By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
After being postponed last spring due to pandemic restrictions, Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival, celebrating the very best in comedy, is a go for April 28 to May 8, 2022.
Produced by the streaming service in association with Live Nation, the 11-day event will feature more than 130 artists in more than 25 of L.A.’s most iconic venues.
Highlights from the festival include:
- Dave Chappelle and Friends at the Hollywood Bowl.
- Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias making L.A. history by becoming the first stand-up comedian to ever perform at Dodger Stadium. He will record his newest Netflix special in front of tens of thousands at his home team’s baseball park.
- Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration at the Greek Theatre with Wanda Sykes (who is a producer), Gina Yashere, Marsha Warfield, Sam Jay, Eddie Izzard, Margaret Cho, Sandra Bernhard, Scott Thompson, Tig Notaro, and more to be announced soon.
- Kevin Hart at the Crypto.Com Arena (formerly Staples Center).
- Marlon Wayans and Nicole Byer each doing stand-up shows at the Palace Theatre.
- Pete Davidson and Best Friends at the Fonda Theatre.
- Craig Robinson & The Nasty Delicious at The Troubadour.
- Princess (a Prince cover band) featuring Maya Rudolph at The Belasco.
- The 50th Anniversary of The Comedy Store.
- The Hall: Honoring The Greats of Stand-Up (Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Joan Rivers and Robin Williams) at the Hollywood Palladium.
- Chris Rock, Ali Wong, Amy Schumer, Aziz Ansari, Bill Burr, Chelsea Handler, Conan O’Brien, Cristela Alonzo, David Letterman, Deon Cole, Ellen DeGeneres, Felipe Esparza, Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Jerry Seinfeld, John Mulaney, Ken Jeong, Kevin Smith, Larry David, Mike Myers and David O. Russell, Ray Romano, Seth Rogen, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and more are also slated to participate.
Tickets for all festival events will go on sale to the public Dec. 10 at NetflixIsAJokeFest.com.
TICKET WATCH: John Legend has announced his first residency, “Love in Las Vegas,” for dates in April, May, August and October 2022 at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood. Tickets go on sale to the public Dec. 13 at Ticketmaster.
BROADWAY BOUND: Legendary actor/director Sidney Poitier will be the subject of a new play written by Charles Randolph-Wright (“Blue” and the upcoming “American Prophet: Frederick Douglass In His Own Words”) and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson (“Lackawanna Blues”).
“Sidney,” covering his childhood in the Bahamas to his emergence in show business, is adapted from Poitier’s autobiography, “The Measure of a Man,” and boasts his daughter, filmmaker Anika Poitier among the producers.
Also in the works is the musical “Brotherly” based on the songs of Boyz II Men. Malcolm D. Lee (“Space Jam: A New Legacy,” the “Best Man” franchise) is producing along with Amazon Studios and Davis Entertainment and is rumored to be in talks to direct the project following a group of men returning to West Philadelphia for their high school reunion after 20 years.
CLIPPETTES: Danny Glover will be the Pan African Film Festival’s 2022 celebrity ambassador. The 30th annual edition will be held in-person and online Feb. 8-21 …
Contemporary hip-hop violinist Damien Escobar graces the Saban Theatre on Dec. 10, as avant-garde rapper Tierra Whack holds forth at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery …
Jam band Lettuce will perform Dec. 11 at the Teragram Ballroom …
Comic Jess Hilarious brings the laughs Dec. 12 at The Novo; while The Robert Cray Band plays the blues at the Coach House …
It’s a Take 6 Christmas on Dec. 15 as the a capella group sings at Malibu’s Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine …
Also that evening, The Hotel Café presents “An Acoustic Evening With Jessie J; and Giveon is in concert at The Novo …
Fresh off of their news-making appearance on Verzuz, Bone Thugs N Harmony are in concert at The Glass House on Dec. 16.
TASTY QUIP: “She’s rich! I’m Dominique Deveraux. I’m Joan Collins! I love Joan and I loved her sister Jackie. I always wanted to be Tallulah Bankhead but not in the movie Lifeboat. I like to play rich, powerful women who are also glamorous and who have plenty of men… did I mention that?” – JACKEE HARRY to TV Insider on her role as Paulina Price in the first “Days Of Our Lives” spinoff movie “A Very Salem Christmas” streaming on Peacock beginning Dec. 16
TC ON TV: Dec. 10 – “Encounter” (Prime Video): Octavia Spencer and Riz Ahmed battle aliens in this sci-fi thriller. “The Unforgiveable” (Netflix) Sandra Bullock and Viola Davis star in this movie about a woman out of prison adjusting to her new life. “Punk’d” (Roku): Chance the Rapper is back with another season of pranks on unsuspecting celebrities. “Friday Night Vibes” (TBS): Garcelle Beauvais, Loni Love and Luke Youngblood. “American Refugee” (Epix): Derek Luke and Erika Alexander are a family in peril after seeking shelter in their neighbor’s bunker during a collapse of the American economy. “Holiday in Santa Fe” (Lifetime): A movie on Mexican Christmas traditions with Aimee Garcia and Mario Lopez. “Graham Norton“ (BBCA): Zendaya, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Little Mix “The Tonight Show” (NBC): Jodie Turner-Smith, Dua Lipa and Rick Ross featuring Jazmine Sullivan
Dec. 11 – “Hot Mess Holiday” (Comedy): Kal Penn, Lily Singh, Ravi Patel and Tituss Burgess are featured in a comic movie with the backdrop of the Diwali holidays.
