Krysta Rodriguez to Star in the Indie Comedy “Lunch Hour”

Krysta Rodriguez is out to lunch…

The 40-year-old Latina actress, singer and Broadway star has signed on to star in Lunch Hour, a new indie comedy from director Larry Guterman and Winter State Entertainment.

Krysta Rodriguez,Rodriguez will be joined by Thomas Middleditch and Alan Cumming in the project.

Delving into the anatomy of an affair, Lunch Hour watches as a soup-loving married man meets the soup-loving married woman of his dreams. Thereafter, both throw caution to the wind and engage in a messy affair for the ages.

Oren Safdie wrote the script and serves as executive producer. Hamid & Camille Torabpour and Nick Hagen produced for Winter State.

“I am thrilled to work with Oren, Hamid, Camille and the Winterstate team to bring this whip-smart comedy, driven by nuanced and complex comic performances, to the screen,” Guterman told Deadline. “I fell in love with the script and I knew that I had to be part of the special project.”

Added the Torabpours, “Oren is a wonderful writer, and watching his words come to life with Larry’s incredible direction and the brilliant work of our amazing cast of Thomas, Krista and Alan has been a tremendous experience. Camille and I are happy to have brought a project like this to Minnesota!!”

Rodriguez, who rose to acclaim on television in Smash, portrayed Liza Minnelli in Netflix’s limited series Halston from executive producer Ryan Murphy and has also been seen in Broadway productions like Into the Woods, First DateThe Addams Family and Spring Awakening.

Broadway Legend Chita Rivera to Release Memoir in Early 2023 via HarperOne

Chita Rivera is ready to share her story…

The 89-year-old half-Puerto Rican Tony Award-winning actress, singer, dancer and Broadway legend will be recapping her illustrious career in a memoir for HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Chita RiveraThe book, with a publication release date set for early 2023 and title to be determined, will also be published simultaneously by Harper Español.

Rivera will be writing the book with Emmy-winning TV commentator and arts journalist Patrick Pacheco.

Rivera is one of the most nominated actors in Tony Awards history, garnering 10 bids during her long career. Her credits include West Side StoryBye Bye Birdie, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman.

She plans to detail her associations with Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse, Hal Prince, Gower Champion, John Kander, Fred Ebb, Jerry Herman, and other titans of the Broadway world.

She will also share her stories about Gwen Verdon, Elaine Stritch, Dick Van Dyke, Liza Minnelli, and Sammy Davis Jr., among others.

“I’ve long considered writing my memoirs, but I’ve never been one to look back…until now,” Rivera said in a statement. “Now it feels right, and with Patrick Pacheco, I couldn’t be more pleased to pass on my experience to a new generation. I hope my words and thoughts about my life and career resonate and readers just might discover some things about me they never knew.”

Lisa Sharkey, SVP director of creative development, HarperCollins Publishers, acquired the North American rights for English and World for Spanish, first serial, and audio from Mel Berger at WME.

The book will have Rakesh Satyal as executive editor, HarperOne Publishing Group, and will be edited with HarperEspañol editor Ariana Rosado-Fernández.

Lopez to Receive Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Media Awards

It’s a Vanguard moment for Jennifer Lopez 

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican singer-actress and American Idol judge will be feted at the GLAAD Media Awards next month, the LGBT advocacy organization announced Monday.

Jennifer Lopez

Lopez, an executive producer on ABC Family’s The Fosters, will be recognized with the Vanguard Award at the ceremony, which will take place at the Beverly Hilton on April 12.

The Vanguard Award is presented to artists and media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Along with her strong support of LGBT issues in the media, Lopez is being recognized for her work on The Fosters, a GLAAD Media Award-nominated drama series about a lesbian couple raising a family of biological, adopted and foster children. Lopez’s inspiration for producing The Fosters came from her late aunt, who faced prejudice because of her sexual orientation and was unable to have her own family.

“Through her work to bring The Fosters to life and by consistently speaking out as a powerful ally, Jennifer Lopez has not only sent a message of acceptance to LGBT adults and young people, but inspired new support for our community among her many fans around the globe,” said GLAAD CEO and president Sarah Kate Ellis. “Family is about love, and that’s a message Jennifer has shared with millions through her groundbreaking work on The Fosters.”

Previous Vanguard honorees include Antonio Banderas, Drew Barrymore, Kristin Chenoweth, Whoopi Goldberg, Josh Hutcherson, Janet Jackson, Eric McCormack, Liza Minnelli, Sharon Stone and Elizabeth Taylor.