TASTY CLIPS: Ms. Pat joins ‘The Literary Circle’ with ‘Ms. American Dream’

By Bill Vaughan

Entertainment Writer

Emmy-nominated comedian, actress, and bestselling author Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams-Lee is coming to Los Angeles — for one night only — Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. for The Literary Circle — a presentation at Malik Books in collaboration with the Pan African Film Festival.

Best known as the creator and star of BET+ series “The Ms. Pat Show” and court show “Ms. Pat Settles It”’ along with her Netflix stand-up specials, hit podcast “The Patdown with Ms. Pat,” and YouTube cooking show “Whiskin’ It All,” she will meet with audience members to promote and sign copies of the follow-up to her riveting memoir “Rabbit” entitled “Ms. American Dream.”

In a country where the rich get richer and regular folks are told to “work harder,” Ms. Pat learned the rules of a system that wasn’t built for her to win. She outmaneuvered caseworkers, bill collectors, con artists, and hustlers to find her place in an industry where she was told she didn’t belong.

The new book chronicles her hard-fought climb from food stamps and Section 8 housing to television deals, Hollywood writers’ rooms, and a suburban life so comfortable that her doghouse has its own built-in washer and dryer.

RSVP at MalikBooks.com for an opportunity to experience one of entertainment’s most compelling storytellers up close.

STAR TIME: Colman Domingo will get the Vantage Award and Charlize Theron the Icon Award at the sixth annual Academy Museum Gala Oct. 17. The star-studded fundraiser with a performance by Taylor Swift, will also honor filmmaker John Carpenter and is co-chaired by Tom Ford, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, with a host committee including Jessica Alba, Regina Hall, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Rami Malek, Olivia Munn, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Questlove, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Teyana Taylor.

TASTY QUIP: “It’s sad that [interviewers] just assume I’m either a whore or a singer. Make up your mind! What do you want me to be? I’m not going to lie to you and add to your fantasy. This ain’t Disneyland. I’m living for real. If I’d slept with all the guys I’ve done tours with, I don’t know what I’d be right now. I’d probably be dead.” – CHAKA KHAN to The Observer

CLIPPETTES: Emmy nominated composer and artist Kathryn Bostic (“The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat,” “Sarah’s Oil“) celebrates her EP release “Stone to a Mountain” along with special guests in a performance at the Birds of a Feather Jazz Lounge on Oct. 16 …

Also that evening, Mumu Fresh is at Long Beach’s Carpenter Performing Arts Center; while Akeem Ali’s The Texture Tour comes to Echoplex; and Miley (nee Cyrus) is at the Hollywood Bowl this night and Oct. 18 …

In renewal news, Netflix’s “A Different World;” Prime Video’s “Reacher” spin-off “Neagley;” and Apple TV’s “Imperfect Women” with Kerry Washington will be back for second seasons …

The free “Sounds of the Soul” featuring Thelma Houston, Switch, Midnight Star, Major, and more convenes on Oct. 17 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the corner of Stocker Street and Crenshaw Boulevard …

Later, rapper Wale begins a two-night stand at Blue Note LA; as Charli Xcx does the same at The Forum; and Houston singer-songwriter Love Spells holds court at The Roxy …

Also, Philip Martin Gallery opens “You and I,” an exhibition of newly-released and never-before-seen works 1961-1975 by legendary photographer and media theorist Kwame Brathwaite running through Oct. 31 …

Ryan Coogler’s reboot of “The X-Files” starring Danielle Deadwyler and her “Station Eleven” castmate Himesh Patel has found a home at Hulu who has ordered it to series …

Cory Henry Presents: The Gospel Brunch Experience at Blue Note the morning of Oct. 18 as Pookie Wigington Presents: Chocolate Sundaes that evening at the Laugh Factory …

Peacock is planning a “Fast & Furious” TV series with Vin Diesel among the executive producers …

