Olga Merediz to Star in A24’s Rom-Com “Eternity”

Olga Merediz isn’t waiting an eternity to lock in her next project.

The 68-year-old Cuban actress and singer has joined the cast alongside John Early of A24’s Eternity.

Olga MeredizThe romantic comedy, in which people must decide who they want to spend eternity with, also stars Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.

David Freyne is directing the movie; Pat Cunnane wrote the script, which appeared on the 2022 Black List.

A24 is financing and distributing the rom-com, as well as producing with Star Thrower Entertainment and its founders Trevor White and Tim White. The film is currently in production.

Merediz is best known for originating the role of Abuela Claudia in the Broadway musical In the Heights. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance, and she reprised the role in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation.

Merediz also voiced a role in Disney’s animated musical hit Encanto, and her television credits include Orange Is the New Black and Shades of Blue.

Stephanie Beatriz & Her Fellow Cast Mates Reuniting for “Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl”

Stephanie Beatriz is bringing her magical casa to the Hollywood Bowl

The 41-year-old Colombian/Bolivian Argentine actress, model and singer and her fellow Encanto cast mates will take over the Hollywood Bowl for an unforgettable concert spectacular streaming only on Disney+ on Wednesday, December 28.

Stephanie BeatrizAudiences will step into the world of Casa Madrigal as the original cast reunites for Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl featuring Beatriz (as Mirabel), Adassa (as Dolores), Carolina Gaitán (as Pepa), Jessica Darrow (as Luisa), Diane Guerrero (as Isabela), Mauro Castillo (as Félix), Angie Cepeda (as Julieta) and Olga Merediz (as Abuela Alma).

The special will feature other special guests, including legendary Colombian superstars and Latin Grammy winners, Carlos Vives and Andrés Cepeda, and an introduction from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Encanto at the Hollywood BowlEncanto at the Hollywood Bowl will premiere exclusively on Disney+. The live-to-film concert experience streams at no additional costs to subscribers and will feature an 80-person orchestra, 50 dancers and captivating special effects giving viewers a spectacular, front-row seat to the musical extravaganza celebrating the world, characters and songs of the Oscar-winning animated film.

Those who are already subscribed can begin streaming Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl as soon as it hits the platform.

Disney+ to Release New Original Special “Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl,” Featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, in December

Lin-Manuel Miranda is preparing for an Enchanting night in Southern California…

Disney+ has announced its new original special Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl, with an introduction by the 42-year-old Tony Award-winning Broadway star, will launch on Wednesday, December 28, on the streamer.

Lin-Manuel MirandaThe two-night concert event will take place at the Hollywood Bowl on November 11 and 12. The special comes from Disney Branded Television and will be produced by Fulwell 73 Productions.

The original voice cast of “Encanto” will reunite at the Bowl, including Stephanie Beatriz (as Mirabel), Adassa (as Dolores), Carolina Gaitán (as Pepa), Jessica Darrow (as Luisa), Diane Guerrero (as Isabela), Mauro Castillo (as Félix), Angie Cepeda (as Julieta) and Olga Merediz (as Abuela Alma).

The event will also feature special guests, including Colombian stars Carlos Vives and Andrés Cepeda. The live-to-film concert experience, including an 80-person orchestra, 50 dancers and special effects, will center on the characters and songs of Disney Animation’s Encanto.

Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl will be directed by Chris Howe and Jamal Sims with production design by Misty Buckley. Sally Wood is Fulwell 73 Productions’ creative showrunner, with Gabe Turner, Emma Conway and Lou Fox serving as executive producers.

The Hollywood Bowl’s visual transformation into the Casita is handled by NorthHouse.

The concert event is produced by Fulwell 73 Productions, Live NationHewitt Silva and Disney Concerts, along with AMP Worldwide.

Conductor Anthony Parnther will lead the full orchestra performing the film’s score and songs live-to-picture, along with the cast and special guest artists performing the film’s songs live. A Colombian band, featuring musicians from the original soundtrack, will accompany the orchestra.

Netflix Releases First Look Images at Melissa Fumero’s Workplace Comedy “Blockbuster”

Melissa Fumero is preparing for a blockbuster

Netflix has released first look images at its workplace comedy Blockbuster, starring the 40-year-old Cuban American actress.

