Rosie Perez Joins Voice Cast of Netflix’s Animated Workplace Series “Human Resources”

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rosie Perez is getting animated…

The 57-year-old Puerto Rican actress and activist has been added to the voice cast of Netflix‘s new animated workplace series Human Resources ahead of its March 18 premiere.

In addition to Perez, who most recently starred in The Flight Attendant, the new voice cast additions include Jemaine Clement, Thandiwe Newton, Bobby Cannavale, Henry Winkler, and Maria Bamford.

Perez portrays Petra the Ambition Gremlin, Clement portrays Simon Sex, Newton plays Mona the Hormone Monstress, Cannavale plays Gavin the Hormone Monster, Winkler plays Keith from Grief, and Bamford plays Tito the Anxiety Mosquito.

The Big Mouth spinoff pulls back the curtain on the daily lives of the creatures – Hormone Monsters, Depression Kitties, Shame Wizards, and many more – that help humans journey through every aspect of life from puberty to childbirth to the twilight years. It quickly becomes clear that though the creatures are the protagonists, they have a lot of humanity themselves.

Previously announced cast includes Nick Kroll, Maya Rudolph, Randall Park, Aidy Bryant, David Thewlis, Keke Palmer, Pamela Adlon, and Brandon Kyle Goodman.

The series is co-created and executive produced by Kelly Galuska, Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Jennifer Flackett, and Mark Levin. Human Resources is produced by Brutus Pink and Titmouse, Inc.

Maluma to Take Part in Bill Nye the Science Guy’s Climate Change-Themed “Earth Day! The Musical” Special on Facebook Watch

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Maluma is hoping to raise awareness about climate change…

The 27-year-old Colombian singer/songwriter is joining forces with Bill Nye the Science Guy and fellow superstar musicians for an Earth Day-centered Facebook Watch special dedicated to protecting the planet.

Earth Day! The Musical, formed in partnership with Facebook Watch and EARTHDAY.org, follows Nye, the iconic TV science educator, as he teams up with Maluma and more to share with their fans what part they can play in restoring our Earth.

Nye will also pass the mic to young climate activists discussing what work they’ve been doing to help the planet, including Alexia Akbay, CEO and co-founder of Symbrosia, a Hawaii-based startup using seaweed to reduce livestock methane; Jerome Foster II, the youngest member of the Joe Biden White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council at age 18; and Xiye Bastida, a Mexican-Chilean climate activist and one of the lead organizers of the Fridays for Future youth climate strike movement in New York.

Other A-list musical guests who will be featured in the special include Justin Bieber, Ben Platt, Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, CNCO, Cody Simpson, Idina Menzel, Jack Harlow, Steve Aoki, and Tori Kelly. Zac Efron, Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Karamo Brown, Nick Kroll and more are also slated to appear.

On Monday (April 19), Maluma surprised fans with his freshly minted Earth Day anthem “Rumba (Puro Oro Anthem)“ that he recorded in collaboration with Michelob Ultra Pure Gold to toast to its first-ever organic lager brewed with 100 percent renewable electricity from solar power.

During Earth Day! The Musical, Facebook will roll out its #RestoreOurEarthChallenge, which calls on international viewers to share pictures, videos and other social media posts about the steps they’re taking to combat climate change on Earth Day this year.

“Earth Day! The Musical” will air on Thursday at noon ET on Facebook Watch.

Melissa Villaseñor to Host This Year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards Ceremony

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Villaseñor has the spirit…

The 33-year-old Mexican actress, stand-up comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member is set to host this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony.

The show will not be live from the Santa Monica Beach this year due to COVID-19.

Villaseñor, the first Latina cast member of NBC’s long-running SNL, cut her teeth on the stand-up circuit in Los Angeles, and was further propelled to stardom by being a semifinalist on the 2011 edition of America’s Got Talent before landing on the SNL cast.

She is famous for her impersonations of celebrities like Owen Wilson, Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and more.

This year’s show will be airing on Thursday, April 22, on IFC and AMC+ at 10:00 pm ET, breaking tradition as the Spirits typically take place on the Saturday afternoon before Sunday’s Oscars.

