Rita Moreno isn’t masking her feelings about the importance of voting this year…
With the November election right around the corner, the 88-year-old Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actress and Latina icon is encouraging people to do their civic duty without uttering a single word.
Moreno is taking part in When We All Vote’s new campaign.
Director and producer Allen Hughes has brought together a wide range of artists, athletes, industry leaders, and notable community members wearing a “VOTE” face covering to inspire maximum voter participation.
Those taking part in this year’s mask campaign include Tony Bennett, Dr. Dre, Robert De Niro, Larry David, Megan Rapinoe, Sean Penn, David Crosby, Snoop Dogg, Diane von Furstenberg, Padma Lakshmi, Sterling K Brown, Tyler Oakley, Kevin Love, Ron Howard, Judd Apatow, Lindsey Vonn, Michael Keaton, Bryan Cranston, Sandra Oh, Steve Buscemi, Pamela Adlon, Christopher Poindexter, Rita Moreno, Iliza Shlesinger, and Deepak Chopra, along with healthcare worker Cady Chaplin.
“This is clearly an existential election year, and it’s critical that every eligible voter in every community engage in this election,” Hughes says. “The very soul of our nation is on the ballot November 3rd, 2020.”
Launched in 2018 by co-chairs Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monae, Chris Paul, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, When We All Vote uses a data-driven approach to increase participation in elections. The group focuseson increasing participation in every election while closing the race and age voting gap. The goal is to change the culture around voting, harnessing grassroots energy, and through strategic partnerships to reach every American.
In addition, Michelle Obama has added Selena Gomez, Liza Koshy, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda Rhimes, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kerry Washington, and Rita Wilson to this year’s co-chair list.
For more information on the organization and its new campaign, visit whenweallvote.org.
The 27-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar, who has never been afraid to get political, is encouraging everyone to get registered to vote.
In a video posted by her label, Atlantic Records, Cardi B keeps it simple:
“It’s Cardi B and let me tell y’all something, state deadlines are coming very quick so make sure y’all click the link in the bio so y’all can register to vote,” she says in the brief video supporting the non-partisan group HeadCount, a national non-profit organization that works with musicians to promote participation in democracy in the United States.
With less than 65 days left until the November 3 election, the push to register voters and make sure they have the necessary materials to vote by mail or to vote early in their states is ramping up.
Cardi B had previously voiced her support for Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders, interviewing him about his vision for the country and political views, before her dropped out of the race. She’s now thrown her support for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who she also interviewed recently.
Click here to register to vote through the HeadCount website.
Click here to verify that you’re already registered to vote in your state.
Cardi B, riding high on the chart-topping success of her Megan Thee Stallion collaboration “WAP,” recently got into a social media tussle with former Republican congressional candidate DeAnna Lorraine, after Lorraine made an unflattering comparison between Cardi B and First LadyMelania Trump after the latter’s speech at last week’s Republican National Convention.
“America needs far more women like Melania Trump and far less like Cardi B,” tweeted the politician who failed in her bid to unseat Democratic Speaker of the House leader Nancy Pelosi, leading the superstar to fire back, “Didn’t she used to sell that Wap?”
Caetano Veloso’s life as a political prisoner will be headed to the big screen…
The documentary about the 78-year-old Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist, Narcissus Off Duty, will premiere on Monday, September 7 at the Venice Film Festival.
In the film, directed by Renato Terra and Ricardo Calil, the multiple Grammy winner recounts his incarceration as a political prisoner in great detail and performs songs that sprung forth from this painful experience.
In 1968, during Brazil’s military dictatorship, Veloso – who the preceding year had been among the founders of the revolutionary Tropicalia artistic movement – was arrested on trumped up charges.
Veloso was taken from his Sao Paulo home to Rio de Janeiro, where he was placed in solitary confinement for one week and held behind bars for 54 days.
“I have a very clear memory of all things that happened that day, and in those months,” says Veloso of the time. “In fact I had written about it in my book Tropical Truth. There is a chapter in the book that tells the whole story. My manager, who is also my wife (Paula Lavigne), thought we should now do that on film. She invited a couple of directors who had done a wonderful work about a music festival…We were all going to do a complete documentary with many interviews and set locations, and things. But they started by interviewing me. When the interview – that we did in two sessions – ended, they decided that that would be enough.
The doc is co-produced by Veloso’s wife and manager Lavigne’s Uns Producoes with Walter Salles’ VideoFilmes. Globoplay has acquired rights for streaming in Brazil.
Bad Bunny has returned from his social media hiatus with an importance message… Register to vote!
The 26-year-old Puerto Rican Latin trap and reggaeton singer, who is registered to vote in the upcoming presidential election, wants to make sure young voters in his native island are as well.
Making his grand return to social media since a three-month hiatus, the “Yo Perreo Sola” singer posted a photo of his electoral identification card along with a strong message encouraging voters to make their vote and voice count.
