Tag Archives: Tony Award

Hudes Claims Pulitzer Prize for Drama

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Quiara Alegría Hudes is probably still celebrating her professional success by the spoonful…

The half-Puerto Rican playwright and author has won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for drama with her play Water by the Spoonful, according to Columbia University.

Quiara Alegría Hudes

Hudes, best known for writing the book for the Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights, was awarded $10,000 for the play that reflects the return to civilian life of an Iraq War veteran.

The jury of the 96th annual Pulitzer Prizes wished to honor Hudes’ “imaginative playwhich is set in her native Philadelphia.

Water by the Spoonful was produced last fall at the Stage Company in Hartford, Connecticut.

Hudes, who earned a bachelor’s degree  in music from Yale University and an M.F.A. in playwriting from Brown University, was a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer with Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue. She’s also the creator of other musicals like Barrio Grrrl!, which premiered in 2009 at Washington’s Kennedy Center.

At the age of 12, Hudes’ first play was produced by the Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival and she still returns home to lead workshops for young scribes.

Ruehl Cast in Fox’s “El Jefe” Pilot

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HBO’s Luck may have run out of suerte… But that doesn’t mean Mercedes Ruehl’s luck has.

The 63-year part-Cuban actress, who was promoted from guest star to series regular or the second season of HBO’s recently cancelled drama series, will star opposite Ryan Hansen in Fox’s comedy pilot El Jefe.

Mercedes Ruehl

From writers David Guarascio and Moses Port, the project centers on the affable but lost upper-class 30-year-old Josh (Hansen) who, tossed out of his Brentwood home, moves in with his adoring longtime Latina nanny Delmi (Ruehl), a vibrant woman and a real life force “of sturdy peasant stock.”

Ruehl has experienced a rollercoaster week… After spending several years looking after her family, the Oscar and Tony winning actress was prepared to return to acting when she signed on as a series regular on Luck. But HBO suddenly ended the series on Wednesday following the death of a third horse on the set.

Ruehl wasn’t down and out though. After reading the script for El Jefe and meeting with the writers, Ruehl decided to sign on for the project. She’s expected to start production on the pilot on Monday, less than a week after Luck was cancelled.

In addition to Ruehl, Jessica Camacho has been cast in the pilot. She’ll play Lucia, the girlfriend of Delmi’s son (Victor Rasuk).

Cannavale Headed to HBO’s Bowardwalk Empire

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After guest-starring on Modern Family and Nurse Jackie, Bobby Cannavale is officially heading back to television. Only this time he’ll a regular on a Golden-Globe winning dramatic series.

The 41-year-old half-Cuban American actor has joined HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. He’ll star as Gyp Rosetti, who is described as “a charming but ruthless gangster who challenges Steve Buscemi’s character Nucky,” in the hit period drama.

Bobby Cannavale Modern Family

Cannavale’s casting comes just months after Boardwalk Empire’s sophomore season saw the series kill off Michael Pitt‘s well-likd character Jimmy Darmody—a former confidant-turned-rival for Nucky.

The Emmy-winning actor’s hiring will now provide a high-profile counterpart to Buscemi.

Boardwalk Empire, which HBO renewed for a third season in October, recently won a second Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding ensemble in a drama series.

Cannavale recently completed production on his upcoming 10-episode arc on Showtime‘s Nurse Jackie and he recently wrapped shooting on the film Lovelace with Amanda Seyfried.

In addition, he co-starred with Chris Rock on Broadway’s The Motherf—er With the Hat, snagging a Tony Award nomination for his work.