Latest news with #SanfordandSon
San Francisco Chronicle
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘Clean Slate,' the first sitcom to star a transgender actor, is canceled after one season
Amid a background of openly anti-transgender legislation and policies in American politics, the first ever sitcom starring a transgender performer and the last project from legendary progressive producer Norman Lear has been canceled. 'Clean Slate,' which premiered Feb. 6 on Prime Video, will end after season one. The news was revealed in an emotional guest column posted on Deadline on Friday, April 18, co-written by series star and transgender actor Laverne Cox, comedian and co-star George Wallace and co-creator Dan Ewen. 'We will push to keep the story alive, for the sake of the kind of people portrayed in it, the kind of people being legislated out of existence, or erased from history books,' the column said. 'It feels like it's time to fight like hell for nice things.' While Prime Video has not publicly revealed why it's scrapping the show, the streaming service is a division of Amazon, owned by Jeff Bezos, who has become a prominent donor and supporter of President Donald Trump's second term. In the president's first quarter, Trump has issued executive orders targeting transgender people, including barring trans athletes from playing in women's sports, and his administration has erased the mention of transgender people on government websites and passports. 'Clean Slate' stars Wallace as Harry, an Alabama car wash owner, who is surprised when his estranged son returns home after 17 years. Harry's child is now a proud trans woman named Desiree (Cox). Lear, known for progressive sitcoms such as 'All in the Family,' 'The Jeffersons' and 'Sanford and Son' that changed the face of television in the 1970s, signed on after Cox, Wallace and Ewen pitched the TV legend in the late 2010s. Together, they shepherded the project through a pandemic, Hollywood strikes and shifting broadcast partners. It was originally set up at Peacock before moving first to Amazon-owned Freevee before finally airing on Prime. What would be the only season had been entirely filmed by the time Lear died at age 101 in December 2023. 'Let it be known that Norman Lear's final comedy room was an intersectional, authentic thing of beauty, and the stuff of Marjorie Taylor Greene's nightmares,' the column said.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bulls announcer summed up the wild game-winner by quoting a classic TV show
The final six seconds of Thursday night's NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls were wild. In fact, wild just doesn't do it justice. After inbounding the ball, the Lakers took a one-point lead with 3.3 seconds left thanks to a driving layup by Austin Reaves. Things looked dicey for the home team, but Josh Giddey's half-court (plus a little) heave hit nothing but net to give the Bulls the victory. Thankfully for everyone, the Bulls commentator duo of Adam Amin and Stacey King were on the call. After Amin skillfully described the final two plays of the game, King hopped in with one of the most incredible and hilarious reactions to a game-winner in recent memory. "Oh. My. God. I cannot believe this!" King shouted. "Elizabeth, I'm coming baby! Oh lord!" The "Elizabeth" comment, of course, is a reference to a line that Redd Foxx's character would always say in the 70s sitcom Sanford and Son. An incredible pull from the Bulls basketball legend. RIDICULOUS finish between the Lakers and Bulls and Stacey King lost his damn mind — CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) March 28, 2025 After the game, King took to his Instagram to comment about the game and share a clip from Sanford and Son. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stacey King (@staceyking21) Perfect execution, no notes. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bulls - Lakers ending summed up by Stacey King quoting Sanford and Son
USA Today
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Bulls announcer summed up the wild game-winner by quoting a classic TV show
Bulls announcer summed up the wild game-winner by quoting a classic TV show The final six seconds of Thursday night's NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls were wild. In fact, wild just doesn't do it justice. After inbounding the ball, the Lakers took a one-point lead with 3.3 seconds left thanks to a driving layup by Austin Reaves. Things looked dicey for the home team, but Josh Giddey's half-court (plus a little) heave hit nothing but net to give the Bulls the victory. Thankfully for everyone, the Bulls commentator duo of Adam Amin and Stacey King were on the call. After Amin skillfully described the final two plays of the game, King hopped in with one of the most incredible and hilarious reactions to a game-winner in recent memory. "Oh. My. God. I cannot believe this!" King shouted. "Elizabeth, I'm coming baby! Oh lord!" The "Elizabeth" comment, of course, is a reference to a line that Redd Foxx's character would always say in the 70s sitcom Sanford and Son. An incredible pull from the Bulls basketball legend. After the game, King took to his Instagram to comment about the game and share a clip from Sanford and Son. Perfect execution, no notes.
