Hulu Renews Chris Estrada’s “This Fool” for Second Season

Chris Estrada will be fooling around a little longer…

Hulu has renewed This Fool, starring the Latino comedy writer and actor, for a second season.

Chris EstradaThis Fool is a half-hour comedy set in working-class South Central Los Angeles. The show centers around Julio Lopez (Estrada), a 30-year-old who still lives at home, has been dating his girlfriend (Michelle Ortiz) on and off since high school, and finds any excuse to avoid dealing with his own problems. Julio works at Hugs Not Thugs, a gang rehabilitation non-profit, where he butts heads with his older cousin Luis (Frankie Quiñones), an ex-gang member who just got out of prison and moved in with Julio and his family.

The cast also includes Laura Patalano, Julia Vera and Michael Imperioli.

The first season premiered on August 12 and all 10 episodes are now streaming on Hulu.

This Fool is written and executive produced by Estrada, Pat Bishop, Jake Weisman and Matt Ingebretson. Jonathan Groff and Fred Armisen also serve as executive producers on the series. It’s a Hulu Original series from ABC Signature.

The second season will also consist of 10 episodes.

HBO Releases Official Trailer for Second Season of “The White Lotus,” Featuring Aubrey Plaza

Aubrey Plaza is taking a memorable vacanza

HBO has released the official trailer for the second installment of Emmy-winning The White Lotus, featuring the 38-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress.

Aubrey Plaza“Whenever I stay at a White Lotus, I always have a memorable time. Always.” So begins the trailer with words from Season 1 scene-stealer Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya, who is back for more adventures in Season 2, along with her new husband Greg, played by the returning Jon Gries, a fellow guest she met in Season 1 at the Hawaii resort. It’s a bit of rocky start to the vacation, as Greg is not happy Tanya has brought her assistant along for the trip.

The trailer also offers a first look at Plaza, who plays Harper Spiller, a newly wealthy woman after her husband finds professional success.

Aubrey PlazaThe seven-episode Season 2 is set at an exclusive White Lotus resort in Sicily. The social satire follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week.

Season 2 also stars F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Beatrice Grannò, Meghann Fahy, Tom Hollander, Sabrina Impacciatore, Michael Imperioli, Theo James, Haley Lu Richardson, Will Sharpe, Simona Tabasco and Leo Wood.

The White Lotus is created, written and directed by Mike White, and executive produced by White, David Bernad and Mark Kamine.

The Hawaii-set first installment is coming off its Emmy haul of 10 wins out of 20 nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, the most wins of any program this year.

The seven-episode series debuts on Sunday, October 30 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on HBO and will be available for streaming on HBO Max.

HBO Offers Sneak Peek at Season 2 of “The White Lotus,” Which Will Star Aubrey Plaza

Aubrey Plaza’s career is blossoming

The 38-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian will star in the second season of HBO’s The White Lotus.

Aubrey PlazaThe premium cable channel offered a first look from the Sicily-based Season 2 via a promo that highlighted new and returning series coming up for release.

Jennifer Coolidge will be joined by her fellow The White Lotus original cast member Jon Gries in the HBO dark comedy’s second season.

The first season of the series – created, written, directed and executive produced by Mike White – was set at a tropical Hawaiian resort, following the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week. Coolidge portrayed Tanya McQuoid—a troubled vacationer mourning the loss of her mother—with Gries as her love interest, Greg.

While Tanya and Greg left Hawaii together after meeting on their respective trips, it hadn’t been confirmed until now that the characters remain together up through Season 2. The footage from the new promo shows Tanya holding onto Greg on the back off a motorcycle.

The White Lotus recently earned 20 Emmy nominations for its first season, with Coolidge among those landing their firstThe show’s first season ensemble also included Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Sydney Sweeney, Alexandra Daddario, Jack Lacy, Fred Hechinger, Brittany O’Grady, Natasha Rothwell, Steve Zahn, Lukas Gage and more.

Although it was initially presented as a limited series, The White Lotus was renewed for a second season in August, after debuting to critical acclaim and a No. 1 ranking on HBO.

The next edition of the series will follow a different group of vacationers as they book their stay at an Italian White Lotus property and settle in temporarily amongst its inhabitants.

In addition to Plaza, others joining The White Lotus in Season 2 include Will Sharpe, Sabrina Impacciatore, Theo James and Meghann Fahy, as well as F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander, Michael Imperioli, Haley Lu Richardson, Leo Woodall, Beatrice Grannó and Simona Tabasco.

