Tag Archives: Jennifer Todd

Hulu Gives Series Order to Danielle Sanchez-Witzel’s Musical Romantic Comedy Series “Up Here”

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Things are looking good for Danielle Sanchez-Witzel up here…

Hulu has given an eight-episode series order to Up Here, a musical romantic comedy from the Mexican American comedy writer/producer, Steven Levenson, director Thomas Kail, and the Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Danielle Sanchez-Witzel20th Century Television and Kail’s Old 320 Sycamore Productions co-produce the series, which is casting with production set to begin this summer in New York.

Kail will direct Up Here, written by Levenson, Sanchez-Witzel, Anderson-Lopez and Lopez. Anderson-Lopez and Lopez will also pen original songs for the series. The quintet executive produces with Jennifer Todd.

Up Here is a musical romantic comedy set in New York City in the waning days of 1999, following the extraordinary story of one ordinary couple as they fall in love and discover that the single greatest obstacle to finding happiness together might just be themselves – and the treacherous world of memories, obsessions, fears, and fantasies that lives inside their heads.

The project falls under the overall deal Kail and Todd signed with 20th TV in 2020 to develop for all platforms under Kail’s Old 320 Sycamore Pictures banner.

For Sanchez-Witzel, currently under a deal with Netflix, Up Here stems from the overall deal she had at 20th Century Television where she served as showrunner on the praised comedy The Carmichael Show. 

Sarah Shahi Lands Recurring Role on Showtime’s Drama Series “City On a Hill”

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The Hill(s) are alive for Sarah Shahi…

The 39-year-old half-Spanish American actressand former Person of Interest star has landed a key recurring role opposite Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge in City On A Hill, Showtime’s upcoming drama series executive produced by Ben Affleck, Matt Damonand Jennifer Todd. 

Created, written and executive produced by Chuck MacLean and based on an original idea by Affleck, City on a Hill is set in the early 1990s Boston, rife with violent criminals emboldened by local law enforcement agencies in which corruption and racism was the norm. 

The fictional account centers on assistant district attorney Decourcy Ward (Hodge) who arrives from Brooklyn and forms an unlikely alliance with a corrupt yet venerated FBI veteran, Jackie Rohr (Bacon). Together, they take on a family of armored car robbers from Charlestown in a case that grows to involve, and ultimately subvert, the entire criminal justice system of Boston.

Shahi will portray Rachel Behnam, a street-smart investigator for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.

Produced by Showtime, City On A Hill also stars Jonathan Tucker, Mark O’Brien, Jill Hennessy, Lauren E. Banks, Amanda Clayton, Kevin Chapman and Tony nominee Jere Shea, with Kevin Dunnrecurring.

Production on the new 10-episode series will begin next month in New York and Boston, and will premiere later this year.

Shahi, who previously headlined USA Network’s drama Fairly Legal, co-starred as Sameen Shaw on CBS’ Person of Interest, played Carmen on The L Word, recurred on Chicago Fire, Pitch and most recently starred on Reverie.

Miranda to Perform “How Far I’ll Go” at This Year’s Academy Awards

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Lin-Manuel Miranda will go far at this year’s Oscars…

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican actor, playwright, composer, rapper, and writer will perform at this year’s Academy Awards, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Miranda, a first time Oscar nominee and creator of the smash Broadway musical Hamilton, will join voices with part-Puerto Rican Moana voice star Auli’i Cravalho, a recent Annie Award winner, to perform one of the Best Original Song-nominated tracks.

Miranda and Cravalho will perform “How Far I’ll Go,” which he wrote for the hit animated film from Disney.

Other performers include Justin Timberlake, Sting and John Legend.

“We’re thrilled to welcome these world-class artists to the Oscars. These performances will not only celebrate the five extraordinary nominated original songs, but also the integral part music plays in movies,” Oscarcast producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd said in a statement.

Jimmy Kimmel will hosts the 89th Annual Academy Awards on February 26. ABC will air the awards show live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.