The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association is pleased to announce that celebrated comedian Arsenio Hall has been named this year’s host for the annual Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival (formerly Playboy Jazz Festival), presented by the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl, June 25–26, 2022.
January 3: Arsenio Hall launched his show, 1989
Zamunda is the fictional African kingdom that comedic genius, Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem, inherited in “Coming to America.” The year was 1988 and this stunning country, in Mother Africa, had never experienced the brutality of colonialism. African traditions and culture were celebrated — on-screen— with pride.
Before January 3, 1989, white men dominated late night television shows. Audiences were familiar watching white musicians, comedians, and actors have their shot at performing in front of millions. Usually black artists were a dime in a dozen. But on that day, Hollywood finally gave birth to something it was missing. It marked the first episode of “The Arsenio Hall Show.” Unlike other talk shows, Arsenio Hall focused on providing black artists a shot of success. He gave artists such as Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, and Prince the freedom to express themselves on a large national platform. The show was
“After many years of anticipation, I’m thrilled that Coming to America 2 is officially moving forward. We’ve assembled a great team that will be led by Craig Brewer, who just did an amazing job on Dolemite , and I’m looking forward to bringing all these classic and beloved characters back to the big screen,” said Eddy Murphy in a statement on January 11.
This week’s facts of Black history moments.
Black facts every week.
Ebony Magazine held its annual Power 100 Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Wednesday, Dec. 2 in Beverly Hills. Celebrities, politicians, activists and humanitarians from across the country came to celebrate the accomplishments of the influential list of 100 African American women and men.
