This upcoming Pride Month will be extra special for Johnny Sibilly…
Along with releasing the first official trailer for the 34-year-old Cuban and Dominican American actor’s Queer As Folk reboot, Peacock has announced plans to premiere the series on Thursday, June 9.
The series, a vibrant reimagining of the groundbreaking British series created by Russell T. Davies, explores a diverse group of friends in New Orleans whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy.
From creator Stephen Dunn, Queer As Folk stars Devin Way, Fin Argus, Jesse James Keitel, CG, Sibilly and Ryan O’Connell. Recurring cast includes Kim Cattrall, Juliette Lewis, Ed Begley Jr., Chris Renfro, and Nyle DiMarco, among others.
Lee Eisenberg, Emily Brecht, original British series creator Russell T. Davies, Nicola Shindler, serve as executive producers, and Louise Pedersen on behalf of All3 Media International, which distributes the format and the original British series produced by Red Productions for Channel 4.
Creator, writer, and executive producer Stephen Dunn will direct the pilot and other episodes, while Jaclyn Moore will act as writer and executive producer. UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, is named producer on the show.
The 50-year-old Afro-Guatemalan American Broadway and television/film actor has thrown his hat in the ring as a candidate for the 2020 Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors.
Domingo, who appeared on AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, is among the candidates in the Actors category.
In the Writing branch, Gregory Nava is in the running. The 71-year-old Mexican/Spanish American writer and filmmaker’s former projects include El Norte, Selena and Bordertown.
The winner in each branch will be chosen directly from these entries rather than whittling it down to four finalists in each, as has been done in the past.
The winners for the 17 open slots on the 54-member board will be chosen by preferential balloting, just like Best Picture race at the Oscars. Voting is underway with ballots due back June 5.
The Actors branch is the largest in the Academy and has drawn the biggest field of contenders for the one spot available. Domingo is running against incumbent governor Whoopi Goldberg and past governor Ed Begley Jr.
Here’s the full list of nominees by branch (* = incumbent):
Actors Michael Lee Aday Ed Begley, Jr Robert Carradine Nicolas Coster Colman Domingo Richard Dreyfuss Spencer Garrett Bruce Glover Whoopi Goldberg* James Keach Stacy Keach Peter Kwong Jodi Long Tim Matheson Joe Pantoliano Lou Diamond Phillips Andrea Riseborough Andrew Stevens Rita Wilson
Cinematographers Kerry Barden Richard Hicks Margery Simkin Debra Zane Andrzej Bartkowiak Richard P Crudo Svetlana Cvetko Steven Fierberg Michael Goi Janusz Kaminski Newton Thomas Sigel Eric Steelberg Kees Van Oostrum Amelia Vincent Roy Wagner Mandy Walker*
Directors Niki Caro Scott Cooper Ava DuVernay Reginald Hudlin Kasi Lemmons Michael Mann Philippe Mora Kimberly Peirce* Brett Ratner Peyton Reed Jason Reitman Frances-Anne Solomon Lewis Teague
Documentary Kate Amend* Geralyn Dreyfous Karen Goodman Lauren Greenfield Tom Neff
Executives Pam Abdy Victoria Alonso Michael W Barker Thomas Bernard Mark C Canton Erica Huggins David Linde* Mike Medavoy James W Morris Gianni Nunnari Stephen Strick Patrick Wachsberger
Film Editors Mark Helfrich Michael Jablow Nancy Richardson Stephen Rivkin David Rosenbloom Paul Seydor Terilyn A Shropshire
Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Linda Flowers
Marketing and Public Relations Stephen D Bruno Kevin Goetz Barry Dale Johnson Michael Kaplan Christina Kounelias* Robert A Levine Michele Robertson
Music Charles Bernstein* Paul Chihara George S Clinton John C Debney Sharon Farber William Goldstein Jan A P Kaczmarek Emilio Kauderer Carole Bayer Sager
Producers Khadija Alami Jason Blum Lawrence David Foldes Jennifer Fox Lynette Howell Taylor Steven-Charles Jaffe Robert Lantos Lori McCreary Chris Moore Michael Peyser Michael S Phillips Peter Samuelson Michael Shamberg Jeffrey Sharp Richard W Stevenson Irwin Winkler
Production Design Marcia Hinds Geoffrey A Kirkland John A Kuri Carolyn A Loucks John Muto Rusty Smith Melissa Stewart Wynn P Thomas* Thomas A Walsh
Short Films and Feature Animation Jon Bloom Edwin Catmull Ron Diamond Chris Donahue Raul Garcia Matthew Gross Tom Sito* Erik Smitt Chris Tashima
Sound Bobbi Banks Teri E Dorman* Nicholas Eliopoulos Scott Gershin Mark Mangini F Hudson Miller Victoria Rose Sampson Mark P Stoeckinger Bruce Tanis Randy Thom
Visual Effects Robert Blalack Rob Bredow Brooke Breton Richard Edlund* Jonathan Erland Jeffrey M Kleiser Jeffrey A Okun Helena Packer Joshua Pines Theresa Ellis Rygiel Rick Sayre
Writers Carl A Gottlieb Larry Karaszewski* Gregory Nava John Ridley Howard A Rodmam
The 72-year-old Mexican Grammy-winning guitarist and entrepreneur will be taking part in a global livestream event to benefit the Amazon Emergency Fund, an indigenous-led effort providing rapid response grants in the region to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Santana, considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time, will be joined by Jane Fonda, Morgan Freeman, Peter Gabriel and numerous other artists for the Thursday, May 28 event.
