Warner Bros. Releases Oscar Isaac’s “Dune” Character Poster

Posted on July 20, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Oscar Isaac is getting into character…

Warner Bros. has released a series of character posters from Dune, its upcoming sci-fi tentpole starring the 42-year-old Guatemalan & Cuban actor.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film is an update of Frank Herbert’s novel, which was turned into a 1984 movie by David Lynch.

Dune is set to have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September before it hits theaters and HBO Max day-and-date on October 22.

In addition to Isaac, Dune‘s cast includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Sharon Duncan Brewster, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen and David Dastmalchian, with Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem.

The character posters revealed via the film’s social media pages feature Chalamet, who stars as Paul Atreides; Zendaya as Chani; Ferguson as Lady Jessica; Momoa as Duncan Idaho; Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides; Bardem as Stilgar; Brolin as Gurney Halleck; and Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.

The plot centers on Atreides, a brilliant and gifted man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence — a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential — only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth.

Rita Moreno Among the “Cast” for This Year’s Academy Awards Show

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Rita Moreno has a special date with Oscar…

The producers of this year’s 93rd annual Academy Awards have cast an ensemble of 15 stars to handle all the presenting duties, including the 89-year-old Puerto Rican actress, singer and dancer.

Moreno, one of the few artists to have won all four major annual American entertainment awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award, is part of a “cast” that includes last year’s Oscar winners Joaquin Phoenix, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt and Laura Dern.

It’s part of the producers’ pledge to do the entire broadcast as if it were a movie itself.

Last year’s Best Director winner, Bong Joon Ho, who made four trips to the stage for Parasite, is also part of this ensemble, presumably to present Best Director.

Other names announced — in alphabetical order — are Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya.

“In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we’ve assembled a truly stellar cast of stars,” said producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh. “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required.”

This idea of having a set group of presenters rotating in and out of the show is not new. When producer Gower Champion reimagined the 1969 Oscar show, he created what they called “Friends of Oscar,” with 10 stars exclusively serving as presenters (and no host). The format was then repeated successfully the next year, and has been tweaked occasionally over the decades — including for the innovative 2009 show produced by Bill Condon and Laurence Mark, which used combinations of five past winners each to present the acting awards.

Additional talent joining the April 25 live broadcast on ABC will be announced later.

Alfred Molina to Reprise Role as Doctor Octopus in Next Installment of “Spider-Man” Franchise

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Alfred Molina is ready for an mollusk-uous reprisal…

The 67-year-old half-Spanish actor will return as scientist-turned-villain Otto Octavius a.k.a Doctor Octopus in the forthcoming third installment of Sony/Marvel’s Tom Holland-led Spider-Man franchise.

The Emmy and Golden Globe nominee’s character first appeared in 2004’s Spider-Man 2, starring Toby Maguire and directed by Sam Raimi. A

nd he won’t be the only one from a previous Spidey-verse who’ll make an appearance. Early this year, it was revealed that Jamie Foxx would be returning as Electro from Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Jon Watts is back to direct the sequel to the $2 billion-grossing franchise. Stars Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, and Tony Revolori are expected to return as well.

Spider-Man 3 is currently scheduled for release on December 17, 2021.

HBO Releases Trailer for Upcoming Special Episodes of Colman Domingo & Zendaya’s Series “Euphoria”

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

There’s more euphoria in Colman Domingo’s near future…

HBO has released the first trailer for a pair of special episodes of Euphoria, starring the 51-year-old half-Guatemalan American actor and Emmy-winner Zendaya.

While it’s not a full-fledged sophomore season of the acclaimed HBO original series, the special episodes will give fans a chance to catch up with the show’s characters.

The first episode is titled “Part 1: Rue” and will stream on HBO Max on December 6 at 9:00 pm.

The brief trailer picks up after the Season 1 finale, in which Rue (Zendaya) uses cocaine and relapses after her girlfriend Jules (Hunter Schafer) gets on a train and leaves her after their high school winter formal. Rue sits in a diner contemplating her life when she runs into Ali (Domingo), whom she met at her Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

part one: rue pic.twitter.com/5U9E4vfBzs

— euphoria (@euphoriaHBO) November 30, 2020

Euphoria creator Sam Levinson wrote and directed the first special episode, and HBO has yet to announce the release date or title for the second episode.

Back in September, Zendaya became the youngest person to win an Emmy for best lead actress in a drama for her work on the show. Euphoria was nominated for six categories in total, taking home awards in contemporary makeup and original music and lyrics in addition to Zendaya’s win.

The show is produced in partnership with A24 and based on the Israeli series of the same name, which was created by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin.

Jennifer Lopez to Appear as Part of YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” Global Virtual Commencement Ceremony

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez is ready to motivate this year’s graduates…

YouTube has added several speakers and musical performances to Dear Class of 2020, its global virtual commencement ceremony set for June 6, including the 50-year-old Puerto Rican superstar.