Forbes
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
George Foreman Helped Tell His Life Story In A 2023 Faith-Based Biopic
George Foreman at the premiere of "Big George Foreman" held at Regal L.A. Live on April 26, 2023 in ... More Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Von Holden/Variety via Getty Images) Apart from being a champion boxer, successful businessman and preacher, George Foreman — who died Friday at age 76 — also helped bring his life story to the big screen in 2023. Foreman's family announced the death of the former Olympic gold medalist and two-time world heavyweight boxing champion in an Instagram post on Friday. 'Our hearts are broken. With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr. who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025 surrounded by loved ones,' the post reads. 'A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose.' Foreman was no stranger to Hollywood, having made appearances as himself through the decades in such classic series as Sanford and Son, Home Improvement and The Larry Sanders Show, and he even led the cast playing the title character in the ABC sitcom George from 1993-94. In 2023, Foreman stepped behind the camera for the first time to become one of the executive producers of his faith-based biopic Big George Foreman. Released by Sony Pictures Entertainment's faith-based subsidiary Affirm Films, Big George Foreman — which also goes by the alternate title Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once a Future Heavyweight Champion of the World — premiered in theaters on April 28, 2023. Directed by George Tilman Jr., the logline for Big George Foreman reads, 'Fueled by an impoverished childhood, George Foreman channeled his anger into becoming an Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavyweight Champion, followed by a near-death experience that took him from the boxing ring to the pulpit.' Discussing his near-death experience in 1977 in an interview about Big George Foreman with USA Today in May of 2023, Foreman said, "The only reason I was interested in doing a movie, period, was to tell the story of what happened in a dressing room. I died for a split-second. I tasted death and had a second chance to live. You wake up and say, 'It's not that bad, I'm still alive.'" UNDATED: George Foreman eyes his opponent during a boxing match circa the 1970's at the Hotel San ... More Juan. (Photo by Focus on Sport via Getty Images) Rated PG-13, the film stars Khris Davis as George Foreman, Jasmine Matthews as Foreman's wife, Mary Joan, Sullivan Jones as boxing champ Muhammad Ali, Forrest Whitaker as Foreman's trainer Doc Broadus and Matthew Glave as legendary ABC Sports announcer Howard Cosell. While Rotten Tomatoes critics gave Big George Foreman a 42% 'rotten' rating based on 52 reviews, audiences awarded Foreman's biopic a 96% 'fresh' score on RT's Popcornmeter based on 250 verified user ratings. Big George Foreman is streaming on Hulu and available to rent on video on demand on a variety of digital platforms including Prime Video, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Spectrum and the Microsoft Store.
Chicago Tribune
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Biblioracle: A new biography of television's Norman Lear shows just how remarkable he was
For no particular reason that I can think of, lately I've been looking for good examples of people embodying the American spirit of hard work, creative entrepreneurship, and care for the well-being of others as part of a democratic society. Fortunately, I had an example that's been sitting at the end of my desk since last fall: 'Norman Lear: His Life and Times,' a biography of the legendary television producer by Tripp Whetsell. For those of us of a certain generation (namely mine), Norman Lear was television for a time: 'All in the Family,' 'Sanford and Son,' 'The Jeffersons,' 'One Day at a Time' and on and on. What made Lear's work indelible was not just its popularity but how his shows shaped the culture by depicting the variety of viewpoints in America. We experienced the emotional and moral journey of Archie Bunker from a racist and sexist but lovable curmudgeon to someone with a more fully developed view of the rights and potential of all individuals. With 'Sanford and Son,' 'Good Times' and 'The Jeffersons,' Lear helped give white America a window into a fuller range of African American experiences. 'Maude' tackled the challenges of being a feminist in the 1970s, often mixing drama and humor with serious topics like abortion and alcoholism. Lear's life is like something out of a storybook. He was born in 1922 and raised in Connecticut and Massachusetts with a father who was jailed when Lear was 9, leaving him bouncing among relatives after his emotionally distant mother gave up on tending her children. Lear dropped out of college during World War II to enlist in the Air Force, flying dozens of combat missions as a B-17 radio operator and gunner. After knocking around Los Angeles in entertainment-adjacent work, Lear secured a writing gig on the 'Colgate Comedy Hour,' then a producing role on 'The Martha Raye Show.' After years of trying, he managed to sell 'All in the Family' to CBS, launching his period as a dynastic force in television. Not everything Lear touched turned to gold. Remember 'a.k.a. Pablo' starring comedian Paul Rodriguez? Me neither. After the dynastic age of the 1970s, Lear's shows had less impact, with the charming but not exactly profound 'Diff'rent Strokes' being the top hit of his latter period. Lear used his fame and resources for good throughout his life, founding the People for the American Way. Well into his 90s, Lear was speaking out on issues important to him, including democracy and the environment. There are different schools of thought on biographies, with some writers trying for a grand narrative interpretation of the life of an important figure, while others work from a steady accumulation of details meant to bring the subject into focus. 'Norman Lear: His Life and Times' takes the latter route through a meticulous accounting of Lear's life, including details like the street Lear's family lived on, and the names of his high school friends, as well as specific conversations between Lear and network executives about his various shows. At times, I felt myself bogged down in information that was interesting but also made me question the relevance. Whetsell's research is impressively exhaustive but is also sometimes more exhausting than illuminating. I'm pleased to have spent time with the book, but I found myself picking it up, reading through an era and then letting is sit for a while before going back in. Different readers will have different experiences, depending on what you're looking for in a life story as amazing as Lear's. John Warner is the author of 'Why They Can't Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities.' Twitter @biblioracle Book recommendations from the Biblioracle John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you've read. 1. 'Rejection' by Tony Tulathimutte 2. 'Y/N' by Esther Yi 3. 'The Candy House' by Jennifer Egan 4. 'Fire Sermon' by Jamie Quatro 5. 'Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead' by Emily Austin — John M., Chicago John is a previous request customer that was pleased with my choice of Percival Everett's 'Erasure.' I'm going to take another big swing with 'When We Cease to Understand the World' by Benjamin Labatut. 1. 'The Boys in the Boat' by Daniel James Brown 2. 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' by Shelby Van Pelt 3. 'There Are Rivers in the Sky' by Elif Shafak 4. 'A Gentleman in Moscow' by Amor Towles 5. 'Fever in the Heartland' by Timothy Egan — Harvey M., Northbrook 'Beautiful Ruins' by Jess Walter has the right mix of history and drama for Harvey and his book club. 1. 'Pineapple Street' by Jenny Jackson 2. 'The Wedding People' by Alison Espach 3. 'Tom Lake' by Ann Patchett 4. 'The Women' by Kristin Hannah 5. 'The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store' by James McBride — Beth T., Chicago I think Beth is a good candidate for the uncompromising, propulsive power of Sarah Manguso's 'Liars.'
