When NBC premiered "The Cosby Show" on September 20, 1984, the network effectively claimed ownership of Thursday night primetime television for several decades. This was the unofficial beginning of Must-See TV (the moniker wouldn't be coined until 1993), and the series' ratings prominence throughout the mid- to late-'80s anchored NBC's lineup, allowing them to switch out sitcoms in the 8:30 and 9:30 slots as needed.
The other Thursday half-hour slot deemed untouchable by the network was the 9 p.m. post dominated by "Cheers." Created by James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles, the show built around a neighborhood Boston bar where everybody knows your name bounced around during its first two seasons before permanently bellying up to 9 p.m. for the rest of its 11-season run. It was the lightly ribald counterpart to the family-friendly antics of "The Cosby Show," and it never had a bad season.
These two series changed television history forever,...
The other Thursday half-hour slot deemed untouchable by the network was the 9 p.m. post dominated by "Cheers." Created by James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles, the show built around a neighborhood Boston bar where everybody knows your name bounced around during its first two seasons before permanently bellying up to 9 p.m. for the rest of its 11-season run. It was the lightly ribald counterpart to the family-friendly antics of "The Cosby Show," and it never had a bad season.
These two series changed television history forever,...
- 11/12/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Bill Cosby has been sentenced to three to 10 years in Pennsylvania State Prison. The actor was found guilty earlier this year on three counts for sexual assault: Penetration with lack of consent, penetration while unconscious, and penetration after administering an intoxicant. The charges in the trial were brought forward by Andrea Constand, one of more than 60 women who accused Cosby of sexual assault. Each charge carried a maximum sentence of 10 years.
During the sentencing, Judge Steven O’Neill formally designated Cosby as a “sexually violent predator” (via Deadline). Prosecutors on the first day of the sentencing pushed for Cosby to have a sentence at the “high end” of 10 years, but Judge O’Neill said he’d likely stick to the sentencing guidelines that dictate 22 to 36 months. Cosby was tried in Pennsylvania as he sexually abused Constand at his home in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. Now that he is designated as a sexual predator,...
During the sentencing, Judge Steven O’Neill formally designated Cosby as a “sexually violent predator” (via Deadline). Prosecutors on the first day of the sentencing pushed for Cosby to have a sentence at the “high end” of 10 years, but Judge O’Neill said he’d likely stick to the sentencing guidelines that dictate 22 to 36 months. Cosby was tried in Pennsylvania as he sexually abused Constand at his home in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. Now that he is designated as a sexual predator,...
- 9/25/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Bill Cosby could still find himself locked up for the rest of his life ... but that's not going to stop him from making bank on the show that helped his rise to fame. The comedian and creator of "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" filed paperwork in May -- about a month before his sexual assault trial began -- to renew the rights to the title of his animated series ... and the terms "Fat Albert" and "Hey hey hey" specifically.
- 6/26/2017
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Bill Cosby seemed in good spirits Friday night as he left the courthouse where his sex assault trial remained deadlocked.
Cosby, who faces three counts of aggravated indecent assault in connection with allegations brought by Andrea Constand, addressed people gathered outside and wished them a happy early Father’s Day.
Breaking News!! Cosby speaks! Thanks supporters pic.twitter.com/mHrHnmefHW
— DeMarco Morgan (@DeMarcoReports) June 17, 2017
“Wishing all the fathers a Happy Father’s Day,” Cosby, 79, said in a Twitter video taken by a CBS News correspondent. “And I want to thank the jury for their long days and their honest work,...
Cosby, who faces three counts of aggravated indecent assault in connection with allegations brought by Andrea Constand, addressed people gathered outside and wished them a happy early Father’s Day.
Breaking News!! Cosby speaks! Thanks supporters pic.twitter.com/mHrHnmefHW
— DeMarco Morgan (@DeMarcoReports) June 17, 2017
“Wishing all the fathers a Happy Father’s Day,” Cosby, 79, said in a Twitter video taken by a CBS News correspondent. “And I want to thank the jury for their long days and their honest work,...
- 6/17/2017
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
Bill Cosby and his fans have been communicating in the Pennsylvania courthouse using the catchphrase from his show “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids”: “Hey hey hey!” It happened most recently on Friday as he left the courtroom in Norristown, Penn., where he faces three counts of aggravated indecent assault. The 79-year-old Cosby, holding the arm of a suit-clad aide, exited the courthouse to a sea of cameras and reporters. In the midst were a group of local fans. “We love you 100 percent!” two women yelled. With a smile, Cosby turned his head toward the group, raised his cane and replied,...
