Courtesy photo
By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
When last we spoke, Rolando Boyce was enjoying a long run on Showtime’s “The Chi” as Darnell, the track-suited, old school player father to Jacob Latimore’s Emmett.
“I’m just waiting on the spin-off,” he said at the time. “I’m trying to talk it into existence. I didn’t catch no bullets so I should be back. I told [show creator] Lena [Waithe], Look I don’t want no scenes with Douda. That dude’s trouble. Just keep me out of his way.”
Boyce remembered and intimated that it was lucky for Darnell that someone took out Curtis Cook’s hissable baddie before he got to him — though he was sad that Cook was off the show.
Now we are at season seven for the show set in Chicago’s south side with guest stars Phylicia Rashad, Karrueche Tran and Wendy Raquel Robinson joining returnees Boyce, Latimore, Lynn Whitfield, Yolonda Ross, Michael Epps, Shamon Brown Jr., Birgundi Baker, Luke James, Kadeem Hardison, and more.
“This season [premiering on Showtime/Paramount+ May 18] will have a lot of focus on the women, but Darnell is throughout in every episode,” Boyce would share. “I can’t give away anything now, but I promise you midway through the season we’ll be talking again.”
In the meantime, fans will have a chance to check his tremendous chops up close and personal in Javon Johnson’s “Hambone,” described as “a generational play about five men’s struggle for truth, their pain, healing and renewal” running May 2–25 at The Mark Theatre in North Hollywood.
Boyce portrays Bishop, the owner of the sandwich shop in Anderson County, South Carolina. Set in 1988, the Confederate flag still hangs from the state capitol, Jesse Jackson is making history as the first Black presidential candidate, and soul-brother James Brown has been incarcerated for drugs. Music and its children are reflecting the changing times and the rage that sits a breath away from imploding in on itself.
The Chicago native, who first went viral in R. Kelly’s “Trapped in the Closet,” said he was drawn to the role upon learning his friend J. David Shanks and Markkeitha Ka’von were starting this theatre in NoHo and planned on opening with this play.
“I’ve known Javon for over 20 years and once I start reading it, I couldn’t put it down,” Boyce said. “He wrote this as a tribute to August Wilson, so it is very poetic and has a great rhythm.”
As for this possibly being the final season of “The Chi,” he remains optimistic.
“It’s not official yet but I believe we’re coming back,” Boyce said. “They announced that the writers will be back in the room over the summer. They wouldn’t be writing if we weren’t going back.”
LONG DUE: Congrats to 83-year-old Chubby Checker (“The Twist”) who after 30 years of eligibility has finally been named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of their 2025 inductees along with Cyndi Lauper, the late Joe Cocker, Bad Company, Soundgarden, The White Stripes and Outkast. The ceremony, which will also recognize rappers Salt-N-Pepa and Philadelphia Sound composer Thom Bell, will air live on Disney+ from the Peacock Theatre on Nov. 8.
AT THE MOVIES: African-German actor Désiré Mia enters the ring for consideration as film’s next hot action star in “Absolute Dominion” from former world kickboxing champion and stuntwoman turned Oscar-nominated director Lexi Alexander (“Green Street Hooligans,” “Punisher: War Zone”). The premise of this provocative futuristic film has all the world’s religions developing representative martial artists with the winner’s faith governing humanity to restore peace for the future.
CLIPPETTES: The three-day BeachLife Festival 2025 kicks off May 2 at Redondo Beach with Lenny Kravitz, Aloe Blacc, Digable Planets, Train, Skip Marley, Pretenders, Alanis Morissette, Marcus King and more …
Also that evening, Patrice Rushen is at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kylie Minogue & Rita Ora are at Crypto.com Arena, and The Robey Theatre Company’s presentation of “Last Night at Mikell’s” continues at the Los Angeles Theatre Center …
Famous Amos 50th Anniversary Block Party is happening May 3 from noon–5 p.m. at the outdoor space near the El Capitan Theatre. Honoring founder Wally Amos, the event promises a day of music, dancing, art, and of course, cookies …
It is also free comic book day at your local vendor and later, comic George Lopez performs at Long Beach’s Terrace Theater, Tyga headlines at The Palladium, and Jacquees & Dej Loaf’s F#*k A Friend Zone Tour comes to The Wiltern …
Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter Tour, boasting over 30 songs and daughters Blue Ivy Carter and Rumi, continues at SoFi Stadium May 4 & 7 …
Royce Hall welcomes Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant on May 8.
