Black Celebrity Men

The world premiere of Death at a Funeral took place last night in Los Angeles. Celebrities in attendance included: Martin Lawrence (with his longtime girlfriend), Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock (and his wife), Columbus Short (and his date), Danny Glover, Christian Keyes, Tyler James Williams, Bob'be Thompson, Arsenio Hall, Eddie Murphy, John Salley, Barry Bonds, Common, Cedric the Entertainer, Chi McBride, Ne-Yo, Tamala Jones, Zoe Saldana, Ciara, Regina Hall, Loretta Devine and more.

Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence star in Death at a Funeral which is a remake of the 2007 British movie of the same name. The movie revolves around a dysfunctional family which comes together for the patriarch's funeral, only to be rocked by gay revelations from the deceased's alleged former lover. The highlight of the film occurs at the funeral ceremony that turns into a debacle of exposed family secrets and lost corpses. Along with Chris and Martin, the film also features an all-star cast which includes: Tracy Morgan, Loretta Devine, Ron Glass, Danny Glover, Regina Hall, James Marsden, Zoe Saldana, Columbus Short, and Kevin Hart.

According to HumorMill magazine, some media outlets have deemed the remaking of this movie as being racist...which I think is rather hard to do since only the trailer, and not the full movie, has been released. Personally, after watching the trailer, I can't wait for it to hit theaters on April 16, 2010. I'm definitely going to see it. Look at the line-up! But to each its own though. Draw your own conclusions after watching the trailer.

Martin Lawrence has big television and movie plans for 2009 and the following year. Personally, I'd love to see him on a weekly basis in some kind of sitcom, especially with the crap that's on tv now, but for now, I have no other choice but to take what I can get. Unfortunately, Marty-Mar's return to television will be behind the camera. He currently has three shows in development with his production company Runteldat and two shows already have network commitments. Fox has picked an animated comedy of his, written by Rodney Barnes, which is based on his experiences growing up in the D.C. area. Also, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Martin and fellow comedian Tracy Morgan have joined Chris Rock in his remake of the British comedy, 'Death at a Funeral.' The film revolves around a funeral that goes awry with new deaths and misplaced corpses. And, Martin's also working on one featuring an interracial family which, is based on the comedy of Gary Owen and that's been picked up by Starz.

Annnnnnnnnnd last but definitely not least, according to Variety, if everything goes according to plan, Martin is set to star in 'Back to America'...not 'Coming Back to America 2', but 'Back to America.' Lawrence, who has a first-look deal with Alcon partners Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, created the pitch and will produce the film via his Runteldat Entertainment alongside the Alcon duo. The comedy centers on a working-class man from Queens who discovers he is heir to the throne of an African country and travels there to claim his birthright.

In the meantime and in between time, you all can catch the fourth season of Martin's 'Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand Up' on Starz.

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