Rita Moreno to Be Honored at This Year’s Academy Museum Gala

Rita Moreno is earning special icon honors…

The Academy Museum will host its fourth annual star-studded gala on October 19, with the 92-year-old Puerto Rican Emmy, Oscar, Tony Award and Grammy-winning (EGOT) actress, singer and dancer among this year’s honorees.

Rita Moreno,Moreno is among a roster of honorees that includes Paul Mescal and Quentin Tarantino.

The fundraising event will celebrate the museum’s third anniversary and help raise funds to support museum exhibitions, education initiatives and public programming.

Moreno the Icon Award, celebrating an artist whose career has had a significant global cultural impact.

She has performed on stage and screen in a career spanning over eight decades, including her Oscar-winning turn as Anita in West Side Story.

Moreno is one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Mescal will receive the Vantage Award, honoring an emerging artist or scholar who is helping to contextualize and challenge dominant narratives around cinema; Tarantino the Luminary Award, given to an artist whose singular contributions have expanded the creative possibilities of cinema.

The gala is being co-chaired by Dr. Eric Esrailian, Salma Hayek PinaultNicole KidmanEva Longoria and Tyler Perry.

“The Academy Museum Gala celebrates the power, global impact, and indelible importance of cinema, and I am thrilled we can gather for a fourth year and honor these three amazing artists — Rita Moreno, Quentin Tarantino and Paul Mescal — whose groundbreaking achievements, filmmaking influence, and demonstrated versatility will continue to inspire generations of artists and filmmakers,” said incoming Academy Museum director and president Amy Homma said in a statement. “We are profoundly grateful to Rolex for their continued support of the museum and cinema worldwide, our co-chairs Dr. Eric Esrailian, Salma Hayek Pinault, Nicole Kidman, Eva Longoria, and Tyler Perry for hosting this special evening.”

The Academy Museum Gala has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most A-list events, at last year‘s ceremony toasting Meryl Streep, Michael B. Jordan, Oprah Winfrey and Sofia Coppola and raising more than $10 million in the process.

The 2024 Academy Gala Host Committee, also announced on Monday, includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo, Jon Bernthal, Orlando Bloom, Sterling K. Brown, Ruth E. Carter, Jon M. Chu, Kieran Culkin, Willem Dafoe, Ariana DeBose, Colman Domingo, Winston Duke, Kirsten Dunst & Jesse Plemons, Cynthia Erivo, Emerald Fennell, Sally Field, Nicholas Galitzine, Jennifer Garner, Ariana Grande, Ludwig Göransson, Regina Hall, Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson, Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell, Brian Tyree Henry, Cord Jefferson, Dwayne Johnson, Rashida Jones, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Jessica Lange, Jude Law, Jennifer Lawrence, Greta Lee, Demi Moore, Niecy Nash-Betts, Josh O’Connor, Ke Huy Quan, Questlove, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Eddie Redmayne, Saoirse Ronan, Meg Ryan, Celine Song, Denis Villeneuve, Lulu Wang, Jeffrey Wright, Letitia Wright, Steven Yeun and Hans Zimmer.

Pedro Pascal to Serve as Presenter at This Year’s Academy Awards Show

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Pedro Pascal is headed to the Oscars

The 47-year-old Chilean actor appears on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ final list of names chosen as presenters for the 95th annual Academy Awards.

Pedro Pascal

In addition to Pascal, the latest round of stars set to present includes Eva Longoria, Halle Berry, Paul Dano, Cara Delevingne, Kate Hudson, Mindy Kaling, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Andie MacDowell, Elizabeth Olsen and John Travolta, executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner and executive producer Molly McNearney have announced.

Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, at Ovation’s Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Previously announced Oscars presenters include Riz Ahmed, Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Nicole Kidman, Troy Kotsur, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Florence Pugh, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Donnie Yen.

