Tag Archives: Eric Stonestreet

Jimmy Smits to Take Part in This Year’s Stand Up To Cancer SU2C Fundraising Special

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Jimmy Smits is taking a stand (up)…

The 68-year-old half-Puerto Rican actor will take part in this year’s Stand Up To Cancer SU2C fundraising special that’s set to air on Saturday, August 19 at 8:00 pm ET.

Jimmy SmitsIn addition to Smits, best known for his roles on L.A. Law, NYPD Blue and The West Wing, other celebrities making a special appearance during the show include Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Biel, Don Cheadle, Katie Couric, Danai Gurira, Tony Hale, Ken Jeong, Maria Menounos, Julianne Moore, Tig Notaro, Eric Stonestreet and Justin Timberlake.

A special montage of comedic skits from past shows will feature Jack Black, Ben Falcone, Zach Galifianakis, Brad Garrett, Bill Hader, Jon Hamm, Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Melissa McCarthy, and Matthew McConaughey.

The televised special will also feature past musical performances from the likes of Brittany Howard, Simone Ledward Boseman, and The Who.

The one-hour televised celebration entitled “How It Started, How It’s Going” will recognize SU2C’s impact and progress over the last 15 years.

“We started this movement in 2008 to save lives and it is remarkable to see that in 15 years our scientists have accomplished this goal through breakthrough research that intercepts and treats cancer in ways we never thought possible,” said Katie Couric, SU2C co-founder. “There is more work to do to cure cancer and every dollar counts; we will not stop until we make every cancer patient a long-term survivor.”

The biennial special will air simultaneously on more than 50 participating media platforms across the United States and Canada, including all four major broadcast networks in the U.S. Broadcasters carrying the show are donating one hour of simultaneous commercial-free prime time. The telecast will also be available on-demand on several streaming platforms.

“Our telecast is a powerful tribute that demonstrates the importance of standing together to save lives,” said Russell Chew, president and CEO of SU2C. “Everyone plays a critical role in this goal, and we are so grateful for the support of the entertainment community, the broadcast networks, our generous donors, and the incredible researchers who work tirelessly to develop new cancer treatments.” Chew added, “100% of public donations to SU2C support innovative cancer research and vital awareness programs.”

ABC Renews Sofia Vergara’s “Modern Family” for 11th and Final Season

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Sofia Vergara’s extending her Family time…

ABC has picked up its flagship comedy series Modern Family, starring the 46-year-old Colombian actress, for an eleventh and final season.

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family,

The Emmy-winning family comedy will reportedly consist of at least 18 episodes, and could expand to 22 episodes, according to Deadline.com/

Modern Family’s renewal was all but assured when the original adult cast, stars Ed O’Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet and Vergara, agreed to new deals in December with producing studio 20th Century Fox Televisionto return. 

Since then, the studio also has signed co-creators/executive producers Steve Levitanand Christopher Lloydfor another season, and also has made new deals with the original child actors — now all young adults —  Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould and Rico Rodriguez. 

Ten seasons in, Modern Family remains ABC’s top rated comedy (2.1 adults 18-49 rating in Live+3) and second highest rated series on the network only behind Grey’s Anatomy (tied with The Good Doctor, The Bachelorand The Conners).

“Chris and Steve have created one of the most seminal and iconic comedies in television history,” said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. “In its final season, there will be more milestone events that anyone who has been a fan of the series won’t want to miss.”

A five-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Comedy Series, Modern Family stars O’Neill as Jay Pritchett, Bowen as Claire Dunphy, Burrell as Phil Dunphy, Vergara as Gloria Pritchett, Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett, Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker, Hyland as Haley Dunphy, Gould as Luke Dunphy, Winter as Alex Dunphy, Rodriguez as Manny Delgado, Aubrey Anderson-Emmonsas Lily Tucker-Pritchett and Jeremy Maguireas Joe Pritchett.

“For 10 years, our characters have bravely faced turning points in life and moved through them to great personal enrichment; we have chosen a different path by doing one more season of Modern Family,” said Lloyd.

Added Levitan, “Even after 10 years together, we realized there are still some things our writers don’t yet know about each other’s sex lives.”

Rico Rodriguez Re-Ups for Two More Seasons on ABC’s “Modern Family” with a Big Pay Increase

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Rico Rodriguez will be making bigger bank deposits soon…

After lengthy on-and off-negotiations, the original children’s cast of ABC’s flagship comedy Modern Family, including the 18-year-old Mexican American actor, has been locked in for two more years by 20th Century Fox Television with new contracts that include salary increases.

Rico Rodriguez

The studio turned its attention to securing Rodriguez and his fellow kid castmates after closing new two-year deals with stars Ed O’Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet and Sofia Vergara in May that paved the way for a two-year Modern Family renewal by ABC.

Like with their older co-stars, who secured salary increases of over 40%, from about $350,000 an episode in the most recent Season 8 to about $500,000 in Season 9, the young actors scored significant pay increases that take them over $100,000 an episode.

