Latest news with #UShistory
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Larry David Joins Forces with Barack and Michelle Obama for New HBO Sketch Comedy
Larry David, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama will be collaborating on a new sketch comedy for HBO The upcoming limited series will focus on U.S. history in honor of "America's 250th anniversary" A premiere date for the untitled half-hour show has not been announcedLarry David, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are leveraging their expertise to create a new HBO series. The unlikely trio will collaborate on a new, still-untitled sketch comedy for HBO, focusing on American history, the network announced on Thursday, July 10. 'President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America's 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion…But then Larry David called,' the official logline reads. The forthcoming limited series is written by David, 78, and his Curb Your Enthusiasm partner Jeff Schaffer, who will also direct. The half-hour series will have 'noteworthy' guest stars. The Obamas' Higher Ground production company will produce, and the former president, former first lady, David, Schaffer, 55, Vinnie Malhotra and Ethan Lewis will all serve as executive producers. 'I've sat across the table from some of the world's most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems,' the former president, 63, said in a statement. 'Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.' 'Once Curb ended, I celebrated with a three-day foam party. After a violent allergic reaction to the suds, I yearned to return to my simple life as a beekeeper, harvesting organic honey from the wildflowers in my meadow. Alas, one day my bees mysteriously vanished,' David said in a statement. 'And so, it is with a heavy heart that I return to television, hoping to ease the loss of my beloved hive.' The new project marks David's return to TV after his long-running series, Curb Your Enthusiasm, concluded in 2024 with its 12th season. This is believed to be the Obamas' Higher Ground's first production outside of Netflix, with whom they expanded a multi-year deal in June 2024. 'It's hard to remember a time before Curb, or without Larry David's perspective on modern life,' Amy Gravitt, EVP, head of HBO & HBO Max comedy programming, said in a statement. 'We're thrilled that Larry is coming back to HBO, this time with Higher Ground, to give us a glimpse at our shared history as we celebrate our Semiquincentennial.' 'The characters Larry is playing didn't change history," Schaffer added. "In fact, they were largely ignored by history. And that's a good thing.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. A premiere date for the untitled series has not been announced yet. Read the original article on People
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Larry David teams with the Obamas for HBO US history sketch show for the nation's 250th
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Larry David will bring his grumbly sensibility to U.S. history in a team-up with Barack and Michelle Obama for an HBO sketch show, the network announced Thursday. The 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' creator and 'Seinfeld' co-creator will act as executive producer, writer and star of the limited series consisting of six half-hour episodes, produced by the Obamas' company, Higher Ground. The show marks the 78-year-old David's return to HBO just over a year after the end of the 12th and final season of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm.' His 'Curb' showrunner Jeff Schaffer will co-write and direct episodes. HBO did not give a premiere date, but the show is meant to mark the nation's 250th anniversary next year. The series doesn't have a title yet but it has a promotional logline: 'President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America's 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion. ...But then Larry David called.' And statements from some of the principals suggest the tone it will take. 'Once 'Curb' ended, I celebrated with a three-day foam party. After a violent allergic reaction to the suds, I yearned to return to my simple life as a beekeeper, harvesting organic honey from the wildflowers in my meadow,' David said. 'Alas, one day my bees mysteriously vanished. And so, it is with a heavy heart that I return to television, hoping to ease the loss of my beloved hive.' In his statement, Barack Obama said, 'I've sat across the table from some of the world's most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.' The Obamas got into the entertainment business by launching 'Higher Ground' in 2018, saying they wanted to raise the prominence of new, diverse voices and expand the range of conversation in the industry. They signed production agreements with Netflix and Spotify soon after. Their involvement has had a high profile in some productions, but they've kept more of a background role in others. Their shows and films have included the Oscar-winning documentary 'American Factory,' the kids series 'Waffles + Mochi,' and the movies 'Rustin' and 'Leave the World Behind.' David, known for his sitcoms and stand-up, has some experience in sketch work. He was a writer and star on ABC's 'Saturday Night Live' knockoff 'Fridays' in the early 1980s, and later wrote briefly for 'SNL' itself.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Liberia: Five things Trump should know and why they speak 'good English'
