Auli’i Cravalho to Participate in Special Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti Panel Discussion

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Auli’i Cravalho will discussing her PEAK performance levels next month…

The Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti (PEAK) has announced their PEAK Conversations panel, sponsored by Amazon MGM Studios, with the 23-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer among the panelists.

Taking place in Los Angeles on May 1, the first celebration of Pasifika women in Hollywood will feature and highlight the achievements of the Moana and Mean Girls, RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Sasha Colby, and Great Scott Productions founder Naomi Scott with moderation by Moana 2 and Thai Cave Rescue screenwriter Dana Ledoux Miller.

The talanoa (or discussion) will focus on issues specific to Pasifika women and their journeys in the entertainment industry.

“May is AAPI Heritage Month yet you’ll find Pasifika (or Pacific Islander) people are rarely prioritized and often erased in celebrations despite us being named in them. Most AAPI organizations have no Pasifika staff or even board members so it’s why PEAK exists. We’re the only Pasifika-led organization doing this work who will advocate for us the way we do. We’re all about uplifting our most marginalized voices so for this event, it made perfect sense to highlight our women who are the backbone of our communities, yet they experience the most disparity when it comes to opportunities and pay,” said Kristian Fanene Schmidt, Co-Founder and Executive Director of PEAK.

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) reports that on average, for every dollar white non-Hispanic men make, Fijian women earn $0.73, Chamorro women earn $0.66, Samoan women earn $0.63, Native Hawaiian women earn $0.62, and Tongan women earn $0.59.

“I’ve been working a really long time to try to get into positions where I can help other Pasifika writers and creators tell stories and get into rooms. It feels like I finally have that opportunity and have more influence in what gets out there. So I hope to use this moment to show people what we’re capable of and how we can really do anything,” says Ledoux Miller, who is also a Co-Founder of PEAK.

PEAK’s mission is to redefine and expand Pasifika entertainment so that our creatives can thrive, evolve, and drive innovative storytelling that honors the richness and diversity across Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

Paramount+ to Begin Streaming New “Mean Girls” Musical, Starring Auli’i Cravalho, This Week

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Auli’i Cravalho is bringing the mean online this month…

Paramount has announced plans to begin streaming its new musical take on Mean Girls, starring the 23-year-old part Puerto Rican actress/singer, in the U.S. and Canada on March 5th, with international markets to be added at a later date.

Based on the Tony-nominated Broadway musical and the beloved 2004 film that inspired it, Mean Girls watches as new student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called “The Plastics,” ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her minions Gretchen (part-Cuban American actress Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika).

When Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she finds herself in Regina’s crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group’s apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis (Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.

A Tina Fey-penned adaptation of the Rosalind Wiseman book Queen Bees and Wannabes, the original Mean Girls starring Lindsay Lohan as Cady was released in theaters in 2004.

Its musical follow-up, also written by Fey — with music by Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin — made its Broadway debut in 2018. Upon its theatrical release in January, the new film topped the domestic box office for three straight weeks, taking in over $104 worldwide.

Arturo Perez and Samantha Jayne directed thefilm, which also stars Fey, Tim Meadows, Jenna Fischer, Busy Philipps, Ashley Park, Mahi Alam and Connor Ratliff. Fey again wrote the script and produced alongside Broadway Video’s Lorne Michaels.

Auli’i Cravalho Returning to Lead Voice Cast of Disney’s “Moana 2”

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Auli’i Cravalho has more to go…

The 23-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer will reprise the voice of Moana in Disney’s Moana 2.

It has been previously reported that Cravalho as in talks to reteam with Dwayne Johnson, who is returning as demigod Maui.

In a CNBC interview ahead of Disney‘s last earnings call, CEO Bob Iger sprung the news that Moana 2 was opening of November 27, during the Thanksgiving holiday season. Disney essentially was over the moon with a Moana Disney+ series that it turned into a big-screen movie.

The sequel is directed by Dave Derrick Jr., with music by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa’i and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina.

Cravalho told fans last May on social media that she wasn’t planning to reprise the role of Moana in the live-action version of the movie.

“When I was cast as Moana at 14, it wonderfully changed my life and started my career,” she said in a video posted on Instagram back then. “In this live-action retelling, I will not be reprising the role. I believe it is absolutely vital the casting accurately represents the characters and stories we want to tell.”

Cravalho, a native of Kohala, Hawaii, continued at the time: “So, as an executive producer on the film, I cannot wait to help find the next actress to portray Moana’s courageous spirit, undeniable wit and emotional strength. I’m truly honored to pass this baton to the next young woman of Pacific Island descent, to honor our incredible Pacific peoples cultures and communities that help inspire her story. And I look forward to all the beautiful Pacific representations to come. Mahalo.”

