he cracked a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith in the last hour, just moments before the In Memoriam segment and prior to him becoming the fifth Black man to win best actor.It might go down as one of the craziest moments in 94 years of Oscars history.But back to the night’s biggest winner: streaming. Apple, under its film distribution banner Apple Original Films, became the first streamer to win the Oscar for best picture with Siân Heder’s family drama “CODA.” It’s been no secret that Netflix has long harbored ambitions to be the first digital video player to take home the Academy Awards’ most prestigious honor, spending lavishly to promote the likes of Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” (2018), Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” (2019) and David Fincher’s “Mank” (2020).
Surprise! Memphis Smith and Hamza Moknii took two big steps forward on the Sunday, March 27, episode of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days.
Goldie Hawn has been inundated with prayers and words of comfort after she shared her sadness over the death of Madeleine Albright, the first woman to be Secretary of State.MORE: Goldie Hawn celebrates 'dream' news with daughter Kate Hudson in celebratory announcementThe Bird on a Wire star took to Instagram to post a sweet photo of herself and Madeleine alongside the caption: "A supreme human has left this world. Rest in Peace dear soul. Will miss you so {red heart emoji]." Goldie's fans were quick to react and share their condolences, with many commenting with broken hearts, praying hands, and heart emojis.WATCH: Goldie Hawn shares news on her charity from inside her plush homeOne said: "Prayers for the family." A second replied: "Beautiful soul.