Tag Archives: Connie Britton

Sofia Carson to Star in Netflix’s Rom-Com “The Life List”

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Sofia Carson is making the List…

The 30-year-old Colombian American actress/singer will star in The Life List, a new Netflix rom-com from writer-director Adam Brooks.

Sofia CarsonCarson will star opposite Kyle Allen, Sebastian De Souza and Connie Britton in the project.

Based on the 2013 novel by Lori Nelson Spielman, The Life List‘s logline is as follows: When Alex Rose’s (Carson) mother sends her on a quest to complete her childhood bucket list, it takes her on a journey that will make you both laugh and cry as she uncovers family secrets, finds romance, and discovers herself along the way.

Liza Chasin is producing for 3dot Productions. The film falls under Chasin’s first-look deal with the streamer, announced in 2019, which also covers her upcoming Morocco-set love story Lonely Planet starring Laura Dern, Liam Hemsworth and Diana Silvers.

Carson is best known for starring opposite Nicholas Galitzine in the hugely popular romance Purple Hearts from Netflix and Alloy Entertainment, which spent six weeks in the Global Top 10 Films (English) upon its September 2022 debut on the streamer, reaching the Top 10 Films in 93 countries. Prior to that, she starred in Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists as well as Disney Channel’s Descendants films.

Up next, she’ll be seen starring opposite Jason Bateman, Taron Egerton and more in Jaume Collet-Serra’s action thriller Carry On, also for Netflix.

HBO Offers Sneak Peek at Season 2 of “The White Lotus,” Which Will Star Aubrey Plaza

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Aubrey Plaza’s career is blossoming…

The 38-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian will star in the second season of HBO’s The White Lotus.

Aubrey PlazaThe premium cable channel offered a first look from the Sicily-based Season 2 via a promo that highlighted new and returning series coming up for release.

Jennifer Coolidge will be joined by her fellow The White Lotus original cast member Jon Gries in the HBO dark comedy’s second season.

The first season of the series – created, written, directed and executive produced by Mike White – was set at a tropical Hawaiian resort, following the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week. Coolidge portrayed Tanya McQuoid—a troubled vacationer mourning the loss of her mother—with Gries as her love interest, Greg.

While Tanya and Greg left Hawaii together after meeting on their respective trips, it hadn’t been confirmed until now that the characters remain together up through Season 2. The footage from the new promo shows Tanya holding onto Greg on the back off a motorcycle.

The White Lotus recently earned 20 Emmy nominations for its first season, with Coolidge among those landing their first. The show’s first season ensemble also included Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Sydney Sweeney, Alexandra Daddario, Jack Lacy, Fred Hechinger, Brittany O’Grady, Natasha Rothwell, Steve Zahn, Lukas Gage and more.

Although it was initially presented as a limited series, The White Lotus was renewed for a second season in August, after debuting to critical acclaim and a No. 1 ranking on HBO.

The next edition of the series will follow a different group of vacationers as they book their stay at an Italian White Lotus property and settle in temporarily amongst its inhabitants.

In addition to Plaza, others joining The White Lotus in Season 2 include Will Sharpe, Sabrina Impacciatore, Theo James and Meghann Fahy, as well as F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander, Michael Imperioli, Haley Lu Richardson, Leo Woodall, Beatrice Grannó and Simona Tabasco.

Sofia Carson to Speak at This Year’s Women in Entertainment Summit

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Sofia Carson will be celebrating women in entertainment…

The 29-year-old Colombian American actress/singer will speak at the 2022 Women in Entertainment Summit.

Sofia CarsonCarson, best known for her work on the Disney Channel’s Descendants franchise, is among a list of new additions to the speakers lineup that includes Connie Britton, Chandler Kinney and Reign Edwards.

The actresses will all participate in fireside chats at the June 22 event, which marks WIE’s first summit since 2019 and its sixth overall.

This year’s panel topics include how creatives keep a beloved story relevant to up and coming audiences, how media companies are expanding their offerings to meet the needs of today’s consumers, how to negotiate deals within the IP and talent rights space, and much more.

Previously announced speakers for Women in Entertainment Summit 2022 include Paul Feig, Karen Pittman and Alexandra Shipp, among dozens of other executive producers, writers, executives and stars from within the entertainment and media industries.

