Dave Chappelle Announces New Netflix Special

Photo credit: Screenshot Netflix "Sticks and Stones."

The relationship between comedian Dave Chappelle and Netflix has proved to be resilient as it has been fruitful since it began when the comedian reportedly signed a $60 million deal for delivering the first of three specials to the company starting in 2017.

Of the five specials he has released since on the network, three have won Grammys in the Best Comedy Album category: "The Age of Spin, Deep in the Heart of Texas," "Equanimity & The Bird Revelation", and "Sticks & Stones."

He also received five Emmy awards for "Sticks & Stones" and "Equanimity & The Bird Revelation," pushing his career total to five — the other two coming from hosting appearances on "Saturday Night Live."

Wednesday the streaming giant announced Chappelle's return to the network for the sixth, and perhaps final chapter of his run of Netflix specials, "The Closer." Premiering globally October 5, a press release from Netflix said, "This stand-up special completes a body of work which includes: 'The Age Of Spin,' 'Deep In The Heart Of Texas,' 'Equanimity & The Bird Revelation,' 'And Sticks & Stones.'"

"Comedians have a responsibility to speak recklessly," Chappelle says in a teaser trailer accompanying the release.

"Sometimes the funniest thing to say is mean. Remember, I'm not saying it to be mean. I'm saying it because it's funny," he continues while performing in front of a live audience.

If it is the final chapter in this particular Chappelle Epoch, it appears the 48-year-old is going out with guns blazing. Emmy-winning director Stan Lathan returns to direct, having helmed all five of Chappelle's previous Netflix specials.

Considering his respect for the network, however, it seems likely that Chappelle will be teaming up with Netflix again in the future. 

The network gained his respect and favor after it pulled episodes of his iconic sketch comedy hit "Chappelle's Show" off the air at his request after  ViacomCBS had licensed it to Netflix and HBO Max without providing additional compensation for him in the deal, prompting him to say at the time: 

I like working for Netflix because when all those bad things happened to me, that company didn’t even exist. And when I found out they were streaming ‘Chappelle’s Show,’ I was furious. How could they not– how could they not know? So you know what I did? I called them and I told them that this makes me feel bad. And you want to know what they did? They agreed that they would take it off their platform just so I could feel better.

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Will Smith Opens up About Open Marriage

It's long been said that there's no such thing as bad publicity. Will Smith certainly seems to believe the old axiom is true.

With just a little over a month to go until the release of his memoir "Will" and latest movie "King Richard" — a meaty biopic in which he takes on the role of tennis sensations Venus and Serena Williams' dad that is already generating Oscar buzz  — the 53-year-old rapper, actor and entrepreneur has been hitting the media circuit hard. 

Monday the online version of GQ's November cover story featuring Smith went live and then quickly went viral thanks to the juicy revelations contained within about the megastar and his marriage to fellow thespian and singer Jada Pinkett Smith.

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First and foremost, perhaps, is that the power couple is not monogamous. 

Jada never believed in conventional marriage.… Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship. So she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up. There were significant endless discussions about, what is relational perfection? What is the perfect way to interact as a couple? And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection,” Smith told Pulitzer Prize winner Wesley Lowery who wrote the intimate profile. “We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison. And I don’t suggest our road for anybody. I don’t suggest this road for anybody. But the experiences that the freedoms that we’ve given one another and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love.

The striking admission might have shocked longtime fans of the duo, who have presented a strong family-oriented front over the years and are the parents of superstar siblings Jaden (Age 23) and Willow Smith (20) — Will's oldest son Trey (28) was born during his brief marriage to Sheree Zampino. For fans of Pinkett Smiths' Facebook Watch series "Red Table Talk" it was the final puzzle piece in a mystery that began last July.

Photo Courtesy Facebook "Red Table Talk"

Then Pinkett Smith, 50, posted a special episode of the series in which she and Will set down to address allegations made by rapper August Alsina, about an affair he claimed to have with the "Girls Trip" star in 2015 with her husband's permission.  

Jada & Will Smith Red Table Talk Recap! 😳🍿

1) Will and Jada briefly separated, that's why and when Will gave the 'Blessing'.

2) Jada says she didn’t cheat but had an "entaglement" with August Alsina.#RedTableTalk
pic.twitter.com/w8PyGOeZDM

— SFTY+ (@sftyplus) July 10, 2020

The couple revealed that they had been separated at the time of the 2015 "entanglement" but for some fans of the artist formerly known as the Fresh Prince, the explanations didn't add up. So, Smith decided to clear things up in his GQ beyond a shadow of a doubt — and he didn't stop there.

In addition to talking about his open marriage for the first time, Smith cleared up why he turned down Quentin Tarantino's epic "Django Unchained": “In the early part of my career… I didn’t want to show Black people in that light. I wanted to be a superhero. So I wanted to depict Black excellence alongside my white counterparts. I wanted to play roles that you would give to Tom Cruise. And the first time I considered it was Django. But I didn’t want to make a slavery film about vengeance.” 

And why he doesn't necessarily agree with the sentiment behind "defunding the police": "I would love if we would just say 'Defund the bad police,'" Smith said. "It’s almost like I want, as Black Americans, for us to change our marketing for the new position we’re in. So 'critical race theory,' just call it 'truth theory.' The pendulum is swinging in our direction beautifully."

"This is a difficult area to discuss, but I feel like the simplicity of Black Lives Matter was perfect," he continues. "Anybody who tries to debate Black Lives Matter looks ridiculous. So when I talk about the marketing of our ideas, Black Lives Matter was perfection. From a standpoint of getting it done, Black Lives Matter gets it done. 'Defund the police' doesn’t get it done, no matter how good the ideas are. I’m not saying we shouldn't defund the police. I’m saying, just don’t say that, because then people who would help you won’t." 

Read the complete article here. "Will" is scheduled to be released Nov. 9 by Penguin Press. "King Richard" opens in theaters Nov. 19. 

R&B Superstar R. Kelly Could Face Life in Prison Following Sex Trafficking Conviction

R. Kelly

Monday, over 25 years after his marriage to Aaliyah, then 15, first raised concerns about his proclivities and following decades of allegations of misconduct with young women and children, R&B superstar R. Kelly was found guilty of charges including sexual exploitation of a child, bribery, racketeering and sex trafficking. 

The 54-year-old, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces 10 years to life in prison following the conviction. A jury of seven men and five women found Kelly guilty on all counts brought against him by the Eastern District of New York in the federal case. 

“Today’s guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator, who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable, and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification,”  said Jacquelyn Kasulis, acting US attorney from the Eastern District of New York.

R. Kelly is "a predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage girls and young men and women for decades, in a sordid web of sex abuse, exploitation and humiliation," Kasulis added.

Kelly was facing nine counts — one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to take anyone across state lines “for any immoral purpose." Of the 14 underlying acts for the racketeering count, he needed to be found guilty of at least two to be convicted of that count. Jurors found prosecutors had proven 12 of those acts with five victims, including the late Aaliyah.

“Robert Kelly is a serial sexual predator who used his fame and musical tours as his personal hunting grounds to find his victims,” Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent-in-Charge Peter Fitzhugh said.  “Mr. Kelly ran a criminal enterprise whose mission was to serve his sexual gratification by setting up a complex organization of enablers and handlers.  When his victims tried to escape, Mr. Kelly and his accomplices silenced them through bribery, intimidation, and physical violence."

Fitzhugh added, "The brave survivors who overcame Mr. Kelly’s abuse deserve our upmost respect for telling their stories and bringing an end to his 30-year reign of terror over the young and vulnerable.”

Sentencing is scheduled for May 4.