Melissa Fumero, BlockbusterThe 10-episode first season, which will be released on November 3, also stars Randall ParkTyler Alvarez, Madeleine ArthurOlga MeredizJB Smoove, and Kamaia Fairburn.

Melissa Fumero, Olga Merediz, BlockbusterFrom creator, writer, executive producer and showrunner Vanessa RamosBlockbuster follows Timmy Yoon (Park), an analog dreamer living in a 5G world. And after learning he is operating the last Blockbuster Video in America, Timmy and his staff employees (including his long-time crush, Eliza (Fumero) fight to stay relevant. The only way to succeed is to remind their community that they provide something big corporations can’t: human connection.

Tyler Alvarez, BlockbusterAlongside Ramos, the series is also written by David Caspe and Jackie Clarke who are also executive producers.

John Davis and John Fox are also EPs for Davis Entertainment.

The series is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Fumero’s previous credits include Brooklyn Nine-Nine and One Life to Live.

Ariana DeBose Among Nearly 400 Artists & Executives Invited to Join The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 

Ariana DeBose isn’t just an honoree, she’s now a member…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 397 artists and executives, including the 31-year-old half-Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actress/singer, to join the Oscar organizer’s membership ranks.

Ariana DeBose,DeBose was named Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Academy Awards for her scene-stealing performance in West Side Story.

But DeBose isn’t the only Latinx talent invited to join AMPAS.

Other actors invited to join include Last Night in Soho star Anya Taylor-Joy, El Chicano’s Marco Rodriguez, In The HeightsOlga Merediz and tick, tick…BOOM’s Robin de Jesus.

The prospective 2022 class includes 71 Oscar nominees and 15 winners, with 44% of the invitees women, and 37% of the group belongs to underrepresented communities.

The Academy said that those who accept invitations will be the only additions to the membership in 2022. This year’s invitee total is two more than 2021’s class, which was preceded by a surge in membership as AMPAS focused on diversifying its rolls and expanding its international footprint following the #OscarsSoWhite backlash after the 2015 nominations, in which all 20 acting nominations were given to white actors.

The Academy’s push to diversify led to 683 invitees in 2016, 774 in 2017, 928 in 2018, 842 in 2019 and 819 in 2020. Its goal laid out in its Academy Aperture 2025 initiative was to double the number of women and underrepresented ethnic/racial communities by 2020, which it said last year it had exceeded. The new crop should allow it to exceed 10,000 total members.

Here are all the 2022 invitees per the Academy today (the asterisk indicates invites to more than one branch):

Actors
Funke Akindele – “Omo Ghetto: The Saga,” “Jenifa”
Caitríona Balfe – “Belfast,” “Ford v Ferrari”
Reed Birney – “Mass,” “Changeling”
Jessie Buckley – “The Lost Daughter,” “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”
Lori Tan Chinn – “Turning Red,” “Glengarry Glen Ross”
Daniel K. Daniel – “The Fugitive,” “A Soldier’s Story”
Ariana DeBose – “West Side Story,” “The Prom”
Robin de Jesús – “tick, tick…BOOM!,” “The Boys in the Band”
Jamie Dornan – “Belfast,” “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar”
Michael Greyeyes – “Wild Indian,” “Woman Walks Ahead”
Gaby Hoffmann – “C’mon C’mon,” “Wild”
Amir Jadidi – “A Hero,” “Cold Sweat”
Kajol – “My Name Is Khan,” “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…”
Troy Kotsur – “CODA,” “The Number 23”
Vincent Lindon – “Titane,” “The Measure of a Man”
BarBara Luna – “The Concrete Jungle,” “Five Weeks in a Balloon”
Aïssa Maïga – “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” “Mood Indigo”
Selton Mello – “My Hindu Friend,” “Trash”
Olga Merediz – “In the Heights,” “Adrift”
Sandra Kwan Yue Ng – “Echoes of the Rainbow,” “Portland Street Blues”
Hidetoshi Nishijima – “Drive My Car,” “Cut”
Rena Owen – “The Last Witch Hunter,” “The Dead Lands”
Jesse Plemons – “The Power of the Dog,” “Judas and the Black Messiah”
Sheryl Lee Ralph – “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” “The Distinguished Gentleman”
Renate Reinsve – “The Worst Person in the World,” “Welcome to Norway”
Marco Rodriguez – “El Chicano,” “Unspeakable”
Joanna Scanlan – “After Love,” “Notes on a Scandal”
Kodi Smit-McPhee – “The Power of the Dog,” “Let Me In”
Suriya – “Jai Bhim,” “Soorarai Pottru”
Anya Taylor-Joy – “The Northman,” “Last Night in Soho”

