M. Angélica Garcia Named to President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities

Posted on April 16, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

M. Angélica Garcia has joined the committee…

The Latina educational leader, who serves as president of Berkeley City College, has been named to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities by President Joe Biden.

Bruce Cohen and Lady Gaga will serve as the co-chairs of the revived committee.

In addition to Garcia, Cohen and Lady Gaga, other committee members include Latino educator and journalist Horacio Sierra; musician Jon Batiste; Constance M. Carroll, president of the California Community Colleges Baccalaureate Association; actor George Clooney; Harvard professor Philip J. Deloria; actress Jennifer Garner; art historian, museum director and curator Nora Halpern; bookstore owner and former congressman Steve Israel; producer-writer Marta Kauffman; producer Ricky Kirshner; actor Troy Kotsur; Bad Robot Prods. co-CEO Katie McGrath; Laura Penn, executive director of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society; artist and educator Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya; author and Stanford Professor Emeritus Arnold Rampersad; producer and author Shonda Rhimes; retired attorney and CPA Kimberly Richter Shirley; writer and actress Anna Deavere Smith; singer-songwriter Joe Walsh; actress, director and producer Kerry Washington; and Pauline Yu, president emerita of the American Council of Learned Sciences.

Biden announced last year that he was reviving the committee, which was disbanded during the presidency of Donald Trump.

The committee, set up in 1982 during Ronald Reagan’s administration, advises the president and heads of cultural agencies on ways to elevate the importance of the arts, including through federal support.

In 2017, remaining Obama-era members of the committee resigned in protest of Trump’s response to the Charlottesville riots. Trump did not renew the executive order for the committee.

Biden issued an executive order in September reviving the committee.

In the order, Biden pledged that his administration would “advance the cultural vitality of the United States by promoting the arts, the humanities, and museum and library services,” including when it comes to advancing equity, accessibility and opportunity. The order also pledges to “strengthen America’s creative and cultural economy, including by enhancing and expanding opportunities for artists, humanities scholars, students, educators, and cultural heritage practitioners, as well as the museums, libraries, archives, historic sites, colleges and universities, and other institutions that support their work.”

A number of the members of the committee have ties to Biden, including as campaign donors and supporters. Along with Stephanie Cutter, Kirschner served as executive producer of Biden’s inaugural. Kaufmann hosted First Lady Jill Biden at her home for a midterm fundraising event in September. Batiste performed at a White House state dinner in December.

During the Obama administration, Cohen also served as the entertainment industry liaison for Joining Forces, the initiative from First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden to support military service members, veterans and their families. Lady Gaga performed at Biden’s inauguration, and traveled with him to support an initiative to address campus sexual assault.

Marisol Nichols to Star in the Romantic Drama “Winter Spring Summer or Fall”

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Marisol Nichols is your girl for all seasons…

The 49-year-old half-Mexican American actress and Riverdale star has joined the cast of the romantic drama Winter Spring Summer or Fall.

Nichols will star opposite Jenna Ortega, Percy Hynes White and Adam Rodriguez in the project, which will mark the feature directorial debut of screenwriter Tiffany Paulsen.

Billed as Before Sunrise meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the film is written by Dan Schoffer, with revisions by Paulsen. It tells the story of teens (Ortega & White) on the cusp of adulthood who meet and fall in love over four significant days of the year.

Nichols will play Ortega’s overbearing attorney mother, who is focused on getting her only daughter into Harvard. Rodriguez is playing Ortega’s father, as previously announced.

Best known for her role as Hermione on The CW’s Riverdale, Nichols has also been seen on Teen Wolf and 24, among many other series.

She recently appeared opposite Eugenio Derbez in the Hulu rom-com The Valet and has also appeared in features including Spiral, Big Momma’s House 2, Bowfinger, Can’t Hardly Wait and Scream 2.

Melissa Fumero to Star Opposite Randall Park in Netflix’s Workplace Comedy Series “Blockbuster”

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Fumero has landed a blockbuster role…

The 39-year-old Cuban American actress and former Brooklyn Nine-Nine star will appear as the female lead opposite Randall Park in Blockbuster, Netflix’s upcoming single-camera workplace comedy.

Blockbuster, from Universal Television, is a 10-episode ensemble comedy that takes place in the last Blockbuster Video store in America. It explores what it takes – and, more specifically, who it takes – for a small business to succeed against all odds.

