Tag Archives: Channing Dungey

Mariah Carey to Receive Innovator Award from African American Film Critics Association

Posted on by
Reply

Mariah Carey is being recognized for her storytelling…

The African American Film Critics Association has announced that the 51-year-old half-Venezuelan American singer/actress will receive an AAFCA Special Achievement Award at the 12th annual AAFCA Awards, taking place April 7.

 

Carey will be honored with the Innovator Award.

Other honorees include Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom director George C. Wolfe, streaming giant Netflix, and voter suppression documentary, All In: The Fight for Democracy.

Wolfe, whose remarkable career in theatre spans over 40 years, is the 2021 AAFCA Special Achievement Salute To Excellence honoree.

“Even with the challenges of the pandemic, we look forward to providing audiences with a memorable virtual experience. As with every year, this year’s honorees represent the highest standards of excellence in their fields,” said AAFCA CEO and President Gil Robertson. “Mariah Carey is often recognized as a global icon for her musical gifts, but rarely is she celebrated for the visual storytelling in her music videos and specials. As an artist who is all-hands-on-deck in not just crafting her songs, but also in curating and creating the imagery surrounding them, Carey is especially deserving of the 2021 AAFCA Special Achievement Innovator Award.”

Netflix is “the Cinema Vanguard recipient for fostering a global tribe rooted in bringing all people together across various languages and continents through the power of cinema,” said Robertson.

All In: The Fight for Democracy, directed by Lisa Cortes and Liz Garbus, who also co-produced with political titan Stacey Abrams, has been selected for this year’s Stanley Kramer Award.

Said Robertson, “In addition, we, at AAFCA, are doubly pleased that Mrs. Karen Kramer and her team chose to present this year’s AAFCA Stanley Kramer Award for Social Justice to All In: The Fight For Democracy highlighting Stacey Abrams’ personal mission to combat voter suppression.”

Past recipients of the AAFCA Special Achievement Awards include Channing Dungey, Quincy Jones, Jason Blum, Edward James Olmos, George Lucas, Sidney Poitier, Jon Chu, and Cicely Tyson.Mariah Carey

ABC Renews Nicholas Gonzalez’ “The Good Doctor” for a Sophomore Season

Posted on by
Reply

Nicholas Gonzalez will be doing rounds for another year…

ABC has given an early second-season renewal to its hit rookie The Good Doctor, starring the 42-year-old Mexican American actor.

Nicholas Gonzalez

The news should come as no surprise, as the drama hails as the network’s most-watched freshman series in 13 years.

The number of episodes hasn’t been disclosed but star Freddie Highmore’s contract calls for 18-episode seasons at most.

In the series, created/executive produced by David Shore based on a Korean format and executive produced by Daniel Dae Kim, Highmore stars as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, who relocates from a quiet country life to join the prestigious St. Bonaventure hospital’s surgical unit. His only advocate, Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff), challenges the skepticism and prejudices of the hospital’s board and staff when he brings him in to join the team.

In addition to Gonzalez and Highmore, the series also stars

Antonia Thomas, Chuku Modu, Beau Garrett, Hill Harper and Tamlyn Tomita.

The pilot episode of the series, from Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios, won a Humanitas Prize this year. The drama, whose hopefulness clicked with the audiences, airs Mondays at 10:00 pm ET.

“The Good Doctor’s message of inclusiveness resonates with our viewers and is a hallmark of what we aim to accomplish here at ABC,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in announcing the renewal. “This series has quickly joined the zeitgeist and broken records in the competitive television landscape. We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Shaun Murphy will be back for another season.”

Lana Parrilla to Direct an Episode of Her ABC Series “Once Upon a Time”

Posted on by
Reply

Lana Parrilla is pulling double duty…

The 40-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and Once Upon a Time star will assume another role on the forthcoming season of the ABC series.

Lana Parrilla

Parrilla, who stars as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills, will step behind the camera and make her directorial debut.

Once Upon a Time co-creator Adam Horowitz took to Twitter to share the news, teasing fans with an image of a script page from season seven’s 17th episode titled “Chosen.”

Under the title it says “Written by Paul Karp & Brian Ridings” and below that it says “Directed by Lana Parrilla.”

Usually seen in front of the camera, this will mark Parrilla’s first time as a director. Horowitz calls the episode a “#titlespoiler.”

ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said last week that although ratings have dropped, she is  “cautiously optimistic.” She added, “It’s always hard at this point in January to know because some of it’s also dependent on your new development and how you feel about some of those things, so that’s part of why it’s really hard at the top of the year to really know what’s going to happen.”

Once Upon a Time is currently on a hiatus and is set to return to resume season seven on March 2.