Said Blake Callaway, Executive Director, IFC and SundanceTV, “Melissa and the unique circumstances of now will make this year’s ceremony like no other. It will certainly be a departure from the past, but with Melissa, the chances of Dolly, Ariana Grande, Bjork, Gwen Stefani, Julie Andrews and Lady Gaga showing up have skyrocketed.”

“As someone who considers herself a pretty dependent person, I’m truly honored to host the Film Independent Spirit Awards,” said Villaseñor.

Outside of SNL, Villaseñor has provided voiceovers in films like Toy Story 4 and Ralph Breaks the Internet. She also was a guest on Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee; and in projects like Hubie Halloween, Barry and Crashing, among others.

She’s currently working on her first book, a creative self-help journal forthcoming from Chronicle Books.

She joins a roster of past Spirit Awards hosts that includes Aubrey Plaza, Nick Kroll, Kristen Bell, Joel McHale, Patton Oswalt, Queen Latifah, John Waters, Samuel L. Jackson and Kumail Nanjiani.

Bobby Cannavale Joins Voice Cast of Illumination/Universal Pictures’ Animated Film “Sing 2”

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Bobby Cannavale is getting musical…

The 50-year-old half-Cuban American Emmy-winning actor has joined the voice cast of Sing 2, the Illumination/Universal Pictures sequel to the 2016 animated hit.

Cannavale is among a roster of cast newcomers that includes U2 lead singer Bono, Pharrell Williams, Halsey, Letitia Wright, Eric Andre and Chelsea Peretti.

Reprising stars include Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johannsson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly and Nick Kroll.

The film will be ready for theatrical holiday release a year from now.

“Sing 2 transcends the animation genre, immersing audiences in a fully realized world populated by complex characters, each with bold aspirations and relatable challenges,” said Illumination founder/CEO Chris Meledandri. “We are thrilled that the Sing franchise attracts such exceptional talent, and we are delighted to announce this extraordinary cast. The film is a musical celebration of the unrelenting pursuit of one’s dreams, no matter how large the challenges that stand in your way. At its core this movie speaks to the power of optimism and belief.”

In Sing 2, Buster Moon (McConaughey) and his cast of underdogs push their talents beyond their local theater, hoping for a shot to perform at the most prestigious venue in the entertainment capital of the world: The Crystal Tower Theater. To do that, though, they’ll first have to impress the powerful and egotistical entertainment mogul—and likely gangster—wolf Jimmy Crystal (Cannavale) and prove that they are worthy of his stage. Crystal will let them perform, on condition Buster convince the world’s most reclusive rock legend, lion Clay Calloway (Bono) out of self-imposed seclusion after the death of his wife and persuade him to perform in the show.

Williams plays Alfonso, an elephant ice-cream-truck owner who becomes the first crush of shy elephant Meena (Kelly). Halsey voices Jimmy Crystal’s teenage daughter, Porsche; Wright plays a streetwise feline dancer who helps earnest gorilla Johnny (Egerton) regain his confidence while learning his choreography; Andre plays a self-important yak; and Peretti voices Jimmy Crystal’s haughty canine assistant and talent scout. Witherspoon returns as harried mother pig, Rosita; Johansson reprises as rocker porcupine Ash and Kroll returns as the pig artiste, Gunter.

The film is written and directed by Garth Jennings.

Gina Rodriguez Joins Voice Cast of Netflix’s Animated Comedy “Big Mouth”

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez has a big mouth…

The 33-year-old Puerto Rican actress and Jane the Virgin star has joined the voice cast of Netflix’s Big Mouth.

Rodriguez will lend their voices to the hormonally driven and hilariously inappropriate animated comedy series about the awkwardness and glorious nightmare that is teenaged puberty.

Rodriguez will conveniently voice the character of Gina, a girl on Missy (Jenny Slate) and Jessi’s (Jessi Klein) soccer team who shakes up the social dynamics of the school — which is bound to bring some drama to the fold.

Big Mouth comes from Nick Kroll and his real-life best friend Andrew Goldberg (Family Guy) and includes a roster of noteworthy comedic actors including John Mulaney, Maya Rudolph, Jason Mantzoukas, Jordan Peele, Fred Armisen, and Andrew Rannells.