This edition of WIE will be held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California.

Founded by Renee Rossi and Gretchen McCourt, WIE aims to bring together women and men who are “dedicated to celebrating the empowerment of women in all areas of the entertainment industry.”

“Our mission is and always has been to share knowledge from incredible women who have built successful businesses in the world of entertainment and media,” Rossi said when the return of WIE Summit was revealed. “We are back stronger than ever this year – combining a group of vastly dynamic speakers and panel topics to curate an event that I’m confident will help aspiring professionals grow and evolve their careers.”

Zoë Saldaña Voicing Spanish Episodes of Roku’s Nature Series “Mamas”

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Zoë Saldaña is reporting for Mamas duty…

The 43-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress will form part of Roku’s original documentary series Mamas, which debuts on Friday, May 6, just before Mother’s Day.

Zoë SaldañaThe nature series follows powerful matriarchs of the animal kingdom, spotlighting the universality of motherhood, and exploring what mothers of any species will do to protect their young.

Mamas will feature 14 short-form episodes ranging from 6-8 minutes in length.

The series is available in English and Spanish, with the English version voiced by Connie Britton; the Spanish by Saldaña.

The series is produced by Plimsoll Productions, Deep Blue Productions, and Cinestar Pictures, with Britton, Saldaña, Martha Holmes, Andrew Jackson, Elyse Klaits, Mariel Saldaña, and Cisely Saldaña serving as executive producers.

Species featured in the series include potter wasps, grizzly bears, hummingbirds, yellow baboons, cheetahs, lions, wildebeests, black-backed jackals, strawberry dart frogs, praying mantis, African elephants, hyenas, meerkats, toque macaques, and Tomson’s gazelles.

The series features scenery and landscapes from the forests of Sri Lanka to deserts in Africa.

“Mamas dives into the enchanting and challenging lives of mothers in the wild, and the powerful relationships these animals have with their children,” said Brian Tannenbaum, head of alternative originals at Roku. “Connie Britton and Zoë Saldaña take us through the captivating world of a mother’s protective instincts and loyalty to their young. It truly is a must-see documentary series that The Roku Channel is excited to share with our viewers.”

Bleecker Street Acquires U.S. Rights to Dramatic Thriller “892,” Starring Selenis Leyva

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Things are looking pretty Bleecker for Selenis Leyva.

Bleecker Street has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the dramatic thriller 892, starring the 49-year-old Cuban and Dominican American actress and former Orange Is the New Black star.

Selenis Leyva

Leyva is among a cast that includes John Boyega, the late Michael Kenneth Williams, Nicole Beharie Olivia Washington, Connie Britton, London Covington and Jeffrey Donovan.

The film recently made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in U.S. Dramatic Competition, where it won its Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast.

Based on a true story, the feature directorial debut of Abi Damaris Corbin picks up with former U.S. Marine Brian Brown-Easley (Boyega) as his disability check from Veterans Affairs fails to materialize, watching as he finds himself on the brink of poverty. Desperate and with no other options, he walks into a Wells Fargo Bank and says, “I’ve got a bomb.” What ensues is an edge-of-your-seat narrative that reminds us of the social responsibility we have to our soldiers, our colleagues, our families as well as to strangers.

Corbin penned 892 with Kwame Kwei-Armah, who serves as artistic director for the Young Vic in London.

Salman Al-Rashid and Sam Frohman produced the film for Salmira Productions with Ashley Levinson and Kevin Turen of Little Lamb Productions and Mackenzie Fargo of Epic.

Boyega executive produced.

“We put our hearts and souls into the honest telling of Brian’s story,” said Corbin, “and it is a joy to partner with the team at Bleecker Street, knowing they are committed to do the same.”

“Abi’s depiction of Brian’s story is an absolutely essential film that we feel deserves the widest possible audience in theaters. It thrillingly delivers an important message and features an incredible performance from John Boyega in addition to the rest of the cast,” added Bleecker Street’s co-founder and CEO Andrew Karpen. “We look forward to sharing this with audiences across the country.”

Bleecker Street is planning a late-summer release in theaters nationwide.