Released in 2016, Moana grossed more than $687M at the global box office and earned Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature and the original song “How Far I’ll Go” by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Cravalho recently starred in Paramount’s winter hit Mean Girls and also starred on the TV series Rise, The Power and the animated series, Hailey’s on It!

Final Trailer Released for “Mean Girls,” Starring Auliʻi Cravalho

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Auliʻi Cravalho is on a mean streak…

The final trailer has been released for the upcoming musical movie adaptation of Mean Girls, starring the 23-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer.

Released on January 3, the clip hints at some big, bold song and dance numbers.

The clip opens with perpetually clueless principal Duvall (Tim Meadows) welcoming curve-busting new student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) to school.

Cue an ominous image of The Plastics leader Regina George (Reneé Rapp), whose entrance finds her standing with arms crossed, backlit by a blood red light in the middle of the school hallway as the singer who starred in the Broadway musical version of the high school drama — based on the 2004 film of the same name — intones “my name is Regina George.”

A quick-cut montage takes us from a boy drumming on the lockers to George inviting “loser” Heron into her car as a fellow student warns, “Regina George is a scum-sucking life burner.” We get a glimpse of thoroughly unqualified health teacher Coach Carr (Jon Hamm) giving the kids a lesson on the dangers of female “whoremones” to Ms. Nordbury’s (Tina Fey) horror and a brief glimpse of an uptempo dance break.

The second half of the trailer is cued to Megan Thee Stallion and Rapp’s “Not My Fault,” and Duvall reading from the series’ infamous “burn book,” which reveals that one of his students keeps her secret vodka stash inside her inhaler. Plus, we get several cringe shots of Mrs. George (Busy Philipps) just trying so hard to be a cool mom.

Mean Girls hits theaters on January 12 with a cast that also includes Bebe Wood and Avantika as the other Plastics and The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s Chris Briney as Regina’s ex, Aaron Samuels, with Heron’s pals Janis and Damian played, respectively, by Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey.

Paramount to Release New “Mean Girls” Film Starring Auli’i Cravalho in January 2024

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Auli’i Cravalho is bringing the mean in early 2024…

Paramount plans to release its new Mean Girls film, starring the 22-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer and Moana lead, will be released theatrically on January 12, 2024, during the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend.

Paramount had originally planned to release the film via Paramount+.

In addition to Cravalho, the new film stars Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Jaquel Spivey, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Jenna Fischer, Busy Philipps, Avantika, Mahi Alam, Christopher Briney, Bebe Wood, Ashley Park, Connor Ratliff and Jon Hamm.

Arturo Perez and Samantha Jayne are directing the new film, from a script by Fey.

Broadway Video’s Lorne Michaels has returned to produce alongside Fey.

The original Mean Girls film, directed by Mark Waters and penned by Fey off of Rosalind Wiseman’s novel, grossed more than $130 million worldwide and blasted off the careers of Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried while also repping a box office hit for Lindsay Lohan at the time.

Ally Brooke to Perform During This Year’s “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

It’ll be an extra special Thanksgiving for Ally Brooke…

27-year-old Mexican American singer and former Fifth Harmony member will be performing as part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which may look different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Unlike other years, the decorated floats and helium-filled balloons will not be marching down the usual two-and-a-half-mile route starting at West 77th Street. The parade has shorted its route and will only be held (without an audience) in front of Macy’s famed flagship store on 34th Street for the national television special.

Ally Brooke joins a roster of performers that includes Lauren Alaina, Jimmie Allen and Noah Cyrus, Sofia Carson, CNCO, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Karol G, Tori Kelly, Patti LaBelle, Ella Mai, Leslie Odom Jr., Keke Palmer, Dolly Parton, Pentatonix, Bebe Rexha, Jordin Sparks, Sebastián Yatra, Brett Young and more.

The casts of Hamilton, Mean Girls, Jagged Little Pill, and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, all of which have not taken the live stage since March, are set to perform at the parade.

While the Broadway performances will be filmed ahead of time, they will air during the broadcast at 9:00 a.m. ET on NBC.

Krystina Alabado Joins Voice Cast of AMC’s Animated Drama Series “Pantheon”

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Krystina Alabado is getting animated…

The 31-year-old half-Mexican American actress, who stars as Gretchen Wieners in the Broadway music Mean Girls, has joined the voice cast of Pantheon, AMC’s first hour-long animated primetime drama series.

Alabado joins a voice cast that includes Daniel Dae Kim, Katie Chang, Ron Livingston, Chris Diamantopoulos, Raza Jaffrey, Scoot McNairy, Anika Noni Rose, Grey Griffin, SungWon Cho, Kevin Durand and Samuel Roukin.