Oct. 19 has British singer and rapper Chinchilla at Pacific Electric and LA’s own singer, songwriter and producer Eric Bellinger kicking off a two-night engagement at Blue Note …

Bonnie Raitt: Live 2026 with special guest Jon Cleary hits the Pantages Theatre Oct 20 & 21 with the latter date also serving as the beginning of a two-night residency at Blue Note LA for Talib Kweli & Friends …

It is Ladies Night Oct. 22 with Doja Cat in concert at The Forum; Tinashe at the Grammy Museum and Phoebe Robinson’s “Feral & Fired Up!” at Largo …

Reginald Edmund’s “What Had Happened Was …,” a Ben Guillory-directed play about a passionate L.A. City Councilman, is presented Oct. 22–Nov. 15 by the Robey Theatre Company …

Comic Druski will make history as the first digital content provider to host NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” on Nov. 7. He is probably certain to reprise his popular mega church send-up in a skit with longtime regular Kenan Thompson.

CLAP BACK: “Make no mistake. I am a proud Mexican who has always been and will always be a supporter of my community. I am also obviously, pro immigrant. I am not pro ICE. I know where I come from and I know our struggles. I am an actor. My job is to tell a story.” – DANNY TREJO in defense of taking a role in “Pawn Shop” which reportedly includes a scene that recreates the fatal January shooting of Renée Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

TC ON TV: Oct. 16 – “The Disciple” (Netflix): The RZA has made a documentary about Wu-Tang Clan‘s historic and controversial decision to record an album solely for the highest bidder. “Seriously Single Too” (Netflix): A sequel to the popular South African movie with Tumi Morake and Fulu Mugovhani. “Jennifer Hudson” (Syn): Brian Tyree Henry “Ready To Love” (OWN): The women are in power this week, and Tommy Miles encourages them to invite the men to their own side of Chicago. “OWN Spotlight” (OWN): In “What Black Men Say vs. What Black Women Hear with Iyanla Vanzant,” the spiritual coach invites a live studio audience to participate in an immersive and culturally relevant conversation about the rupture in communication. “The Rainmaker” (E!/SyFy/USA): Merle Dandridge (“Greenleaf,” “The Last of Us”) recurs this second season.

Oct. 17 – “Austin City Limits” (PBS): Ari Lennox

Oct. 19 – “Declarations: Black Americans and the Revolutionary War” (PBS): follows the stories of James Lafayette, who served as a double agent for the Patriots and helped bring down the British at Yorktown; Harry Washington, who was enslaved by George Washington and escaped Mount Vernon to join the British troops; Elizabeth Freeman, previously known as Mum Bet, who sued one of the most prominent patriots in Massachusetts while living under his roof; and Abraham Peyton Skipwith, an enslaved man who used his proximity to power and his unusual literacy to petition for his own freedom and become one of the first free Black landowners in Richmond, VA.     

Oct. 20 – “Live with Kelly & Mark” (ABC): Wyclef Jean “Frontline” (PBS): “Haiti Deportation Crisis” reports on the rising fear of deportation among Haitians who fled to the U.S.

Oct. 21 – “Moana” (Disney+): The live action adaptation starring Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga’aia hopes to find more eyeballs here than it got in theaters. “Live with Kelly & Mark” (ABC): Giancarlo Esposito

Oct. 22 – “Cupertino” (CBS): Renee Elise Goldsberry guest stars as the ex-girlfriend and opposing counsel of Michael (Mike Colter) in the second episode of the season’s best new series.

END QUOTE: “History is the key. I just think that there have been worse times than this. My ancestors and people before me, even 15 years ago, went through much tougher times.” — AVA DuVERNAY (director of the upcoming Netflix documentary “14 ) to the Hollywood Reporter on how she stays hopeful

For more than 12 years, Bill Vaughan has kept Wave readers up to date with the latest news in entertainment. To contact Vaughan, visit his social media pages on Facebook and Instagram or @tasty_clips, on X @tastyclips, and on LinkedIn to William Vaughan.