Fumero will play Eliza, a dedicated mother whose marriage to her high school sweetheart is on the rocks. She left Harvard after one semester to start a family and now works at Blockbuster alongside Timmy (Park) as his trusty Number 2 — and maybe more.

The series is created by Vanessa Ramos, with David Caspe and Jackie Clarke also serving as writers/executive producers. John Davis and John Fox executive produce for Davis Entertainment. Payman Benz will direct and co-executive produce four episodes, including the pilot.

Fumero is segueing to Blockbuster from,Brooklyn Nine-Nine, on which Ramos did a stint as a writer-producer and Benz as an episodic director.

Fumero starred as Det. Amy Santiago on the cop comedy, which recently wrapped its eighth and final season on NBC.

She is shooting Jim Mahoney’s independent comedy feature Bar Fight, alongside Rachel Bloom.

Fumero’s credits also include the voice of Melissa in Marvel’s animated series M.O.D.O.K. for Hulu, a recurring role on Netflix’s One Day at a Time and a guest-starring role on HBO’s Room 104.

Julio César Cedillo to Star in the Indie Dramedy “Chocolate Lizards”

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Julio César Cedillo has a new role…

The 51-year-old Mexican-American actor will star in Chocolate Lizards, an indie dramedy based on Cole Thompson’s 1999 novel of the same name.

Cedillo will star opposite Rudy Pankow and Carrie-Anne Moss, as well as Oscar nominees Thomas Haden Church and Bruce Dern.

The project is currently in production in Texas.

The film centers on Erwin Vandeveer (Pankow), a Harvard-educated actor just recently fired from the first real acting job he’s ever had in New Orleans, who hits the road back to Los Angeles, only to have his car break down outside Buffalo Gap, Texas. There, he meets roughneck Merle Luskey (Church), who is about to lose his oil drilling operation in 30 days, unless he can come up with the money to pay off his bank note.

These two down-and-outers at the end of their ropes subsequently join forces with Faye (Moss), the manager of the local cafe and unofficial mayor of Buffalo Gap, in an unlikely scheme to avoid disaster and try to hit an oil bonanza before Merle’s time runs out. With a little comical cunning and a lot more luck, the two just may pull off a last-minute miracle.

Mark Lambert Bristol is directing the film from a script by Julie B. Denny.

Cedillo is best known for the title role in the 2005 film The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.

Netflix to Release Third Installment of Jacob Elordi’s “The Kissing Booth” Next Year

Posted on July 26, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

There’s more Kissing in Jacob Elordi’s future…

Netflix will release a third installment of the 23-year-old Spanish-Australian actor and Joey King’s teen rom-com The Kissing Booth.

Vince Marcello, who adapted and directed the first two films from the novels Beth Reekles originally self-published through Wattpad, has already finished shooting the third film, and he’s already in post-production on it.

King, an executive producer on the films, revealed the news during a livestream fan event.

The film was quietly shot in tandem withThe Kissing Booth 2 in South Africa, and it’ll be released in 2021.

The third installment will pick up where the second one ended.

The second film’s plot: It’s the summer before Elle heads to college, and she has a secret decision to make. She has been accepted into Harvard, where boyfriend Noah is matriculating, and also Berkeley, where her BFF Lee (Noah’s brother) is headed. Which path should she choose?

The first installment became the most re-watched Netflix film of 2018. Besides King, Elordi and Courtney, also back will be original cast members Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Meganne Young and Molly Ringwald.

Marcello wrote the script with Jay Arnold.

Elordi’s previous credits include Deep Water, Bad Dream and 2 Hearts.

Netflix Releases Trailer for Jacob Elordi’s “The Kissing Booth 2”

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Jacob Elordi’s back in the Booth…

Netflix has released the official trailer for The Kissing Booth 2 starring the 23-year-old Australian actor of Spanish descent and Joey King.

Elordi and King reprise their roles from the first film as the couple’s relationship is challenged by distance.

The trailer for the Netflix sequel, which dropped Monday, picks up exactly where the first movie left off. After deciding to date her best friend Lee’s older brother Noah (Elordi), Elle (King) spends the summer with Noah until Harvard‘s fall semester brings their days together to a halt. With her boyfriend now on the East Coast, Elle must face senior year and college decisions without him.

As luck would have it, high school sports star Marco (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and Harvard student Chloe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) join the equation, complicating the couple’s dynamic.

