the comic's comic

Can we blame Tyler Perry for "Sheneneh and Wanda" returning to the big screen? Yes we can

Tyler Perry has made mega-millions by dressing up like an old lady named Madea and telling it like she thinks it is. Of course, Perry wasn't the first comedian to come up with this comedy trope -- Flip Wilson's Geraldine was doing this on primetime network TV a generation earlier! But for you kids out there, you're probably more familiar with Martin Lawrence's homage to Flip in Sheneneh (or even more so, his Big Momma movies) as well as Jamie Foxx's early TV turn as Wanda on In Living Color. So the duo turned the tables on Perry with this parody they filmed this year for BET. And Hollywood being Hollywood, someone with money bags thought if Tyler Perry can mint money, and these guys already have done it, why not stretch out their two-minute Skank Robber sketch to 90 minutes? (Variety)

Martin Lawrence developing Starz sitcom based on Gary Owen

The trades report that Starz has given a script commitment to Martin Lawrence to develop a half-hour comedy based on the life of stand-up comedian Gary Owen, who previously was featured on the pay cable network's Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand-up. Here is a clip, conveniently enough, of Owen from that very show last year (note: language is NSFW):

Lawrence also has a deal with FOX to develop a half-hour animated program based on his own childhood growing up in and around Washington, D.C., (sounds like his own, cartoonish version of Chris Rock's Everybody Hates Chris).