Mel
5-14-05, 9:05 AM
This really bums me out. The Chappelle show was one of the few shows on TV that I actually enjoy. They indefinitely post-poned the 3rd season premier and now it seems as if their will not be a 3rd season.
Timing of Comic's Flight Is Bad for Comedy Central
Executives had hoped 'the hottest thing' on their network would help launch new programs. His absence leaves them scrambling.
By Scott Collins and Matea Gold, Times Staff Writers
Late last month, comic Dave Chappelle called his bosses at the Viacom Inc.-owned cable network Comedy Central with some distressing news. He had suddenly decided to quit "Chappelle's Show," the enormously popular sketch series that has made him a $50-million star and a household name among young fans of his outrageous spoofs and impersonations.
The reasons were murky, and network President Doug Herzog stayed on the line for a long time, working hard to turn his star around. Days later, Chappelle relented and said he'd stay after all, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
But then matters unraveled entirely. Chappelle, who failed to report to work April 29, fled to South Africa and mysteriously cut off contact at least temporarily with some of his family members and closest advisors, according to sources inside Comedy Central and close to Chappelle. The following week, the network announced that the third-season premiere of its No. 2 show (after "South Park") would be postponed indefinitely.
"It's crushing on a lot of levels," Herzog said in a phone interview Friday. "There's no question about it, he was the hottest thing on the network?. It's tough to lose your big power hitter like that."
Clearly, Chappelle's disappearing act comes at a bad time for Comedy Central, which has been piling up record ratings and counting on fresh Chappelle episodes to help launch a full slate of new programs this summer. Now, executives can't say when ? or even if ? "Chappelle's Show" will return.
The 31-year-old Chappelle, like many performers, has been known to reschedule tapings at the last minute and engage in other unpredictable behavior, Herzog said. But his abrupt and unexplained departure left virtually everyone close to the comic baffled.
"He's never just dropped off the face of the planet like this," Herzog said.
Chappelle's publicist, Matt Labov, declined to comment but confirmed certain details for this article.
As recently as three years ago, Chappelle was a hardworking if somewhat obscure performer with multiple failed network sitcoms under his belt. But since "Chappelle's Show" began in 2002, his spirited goofs on such entertainers as actor Samuel L. Jackson and late funk singer Rick James have turned into a major profit machine for Viacom and Comedy Central.
The first season of "Chappelle" has become the bestselling TV series DVD of all time, with nearly 3 million copies sold, according to Viacom-owned distributor Paramount Home Entertainment. The second-season DVD will be released May 24, intended to coincide with the third-season premiere.
The sudden postponement of the program forced Herzog and his team to scramble, rescheduling series premieres from comics D.L. Hughley and Carlos Mencia. The network originally hoped that Chappelle's vast popularity could encourage viewers to sample those programs. The network also had sold millions of dollars in advertising tied to the show, although executives say much, if not all, of that will be moved to other programs.
But far beyond any question of economic fallout is the mystery of Chappelle himself: how a gifted young performer who had struggled for years to find success suddenly went AWOL just as he seemed poised for his greatest triumph. A landmark deal now in peril guaranteed Chappelle at least $35 million and as much as $50 million if copies of his DVD continued to sell well.
rest of article: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chappelle14may14,0,2559386.story?coll=la-home-business
At least season 2 comes out on DVD this month. I can't wait
this is one of my favorite clips (http://www.comedycentral.com/mp/play.jhtml?reposid=/multimedia/chappelle/showclips_s2/214_brady.html)
Timing of Comic's Flight Is Bad for Comedy Central
Executives had hoped 'the hottest thing' on their network would help launch new programs. His absence leaves them scrambling.
By Scott Collins and Matea Gold, Times Staff Writers
Late last month, comic Dave Chappelle called his bosses at the Viacom Inc.-owned cable network Comedy Central with some distressing news. He had suddenly decided to quit "Chappelle's Show," the enormously popular sketch series that has made him a $50-million star and a household name among young fans of his outrageous spoofs and impersonations.
The reasons were murky, and network President Doug Herzog stayed on the line for a long time, working hard to turn his star around. Days later, Chappelle relented and said he'd stay after all, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
But then matters unraveled entirely. Chappelle, who failed to report to work April 29, fled to South Africa and mysteriously cut off contact at least temporarily with some of his family members and closest advisors, according to sources inside Comedy Central and close to Chappelle. The following week, the network announced that the third-season premiere of its No. 2 show (after "South Park") would be postponed indefinitely.
"It's crushing on a lot of levels," Herzog said in a phone interview Friday. "There's no question about it, he was the hottest thing on the network?. It's tough to lose your big power hitter like that."
Clearly, Chappelle's disappearing act comes at a bad time for Comedy Central, which has been piling up record ratings and counting on fresh Chappelle episodes to help launch a full slate of new programs this summer. Now, executives can't say when ? or even if ? "Chappelle's Show" will return.
The 31-year-old Chappelle, like many performers, has been known to reschedule tapings at the last minute and engage in other unpredictable behavior, Herzog said. But his abrupt and unexplained departure left virtually everyone close to the comic baffled.
"He's never just dropped off the face of the planet like this," Herzog said.
Chappelle's publicist, Matt Labov, declined to comment but confirmed certain details for this article.
As recently as three years ago, Chappelle was a hardworking if somewhat obscure performer with multiple failed network sitcoms under his belt. But since "Chappelle's Show" began in 2002, his spirited goofs on such entertainers as actor Samuel L. Jackson and late funk singer Rick James have turned into a major profit machine for Viacom and Comedy Central.
The first season of "Chappelle" has become the bestselling TV series DVD of all time, with nearly 3 million copies sold, according to Viacom-owned distributor Paramount Home Entertainment. The second-season DVD will be released May 24, intended to coincide with the third-season premiere.
The sudden postponement of the program forced Herzog and his team to scramble, rescheduling series premieres from comics D.L. Hughley and Carlos Mencia. The network originally hoped that Chappelle's vast popularity could encourage viewers to sample those programs. The network also had sold millions of dollars in advertising tied to the show, although executives say much, if not all, of that will be moved to other programs.
But far beyond any question of economic fallout is the mystery of Chappelle himself: how a gifted young performer who had struggled for years to find success suddenly went AWOL just as he seemed poised for his greatest triumph. A landmark deal now in peril guaranteed Chappelle at least $35 million and as much as $50 million if copies of his DVD continued to sell well.
rest of article: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chappelle14may14,0,2559386.story?coll=la-home-business
At least season 2 comes out on DVD this month. I can't wait
this is one of my favorite clips (http://www.comedycentral.com/mp/play.jhtml?reposid=/multimedia/chappelle/showclips_s2/214_brady.html)