“Young people, you have until September 14 to get your electoral identification card to be able to vote November 3,” he wrote. “We are in a crucial moment in the history of our country and now more than ever, we have the power to change the course of Puerto Rico.”
He continued, “it’s time for a real change. Enough with the abuse coming from both parties that has PR tied up. Enough of the same thing over and over again. It’s time to make history. Get your ID and use it fearlessly.”
Jeanette Núñez is preparing to take the national stage…
The 48-year-old Cuban American Florida Lieutenant Governor politician and businesswoman, who currently serves as Florida’s Lieutenant Governor, will speak at this week’s Republican National Convention.
Núñez will speak on Tuesday night as part of the Republicans’ Land of Opportunity-themed day at the RNC.
Meanwhile, Mary Ann Mendoza, the mother of Mesa Police Department sergeant Brandon Mendoza, who was killed by an illegal immigrant in a head-on car collision in Arizona in 2014, will also speak on Tuesday.
This week, Republicans are looking to energize their base – and bid for sought-after undecided voters – as they hold their own part digital, part in-person convention to officially nominate President Donald Trump as their 2020 candidate.
The Republican National Convention, like its Democratic counterpart, is held each presidential election cycle and is where the party finalizes and presents its policy platforms going into the final stretch of the campaign. During the event, Republican delegates from across the country also pledge their votes for potential candidates based on the outcome of state primary elections.
This year, no more than 336 delegates – the 2016 convention had more than 2,400 – will gather in-person in Charlotte, North Carolina, to conduct the roll call vote and formally nominate Trump, who faced little opposition in the primary season.
The unorthodox convention is expected to be a test for the Republican party.
Initially scheduled to be a traditional in-person gathering in Charlotte, in June the party moved most of the convention to Jacksonville, Florida after clashing with North Carolina’s governor over coronavirus restrictions.
Then in late July, Trump cancelled the Jacksonville portion of the convention completely as infections in the state rose. The party then pivoted towards a more digital approach.
Democrats, in contrast, had been repurposing their convention to be fully digital since June.
The four-day convention, running from August 24 to 27, will center around an overarching theme of “Honoring the Great American Story” and will feature everyday Americans who will testify that the president has positively affected their lives, according to the campaign. Events will be live streamed during the day, with the main programming taking place between 8:30pm and 11pm (00:30 GMT and 03:00 GMT) each night.
Vice President Mike Pence, who will also accept the party’s nomination, said on Friday the convention would focus on the economy and law and order, while its speakers will present the Democratic party as being taken over by “the radical left.”
Trump is also expected to feature prominently during each day of the event before making his acceptance speech, likely from the South Lawn of the White House, on the final day.
Here’s the schedule for the upcoming convention:
Monday, August 24
Theme: “Land of Promise”
Speakers: A maximum of 336 delegates will meet in the morning from 9am to 1pm (13:00 – 17:00 GMT) before conducting a nighttime roll call in which Trump and Pence will officially be nominated. Senator Tim Scott House Republican Whip Steve Scalise Representative Matt Gaetz Representative Jim Jordan Former Ambassador to United Nations Nikki Haley Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel Georgia State Representative Vernon Jones Amy Johnson Ford Kimberly Guilfoyle Natalie Harp Charlie Kirk Kim Klacik Mark and Patricia McCloskey, St Louis couple who brandished guns at Black Lives Matter protesters Congressional candidate Sean Parnell Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow was killed in the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting Donald Trump Jr. Tanya Weinreis, Montana coffee shop owner whose business and employee’s livelihoods were saved by the federal virus relief Paycheck Protection Program
Tuesday, August 25
Theme: “Land of Opportunity”
Speakers: First Lady Melania Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Senator Rand Paul Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee who is now an anti-abortion activist. Jason Joyce Myron Lizer Mary Ann Mendoza Megan Pauley Cris Peterson John Peterson Nicholas Sandmann, Kentucky Catholic high school student who successfully sued a media organisation for not providing context to a confrontation with a Native American activist at Right to Life march that went viral Eric Trump Tiffany Trump
Wednesday, August 26
Theme: “Land of Heroes”
Speakers: Vice President Mike Pence Second Lady Karen Pence Senator Marsha Blackburn Senator Joni Ernst South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem Representative Dan Crenshaw Representative Elise Stefanik Representative Lee Zeldin Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell White counselor Kellyanne Conway Vice Presidential National Security Advisor Keith Kellogg Jack Brewer Sister Dede Byrne Madison Cawthorn Scott Dane Clarence Henderson Ryan Holets Michael McHale Congressional candidate Burgess Owens Lara Trump
Thursday, August 27, 2020
Theme: “Land of Greatness”
Speakers: President Donald Trump Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Senator Tom Cotton House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy Representative Jeff Van Drew Ivanka Trump White House Deputy Assistant Ja’Ron Smith Police Sergeant Ann Dorn, widow of retired police captain David Dorn who was killed during violent protests in St Louis in June Debbie Flood Former mayor of NYC Rudy Giuliani Franklin Graham Alice Johnson, a woman whose prison sentence was commuted by Trump Wade Mayfield Carl and Marsha Mueller, parents of Kayla Mueller, a humanitarian worker killed by ISIL (also known as ISIS) Dana White, president of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
The 31-year-old Dominican American singer shared a message of unity while performing his bachata anthem “Stand By Me” during the third night of the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, August 19.
