Monday, December 21, 2015
Freeform (ABC Family) Announces Nicki Minaj Comedy Stars; Tiffani Thiessen Returns with Cooking Channel Series
ABC Family has confirmed the cast for the scripted comedy Nicki. Ariana Neal (Get Hard, Fruitvale Station) will play Nicki, a role inspired by Nicki Minaj in her early years before she became a Grammy Award-nominated, multiplatinum superstar; Selita Ebanks (Real Husbands of Hollywood) will play the role of Grace, Nicki's mom; Wesley Jonathan (The Soul Man) will play Vincent, Nicki and Jaylen's father; and McCarrie McCausland (Army Wives, The Originals) is cast as Jaylen, Nicki's older brother. Whoopi Goldberg will guest star as Nicki's neighbor, Miss Martha. Minaj is executive producer and will also appear in the show. ABC Family is becoming Freeform on January 12, 2016.
The single-camera comedy is inspired by the story of Minaj and her family's immigration from Trinidad in the early 1990s, her growing up in Queens, New York with her vibrant family, and the personal and musical evolution that lead to her eventual rise to stardom. In October, ABC Family announced a series commitment for the half-hour comedy. Nicki will shoot in Queens this winter with director Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like a Man). Kate Angelo (Sex Tape, Will and Grace, Bernie Mac) penned the pilot and will write and executive-produce the series. Minaj, Aaron Kaplan (Life in Pieces, Kevin From Work), Stella Bulochnikov and Brian Sher (Boss), and Gee Roberson will also serve as executive producers.
Actress Tiffani Thiessen (Saved by the Bell, Beverly Hills 90210, White Collar) returns to Cooking Channel for a second serving of Dinner at Tiffani's, premiering on Wednesday, February 3 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Throughout the 16 half-hour long episodes, Tiffani showcases her culinary talents and entertaining skills for throwing effortless get-togethers for family, friends and former castmates, where every dinner is filled with special guests, entertaining stories, and party-pleasing recipes. From burger bashes to fiesta nights, and from campfire cookouts to farmer's market fresh meals, guests will come for the party, but stay for the food. Tiffani knows that delicious dishes and good company are the main ingredients for the perfect dinner party.
Over the course of the season, her dinner menus include mouthwatering, crowd-pleasing recipes such as Jumbo Crab Cakes and Tartar Sauce, Citrus Marinated Beef Fajitas, and the juiciest Ultimate Lux Burger topped with bacon and Tiffani's special sauce. The list of special guests RSVPing to attend in the new season includes Sasha Alexander, Bill Bellamy, Julie Benz, Dan Bucatinsky, Hilarie Burton, Eric Close, Neal Dodson, Ethan Embry, Jennifer Finnigan, Dave Foley, Daisy Fuentes, Catriona & Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Clare Grant, Seth Green, Bill Horn, Vanessa Lachey, Matthew Lillard, Scout Masterson, Ross Mathews, Tim Meadows, George Newbern, Cheri Oteri, Naomi Priestly, Missi Pyle, Property Brothers Drew & Jonathan Scott, Nicole Sullivan, Bree Turner, Cynthia Watros, Ashley Williams, and Scott Wolf. It is the not-to-be-missed event of the season, so pull up a chair for Dinner at Tiffani's.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Sunday, January 17
The Simpsons - "The Road to Cincinnati" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Odd couple Skinner and Chalmers embark on an 800-mile car ride to Cincinnati to attend an administrator's convention.
Bob's Burgers - "Mommy Boy" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Linda joins a women's business group, Gene gets possessive of her time; Louise and Tina want to learn how to fight.
The Simpsons - "Sorry Not Sorry" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Lisa calls her teacher, Ms. Hoover, a hack and refuses to apologize; Lisa learns Ms. Hoover's private pain.
The Simpsons - "The Dad-Feelings Limited" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Comic book guy and his wife, Kumiko, debate having a baby; his origin story is revealed.
Bob's Burgers - "Yachty or Nice" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When the Belchers get an unexpected invitation to cater the Glencrest Yacht Club's holiday boat parade, Bob wonders if there's a catch; Louise has her eye on the present-loaded Santa Schooner.
Family Guy - "CutawayLand" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Peter and Lois accidentally set up a cutaway gag together, which somehow transports them into the cutaway itself.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 11)
Friday, January 15
- Cole Sprouse (The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody/Grace Under Fire) - Watch Cole on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Amy Poehler (Duncanville/Parks and Recreation) - Amy is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jennifer Love Hewitt (Shaky Ground) - Jennifer appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Regina King (The Boondocks/227) - Regina talks about One Night in Miami on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Maureen McCormick (The Brady Bunch/The Brady Brides) - Maureen and Dan Vicky talk about about the nostalgic HGTV home renovation series Frozen in Time on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings. They will also be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Jenna Ortega (Stuck in the Middle) - Jenna talks about her uplifitng book It's All Love on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner (The Cosby Show/Here and Now/Malcolm & Eddie/Listen Up!) - Malcolm-Jamal talks about Fox's The Resident on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
- George Lopez (Lopez/Saint George/George Lopez) - George chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (September-January)
09/01 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 14
09/01 - What We Do in the Shadows - The Complete Second Season
09/01 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Third Season (Blu-ray)
09/15 - Mom - The Complete Seventh Season
09/15 - South Side - Season 1
09/22 - Brockmire - The Complete Second Season
09/22 - Brockmire - The Complete Third Season
09/22 - Brockmire - The Complete Fourth Season
09/22 - Man with a Plan - Season Three
09/29 - The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete Series (2020 Release)
10/13 - The Jetsons - The Complete Series (Diamond Collection)
10/13 - Our Cartoon President - Season Two
10/23 - Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em - The Complete Collection
10/27 - The Flintstones - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/27 - Head of the Class - The Complete Second Season (WBShop.com)
11/10 - Letterkenny - Seasons 5 & 6
11/10 - The Office - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/10 - Schitt's Creek - The Complete Collection
11/17 - Carol's Second Act - The Complete Series
11/17 - Robbie - Season 1
11/24 - Corporate - Season 1
11/26 - Man with a Plan - Season Four
12/01 - The Neighborhood - Season Two
12/15 - Avenue 5 - The Complete First Season
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