K.D. Davila Wins Sundance Film Festival’s Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Dark Comedy Short “Emergency”

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K.D. Davila has a big reason to (sun)dance…

Sundance Film Festival organizers have revealed the award winners for its 2022 edition, with the Mexican-American screenwriter among the honorees.

K.D. Davila

Davila was awarded the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for penning the dark comedy short Emergency.

The 12-minute film centers on a group of college students who must weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an unusual emergency.

Selenis Leyva was among the winners of the Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast.

The 49-year-old Cuban and Dominican American actress and former Orange Is the New Black star won her award, alongside John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, London Covington and Michael K Williams for their work in 892, the real-life thriller drama film written and directed by Abi Damaris Corbin and co-written by Kwame Kwei-Armah.

There were several Latinx winners in the World Cinema Dramatic competition…

The Grand Jury Prize went to Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s feature debut, the Bolivian film Utama.

Teresa Sánchez picked up the Special Jury Award: Acting for her work in the Mexican film Dos Estaciones. 

Zélia Duncan, Bruna Linzmeyer, Camila Rocha, Clarissa Ribeiro and Lorre Motta won the Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast for their work in Brazil’s A wild patience has taken me here from director-writer Érica Sarmet.

Due to the recent Omicron surge, the Sundance Film Festival revealed the award winners via Twitter, with honors spread around across the diverse lineup unlike last year.

Here’s the full list of winners:

FESTIVAL FAVORITE AWARD
Navalny
Director: Daniel Roher

U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Audience Award
Cha Cha Real Smooth
Director-Writer: Cooper Raiff

Grand Jury Award
Nanny
Director-Writer: Nikyatu Jusu

Directing
Jamie Dack
Palm Trees and Power Lines

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
K.D. Dávila
Emergency

Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast
John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, London Covington and Michael K Williams
892

Special Jury Award: Uncompromising Artistic Vision
Bradley Rust Gray
blood

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Audience Award
Navalny
Director: Daniel Roher

Grand Jury Prize
The Exiles (U.S.)
Directors: Ben Klein, Violet Columbus

Directing
Reid Davenport
I Didn’t See You There

Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award
Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput
Fire Of Love

Special Jury Award: Impact for Change
Aftershock
Directors: Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee

Special Jury Award: Creative Vision
Descendant
Director: Margaret Brown

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Audience Award
The Territory (Brazil/Denmark/U.S.)

Grand Jury Prize
All That Breathes (India/UK)
Director: Shaunak Sen

Directing
Simon Lereng Wilmont
A House Made Of Splinters (Denmark)

Special Jury Award: Documentary Craft
The Territory (Brazil/Denmark/U.S.)
Director: Alex Pritz

Special Jury Award: Excellence In Verité Filmmaking
Midwives (Myanmar)
Director: Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing

WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Audience Award
Girl Picture (Finland)
Director: Alli Haapasalo

Grand Jury Prize
Utama (Bolvia/Uruguay/France)
Director-Writer: Alejandro Loayza Grisi

Directing
Maryna Er Gorbach
Klondike (Ukraine/Turkey)

Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit
Leonor Will Never Die (Philippines)
Director-Writer: Martika Ramirez Escobar

Special Jury Award: Acting
Teresa Sánchez
Dos Estaciones (Mexico)

NEXT

Audience Award
Framing Agnes (Canada/U.S.)
Director: Chase Joynt

SHORT FILMS AWARDS

Grand Jury Prize
The Headhunter’s Daughter (Philippines)
Director-Writer: Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan

Jury Award: U.S. Fiction
If I Go Will They Miss Me (U.S.)
Director-writer: Walter Thompson-Hernández

Jury Award: International Fiction
Warsha (France/Lebanon)
Director-writer: Dania Bdeir

Jury Award: Nonfiction
Displaced (Kosovo)
Director-writer: Samir Karahoda

Jury Award: Animation
Night Bus (Taiwan)
Director-writer: Joe Hsieh

Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast
Zélia Duncan, Bruna Linzmeyer, Camila Rocha, Clarissa Ribeiro and Lorre Motta
A wild patience has taken me here (Brazil)
Director-writer: Érica Sarmet

Special Jury Award: Screenwriting
Sara Driver
Stranger Than Rotterdam with Sara Driver (U.S.)
Directors: Lewie Kloster, Noah Kloster; Writer: Sara Driver

Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize
After Yang

Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Nonfiction
Su Kim, Free Chol Soo Lee (U.S. Documentary Competition)

Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Fiction
Amanda Marshall, God’s Country (Premieres)

Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Nonfiction
Toby Shimin

Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Fiction
Dody Dorn

Sundance Institute | NHK Award
Hasan Hadi, The President’s Cake

Eva Longoria Among Celebrities & Entertainment Figures Encouraging World Leaders to “End the COVID-19 Pandemic Now”

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Eva Longoria is urging on world leaders to take action to end the ongoing coronavirus pandemic…

Tuesday morning, just before President Joe Biden addressed the United Nations for the first time, more than 80 celebrities and entertainment figures, including the 46-year-old Mexican American actress, producer and activist, issued an open letter to world leaders calling for them to end “the COVID-19 pandemic now.”

Eva Longoria

The letter, which mentioned the United Nations General Assembly Session specifically, was posted on the website of CARE, an organization dedicated to ending poverty worldwide.

It was signed by a raft of boldfaced names including Longoria, Debra Messing, Alyssa Milano, Anne Hathaway, Malin Akerman, Debbie Allen, Jordana Brewster, Connie Britton, Ciara, Peter Dinklage, Richard Gere, Dolores Huerta, Joel McHale, Iman, Edward James Olmos, Laura Linney, Julianna Margulies, Joel McHale, Idina Menzel, Ana Ortiz, Adam Shankman, Michael Sheen, Adam Shulman and Sarah Silverman.

Specifically, the letter calls COVID-19 “a manmade pandemic of apathy.” It states that “Only 2% of people in low-income countries have received a single dose.” The signatories call on “global leaders to make 7 billion vaccine doses available before the end of 2021, and an additional 7 billion doses by mid-2022 to fully vaccinate 70% of the world by next summer.”

Those are lofty goals given the world’s most highly vaccinated countries, like the U.S., remain well under 70%.

It also asks leaders to “invest in last-mile delivery systems, public education, and frontline healthcare workers to get vaccines from tarmacs into arms.”

Here’s the full letter:

An open letter to world leaders on ending the COVID-19 pandemic now.

None of us are safe until all of us are safe.

We call on leaders gathering at the United Nations General Assembly Session to boldly act
together to end COVID-19 everywhere.

COVID-19 is now a manmade pandemic of apathy. Only 2% of people in low-income countries have received a single dose, leaving the world’s most vulnerable to face COVID with no
protection. This situation also lets new variants, like Delta, emerge and ravage the lives of
millions.

We are joining with CARE to call on global leaders to make 7 billion vaccine doses available before the end of 2021, and an additional 7 billion doses by mid-2022 to fully vaccinate 70%
of the world by next summer.

To get this done the world community must also invest in last-mile delivery systems, public education, and frontline healthcare workers to get vaccines from tarmacs into arms. Millions
of doses could go to waste because low-income countries don’t have the support they
need to get vaccines to vulnerable people.

We can save millions of lives — and trillions in further economic damage — by meeting this moment with the resources and political will needed to end COVID-19 for everyone,
everywhere. Because none of us are safe until all of us are safe.

Malin Akerman
Debbie Allen
Dorothy Amuah
Morena Baccarin
Adriana Barraza
Troian Bellisario
Bobby Berk
Jordana Brewster
Connie Britton
Karamo Brown
Gloria Calderón Kellett
Ciara
Tena Clark
Kim Coates
Madison Cowan
Alexandra Daddario
Peter Dinklage
Melinda Doolittle
Tan France
Richard Gere
Duff Goldman
Tony Goldwyn
Fiona Gubelmann
Anne Hathaway
Ingrid Hoffmann
Anders Holm
Dolores Huerta
Osas Ighodaro
Joel McHale
Iman
Edward James Olmos
Sonam Kapoor Ahuja
Ellie Krieger
Iskra Lawrence
Annie Lennox
Lola Lennox
Esther Lewis
Laura Linney
Kimberly Locke
Eva Longoria
Anja Manuel
Julianna Margulies
Catherine McCord
Joel McHale
Spike Mendelsohn
Idina Menzel
Debra Messing
Alyssa Milano
Sepideh Moafi
Tamera Mowry-Housley
Yvette Nicole Brown
Christina Ochoa
Ana Ortiz
Helen Pankhurst
Jessica Pimentel
Julie Plec
Adina Porter
Zac Posen
Leven Rambin
April Reign
Holland Roden
Sheila Shah
Adam Shankman
Omar Sharif Jr.
Michael Sheen
Adam Shulman
Sarah Silverman
Hannah Skvarla
Todd Snyder
Kimberly Steward
Curtis Stone
Christy Turlington Burns
Laura Vandervoort
Gabby Williams
Michelle Williams
Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Russell Wilson
Scott Wolf
Kelley Wolf
Bellamy Young
Rachel Zoe

