By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
Despite having its Hollywood premiere sidelined due to the Los Angeles wildfires, the much-anticipated “One of Them Days” is on track to open in movie theaters Jan. 17.
Starring a novel pairing of Keke Palmer (“Nope”) with superstar vocalist SZA making her movie debut, the R-rated comedy is said to be by none other than comic and TV host Sherri Shepherd “a ‘Friday’ for this generation,” referring to the classic 1995 franchise starter with Ice Cube and Chris Tucker.
In the film, produced by Issa Rae (“Insecure”) and written and directed by her “Rap Sh!t” team of Syreeta Singleton and Lawrence Lamont, respectively, the duo portray best friends and roommates who find themselves in a race against the clock in order to get rent money before eviction.
Katt Williams, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Lil Rel Howery, Janelle James and Gabrielle Dennis round out the cast.
MORE MOVIES: A young student moonlighting as a locksmith finds that some doors should be left unopened in “Night Call,” a gripping, adrenaline-fueled thriller marking the feature debut of Belgian director Michiel Blanchart.
Fresh face Jonathan Feltre stars with Romain Duris in the racially charged film from Magnet Releasing that ambitiously combines genres, from film noir to action-packed survival. It opens at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Downtown LA at The Bloc.
TICKET WATCH: Janet Jackson announced that her Resorts World Las Vegas residency has been extended. Along with the six upcoming dates in February, six more shows have been added for May 21, 24, 25, 28, 30 and 31. Tickets go on sale to the public Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. via JanetJackson.com.
Jan. 30 is set for FireAid at the Intuit Dome, a benefit concert to be held three days before the Grammys on Feb. 2. Proceeds from the mix of music and solidarity produced in conjunction with Live Nation and AEG Presents, will go to a dedicated nonprofit organization to focus on rebuilding, displaced family support and fire prevention technologies and strategies. Look for more line-up and ticket details here as announced.
TESTIMONIAL: “This is the house I wanted. The house I prayed for. The house I worked in blood, sweat and tears for. This is the house where I found peace after battling with racist neighbors and a community that made me have to buy it in a trust within a trust so no one would know that widowed, single Black woman with a teenager was buying on the exclusively-held beach. This was my EFF YOU I’m here house. It is gone. This is an unimaginable loss. I grieve with the rest of Los Angeles as it burns … and even though I’ve found even words to write here, there’s nothing that I could say in this moment to describe this feeling.” – BOZOMA SAINT JOHN (“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”)
CLIPPETTES: African Grammy-winning bassist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Richard Bona brings his Jazz/Afropop songbook to Santa Monica’s Moss Theater on Jan. 18, as the percussive stage tour “STOMP” returns to The Soraya for a two-night run …
The Robey Theatre Company presents a reading of “The Great Lover” by the Black French playwright Alexandre Dumas (“The Three Musketeers,” “The Count of Monte Cristo”), directed by Ben Guillory on Jan. 19 from 3–5 p.m. For free tickets to the event to be held at 514 S. Spring St. in Los Angeles, RSVP at therobeytheatrecompany.org …
The Temptations & The Four Tops with special guest Arsenio Hall fill the bill of the Dolby Theatre on Jan. 19 …
“Superstore,” the 2015 NBC sitcom starring America Ferrara and Colton Dunn, which ran for six seasons, is being revived for Africa with a Zulu-language adaptation from continent streamer Showmax …
In response to the ongoing tragedies in Los Angeles, PianoSpheres.org has decided to make their Jan. 21 concert, “A Journey of Immigrants,” featuring Colombian-American pianist Andrés Jaramillo, free to all. They hope this performance will provide an opportunity for the community to gather during this difficult time …
GZA makes a couple of stops in the area this week performing “Liquid Swords” at The Glass House Concert Hall in Pomona on Jan. 21 to be followed by an opening slot with Lettuce’s Get Up Tour on Jan. 23 at The Novo …
Sting, Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Thundercat, Victor Wooten, Pino Palladino and more will convene for the Bass Magazine Awards Show on Jan. 23 at The Observatory OC …
Ringo Starr is taping a special this week in Nashville following the release of his first country album “Look Up” with proceeds going to the American Red Cross and Los Angeles Fires relief. The Beatles great will be joined by Mickey Guyton, Sheryl Crow, The War and Treaty, Brenda Lee and more for the special to air later this fall on CBS/Paramount+.