Jenna Ortega To Serve as Presenter at This Week’s Golden Globes Awards Show

Jenna Ortega is preparing for an extra golden night…

The 20-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress will serve as a presenter at this year’s Golden Globes awards ceremony.

Jenna OrtegaOrtega, who is a first-time nominee this year for her starring role in Netflix’s Wednesday, was among the latest list of presenters announced today.

But she isn’t the only Latinx talent to be added to the presenter’s list.

Harvey Guillén, who rose to acclaim in What We Do in The Shadows, and former Golden Globe-nominee Salma Hayek Pinault will also take the stage.

Other newly announced presenters include Jennifer Hudson, Claire Danes, Cole Hauser, Henry Golding, Hilary Swank, Glen Powell, Jay Ellis, Jennifer Coolidge, Letitia Wright, Mo Brings Plenty and Regina Hall.

Also participating on the telecast will be Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy, offering a special message of peace which will be introduced by actor Sean Penn.

They join the previously announced presenters, which include Ana De Armas, Ana Gasteyer, Colman Domingo, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Natasha Lyonne, Niecy Nash-Betts, Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tracy Morgan and Nicole Byer.

The Golden Globes are set to air live coast-to-coast on January. 10 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. PT/8:00-11:00 pm ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock.

Jerrod Carmichael will host the ceremony, which will held at the Globes’ usual home, the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Calif.

Eddie Murphy will be the recipient of the 2023 Cecil B. DeMille Award. Ryan Murphy will receive the Carol Burnett Award.

Salma Hayek to Reprise Kitty Softpaws Role in “Puss in Boots” Sequel “The Last Wish”

Salma Hayek Pinault is pawing her way back to the big screen…

The 55-year-old Mexican actress will reprise the role of Kitty Softpaws in the long-awaited Puss in Boots movie sequel The Last Wish.

Salma HayekHayek will re-team with Antonio Banderas, who voices the titular feline character, on the animated film.

Hayek and Banderas will contend with a third amigo this time around as Harvey Guillén (makes his franchise debut in the role of Perro, Kitty and Puss’ canine associate.

Also part of the A-list ensemble is Florence PughOlivia ColmanWagner MouraRay WinstoneJohn Mulaney, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Anthony Mendez and Samson Kayo.

The Last Wish follows the daring outlaw Puss in Boots as he discovers that his passion for peril and disregard for safety have taken their toll.

The original film, released in 2011, was a Shrek spinoff following Puss’ adventures prior to his debut appearance in Shrek 2Puss in Boots made more than $149 million at the domestic box office, and close to $555 million worldwide.

Talks of a follow-up go as far back as 2014. Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves was announced in June of that year with DreamWorks Animation setting a November release date. It was delayed by a month before it was removed from the schedule due to restructuring at DreamWorks.

After many more internal changes, The Last Wish finally received a September 23, 2022, release date with Banderas’ return confirmed.

Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado serve as director and co-director of The Last Wish, respectively; Mark Swift will produce.

The film is executive produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri. Universal is set to handle distribution.

The first trailer for the project will debut March 15.

Shakira to Take Part in Global Citizen’s “Global Goal: Unite for Our Future – The Concert”

Shakirais going global…

Global Citizen and the European Commission have joined forces for Global Goal: Unite for Our Future – The Concert, with the43-year-oldColombian singer-songwriter set to perform.

Shakira

Dwayne Johnson will host the event, which will take place on Saturday, June 27. 

The Concertwill be televised worldwide and digitally streamed special that will highlight the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has on marginalized communities.

In addition to Shakira, The Concertwill feature performances from Jennifer HudsonChloe x HalleChristine and the QueensColdplayJ BalvinJustin Bieber and Quavo, Miley CyrusUsher and Yemi Alade

In addition, there will be appearances from Billy PorterCharlize TheronChris Rock, David BeckhamDerrick JohnsonDiane KrugerForest WhitakerHugh JackmanKen JeongKerry Washington,Nikolaj Coster-WaldauOlivia ColmanOpal TometiSalma Hayek PinaultAntoni Porowski and more.

