The 45-year-old half-Afro-Panamanian American actress and singer will appear on season three of ABC’s hit comedy series Abbott Elementary.
Ali, best known for her roles on NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and CBS’ long-running soap opera The Young and the Restless, is among a list of recently announced guest stars/recurring stars that includes Lana Condor, Keegan-Michael Key, Cree Summer and Karan Soni.
It’s been a star-studded season on the Emmy-winning series.
During Sunday’s post-Oscars special episode, Bradley Cooper made a special appearance, while Season 3 kicked off in February on a high note with guest appearances from Philadelphia Eagles players Jalen Hurts, Brandon Graham and Jason Kelce.
The series has also previously had guest appearances from Taraji P. Henson, Ayo Edebiri, Vince Staples and Leslie Odom Jr.
Abbott Elementary takes place in a predominantly Black Philadelphia public school. Quinta Brunson, who created the series, plays Janine Teagues, an optimistic second-grade teacher who makes it her mission to help enrich her students’ lives while also managing her own personal life.
Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, William Stanford Davis and Sheryl Lee Ralph also star.
The 53-year-old Belizean-Guatemalan American actor and social justice activist, an Emmy and Tony Award winner, will form part of the voice cast of DreamWorks Animation’s animated feature, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.
The film is set for wide release via Universal on June 30th.
Domingo joins a voice cast that includes Lana Condor in the title role, Toni Collette, Jane Fonda, Annie Murphy, Sam Richardson, Blue Chapman and Jaboukie Young-White.
Directed by Kirk De Micco, with Faryn Pearl as co-director, the film is an action-comedy about a shy teenager who discovers that she’s part of a legendary royal lineage of mythical sea krakens and that her destiny, in the depths of the oceans, is bigger than she ever dreamed.
Sweet, awkward 16-year-old Ruby Gillman (Condor) is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High, but she mostly just feels invisible. She’s math-tutoring her skater-boy crush (Young-White), who only seems to admire her for her fractals, and she’s prevented from hanging out with the cool kids at the beach because her over-protective supermom (Collette) has forbade her from ever getting in the water. But when she breaks her mom’s #1 rule, Ruby will discover that she is a direct descendant of the warrior Kraken queens and is destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother (Fonda), the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas.
The Kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids who have been battling with the Kraken for eons. But there’s one major, and immediate, problem with that: The school’s beautiful, popular new girl, Chelsea (Murphy) just happens to be a mermaid. Ruby will ultimately need to embrace who she is and go big to protect those she loves most.
Rounding out the cast of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken are Will Forte and Nicole Byer, Liza Koshy, Ramona Young, Eduardo Franco and Echo Kellum. While it’s not yet clear who wrote the script, Kelly Cooney Cilella served as the film’s producer, with Grammy-winning composer and Universal Composers Initiative alum Stephanie Economou penning the score.
Netflix has released the official trailer for Boo, Bitch, an eight-episode live-action YA comedy limited series starring Lana Condor and the 25-year-old Dominican-American actor and On My Block star.
Hailing from Erin Ehrlich and Lauren Iungerich, the series stars Condor as Erica Vu, a high school senior who’s lived her life safely under the radar. Over the course of one night, she seizes the opportunity to change her narrative and start living an epic life, only to find out the next morning… she’s a motherf*%king ghost.
In addition to Condor and Genao, the cast also includes Zoe Colletti, Mason Versaw, Aparna Brielle and Tenzing Norgay Trainor.
Writers Ehrlich and Iungerich created a new take on an original script optioned from newcomers and co-creators Tim Schauer and Kuba Soltysiak.
Jennifer Lopez is ready to motivate this year’s graduates…
YouTube has added several speakers and musical performances to Dear Class of 2020, its global virtual commencement ceremony set for June 6, including the 50-year-old Puerto Rican superstar.
In addition to Lopez, others joining Barack and Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga and more as part of the special event are Beyoncé Knowles-Carter— who will deliver an inspirational message to the graduates — La La Anthony, Andy Cohen, Lana Condor, Misty Copeland,Kevin Durant, FINNEAS, Bill & Melinda Gates, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Demi Lovato, Hasan Minhaj, Janelle Monáe,Antoni Porowski, Billy Porter, Phoebe Robinson, Yara Shahidi, Michael Strahan, Taylor Swift, Ciara & Russell Wilson, the casts of Euphoria and Riverdale, Today’s Jenna Bush Hager and Natalie Morales, and YouTub ecreators Emma Chamberlain, John Green, NikkieTutorials, and Mark Rober.
The multi-hour event premieres on Saturday, June 6 on YouTube. Other speakers and performers include BTS, Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, Kerry Washington, Chloe x Halle and Zendaya, among others.
