The Hollywood Shuffle – On Our Radar, 2011

by Latoya Peterson

Much is afoot in Hollywood.

According to Vulture, Mindy Kaling’s future on The Office is uncertain. Kaling is both talent and a writer-director; while she may remain in her onstage role, it is unclear whether she will continue to write for the show. In the meantime, Kaling is staying busy with other film roles, her book project (pictured above) and attempting to woo Rainn Wilson toward an Orson Wells biopic by promising blackface. (Joke explained here.)

HBO believes in Treme – it’s been renewed for a third season.

NBC has cancelled Outsourced and the Event. Since Undercovers was also cancelled, what does this mean for NBC’s “More Colorful” promotion? And how will this impact their perception of minority fronted shows?

Stacy Dash returns to the small screen in the Queen Latifah-produced romantic comedy scripted series Single Ladies. She is joined by Lisa Raye, and Charity Shea as the token white friend. Mixed Media Watch ahead: Shea’s character is in a relationship with a black man – and all is not what it seems.

HawthoRNe and Southland are returning to TNT, meaning Regina King enjoys a fourth season and Jada Pinkett Smith gets a third season.

Rules of Engagement gets a sixth season. The show features Adhir Kalyan as David Spade’s cosmopolitan and cultured assistant…who is generally a dartboard for Spade’s moronic (and sometimes racist) jokes. Not a huge fan of the show (in general, not a fan of D. Spade), but it is good to know Kalyan believes his role will expand.

Nikki Finke reports on Deadline.com that Lee Daniels struggled to get a post-Precious project off the ground:

Daniels said the film came about only after he spent a year post-Precious trying to get his film , Selma off the ground only to see it collapse just as it was nearing production. Daniels told me with all the Oscar success of Precious, not to mention his own Directing and Best Picture nomination that he thought getting projects rolling would be a snap. Not so. He says it is as hard as ever but now is extremely happy things have fallen into place for this film which likely will be aimed for a summer 2012 release according to Lerner who told me this is his 39th consecutive Cannes festival and its been very successful for the company.

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