Casting Directors
Rich Delia – “King Richard,” “The Disaster Artist”
Elodie Demey – “Happening,” “Summer of 85”
Yngvill Kolset Haga – “The Worst Person in the World,” “One Night in Oslo”
Louise Kiely – “The Green Knight,” “Sing Street”
Meagan Lewis – “Blast Beat,” “Free State of Jones”
Karen Lindsay-Stewart – “Marie Antoinette,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”
Juliette Ménager – “A Bag of Marbles,” “As Above/So Below”
Kate Ringsell – “The Lost City of Z,” “Justice League”
Toby Whale – “Dunkirk,” “The History Boys”

Cinematographers
Ava Berkofsky – “The Sky Is Everywhere,” “Free in Deed”
Josh Bleibtreu – “Dark Phoenix,” “Shazam!”
Alice Brooks – “In the Heights,” “tick, tick…BOOM!”
Daria D’Antonio – “The Hand of God,” “Ricordi?”
Mike Eley – “The Duke,” “Woman Walks Ahead”
Sturla Brandth Grøvlen – “The Innocents,” “Another Round”
Ruben Impens – “Titane,” “Beautiful Boy”
Shabier Kirchner – “Small Axe,” “Bull”
Martin Ruhe – “The Tender Bar,” “The Midnight Sky”
Kasper Tuxen – “The Worst Person in the World,” “Riders of Justice”

Costume Designers
Joan Bergin – “The Prestige,” “In the Name of the Father”
Antonella Cannarozzi – “A Five Star Life,” “I Am Love”
Andrea Flesch – “Midsommar,” “Colette”
Lizzy Gardiner – “Hacksaw Ridge,” “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”
Dorothée Guiraud – “Murder Party,” “French Tech”
Suzie Harman – “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” “Extinction”
Tatiana Hernández – “The Japon,” “Lope”
Louise Stjernsward – “Made in Italy,” “The Mercy”
Elisabeth Tavernier – “The Man in the Basement,” “Tanguy Is Back”
Paul Tazewell – “West Side Story,” “Harriet”
Mitchell Travers – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Hustlers”

Directors
Newton Aduaka – “One Man’s Show,” “Ezra”
Andrew Ahn – “Fire Island,” “Spa Night”
Bruno Villela Barreto – “Four Days in September,” “The Kiss”
Mariano Barroso – “Ants in the Mouth,” “Ecstasy”
Rolf de Heer – “Charlie’s Country,” “Bad Boy Bubby”
Jeferson Rodrigues de Rezende – “The Malê Revolt,” “Bróder!”
Pawo Choyning Dorji* – “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
Blessing Egbe – “African Messiah,” “Iquo’s Journal”
Briar Grace-Smith – “Cousins ,” “Waru”
Reinaldo Marcus Green – “King Richard,” “Monsters and Men”
Ryusuke Hamaguchi* – “Drive My Car,” “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy”
Sian Harries Heder* – “CODA,” “Tallulah”
Gil Kenan – “City of Ember,” “Monster House”
Amanda Kernell – “Charter,” “Sami Blood”
Mary Lambert – “The In Crowd,” “Pet Sematary II”
Blackhorse Lowe – “Chasing the Light,” “5th World”
Nalin Pan – “Last Film Show,” “Samsara”
Jonas Poher Rasmussen* – “Flee,” “Searching for Bill”
Isabel Sandoval – “Lingua Franca,” “Apparition”
Amy Seimetz – “She Dies Tomorrow,” “Sun Don’t Shine”
Rachel Talalay – “A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting,” “Tank Girl”

Documentary
Julie Anderson – “God Is the Bigger Elvis,” “Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World”
Susan Bedusa – “Procession,” “Bisbee ’17”
Opal H. Bennett – “A Broken House,” “Águilas”
Shane Boris – “Stray,” “The Edge of Democracy”
Joe Cephus Brewster – “American Promise,” “Slaying Goliath”
Ellen Bruno – “Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy,” “Samsara: Death and Rebirth in Cambodia”
Traci A. Curry – “Attica,” “Boss: The Black Experience in Business”
Jason DaSilva – “When We Walk,” “When I Walk”
Emílio Domingos – “Favela Is Fashion,” “L.A.P.A.”
Sushmit Ghosh – “Writing with Fire,” “Timbaktu”
Lyn Goldfarb – “Eddy’s World,” “With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women’s Emergency Brigade”
Susanne Guggenberger – “Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes,” “The Beekeeper and His Son”
Cristina Ibarra – “The Infiltrators,” “Las Marthas”
Oren Jacoby – “On Broadway,” “Sister Rose’s Passion”
Isaac Julien – “Derek,” “Frantz Fanon: Black Skin White Mask”
Deborah Kaufman – “Company Town,” “Blacks and Jews”
Firouzeh Khosrovani – “Radiograph of a Family,” “Fest of Duty”
Jessica Kingdon – “Ascension,” “Commodity City”
Mehret Mandefro – “How It Feels to Be Free ,” “Little White Lie”
Mary Manhardt – “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl),” “Racing Dreams”
Amanda McBaine – “Boys State,” “The Overnighters”
Peter Jay Miller – “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1,” “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport”
Elizabeth Mirzaei – “Three Songs for Benazir,” “Laila at the Bridge”
Gulistan Mirzaei – “Three Songs for Benazir,” “Laila at the Bridge”
Bob Moore – “Dope Is Death,” “China Heavyweight”
Omar Mullick – “Footprint,” “These Birds Walk”
Mohammed Ali Naqvi – “Insha’Allah Democracy,” “Among the Believers”
Sierra Pettengill – “Riotsville, USA,” “The Reagan Show”
Ben Proudfoot – “The Queen of Basketball,” “A Concerto Is a Conversation”
Jonas Poher Rasmussen* – “Flee,” “Searching for Bill”
Gabriel Rhodes – “The First Wave,” “Time”
Lynne Sachs – “Film about a Father Who,” “Investigation of a Flame”
Brett Story – “The Hottest August,” “The Prison in Twelve Landscapes”
Thorsten Thielow – “The First Wave,” “Mayor Pete”
Rintu Thomas – “Writing with Fire,” “Dilli”
Nathan Truesdell – “Ascension,” “Balloonfest”
Jenni Wolfson – “Pray Away,” “One Child Nation”
Jialing Zhang – “In the Same Breath,” “One Child Nation”

Executives
Steve Asbell
Carole Baraton
Steven Bardwil
Jeff Blackburn
Liesl Copland
Kareem Daniel
Eva Diederix
Scott Foundas
Brenda Gilbert
Joshua Barnett Grode
Gene Yoonbum Kang
Jenny Marchick
Ori Joseph Marmur
Anna Marsh
Katherine Oliver
Joel Pearlman
Elizabeth Polk
Louie Provost
Amber Rasberry
Brian Robbins
Marc Schaberg
Ron Schwartz
Aditya Sood
Frederick Tsui
Dana Walden
Clifford Werber

Film Editors
Geraud Brisson – “CODA,” “Dark Hearts”
Olivier Bugge Coutté – “The Worst Person in the World,” “Thelma”
Shannon Baker Davis – “The Obituary of Tunde Johnson,” “The Photograph”
Billy Fox – “Dolemite Is My Name,” “Hustle & Flow”
Myron Kerstein – “tick, tick…BOOM!,” “Crazy Rich Asians”
Jeremy Milton – “Encanto,” “Zootopia”
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle – “Belfast,” “Stan & Ollie”
Heike Parplies – “Invisible Life,” “Toni Erdmann”
Joshua L. Pearson – “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” “What Happened, Miss Simone?”
Peter Sciberras – “The Power of the Dog,” “The King”
Aljernon Tunsil – “Attica,” “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution”
Azusa Yamazaki – “Drive My Car,” “Asako I & II”

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
Jacenda Burkett – “King Richard,” “Concussion”
Nana Fischer – “Encounter,” “The Lost City of Z”
Sean Flanigan – “The Many Saints of Newark,” “The Irishman”
Massimo Gattabrusi – “Loving Pablo,” “Volver”
Stephanie Ingram – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “It”
Anna Carin Lock – “House of Gucci,” “Borg/McEnroe”
Heike Merker – “The Matrix Resurrections,” “Anonymous”
Stacey Morris – “Coming 2 America,” “Dolemite Is My Name”
Justin Raleigh – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Army of the Dead”
Kerrie Smith – “Motherless Brooklyn,” “John Wick”
Nadia Stacey – “Cruella,” “The Favourite”
Julia Vernon – “Cruella,” “Maleficent”
Wakana Yoshihara – “Belfast,” “Spencer”

