Melissa Fumero to Star in NBC Drama Pilot “Grosse Pointe Garden Society”

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Fumero is entering Society…

The 41-year-old Cuban American actress and former Brooklyn Nine-Nine star has been cast as a lead in Grosse Pointe Garden Society, NBC’s drama pilot from Jenna Bans, Bill Krebs and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Fumero will star opposite AnnaSophia Robb and Ben Rappaport in the pilot.

The drama follows four members of a suburban garden club — three of them played by Fumero, Robb and Rappaport — all from different walks of life, who get caught up in murder and mischief as they struggle to make their conventional lives bloom.

Fumero plays Birdie. Entitled, rich, swathed in Chanel, a smoker, a drinker, self-destructive at times, toxic at others, but not without real pain beneath her facade, Birdie is a successful author whose memoir, “Digging for Gold: Dancing Through Divorce,” is a bestseller.

Robb plays Alice, your favorite high school English teacher, a dreamer whose best dreams are crashing down on her. She’s a longtime member of the Grosse Pointe Garden Society.

Rappaport plays Brett. Cool in a threadbare kind of way, Brett put his own dreams of starting a car restoration business on hold so his wife (now ex-wife) could finish law school. He continues his job as a manager of a garden store so he can take care of the kids.

Maggie Kiley is directing the pilot.

This marks Fumero’s return to NBC. She’s best known for her role as Amy Santiago in the critically acclaimed Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which ended its eight-season run on NBC. She won the Imagen Foundation Award for her work on the show.

Fumero recently was a voice cast member on Comedy Central’s adult animated series Digman! from Andy Samberg as well as Max’s Velma from Mindy Kaling.

She also starred opposite Randall Park in Netflix’s comedy series Blockbuster and in the IFC comedy film Barfight! with Rachel Bloom.

E.L. Losada to Appear on Netflix’s Upcoming Shondaland Mystery Series “The Residence”

Posted on March 11, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

E.L. Losada has found his residence…

The 39-year-old Cuban American actor will appear on Netflix’s upcoming Shondaland mystery series The Residence.

Losada, who has starred in Loot and Los Frikis, will appear in a recurring role.

Losada joins series lead Uzo Aduba in the series along with cast members: Andre Braugher, Edwina Findley, Molly Griggs, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, Al Mitchell, Dan Perrault, Bronson Pinchot, Susan Kelechi Watson, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mary Wiseman, and Randall Park.

The official logline for the show states, “132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective (Aduba). One disastrous State Dinner. The Residence is a screwball whodunnit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion.”

Losada will play energy healer St. Pierre.

Paul William Davies is the showrunner and executive producer on The Residence. Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers executive produce on behalf of Shondaland via the company’s Netflix overall deal.

Liza Johnson will direct the first four episodes.

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

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

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.

The 10-episode first season, which will be released on November 3, also stars Randall Park, Tyler Alvarez, Madeleine Arthur, Olga Merediz, JB Smoove, and Kamaia Fairburn.

From creator, writer, executive producer and showrunner Vanessa Ramos, Blockbuster 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.

Alongside 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.

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

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

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 Blockbuster, Netflix’s upcoming single-camera workplace comedy.

Alvarez 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.

Melissa Fumero to Star Opposite Randall Park in Netflix’s Workplace Comedy Series “Blockbuster”

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Fumero has landed a blockbuster role…

The 39-year-old Cuban American actress and former Brooklyn Nine-Nine star will appear as the female lead opposite Randall Park in Blockbuster, Netflix’s upcoming single-camera workplace comedy.

Fumero will play Eliza, a dedicated mother whose marriage to her high school sweetheart is on the rocks. She left Harvard after one semester to start a family and now works at Blockbuster alongside Timmy (Park) as his trusty Number 2 — and maybe more.

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.

Fumero is segueing to Blockbuster from,Brooklyn Nine-Nine, on which Ramos did a stint as a writer-producer and Benz as an episodic director.

Fumero starred as Det. Amy Santiago on the cop comedy, which recently wrapped its eighth and final season on NBC.

She is shooting Jim Mahoney’s independent comedy feature Bar Fight, alongside Rachel Bloom.

Fumero’s credits also include the voice of Melissa in Marvel’s animated series M.O.D.O.K. for Hulu, a recurring role on Netflix’s One Day at a Time and a guest-starring role on HBO’s Room 104.

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.

Fred Armisen to Participate in Taran Killam’s “Mafia 4 ‘Merica” Event to Benefit When We All Vote

Posted on October 18, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Fred Armisen is joining the mafia…

The 53-year-old half-Venezuelan American actor/comedian will take part in fellow former Saturday Night Live cast member Taran Killam’s Mafia 4 ‘Merica.

Described as an evening of charity and comedy, the event will take place on Saturday, October 24, at 7:00 pm PT/10:00 pm ET via the Looped app. All proceeds from the evening will benefit When We All Vote, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization founded by Michelle Obama and others.

Armisen, Vanessa Bayer, Jillian Bell, Adam Brody, Will Forte, Natasha Lyonne, Bobby Moynihan, Randall Park, Sam Richardson, Andrea Savage, Ben Schwartz, Cobie Smulders and others will play the popular party game Mafia. Audience members will know everyone’s role, but the players will not.

Mafia consists of two secretly predetermined teams, an informed minority (The Mafia), and an uninformed majority (The Villagers). At the start of the game, each player is confidentially assigned a role affiliated with one of these teams (Mafia or Villager).

The game has two alternating phases. First, everyone closes their eyes and The Mafia must decide secretly to eliminate a Villager in the night. Secondly, everyone is told to open their eyes and The Host announces who has been eliminated. Immediately following, the entire group must debate, accuse, argue and lie through their teeth to save themselves until a consensus is made and the group votes to eliminate who they think is one of The Mafia.

The person with the most votes is eliminated, whether they’re rightfully accused as Mafia, or just a lonely Villager. Whatever team can eliminate their opposing side first wins.

The ticketed event is on sale here.

Strand Releasing Acquires Rights to Joshua Diaz’s “Straight Up”

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Joshua Diaz is heading straight (up)to theaters…

Strand Releasing has acquired the American rights to James Sweeney’s feature film debut Straight Up, starring the Latino actor.

Written, directed and starring Sweeney, the comedy follows Todd (Sweeney), a persnickety half-virgin diagnosed with OCD who thinks maybe he was socially conditioned to be gay. Rory (Katie Findlay) is a whip-smart aspiring actress with her own set of insecurities, sexual and otherwise. Over time, Rory’s stagnant career and Todd’s self-doubt begins to dismantle their odd couple routine, despite their unwillingness to let each other go.

“We’re thrilled to have James’ singular and humorous vision, his knack for snappy dialogue and smart visuals are inspired by period screwball comedies and create such a unique hybrid for modern cinema,” said Marcus Hu, of Strand Releasing.

“I am over the moon that Straight Up has found a home in Strand Releasing, and look forward to sharing shelf space with some of my favorite independent films,” said Sweeney.

Along with Diaz, who stars as Zane, the film also stars Randall Park, Betsy Brandt, Tracie Thoms, James Scully, Dana Drori and Brendan Scannell.

The film is produced by David Carricoat Valparaiso Pictures, Ross Putman, and Sweeney.

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