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‘MAN’ WHAT A DEAL FOR LL COOL J: ‘CSI’ creator teams with rapper for new CBS cop drama.
*LL Cool J will co-develop, produce and star in a new CBS drama under the rapper/actor’s new talent deal with the network.
Born James Todd Smith, the artist will team with “CSI” creator Anthony Zuiker for “The Man,” which will star the actor as an undercover LAPD officer who works nights in various sting operations and spends days raising his three adopted children: an abused boy with an aggression problem, a former streetwalker girl he put in community college and a skateboarder boy who is a recovering drug addict, reports Reuters.
The cop's cover is being "the man" – or the go-to hustler who can hook up LA’s elite with anything, from getting into the hottest nightclubs to scoring Lakers tickets.
"He is the only honest man on the wrong side of the law," said Zuiker, the one-time Las Vegas tram operator who has been listening to LL’s music since he was a kid. To craft the main character, Zuiker said he used bits and pieces from LL’s own life as a rapper who balances his career with being a father of four.
"He can be a talented multi-platinum rapper and an amazing father," Zuiker said. "He has such an amazing spirit and has a great connection with the audience."
For Zuiker, working with LL Cool J is a "childhood dream come true," he said. "I remember going to his concert when I was 14 years old, wanting to be as famous as him."
“The Man” first took root in August, when CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler called Zuiker and asked if he would be interested in developing a series for LL, who had just signed a talent deal with the network. That same night, Zuiker came up with the show’s premise and couldn’t wait to pitch the show to his childhood idol.
"He loved it, and we're now officially in business," Zuiker said, adding the show will be a mix of procedural crime drama and character-driven drama, with the city of Los Angeles playing a major role just as Las Vegas, Miami and New York figure into Zuiker’s three “CSI” dramas.
"We're going to have a different sting every week, while the children's stories will be serialized," Zuiker further explained of the story structure. Also, music will factor largely into the show, with Motown classics and contemporary tunes providing much of the soundtrack.
Zuiker is writing "The Man" and will executive produce the project. LL and his manager, Jason Barrett, will serve as producers.
THE LA BLACK BUSINESS EXPO
The finals of the Urban Idol vocal competition,
sponsored by the L.A. Black Business Expo and
Trade Show and Club Hall of Fame, will be held
Friday, September 22 at the Expo. (L.A. Convention
Center) The winner will perform at the Expo's West
Coast Black Music Festival on Saturday. Admission
is $5 each day. For further info, see www.blackbusinessexpo.com.
