Tag Archives: Brent Miller

Justina Machado & Her “One Day at a Time” Cast Mates Reuniting for Special Charity Table Read

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Justina Machado is taking it one (more) day at a time…

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican actress and her One Day at a Time cast mates are reuniting to support democracy and honor the legacy of Norman Lear.

Justina Machado, One Day at a TimeThe cast and executive producers of the Lear-created series will reunite for a special charity table read of never-before-seen episodes from Season 4 of the Netflix series.

All proceeds will go to People For The American Way Foundation, an organization co-founded by Lear that is committed to defending our freedoms.

The comedy series’ former producer, Sandi Hochman, and executive producers, Gloria Calderón Kellett, Mike Royce and Brent Miller are producing the event, which will be held on Saturday, October 5 at 2:00 pm at the Saban Media Center in North Hollywood.

The entire cast will participate, including Machado as “Penelope,” Rita Moreno as “Lydia,” Stephen Tobolowsky as “Dr. Berkowitz,” Todd Grinnell as “Schneider,” Isabella Gomez as “Elena,” Marcel Ruiz as “Alex,” India de Beaufort as “Avery,” Sheridan Pierce as “Syd” and Ed Quinn as “Max.”

Stage direction will be read by co-showrunner and executive producer, Calderón Kellett.

The cast will be reading season four episodes titled, “Church and Statement,” written by Sebastian Jones, “Best Birthday,” written by Vincent Brown & Dan Signer and the series finale “Dreams,” written by Sebastian Jones & Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz.

“Reuniting our One Day at a Time cast to bring these unaired, unshot episodes to life – including what would have been our series finale – is a powerful reminder of the magic of Norman Lear and his work,” said co-showrunners and executive producers Gloria Calderón Kellett and Mike Royce. “It was an honor to bring this Latine family to the screen, and this reading is not just a celebration, but a chance to connect with our incredible fans once more and support a cause close to our hearts, People For The American Way Foundation, another of Norman’s brainchildren. Together, we honor Norman’s legacy, our beloved show and a community that has always supported us.”

One Day at A Time, is a critically acclaimed comedy-drama inspired by Lear’s 1975 series of the same name.

Produced by Sony Pictures Television, seasons 1-3 launched on Netflix and are currently streaming. In 2019 the series found a new home for its fourth season at Pop TV amid fans rallying behind the show.

“Norman Lear was brilliant at portraying loving families of all kinds, and he was adamant that all kinds of families, all kinds of Americans, deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and share in the blessings of liberty,” said People For the American Way Foundation President Svante Myrick. “We are grateful to the producers and cast of One Day at a Time for helping People For the American Way Foundation carry on Norman’s work of defending our democracy and ensuring that ‘We, the People’ includes all the people.”

Tickets for the event are on sale here.

Juan Pablo Di Pace to Make Feature Directorial Debut with LGBTQ+ Romantic Drama “For Another Time”

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Juan Pablo Di Pace is heading behind the lens…

The 42-year-old Argentine actor and singer will make his feature directorial debut with For Another Time, an LGBTQ+ romantic drama inspired by true events in his life.

Juan Pablo Di PaceDe Pace’s film will be executive produced by television icon Norman Lear and his Act III Productions partner Brent Miller.

For Another Time is a coming-of-age story that follows Matías, a queer filmmaker who gets an unexpected invitation to revisit the family that forever influenced his past, forcing him to question the present while potentially changing his future.

Production on the film, set in Duino, Italy and Buenos Aires, Argentina, will kick off on February 26.

Di Pace will play the present-day version of Matías, with another as-yet-undisclosed actor to play a younger version.

Casting for additional roles is underway. Andres Pepe Estrada will co-direct and serve as the film’s editor.

Di Pace is producing under his Momento Films banner with Kristen Carroll, founder and CEO of SpoPro/Spotlight Productions and Immaterial Media.

“There’s a sacred tenderness in falling in love for the first time, often an all-encompassing event we can never reprise once it ends,” said Di Pace. “I wanted to explore the idea of memory and how we romanticize it, sometimes blinding our path to love in the present.”

“There’s no better backdrop for a love story—of any kind—than one that takes place in Italy,” said Lear and Miller in a joint statement. “We’re thrilled to support Juan Pablo’s vision of bringing a multicultural connection, regardless of age, gender or race, to the big screen. And we couldn’t be prouder to support independent film and those who are making it.”

“The buying power of the LGBTQ+ population—two thirds of them in the targeted 18-34 age range—is $1 trillion, second only to the 50+ demographic for disposable income, and they are clamoring for stories and quality productions that reflect their experiences and lifestyles,” added Carroll, whose production company SpoPro specializes in LGBTQ+ and diversity-forward programming. “We are excited to bring this inventive and nuanced story of love and self-discovery to a global audience.”

Di Pace, who competed on Dancing with the Stars, most recently starred as Kimmy Gibbler’s estranged husband, Fernando, on Fuller House, a spin–off series of Full House.

Rita Moreno to Star in the Feature Film “The Prank”

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Rita Moreno is pranking around…

The 89-year-old Puerto Rican actress, singer and dancer, an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony Award winner) has landed a starring role in the feature film The Prank, which will be directed by Maureen Bharoocha.

Rita Moreno

Moreno will star opposite Connor Kalopsis and Ramona Young.

The Prank follows two high school students who play a prank on their physics teacher, Mrs. Wheeler, played by Moreno. When she fails them on a test; they teach the imperious, demanding, insulting instructor a lesson by falsely accusing her of the murder of a missing student.

Other cast in The Prank includes Keith David, Meredith Salenger, Jonathan Kimmel, Nathan Janak and Kate Flannery.

Filming begins this month in and around Los Angeles.

The dark comedy is written by Rebecca Flinn-White & Zak White.

“Rita Moreno is a force of nature and an icon who continues to redefine herself,” said Bharoocha. “Her brilliant comedic mind lends itself to the perfect ‘Mrs. Wheeler’, a character we have never seen her play, and one that will no doubt surprise audiences.”

Moreno has won an Oscar (West Side Story), a Tony (The Ritz), two Emmys (for her turns respectively in 1977 and 1978 on The Muppet Show and Rockford Files), and a Grammy (Best Children’s Album for The Electric Company).

Moreno has starred on Broadway and London’s West End, appeared in more than 40 feature films and has performed in numerous regional theaters, including her one-woman show, Life Without Makeup, at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. She recently co-starred in the critically acclaimed Latinx reimagining of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom One Day At A Time.

Her documentary, Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, produced by Lear, Lin Manuel Miranda and Brent Miller had its world debut at the Sundance Film Festival this year. The film, which was met with acclaim from critics and audiences alike, will have its television debut on PBS’ American Masters nationwide on October 5.

Moreno also co-stars and is an executive producer of the Steven Spielberg remake of West Side Story, set to open on December 10.

The recipient of the Peabody Career Achievement Award and the Kennedy Center Honor for her lifetime contributions to American culture, she was also honored by her peers as the 50th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.

Moreno’s all-Spanish-language album, Una Vez Más, was produced by her good friend Emilio Estefan, and she is a New York Times bestselling author with her first book, Rita Moreno: A Memoir. Moreno has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush and the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama.