Shiela E. Joins Voice Cast of Disney Jr.’s Animated Preschool Series “Eureka!”

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Sheila E. is getting animated…

The 64-year-old half-Mexican American percussionist, singer and actress has joined the voice cast of Eureka!, Disney Jr.’s upcoming animated preschool series.

Sheila E. appears on a roster of new cast additions that includes Loretta Devine and Misty Copeland.

Also cast in recurring roles are Ellie Kemper, Jack McBrayer, Ryan Michelle Bathé and Wendell Pierce.

They join previously announced leads Ruth Righi, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Lil Rel Howery and Javier Muñoz.

Set in the fantastical prehistoric world of Rocky Falls, Eureka! follows the story of Eureka (Righi), a young girl inventor who is way ahead of her time. She designs inventions and contraptions in the hopes of making the world a better place and moving her prehistoric community into a more modern era.

Goldsberry and Howery voice Eureka’s parents Roxy and Rolle, and Muñoz portrays her teacher.

Sheila E. and Copeland will voice the characters of Yurt, a traveling musician, and Rockanne, a dance teacher, respectively.

Rounding out the voice cast is Kai Zen as Pepper, Devin Trey Campbell as Barry, Fred Tatasciore as Murphy, Cree Summer as Verna, Kevin Michael Richardson as Dima, Aydrea Walden as Olive and Groopy, Connor Andrade as Bog,

Also cast in recurring roles are Ellie Kemper, Jack McBrayer, Ryan Michelle Bathé and Wendell Pierce.

Eureka! is produced by Oscar-nominated animation studio Brown Bag Films (Doc McStuffins) in association with Disney Junior. Emmy winner Norton Virgien and award-winning children’s book author/illustrator Niamh Sharkey are the series’ creators and executive producers. Emmy-nominated Erica Rothschild \developed the series with Virgien and Sharkey and serves as co-executive producer and story editor. Film and television writer and director Rusty Cundieff and Emmy-nominated television producer Donna Brown Guillaume are consulting producers.

Christiana “Chee” McGuigan, a science educator who has worked at the California Science Center, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, serves as the series’ science education consultant. Biomedical scientist, social entrepreneur and former senior policy advisor for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Dr. Knatokie Ford, advised on the original series development. Engineering experts from Disney’s Imagineering team advised on the early development of Eureka‘s inventions.

The series is set to premiere Wednesday, June 22, at 7:30 pm EDT/PDT on Disney Junior. An initial batch of episodes will also premiere the same day on on-demand platforms and streaming on Disney+.

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Take Part in Online Fundraisers to Help Georgia Democrats Win U.S. Senate Seats in Upcoming Runoff Election

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is getting political…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican acclaimed singer, rapper, composer, producer and playwright and other members of the cast of the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton, which he created, and Pearl Jam will headline online fundraisers to help Democrats win U.S. Senate seats in the coming January 5 runoff elections.

If Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff win their races, the Senate will be at a 50-50 breakdown between the parties, but soon-to-be Vice President Kamala Harris would break a tie.

Pearl Jam will join Miranda for a conversation about their artistic inspirations, with Wayne Brady as the emcee. The event will take place at 8:30 pm ET on December 16 on the virtual platform Looped. Tickets start at $10 per person, with proceeds going to the Latino Victory Project, the Latino Community Fund of Georgia and the Hispanic Federation.

Miranda and other members of the cast of Hamilton also are participating in a December 13 fundraiser for Georgia Democrats, Ossoff and Warnock in a livestream set for 8:30 pm ET. Others scheduled to participate include Leslie Odom Jr, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, Christopher Jackson, Jonathan Groff, Javier Muñoz, Sasha Hutchings, Thayne Jasperson, Ariana DeBose, Sydney James Harcourt, Carleigh Bettiol, Andrew Chappelle, Alysha Deslorieux, Morgan Marcell, Austin Smith and Betsy Struxness. There is no set ticket price, but the invite suggests $30.

The Hamilton cast also reunited in October for a fundraiser for Biden’s campaign.

The last time there was such a 50-50 split was in 2001, with Republicans having control because the Vice President was Dick Cheney.

Javier Muñoz to Perform at This Year’s Arthur Miller Foundation Honors Benefit for Public School Arts Education

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Javier Muñoz is celebrating the arts in our schools…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican Broadway star, who performed in the Tony Award-winning musicals In The Heights and Hamilton, has joined the line-up of performers for the annual Arthur Miller Foundation Honors celebrating public school arts education.

Muñoz will perform alongside his friend and castmate Mandy Gonzalez, the 42-year-old half-Mexican American Broadway star who has appeared in In The Heights, Wicked and Hamilton.

The third annual gala celebration is set to stream virtually on November 16, and will also include performances by husband-and-wife duos like Hamilton’s Leslie Odom, Jr. and Waitress‘ Nicolette Robinson; and Hamilton‘s Phillipa Soo and Bridges of Madison County‘s Steven Pasquale.

The evening will include a special appearance by Chiké Okonkwo and performances by New York City public school students impacted by the Miller program.

Additional performers and appearances to be announced at a later date.

Sasha Hutchings, Hamilton original cast member and Foundation Master Artist Council member, will host. She also co-produces along with Arthur Miller Foundation Executive Director Jaime Hastings. Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg are event co-chairs alongside Rebecca Miller, Sandi Farkas, Janine & Michael Smith.

The event is presented by Broadway.com and directed by Paul Wontorek. The Foundation will honor Tony Award nominee Dominique Morisseau (Ain’t Too Proud) with the Arthur Miller Foundation Legacy Award, and will recognize exceptional NYC public school theater teacher Lisanne Shaffer with the Arthur Miller Foundation Excellence in Arts Education Award.

The celebration will raise funds for the Foundation’s theater education programs.

Lin-Manuel Miranda & His Hamilton Cast Mates to Reunite for Joe Biden Presidential Campaign Fundraiser

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is doing his bidding for Biden…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican Tony Award-winning composer, lyricist, actor, singer/rapper, producer and playwright and the original cast of his hit musical Hamilton will reunite this week for a fundraiser for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, the latest pop culture themed virtual event.

The campaign announced that among those participating will be Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Javier Muñoz, Leslie Odom, Jr., Okieriete Onaodowa and Phillipa Soo. Director Thomas Kail will moderate a Q&A, and it will be followed by a special performance.

The event will take place at 9:00 pm ET on Friday, October 16 with no ticket amount. Proceeds will go to the Biden Victory Fund.

The cast of Hamilton also performed in 2016 for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Democrats have been drawing on cast reunions as a way to raise small-dollar contributions. The Wisconsin Democratic Party has hosted recent virtual reunions of the cast of The Princess Bride and Veep.

HBO Max is debuting a West Wing reunion on October 15 to benefit When We All Vote, the get-out-the-vote effort led by Michelle Obama.

Mj Rodriguez to Take Part in GLAAD’s “Together in Pride: You are Not Alone” Live Stream Event

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Mj Rodriguezis bringing the pride to sheltering in place…

GLAAD will host the live stream event “Together in Pride: You are Not Alone” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the 29-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and Pose star among the celebrities taking part.

The event will be available on GLAAD’s YouTube channel and Facebook Liveon April 26 at 8:00 pm ET.

“Together In Pride” will raise funds for LGBTQ community centers impacted by the coronavirus.

In addition to Rodriguez, the event will include appearances by Billy Eichner, Matt Bomer, Adam Lambert, Lilly Singh, Bebe Rexha, Dan Levy, Wilson Cruz, Gigi Gorgeous, Nats Getty, Michelle Visage, Javier Muñoz, Sean Hayes, Sharon Stone,Tatiana Maslany, with more guests being announced soon.

The event will include performances by Kesha and Melissa Etheridge.

Actor and producer Erich Bergen is working alongside GLAAD to bring the event to the masses.See More

“At a time when some LGBTQ people could be isolating in homes that are not affirming, GLAAD is bringing together the biggest LGBTQ stars and allies to send messages of love, support and acceptance,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “So many LGBTQ people, especially our youth, depend on support from local community centers around the country, and during this time of financial distress, we must come together as a community to ensure that all LGBTQ organizations can continue their life-saving work.”