- 6/9/2017
- by Allie Volpe
- The Wrap
Prolific television writer and producer Sam Simon has passed away, Deadline is reporting. Simon succumbed to the colorectal cancer that he had been fighting since 2012. He was 59.
Simon began his career in television working on animated features such as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids as a storyboard artist. Having an interest in writing as well, Simon submitted a spec script for the television show Taxi, which subsequently led to the hiring of him as a writer and eventual showrunner for the series’ final season, where he first worked with James L. Brooks.
His path through television led him to the writing rooms of other luminary TV shows such as Cheers, Barney Miller, and It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, ultimately leading him to be a writer and producer on The Tracey Ullman Show, where he once again worked with Brooks.
Simon, Brooks, and Matt Groening eventually worked together to make The Simpsons,...
Simon began his career in television working on animated features such as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids as a storyboard artist. Having an interest in writing as well, Simon submitted a spec script for the television show Taxi, which subsequently led to the hiring of him as a writer and eventual showrunner for the series’ final season, where he first worked with James L. Brooks.
His path through television led him to the writing rooms of other luminary TV shows such as Cheers, Barney Miller, and It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, ultimately leading him to be a writer and producer on The Tracey Ullman Show, where he once again worked with Brooks.
Simon, Brooks, and Matt Groening eventually worked together to make The Simpsons,...
- 3/9/2015
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
Bill Cosby channeled Fat Albert in a new video to let fans know, “Hey, hey, hey, I’m far from finished.” While Cosby was happy to reference the character he voiced for six seasons on the “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” animated TV series, the scandal-plagued comedian avoided addressing the multitude of sexual assault allegations that have been leveled against him. Also Read: Bill Cosby Accuser Pens Powerful Piece: %u2018I Didn%u2019t Want to Let Black America Down%u2019 In the clip, Cosby is seen on the phone saying, “And you know I’ll be hilarious; can’t wait.
- 3/9/2015
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
Following multiple allegations of sexual assault and one lawsuit filed, Bill Cosby's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was reportedly been vandalized. (It has since been cleaned, People confirms.) In a viewer-submitted photo obtained by Houston's Fox 26, vandals have purportedly scrawled "rapist" all over Cosby's star on Hollywood Boulevard. Cosby earned the star in 1977 following the success of The Bill Cosby Show, and the educational cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids which ran from 1972 to 1985. This was before he would receive even further critical acclaim for The Cosby Show, which debuted in 1984. Three of Cosby's alleged victims have stepped forward,...
- 12/5/2014
- by Amanda Michelle Steiner, @amandamichl
- PEOPLE.com
Following multiple allegations of sexual assault and one lawsuit filed, Bill Cosby's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has reportedly been vandalized. In a viewer-submitted photo obtained by Houston's Fox 26, vandals have purportedly scrawled "rapist" all over Cosby's star on Hollywood Boulevard. Cosby earned the star in 1977 following the success of The Bill Cosby Show, and the educational cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids which ran from 1972 to 1985. This was before he would receive even further critical acclaim for The Cosby Show, which debuted in 1984. Three of Cosby's alleged victims have stepped forward, with the help of L.
- 12/5/2014
- by Amanda Michelle Steiner, @amandamichl
- PEOPLE.com
The producing duo behind two of Bill Cosby's most successful sitcoms are speaking about the comedian, who continues to be dogged by accusations that he drugged and assaulted women early in his career. "The Bill we know was a brilliant and wonderful collaborator on a show that changed the landscape of television," Tom Werner and Marcy Carsey said in a statement Thursday. "These recent news reports are beyond our knowledge or comprehension." The Carsey-Werner Co. was one of the most prolific production companies in TV history - and owes a lot of its success to Cosby, whom the two...
- 11/21/2014
- by Lynette Rice, @lynetterice
- PEOPLE.com
Bill Cosby is returning to TV in a new family comedy for NBC.
The beloved star, who played sweater-clad Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has signed a deal to develop and star in a new half-hour sitcom that is being produced by Tom Werner, whose company produced the '80s hit, Deadline reports.
The 76-year-old will play the head of a multi-generational family, and Cosby and Werner are reportedly in the process of meeting with writers for the project.
