Wayne Brady Movies
Wayne Brady may have made one of his most lasting marks serenading unsuspecting audience members with love ballads on the American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Hosted by Drew Carey, the show featured Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles, and other regulars, who played improvisational games in front of a studio audience. Brady's brilliant interaction with the other players on the show earned him not only three Emmy nominations (one of which actually found the comic taking home the prize), but enough attention to spawn his own Emmy award-winning series, The Wayne Brady Show, in 2001.Born June 2, 1972, in Orlando, FL, Brady began performing the central Florida theater circuit when he was still a teenager. After a brief stay in Las Vegas, he relocated to Los Angeles in 1996, where he gained a lot of stage and television experience as a dramatic artist. He made appearances on several dramatic series including I'll Fly Away and In the Heat of the Night. In 1998, he hosted the VH-1 series Vinyl Justice, in addition to his late-'90s appearance on Whose Line Is It Anyway? The TV-movie musical Geppetto featured Brady in the role of a magician, alongside Whose Line host Drew Carey, who starred in the comedy.
The Wayne Brady Show debuted in 2001. Written by, produced by, and starring Wayne Brady, the series showcased both his comedic and dramatic talents. A sketch comedy show that had a relatively brief run on daytime television, The Wayne Brady Show nevertheless paved the way for a similarly-titled talk show that would hit the airwaves the very same year the original Wayne Brady Show was cancelled. His popularity growing at a rapid rate thanks to his amiable, down-to-earth persona and everyman attitude, Brady proved that he had a sense of humor about his nice guy image but memorably portraying himself as a drug-dealing psychopath on a particularly memorable episode of the wildly popular Comedy Central series Chappelle's Show in 2004. Numerous appearances in a variety of television series' including Reno 911, Stargate SG-1, and Kevin Hill were quick to follow, and in February of 2006 the versitile comic would serve as host to the thought-provoking TV Land series That's What I'm Talking About; a free-flowing look at the Black lifestyle in America that featured such special guests as Spike Lee, Wanda Sykes, DL Hughley, and Paul Mooney. As a recurring role in the popular television series Girlfriends continued to keep Brady busy on the small screen, additional performances in such wide-release features as the retro-minded roller-skating comedy drama Roll Bounce and the high-stakes streetball drama Crossover found the comic's film career continuing to gain momentum as well. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide
Charlie Sheen, Hilary Duff, Eva Longoria Parker, and Chris Kattan lend their voices to this computer-animated tale of a grocery store that springs to life after the doors have been locked and the workers have all gone home. When the employees are away, the products will play -- and in this store the playground of choice for the most fun-loving brand names around is the Copa-Banana. Located in the produce aisle, the Copa-Banana is the destination of choice for such celebrity icons as Mr. Clean, Charlie the Tuna, and the Energizer Bunny. But trouble is brewing within this bustling metropolis, because when the villainous Lady X (Longoria Parker) arrives in town with her Brand X minions, the brand-named products start to get a little hot under the label. As sleuthing USDA (United Supermarkets Defense Association) Dex Dogtective (Sheen) teams with flying stunt squirrel Daredevil Dan (Wayne Brady) and the beautiful Sunshine Goodness (Duff) to uncover the truth about these unmarked invaders, it begins to appear that the only way to fend off the dreaded Brand X is to engage them in an all-out, no-holds-barred food fight. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Sheen, Eva Longoria Parker, (more)
- 2008
- Add Comic Relief: The Greatest... and the Latest to QueueAdd Comic Relief: The Greatest... and the Latest to top of Queue
Comic Relief: The Greatest... and the Latest features a number of performances by some of the most talented comics of their day performing for a charity that collects money for the homeless. Among the performers who appear on this release are Sarah Silverman, Lewis Black, Jon Stewart, and David Cross. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, (more)
- 2007
One of two "karaoke contest" series which premiered on American network television during the same week (the other was NBC's The Singing Bee, Fox's weekly, hour-long Don't Forget the Lyrics was inspired by a similarly titled British series. On each episode, ten contestants did musical battle for a $1 million grand prize, choosing ten popular songs from nine different genres. The lyrics of a given song would be rolled out on a huge TV screen--then, suddenly, the words would disappear, whereupon the contestant had to come up with the next few lyrics without prompting. If the contestant choosed the right words, he or she stayed in the game; but if the wrong words were chosen, it resulted in instant disqualification. Of course, the viewers and the studio audience had a high old time whenever the contestant forgot what came next or replaced the actual lyrics with wildly inaccurate facsimiles in the tradition of the infamous "'Scuse me, while I kiss this guy". Emceed by comedian Wayne Brady, with musical accompaniment provided by bandleader Ricky Minor, Don't Forget the Lyrics! first aired on July 11, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
