Monday, April 27, 2015
BET Upfront 2015 Has Brandy Sitcom News; Remembering Everybody Loves Raymond's Sawyer Sweeten
BET Networks announced its upcoming programming schedule for BET and Centric at its annual Upfront presentation. BET Networks' 2015 slate features more original programming hours than ever before in the history of the network, anchored by high quality scripted and reality shows, star studded tentpoles and original movies that reflect and celebrate the lives of African American adults. Among the big news was a sitcom starring Brandy (Moesha, The Game). The sitcom is Zoe Moon, a romantic sitcom featuring Zoe Moon (Brandy Norwood), a live-out-loud newly single mom embarking on a new life and career as a fledgling cosmetics mogul - but it won't be easy. Gemini, a famous boxer and Zoe's soon to be ex-husband, is not ready to take a back seat in her life, nor is her precocious 8 year-old son, Xavier, ready for Zoe's new dating life. Surrounded by a cast of colorful characters, Zoe puts a new spin on the old song "You're Gonna Make It After All!"
Other projects coming soon include a reboot of Punk'd, the popular hidden camera series tailored for the BET audience. For the first time, audiences will be taken behind the scenes as the pranks are conceptualized and carried through. Stakes are high as our viewers follow the ticking clock on the journey of pranking their favorite celebrities. Also reality project, Chasing Destiny takes us behind the scenes as Grammy-award singer Kelly Rowland, and member of one of the biggest female groups of all time Destiny's Child, goes on a quest to find the next big female superstar group to make their mark in a dog-eat-dog music industry. And sister network Centric has a project coming soon produced by Whoopi Goldberg! In According to Alex, Alex Martin Dean (Whoopi's daughter) is NOT your typical mom, and she doesn't have a typical family. Sure, they get loud and have their own drama, but in the end, there's nothing but love! Now that the kids are getting old enough to step out of the house and make their own plans, Alex and her best friend, Leisa, are talking about what they want to do with the rest of their lives, both professionally and personally-- that is, until a new grandchild, Alex's daughter Amara and her fiancé, Chris, move home, turning to Alex and the rest of the family to help raise their new baby girl. Can they balance family, fun and future plans without losing their cool, or their minds?
Actor Sawyer Sweeten, who starred as Geoffrey Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond, has died. He died on April 23 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his relative's home in Austin, Texas. He was only 19.
Sawyer and his real-life twin brother Sullivan played Geoffrey and Michael Barone, the twin sons of Raymond (Ray Romano) and Debra (Patricia Heaton), in Everybody Loves Raymond. The popular CBS sitcom ran for nine seasons on CBS from 1996-2005. The Sawyer twins were just 16 months old when they landed the roles. They appeared in approximately 139 episodes of the series. Their real-life sister Madylin Sweeten played Alexandra "Ally" Barone, the oldest of the Barone children. They appeared together at the 8th Annual TV Land Awards in 2010 when Everybody Loves Raymond won the Impact Award. The Sullivan twins other credits included a 2000 episode of Even Stevens and the 2002 film Frank McKlusky, C.I.
Ray Romano had this to say about him: "He was a wonderful and sweet kid to be around. Just a great energy whenever he was there. My heart breaks for him, his family, and his friends during this very difficult time."
Our thoughts are with his family. He will be greatly missed. Share your memories on our Everybody Loves Raymond message board.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Wednesday, December 6
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 4)
Wednesday, December 6
- Greta Lee (HouseBroken/Russian Doll) - Watch Greta on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Sara Bareilles (Girls5eva) - Sara appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Tony Shalhoub (We Are Men/Stark Raving Mad/Wings) - Tony is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Deon Cole (grown-ish/black-is/Angie Tribeca) - Deon is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
- Sebastian Maniscalco (Bookie) - Sebastian is telling Drew about some of his odd jobs like telemarketer and ham glazer, turning fifty and working on his new show on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Eric Stonestreet (The Santa Clauses/Modern Family) - Eric stops by to chat about season two of the Disney+ holiday series The Santa Clauses on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Allison Williams (Girls) - Allison talks about Fellow Travelers on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Cythia Nixon (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Cynthia chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Peri Gilpin (Frasier/Mr. Robinson/Flesh 'n' Blood) - Peri talks about Paramount+'s Frasier on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Pauly Shore (Pauly/The Pauly Shore Show) - Pauly talks about his new YouTube series, Jam in the Van: The Podcast hosted by Pauly Shore, on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Elizabeth Banks (30 Rock/Scrubs) - Elizabeth talks about Migration on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Partners/Hank/Back to You/Cheers) - Kelsey talks about Paramount+'s Frasier on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Anders Holm (The Muppets Mayhem/Champions/The Mindy Project) - Anders is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (September-December)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
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