They’ll join indigenous leaders, scientists and a coalition of NGOs in presentng Artists United for Amazonia: Protecting the Protectors, a livestream event produced by Artists for Amazonia.
The two-hour event will run from 8:00 pm to 10 pm ETE and will be hosted by part-Spanish actress and Game of Thrones co-star Oona Chaplin, who played Talisa Maegyr on the series. The livestream will be available via Facebook and through the event website.
The program will promote the Amazon Emergency Fund, launched last month by a coalition of indigenous organizations, NGOs, and allies to respond to the urgent needs of indigenous peoples of the Amazon threatened by COVID-19.
Funds raised will be used for: immediate prevention and care; food and medical supplies; emergency communications and evacuation; protection and security for indigenous territories; and food sovereignty and community resilience. The Amazon Emergency Fund aims to raise $5 million over the next 60 days for Forest Guardians to protect themselves against the pandemic in all nine Amazonian countries.
The Artists United for Amazonialivestream will feature living-room musical performances, interviews, and calls to action.
Performers include Herbie Hancock, Rocky Dawuni, Butterscotch Clinton, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Cary Elwes, Alfre Woodard, Wade Davis,Wagner Moura, and Brazilian Grammy winners Ivan Lins and Luciana Souza.
Others participating include Jane Goodall, Tom Bergeron, Ed Begley Jr., Frances Fisher, Matti Caspi, Suyan Caspi, Wendie Malick, Scottie Thompson, Kali Uchis, Rocky Dawuni, Celine Cousteau, Matthew Modine, Q’orianka Kilcher, Chloe Smith from Rising Appalachia, Sonia Guajajara, Angela Kaxuyana, Nina Gualinga, Benki Piyako, Mapu Huni Kuin, Lizardo Cauper, Thomas Lovejoy, Carlos Nobre, Atossa Soltani, Leila Salazar-López, Christina Miller, and Wade Davis.
“This event is part of an extraordinary alliance of organizations and individuals dedicated to preserving the most biodiverse region on Earth,” said Sarah duPont, founder of Amazon Aid Foundation and co-director, River of Gold. “Illicit and unregulated gold mining is one of the most dangerous forms of deforestation in the Amazon Basin and releases toxic mercury into the ecosystem. Since the pandemic, gold mining has exploded across the Amazon and into indigenous territories bringing with it violence and COVID-19. Now, the Amazon is at the tipping point and the protectors of the Amazon are under dire threat. What happens in the Amazon affects us all.”
Leila Salazar-López, Executive Director of Amazon Watch, added: “The Amazon and its peoples are in a state of emergency due to climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a crime against nature and a crime against humanity. It is a time for all to unite and act in defense of the forest and in solidarity with the indigenous and traditional peoples across the Amazon who are protecting this great rainforest and our climate for all of humanity and life on Earth.”
Fred Armisen will spend two more years in the Pacific Northwest…
IFC has picked up the 48-year-old half-Venezuelan actor’s short-based comedy series Portlandia.
The an absurdist series that gently pokes fun at the laid-back city of Portland, Oregon, has been picked up for Seasons 6 and 7, with IFC ordering 10 half-hour episodes for each.
Armisen, a Saturday Night Live alum, and Carrie Brownstein, the show’s creators and stars, will remain at the helm for both seasons. Portlandia is executive produced by Lorne Michaels and produced by Broadway Video.
Season 5 of Portlandia airs Thursdays at 10 PM.
Vanessa Bayer, Ed Begley Jr., Steve Buscemi, Jeff Goldblum, Kyle MacLachlan, Kumail Nanjiani, Jason Sudeikis, Gus Van Sant and Olivia Wilde are among the recurring guest stars who’ve guest-starred on the show over the years.
The series, a vibrant reimagining of the groundbreaking British series created by Russell T. Davies, explores a diverse group of friends in New Orleans whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy.