The re-ups for Rodriguez, who plays plays Gloria’s (Vergara) wise-beyond-his-years son Manny, and the younger cast members keep the entire original cast of Modern Family, whose contracts were up after Season 8, intact for the upcoming ninth and tenth seasons of the Emmy-winning comedy series.

Production on Season 9 is slated to begin in early August.

Sequel Planned for Louis C.K.’s Hit Animated Film “The Secret Life of Pets”

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Louis C.K. is heading back to the pet park

Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures have announced plans to release their sequel to the unexpected hit The Secret Life of Pets, which features the 48-year-old Mexican American actor as part of the voice cast, in the summer of 2018.

The Secret Life of Pets 

The announcement comes on the heels that the animated film has barked, meowed and hopped its way to more than $400M at the worldwide box office.

Domestically, the total through Tuesday is $300.3M. Internationally, where there is still a lot of rollout to come, the total is $103.5M.

The sequel is set for release on July 13, 2018.

Domestically, Pets debuted in early July as the best opening for an original film, animated or otherwise, with a $104.4M start, and held the No. 1 spot for two weekends.

Voiced by Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart and a litter of other well-known names, its next high-profile Continental launch will be at the Venice Film Festival, where Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri will be honored.

For pet owners and the pet-curious, the concept of what our pets get up to when we leave the house is universal and clearly has clicked in a highly animated summer. Pets has opened No. 1 in 18 offshore markets to date and has 48 more territories to go.

Trailer Released for Louis C.K.’s “The Secret Life of Pets

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Louis C.K. is sharing a secret…

Illumination Entertainment has released the first trailer for The Secret Life of Pets, with the 47-year-old Mexican American actor/stand up comedian a member of the voice cast.

Louis C.K.

The Universal Pictures animated film, which will be released on July 8, 2016, answers the question of what your pets do when you leave them at home for the day.

Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Jenny Slate, Bobby Moynihan, Hannibal Buress and Albert Brooks chip in for the comedy, directed by Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 helmer Chris Renaud, co-directed by Yarrow Cheney and produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and longtime collaborator Janet Healy.

Brian Lynch and Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio penned the script.

Louis C.K. Earns SAG Award Nomination for His Work on FX’s “Louie”

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Louis C.K. is a multi-talented man…

The 47-year-old Mexican American actor/stand-up comedian, who recently earned two Writers Guild Award nominations for penning his critically acclaimed FX comedy series Louie, has earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

Louis C.K.

Louis C.K., a multi-Emmy winner, received the SAG Award nomination in the Best Actor, Comedy Series for his performance on Louie, a series he created and loosely based on his own life. He’s up against Modern Family’s Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet, as well as Shameless’ William H. Macy and The Big Band Theory’s Jim Parsons.

Sofia Vergara and her television son Rico Rodriguez, who picked up their record-breaking fourth consecutive SAG Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a comedy series for starring on ABC’s Modern Family, have a chance to extend their streak.

The Colombian actress, Rodriguez and the rest of the Modern Family team are once again nominated for Best Ensemble Cast, Comedy Series.

They’ll face off against the cast of  Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which stars Latina actresses Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero. It’s the first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for the two.

Other nominees in the category include The Big Band Theory, Veep and Orange Is the New Black, which stars several Latina actresses, including Dascha Polanco and Selenis Leyva.

Another first-time nominee is Pedro Pascal. The 39-year-old Chilean actor received a SAG Award nod in the Best Ensemble Cast, Drama Series category. Pedro, who portrayed Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, is nominated in the Best Ensemble Cast, Drama Series category alongside his GOT co-stars.

More than 100,000 actors vote on the SAG Awards, which will be handed out on January 25 in Los Angeles. They’re one of the most closely watched honors during awards season because actors make up the largest voting bloc for February’s Academy Awards.

Here’s a look at this year’s Screen Actors Guild awards nominations:

FILM

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Birdman (Fox Searchlight Pictures )
Boyhood (IFC Films )
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
The Imitation Game (Weinstein Co)
The Theory of Everything (Focus Features )

BEST ACTOR
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher (Sony Pictures Classics )
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler (Open Road Films )
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS
Jennifer Aniston, Cake (Cinelou Films)
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice (Sony Pictures Classics)
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl (20th Century Fox )
Reese Witherspoon, Wild (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall, The Judge (Warner Bros Pictures )
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
JK Simmons, Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures )
Naomi Watts, St Vincent (Weinstein Co)

TELEVISION

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST, DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire (HBO )
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime )
House of Cards (Netflix)

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST, COMEDY SERIES
The Big Bang Theory (CBS )
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox )
Modern Family (ABC )
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Veep (HBO)

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Woody Harrelson, True Detective (HBO)
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective (HBO)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Louis CK, Louie (FX )
William H. Macy, Shameles (Showtime)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family (ABC)

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC )

BEST ACTOR, TV MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Adrien Brody, Houdini (History)
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart (HBO)
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo (FX)

BEST ACTRESS, TV MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Ellen Burstyn, Flowers in the Attic (Lifetime)
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman (Sundance TV )
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
Julia Roberts, The Normal Heart (HBO)

Louis C.K. to Voice the Lead Character in New Animated Film from Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures

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Louis C.K. is about to get animated…

The 46-year-old Mexican American actor and stand-up comedian will voice one of the main characters in Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures’ Untitled Pets Movie, which will be released on February 12, 2016.