“So many beautiful girls at Harvard, experienced girls,” the popular girls tell Elle, who eventually finds pictures of Noah with Chloe. “With different zip codes, breakups are basically automatic.”

Boys aside, Elle has more decisions to make as her time in high school comes to an end.

“Lee and I have dreamed of going to Berkeley, ever since we found out that’s where our moms became besties,” she says.

Despite Lee (Joel Courtney) and Elle’s plan to go attend the same college, Noah suggests his girlfriend join him at Harvard, inciting tension between the two childhood friends once again.

The trailer features Lee and Elle recruiting Marco for their kissing booth, flashy images from a school talent show, Elle sharing a tender moment at the beach with the school jock and Noah and Marco meeting face to face.

“As soon as I start to figure out one thing, something or someone changes and makes me question everything,” Elle says.

The film, directed by Vince Marcello, starts streaming on Netflix on July 24.

Zoe Saldana to Star in the Olympic-Themed Drama “Fencer”

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Zoe Saldana is en garde for her next project…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress is set to star in writer-director Jasmine McGlade’s drama Fencer, which

HanWay Films will sell at the European Film Market (EFM).

Set in the competitive world of fencing, Saldana is attached to play Mae, an ambitious female athlete facing personal demons and childhood rivals as she vies for a spot on the U.S. Olympicteam.

The film is inspired by McGlade’s own experiences as a national champion fencer. McGlade capped her tenure at Harvardby leading her team to the school’s first-ever NCAA Championshiptitle.

Casey Affleck is producing with Whitaker Lader.

Imagine Entertainmentwill executive produce. UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Financeare co-repping the U.S.

McGlade commented, “As a writer and filmmaker I seek to tell brazen, character-driven stories about people who are flawed, and thus real. Especially women. Characters who are their own worst enemies and yet incredibly resilient. Fencer is a celebration of perseverance and sacrifice, while also a cautionary tale about the dangers of getting one’s sense of worth and security solely through achievement and external validation. Fencer will provide one of the screen’s first realistic glimpses into the thrilling world of fencing, much more demanding and diverse than stereotypes may suggest, and an intimate and intense look into the minds and lives of female athletes. It is a dream come true to get to work with Zoe on Fencer, and to marry my two greatest passions: filmmaking and fencing.”

Saldana’s credits include the Star Trek franchise, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, Avatar and its upcoming sequels, and Colombiana.

Paola Ramos Joins Vice News as Correspondent

Posted on December 6, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Paola Ramos is joining the Vicesquad…

The Latina journalist is joining Vice News as a correspondent, starting this week, in the first notable new hire by Jesse Angelo since he joined the company as head of news and entertainment in June.

Ramos has previously written for Vice.com and hosted Latin-X, a Vice series focused on under-reported stories about the Latinx community.

In her new role, Ramos will work across platforms. Two key venues for her work will be Vice and Vice News Tonight, which are both set to relaunch on new networks after a multi-year deal with HBO wound down a few months ago. Vice, a documentary series, will debut on Showtime next spring, and Vice News Tonight will start airing on the Viceland cable network in early 2020.

“Paola is an extraordinary talent and has done some incredible reporting in her career. The depth of her coverage on the Latinx community goes beyond the typical stories of immigration and the crisis at the border, and taps into underrepresented issues that matter to Millennial and Gen Z viewers,” Angelo said. “She connects with audiences in ways that make her exactly the type of person we want to tell Vice News stories.”

A regular contributor to Telemundo and MSNBC, Ramos is the former Deputy Director of Hispanic Media for Hillary Clinton and a former political appointee in the Obama White House. She holds degrees from Barnard Collegeand Harvard’sKennedy School.

Next year “will go down in history as one of the most consequential years of our lifetime and I cannot think of a better platform to inspire and mobilize young people across the country,” Ramos said. “I look forward to telling stories that impact our generation, to uncovering untold truths and to shedding light on the voices that are on the front lines of change.”

Bobby Cannavale to Star in the Play “The Lifespan of a Fact” on Broadway

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Bobby Cannavale is heading to The Great White Way…

The 48-year-old half-Cuban American actor will return to Broadway next fall to star in the world premiere play The Lifespan of a Fact alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Cherry Jones.

Based on the critically acclaimed, bestselling 2012 non-fiction book about fact, fiction and blurred lines, Lifespan will be directed by Leigh Silverman, a 2014 Tony Award nominee for her direction of Violet.