Marketing and Public Relations
Dana Archer
Debra Birnbaum
Tatiana Detlofson
Bethan Anna Dixon
Britta Gampper
Jane Gibbs
Sheri Goldberg
Jonathan Helfgot
Jessica Kolstad
Cortney Lawson
Vivek Mathur
George Nicholis
Stephanie Sarah Northen
Jodie Magid Oriol
Gina Pence
Stephanie Dee Phillips
Chrissy Quesada
Stuart Robertson
Jerry Rojas
Evelyn Santana
Sohini Sengupta
Michelle Slavich
James Verdesoto
Katrina Wan
Glen Erin Wyatt

Music
Billie Eilish Baird O’Connell – “No Time to Die”
Amie Doherty – “Spirit Untamed,” “The High Note”
Lili Haydn – “Strip Down, Rise Up,” “Broken Kingdom”
Leo Heiblum – “Maria Full of Grace,” “Frida”
Natalie Holt – “Fever Dream,” “Journey’s End”
Nathan Johnson – “Nightmare Alley,” “Knives Out”
Jacobo Lieberman – “Maria Full of Grace,” “Frida”
Ariel Rose Marx – “Shiva Baby,” “Rebel Hearts”
Hesham Nazih – “The Guest,” “Born a King”
Finneas O’Connell – “No Time to Die”
Dan Romer – “Luca,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Nerida Tyson-Chew – “H Is for Happiness,” “Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid”

Producers
Mariela Besuievsky – “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” “The Secret in Their Eyes”
Cale Boyter – “Dune,” “Pacific Rim Uprising”
Chad Burris – “Collisions,” “Drunktown’s Finest”
Damon D’Oliveira – “The Grizzlies,” “Love Come Down”
Luc Déry – “Gabrielle,” “Monsieur Lazhar”
Michael Downey – “Elvis Walks Home,” “Light Thereafter”
Yaël Fogiel – “Memoir of War,” “Latest News of the Cosmos”
Cristina Gallego – “Birds of Passage,” “Embrace of the Serpent”
Laetitia Gonzales – “Plot 35,” “Tournée”
Pauline Gygax – “With the Wind,” “My Life as a Zucchini”
Margot Hand – “Passing,” “Brittany Runs a Marathon”
Jojo Hui – “Better Days,” “Dearest”
Eva Jakobsen – “Miss Viborg,” “Godless”
Lucas Joaquin – “Mayday,” “Love Is Strange”
Lizette Jonjic – “12 Dares,” “Guerrilla”
Thanassis Karathanos – “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” “Tulpan”
Kim McCraw – “Drunken Birds,” “Incendies”
Sev Ohanian – “Run,” “Searching”
Christina Piovesan – “The Nest,” “Amreeka”
Natalie Qasabian – “Run,” “All about Nina”
Philippe Rousselet – “CODA,” “Source Code”
Sara Silveira – “Good Manners,” “Vazante”
James Stark – “Prayers for the Stolen,” “Mystery Train”
Riccardo Tozzi – “La Nostra Vita,” “Don’t Move”
Shih-Ching Tsou – “Red Rocket,” “The Florida Project”
Nadia Turincev – “The Insult,” The Boss’s Daughter”
Tim White – “King Richard,” “Ingrid Goes West”
Trevor White – “King Richard,” “LBJ”
Teruhisa Yamamoto – “Drive My Car,” “Wife of a Spy”
Olena Yershova – “Brighton 4th,” “Volcano”