INSPIRATION: “The visual style of [‘Sinners’] came from a place of deep respect for the resilience, creativity and survival of Black people in the Jim Crow South, especially during the great migration. I wasn’t just designing costumes, I was designing a visual language for survival, ambition, music and memory. Every fabric, every fit, every color told a piece of the story. Just like the blues was born out of hardship but shaped the world, these costumes reflect how even in the hardest times, people found ways to express themselves, to dream, to endure.” — Oscar winning costume designer RUTH CARTER
TC ON TV: May 2 – “The View” (ABC): Kerry Washington (honored with the prestigious 2025 Ossie Davis Award for Innovation in Filmmaking at the Atlanta Film Festival) and her “Shadow Force” co-star Omar Sy are guests. “Black Bag” (Peacock): Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh’s spy thriller with Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé-Jean Page and Pierce Brosnan debuts on the streamer. “CBS Mornings” (CBS): Misty Copeland “Tamron Hall” (Syn): Tina Knowles “Hollywood Squares” (CBS): Celebrity guests include Tichina Arnold, Russell Peters, Tiffany Haddish, Marsai Martin and JB Smoove.
May 3 – “Maneet’s Eats” (Food): Chef Maneet Chauhan, acclaimed “Chopped” judge and two-time “Tournament of Champions” winner, shares her favorite recipes like Chicken Tikka Masala and Aloo Gobi. “Full Court Press” (ESPN): Flau’jae Johnson, Kiki Iriafan and Hanna Hidalgo are the focus of this season’s inside look at the world of elite collegiate women’s basketball. “Hats Off To Love” (Hallmark): Holly Robinson Peete and John Clarence Stewart (“P-Valley“) are featured in this romantic movie about a socialite and her son who’s training a horse to compete in the Louisville Derby. “Saturday Night Live” (NBC): Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”) hosts with musical guest Benson Boone.
May 4 – “Star Wars: Galaxy Edge” & “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” (Disney+) May the 4th Be With You on Star Wars Day with the release of these two specials celebrating 70 years of imagination and storytelling at Disneyland Park. “The Equalizer” (CBS): McCall (Queen Latifah) and Dante (Tony Kittles) finally hook up on a romantic getaway in this series finale. “Time 100: The World’s Most Influential People” (ABC): Hosted by Snoop Dogg with special musical performances from Ed Sheeran and Myles Smith.
May 5 – “Met Gala” (YouTube/Vogue Digital): Teyana Taylor, La La Anthony and Ego Nwodim are hosts of the livestream. “Sherri” (Syn): Tyler Perry, Montel Williams “The Neighborhood” (CBS): An hour-long season finale airing the rejected spinoff pilot focusing on the sons with Justin Long (“Live Free or Die Hard“). “Basketball Wives” (VH1): The 12th season premieres with original cast members Jennifer Williams, Evelyn Lozada and Jackie Christie.
May 6 – “Untold: Shooting Guards” (Netflix): What really went down between Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton? This exposé unpacks how a gambling dispute led to guns drawn in an NBA locker room. “Sherri” (Syn): Ciara “Assisted Living” (BET): Tyler Perry’s sitcom about a city family turned rural with David & Tamala Mann and J. Anthony Brown returns for a sixth season.
May 7 – “Tamron Hall” (Syn): Amerie, Scott Evans “Sherri Shepherd” (Syn): Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriquez, Rosanna Scotto
May 8 – “Forever” (Netflix): Mara Brock Akil (“Being Mary Jane”) reimagines Judy Blume’s groundbreaking 1975 novel for a new generation. It’s an epic love story of two Black teens exploring romance and their identities through the awkward journey of being each other’s first with Adriyan Rae, Ali Gallo, Barry Shabaka Henley, Karen Pittman, Lovie Simone, Marvin Winans III, Wood Harris and Xosha Roquemore. “Usher: Rendezvous in Paris” (BET+): The streaming premiere of the “My Boo” singer’s eight-concert performance, captured during Paris Fashion Week at La Seine Musicale. “Poker Face” (Peacock): Cynthia Erivo opens the second season of this fun whodunit playing triplets. “Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful” (Netflix): pulls back the curtain on her rise to stardom while navigating a sold-out stadium tour, creating new music, and releasing a new album.
END QUOTE: “I’m in the service business. You know you … learn the first part of your life, you earn the second part of your life and you return in the third part of your life. I’m in the return phase of life. So I’m returning, I’m giving back to others…” — DENZEL WASHINGTON
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.
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