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

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

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.

In 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.”

Edgar Ramirez’s “Borderlands,” An Adaptation of the Videogame, Will Premiere in August 2024

Posted on July 20, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Edgar Ramirez is heading to the borderlands next summer…

Eli Roth’s film adaptation of video game Borderlands, starring the 46-year-old Venezuelan actor, has set an August 9, 2024, release date.

In the film, Lilith (two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett) is an infamous treasure hunter with a mysterious past who reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Ramirez), the universe’s most powerful SOB. She forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits – Roland (Kevin Hart), once a highly respected soldier but now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), a feral preteen demolitionist; Krieg (Florian Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), the scientist who’s seen it all; and Claptrap (Jack Black), a persistently wiseass robot.

These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who might hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: one another.

Roth and Joe Crombie wrote the screenplay. Ari Arad, Avi Arad and Erik Feig produce. Lionsgate made the film with Media Capital Technologies. It’s an Arad/Picturestart production and a Gearbox Studios and Take-Two Interactive production.

Borderlands is one of the world’s most successful video game franchises, with more than 68M units sold worldwide, including more than 24M units for Borderlands 2, which is the best-selling title in the history of 2K. Borderlands 3, launched in September 2019 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, selling 12M+ units around the globe and was honored with the Best Multiplayer Game awards at Gamescom 2019 and Best Ongoing Game at Gamescom 2020.

The Lionsgate film will face off against Universal’s Speak No Evil and MGM’s Flint Strong.

Anya Taylor-Joy’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” Towers Over Global Box Office Charts with $366 Million in Ticket Sales

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Everything’s peachy for Anya Taylor-Joy…

The Super Mario Bros. Movie, starring the 26-year-old Argentine American Golden Globe-winning actress, towered over box office charts with $377 million in global ticket sales, taking the title for the biggest worldwide debut of the year from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ($225.3 million).

The animated film — a collaboration between Illumination, Nintendo and Universal — crushed already-high expectations, igniting to $173 million internationally and $204 million in its first five days at the domestic box office.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie opened in 70 overseas territories, including Mexico ($27.4 million), the U.K. and Ireland ($19.6 million), Germany ($14 million), China ($12 million), France ($10.4 million), Spain ($8.6 million) and Australia ($8.3 million).

With those ticket sales, The Super Mario Bros. Movie landed several overseas records, including the best international debut of the year and second-biggest animated opening of all time (behind Frozen 2 with $228.2 million). It also scored the biggest animated opening in 11 individual markets, as well as the best start for a video game adaptation in 42 individual markets.

“It’s a phenomenal number all around,” says Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of distribution for Universal Pictures International. “The film is based on incredible IP, which is beloved by people of different generations– young and old. This is great news for the industry.”

In addition to brand recognition and nostalgia for the popular video game, the film benefitted from positive word-of-mouth, premium theatrical formats and a months-long lack of movies targeted at family audiences.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie particularly delivered in Imax, bringing in $5 million overseas and $21.6 million globally. Those ticket sales rank as the highest animated debut ever for the company in 22 markets, including Ireland and the UK, Germany, Sweden and Netherlands.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie features the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach and Jack Black as Bowser.

Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, the story follows the mustachioed plumber and friends as they prepare to stop the all-powerful King Koopa from world domination.

Anya Taylor-Joy & “Super Mario Bros. Movie” Cast Mates Join Jimmy Fallon & The Roots to Perform Game’s Original Theme

Posted on March 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s theme on for Anya Taylor-Joy…

In celebration of MAR10 Day (March 10), the 26-year-old Argentine American Golden Globe-winning actress joined her Super Mario Bros. Movie, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and The Roots to one-up the game franchise’s original theme song.

Taylor-Joy, who portrays Princess Peach, Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Keegan-Michael Key and Charlie Day joined Fallon and his in-house band for a special Tonight Show video, singing a choral rendition of the instantly recognizable video game’s theme song.

The actors make up the main voice cast of the upcoming animated Super Mario Bros. Movie, which will arrive in theaters April 5.

In the video, Fallon and the actors take turns taking center stage as Questlove and other members of The Roots add layers of suave harmony. All the while, the singers are edited into the pixelated landscape of the Mario universe, where they pop in and out of green pipes and send shells flying at one another.

Then, Nintendo legend and Mario game creator Shigeru Miyamoto makes an appearance, and even has a little solo at the very end of the video.

Fans in the comments absolutely loved the creative take on the Mario music.

“Broooo… This is so awesome!” wrote one. “Just to see the voice cast of The Super Mario Bros Movie and even seeing Miyamoto singing [an a cappella] cover of the iconic Super Mario tracks is just phenomenal to watch.”

“The ending was a masterpiece in every way,” added another.

Anya Taylor-Joy’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” To Open Earlier Than Expected, on April 5

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Anya Taylor-Joy’s super launch will begin sooner than expected.

Illumination Entertainment/Universal’ film The Super Mario Bros. Movie, starring the 26-year-old Argentine American actress, will open around the world on Wednesday, April 5, before Easter weekend.

The film had been set for Good Friday, April 7.