Production Design
François Audouy – “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Ford v Ferrari”
Laura Ballinger Gardner – “The Irishman,” “Joker”
Chris Baugh – “Steve Jobs,” “Argo”
Ellen Brill – “Being the Ricardos,” “Bombshell”
Joanna Bush – “La La Land,” “Life of Pi”
Christina Cecili – “Cyrano,” “A Quiet Place”
John Coven – “The Lion King,” “Logan”
Carol Flaisher – “Wonder Woman 1984,” “Miss Sloane”
Sandy Hamilton – “tick, tick…BOOM!,” “Joker”
Ellen Lampl – “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Jurassic World”
Enrico Latella – “Tenet,” “All the Money in the World”
Steven Lawrence – “Death on the Nile,” “Cinderella”
Melissa Levander – “The Tender Bar,” “The High Note”
Drew Petrotta – “The Suicide Squad,” “Captain Marvel”
Jean-Vincent Puzos – “Jungle Cruise,” “Amour”
Maya Shimoguchi – “Ford v Ferrari,” “Men in Black 3”

Short Films and Feature Animation
Murad Abu Eisheh – “Tala’vision,” “Ta Hariri”
Olivier Adam – “Sing 2,” “Minions”
Michael Arias – “Harmony,” “Tekkonkinkreet”
Evren Boisjoli – “Fauve,” “What Remains”
Maria Brendle – “Ala Kachuu – Take and Run,” “The Stowaway”
Sean Buckelew – “Drone,” “Hopkins & Delaney LLP”
Olivier Calvert – “Bad Seeds,” “Animal Behaviour”
Enrico Casarosa – “Luca,” “La Luna”
Karla Castañeda – “La Noria (The Waterwheel),” “Jacinta”
Hugo Covarrubias – “Bestia,” “The Night Upside Down”
K.D. Dávila – “Please Hold,” “Emergency”
Charlotte De La Gournerie – “Flee,” “Terra Incognita”
Luc Desmarchelier – “The Bad Guys,” “Open Season”
Anton Dyakov – “Boxballet,” “Vivat Musketeers!”
Brian Falconer – “Saul & I,” “Boogaloo and Graham”
Youssef Joe Haidar – “Scoob!,” “Animated American”
Andy Harkness – “Vivo,” “Get a Horse!”
Pierre Hébert – “Thunder River,” “Memories of War”
Aneil Karia – “The Long Goodbye,” “Work”
Brooke Keesling – “Meatclown,” “Boobie Girl”
Nadine Lüchinger – “Ala Kachuu – Take and Run,” “Puppenspiel (Puppet Play)”
Tadeusz Łysiak – “The Dress,” “Techno”
Joe Mateo – “Blush,” “Big Hero 6”
Sharon Maymon – “Skin,” “Summer Vacation”
Kathleen McInnis – “Mama,” “Downturn”
Yvett Merino – “Encanto,” “Wreck-It Ralph”
Alberto Mielgo – “The Windshield Wiper,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
Les Mills – “Affairs of the Art,” “The Canterbury Tales”
Jetzabel Moreno Hernández – “The Followers,” “Plums and Green Smoke”
Dan Ojari – “Robin Robin,” “Slow Derek”
Brian Pimental – “Tarzan,” “A Goofy Movie”
Mikey Please – “Robin Robin,” “The Eagleman Stag”
Erin Ramos – “Encanto,” “Frozen II”
Mike Rianda – “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”
Doug Roland – “Feeling Through,” “A Better Way”
Leo Sanchez – “The Windshield Wiper,” “Over the Moon”
Marc J. Scott – “The Boss Baby: Family Business,” “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
Sarah Smith – “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” “Arthur Christmas”
Daniel Šuljić – “From Under Which Rock Did They Crawl Out,” “The Cake”
Conrad Vernon – “The Addams Family,” “Shrek 2”
Pamela Ziegenhagen-Shefland – “Abominable,” “The Emperor’s New Groove”