Dec. 12 – “70th Miss Universe” (Fox): Steve Harvey returns to host the 2021 competition live from Eilat, Israel. “A Christmas Proposal” (CBS): Adam Rodriquez (“Criminal Minds“) is executive producer and star of this holiday love story with Jessica Camacho (“All Rise”).
Dec. 13 – “Let’s Get Merried” (VH1): Tahj Mowry and Xosha Roquemore (“Cherish The Day”) are leads in this movie executive produced by Eva Longoria. “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street” (HBO): A window into the early days of one of TV’s most influential and enduring children’s programs.
Dec. 14 – “Grand Crew” (NBC): A sitcom about young Black professionals navigating careers in L.A. “I Can See Your Voice: Holiday Spectacular” (Fox): Paula Abdul, Nicole Byer, Adrienne Houghton “Making Miracles Happen: Behind ‘Miracles Across 125th Street’” (VH1): Inside the filming of Nick Cannon’s new movie. “A Christmas Stray” (OWN): A dog plays cupid for a corporate executive (Andra Fuller) and a veterinarian (Rhyon Nicole Brown of “Our Kind of People”). “One Stage To The Next” (TV1): A docuseries following R&B singer, actress and TV host Syleena Johnson as she attempts to become a fitness competitor while fighting to lose 60 pounds.
Dec. 15 – “Foodtastic” (Disney+): Keke Palmer hosts this competition between sculptors of food. “Rumble” (Paramount+): An animated sports comedy movie featuring the voices of Terry Crews, Tony Danza, Susan Kelechi Watson and Stephen A. Smith. “Selling Tampa” (Netflix): The agents at the all-female, Black-owned Allure Realty are at the heart of this reality show. “Red Chef Revival” (Fuse): Three chefs explore traditional and contemporary Indigenous cuisine and the dishes of their native lands. “iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2021” (CW): Lil Nas X, Saweetie, Kane Brown, Ed Sheeran, BTS, Dua Lipa, Doja Cat and more. “Young Rock” (NBC): The network airs a special Christmas episode followed by a holiday themed “Kenan” and “Mr. Mayor.”
Dec. 16 – “Live with Kelly & Ryan” (ABC): Guest co-host Dondré Whitfield welcomes Keanu Reeves. “Firebite” (AMC+): A vampire series created, directed, and written by Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous auteur voice, Warwick Thornton (“Sweet Country”). “A Naija Christmas” (Netflix): A mother’s wish — and the grand prize that comes with it — sets off a fierce competition between her sons in this original Nigerian film. “The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo” (HBO Max): Tamron Hall and actor/guitar prodigy Brandon “Taz” Niederauer “Station Eleven” (HBO): Danielle Deadwyler (“The Harder They Fall”), Gael García Bernal (who next plays legendary hero Zorro in the reboot “Z”) and Deborah Cox are featured in this post-apocalyptic saga. “Home Courts With Quavo” (YouTube): The Migos rapper hits the basketball courts of Atlanta to find out what makes local communities tick with Renee Montgomery, Killer Mike, Walter Stith and more. “Music Box” (HBO): “Juice Wrld: Into The Abyss” explores the life and lasting legacy of wunderkind rapper. “L’oreal Paris Women Of Worth” (NBC): Celebrity ambassadors Aja Naomi King, Camila Cabello, Helen Mirren, Eva Longoria, Kate Winslet, Gemma Chan, Katherine Langford and Andie MacDowell welcome this year’s honorees.
END QUOTE: “Don’t waste precious time people in anger. Yes people will do you wrong and you must fight for truth no matter how long, and IF you can get the TRUTH you seek … find love again. … Life is too short as I am in hospital as I write this to all of you. Holding onto anger will eat you alive. But truth at any cost[.]” – JANET HUBERT (“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” original Aunt Viv) on Instagram
As featured in the Los Angeles Wave and Independent, Tasty Clips is one of the leading entertainment columns in the nation, serving nearly one million weekly readers. Bill Vaughan may be reached at tastyclips@yahoo.com, via Twitter @tastyclips, or Instagram @tasty_clips.