In addition to Lopez, others joining Barack and Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga and more as part of the special event are Beyoncé Knowles-Carter— who will deliver an inspirational message to the graduates — La La Anthony, Andy Cohen, Lana Condor, Misty Copeland,Kevin Durant, FINNEAS, Bill & Melinda Gates, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Demi Lovato, Hasan Minhaj, Janelle Monáe,Antoni Porowski, Billy Porter, Phoebe Robinson, Yara Shahidi, Michael Strahan, Taylor Swift, Ciara & Russell Wilson, the casts of Euphoria and Riverdale, Today’s Jenna Bush Hager and Natalie Morales, and YouTub ecreators Emma Chamberlain, John Green, NikkieTutorials, and Mark Rober.

The multi-hour event premieres on Saturday, June 6 on YouTube. Other speakers and performers include BTS, Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, Kerry Washington, Chloe x Halle and Zendaya, among others.

Barack and Michelle Obama each will deliver commencement speeches – as well as a joint heartfelt message – to this year’s high school and college seniors who are missing graduation celebrations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Michelle Obama’s Higher Reach Initiative will host a full hour of content to kick off the celebration.

“Graduation is a tradition that students and families look forward to and with the current state of the world, YouTube is lending some inspiration in the form of a virtual commencement,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Content for YouTube. “We hope bringing together noteworthy, influential speakers along with performances from some of their favorite artists will provide encouragement for the students who have worked so hard to get here.”

In “Dear Class of 2020,” people from around the world will join the class of 2020 as a singular community to celebrate their resilience, and the endless possibilities of their future, says YouTube.

“The festival-style line up combines classic commencement day themes with a diverse array of entertainment that will capture all of the emotions of graduation including pride, hope, optimism, and camaraderie.”

YouTube is working in partnership with Higher Reach, Born This Way Foundation, Malala Fund, TODAY, and Ideas United to showcase student stories and feature graduates around the world, including a crowd-sourced commencement speech. The special will be produced by Done + Dusted.

“Dear Class of 2020” can be streamed on the YouTube Originals channel and the Learn@Home site.

The full schedule of commencement events is available on the Learn@Home site.

Bad Bunny to Take Part in LeBron James’ “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020” Special

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunnyis celebrating the Class of 2020…

The LeBron James Family Foundation announced that it’s paying tribute to the class of 2020 with a one-hour multimedia event called Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020, with the 26-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer joining the roster of participating artists.

James’ virtual graduation party for this year’s graduation class, who’s seen their school year cancelled because of the coronavirus, will take place on Saturday, May 16 at 8:00 pm ET simultaneously on NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox— as well as on the streaming platforms Complex Networks, Facebook app, Instagram, People TV, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

In addition to Bad Bunny, the lineup includes Kane Brown, Lana Condor, David Dobrik, Dolan Twins, Karol G, Liza Koshy, Maren Morris, National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson, Olivia Wilde, Zendaya, Charli D’Amelio, Dixie D’Amelio, Chika, YBN Cordae, Loren Gray, H.E.R., the Jonas Brothers, Brandan Bmike Odums, Ben Platt, Henry Platt, Jonah Platt, Megan Rapinoe, Yara Shahidi, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Malala Yousafzaiand many more.

Working with the XQ Instituteand The Entertainment Industry Foundation, the show will allow the companies to honor the more than three million high school seniors who’ll miss out on the annual rite of passage due to the national shutdown caused by the COVID-19pandemic.

“We learned early on in our work with students and families in Akron that education is so much more than academics,” said James in a statement.

“It’s about a shared experience, a journey we’re all on together—students, parents, educators, community members, and everyone around them. With that not being possible right now, we’ve been working to find ways to help families get through this really difficult time. These students have worked incredibly hard for this and there’s no way we can let that go unrecognized. While this won’t be the graduation experience they were supposed to get, we hope we can still give them something special because they deserve it.”

The commercial-free show will be curated by high school students and educators from across the country, with support from the American Federation of Teachers, highlighted by a collection of commencement addresses, celebrity performances and inspirational vignettes.

Students, educators, and families are encouraged to submit their videos and photos online for consideration to be included in the telecast using #GraduateTogether. Artist JR is also inviting seniors to share their portraits for a national virtual yearbook celebrating the entire Class of 2020.

Local TV stations will feature custom breakaways to celebrate the achievements of high school students in their communities.

Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020will be broadcast commercial-free on May 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC.

Barbie Ferreira to Star in the HBO Max Film “UNPregnant”

Posted on September 21, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Barbie Ferreirais reporting for BFF duty…

The 22-year-old Brazilian American actress and model will star in HBO MAX’s adaptation of Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan’s novel UNPregnant.