In what arguably could be one of the biggest openings of the spring, the animated film featuring Chris Pratt, Chris Day, Taylor-Joy, Seth Rogen, Jack Black, et al., is going earlier to capitalize on spring breaks stateside and so that fans can experience it around the globe at the same time.

Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, the film will launch in more than 60 markets on its opening day.

Ten markets for Super Mario Bros. in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe are opening on a variety of dates in April and May including Japan, where it will open on April 28 timed to the Golden Week holidays.

Should this film open big it will be a huge win for Nintendo on the big screen. The last Super Mario Bros movie in 1993 — a live-action adaptation of the hit videogame franchise released by Buena Vista and starring the late Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi — was expected to be a summer tentpole back then, but tanked off a mid-$40M production cost with a global gross near $39M.

This Super Mario Bros animated film is produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and by Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo, and was co-financed by Universal Pictures and Nintendo.

Nintendo Direct Releases Second Trailer for “Super Mario Bros Movie” with First Look at Anya Taylor-Joy’s Princess Peach

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a peachy moment for Anya Taylor-Joy…

The Nintendo Direct YouTube channel has unveiled the second trailer for Illumination’s Super Mario Bros Movie, starring the 26-year-old Argentine American actress as Princess Peach.

In the new trailer, Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) enters a cheering arena where he faces off with Donkey Kong (voiced by Seth Rogen). Mario jumps and the big ape catches the little guy in mid air before whacking him repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Koopa has Luigi in his grip.

“One problem, there’s a human who has a mustache just like you,” says the ogre voiced by Jack Black.

We also see Taylor-Joy’s Princess Peach for the first time.

“There’s a huge universe out there with a lot of galaxies,” Peach tells little mushroom guy, Toad.

Super Mario Bros Movie will be released next Easter Weekend, April 7-9.

On hand to introduce the trailer were the film’s producers Chris Melendandri, and Donkey Kong and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, as well as Rogen (with his dog named Zelda) and Taylor-Joy.

Lorenza Izzo Signs with M88 for Representation

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Lorenza Izzo has new representation…

The 32-year-old Chilean actress and producer has signed with M88 and its sister company Uncmmn for representation.

Izzo will next be seen in Greg Mottola’s Miramax comedy, Confess, Fletch, opposite Jon Hamm.

She can currently be seen in HBO Max’s Emmy-winning comedy series Hacks, and in Lissette Feliciano’s award-winning film Women Is Losers, which was released by HBO Max after premiering in competition at SXSW. Izzo also produced the latter title, in which she stars opposite Shang-Chi‘s Simu Liu.

Izzo has previously appeared on the film side in Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar winner Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood; Universal and Amblin’s The House with a Clock in Its Walls, opposite Jack Black and Cate Blanchett; and writer-director Dan Fogelman’s multigenerational Amazon drama, Life Itself, opposite Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde.

She also starred opposite Keanu Reeves and Ana de Armas in the Lionsgate psychological thriller Knock Knock, from director Eli Roth.

Izzo also recently starred on the television side in John Logan’s Penny Dreadful spin-off, City of Angels. Additional TV credits include AMC’s Feed the Beast, in which she starred alongside David Schwimmer and Jim Sturgess, the Gaumont/Netflix series Hemlock Grove, Hulu’s Dimension 404 and the fourth and final season of Hulu’s Casual.

Izzo is well known in Chile for starring in a pair of comedies from director Nicolas Lopez: Que Pena Tu Boda and Que Pena Tu Familia.

She continues to be represented by ICM and Viewpoint.

Former WME Partner Phillip Sun and Macro Founder & CEO Charles D. King launched M88 in 2020, with an eye toward supporting the work of the next generation of artists and cultural leaders. Sun leads the firm with partners Oronde Garrett and Gaby Mena.

Anya Taylor-Joy Among Cast for Illumination’s ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Animated Film

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Anya Taylor-Joy is preparing for her next royal excursion…

Illumination and Nintendo have announced the powerhouse voice cast for their upcoming Super Mario Bros. animated film, which includes the 25-year-old Argentine American actress.

Taylor-Joy, who earned an Emmy nomination for her performance in Queen’s Gambit, will star as Princess Peach in the film, which will hit cinemas on December 21, 2022.

Playing the fraternal, mushroom digesting plumbers and squashers of turtles are Chris Pratt as Mario and Charlie Day as Luigi.

Playing bad guy Bowser is Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and stand-up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike.

“Each voice actor was cast for their ability to capture the unique spirit of their character,” reads the release.

The co-financed feature between Universal and Nintendo will be directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who previously collaborated on the animated series Teen Titans Go! and the film Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.

The film’s screenplay will be written by Matthew Fogel, whose credits include The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part and the upcoming Illumination feature Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Future offshore release dates will be announced.

“Mario and Luigi are two of the most beloved heroes in all of popular culture, and we are honored to have the unique opportunity to work so closely with Shigeru Miyamoto and the widely imaginative team at Nintendo to bring these characters to life in an animated movie, unlike any film Illumination has made to date,” said Chris Meledandri who is also an outside director of Nintendo.

