Ash Santos to Star on Paramount+’s Original Series “Mayor of Kingstown” for Season Two

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Ash Santos is comin’ to (Kings)town…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress has joined the cast of Paramount+’s original series Mayor of Kingstown for Season 2.

Mayor of Kingstown follows the McLusky family, power brokers in Kingstown, Mich., where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry. Tackling themes of systemic racism, corruption, and inequality, the series provides a stark look at their attempt to bring order and justice to a town that has neither.

Series regulars include Jeremy Renner, Dianne Wiest, Hugh Dillon, Taylor Handley, Emma Laird, Tobi Bamtefa, Derek Webster, Nishi Munshi, Hamish Allan-Headley and Aidan Gillen.

Santos will portray Coco, a nightclub dancer at Cavo.

Production on Season 2 is currently underway in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The series returns on January 15.

The project is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, 101 Studios and Bosque Ranch Productions.

Santos can currently be seen opposite Trevante Rhodes in Hulu’s Mike, a limited series about the life and career of Mike Tyson, and alongside Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes in Netflix’s True Story.

On the feature side, her work includes Netflix’s Night Teeth opposite Debby Ryan and Jorge Lendeborg Jr and a leading role in the independent feature Heat of Champions. She is also known for her portrayal of Emily in American Horror Story: Apocalypse.

Nichole Galicia to Appear Opposite Jeremy Renner in Paramount+’s “Mayor of Kingstown”

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Nichole Galicia is headed to Kingstown…

The Panamanian actress has been cast in a recurring role on Jeremy Renner’s Mayor of Kingstown, Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming series for Paramount+.

The series comes from MTV Entertainment Studios. Production is underway in Toronto.

Co-created by Sheridan, Mayor of Kingstown follows the McLusky family, power brokers in Kingstown, Michigan, where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry. Tackling themes of systemic racism, corruption and inequality, the series provides a stark look at their attempt to bring order and justice to a town that has neither.

Galicia will portray Rebecca, Mike’s (Renner) fiercely loyal assistant.

Her previous credits include Django Unchained, Defiance and Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood.

Sigman to Star in CBS’ “S.W.A.T.” Pilot, Based on the 2011 Crime Drama

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Stephanie Sigman is about to get tactical…

The Mexican-American actress, who rose to acclaim in the 2011 crime drama film Miss Bala, will star in CBS’ S.W.A.T. reboot.

Sigman is the first cast member to sign onto the reboot, which is based on the movie of the same name.

The pilot follows a locally born and bred S.W.A.T. lieutenant who is torn between loyalty to the streets and duty to his fellow officers when he’s tasked to run a highly-trained unit that’s the last stop for solving crimes in Los Angeles. Sources say CBS is nearing a deal with an actor for the lead lieutenant role.

Sigman will play Jessica, who’s described as ambitious and fastidious, and has earned her high rank at S.W.A.T. headquarters.

The “S.W.A.T.” pilot was written by Aaron Thomas and will be directed by Justin Lin.

Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television Studios are behind the hourlong drama.

The series is based on the 2003 film, which starred Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jeremy Renner. That movie was based on the 1970s series, produced by Aaron Spelling, which ran for two seasons on ABC.

“S.W.A.T.” is the latest project for Sigman, who’s been in high demand ever since her scene-stealing role in the 2015 Daniel Craig movie Spectre. She also starred in the first season of Netflix’s Narcos, and appeared in a few episodes of ABC’s anthology series American Crime from John Ridley. This is the second consecutive pilot season that Sigman has been cast in a lead role, following Ridley’s ABC detective drama, Presence, which ultimately was not greenlit to series.

Up next for the actress is the sequel to the hit horror movie Annabelle 2.

Lopez to Serve as a Presenter at the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez has a golden responsibility this weekend…

The 45-year-old Puerto Rican actress/singer and American Idol judge is among the second batch of presenters announced today by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Lopez, who received a Golden Globe nomination in 1998 for her breakout role in Selena, joins a list of presenters that includes Jennifer Aniston, Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston, Jamie Dornan, Colin Firth, Jane Fonda, Harrison Ford, Bill Hader, Katherine Heigl, Dakota Johnson, Adam Levine, Matthew McConaughey, Seth Meyers, Lupita Nyong’o, Jeremy Renner, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Vince Vaughn, and Kerry Washington.

They will join previously announced presenters; Amy Adams, Adrien Brody, Robert Downey Jr., Anna Farris, Ricky Gervais, Kevin Hart, Salma Hayek, Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Pratt, Channing Tatum, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The ceremony, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for the third year in a row, will air on Sunday, January 11 live coast-to-coast on NBC with the pre-show from 4-5 PM (PST)/7-8 PM (EST), and main telecast from 5-8 PM (PST)/8-11 PM (EST) from the Beverly Hilton.

Brühl Cast in Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Civil War”

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Prepare to Marvel at Daniel Brühl…

The 36-year-old half Spanish actor and Golden Globe nominee has joined the cast of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.

In a statement accompanying Marvel Studios’ announcement, studio president Kevin Feige cited the actor’s “ability to deliver intense, nuanced performances” as the reason behind his joining a cast that already includes Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and Chadwick Boseman, making his Marvel debut as the Black Panther ahead of the 2017 solo feature for the character.

Jeremy Renner has also been rumored to be attached to the project.

No details have been given about the character Brühl will play in the film, to be directed by Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘s Joe and Anthony Russo, beyond the fact that he’ll play the villain in the movie — a potential break from the original Civil War comic series, which features pits Captain America and Iron Man against each other without a villain behind it all.

