America Ferrera to Serve as Presenter at This Year’s Oscars

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Win or lose, America Ferrera will be taking the Oscars stage…

The 39-year-old Honduran American actress, who earned her first-ever Academy Awards nod this year for her performance in Barbie, will serve as a presenter at Sunday’s Oscars.

She’s part of a roster of new presenters that includes Emily Blunt, Cynthia Erivo, Sally Field, Ryan Gosling, Ariana Grande, Ben Kingsley, Melissa McCarthy, Issa Rae, Tim Robbins, Steven Spielberg, Mary Steenburgen, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlize Theron, Christoph Waltz and Forest Whitaker.

They join previous announced presenters Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate McKinnon, Rita Moreno, John Mulaney, Catherine O’Hara, Octavia Spencer and Ramy Youssef, Mahershala Ali, Nicolas Cage, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Lange, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong’o, Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ke Huy Quan, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Yeoh and Zendaya.

The Oscars will be broadcast live on March 10 ceremony from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Jimmy Kimmel is returning to host the ceremony for a fourth time.

ABC, which has aired the Oscars since 1976, is televising the show live starting at 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT — an hour earlier that usual. The network, which has begun to use the Oscars as a lead-out to showcase its top programming, will follow its coverage of the live ceremony with an original episode of Abbott Elementary.

ABC’s time tweak also means that its annual pre-show will now run for 30 minutes — instead of the usual 90 — beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. As per usual, the main Oscar telecast will be rebroadcast in the Pacific Time zone in primetime after the live presentation.

Raj Kapoor will serve as showrunner and executive producer of the 96th Oscars, with Molly McNearney and Katy Mullan executive producers. Hamish Hamilton is directing.

Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment Acquires UK Rights to Salvador Dali-Themed Film “Dalíland”

Posted on August 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Salvador Dali’s life story headed to the big screen this fall in the United Kingdom…

Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment has acquired the UK distribution rights to the Ben Kingsley and Ezra Miller film Dalíland, about the late Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work.

Dalíland will debut on September 4, with a theatrical release scheduled for October 6 and home entertainment on November 6.

Set in 1973, Dalíland follows a young gallery assistant who goes on a wild adventure behind the scenes as he helps the aging genius, Dalí, prepare for a big show in New York.

The film stars Kingsley in the title role of Dalí. Alongside Kingsley are Barbara Sukowa and newcomer Christopher Briney in the role of James, the young art enthusiast who finds himself thrust into the center of Dalí’s remarkable and unexpected world.

The wider ensemble features Andreja Pejić, Rupert Graves, Suki Waterhouse, Mark McKenna and Ezra Miller.

Filmmaker Mary Harron directs.

Peter Gadiot to Star in NBC’s Untitled Drama Pilot Based on Dutch Series “Adam & Eva”

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Peter Gadiot is embracing a new drama…

The 36-year-old half-Mexican actor has been cast as a series regular on NBC’s untitled drama pilot, which is based on the award-winning Dutch series Adam & Eva.

The former Queen of the South will star alongside Kim Matula, Ben Rappaport and Alexandra Chando in the pilot.

The project was written by The Village creator Mike Daniels and will be directed by Stephanie Laing.

The project, described as a funny and heartfelt drama, chronicles the epic love and lives of two complete strangers, Adam (Rappaport) and Eva (Chando), whose multiple run-ins begin to defy coincidence, leading both to believe in fate. The show breaks the mold by pairing a serialized, stand-up-and-cheer romantic comedy with the wildly diverse and often unexpected human stories of anyone who finds themselves six degrees from Adam and Eva.

Gadiot will play Felix, an ambitious fine art and fashion photographer whose depth and talent are an irresistible draw for Eva.

Series regular cast also includes Kevin Iannucci and Bethany Brown.

The Dutch series, which drew critical acclaim and ran from 2011-16, starred Teun Luijkx as Adam and Eva van de Wijdeven as Eva.

The adaptation is produced by Universal Television in association with 6107 Productions, David Janollari Entertainment and Willy Waltz International.

Gadiot, most recently seen in Yellowjackets, previously co-starred in USA’s Queen of the South as James Valdez. Other credits include Tut, opposite Ben Kingsley, Matador, from executive producer Robert Rodriguez; and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. On the film side, Gadiot worked with Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola in the short film Prada Candy.

Veronica Falcon to Star in HBO’s Limited Series “Perry Mason”

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Veronica Falconwill be flying high…

The 52-year-old Mexican actress has landed a recurring role opposite Matthew Rhys in Perry Mason, HBO’s limited series from Team Downey.

Written and executive produced by Rolin Jonesand Ron Fitzgerald, who also will showrun, and based on the characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner, the reimagined Perry Mason is set in 1931 Los Angeles.

While the rest of the country suffers through the Great Depression, this city is booming! Oil! Olympic Games! Talking Pictures! Evangelical Fervor! And a child kidnapping gone very, very wrong!

Based on characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner, the limited series follows the origins of American Fiction’s most legendary criminal defense lawyer, Perry Mason (Rhys). When the case of the decade breaks down his door, Mason’s relentless pursuit of the truth reveals a fractured city and just maybe, a pathway to redemption for himself.

Falcon is Lupe. A pilot and hard-drinking owner of a speakeasy, Lupe is a she-demon of the California skies and the 3rd place air speed champion of the world.

Rhys also is a producer on the series. Robert and Susan Downey, who developed the project, executive produce along with Team Downey’s Amanda Burrell, and Joe Horacek. Tim Van Pattendirects and executive produces.