It's been 14 years since his last TV series, Cosby, went off the air, but the actor-comedian told Yahoo TV in...
The beloved star, who played sweater-clad Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has signed a deal to develop and star in a new half-hour sitcom that is being produced by Tom Werner, whose company produced the '80s hit, Deadline reports.
The 76-year-old will play the head of a multi-generational family, and Cosby and Werner are reportedly in the process of meeting with writers for the project.
It's been 14 years since his last TV series, Cosby, went off the air, but the actor-comedian told Yahoo TV in...
- 1/22/2014
- by K.C. Blumm
- People.com - TV Watch
Bill Cosby is returning to TV in a new family comedy for NBC. The beloved star, who played sweater-clad Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has signed a deal to develop and star in a new half-hour sitcom that is being produced by Tom Werner, whose company produced the '80s hit, Deadline reports.The 76-year-old will play the head of a multi-generational family, and Cosby and Werner are reportedly in the process of meeting with writers for the project. It's been 14 years since his last TV series, Cosby, went off the air, but the actor-comedian told Yahoo TV in...
- 1/22/2014
- by K.C. Blumm
- PEOPLE.com
More than 20 years after his groundbreaking series "The Cosby Show" went off the air, Bill Cosby is making plans to return to network television. Cosby will, according to Deadline , headline a new, currently untitled sitcom that will air on NBC. Details on the new series are few, but it is said to follow a multigenerational family. Cosby is working with Tom Werner to produce. Werner, an executive producer on "The Cosby Show," also executive produced the pilot for the comedian's later follow-up series "Cosby." The original article also notes that Cosby is working with writer Tom Straw to plan a potential reboot of the animated "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids," which would also head to television in the near future. (Photo Credit: Hrc /...
- 1/22/2014
- Comingsoon.net
The actual 2013 Black Friday is over, but the deals aren't as Amazon is continuing the deals up through Cyber Monday and today's new schedule of sale items includes one of the best deals yet, $200 off the Bond 50: The Complete 23 Film Collection Blu-ray, which includes Skyfall, but that's not it. Beyond that we have deals on A Good Day to Die Hard. The Last Emperor (Criterion Collection), the Francis Ford Coppola: 5-Film Blu-ray Collection, Friday Night Lights and "Girls". Outside of what's below I am constantly updating my main page with the week's Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals right here, and it will continue to update until the deals are done. Otherwise, start shopping. Bond! Bond 50: The Complete 23 Film Collection with Skyfall Blu-ray ($99.99) Check Out These Deals Midnight in Paris Blu-ray ($6.49) Pacific Rim Blu-ray ($7.99) Epic Blu-ray ($9.96) Heat Blu-ray ($8.49) Man of Steel Blu-ray ($19.96) Moneyball Blu-ray ($3.99) 21 Jump Street Blu-ray...
- 11/30/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Appearing on The Daily Show earlier this week, Bill Cosby gently took Jon Stewart to task for his liberal use of four-letter words at the Stand Up for Heroes event they'd both just entertained. "It wasn't cursing – it was Yiddish!" joked Stewart, who took his scolding in stride, clearly in awe of the elder comedian. In his later years, Cosby, 76, has cast himself as something of a national scold, as he did in his famously rambling "Pound Cake" speech to the NAACP (which prompted a book-length reply from the commentator Michael Eric Dyson,...
- 11/23/2013
- Rollingstone.com
Audiences nostalgic for Bill Cosby's brand of family-friendly programming may have reason to celebrate. In a recent interview with Yahoo TV, Cosby shared plans to revive his long-running animated series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids with writer/producer Tom Straw (Cosby, Nurse Jackie). The half-hour show would feature the same animated format and live-action wraparounds featuring Cosby as the original series, which ran from 1972-1985. According to Cosby, "It's got to be animated, every bit of it. Maybe except for yours truly saying, 'I told you this is going to be funny, and if you pay attention, you just might learn something.'" The last iteration of the show was 2004's live...
- 11/11/2013
- by Jai Tiggett
- ShadowAndAct
We've got yet another "Blurred Lines" remix for you, this time with fewer kid instruments and more Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids characters. Who doesn't think of the portly cartoon jokester's boisterous catchphrase whenever the "hey, hey, hey" hook in Robin Thicke's pop hit arrives? Maybe we're going deaf, maybe we're going blind, maybe we're out of our mind, but we know you want Fat Albert and the junkyard gang jamming out to the song of the summer.