“Global Citizens around the world are calling for systemic change, change that brings about justice for everyone, everywhere, regardless of where they were born or the colour of their skin,” said Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of Global Citizen. “If we are to end COVID-19 for all, we need our world leaders to commit the billions of dollars needed to develop and equitably deliver testing, treatments and vaccines. Global Goal: Unite for Our Future – The Concertwill bring the centuries-old concept of music as a motivator for change and unity, together with science and data, to honour the problem solvers – including doctors, scientists, lab workers, essential workers and human rights advocates – who are racing to not only create the cure for COVID-19, but also to ensure that it’s available for everyone who needs it.”

The Concertwill air on broadcasters across the globe including ARD,Canal+ GroupRTVE in Europe, Bell Media, CBCCitytv, and Global TV, in Canada, NBC and iHeartMedia in the U.S.,Grupo Globo in Brazil, MultiChoice Group and SABC in Africa, Fuji TV and Star India in Asia, and Channel Nine in Australia. 

The Concert will also be streamed on global platforms. 

The virtual broadcast will celebrate innovators, scientists, health workers, activists and organizations working to develop and distribute COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines to everyone, everywhere who need them.

The Concertfollows Global Goal: Unite for Our Future—The Summit, a global pledging moment where world leaders, corporations and philanthropists will announce new commitments to help develop equitable distribution of COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines, as well as rebuild communities devastated by the pandemic. 

The Summit will feature panel discussions and interviews moderated by journalists Katie CouricMallika KapurMorgan RadfordIsha Sesay and Keir Simmons. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Miley Cyrus, Angelique Kidjo and Ken Jeong will join the conversation as well as experts including Brittany Packnett CunninghamMelinda GatesDr. Vin GuptaNAACP President Derrick Johnson, Executive Director of UN WomenPhumzile Mlambo-NgcukaEddie NdopuAbiola OkeKate Upton and Justin Verlander.

America Ferrera Joins 200+ in Penning Letter in Solidarity with the U.S. Latino Community in the Trump Era

America Ferrerais speaking up…

The 35-year-old Honduran American actress and former Ugly Betty star is among the A-list celebrities who’ve signed a letter to support the Latino community in light of recent deadly attacks and political targeting.

America Ferrea

Ferrera is among 200 actors, musicians, artists, activists, and labor and civil rights leaders that have signed the letter, which has been published in newspapers including The New York TimesEl Nuevo HeraldLa Opinión and El Diario.

Other top names include Eva LongoriaDiane Guerrero, Alex Martinez Kondracke, Mónica Ramírez and Olga Segura, along with Jennifer LopezGina RodriguezLin-Manuel MirandaCarmen PerezAnthony D. RomeroWilmer ValderramaZoe SaldanaSalma Hayek PinaultRicky MartinRosario DawsonDiego Luna, Dolores Huertaand Sandra Cisneros.

This comes amid a raft of incidents including the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas that left 22 individuals dead and injured 24 others, the sweeping ICE raids that took 680 individuals into custody in Mississippi, the continued separation of families, and the inhumane living conditions of those detained.



“As a Latina, my heart breaks with every attack on our dignity, humanity and lives. And as an American, I fear for the future of my country when our culture and policies lack a basic decency and respect for human life,” said Ferrera. “We all have a responsibility to show up in this moment and demand decency for one another and for our country.”

“We’re facing a moral crisis in our country, and we chose to use this moment to raise our voices, and speak up,” said Longoria. “Integrity starts with looking in the mirror and this letter calls on everyone, not just our community, to choose humanity and decency over hate and violence.”

“This piece is to remind us of our shared humanity,” added Orange Is The New Black star Guerrero. 

“We don’t have to look far to see what family separation and hateful rhetoric is doing to the people in our country. If we do not act, we will be complicit in one of history’s greatest tragedies.”