Aubrey Plaza to Star in the Second Season of HBO’s Dark Comedy “The White Lotus”

Things are in full bloom for Aubrey Plaza

The 37-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian will star as a lead in the second installment of HBO’s dark comedy series The White Lotus.

Aubrey PlazaPlaza, the Parks & Recreation and Legion alum, will be a series regular.

She is the second confirmed cast member for the upcoming follow-up to Mike White’s breakout social satire limited series, joining previously cast Michael Imperioli.

The six-part original series followed visitors vacationing at the White Lotus, an exclusive Hawaiian resort. The second installment — also written, to directed by and executive produced by White — will leave Hawaii behind for a new location and is expected to follow a different group of vacationers at another White Lotus property.

Plaza will play Harper Spiller, a woman on vacation with her husband and his friends. Imperioli plays Dominic Di Grasso, a man traveling with his elderly father and recent college-graduate son.

Of the original cast, standout Jennifer Coolidge has been rumored to be returning. White executive produces alongside David Bernad and Mark Kamine.

Plaza will next be seen starring in Guy Ritchie’s Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre opposite Jason Statham, Hugh Grant and Josh Hartnett.

Additionally, she stars in and produced Emily the Criminal, which will premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. On television, Plaza is starring in and producing the upcoming Hulu drama series Olga Dies Dreaming, which is based on the novel by Xochitl Gonzalez.

Most recently, Plaza starred opposite Michael Caine in Best Sellers, which premiered at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival.

She won the 2021 Imagen Award for Best Actress for Black Bear and the 2018 Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature for producing Ingrid Goes West.

Pedrito Martinez to Perform at This Year’s Love Rocks NYC Concert

Pedrito Martinez will bring some love to the Big Apple

The fifth annual Love Rocks NYC concert will feature a performance by the 47-year-old Cuban percussionist, drummer, singer, dancer, bandleader, songwriter, composer, and educator.

Pedrito Martinez

Martinez joins a lineup that includes Sara Bareilles, Jon Bon Jovi, Gary Clark Jr., Yola and more, according to the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.

The benefit concert for God’s Love We Deliver, which was founded during the AIDS epidemic in 1985 in efforts to deliver meals to vulnerable people, will stream on Fans.Live from the historic Beacon Theatre on June 3.

Jeff Garlin, Michael Imperioli and Bernie Williams will host the show this year, with special guest Tina Fey.

Love Rocks NYC will not only support and honor the work of the nonprofit, which is celebrating its 36th anniversary this year, but also NYC frontline workers who have been tirelessly aiding the city throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interested parties can sign up to receive a free livestream link here, but a donation to God’s Love We Deliver of $20, which equals two meals, is encouraged.

The star-studded lineup for Love Rocks NYC 2021 will also include Joe Bonamassa, Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes, Emily King, Ledisi, Tash Neal, Fantastic Negrito, Ivan Neville, Robert Randolph, Nathaniel Rateliff and Jimmy Vivino. More performers will be announced at a later date.

Ramses Jimenez to Star in NBC’s Drama Pilot “Lincoln”

Ramses Jimenez has a bone to pick…

The 35-year-old Dominican actor has landed a series regular role opposite Russell HornsbyMichael Imperioli and Arielle Kebbel in NBC/s drama pilot Lincoln (formerly known as The Bone Collector).

Ramses Jimenez

The project is based on the best-selling book series by Jeffery Deaver that was adapted into the 1999 movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie.

Written by VJ Boydand Mark Bianculliand directed by Seth GordonLincoln follows legendary forensic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme (Hornsby), who was seriously injured during his hunt for the diabolic serial killer known as the Bone Collector. Called back into action when the killer re-emerges, Lincoln forms a unique partnership with Amelia Sachs (Kebbel), a young beat cop who helps him hunt the deadly mastermind while also taking on the most high-profile cases in the NYPD.

Jimenez will play Eric Ortiz, an NYPD detective and Sellitto’s (Imperioli) new partner. 

Sony Pictures Televisionand Universal Televisionwill produce the project in association with Keshet Studios.

Jimenez recurs on Starz’s breakout Latinxseries Vida. He previously recurred on Fear the Walking Dead and Wisdom of the Crowd. 

