Showing Out

Last we heard on Gabourey Sidibe’s blossoming career, she signed on to co-star in the upcoming Showtime series The Big C, which stars Laura Linney in the dark comedy. Now, we’ve got an air date for the jawn. According to Variety, Showtime has given the show the post-Weeds slot, with a premiere date set for August 16th at 10:30 P.M. And as repressed housewife Cathy who makes drastic changes in her life when she finds out she has terminal cancer. On the show, Linney stars as a woman who learns she has cancer, with Sidibe attached to play a fast-talking student in Cathy’s class and Oliver Platt slated to co-star as Cathy’s hubbie. The show, which is directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), is slated to begin shooting its 13 episode order in May in time for its August debut. Get ready.

Last we heard on Ice Cube’s 30 for 30 episode “Straight Outta L.A.” for ESPN, the rapper took a trip to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to commemorate the Los Angeles Raiders, bringing along a camera crew to do a documentary-style film that reflected on the last team to play in the stadium. Now, it’s heading to a screen near you. According to Screen Daily, the ep will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 23rd, with plans to air the doc on ESPN on May 11th. “Straight Outta L.A. gives us an entertaining, first-hand account of how a professional sports team captivated a city and ultimately changed the culture of LA,” said Nancy Schafer, Tribeca Film Festival’s executive director. “For the past three years, the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival programme has been an audience favourite at our Festival, and this year’s line-up will continue that tradition.” Gotta love them festivals.

Hating on Wendy Williams is as un-American as is hating apple pie. So we’re proudly waving the flag for the former shock jock, with the announcement that The Wendy Williams Show has been renewed for a second season by stations covering 80% of American households, with the show to remain on the air for the 2011-2012 season. And apparently, this sort of move suggests that it will have two more seasons after the next, since the show has been renewed in top markets. No other word on when the second season will bow, but in the meantime, click over to watch/listen to one of our favorite interviews to air on the show. Catfights galore! Yes!

Syfy just announced some of their upcoming shows, and clearly, this one caught the eye. According to THR, Tracy Morgan has been tapped once again to host Scare Tactics, a reality show that puts unsuspecting victims into terrifying situations by using conventions of cinema (scary makeup, spooky environments, etc). Not only that, but Morgan will executive produce the show, for which the fourth season will begin production on 13 episodes that are set to premiere this fall. “Tracy has his finger on the pulse when it comes to comedy, and having him on board as executive producer just adds another layer to the huge success of our show,” executive vp programming Mark Stern said. All we need is a Tracy Morgan reality show and life is complete.

Since Monica and Fantasia get their own shows, why not TLC’s Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas? The chanteuse, who’s one-third of the popular ‘90s R&B group, will get her own reality show dubbed What Chilli Wants, which is set to bow on VH1 on April 11th at 10:30 P.M. The show, which now stands at eight episodes, focuses on Chilli as she goes on the hunt for romance, with relationship expert Tionna Smalls helping her find her ideal man. Smalls will enlist the help of Chilli’s friends Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Missy Elliott to assist Chilli on her quest, with requirements for a man including “eight-pack abs, a gorgeous face, funny, loves kids, is religious, can’t smoke, can’t drink, can’t eat pork.” Lofty expectations, gurl! Check for the early broadcast of the first episode when it hits VH1’s website on March 29th.

The one thing missing in your life? A reality show starring Mike Tyson. But fret not - that void is about to be filled. According to the NY Post, Mike Tyson will make his debut as a reality TV star in his show Take on Tyson, which shows Tyson hanging up his gloves and picking up his other lifelong hobby: pigeon-keeping. The show will focus on his obsession with bird racing, with the heavyweight champing stating, “I may have stoped fighting, but I never stopped flying birds. It’s my first love.” “I am a little worried about the sitcom effect,” Tyson also stated about the Animal Planet show, which focuses on the NY bird-keeping scene. Something to look forward to? Maybs.

Haven’t gotten enough of the upcoming HBO miniseries The Pacific yet? Here’s something to satiate that appetite. Above is the extended trailer for the Steven Spielberg- and Tom Hanks-produced series. Though there isn’t much of a cohesive plot revealed, the trailer shows a whole lot of beach war going on, with clips that show that it’s more than just a bloodbath (there’s drama, romance, board room abuses of power). The 10-part miniseries is currently slated to begin airing on Sunday, and it looks like it’s going to be more of an extended type of movie tailored for the small screen. For all you war buffs, this is definitely your winning ticket for at-home entertainment.

Will Smith’s son Jaden may have only been in one big Hollywood release so far, starring alongside his pops in the film Pursuit of Happyness. But with his upcoming Karate Kid remake on the way, he’s already being honored way ahead of time. According to THR, ShoWest will honor the young’n with their ShoWest Breakthrough Male Star of the Year award during their ceremony next Wednesday, honoring him for his future contributions to Hollywood. “Jaden Smith is an exceptional young actor who has delivered a true breakout performance with his portrayal of Dre Parker in The Karate Kid,” Robert Sunshine, managing director of the event, said. Wish we could get an award for the excellence of our future endeavors, too.

Last we saw Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, he was cozying up next to Monica in her new video for “Everything to Me” (watch that here). Now, he’s taking it to VH1 to look for a real love. According to Variety, the baller, formerly known as Chad Johnson, will headline the reality show The Tournament for VH1, which will see him traveling the country to meet with 85 ladies, each of whom will be entered into a March Madness-style bracket where they will be eliminated until he ends up on a final “championship” date. Additionally, Ochocinco can next be seen on Dancing with the Stars before he begins shooting his 10-episode show, with each hourlong ep to begin airing in July. This is going to be both happy for him and sad for us.

You know that song that plays at the end of the CBS broadcast of the NCAA men’s basketball championship game? The one that’s been played every year since 1987? Well Jennifer Hudson’s going to give it a shot. According to the AP, the Oscar-winning soulstress will perform the David Barrett tune “One Shining Moment” this year, making her the first woman to sing the tune (previous singers include Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross). ”The song inspires you,” Hudson said in a release. ”It moves you. It motivates you and helps you reach that goal and that dream.” The song has already been laid down in L.A. on February 13th with Harvey Mason Jr., her producer who played for the Arizona team that reached the Final Hour in 1988. Guess Hudson really is a dream girl.