- 8/7/2013
- by Caroline Shin
- Vulture
Bill Cosby will return to TV with a new concert special titled "Far From Finished," which will air on Comedy Central in November, the network announced Friday.
"Far From Finished" marks Cosby's first television concert special in 30 years, and will air on November 24. The special is comprised of footage taken from the TV icon's recent performance at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center, and is directed by Robert Townsend.
Cosby's last special was "Bill Cosby, Himself" in 1983, which was aptly directed by the comedian. The routines in the concert became the partial basis for "The Cosby Show," the hit series that ran from 1984 to 1992, reinvigorated NBC and gave us a collective cultural obsession with Cliff Huxtable's vast sweater collection.
As for why Cosby chose now to return to the small screen, the 76-year-old actor simply said, "Because ... funny is funny."
In addition to his enduring legacy on "The Cosby Show,...
"Far From Finished" marks Cosby's first television concert special in 30 years, and will air on November 24. The special is comprised of footage taken from the TV icon's recent performance at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center, and is directed by Robert Townsend.
Cosby's last special was "Bill Cosby, Himself" in 1983, which was aptly directed by the comedian. The routines in the concert became the partial basis for "The Cosby Show," the hit series that ran from 1984 to 1992, reinvigorated NBC and gave us a collective cultural obsession with Cliff Huxtable's vast sweater collection.
As for why Cosby chose now to return to the small screen, the 76-year-old actor simply said, "Because ... funny is funny."
In addition to his enduring legacy on "The Cosby Show,...
- 7/13/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Chicago – Bill Cosby’s “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” was more than mere Saturday morning cartoon. Maybe you didn’t realize it at the time but it was a show, looking back on it now, that really pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable subject matter in children’s entertainment. Most importantly, it didn’t treat its audience like kids, knowing that some were forced to grow up more quickly than the generation before them. It’s a great show to be given the complete series treatment and Shout Factory delivers.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
As Cosby himself (along with other key collaborators from the show’s history) details in the excellent “Hey, Hey, Hey…It’s the Story of Fat Albert,” this was no ordinary cartoon. It came from a true place — Cosby’s own childhood — and it came from people who refused to sugarcoat the increasing danger of life on...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
As Cosby himself (along with other key collaborators from the show’s history) details in the excellent “Hey, Hey, Hey…It’s the Story of Fat Albert,” this was no ordinary cartoon. It came from a true place — Cosby’s own childhood — and it came from people who refused to sugarcoat the increasing danger of life on...
- 7/8/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Atlanta (March 9, 2012) — Bounce TV (http://www.bouncetv.com), the nation’s first and only over-the-air broadcast television network for African Americans, was launched in Los Angeles this week by Kcop-tv as part of an agreement between Bounce TV and Fox Television Stations. Bounce TV can now be seen in La on channel 13.2. Bounce TV was also launched recently by Fts stations in New York (Wwor-tv) and Baltimore (Wutb-tv). In adding Los Angeles, Bounce TV is now seen in the top five markets in the country. Bounce TV is one of the fastest growing networks in the industry, already available in nearly 75% of African American television homes since coming on the air in September 2011. “We are very grateful to the Fox Television Stations group for bringing Bounce TV into these important markets,” said Martin Luther King III, member of Bounce TV’s founding group and board of directors. “By launching Bounce TV,...
- 3/9/2012
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
What is it about Bill Cosby impressions that make them — when done correctly — the beeeeessssst? Sure, the guy is officially a Doctor of Education (his dissertation at UMass. was titled “An Integration of the Visual Media Via ‘Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids’ Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning”). And, yes, he changed the landscape of how African Americans could be portrayed and received in America with his roles in I Spy and The Cosby Show. And, okay, he’s a vocal activist when it comes to socioeconomics and morality among Black youth. But he also makes Really funny noises. And this impression of Bill Cosby singing the opening to The Cosby Show needs to be seen. – Eliot Glazer...
- 6/2/2011
- by Eliot Glazer
- BestWeekEver
Cosby In Anti-bullying Drive
Funnyman Bill Cosby is backing an anti-bullying drive following the death of American teenager Phoebe Prince in January, who was allegedly driven to suicide by her school mates.
Nine youngsters have been accused of tormenting the 15 year old, who was found hanged at her home in Massachusetts, prior to her death.
Cosby is allowing clips from an episode of his 1970s cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, which addresses the issue of bullying, to be used by Dr. Marilyn Irving to raise awareness of the problem across America.