Louis C.K.

Louis C.K. will form part of the main voice cast, alongside Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet and Ride Along’s Kevin Hart.

The 3D animated will be directed by Chris Renaud, who helmed the first two Despicable Me films for Illumination Entertainment. The co-director on the project will be Yarrow Cheney, who helmed a short film that will be part of The Minions DVD release.

The action comedy takes place in a Manhattan apartment building. After the human residents head for work and school, their pets gather to begin their day, which consists of hanging out, trading humiliating stories about their owners, and helping each other work up adorable looks that will lead to more snacks.

The head hound is a quick-witted terrier rescue (Louis C.K.), whose position at the epicenter of his master’s universe is suddenly threatened when she comes home with Duke (Stonestreet), a sloppy mongrel with no polish. The two soon find themselves on the mean streets of New York, where they meet the adorable white bunny Snowball (Hart). It turns out that Snowball is the leader of an army of pets that were abandoned and are determined to get back at humanity and every owner-loving pet. The dogs must thwart this plot and make it back in time for dinner.

The script was written by Despicable Me scribes Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio.

Bichir’s New FX Series “The Bridge” Named to the Most Exciting New Series List

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Demián Bichir’s new FX series hasn’t debuted yet, but it’s already earning awards…

The 49-year-old Mexican actor’s The Bridge has been named to on the Critics’ Choice Television Awards’ The Most Exciting New Series list.

Demian Bichir in The Bridge

The Bridge, which will debut on Wednesday, July 10, explores the high tensions on the U.S.-Mexico border.

When an American judge known for her anti-immigration views is found dead on the bridge connecting El Paso and Juarez, Sonya Cross (portrayed by Diane Kruger) from the El Paso Police Department must work with her Mexican counterpart from Chihuahua State Police, Marco Ruiz (Bichir), to catch a serial killer operating on both sides of the border.

The Bridge joins the Showtime dramas Ray Donovan and Masters Of Sex, CBS’ summer series Under the Dome, ABC’s drama Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the NBC comedy The Michael J. Fox Show on the list.

The most exciting new series recipients are voted based on pilots and early episodes, if available.

The ceremony is slated for June 10 at The Beverly Hilton. It will be webcast live at 8:00 pm PT on UStream.

Celebrity presenters include Malin Akerman, Angela Bassett, Miranda Cosgrove, Hugh Dancy, Cat Deeley, Maria Menounos, Elisabeth Moss, Aubrey Plaza, Emmy Rossum, Jimmy Smits, Eric Stonestreet and Sam Trammell.

Rodriguez to Present at This Year’s WGA Award

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Rico Rodriguez has a date with the Writers Guild of America…

The 14-year-old Modern Family star, who just earned his third straight SAG Award for best comedy ensemble, has been confirmed as a presenter at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards (WGA Awards) Los Angeles ceremony later this month.

Rico Rodriguez

Rodriguez, an ALMA Award winner, will present alongside his Modern Family co-stars Julie Bowen and Eric Stonestreet.

Other presenters include Zero Dark Thirty’s Jessica Chastain, Private Practice’s Kate Walsh, Castle’s Stana Katic and Parks and Recreation’s Amy Poehler.

Nathan Fillion, the star of ABC’s Castle, will serve as the night’s host.

The WGA Awards will take place on Sunday, February 17, at the JW Marriott L.A. LIVE.

“Modern Family” Star Rodriguez Gets a Hefty Raise

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Rico Rodriguez will be mucho más rico this year…

The 14-year-old Latino actor and Modern Family scene-stealer has reportedly finalized a deal that would triple his current salary.

Rico Rodriguez

Rodriguez—who gave a memorable acceptance speech at the SAG Awards after picking up the coveted trophy for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series—Sarah Hyland, Nolan Gould and Ariel Winter are set to earn approximately $70,000 per episode, according to Deadline.com.

The Modern Family children started renegotiating their contracts the day after their adult counterparts reached an agreement with 20th Century Fox, which produces the Emmy-winning series for ABC.

The negotiations for Modern Family’s adult stars Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet resulted in a missed table read for the upcoming Season 4 premiere episode and a lawsuit filed by all five actors.

Vergara and her adult co-stars, who were originally each making $65,000 an episode, are now making in the $170,000-$180,000 range with year-to-year increases and a portion of the show’s back-end.

The new season of Modern Family premieres on Wednesday, September 26 at 9:00 pm ET on ABC.