This Fox network talent contest was inspired by a brace of BBC series, Just the Two of Us and It Takes Two. In each episode, professional singers were teamed with celebrities from other fields (actors, athletes, etc.) and sang duets before a panel of high-profile judges. The viewers at home voted on their favorite "celebrity duets," with those receiving the lowest number of votes eliminated from the competition. At stake was a grand prize of 100,000 dollars, which the winning celebrity donated to his or her favorite charity. Wayne Brady hosted, with Marie Osmond, Little Richard, and David Foster as judges. Among the "real" singers appearing were Michael Bolton, Peter Frampton, Smokey Robinson, Randy Travis, Clint Black, Michelle Williams, Kenny Loggins, and Wynonna Judd; their celebrity teammates included Lucy Lawless, Cheech Marin, Lea Thompson, Alfonso Ribiero, Jai Rodriguez, Hal Sparks, and Carly Patterson. Celebrity Duets launched its first limited run on August 30, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The timeless tales of Uncle Remus come to life as never before as Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and the mischievous Brer Rabbit hip hop their way into children's hearts in an animated adventure featuring the vocals talents of Danny Glover, D.L. Hughley, Wanda Sykes, Wayne Brady, and Nick Cannon. Brer Rabbit is certainly one crafty little critter, but when Brer Fox cooks up a scheme that will have the whole forest talking it seems that he may finally have gotten a jump on his furry friend. Of course everyone knows that you have to have to get up pretty early in the morning to pull one over on Brer Rabbit, and by the end of the day Brer Fox may just find that his foolproof scheme waterlogged. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Director Preston A. Whitmore II brings the thrill of the street to the big screen with a fast-moving tale of underground basketball that proves no matter what team you play for, in the end it's all about how much game you've got. The stroke of midnight has sounded and the crowd has gathered; it's time for some basketball. Forget about the rules of the NBA, though, and throw those college credentials out the window because they don't mean a thing in this court. In a converted rail station, the only players who gain respect are the ones left standing when the clock hits zero, and the current champions have been standing way too tall for far too long. Now a new generation is ready to take over the top spot, and young hopefuls Tech (Anthony Mackie) and Cruise (Wesley Jonathan) are leading the charge. With everything on the line and the challenge of a lifetime before them, these too young street-ballers will be forced to out-dribble, out-shoot, and out-run their more experienced competitors in order to win the game and pave the way for the next crop of street smart shooters. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Mackie, Wesley Jonathan, (more)
- 2006
- G
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The little mouse with a big heart is back in this animated, straight-to-video sequel that finds Stuart enlisting the help of a few new friends in rescuing Snowbell from the steely clawed clenches of a fearsome forest creature known only as "The Beast." As the Littles packs their bags for a vacation at their scenic lakeside cabin, the littlest Little can barely contain his excitement at the prospect of hitting the great outdoors for some summer fun with the whole family. All is not well in the wilderness, however, and when Stuart begins hearing tales of a malicious monster who strikes terror into the heart of woodland creatures everywhere, he does his best to steer clear of the fearsome forest dweller. When Snowbell goes missing and Stuart learns that his feline friend has been taken prisoner by the dreaded "Beast," he hatches a plan that stresses brain over brawn and enlists the aid of a friendly skunk named Reeko in rescuing his furry pal. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Popular comic Wayne Brady stars as a skilled young advertising executive who knows exactly what he wants in a woman, and isn't willing to let his disillusion with the dating scene prevent him from finding true love. Upon assembling a list of attributes that would define his ideal woman, the ambitious adman sets out to see if she truly exists. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wayne Brady, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, (more)
A handful of inner-city kids move up to the big time in this teen-centric musical. Xavier Smith (Bow Wow), known to his friends as X, is a teenager growing up on the South Side of Chicago in the late '70s. X and his buddies are the hotshot skaters at the Palisades Gardens, a neighborhood roller rink where local kids roll to the latest disco sounds, but X loses his status as king of the hill when the Palisades closes down. With no skating action close by, X and his friends head uptown to the Sweetwater Roller Rink, where they feel like country mice in the big city among the expert skate dancers and beautiful women. But skating means a lot to X -- with his widower father, Curtis (Chi McBride) going through a bad patch, skating gives him a sense of accomplishment and a belief in his own talent. So X and company keep heading uptown to Sweetwater, where they prepare to take on Sweetness (Wesley Jonathan) and his crew of the rink's best dancers for the upcoming Roller Jam Skate-Off. X befriends a young local girl named Tori (Jurnee Smolett) and finds a good reason to go uptown when he meets a pretty skater girl, Naomi (Meagan Good). Meanwhile, Tori's mother, Vivian (Kellita Smith) takes an interest in Curtis. Featuring a score of classic '70s R&B and disco, Roll Bounce was directed by Malcolm D. Lee, who enjoyed a breakthrough hit with 2002's Undercover Brother. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bow Wow, Chi McBride, (more)