And the veteran star is urging education workers to recognise if a child is the victim of playground abuse - because when his eldest daughter Erika was bullied he realised straight away and addressed the problem with her school.
Speaking to U.S. host Larry King, he says, "(Teachers) should be able to recognise it when they see it, as they're walking around the hallways, as the kids are sitting in the classrooms. I'm really asking all of them to wake up, because for a child to hang him or herself, to me, that's a very, very violent act - a way of taking yourself out because some people are practising hatred toward you, whether they know what they're doing or not.
"These adults have to get in now. If you look at some schools, there's one counsellor for 420 kids. And unless that child really steps out and comes to that counsellor, how would one know?
"I don't believe that you can take a job as a teacher, as a superintendent, as a principal and not recognise, when you're being told by parents. You see, for instance, when our daughter Erika had a problem, she reported it to us. Mrs. Cosby then went to the school. The school immediately - and Erika is maybe seven, eight years old - immediately brought the parents in of the child who was doing the bullying. And it worked."...
Nine youngsters have been accused of tormenting the 15 year old, who was found hanged at her home in Massachusetts, prior to her death.
Cosby is allowing clips from an episode of his 1970s cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, which addresses the issue of bullying, to be used by Dr. Marilyn Irving to raise awareness of the problem across America.
And the veteran star is urging education workers to recognise if a child is the victim of playground abuse - because when his eldest daughter Erika was bullied he realised straight away and addressed the problem with her school.
Speaking to U.S. host Larry King, he says, "(Teachers) should be able to recognise it when they see it, as they're walking around the hallways, as the kids are sitting in the classrooms. I'm really asking all of them to wake up, because for a child to hang him or herself, to me, that's a very, very violent act - a way of taking yourself out because some people are practising hatred toward you, whether they know what they're doing or not.
"These adults have to get in now. If you look at some schools, there's one counsellor for 420 kids. And unless that child really steps out and comes to that counsellor, how would one know?
"I don't believe that you can take a job as a teacher, as a superintendent, as a principal and not recognise, when you're being told by parents. You see, for instance, when our daughter Erika had a problem, she reported it to us. Mrs. Cosby then went to the school. The school immediately - and Erika is maybe seven, eight years old - immediately brought the parents in of the child who was doing the bullying. And it worked."...
- 4/14/2010
- WENN
Richard Delvy was drummer and composer for such early surf-rock groups as the Bel-Airs and the Challengers. He also provided the rockin’ theme song for the 1968 cult sci-fi film The Green Slime, starring Robert Horton, Richard Jaeckel, and Luciana Paluzzi. Delvy belted out the unforgettable lyrics “Will you believe it when you’re dead? Gree-ee-eenn Slii-ii-ii-iime!! Gree-ee-eenn Slii-ii-ii-iime!! Gree-ee-eenn Slii-ii-ii-ii-ii-iime!!!!.”
Delvy was born Richard Delvecchio in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on April 20, 1942, and moved to Southern California in the late 1950s. He played on several minor surf-rock hits including “Mr. Moto,” and acquired the rights to such hits as “Wipe Out” and “Chick-a-Boom (Don’t Ya Jes’ Love It)”. He also contributed music for such animated series as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, My Favorite Martian, The Archies, and The Groovy Ghoulies.
Delvy died after a long illness in a West Hills, California, hospital on February 6, 2010, at age 67.
Delvy was born Richard Delvecchio in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on April 20, 1942, and moved to Southern California in the late 1950s. He played on several minor surf-rock hits including “Mr. Moto,” and acquired the rights to such hits as “Wipe Out” and “Chick-a-Boom (Don’t Ya Jes’ Love It)”. He also contributed music for such animated series as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, My Favorite Martian, The Archies, and The Groovy Ghoulies.
Delvy died after a long illness in a West Hills, California, hospital on February 6, 2010, at age 67.
- 3/24/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Disney's new cartoon The Princess and the Frog has an African-American heroine, but it's taken a long time to get to this point
When you consider the pantheon of classic Disney characters, chances are that Sunflower the Centaur doesn't spring to mind. Sunflower is the young black centaur in Fantasia, and if that still doesn't ring any bells, it's because she's absent from any official version of the movie you'll see today.
