Stars on screen
The year in review: Whew, what a year it’s been! It’s had its highs and it’s definitely had its lows, but the events of 2017 have provided a boon of content for late-night comedians, as the post-prime time landscape has continued to evolve while still poking fun at virtually all aspects of life.
Comedy Central’s long-running satirical take on a news program, like so many actual news shows do at this time of year, takes a look back on the year that was in “The Daily Show’s The Yearly Show
2017” on Monday, Dec. 18. Recorded earlier this month, “The Yearly Show” features entirely original content from the minds that bring “The Daily Show” to life night after night.
South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the special, in a role he’s held with “The Daily Show” since Jon Stewart’s departure in
2015. He’s joined by his team of correspondents and contributors, called “The Best F#@king News Team Ever,” whose faces will be familiar to folks who like to catch “The Daily Show” on weekday nights.
Since its inception in 1996, “The Daily Show” has been a bit of a star factory for comedians who have gone on to become some of the biggest names in late-night TV. Stephen Colbert ended his long “Daily Show” tenure to launch “The Colbert Report” in 2005, and in 2015 he took over “The Late Show” from David Letterman. John Oliver premiered “Last Week Tonight” in 2014 on HBO, and in 2015 Samantha Bee, who had the distinction of being “The Daily Show’s” longestserving regular correspondent, left to launch “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” on TBS.
A little more soul: “Star” is getting a few more stars. The Fox musical drama about a group of singers struggling to make it big is midway through its second season, and when it returns from its midseason hiatus in the spring, it will have a few more familiar faces on screen.
Singers Patti LaBelle (“Patti LaBelle’s Place”) and Brandy Norwood (“I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” 1998) have both joined the drama as guest stars for multi-episode arcs, with LaBelle tackling the role of Carlotta Brown’s (Queen Latifah, “Girls Trip,” 2017) mother, Christine, and Norwood stepping into the role of Brown’s sister, Cassie.
This isn’t the first time that LaBelle has had a spot in a drama from creator Lee Daniels. The twotime Grammy winner and member of the Grammy Hall of Fame previously appeared in “Star’s” sister show, “Empire.” The R&B singer recently premiered the second season of her Cooking Channel series, “Patti LaBelle’s Place,” and in 2015 she was a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars.”
Norwood is just as perfect a fit for “Star.” The R&B singer rose to fame in the early 1990s with her debut album, “Brandy,” being certified four-times platinum — an ideal casting choice for a series about young female artists trying to break into the competitive music industry.