“Together in Pride: You are Not Alone” will also raise critical funds for CenterLink, a coalition of more than 250 LGBTQ community centers from 45 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, as well as Canada, China, Mexico, and Australia.

CenterLink strengthens, supports, and connects LGBTQ community centers, which serve over 2 million people each year. Participating community centers will also share the livestream on their social platforms.

“LGBTQ centers are the heart of the community, and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic these centers have continued to provide vital connectivity and services, pivoting to virtual programming, modifying in-person services when possible, and ensuring that their communities have resources and support when they need it the most,” said Denise Spivak, Interim CEO of CenterLink.

In March, GLAAD joined over 100 LGBTQ organizations in an open letter calling on U.S. public health officials and media to address the heightened vulnerability of LGBTQ people to COVID-19. Amongst other factors, the LGBTQ community experiences higher rates of cancer, HIV, and tobacco use — all which factor into higher susceptibility to negative outcomes from COVID-19. Additionally, LGBTQ people continue to experience discrimination and unwelcoming attitudes in medical settings, and as a result, many are reluctant to seek medical care. On Wednesday, Centerlink released a letter signed by over 160 LGBTQ community centers to House and Senate leaders, urging them to include nonprofits who serve the LGBTQ population in future relief packages.

Miranda Takes Final “Hamilton” Bow

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

It’s the final curtain call for Lin Manuel-Miranda…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican actor, composer, rapper and writer took his final bows last night with the original cast of Hamilton, along with fellow departing stars Leslie Odom Jr. and Phillipa Soo in an emotional night at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

After a few minutes, with no words spoken, the cast left the stage to the theme from The West Wing television series.

Javier Muñoz, Miranda’s alternate since the beginning of the journey Hamilton has taken from workshop to off-Broadway to its recent 11 Tony Award wins including Best Musical, takes over the title role beginning on Monday.

Among those in attendance for Miranda’s final performance, in which tickets ran upwards of $12,000 a seat, were Aaron Paul, Rosie O’Donnell, Secretary of State John Kerry, Mariska Hargitay, Edward Norton and Jennifer Lopez, who recorded a charity single with Miranda to benefit the victims of the Orlando Shooting.

A video of the final curtain call was posted on the Hamilton: An American Musical Facebook page.

Muñoz In Line to Take on “Hamilton” Starring Role Following Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Departure

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Javier Muñoz could take center stage sooner than later…

Hamilton conceiver-author-composer-lyricist-star Lin-Manuel Miranda is planning to leave the hit Broadway musical in July, possibly as soon as the 9th, leaving the Puerto Rican Broadway actor, his understudy, in line to take on the role permanently.

Muñoz is no newcomer to the show’s title role. Not only has he been playing Alexander Hamilton regularly on the days Miranda doesn’t take the stage, Sunday matinees, but Miranda — in a brilliant tactical move — had Muñoz perform when the First Family attended the show on Broadway.

Moreover, Muñoz has received glowing reviews, with several critics asserting that he’s a better pure musical-theater actor than Miranda, and that he brings a bit sharper edge to the role.

“It takes a little longer to warm to Mr. Muñoz’s more aggressive and angular Hamilton, who wields his ambition like a sword,” Ben Brantley wrote in a second New York Times review of the Broadway production. “But this interpretation does not upset the balance of a revolutionary show about a revolutionary era that seems better every time I see it. … In other words, should you be able to get seats for Hamilton only on a Sunday, you will not lose out.”

Win or lose the Tony for best performance by a leading actor in a musical on June 12 — one of four Tony Awards he’s up for among the Best Musical front-runner’s historic 16 nominations — Miranda’s departure should have zero impact at the box office.

News of an impending departure came out of a just-released Rolling Stone cover story on Miranda, in which he said that he’s likely to replicate the one-year stint he did in his last Broadway show, In The Heights; Hamilton began performances on Broadway last July following an extended sold-out run at the Public Theater and a break for revisions.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Javier Muñoz