Clifford the Big Red Dog finally arrives on the big screen in the animated adventure Clifford's Really Big Movie, directed by Robert Ramirez. Clifford (voice of the late John Ritter) lives on Birdwell Island with his owner Emily Elizabeth Howard (voice of Grey DeLisle). Even though he loves the Howards, Clifford starts to think that his enormous size is too much of a problem for them. Feeling unwanted, he runs off and joins the circus with his friends Cleo (voice of Cree Summer) and T-Bone (voice of Kel Mitchell). They fall in with a gang of other runaway animals, including a Chihuahua and a ferret. The dogs compete in a big contest in order to win a lifetime supply of Tummy Yummies. Clifford's Really Big Movie encourages preschoolers to develop trust, independence, and confidence. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Wayne Brady, (more)
- 2004
Andrew Lawrence heads the cast of this inspirational made-for-cable movie as Jace Newfield, a blind teenager who moves from his native New York City to Utah. As the new kid in school, Jace desperately wants to be accepted, but the kids want nothing to do with him. At first he thinks it is because he is blind, but that can't be the case, since the most popular teacher in school, Mason Wyatt (Wayne Brady). Is likewise sightless. Finally Jace is tipped off that his classmates are avoiding him because they think he's snooty and standoffish. Perhaps he would fare better if he would take up a sport that would bring him into extremely close contact with his peers--a sport such as wrestling! Going to the Mat first aired over the Disney channel on March 19, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Fresh from his improvisational contributions to the long-running Whose Line Is It Anyway? -- not to mention his own nighttime variety series (also called The Wayne Brady Show) -- comedian Wayne Brady jumped headlong into this daily, syndicated chatfest bearing his name as the title. Abstaining from the standard coach-and-chair talk show format, Brady assured his fans that he would keep things lively by periodically charging into the studio audience and conducting spontaneous interviews on the street outside the studio, though of course the usual cadre of celebrity guest stars would be very much in attendance. Distributed by Buena Vista Television, the series was slated to run on the owned-and-operated stations of the ABC network, but ended up being syndicated on a market-by-market basis to whatever station that met the producers' price. The Wayne Brady Show debuted nationally on September 2, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wayne Brady, Peter Michael Escovedo, (more)
- 2000
First seen November 8, 2000 on ABC, this episode represents the second time that The Drew Carey Show was originally telecast live, with three different versions seen in the three main time zones (the syndicated version is the Pacific Zone broadcast--with all bloopers and ad-libs intact). The plot gets under way as Mr. Wick (Craig Ferguson) fires an employee who objects to the shoddy treatment afforded Drew (Drew Carey). Feeling responsible for the man's plight, Drew gets him a new job--and before long, our hero has established a successful employement agency in his own home. Unfortunately, he is less successful finding new jobs for his old friends Oswald (Diedrich Bader) and Lewis (Ryan Styles), especially when both of them compete for a single opening at a ritzy restaurant. As in the previous "live" episode, several regulars from the Drew Carey-hosted series Whose Line Is It Anyway? show up to perform some truly weird improvisational sketches. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Wise-cracking, beer-drinking comedy star Drew Carey makes a change of pace as he tops the bill of this made-for-TV adaptation of Carlo Collodi's classic children's fantasy. Geppetto (Drew Carey) is a bachelor woodcarver who loves children, but has none of his own. As he works on a wooden puppet he calls Pinocchio, Geppetto sadly wishes he could have a son; the Blue Fairy (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) decides to grant his wish, and Pinocchio comes to life. Geppetto is thrilled, but he soon discovers that taking care of the little wooden boy is more trouble than he ever imagined. As Geppetto struggles with the responsibilities of parenthood, Pinocchio is kidnapped by Stromboli (Brent Spiner), a traveling puppet master who wants to use the enchanted marionette in his traveling show. Though Geppetto has become disillusioned with his abilities as a father, he can't let Pinocchio be stolen away by an ill-meaning stranger, and sets out to find the wooden boy. En route, Geppetto meets a number of strange and remarkable characters, including the inept magician Lazardo (Wayne Brady), the mysterious Professor Buonragazzo (Rene Auberjonois), and the Ring Leader (Usher Raymond), who spirits wayward boys away to Pleasure Island. Geppetto features several original songs by Steven Schwartz; the film was produced for the ABC television network, where it first aired on May 7, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Drew Carey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, (more)
- 1999
This classic episode was originally telecast live on ABC, with three different versions for three different time zones, each supplied with radically different improvs and songs peformed by Brad Sherwood and the cast of Whose Line Is It Anyway? The plot finds Steve (John Carroll Lynch) and Mimi (Kathy Kinney) attempting to hold their separate bachelor and bachelorette parties at Drew's house. Kate (Christa Miller) hopes to use the festivities as an excuse to declare her love for Drew (Drew Carey), but somehow he becomes convinced that another guy is the object of her affections. In addition to the aforementioned Brad Sherwood, Whose Line Is It Anyway regulars Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie and Laura Hall appear in cameos, with Mochrie reprising his role as the enigmatic Eugene from the previous episode "She's Gotta Have It". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