TESTIMONIAL II: “Despite this f—-n devastating loss, I’m glad all our friends and neighbors are safe. We put our hearts & souls into our home, & built many beautiful memories there & we are heartbroken, but at the same time we feel lucky. Love you all.” – GINA YASHERE (“Bob Hearts Abishola”)
TC ON TV: Jan. 17 – “Back In Action” (Netflix): The movie notable for marking the return of Cameron Diaz and for being halted by Jamie Foxx’s stroke is here. “Roy Wood Jr.: Lonely Flowers” (Hulu): The comic explores how lack of connection has sent society spiraling into a culture full of guns, protests, rude employees, self-checkout lanes and sex parties. “A Kill For A Kill” (Tubi): A deceptive motivational speaker becomes entangled in a deadly game with a fan who suggests they kill each other’s spouses. “Young, Famous & African” (Netflix): Africa’s elite are back to the glitz, gossip and cutting shade of their opulent inner circle, where luxury meets legacy. “The Couple Next Door” (Starz): A six-part psychological drama with Alfred Enoch (“How To Get Away With Murder”) about two couples in a seemingly idyllic neighborhood who become sexually entangled in a way that will change their lives forever. “Jenna & Friends” (NBC): Taraji P. Henson co-hosts with Phylicia Rashad guesting. “The View” (ABC): Jennifer Lopez, Jharrel Jerome
Jan. 18 – “Girl In The Garage: The Laura Cowan Story” (Lifetime): Paige Hurd, Brad James and Stephen Bishop star in this thriller based on a true story about a woman and her children who are held captive by a family friend. “Saturday Night Live” (NBC): Dave Chappelle hosts with musical guest GloRilla.
Jan. 19 – “Delicious Miss Brown” (Food): Kardea Brown offers “Cookin’ When You’re Feelin’ Lazy”
Jan. 20 – “Live with Kelly & Mark” (ABC): Omari Hardwick (“Star Trek: Section 31”), Lucy Liu (“Presence”)
Jan. 21 – “Blink Twice” (Prime): Streaming premiere of the visually impressive Zoe Kravitz-directed drama starring Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum. “Finding Your Roots” (PBS): Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores the family trees of award-winning writers Amy Tan and poet Rita Dove.
Jan. 22 – “Live with Kelly & Mark” (ABC): Morris Chestnut (“Watson”) “W.A.G.S To Riches” (Netflix): They’re the wives and girlfriends of famous athletes and rap stars, but these stylishly smart women call the shots in this soapy reality series.
Jan. 23 – “Carl Weber’s The Family Business: New Orleans” (BET+): A spinoff of the Louisiana side of the Duncan family with an all-star cast of Bernnadette Stanis, Brandon T. Jackson, David Banner, Lela Rochon, Michael Jai White, Nicholas Turturro, Orlando Jones, Pooch Hall, Quincy Brown, Stan Shaw and Yvette Nicole Brown. “Harlem” (Prime): The series from creator and writer Tracy Oliver (“Girls Trip”) returns for its third and final season with newcomers Kofi Siriboe (“Queen Sugar”), Logan Browning (“Dear White People”), Robin Givens (“Boomerang”), and Gail Bean (“Snowfall”) to join the cast in recurring roles. “97th Academy Awards” Nominations will also be announced this morning.
END QUOTE: “Does anyone else find it appalling that insurance companies can take billions of dollars out of communities for years and then, all of a sudden, be allowed to cancel millions of policies for the very people they became rich on? People who have paid premiums all of their lives are left with nothing because of pure greed. As I am in the process of trying to figure out what steps to take to do all I can to help as many as I can, I am keeping everyone in my prayers.” – TYLER PERRY
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 attastyclips@yahoo.com, via Twitter @tastyclips, or Instagram @tasty_clips.