US President Donald Trump has praised Liberian President Joseph Boakai for speaking "good English" and asked him where he went to school. What Trump might have missed is that Liberia shares a unique and long-standing historical connection with the US. Many Liberians speak with an American accent, locally known as American "Serees", which has a heavy intonation of the local language, Koloquoi. It may have been this intonation that Trump picked up are five things to know about the country: Founded by freed slaves Liberia was founded by freed African-American slaves in 1822 before declaring independence in 1847. Thousands of black Americans and liberated Africans - rescued from transatlantic slave ships - settled in Liberia during the colonial US President Abraham Lincoln officially declared Liberia's independence in 1862 but the country retained a lot of US heritage and it remained in the American "sphere of influence" during the colonial period. Due to this integration, Liberian culture, landmarks, and institutions have a heavy African-American of Liberia's 26 presidents were born in the US. The capital is named after a former US president Liberia's capital, Monrovia, was named in honour of America's 5th President, James Monroe, who was a strong supporter of the American Colonization Society (ACS).The ACS was the organisation responsible for resettling freed African-Americans in West Africa - which eventually led to the founding of surprisingly the early architecture of the city was largely influenced by American-style streets in Monrovia are named after colonial American figures, reflecting the city's founding and historical ties to the US. Nearly identical flags The flag of Liberia closely resembles the American flag. It features 11 alternating red and white stripes and a blue square with a single white white star symbolises Liberia as the first independent republic in US flag, in comparison, has 13 stripes representing the original 13 colonies and 50 stars, one for each Liberian flag was designed by seven black women - all born in America. Ex-president's son plays for US football team Timothy Weah, the son of Liberia's former President George Weah, is an American professional soccer player who plays for Italian club Juventus as well as the US national 25-year-old forward was born in the US but began his professional career with Paris St-Germain in France, where he won the Ligue 1 title before moving on loan to the Scottish team, father, George, is a Liberian football legend who won the Ballon d'Or in 1995 while playing for Juventus's Italian rivals AC Milan. He is the only African winner of this award - and went on to be elected president in 2018. Former president won the Nobel Peace Prize Liberia produced Africa's first elected female president, Ellen Johnson was elected in 2005, two years after the nation's bloody civil war ended, and served as president until has a strong American background as she studied at Madison Business College and later went to Harvard University where she graduated as an economist. She has received worldwide recognition and accolades for maintaining peace during her story is pitted with remarkable feats of defiance and courage. In 2011, along with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karmān, she won the Nobel Prize for Peace for her efforts to further women's 2016, Forbes listed her among the most powerful women in the world. More about Liberia from the BBC: Why Trump invited five African leaders to the White HouseLiberian president killed in coup gets state funeral after 45 yearsHow President Joseph Boakai hopes to rid Liberia of its problemsLiberia's war and peace: Lessons from 30 years' reporting Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
CTV News
14-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Bracing for 'No Kings' protests across the U.S.
Protests will be held across the country as the U.S holds its first military parade in decades. Joy Malbon has the latest.
Reuters
05-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Trump travel ban, Putin call and Musk's ‘kill the bill'
Follow on Apple or Spotify. Listen on the Reuters app. President Donald Trump signs a travel ban for citizens from 12 countries and he suspends all foreign national students from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard. Elon Musk and Republican hardliners ramp up their attacks on Trump's tax-cut and spending bill. And Russian President Vladimir Putin tells Trump that he will have to respond to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's nuclear-capable bomber fleet. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Find the Recommended Read here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit to opt out of targeted advertising. Further Reading LIVE: Trump travel ban - US issues full entry ban on 12 countries, with dual citizens among exemptions Trump suspends entry of international students studying at Harvard Musk, hardline US Republicans ramp up attacks on Trump tax and spending bill Putin tells Trump Russia has to respond to Ukrainian attacks Recommended Read: How Ukraine pulled off an audacious attack deep inside Russia