Sound
Douglas Axtell – “True Grit,” “I Am Sam”
Nerio Barberis – “Violeta al Fin,” “Find a Boyfriend for My Wife…Please!”
Amanda Beggs – “The Forever Purge,” “Finding ’Ohana”
Adrian Bell – “Mothering Sunday,” “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”
Joshua Berger – “King Richard,” “The Lost City of Z”
Paul (Salty) Brincat – “The Invisible Man,” “The Thin Red Line”
Tom Yong-Jae Burns – “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Blade Runner 2049”
Benjamin A. Burtt – “Dolittle,” “Black Panther”
Simon Chase – “Belfast,” “Artemis Fowl”
Brian Chumney – “West Side Story,” “The Croods: A New Age”
Richard Flynn – “The Power of the Dog,” “Slow West”
Albert Gasser – “Straight Outta Compton,” “Dances With Wolves”
Lewis Goldstein – “In the Heights,” “Hereditary”
Theo Green – “Dune,” “Blade Runner 2049”
James Harrison – “No Time to Die,” “Captain Phillips”
John Hayes – “The King’s Man,” “Tom and Jerry”
Ruth Hernandez – “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” “Brooklyn’s Finest”
Huang Zheng – “Better Days,” “Chongqing Hot Pot”
Thomas Huhn – “The Wife,” “White God”
David Husby – “Tomorrowland,” “Elf”
Allison Jackson – “Don’t Think Twice,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Paul Ledford – “One Night in Miami,” “Logan”
Leff Lefferts – “Vivo,” “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
Nancy MacLeod – “The Revenant,” “The Hunger Games”
Charles Maynes – “After Earth,” “Letters from Iwo Jima”
Alan Meyerson – “Dune,” “Inception”
Casey Stone – “Frozen,” “Tsotsi”
Edward Tise – “Into the Wild,” “Full Metal Jacket”
Jana Vance – “Cast Away,” “Saving Private Ryan”
Tara Webb – “The Power of the Dog,” “Mortal Kombat”
Waldir Xavier – “From Afar,” “Central Station”
Denise Yarde – “Belfast,” “Dumbo”

Visual Effects
Ivy Agregan – “India Sweets and Spices,” “Wakefield”
Geeta Basantani – “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Vivo”
Aharon Bourland – “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Venom”
Ivan Busquets – “Malignant,” “The Irishman”
Joe Ceballos – “Skyscraper,” “Thor: Ragnarok”
Richard Anthony Clegg – “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” “Blade Runner 2049”
Mark Curtis – “Sully,” “Spectre”
Markus Degen – “The King’s Man,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
Jack Edjourian – “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Tenet”
Eric Enderton – “Shark Tale,” “Jurassic Park”
Marcos Fajardo Orellana – “Thor,” “Monster House”
Joel Green – “No Time to Die,” “The Kid Who Would Be King”
Earl Hibbert – “The Fate of the Furious,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Hayley Hubbard – “The Old Guard,” “Dumbo”
Maia Kayser – “Rango,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”
Garrett Lam – “Limbo,” “Shock Wave 2”
Jake Maymudes – “Dune,” “Terminator: Dark Fate”
Catherine Ann Mullan – “Dumbo,” “Maleficent”
Charlie Noble – “No Time to Die,” “Wonder Woman 1984”
J. Alan Scott – “Finch,” “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”
Tefft Smith – “Alice through the Looking Glass,” “Tomorrowland”
Alan Travis – “Black Widow,” “The Irishman”
Michael Van Eps – “Deepwater Horizon,” “Poseidon”
Sean Noel Walker – “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Black Widow”
Vernon Wilbert – “Stealth,” “I, Robot”
Eric Jay Wong – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Lucy”
Kevin Wooley – “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “Jurassic World”
Wei Zheng – “Mank,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Writers
Zach Baylin – “King Richard”
Henry Bean – “The Believer,” “Deep Cover”
Pawo Choyning Dorji* – “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
Michael Grais – “Cool World,” “Poltergeist”
Ted Griffin – “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Ravenous”
Ryusuke Hamaguchi* – “Drive My Car,” “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy”
Jeremy O Harris – “Zola”
Sian Harries

Members-at-Large
Keith Adams
Josiah Akinyele
Richard Berger
Andrew Birch
Andrew Cannava
George Drakoulias
Andrew Dunlap
Erin Dusseault
James Farrell
Valerie Flueger Veras
Andy Fowler
Glenn Kiser
Anne Lai
Susan Lazarus
Joe Machota
Leonard Maltin
Deborah McIntosh
Julia Michels
Daniel Rabinow
Ilda Santiago
Danie Streisand
Matt Sullivan
Anne Lajla Utsi
Matt Vioral
Michael Zink

Tyler Alvarez to Star in Netflix’s Workplace Comedy Series “Blockbuster”

Tyler Alvarez is the new kid on the block(buster) 

The 24-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban-American actor has joined the cast of BlockbusterNetflix’s upcoming single-camera workplace comedy.

Tyler AlvarezAlvarez is part of a roster of new cast additions that includes Madeleine Arthur and Olga Merediz as series regulars. JB Smoove and Kamaia Fairburn have also joined the cast in recurring roles.

