Molina to Star in BBC/Acorn TV’s WWII Drama “Close to the Enemy”

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Alfred Molina has found a new Enemy…

The 63-year-old half-Spanish actor will star in the period drama Close to the Enemy.

Co-produced by Acorn Media Enterprises, All3Media International and the BBC, the seven-part series from Stephen Poliakoff is set in a bomb-damaged London hotel in the aftermath of World War II and centers on intelligence officer Captain Callum Ferguson. His last task for the Army is to ensure that a captured German scientist, Dieter urgently starts working for the British RAF to develop the jet engine. Callum uses unorthodox methods in his attempt to convince Dieter and the two form a friendship. But tensions soon arise, as all is not as it seems.

In addition to Molina, Close To The Enemy will also star Jim Sturgess, Alfie Allen, Angela Bassett and Freddie Highmore.

Coinciding with the BBC broadcast, the drama will make its U.S. debut on streaming service Acorn TV in November/December.

Miranda to Perform at One-Night Only Broadway Show Benefiting Hillary Clinton’s Hillary Victory Fund

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is stumping for Hillary Clinton…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican actor and Hamilton star/creator has joined the list of Broadway and Hollywood stars teaming up for a one-night only Broadway performance benefiting the Hillary Victory Fund.

Miranda joins a lineup that includes Julia Roberts and Hugh Jackman, all appearing in support of Clinton.

The show, “Stronger Together,” features Chelsea Clinton as a special guest and Billy Crystal as host, appearing alongside familiar faces including Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway, Josh Groban, Angela Bassett, Neil Patrick Harris, Helen Mirren, Sienna Miller, Bernadette Peters, Cynthia Erivo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Sarah Jones, Andrea McArdle and Ayodele Casel.

Organizers of the evening promise new duets and collaborations.

Michael Mayer, the Spring Awakening and Hedwig and the Angry Inch director whose Off-Broadway production of Love, Love, Love is now running, will direct the production, with Diane Paulus on board as special consultant. John Guare serves as script consultant, with Seth Rudetsky as musical director.

The event is set for October 17 at the St. James Theater, the Jujamcyn-owned venue currently occupied by “Something Rotten!,” which is dark on Monday nights.

Tickets are on sale on the Hillary Clinton website.

La La to Star in Spike Lee’s Amazon Studios Film “Chi-Raq”

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

La La Anthony is experiencing a Spike in her movie career…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican actress, businesswoman and radio/television personality has joined Spike Lee’s Amazon Studios film Chi-Raq.

Anthony will portray Hecuba, a very strong, fiesty, outspoken woman who is part of a female crew/gang.

Set against the violence in inner city Chicago, Chi-Raq touts a top-billed cast that includes Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson.

Anthony is a series regular on A&E’s Unforgettable and starred in the Think Like A Man franchise.

Molina to Star in BBC 2’s Six-Part Drama “Close to the Enemy”

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Alfred Molina is getting too close to the enemy…

The 61-year-old half-Spanish actor has been cast in BBC 2’s new six-part drama Close to the Enemy.

Written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, the Cold War drama is set in a bomb-damaged London hotel in the aftermath of World War II.

Jim Sturgess plays an intelligence officer whose last task for the Army is to ensure that a captured German scientist, played by August Diehl, starts working for the British RAF on urgently developing the jet engine.

There’s no word on Molina’s character in the project, which also stars Freddie Highmore, Charlotte Riley, Alfie Allen, Charity Wakefield and Angela Bassett.

“Close To The Enemy is set in the transitional period of 1946 — the brutal Second World War is finally over but the destruction of families and cities permeates everyone’s lives,” said producer Helen Flint, a longtime collaborator with Poliakoff. “As the Cold War takes its hold in Europe and the public realization that the atom bomb could be used by any government, our hero Callum (Sturgess) passionately believes that to safeguard the future you mustn’t heed the past regardless of how terrible it has been.”

Close to the Enemy will film in Liverpool and London and air in 2016.

Lifetime Releases First Trailer for DaCosta’s “Whitney” Biopic

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Prepare to watch Yaya DaCosta as the Queen of the Night…

Lifetime has released the first official trailer for its Whitney Houston biopic Whitney, starring the 32-year-old part-Brazilian American actress as the late songstress.

Houston, one of the world’s best selling performers, sold more than 200 million albums sold worldwide and had a slew of diamond, multi-platinum certifications.

DaCosta, a runner-up on the CW’s America’s Top Model landed the role of Houston in June, with Belizean actor Arlen Escarpeta playing Houston’s ex-husband, Bobby Brown.

Meanwhile, Mark Rolston portrays Houston’s music biz mentor, Clive Davis, in a scene-stealing role.

Whitney marks the directorial debut of Angela Bassett.

