ROBERT TOWNSEND SET TO DIRECT "PHANTOM PUNCH" THE BIO PIC OF BOXER SONNY LISTON STARRING VING RHAMES
Oct. 30th
Ving Rhames will portray the infamous heavyweight fighter Sonny Liston in the biopic "Phantom Punch," which Robert Townsend will direct.Ryan Combs wrote the script. Hassain Zaidi and Marek Posival are producing the independently-financed film, which began production Monday in Toronto and is scheduled to finish in early December.
"Phantom" will chronicle Liston's rise to fame as a boxer and the single "phantom punch" he took at the hands of Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) that many believe led to the demise of his career.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW FULL ARTICLE
Townsend Presents at the Hoodie Awards.
Robert came out to support Steve Harvey and The Hoodie Awards which took place in Las Vegas this past October. He was honored to be able to present Teacher of the Year Award at the show with Niecy Nash (Clean House, Reno 911).Over 8,000 people were on hand as the event recognized people and organizations that work hard every single day to brighten their communities and uplift those around them.
ROBERT TOWNSEND TO PRODUCE DOCUMENTARY SALUTING THE HISTORY OF BLACK COMEDIANS FROM SLAVERY TO THE PRESENT.
The list of comedians, actors, and social commentators already interviewed for the project include Chris Rock, Steve Harvey, Sherri Shepherd, Dick Gregory, Franklyn Ajaye, D. L. Hugely, Eddie Griffin, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Marla Gibbs, Stanley Crouch, Eric Michael Dyson, and Cornell West.
Heats beat for Townsend
By Brooke SellarsEcho A&E Assistant Editor
N.C. Central University students and faculty shared laughs and enjoyment listening to actor, director, producer and writer Robert Townsend in a lyceum program yesterday at the Mclendon-McDougald Gymnasium.
After being introduced, Townsend ran off the stage to the floor of the gym, getting up close and personal with the people who came to see their favorite member of “The Five Heartbeats,” the fictional film Townsend starred in and directed about young African-American men trying to be successful in the musical industry.
Speaking to an eager audience, Townsend reflected on growing up in a single-parent home in Chicago.
“I started in a ghetto in the west side of Chicago. My mother raised four kids on her own,” he said.
Afraid that Townsend would end up in a neighborhood gang, his mother forced him to stay indoors. He described starting young at imitating characters he watched on television.
Townsend repeatedly exhorted the audience to protect their dreams.
“Be careful who you share your dreams with –— it’s only the person closest to you that can kill your dreams,” he said.
After being cast in stereotypical roles as hustlers, pimps, and slaves, Townsend got a role in an Academy-Award-nominated “A Soldier’s Story” alongside Denzel Washington and Adolf Caesar.
“Finally I get to play a human being instead of a stereotype,” he said.
The audience stared attentively at Townsend as he walked back and forth in front of the stage, sharing his journey to success. He closed his speech by telling the audience, “Some of you are sitting on great ideas that are ready to be born. You’re just not surrounded by the right people to give it birth.”
Audience members clustered around Townsend after the speech for photos, autographs, and final thoughts.
Townsend is known for his work with “The Five Heartbeats” (1991) and “Meteor Man” (1993).
With a passion for inner-city youth he continues to be a voice of the United Negro Fund.
Currently he is working on a production of “Of Boys and Men” starring Angela Bassett.
As an actor and independent filmmaker, Townsend as proven himself a Renaissance man of his time.
"BREAKING NEWS"
Black Family Sells to Gospel Music ChannelFor those of you that didn’t know, for the last 3 years I was President and CEO of Programming for Black Family Channel, a cable network that was available in 17 million households with coverage seen on Time Warner, Comcast, Cox, and Adelphia before it’s merge with Time Warner.
Becoming President of Programming was nothing less than a dream come true. I had created various projects under the studios permission but this was the first time I got a chance to green light whatever project I wanted that worked within my budget range. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my career, but it’s also been one of the most exciting experiences of my life.
In March of this year the network was sold to the Gospel Music Channel. We are currently in the process of creating a broadband channel that will show the various series that we created.
-If you would like to check out some of the shows I created, please see the video player below and choose a show title to preview.
-Hope you enjoy the clips. Look for us on Broadband!