Barack and Michelle Obama each will deliver commencement speeches – as well as a joint heartfelt message – to this year’s high school and college seniors who are missing graduation celebrations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Michelle Obama’s Higher Reach Initiative will host a full hour of content to kick off the celebration.
“Graduation is a tradition that students and families look forward to and with the current state of the world, YouTube is lending some inspiration in the form of a virtual commencement,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Content for YouTube. “We hope bringing together noteworthy, influential speakers along with performances from some of their favorite artists will provide encouragement for the students who have worked so hard to get here.”
In “Dear Class of 2020,” people from around the world will join the class of 2020 as a singular community to celebrate their resilience, and the endless possibilities of their future, says YouTube.
“The festival-style line up combines classic commencement day themes with a diverse array of entertainment that will capture all of the emotions of graduation including pride, hope, optimism, and camaraderie.”
YouTube is working in partnership with Higher Reach, Born This Way Foundation, Malala Fund, TODAY, and Ideas United to showcase student stories and feature graduates around the world, including a crowd-sourced commencement speech. The special will be produced by Done + Dusted.
“Dear Class of 2020” can be streamed on the YouTube Originals channel and the Learn@Home site.
The full schedule of commencement events is available on the Learn@Home site.
The LeBron James Family Foundation announced that it’s paying tribute to the class of 2020 with a one-hour multimedia event called Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020, with the 26-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer joining the roster of participating artists.
James’ virtual graduation party for this year’s graduation class, who’s seen their school year cancelled because of the coronavirus, will take place on Saturday, May 16 at 8:00 pm ET simultaneously on NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox— as well as on the streaming platforms Complex Networks, Facebook app, Instagram, People TV, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
In addition to Bad Bunny, the lineup includes Kane Brown, Lana Condor, David Dobrik, Dolan Twins, Karol G, Liza Koshy, Maren Morris, National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson, Olivia Wilde, Zendaya, Charli D’Amelio, Dixie D’Amelio, Chika, YBN Cordae, Loren Gray, H.E.R., the Jonas Brothers, Brandan Bmike Odums, Ben Platt, Henry Platt, Jonah Platt, Megan Rapinoe, Yara Shahidi, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Malala Yousafzaiand many more.
Working with the XQ Instituteand The Entertainment Industry Foundation, the show will allow the companies to honor the more than three million high school seniors who’ll miss out on the annual rite of passage due to the national shutdown caused by the COVID-19pandemic.
“We learned early on in our work with students and families in Akron that education is so much more than academics,” said James in a statement.
“It’s about a shared experience, a journey we’re all on together—students, parents, educators, community members, and everyone around them. With that not being possible right now, we’ve been working to find ways to help families get through this really difficult time. These students have worked incredibly hard for this and there’s no way we can let that go unrecognized. While this won’t be the graduation experience they were supposed to get, we hope we can still give them something special because they deserve it.”
The commercial-free show will be curated by high school students and educators from across the country, with support from the American Federation of Teachers, highlighted by a collection of commencement addresses, celebrity performances and inspirational vignettes.
Students, educators, and families are encouraged to submit their videos and photos online for consideration to be included in the telecast using #GraduateTogether. Artist JR is also inviting seniors to share their portraits for a national virtual yearbook celebrating the entire Class of 2020.
Local TV stations will feature custom breakaways to celebrate the achievements of high school students in their communities.
Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020will be broadcast commercial-free on May 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC.
There’s officially more Loved in Noah Centineo’s future…
Netflix has confirmed that Lana Condor and the 22-year-old part-Latino actor,, the stars behind its hit Young Adult film To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, are officially returning for the sequel.
The new film, which will be based on the book trilogy by Jenny Han, is now in development.
The casting news comes after Viacom CEO Bob Bakishconfirmed earlier this month that the sequel would be the first title in Paramount Pictures’ multi-picture deal with Netflix.
Awesomeness Films, acquired by Viacom earlier this year, produced the original and will produce the sequel, which returns with screenwriter Sofia Alvarez.
The book series centers on Lara Jean (Condor), who writes love letters to the five boys she’s ever loved and keeps them locked away in a hatbox until the day her letters are mailed, upending her real-life love life.
The first film was one of the streaming service’s highlights; in a rare peek behind the scenes at the streaming service, Netflix said half of all viewers who watched To All the Boys and fellow YAhit Kissing Booth re-watched them at least once.
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired the domestic rights to Joseph Cross’ feature directorial debut Summer Night, starring the 25-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer.
Summer Night follows a group of young best friends confronted with a series of fast-approaching life decisions during the course of the night that will either leave them stuck in the comfort of adolescence or catapult them into adulthood.
In addition to Justice, the film also stars Ellar Coltrane, Ian Nelson, Analeigh Tipton Callan McAuliffe, Ella Hunt, Hayden Szeto, Bill Milner, Lana Condor, Elena Kampouris, Khris Davis,Melina Vidler and Justin Chatwin.
