By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
The Hollywood Bowl has announced a special addition to its 2023 summer season: Snoop Dogg & Friends, 30th anniversary of “Doggystyle” & more, to be produced by his mentor, the iconic hip hop mogul Dr. Dre, for two nights only June 27-28.
The celebration of Snoop’s era-defining debut, presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, will feature special guests to be announced and the ReCollective Orchestra, led by conductor Derrick Hodge.
Tickets for the event go on sale May 5 at 10 a.m. and may be purchased online at hollywoodbowl.com, in person at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office, or by phone at 323-850-2000.
Also on sale May 5 are tickets for Fantasia’s 2023 North American tour, finding the former “American Idol” traveling across the country, including a May 26 date at the Microsoft Theater. For more information on the shows with special guest R&B singer Joe, visit: fantasiaofficial.com.
KUDOS: Los Angeles resident filmmakers Kidus Hailesilassie and Ainslee Alem Robson won $25,000 from Black Public Media’s PitchBLACK Forum — the largest pitch competition for independent filmmakers and creative technologists developing new projects about the global Black experience.
Their stunning film, “Uncharted VR,” which depicts a dance performance set in a data cloud of 5,000 years of African languages, was one of three projects receiving awards totaling $225,000 in production funding.
They joined celebrated filmmaker Yoruba Richen (“The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks,” “The Sit In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show”) and Luchina Fisher (whose “Hiding in Plain Sight” spotlights the contributions of Black queer artists like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Little Richard and Sylvester) in receiving awards.
RED CARPET WALK: Halle Bailey, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina and others are set for the Hollywood premiere of the live-action remake of Walt Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” It goes down May 8 at 5:30 p.m. in front of the El Capitan Theatre & the Dolby Theatre.
SPY CAROUSEL: Fans are speculating that Richard Madden (formerly of “Game of Thrones” and currently starring in Prime Video’s “Citadel“) is now under consideration to be the next James Bond. This flies in the face of previous reports naming Paapa Essiedu (“Gangs of London,” “I May Destroy You,” “The Lazarus Project”) as the current favorite. Rege Jean-Page and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are apparently also getting looked at.
TASTY QUIP: “If there was no Red Table Talk, then (Will Smith) wouldn’t have … slapped the sh-t out of Chris Rock. I don’t want to know all this sh-t about y’all. I just want to mind my Black-owned business. I don’t want to be up in everybody else’s kitchen. Keep that sh-t to y’all selves.” – NICK CANNON to The Daily Cannon on Hulu’s cancellation of Jada Pinkett Smith’s series
CLIPPETTES: WAR is in concert May 5 at the L.A. County Fair, while Rico Nasty and Omeretta The Great are at The Constellation Room at The Observatory (also at Echoplex May 9), and DJ Jazzy Jeff spins at The Hustle: A Classic Disco Party (1720 E 16th St.) …
Also kicking off is the Beachlife Festival 2023 with three days of music at Redondo Beach, featuring sets by Mavis Staples, Gwen Stefani, The Wailers, David Ryan Harris, The Black Crowes, The Black Keys, Poncho Sanchez,Travie McCoy and more. Visit: Beachlifefestival.com for info …
Billy Porter’s Black Mona Lisa Tour: Vol. 1 commences May 6 at the Hollywood Palladium, as Ella Mai sings at The Wiltern, Avery Sunshine performs at The Theatre at Ace Hotel, and The Whispers, Jeffrey Osborne & Con Funk Shun play The Greek Theatre …
“Straight Jokes! No Chaser Comedy Tour” with Cedric The Entertainer, Mike Epps, D.L. Hughley, Earthquake and D.C. Young Fly is at The Kia Forum May 7 …
Eight-time Grammy-winner, Emmy-winner, musician, activist, producer and humanitarian Ziggy Marley, eldest son of Bob and Rita Marley, begins two nights at Walt Disney Concert Hall May 9, as Andrea Bocelli begins a two-night-stand at the Hollywood Bowl …
British lead vocalist Durand Jones performs May 11 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