They join previously announced leads Randall Park and Melissa Fumero.

Blockbuster, from Universal Television, is a 10-episode ensemble comedy that takes place in the last Blockbuster Video store in America. It explores what it takes – and, more specifically, who it takes – for a small business to succeed against all odds.

Alvarez will play Carlos. As a first-generation son of immigrants, he learned English by watching movies, and they quickly became his love language. He dreams of being a filmmaker, but can’t help but feel like he owes it to his parents to live the American life they planned for him.

Merediz will play Connie. She works at Blockbuster to make friends, not money. She’s the unintentionally blunt mother figure to not just the employees, but many of the Blockbuster regulars.

The series is created by Vanessa Ramos, with David Caspe and Jackie Clarke also serving as writers/executive producers. John Davis and John Fox executive produce for Davis Entertainment. Payman Benz will direct and co-executive produce four episodes, including the pilot.

Alvarez’s previous credits include Never Have I Ever and American Vandal.

Merediz previously appeared in In the Heights and Encanto.

Olga Merediz Starring in Dave Franco-Directed Amazon Original Film “Somebody I Used to Know”

Olga Merediz is in the Know

The 65-year-old Cuban actress/singer, who originated the role of Abuela Claudia in the Broadway musical In the Heights, has been cast in Somebody I Used to Know, the Amazon original film being directed by Dave Franco and starring Alison Brie, Jay Ellis and Kiersey Clemons.

Olga Merediz

Merediz is among a list of cast newcomers that includes Julie HagertyHaley Joel OsmentAmy Sedaris, Danny Pudi, Zoe Chao, Evan Jonigkeit, Ayden Mayeri and Kelvin Yu.

With the cast filled out, production is underway in Oregon on the romantic comedy co-penned by Franco and Brie.

The film hails from Temple Hill Entertainment and Black Bear Pictures and marks a reteam of Franco, Brie and Black Bear after last year’s horror pic The Rentaldirected by Franco and starring Brie.

Somebody I Used to Know centers on Ally (Brie), a workaholic who on a trip to her hometown spends a night reminiscing with her ex-boyfriend Sean (Ellis), which makes her start to question everything about the choices she’s made and the person she’s become. And things only get more confusing when she meets Cassidy (Clemons), a younger woman who reminds her of the person she used to be.

The film is expected to debut exclusively on Prime Video worldwide next year.

Merediz’s other credits include appearances on Shades of Blue and Netflix‘s Orange Is the New Black.

Warner Bros. to Release Anthony Ramos’ “In The Heights” on June 11

Anthony Ramos’ moment in the heights to happen a week earlier…

Warner Bros.’ has announced plans to release the Jon M. Chu-directed feature musical In The Heights, starring the 29-year-old Puerto Rican actor/singer on June 11, a week earlier than previously scheduled.

Anthony Ramos in In The Heights

The movie, the feature adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría HudesTony Award-winning musical, recently dropped a new trailer.

In the Heights is set in the titular Latinx community of New York City’s bustling Washington Heights. When the neighborhood’s charismatic local bodega owner, and the film’s humble narrator, finally decides to fulfill his dream of going to the island his parents called home, his departure will change his beloved block forever.

In the Heights stars Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco and icon Jimmy Smits.

The film was originally scheduled to be released last summer before COVID-19 pushed it to this year.

Merediz to Star as George Lopez’s Mom in the FX Series “Saint George”

Olga Merediz is reuniting with her one-time co-star George Lopez

The 57-year-old Cuba-born Broadway, television and film actress, who appeared on ABC’s The George Lopez Show, has been cast in a series regular role on Lopez’s FX series Saint George, the 10-90 family sitcom from Lionsgate Television.

Olga Merediz

Merediz will play Lopez’s mother Alma, a feisty, combative and domineering woman with an acerbic wit.

Merediz, who originated the role of Abuela Claudia in the Broadway musical In the Heights and earned a Tony nomination for her inspired performance, recently appeared opposite Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling in the feature Place Beyond The Pines.

Merediz’s other film credits include Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Evita, Marvin’s Room and Music of the Heart, while her television credits include Netflix‘s big hit Orange is the New Black, Royal Pains, Blue Bloods, Pan Am and Law & Order SVU.