Ferreira will star opposite Haley Lu Richardson in the film, which will be directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg.

UNpregnant tells the story of 17-year-old Veronica (Richardson), who never thought she’d want to fail a test—that is, until she finds herself staring at a piece of plastic with two solid pink lines. With a promising college-bound future now disappearing before her eyes, Veronica considers a decision she never imagined she’d have to make. This tough and never-taken-lightly decision leads her on a 900+ mile road trip to New Mexico over three days with her ex-best friend Bailey (Ferreira), where they discover that one of the most important factors in your life is who your friends are.

The film hails from Erik Feig’s Picturestart and Greg Berlanti Productions.

Ferreira most recently starred on HBO’s Zendaya-led drama series Euphoria, as well as appearances on Divorce.

Ferreira starred in the Vice series How to Behave, about etiquette, which earned her a Webby Award for Best Web Personality/Host. She also starred in the Teen Vogue web series Body Party, about body positivity.

Demi Lovato to Join School Shooting Survivors at “March for Our Lives” in Washington, DC

Posted on March 17, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Demi Lovato is heading to Washington, DC next week to help shine a light on the issue of gun violence…

The 25-year-old part-Mexican American singer/actress will join survivors of the February 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, as they take to the streets of Washington to protest gun violence.

On March 24, survivors will be joined by Lovato, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson as they call for gun legislation reform.

One of the survivors, David Hogg, made the announcement for March for Our Lives during an appearance on CNN.

“We’re gonna have four major independent women that are standing with us and walking beside us,” Hogg said.

According to the March for Our Lives mission statement, organizers will “demand that a comprehensive and effective bill be immediately brought before (the U.S.) Congress to address these gun issues.”

The shooting at Stoneman Douglas High claimed the lives of 17 people.

Lovato invited survivors onstage during the opening show of her tour in San Diego.

Other celebrities, including Jimmy Fallon and George Clooney, are set to attend as well.

The march will occur 10 days after a national student walkout, which was met with similar support by celebrities including Katy Perry and Zendaya.

Sister marches will take place in cities across the nation.

Prince Royce’s “Five” Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums Chart

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Prince Royce is reigning supreme…

The 27-year-old Dominican American singer crowns Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart (dated March 18) four a fourth time, as his latest studio album, Five, arrives with 19,000 album equivalent units earned in the tracking week ending March 2, according to Nielsen Music.

Prince Royce’s set bows at No. 25 on the all-genre Billboard 200.

Of that sum, 16,000 were in traditional album sales, which is the biggest sales frame for a Latin album since Gerardo Ortiz’s Hoy Mas Fuerta bowed at No. 1 with 20,000 sold on the June 6, 2015-dated list.

Five marks Royce’s first Spanish-language arrival since Soy El Mismo topped the chart for two weeks in 2013 — and follows his previous English-language release, Double Vision, which landed at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 on the August 15, 2015 chart.

Elsewhere, Five’s current single “Deja Vu,” featuring Shakira, hops 18-13 on Hot Latin Songs in its second charting frame, aided in part by a 17 percent increase in sales (to 3,000 downloads). The rise bumps the track 2-1 on the Tropical Digital Song Sales chart, notching Royce his fifth chart-topper.

A music video for “Deja Vu” was recently shot and is expected to be released sometime in March. Five also includes features by Chris Brown, Zendaya and Farruko, among others.

Prince Royce Earns 21st Top 20 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart with “Deja Vu”

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Prince Royce is turning 21…

The 27-year-old Dominican American singer earns the Hot Shot Debut on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart as “Deja Vu,” his duet with Shakira, arrives at No. 18 on the March 11-dated tally.

The entrance marks Royce’s 21st career chart hit and highest entrance since 2013 when “Darte Un Beso” bowed at No. 2. The debut gives Shakira her 36th chart entry.

The new single, from Prince Royce’s latest studio album, Five (released on February 24), enters with 588,000 streams and 2,000 downloads sold in the week ending February 23, according to Nielsen Music. There is currently no music video for the song, but an audio and lyric video on Prince Royce’s YouTube channel have accumulated over 5.5 million global views to date.

Airplay is the debut’s main driver, with 8.5 million audience impressions reported in the week ending February 26, spurring a No. 2 start on Tropical Airplay. Tropical station WLZL, Washington backed the song with the most weekly spins, playing the duet 91 times.

Five is expected to debut at No. 1 on the March 18-dated Top Latin Albums chart (published on Billboard’s websites on March 7). In addition to the collaboration with Shakira, the set includes songs with Chris Brown, Zendaya, and Farruko, among others.

“Deja Vu” follows three previous singles prior to the new album: “Culpa Al Corazon,” “La Carretera,” “Moneda,” featuring Gerardo Ortiz.

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