“We are collaborating with Chris and his experienced team to not just create a character licensed film, but a new piece of entertainment which brings Super Mario Bros. to life on the screen, and allows everyone to enjoy whether or not they know about the game. The production so far is constructive and going very well, and both parties are learning a lot from each other. We humbly ask that fans wait just a little longer for the premiere, and we hope they look forward to seeing the unique characters from Super Mario Bros. on the big screen,” said Miyamoto.

Super Mario Bros. is a huge franchise play for Universal and Illumination. Already, there’s a Super Mario Bros. land open at the Universal Japan theme park with others under construction at Universal Hollywood and Universal Orlando.

The movie has been a long awaited revival for fans. There was a live action movie in 1993 starring Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi and Dennis Hopper as baddie King Koopa. There was also in the late 1980s The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! animated series which starred Captain Lou Albano as the voice of Mario and Danny Wells as the voice of Luigi.

Mario Brothers was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo’s chief engineer in 1983. Super Mario Bros. the subseries, was launched in 1985. It is the best-selling video game franchise of all time, with more than 758.06 million copies of games sold, including 388.92 million for the Super Mario games alone.

Edgar Ramirez to Star in Eli Roth’s Film Adaptation of “Borderlands” Video Game

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Edgar Ramirez is heading to the borderlands…

The 44-year-old Venezuelan actor will portray Atlas in Eli Roth’s adaptation of the bestselling video game Borderlands for Lionsgate.

Ramirez joins Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Haley Bennett, and Jack Black. In the game, Atlas is a business titan and arms manufacturer, and the most powerful person in the universe.

“What an incredible honor to have an actor of Edgar’s caliber, talent, and charisma playing opposite Cate Blanchett and this remarkable cast,” Roth said. “Atlas has to be a truly magnetic personality, someone with charisma and charm but that air of menace underneath it all. I’ve been a fan of Edgar’s since his early performances and he continues to amaze me with each dramatic turn. We want to create something wild, fun, and very different from anything they’ve seen from Edgar before. I am so, so excited to work with him.”

In the film, Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful S.O.B., Atlas (Ramirez). Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team – Roland (Hart), a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Curtis), the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap (Black), a persistently wiseass robot. These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other.

Based on the game from Gearbox and 2K, one of the bestselling video game franchises of all time, welcome to Borderlands.

“The force of Edgar’s presence and the strength of his talent as an actor make him an ideal choice to play Atlas, a character who controls the fate of so many in the Borderlands universe. He’s the perfect addition to this perfect cast,” said Nathan Kahane, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.

Borderlands is one of the world’s most successful video game franchises, with more than 68 million units sold-in worldwide, including over 24 million units of Borderlands 2, which is the highest-selling title in the history of 2K. The most recent installment, Borderlands 3, which launched in September 2019 and was recently released for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, has sold-in more than 12 million units worldwide and was honored with the award for Best Multiplayer Game at Gamescom 2019 and Best Ongoing Game at Gamescom 2020.

The latest draft of the screenplay is by Craig Mazin.

Ramirez has stayed busy over the past year, most recently starring opposite Jennifer Garner in Netflix’s Yes Day. He was also recently seen in HBO’s critically acclaimed limited series, The Undoing. He will next star in Disney’s Jungle Cruise and Universal’s The 355.

Fat Joe to Appear on the Upcoming “MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon”

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Fat Joe’s got hart… And, he’s ready to share it with the world.

The 50-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American rapper, whose real name Joseph Antonio Cartagena, will take part in the MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon, the upcoming two-hour special hosted by Hart that reimagines the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s annual variety show fundraiser.

Fat Joe joins a lineup of talent additions that includes Don Cheadle, Common, Cindy Crawford, Whitney Cummings, Stephen Curry, Zachary Levi and Kelly Rowland.

The special, which will benefit the MDA and Help From the Hart Charity, streams live on Saturday from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET on Hart’s LOL Network and its digital platforms YouTube and Pluto TV, as well as on TikTok, Triller and Twitch.

SiriusXM will air an encore of the show on its Laugh Out Loud Radio channel on October 26 at 4:00 pm ET and again the next day at 10:00 am ET.

The telethon will feature entertainment, comedy, musical performances and MDA’s Let’s Play For a Cure gaming elements, a gaming stream hosted by Zedd running simultaneously. A Telethon Showcase to celebrate the members of the neuromuscular community and hosted by Nancy O’Dell and Jann Carl will follow the two-hour main show. It will stream on the MDA’s Facebook page.

As a warmup, an MDA-hosted online auction on CharityBuzz featuring items from Serena Williams, Curry and others launches Friday at mda.org/telethon.

The latest talent additions to the lineup join previously announced guests including Garcelle Beauvais, Aloe Blacc, Jack Black, Usain Bolt, Bryan Cranston, Adam Devine, Josh Gad, Liz Gillies, Aldis Hodge, Edwin Hodge, Michael B. Jordan, DJ Khaled, Daniel Levy, Loni Love, Leslie Mann, Jillian Mercado, Robin Thicke, Gabrielle Union Wade and John David Washington.

Jonathan Krisel is directing.

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