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Perform at This Year’s Tony Awards

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is making his triumphant return to the Tony Awards…

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican composer, playwright, actor and singer will perform on Sunday’s Tonycast, almost one year after his hit Broadway musical Hamilton swept the awards.

The casts of Bandstand, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Falsettos, Groundhog Day The Musical, Hello, Dolly!, Miss Saigon, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 and War Paint will perform during 71st Annual Tony Awards, which CBS will broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall from 8:00 to 11:00 PM.

There’s still no word on what Miranda will perform.

There will be additional performances by The Radio City Rockettes and Tony Award winners Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton).

There will be additional appearances by Scott Bakula, Sara Bareilles, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bloom, Glenn Close, Stephen Colbert, Brian d’Arcy James, Cynthia Erivo, Tina Fey, Sutton Foster, Josh Gad, Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Groff, Mark Hamill, Taraji P. Henson, Christopher Jackson, Allison Janney, Scarlett Johansson, Anna Kendrick, Keegan-Michael Key, Nick Kroll, John Legend, John Lithgow, Patina Miller, John Mulaney, David Oyelowo, Chazz Palminteri, Sarah Paulson, Lea Salonga, Tom Sturridge, Tommy Tune, Olivia Wilde, and 2017 Tony nominees Sally Field, Josh Groban, Bette Midler and Ben Platt.

Although Midler will appear as a presenter in one of the acting categories, she is not scheduled to participate in the Hello, Dolly! segment, which will be led by co-star Hyde Pierce. The blockbuster production’s offer to present the title song, or another of Dolly’s show-stoppers, live via remote from the Shubert Theatre was declined by the Tony producers.

The ceremony will be hosted by Tony and Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey.

The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

The Gipsy Kings 30-Year-Old Hit “Bamboleo” Returns to the Charts After “Sing” Showcase

Posted on January 2, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

The Gipsy Kings are bamboleo-ing their way back onto the charts…

The flamenco, salsa and pop musicians have seen their iconic song “Bamboleo” get a new lease on life, thanks to the animated film Sing.

Sales of the Gipsy Kings’ 30-year-old worldwide hit, which was released in 1987, spiked 165% in the week ending December 29, with the song re-entering the digital sales chart this week at number 23.

“You can’t just sing,” the Lycra-clad German-accented pig Gunter (Nick Kroll) tells his porcine singing partner Rosita, a desperate housewife voiced by Reese Witherspoon, in the jubilent music-filled movie about a scrappy singing competition. “You’ve got to show the fire and desire.”

Rosita’s “aha” moment arrives when she hears “Bamboleo” in the supermarket and breaks into a full-on ballroom flamenco routine in the aisles, making maracas out of salt and pepper shakers and leaping over piles of produce.

In December, Olympic gold medalist and Dancing with the Stars champion Laurie Hernandez recreated the scene in a real-life grocery store.

“Bamboleo,” first heard as the opening track of the Gipsy Kings’ self-titled album in 1988, was the group’s debut chart hit, reaching the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs in early 1989, and spending 23 total weeks on the chart. To date, the track has sold 248,000 downloads, according to Nieslen Music.

For the week ending Dec. 22, just after Sing’s release in theaters, “Bamboleo” was up 59 percent in streams to 154,000 weekly U.S. streams.

Radius-TWC Acquires U.S. Rights for Cannavale’s “Adult Beginners”

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s beginners luck for Bobby Cannavale…

Radius–TWC has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the Ross Katz-directed film Adult Beginners, starring the 44-year-old half-Cuban American actor.

The film centers on a young, narcissistic entrepreneur (portrayed by Nick Kroll) who crashes and burns on the eve of his company’s big launch. With his entire life in total disarray, he leaves Manhattan to move in with his estranged pregnant sister, brother-in-law and 3-year-old nephew in the suburbs – only to become their nanny.

Cannavale, a two-time Emmy-winner, portrays Danny in the film.

In addition to Kroll and Cannavale, the film also stars Rose Byrne, Joel McHale, Bobby Moynihan, Mike Birbiglia, Jane Krakowski and Josh Charles.

Adult Beginners will be released next spring.

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