Brühl’s previous credits include his critically acclaimed performance in Rush, as well as 7 Days in Havana and Inglourious Basterds.

Captain America: Civil War is scheduled for a May 6, 2016 release.

Cuesta to Direct the Drama “Code Name Veil”

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Michael Cuesta is ready to break the code…

The 51-year-old Latino film and television director will direct the drama Code Name Veil.

The Matt Billingsly-scripted film is inspired by true events. It follows a rookie CIA agent who investigates the first terrorist attacks against America—the Embassy and Marine barracks bombings in Beirut in 1983. When his station chief and mentor is taken hostage, he must resort to desperate measures, unwittingly becoming part of the scandal that would become known as Iran-Contra. That subject played into Kill The Messenger, about how a newspaper journalist was smeared for reporting on the CIA’s role in the infiltration of crack cocaine into the U.S.

Cuesta most recently directed the Jeremy Renner-scripted Kill the Messenger. He also directed the pilot of Showtime’s Homeland and serves as the series’ executive producer.

Garcia Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Andy García has new representation.

The 58-year-old Cuban actor has signed on with one of Hollywood’s top talent agencies, Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

García had previously been repped for a long time by Paradigm, dating back to the days of The Untouchables, Godfather III, Black Rain, Internal Affairs and the Ocean’s Eleven films.

He’ll next be seen in Let’s Be Cops, and Kill The Messenger opposite Jeremy Renner.

He’s also percolating some projects that include Hemingway & Fuentes. He intends to direct the script he wrote with Hilary Hemingway, about her uncle Ernest Hemingway. The film is about how the writer befriended a boat captain, Gregorio Fuentes, who inspires him to write The Old Man and The Sea. Garcia intends to play Fuentes.

Trailer Released for the Cuesta-Directed “Kill the Messenger,” Starring Jeremy Renner

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Michael Cuesta is ready to kill the messenger…

The first trailer for Jeremy Renner‘s Kill the Messenger, helmed by the 50-year-old television and film director, borrows the visual style, tone and ripped-from-the-headlines subject material of American Hustle.

Kill the Messenger is a dramatization of journalist Gary Webb‘s investigation into a CIA conspiracy in Nicaragua that led to a series of articles titled Dark Alliance for The San Jose Mercury News that caused a firestorm of controversy.

“Despite warnings from drug kingpins and CIA operatives to stop his investigation, Webb keeps digging to uncover a conspiracy with explosive implications,” the film’s synopsis reads.

The cast also features Paz Vega, Rosemarie DeWitt and Ray Liotta

The Focus Features biopic was written by Parkland scribe Peter Landesman based on Nick Schou‘s book Kill the Messenger: How the CIA’s Crack-Cocaine Controversy Destroyed Journalist Gary Webb.

The film is set for U.S. release in October.

Moreno Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 SAG Awards

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Life’s a SAG for living legend Rita Moreno…

The 82-year-old Puerto Rican actress/singer/dancer, a Grammy, Oscar, Golden Globe and Tony Award winner, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday night.

Moreno accepted the special prize from Morgan Freeman, who called the West Side Story star his “dear old friend,” as well as a “world-class actress, singer, dancer and fighter who battled to break through the racial and sexual barriers that plagued Hollywood‘s Golden Age.”

Moreno did a victory lap onstage after receiving a standing ovation before saying that she was “f—ing thrilled,” but the audio had been was cut during the live broadcast when she dropped the F-bomb.

She later apologized for “that word” before saying, “Actually, I’m not.”

Alluding to her surprised acceptance speech for her Oscar, she said she still honestly can’t believe she’s received SAG’s honor.

Moreno, who briefly flirted with Jeremy Renner and Brad Pitt, also said she hoped she was receiving the Life Achievement Award “early in the third act of my life.” She finished by singing several lines from “This is All I Ask.”

A showbiz veteran and a SAG member for more than six decades, Moreno is one of only 11 people to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony — a feat known as the EGOT.

She first appeared on the big screen in the reform-school drama So Young, So Bad in 1950, and afterward was put under contract as an ingenue at MGM, where a casting director changed her first name to Rita.

Moreno’s first film for the studio was the Mario Lanza musical The Toast of New Orleans, and she had a small role as the flapper actress Zelda Zanders in Singin’ in the Rain two years later.

She would go on to star in such films as The King and I, West Side Story — for which she won her Oscar in 1962 — and Carnal Knowledge.

Moreno won her Grammy for The Electric Company Album in 1972, her Tony for The Ritz in 1975, and her two Emmys for appearances on The Muppet Show and The Rockford Files in 1977 and 1978.

She continues to stay busy, having just finished a run as Fran Drescher’s mother in the TV Land comedy Happily Divorced.

She will appear next in the upcoming indie drama Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks with Gena Rowlands.

Peña, Louis C.K. & Their “American Hustle” Co-Stars Earn Palm Springs Film Fest Award

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Michael Peña and Louis C.K. will be spending the New Year in Palm Springs.

The 37-year-old Mexican American actor, 46-year-old Mexican American actor and their American Hustle co-stars will be feted on January 4 during an awards gala at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Peña, Louis C.K. and the cast of David O. Russell‘s fictional film based on the 1970s Abscam scandal will receive the Ensemble Performance Award.

In addition to Peña and Louis C.K., the film’s talented ensemble cast includes Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Lis Rohm and Alessandro Nivola.

“David O. Russell has created a viscerally powerful film,” said PSIFF Chairman Harold Matzner. “American Hustle grabs you from the start and is populated by a group of eminently believable characters as brought to life by this brilliant cast.” The 25th edition of the Palm Springs International Film Festival runs January 3-13.

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