Falcon starred for three seasons on USA’s hit series Queen of the South. She can currently be seen in Perpetual Grace LTD. alongside Sir Ben Kingsley and Jackie Weaverfor Epix. She can also be seen leading an episode of the HBO anthology series Room 104 and in Disney’s upcoming feature Jungle Cruise.

Gadiot to Star Opposite Alice Braga in USA’s “Queen of the South”

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Peter Gadiot’s career is going South…

The 29-year-old half-Mexican actor, who starred on ABC’s Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, has landed a series regular role in USA Network’s upcoming telenovela-based drama Queen of the South.

Based on best-selling book La Reina Del Sur by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Queen Of The South tells the story of Teresa Mendoza (Alice Braga). When her drug-dealing boyfriend unexpectedly is murdered in Mexico, Teresa is forced to go on the run and seek refuge in America, where she teams with an unlikely figure from her past to bring down the leader of the very drug trafficking ring that has her on the run. In the process, she learns the tools of the trade and strategically positions herself to become the leader of the cartel.

Gadiot will play James Valdez, a newly minted capo of Camila’s (Veronica Falcón) crime organization who has an in-depth and realistic understanding of how the narco world works. Despite his brutish ability to ferret out punishment to those who cross him, Valdez surprises Teresa with his humanistic sense of moral justice and becomes one of her closest allies in America.

Known as the swashbuckling hero Cyrus on Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, Gadiot most recently appeared in Spike’s miniseries Tut opposite Ben Kingsley and before that wrapped a season-long arc on the Robert Rodriguez, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci produced series Matador.

Martinez to Star in the Revenge Thriller “Message From The King”

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a King’s landing for Natalie Martinez…

The 30-year-old Cuban American actress has landed a role in Message From The King, a revenge thriller from director Fabrice Du Welz.

The film stars Chadwick Boseman as Jacob, a South African man who descends into the Los Angeles underworld in an attempt to avenge his younger sister’s death and rescue her stepson from the immoral world into which he’s been sold.

Martinez will portray Trish, the former neighbor of Jacob’s missing sister Bianca who he recruits to help find the woman’s murderer.

Teresa Palmer, Luke Evans and Alfred Molina also star.

Filming is expected to begin this month in Los Angeles.

Martinez currently plays Jess Murphy on ABC’s midseason Sunday drama Secrets And Lies, and her other recent credits include multiple episodes of Under The Dome, CSI: NY and Detroit 1-8-7.

She will next be seen in the Focus Features summer pic Self/Less starring Ryan Reynolds and Ben Kingsley.

Mars’ Super Bowl Halftime Performance Features Three of Shazam’s Most Searched Moments

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Shazam! Bruno Mars’ halftime performance at the Super Bowl continues to help break records…

Not only did the 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer’s performance with the Red Hot Chili Peppers register a record 115.3 million viewers and earn a huge response on the Twittersphere, but it was one of the moments during the big game that nabbed the most Shazams.

The music search app beat its own Super Bowl record with more than 700,000 uses — more than double the count of last year’s game that featured Beyonce and Destiny’s Child as its halftime performers.

Despite all the music-related ads that aired throughout the broadcast, more than half of the Shazams occurred during Mars’ halftime performance. The top searched moment of the entire game was when the Red Hot Chili Peppers emerged shirtless and rocked the stage with on the band’s hit song”Give It Away,” followed by Mars’ first solo hit, “Just The Way You Are,” with which he closed the halftime show, along with a ton of fireworks.

Coming in third in Shazam’s statistics was Chevrolet’s “Life” ad, a sentimental spot that featured the song “Don’t Leave” by Ane Brun.

Fourth place belongs to Jaguar‘s “Rendezvous” ad, with appearances by Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong and using an epic action-film score.

Rounding out the top five was Mars’ “Runaway Baby” performance, which pulls from Barry Strong‘s 1960 hit “Money (That’s What I Want).”

Following Chevrolet and Jaguar in the top Shazamed Super Bowl ads were Bud Light‘s “Cool Twist,” Bank of America‘s ad which debuted the new single “Invisible” by U2, and Budweiser‘s moving military homecoming, “A Hero’s Welcome.”

Coixet Reuniting with Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson for “Learning to Drive”

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Isabel Coixet must’ve really liked working with Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson…

The 53-year-old Spanish filmmaker is reunting with Kingley and Clarkson on Learning to Drive, which is currently shooting in New York.

Coixet previously worked with the actors previously on the film Elegy.

Learning to Drive is based on a Katha Pollitt essay first published in The New Yorker in 2002.

The film also stars Jake Weber, Grace Gummer and Sarita Choudhury.

Clarkson will portray a Manhattanite who takes driving lessons from a Sikh instructor (Kingsley) who is living in Queens under political asylum.

Coixet’s other directing credits include a segment in Paris, je t’aime, My Life Without Me and The Secret Life of Words.

Martinez to Star Opposite Ryan Reynolds in “Selfless”

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Natalie Martinez is about to show how selfless she can be…

The 29-year-old Cuban American actress has been cast as the female lead in Selfless, a film from FilmDistrict and Endgame Entertainment.

Martinez, who most recently starred on CBS’ Under the Dome, will portray the wife of Ryan Reynolds’ character in the sci-fi thriller.

Reynolds stars in the tale of a terminally ill billionaire who undergoes an experimental procedure to transfer his consciousness into the body of a younger man, only to be hunted by the killers who murdered his host.

Ben Kingsley and Matthew Goode also star in the film.

It’s the latest film project for Martinez, who recently landed a role in Warner Bros.’s Run All Night.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Ben Kingsley