Juan Antonio Signs with Untitled Entertainment for Management

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Juan Antonio is under new management… 

The Afro-Latino actor has signed with Untitled Entertainment for management.

Juan Antonio

Antonio is currently filming the first season of BET+’s upcoming series Sacrifice, adapted from the 2019 BET+ film in which he starred. Antonio reprises his role of Dom Mayfield, opposite Paula Patton, in the series.

On the film side, Antonio most recently appeared in Good Joe Bell, starring Mark Wahlberg and Connie Britton. He also recently recurred as Marcus on Freeform’s Good Trouble and played Phillip on the third season of Fox’s Empire.

In addition to the film and TV projects he has in the works, Antonio’s upcoming focus will be in the production arena. His Umbrella Z production company is currently creating and pitching content, as well as continuing to curate original music for special projects, including for the BET+ series Sacrifice.

Penelope Cruz to Take Part in One World Campaign’s #PassTheMic COVID-19 Awareness Campaign

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Penelope Cruz is passing the mic for a good cause…

The 46-year-old Spanish actress is among the celebrities who’ll be surrendering their social media accounts for ONE World Campaign’s #PassTheMic campaign. 

Penelope Cruz

The campaign will have actors like Cruz, Julia Roberts, Danai Gurira, Hugh Jackman, David Oyelowo, Shailene Woodley and Rainn Wilson handing over their platforms to global health, economic and policy experts and frontline workers. 

The experts will offer pertinent information grounded in data, science and facts as they address why a global response to this pandemic is so crucial.

The campaign will kick off on Thursday with Roberts handing off her accounts to Dr. Anthony Fauci who is a key member of the White House’s coronavirus task force and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Yemi Alade, Connie Britton, Millie Bobby Brown, Sarah Jessica Parker, Busy Philipps, Rita Wilson, Robin Wright and more also set to participate. 

Experts taking over their accounts include Bill Frist (physician and former US Senator from Tennessee, Doctor), Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (former President of Liberia), Vera Songwe (Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa), Craig Spencer (Director of Global Health in Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center) among others.

#PasstheMic is part of One’s One World Campaign call-to-action for a global response to COVID-19 looks to protect the most vulnerable and supports people worst hit economically while strengthening health systems and creating a more equal world.

Becky G to Serve as Co-Host at This Year’s Global Citizen Festival

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Becky G is thinking globally…

The 22-year-old Mexican American singer/rapper and actress will serve as a co-host at this year’s Global Citizen Festival, taking place on September 28 at Central Parkin New York City.

Becky G

The event has been held in New York every year since 2012, and calls on music fans to take action on a number of important issues to earn tickets to the show. 

Global Citizen, a social advocacy group, hosts the festival to drive action toward its goal to end extreme poverty by 2030.

This year, Global Citizens are urged to pressure decision-makers to help end child marriage, support family planning, promote women’s entrepreneurship and shine a light on workplace safety.

In addition to Becky G, this year’s co-host roster includes Connie Britton, Nina Dobrev, Dakota Johnson, Becky Lynch,Aasif Mandvi, Bridget Moynahan, Kal Penn,Erin Richards, Seth Rollinsand Savannah Seller.

The lineup of performers includes David Gray, NCT 127, Queen + Adam Lambert, Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, OneRepublic, H.E.R., and Carole King, with special guests French Montana, Ben Platt, and Jon Batiste & Stay Human.

For the sixth straight year, MSNBCand Comcast NBCUniversalwill air a live simulcast of the event on MSNBC, and Ken Ehrlichand Live Nation will produce.

The festival will also be livestreamed on YouTubeand Twitter.