From the waist up, Sunflower is – or was – a textbook example of the "pickaninny" caricature. Neither her looks, nor her subservience to the graceful, silky-haired white centaurs, caused much fuss in 1940, but shifting, civil-rights era sensibilities saw Sunflower snipped from Fantasia's 1960 rerelease. (By this time Disney had also given us Dumbo's jive-talking crows – one of whom is actually named Jim Crow – and a romanticised view of post-slavery race relations in Song of the South.)
It is against this...
When you consider the pantheon of classic Disney characters, chances are that Sunflower the Centaur doesn't spring to mind. Sunflower is the young black centaur in Fantasia, and if that still doesn't ring any bells, it's because she's absent from any official version of the movie you'll see today.
From the waist up, Sunflower is – or was – a textbook example of the "pickaninny" caricature. Neither her looks, nor her subservience to the graceful, silky-haired white centaurs, caused much fuss in 1940, but shifting, civil-rights era sensibilities saw Sunflower snipped from Fantasia's 1960 rerelease. (By this time Disney had also given us Dumbo's jive-talking crows – one of whom is actually named Jim Crow – and a romanticised view of post-slavery race relations in Song of the South.)
It is against this...
- 1/21/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
Five belly up to live-action 'Albert' at Fox
Aaron Carter, Dania Ramirez, Nick Zano, Derek Watkins and Alice Greczyn have joined the cast of 20th Century Fox's live-action Fat Albert for helmer Joel Zwick. Shooting in Los Angeles on the Paramount Pictures back lot, the project is based on the stand-up comedy monologues of Bill Cosby about his childhood in Philadelphia and the cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. The John Davis-produced film is toplined by Saturday Night Live regular Kenan Thompson alongside Shedrack Anderson III as Ruby, Jermaine Williams as Mushmouth, Keith Robinson as Bill, Alphonso McAuley as Bucky, Aaron Frazier as Old Weird Harold, Marques Houston as Dumb Donald, Kyla Pratt as Doris, former B2K member Omarion as Reggie and J Mack Slaughter as Arthur.
- 4/21/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Pratt signs on as female lead in Fox's 'Albert'
The Fat Albert movie has found its female lead. Teen star Kyla Pratt has been cast in the big-screen adaptation of the children's cartoon series as the teenage girl whose favorite 'toon characters fall out of her TV set and into her life. Joel Zwick directs. Albert is being produced by Bill and Camille Cosby and Fox-based John Davis through his John Davis Entertainment. Bill Cosby also is involved in writing the movie, which is based on his 1970s series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Fox will distribute. Pratt's big-screen credits include Mike Figgis' One Night Stand, Love & Basketball as well as Dr. Doolittle 1 and its sequel, in which Pratt starred opposite Eddie Murphy. She also appears on UPN's One on One and Disney Channel's Proud Family. Pratt is repped by Landis-Simon Prods., Talent Management and the law firm of Nelson Felker.
- 3/26/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Zwick adding 'Fat' to his diet
My Big Fat Greek Wedding helmer Joel Zwick is in talks to direct Fat Albert, a live-action feature based on the famed '70s cartoon for 20th Century Fox. Bill Cosby and studio-based John Davis are producing the project, which follows Fat Albert and his posse of friends, who come to life when they walk out of the cartoon and into the real world. Cosby and Charles Kipps wrote the original draft of the screenplay, which is inspired by Cosby's long-running CBS cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Zwick's arrival to the project comes just more than a year after preproduction on Albert began, originally with Forest Whitaker directing and Omar Benson Miller starring in the title role. However, the project came to an abrupt halt over a conflict of visions between Cosby and Whitaker (HR 4/5/02). At this point, no actors are on board. Zwick is repped by Irv Schechter Co.
- 6/29/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nick at Nite joins Cosby to deliver ani 'Fatherhood'
After 17 years of showcasing TV classics, Nickelodeon's Nick at Nite primetime program block will serve up its first original series production this year with an animated family friendly vehicle based on Bill Cosby's best-selling 1986 book Fatherhood. Nick at Nite has ordered seven half-hour episodes of Fatherhood, which is expected to premiere in December. The series will feature the voice of actor David Alan Grier as the central character, Dr. Bindlebeep, a high school teacher and father of three. Cosby, who will executive produce the series along with Charles Kipps and David Brokaw, said the project marks the completion of a trilogy of animated Cosby creations that started in the mid-1970s with CBS' Saturday-morning hit Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and continued in the late 1990s with Little Bill, a semiautobiographical series that currently airs on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. preschooler block.
- 4/8/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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