Mexico Selects del Amo’s “Cantinflas” as its Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Submission

Sebastián del Amo is one step closer to a possible Academy Award nomination…

The Mexican filmmaker’s second feature film Cantinflas has been named by Mexico as its Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submission, just in time for the film’s theatrical push into Mexico and Latin America this month.

Sebastián del Amo

The biopic about famed Mexican comedian Mario Moreno aka Cantinflas was released by Pantelion Films in the United States on August 29 and has grossed $5 million stateside in 400 theaters.

del Amo co-wrote the script with Edui Tijerina.

Cantinflas

Óscar Jaenada (The Losers, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) stars opposite Michael Imperioli in the tale of the oddly mustachioed icon who rose from humble beginnings, earned the nickname “The Charlie Chaplin of Mexico,” and helped launch the country’s golden age of cinema.

Pantelion has been pushing Cantinflas hard for months, attaching its trailer to screenings of studio blockbusters and marketing to multigenerational Latino audiences.

 

The film opens in Mexico on September 16 via Videocine Distribucion and will be released in 14 Latin American countries during the next few months.

 

Mexico’s most recent submissions to earn an Oscar nomination were Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Biutiful in 2010 and Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth in 2006.

Pantelion Films Opening the Bio-Drama “Cantinflas,” Starring Jaenada, in Theaters This Weekend

Óscar Jaenada is ready to bring the Charlie Chaplin of Mexico to life in U.S. theaters this weekend…

The 39-year-old Spanish actor is starring as the late, great Mexican actor Cantinflas in the Spanish-language bio-drama of the same name.

Óscar Jaenada as Cantinflas

Written and directed by Sebastian del Amo, Cantinflas is an “untold story” from his humble beginnings to Hollywood and international stardom. Pantelion Films is betting on the enduring popularity of late Mexican actor, whose real name is Mario Moreno, as it brings the title to primarily Latino U.S. audiences this weekend

“We began our discussions with the film’s producers about a year ago,” said Pantelion’s Edward Allen. “Cantinflas as a character has no comparison in America. Unlike American actors [of his generation] Cantinflas is still a part of regular viewing for people of Latin American descent. They see him here all the time through sources like Telemundo and Univision. He appeals across generations.”

From the mid-1930s up until his death in 1993, Cantinflas was Mexico’s most beloved and iconic comedian. He starred in dozens of movies in his native country, often playing impoverished campesinos, before his Hollywood debut. He became known to U.S. audiences for his award-winning role in 1956’s Around the World in 80 Days.

Last year Pantelion hit box office gold with Instructions Not Included. The comedy grossed $44 million, the most of any Spanish-language title in the States. It will go after a similar audience with Cantinflas partnering with Spanish-language media in the U.S. and some non-media partners to spread the word.

“We are doing grass-roots marketing, partnering with supermarkets that cater to Latin American [clientele],” added Allen. “In L.A. we’re doing an outdoor campaign, but also saturating Spanish-language media across all channels.”

Instructions Not Included opened in 348 theaters grossing $7.84 million on August 30, nearly one year ago. It is clearly taking a cue from that successful roll out with a similar strategy with Cantinflas opening in over 380 theaters around the country.

“It will mirror the Latino population across the country,” added Allen. “We will expand based on performance and adjust the plan accordingly.”

In addition to Jaenada, the film also stars Michael Imperioli, Ilse Salas, Bárbara Mori, Ana Layevska and Adal Ramones.

Zayas to Star in the Mob Thriller “The Wannabe”

David Zayas is officially a wannabe

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican actor, best known for his role as Angel Batista on Showtime’s Dexter, has joined the cast of the mob thriller The Wannabe.

David Zayas

Zayas joins Golden Door’s Vincenzo Amato, Moonrise Kingdom’s Neal Huff, GoodfellasMike Starr and The Town’s Slaine as the final additions to the film’s cast.

The Wannabe, which will begin shooting on October 28 in Brooklyn, stars Patricia Arquette, Vincent Piazza and Michael Imperioli and will be directed by Nick Sandow, who also wrote the script.

Martin Scorsese and Dean Devlin are executive producing the film, which is set in New York City in the early ’90s and follows a man obsessed with mob culture (Piazza) who attempts to fix the jury in the trial of John Gotti. But his plans are foiled, so he sets off with Rose (Arquette), a neighborhood fixture, on a ride worthy of mob lore.

Zayas, who portrayed Enrique Morales on the HBO prison drama series Oz, recently signed on to Sony‘s new Annie film.