Escarpeta & DaCosta Recreate Classic Whitney Houston-Bobby Brown Photo for Their Lifetime Biopic

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Arlen Escarpeta isn’t having any trouble being Bobby Brown….

Lifetime has released the first official photo for its upcoming Whitney Houston biopic featuring the 33-year-old Belizean actor as the R&B singer-songwriter and part-Brazilian actress Yaya DaCosta as the late Grammy-winning songstress.

In the picture, the two recreate a classic photo of Houston and Brown in their early days as a couple. Escarpeta, donning a black top and blue jeans, hugs Dacosta from behind. The actress sports a white tank top and flashes a big smile for the camera.

The biopic, titled I Will Always Love You: The Whitney Houston Story, is currently shooting in Los Angeles with Oscar nominee Angela Bassett serving as the director.

It’s scheduled to premiere early next year, three years after Houston accidentally drowned in the bathtub of a Los Angeles hotel room at the age of 48.

It will center on Houston’s life in the early-to-mid ’90s, when she skyrocketed to fame not only for her powerful singing voice but also for her appearance in 1992’s The Bodyguard, where she co-starred opposite Kevin Costner.

She contributed to the movie’s soundtrack, which later won a Grammy and is the biggest-selling soundtrack album in movie history.

It will also focus on the singer’s relationship with Brown, whom she met in 1989. The couple got married in 1992 and they welcomed their daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown the following year.

Escarpeta to Star as Bobby Brown in Lifetime’s Whitney Houston Biopic

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

There’s a new edition to Arlen Escarpeta’s acting resume.

The 33-year-old Belizean American actor has been cast in the highly anticipated role of Bobby Brown in Lifetime’s Whitney Houston biopic.

Escarpeta, whose credits include Into the Storm, Final Destinaton 5 and We Are Marshall, will star opposite Yaya DaCosta as Whitney in the film, now officially titled, I Will Always Love You: The Whitney Houston Story.

Helmed by Angela Bassett in her directorial debut, the biopic chronicles the tumultuous relationship between Houston and singer-songwriter Bobby Brown — from the time they first met at the very height of their celebrity through their courtship and rocky marriage, all during Whitney’s meteoric rise as a singer, actress and model.

As previously reported, actress Yolonda Ross (Go For Sisters) was cast as Whitney’s lifelong friend and rumored lover Robyn Crawford.

The television film is slated for a 2015 premiere.

DaCosta to Star in Lifetime’s “Whitney Houston” Biopic

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s one moment in time Yaya DaCosta will most likely never forget…

The 31-year-old part-Brazilian American actress has landed the lead role in Lifetime‘s Whitney Houston biopic, according to TVLine.

The made-for-television film, currently titled Whitney Houston, will focus on the late singer’s relationship with her ex-husband Bobby Brown from the time they met through the dissolution of their tumultuous marriage.

DaCosta, the runner-up in Cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model, has appeared on television in Ugly Betty, All My Childrenand House, as well as on film inThe Kids Are All Right, Tron: Legacyand Lee Daniels’ The Butler.

Whitney Houson is set to premiere in 2015, three years after the Grammy-winning singer was found dead in her hotel bathtub at age 48 due to an accidental drowning.

Angela Bassett, who starred opposite Houston in 1995’s Waiting to Exhale, will direct the film.

Bichir’s New FX Series “The Bridge” Named to the Most Exciting New Series List

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Demián Bichir’s new FX series hasn’t debuted yet, but it’s already earning awards…

The 49-year-old Mexican actor’s The Bridge has been named to on the Critics’ Choice Television Awards’ The Most Exciting New Series list.

The Bridge, which will debut on Wednesday, July 10, explores the high tensions on the U.S.-Mexico border.

When an American judge known for her anti-immigration views is found dead on the bridge connecting El Paso and Juarez, Sonya Cross (portrayed by Diane Kruger) from the El Paso Police Department must work with her Mexican counterpart from Chihuahua State Police, Marco Ruiz (Bichir), to catch a serial killer operating on both sides of the border.

The Bridge joins the Showtime dramas Ray Donovan and Masters Of Sex, CBS’ summer series Under the Dome, ABC’s drama Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the NBC comedy The Michael J. Fox Show on the list.

The most exciting new series recipients are voted based on pilots and early episodes, if available.

The ceremony is slated for June 10 at The Beverly Hilton. It will be webcast live at 8:00 pm PT on UStream.

Celebrity presenters include Malin Akerman, Angela Bassett, Miranda Cosgrove, Hugh Dancy, Cat Deeley, Maria Menounos, Elisabeth Moss, Aubrey Plaza, Emmy Rossum, Jimmy Smits, Eric Stonestreet and Sam Trammell.

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