The Lifespan of a Fact will begin performances at the Studio 54 on Thursday, September 20, with an opening night of Thursday, October 18. The limited engagement will run for 16 weeks.

Written by Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell, the play is based on the book by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal that detailed their own real-life journalistic investigation into the suicide of a Las Vegas teen.

As described by the production, Lifespan “is based on the stirring true story of John D’Agata’s essay, ‘What Happens There,’ about the Las Vegas suicide of teenager Levi Presley. Jim Fingal, assigned to fact check the piece, ignited a seven-year debate on the blurred lines of what passes for truth in literary nonfiction.”

Some background: In 2003, D’Agata submitted his essay “What Happens There” to Harper’s Magazine, where recent Harvard grad Fingal was assigned to fact-check the piece. Harper’s later pulled the article from publication after Fingal’s research turned up factual errors and inaccuracies.

After seven years of discussion and correspondence between D’Agata and Fingal, the author re-submitted the piece toThe Believer magazine. D’Agata and Fingal co-wrote the 2012 book The Lifespan of a Fact about the experience, a book that includes “What Happens There” in full, complete with Fingal’s red-line comments and correspondence with D’Agata.

The book was named Best Book of the Year by the Huffington Post, a Top 10 Most Crucial Book of the year by Slateand an Editor’s Choice by The New York Times Book Review.

In the new play, Radcliffe will play Fingal, Cannavale will play D’Agata and Jones will play Fingal’s boss. As the production describes, Fingal “has a huge problem: John made up some of his article. Well, a lot of his article. OK, actually, maybe the majority of it? What starts professional quickly becomes profane as one question rises to the surface: Can Jim Fingal ever just shut the fact up?”

The production’s creative team – sets, costumes, lighting, sound and projections – has yet to be announced.

Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire, Vinyl) has extensive stage credits, including Tony-nominated turns in 2007’s Mauritius and 2011’s The Motherf*cker with the Hat.

Tickets for The Lifespan of a Fact go on sale to the general public June 22, with earlier dates for American Express Card Members and Audience Rewards members.

Alonso Ruizpalacios’ Starz Pilot for “Vida” Wins Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

The audience has spoken… And, they’ve given Alonso Ruizpalacios his due prize.

The SXSW Film Festival announced its Audience Award winners, with the Mexican film director and co-helmer So Yong Kim’s Vida taking home the Episodic prize.

The forthcoming Starz series was created by Tanya Saracho and directed by Kim. Ruizpalacios directed the Vida pilot.

Abner Benaim took home the prize in the 24 Beats Per Second category for his documentary film, Ruben Blades Is Not My Name.

The Panamanian film director’s film is hailed as a celebration of the Latin American icon who was at the center of the New York Salsa revolution in the 1970’s. His socially charged lyrics and explosive rhythms brought Salsa music to an international audience. Blades has won 17 Grammys, acted in Hollywood, earned a law degree from Harvard and even ran for President of his native Panama.

Santiago Caicedo’s Virus Tropical was the Audience Award Winner in the Global category.

The black-and-white feature is closely adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Power Paola, the nom de plume of Colombian-Ecuadorian cartoonist Paola Gaviria.

The Audience Awards follow the previously announced 2018 Jury Awards.

Over nine days, the 2018 SXSW Film Festival screened 136 features.

Here’s the complete list of Audience Award winners:

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: First Match
Director: Olivia Newman

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: TransMilitary
Directors: Gabriel Silverman, Fiona Dawson

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
Audience Award Winner: All Square
Director: John Hyams

DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
Audience Award Winner: The Dawn Wall
Director: Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer

VISIONS
Audience Award Winner: Profile
Director: Timur Bekmambetov

MIDNIGHTERS
Audience Award Winner: Upgrade
Director: Leigh Whannell

EPISODIC
Audience Award Winner: Vida
Director: Alonso Ruizpalacios, So Yong Kim

24 BEATS PER SECOND
Audience Award Winner: Ruben Blades Is Not My Name
Director: Abner Benaim

GLOBAL
Audience Award Winner: Virus Tropical
Director: Santiago Caicedo

FESTIVAL FAVORITES
Audience Award Winner: Science Fair
Director: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster

SXSW Film Design Awards
EXCELLENCE IN TITLE DESIGN
Audience Award Winner: #19 – Offf Barcelona 2017
Directors: Eve Duhamel, Julien Vallee

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

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