Tag Archives: James Pickens Jr.

Eva Longoria to Guest Star on Disney+’s “The Proud Family” Revival “Louder and Prouder”

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Eva Longoria is preparing for a moment of Proud…

Disney+ has locked in a stacked cast of guest stars and new recurring talent for The Proud Family revival Louder and Prouder, including the 46-year-old Mexican American actress/producer, in commemoration of the original animated series’ 20th anniversary.

Eva Longoria

In addition to Longoria, best known for her starring role on Desperate Housewives, the guest-starring voice cast will feature A-listers from the worlds of music, film, TV and sports including Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Chance the Rapper, Normani, Leslie Odom Jr., Tiffany Haddish, Lena Waithe, Anthony Anderson, Gabrielle Union, Debbie Allen, James Pickens Jr., Courtney B. Vance, Jane Lynch, Marsai Martin, Jaden Smith, Glynn Turman, Lamorne Morris, Brenda Song, Tina Knowles, Holly Robinson Peete, Al Roker, Bretman Rock, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez and Dominique Dawes, among others.

The series is set to launch on Disney+ in 2022

New recurring stars announced include Asante Blackk as Penny’s boyfriend, Kareem; rapper Artist “A Boogie” Dubose as Maya’s gamer brother, Francis “KG” Leibowitz-Jenkins; Raquel Lee Bolleau, who will reprise her role as Nubia Gross; and Marcus T. Paulk, who reprises his role as Penny’s classmate, Myron.

Airing on Disney Channel between 2001 and 2005, The Proud Family followed the misadventures of teenager Penny Proud (Kyla Pratt) and her numerous eccentric family members.

Louder and Prouder is currently in production at Disney Television Animation and will pick up the story of its central character, as it catches up with her parents Oscar (Tommy Davidson) and Trudy (Paula Jai Parker), her twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, her grandmother Suga Mama (JoMarie Payton) and dog Puff, and members of her loyal crew including Dijonay Jones (Karen Malina White), LaCienega Boulevardez (Alisa Reyes) and Zoey Howzer (Soleil Moon Frye), among others.

Other original cast members reprising their roles, as previously announced, are Cedric the Entertainer, Carlos Mencia, Maria Canals-Barrera and Alvaro Gutierrez. Additional recurring cast members new to the world of The Proud Family include Keke Palmer, Billy Porter, Zachary Quinto, and EJ Johnson.

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is executive produced by Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar, who served in the same capacity on the original series.

All seasons of The Proud Family are currently available for streaming on Disney+. Disney+ has release a 20th anniversary featurette, in which Louder and Prouder stars reflect on their draw to the original series.

Beatriz and Her “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Team to Serve as Celebrity Judges on Bravo’s “Top Chef Duels”

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Stephanie Beatriz is about to get served…

The Argentinean actress and her Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-stars are slated to appear on Top Chef Duels, another Top Chefseries from Bravo. 

Stephanie Beatriz

Top Chef Duels pits 18 of the best and most talked-about personalities frompast seasons of Top Chef and Top Chef Masters for a “battle royale” in the kitchen.

The 10-episode Top Chef Duels, hosted by celebrity chef Curtis Stone, will premiere on Wednesday, August 6, at 10:00 pm ET, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Stone will serve on the judges’ table withGail Simmons, with chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Hugh Acheson rounding out the panel on a rotating basis.

Beatriz and her Brooklyn Nine-Nine team (Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Chelsea Peretti and co-creator Dan Goor) will serve as celebrity guests for one episode.

Other celebrity guests this season include Shailene Woodley, Pink, Scott Ian Rosenfeld, Gary Holt, Rob Zombie and the Grey’s Anatomy gang (James Pickens Jr., Sarah Drew, Camilla Luddington, Jerrika Hinton and Kevin McKidd).

As the title suggests, Top Chef Duels will have two chefs facing off in three rounds of head-to-head battles, with the competitors picking “mini duels,” targeting the other’s perceived weaknesses. The third challenge then decides who moves on to compete in the season finale, which will crown the sole winner of the $100,000 grand prize and a Food and Winefeature.

Bravo is also borrowing from its Top Chef online companion series Last Chance Kitchen, which pits eliminated contestants against each other for a chance to compete in the finale, with the Top Chef Duel equivalent: The Knockout, hosted by Puck.The same essential rules apply, though there is one twist. Unlike Last Chance Kitchen, a chef only needs one battle win to quality for a place in The Knockout online finals, though the more wins a chef has, the better their chances are in earning the sole return spot on the show.

Ramirez Renews Her “Grey’s Anatomy” Contract for Two More Years

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Sara Ramirez will be on call for a little longer…

The 38-year-old half-Mexican actress/singer has signed a new two-year deal to continue portraying Dr. Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy.

Sara Ramirez

Ramirez joins the ABC medical drama’s lead actors Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo, who inked new deals in January.

Ramirez joined the cast of Grey’s Anatomy as a recurring star for the show’s second season in 2006. She was then promoted to series regular in the third season.

Ramirez provided a cappella vocals in the song “Silent Night” for the soundtrack of the show’s sixth season episode “Holidaze,” which airied November 19, 2009. On December 21, 2009, that version of the song was released as a single on iTunes. Ramirez’s voice was also showcased in the musical episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Ep. 718 “Song Beneath the Song“, which aired March 31, 2011.

In addition to Ramirez, Dempsey and Pompeo, James Pickens Jr., Chandra Wilson and Justin Chambers renewed their contracts as well.

Now that the majority of t show’s stars have signed new deals, an 11th season renewal for the series from Shonda Rhimes is considered a formality.