TASTY QUIP: “I have boobs, I have nipples! So does every woman and man on the planet. I think we should just be a little more grown-up about it, and also just accept that a woman’s body is beautiful and … not totally perfect and stuff, and filtered and everything.” – PADMA LAKSHMI (Host of Hulu’s “Taste The Nation” returning May 5) to Page Six on criticism she faces from her kitchen tutorial videos
TC ON TV: May 5 – “Silo” (AppleTV+): Common, David Oyelowo, Rashida Jones, Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Robbins lead the cast of this 10-episode sci-fi drama, telling the story of the last 10,000 people on Earth in a mile-deep home under the surface. “Dear Mama” (FX): In “Ambitionz Az A Ridah,” Tupac spends nearly a year at the notorious Clinton Correctional Facility at Dannemora, leaving him hardened before joining Death Row Records. “Tamron Hall” (Syn): Doug E. Fresh, Dr. Olajide Williams, Deborah Roberts
May 7 – “2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards” (MTV): Drew Barrymore hosts with appearances by Busta Rhymes, Halle Bailey, Tiffany Haddish, Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, and Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd. “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” (Bravo): It’s season 15 with housewives Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, Shereé Whitfield, Drew Sidora, Marlo Hampton, and Sanya Richards-Ross back for more. Monyetta Shaw-Carter and Courtney Rhodes join as friends. “The 2010s” (CNN): An immersive examination of the decade that gave us Instagram, President Barack Obama, marriage equality, Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and Trumpism. With Jemele Hill, Lena Waithe, Rami Malek, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Tom Hanks, Van Jones and many others. “Autopsy: The Last Hours of….” (Reelz): Sammy Davis Jr. “East New York” (CBS): Brian Stokes Mitchell returns as Medical Examiner Corley in this episode directed by Mo McRae. “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” (Bravo): For more than 100 years, Black vacationers have flocked to this island south of Cape Cod, Mass., which is one of the first beach destinations where African Americans could vacation and purchase property. This series follows a group of 12 friends as they enjoy their getaway with beach parties, decadent dinners, and summer hookups. “Unsung” (TV1): “Best In Black – Comedians” “Uncensored” (TV1): Lil Wayne
May 8 – “Jennifer Hudson” (Syn): Lalah Hathaway “Live with Kelly & Mark” (ABC): Omari Hardwick
May 9 – “Judge Steve Harvey” (ABC): Court is in session for a second season. “Frontline” (PBS): “Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court” shows how race, power, and controversy collide in the rise of the Supreme Court justice and his wife.
May 10 – “Class of ‘09” (Hulu): Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mara star in this limited series that follows a class of FBI agents at three distinct points in time, who grapple with immense changes as the U.S. criminal justice system is altered by artificial intelligence. “African Queens” (Netflix): A melanated “Queen Cleopatra” is the focus of this episode, which has been embroiled in controversy before its streaming. “Dance Brothers” (Netflix): Roderick Kabanga, Samuel Kujala and Jeanine Muyima star in this moving drama about two brothers who open their own club.
May 11 – “College Hill: Celebrity Edition” (BET+): Among those enrolling this season for college classes are Ray J, Amber Rose, Joseline Hernandez, Iman Shumpert and Tiffany “Miss New York” Pollard. “The Best of All the Smoke with Matt Barnes & Stephen Jackson” (SHO): Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
END QUOTE: “When we wake up each day, no matter who or where in the world we are, I like to think that we all want to make a difference, to know that our existence, our presence, our thoughts, our actions have contributed to the planet in some way. That we matter. And it’s not about how big or how small those contributions may be, but just that someone, somewhere was on the receiving end of what we were able to give. At least, that’s what drives me each day.” – ANGELA BASSETT on making this year’s TIME 100
As featured in the Los Angeles Wave and Independent, Tasty Clips is one of the leading entertainment columns in the nation, serving nearly 1 million weekly readers. Bill Vaughan may be reached at tastyclips@yahoo.com, via Twitter @tastyclips, or Instagram @tasty_clips.