They join previously announced Taylor Schilling, Paul Dano, Rosemarie DeWitt and Aaron Eckhart in the series, which hails from Craig Silverstein and AMC Studios.

Pantheon, which received a two-season order in March, is based on the short stories by Ken Liu about Uploaded Intelligence, or human consciousness uploaded to the cloud.

The innovative series’ visual style is described as a fresh take on graphic realism done in a traditional 2D way, using modern tools.

“Ken’s engaging and thought-provoking short stories pave the way for a deeply gripping series, and I couldn’t ask for a greater group of talented voices to bring these complex characters to life,” said Silverstein.

In its first season, Pantheon focuses on Maddie (Chang), a bullied teen who receives mysterious help from someone online. The stranger is soon revealed to be her recently deceased father, David (Kim), whose consciousness has been uploaded to the Cloud following an experimental destructive brain scan. David is the first of a new kind of being: an “Uploaded Intelligence” or “UI,” but he will not be the last, as a global conspiracy unfolds that threatens to trigger a new kind of world war.

Alabado will voice the character of Hannah.

In addition to starring in the Mean Girls musical, Alabado appeared on television in Tyrant and God Friended Me.

Eden Espinosa to Take Part in Broadway Cares’ “Broadway Does Mother’s Day” Digital Fundraising Special

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Eden Espinosais celebrating mothers everywhere…

The 42-year-old Mexican American actress and Broadway star, best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles, and San Francisco productions of the musical Wicked, will take part in Sunday’s Broadway Does Mother’s Day, a digital variety benefitting Broadway Cares’ COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund.

Cast members from Broadway’s Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Jagged Little Pill, Company,Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Chicago, Diana, Mean Girls, Girl from the North Country, Six, andMrs. Doubtfirewill take part.

The show is designed to replace some of the money usually raised by Broadway’s annual Easter Bonnet Competition, an event that was canceled this year due to the coronaviruspandemic.

The digital sketch show will include Broadway stars, their children and their mothers, with musical numbers, comedy and special guests planned.

In addition to Espinosa, scheduled guests so far includeJill Abramovitz, Kate Baldwin, Jenni Barber, Laura Benanti,Betty Buckley, Carolee Carmello, Victoria Clark, Chuck Cooper, Claybourne Elder, Beanie Feldstein, Harvey Fierstein, In The Heights’ Mandy Gonzalez, Celia Rose Gooding, Molly Griggs, James Monroe Iglehart, Judy Kaye, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Raymond J. Lee, Lesli Margherita, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Alexis Michelle, Vanessa Williams, Betsy Wolfeand LaChanze.

Sketches from Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Jagged Little Pill, Company, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Chicago, Diana, Mean Girls, Girl from the North Country, Six, andMrs. Doubtfire will also be included.

“We’re delighted to see the theatercommunity come together for Broadway Does Mother’s Day and honored to be a beneficiary of what promises to be such a special show,” said Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. “When crises hit, the Broadway community and theatre fans everywhere have always responded with generosity, compassion and action. We launched the COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund on behalf of and for those onstage, backstage and behind the scenes who need a helping hand during this pandemic.”

The broadcast will be streamed on Sunday, May 10 at 3:00 pm ET at BroadwayDoesMothersDay.com.

It’s Official… Mota to Compete on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s official… Bethany Mota will be shaking her tailfeather on television soon.

The 18-year-old half-Mexican YouTube vlogger and fashionista, as previously rumored, has been selected to compete on Season 19 of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.

Mota, who recently won Choice Female Web Star at the Teen Choice Awards, is among the 13 new dancers for the upcoming season of DWTS, which will premiere on Monday, September 15.

The beauty guru’s YouTube channel — macbarbie07 (7 million subscribers) — features hair, makeup, fashion and DIY tutorials. It earned her a fashion line at Aéropostale, and she was featured as part of a YouTube ad campaign.

Paired with professional dancer Derek Hough, Mota will compete for the coveted mirror ball trophy against the likes of Olympian Lolo Jones, Mean Girls‘ Jonathan Bennett, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air‘s Alfonso Ribeiro and NASCAR great Michael Waltrip.

Other competitors include Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson, actress Lea Thompson of Back to the Future, Ultimate Fighting Champion Randy Couture, legendary comedian Tommy Chong, celebrated talk show host Tavis Smiley, as well as famed fashion designer Betsey Johnson, Pretty Little Liars actress Janel Parrish and General Hospital alum Antonio Sabato, Jr.

Co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews announced the celebrity cast live Thursday morning on Good Morning America in Times Square.

The addition of Julianne Hough, named as the fourth judge last month, will add some pizazz this season. Hough won two mirror-ball trophies as a pro during her DWTS run, and will have a permanent spot at the judges’ table next to veterans Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

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