“We were drawn to the talented young cast as we journey with them through a night of drama, music, romance and hanging with your friends. We’re excited to be able to bring Joseph’s vision to audiences,” says Miles Fineburgof Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Cross says, “We are thrilled to partner with Samuel Goldwyn Films to bring Summer Night to audiences across the country. Their enthusiasm for our movie was unmatched, which convinced us that they were the ideal partner for the release. We are looking forward to our continued relationship with their
team.”
Samuel Goldwyn Films will release Summer Night next spring.
Could there be more Loved in Noah Centineo’s future?
Viacom has confirmed a sequel to the popular Netflix young-adult literary adaptation of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, starring the 22-year-old part-Latino actor and Lana Condor.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before 2 would be the first title in Paramount Pictures’ multi-picture deal with the streaming giant.
The sequel had been reportedly in the works since early fall, though Jenny Han, who wrote the bestselling To All the Boys books had recently said there was no definitive green light.
AwesomenessTV, acquired by Viacom earlier this year, produced the original and will do likewise for the sequel, which Viacom’s leaders say “might have a sexier title over time.”
Netflix research reportedly shows the original film “is one of the most-viewed films of all time on the platform.” Its success with a cast filled with Asian actors mirrored that of Crazy Rich Asians on the big screen. Condorand creator Han had both recently indicated strong interest in doing a sequel.
No word if Centineo, who portrayed Condor’s love interest Peter Kavinsky in the film, will return for the sequel. But at the end of the film, Centineo’s character had cemented his boyfriend status with Condor’s character. So let’s see…
The 56-year-old Puerto Rican actor, best known for his work on Dexter, has landed a recurring role on Syfy’s upcoming series Deadly Class, which is based on the Image Comics graphic novel by Rick Remender and Wes Craig.
Deadly Class is described as a coming-of-age journey full of ancient mystery and teen angst. Set in a dark, heightened world against the backdrop of late ‘80s counterculture, it follows the story of Marcus (Benjamin Wadsworth), a teen living on the streets who is recruited into Kings Dominion, an elite private academy where the world’s top crime families send their next generations. Maintaining his moral code while surviving a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques and his own adolescent uncertainties soon proves to be vital.
Zayas will play El Alma Del Diablo. Leader of the Mexican cartel, El Alma del Diablo is Chico’s father. He runs his family just like his cartel – with an iron fist.
Benedict Wong, Lana Condor, Maria Gabriela de Faria, Luke Tennie, Liam James and Michel Duval also star.
Adapted for television by Remender and Miles Orion Feldsott— who are also are executive producers and showrunners alongside Mick Betancourt— Deadly Class hails fromSony Pictures Television and Universal Cable Productions.
Zayas was recently seen in the roles of Sal Maroni on Fox’s Gotham, Sheriff Aguirre on Netflix’s Bloodlineand Eduardo Magana on Hulu’s Shut Eye. On the film side, he’ll next be seen in Paramount Players’Body Cam.
Deadly Classis set to premiere January 16 on Syfy.
María Gabriela de Faría is head of the a killerclass…
Syfy has released a new teaser trailer Deadly Class, starring the 26-year-old Venezuelan actress, singer, model, and dancer.
The punk fueled 1980-set series is based on Rick Remender and Wes Craig’s comic about a school for assassins.
In addition to de Faría, who will portray Maria Salazar, other cast members include Benedict Wong, Benjamin Wadsworth, Lana Condor, Luke Tennie and Liam James.
The Image Comics title about a Ronald Reagan Era academy called King’s Dominion and the introduction of homeless but cunning Marcus to the often-murderous teens who attend, the Vancouver-shot Deadly Class sees the Russo Brothers reunited with Doctor Strange and Infinity War vet Wong, who plays the ruthless school head Master Lin.
A slew of new characters from the comic have been added to the roster. Isaiah Lehtinen is set to play Shabnam, King’s Dominion’s resident bookworm as well as Brian Posehn as metalhead Dwight Shandy. Erica Cerra will step into the role of Beheading 101 teacher De Luca while French Stewart will play unpredictable psych teacher Scorpio Slasher. Rounding out the new additions are Olivia Cheng as the intense Master Gao, a 12th generation assassin who is considered royalty and has a special connection to Master Lin and Ice-T will make a special voiceover cameo during a wild trip the King’s Dominion crew takes.
Deadly Class hit the small screen on January 16 at 10:00 pm ET.
Ali, best known for her roles on NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and CBS’ long-running soap opera The Young and the Restless, is among a list of recently announced guest stars/recurring stars that includes Lana Condor, Keegan-Michael Key, Cree Summer and Karan Soni.