“We felt that ‘Stand By Me’ would go perfectly with the convention’s message of unity and singing in both Spanish and English was important,” said Prince Royce.
Prince Royce sang his 2010 bilingual hit from Miami, near the colorful Tito Puente St. filled with picturesque murals.
“Mi gente, let’s stand by each other and don’t forget to vote this November,” he said at the end of his performance. “Together we can make a change.”
As the only Latin artist to perform during the four-day virtual event where Joe Biden was officially nominated as the Democratic candidate for the upcoming 2020 presidential election, Prince Royce says he was motivated to be part of convention and represent Latinos.
“All eyes are on the convention which for the first time is virtual and I was happy to be a part of it and represent the Latino community,” said Prince Royce.
At the end of his performance, Royce sent out a message of unity and issued a call to action. “Mi gente, let’s stand by each other and don’t forget to vote this November,” he said. “Together we can make a change.”
A record 32 million Latinos are projected to be eligible to vote in the 2020 presidential elections, according to the Pew Research Center, making Latinos now the largest minority group in the electorate.
“There is no excuse for not voting,” Royce says. “The future is in our hands.”
Pedro Almodóvar is offering his support to the LGBT+ community in Poland.
A wide group of global entertainment figures, including the 70-year-old Oscar-winning Spanish filmmaker, have signed a letter supporting the Polish LGBT+ community in the face of growing controversy in the country.
On Tuesday, the government stepped in to support the Polish town of Tuchow, which recently lost financial support from the European Union after it set up a ‘LGBT-free’ zone. The authorities said they were “supporting a municipality that has a pro-family agenda”; the decision has provoked angry responses around the world. On August 8, authorities detained 48 people at a reportedly peaceful pro-LGBT+ protest.
The responses now include an open letter signed by a cross-section of notable figures from film, literature and further afield, including the Almodóvar and Luca Guadagnino, the Nobel Prize-winning author Olga Tokarczuk, The Handmaid’s Talewriter Margaret Atwood, and Polish filmmakers Agnieszka Hollandand Jan Komasa.
The letter, published on the website wyborcza.pl, states that homophobia in Poland is growing because of the incumbent socially conservative government, which it claims is using LGBT+ groups as a “scapegoat”. The letter is addressed to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and calls on the organization to step in and “defend core European values” of “equality, non-discrimination, respect for minorities” which it says are being “blatantly violated in Poland”.
Here’s the full letter:
Dear Dr. von der Leyen:
We, the undersigned, express our outrage at repressions directed against the LGBT+ community in Poland. We speak out in solidarity with activists and their allies, who are being detained, brutalized, and intimidated. We voice our grave concern about the future of democracy in Poland, a country with an admirable history of resistance to totalitarianism and struggle for freedom.
On Friday, 7 August 2020, 48 persons were arrested in Warsaw – in some cases quite brutally – and detained on the grounds that they had participated in a violent illegal gathering. In fact, they were engaged in a peaceful protest in solidarity with an LGBT+ activist named Margot, who had been arrested for damaging a homophobic campaigner’s van. Her group had also placed rainbow flags over statues, including a statue of Christ. These actions were neither “hooliganism” nor “provocations,” as Poland’s government-run media insist, but rather desperate acts of resistance against degrading homophobic hate speech. The van is one of many similar vehicles parading outrageous claims around the cities of Poland: equating homosexuality with pedophilia, and asserting that gays are the source of diseases and a threat to children. Efforts to stop this well-funded hate campaign by legal means had led to nothing.
The broader context is the persistent use of anti-LGBT+ rhetoric by Polish politicians and media, attacks against “LGBT ideology” in the recent presidential campaign, preceded by the emergence in many municipalities and districts of “zones free of LGBT ideology,” allegedly defending the safety of families and children, and last year’s violent attacks against Equality March in Białystok. Homophobic aggression in Poland is growing because it is condoned by the ruling party, which has chosen sexual minorities as a scapegoat with no regard for the safety and well-being of citizens. Margot is, in fact, a political prisoner, held captive for her refusal to accept indignity.
We call on the Polish government to stop targeting sexual minorities, to stop supporting organizations that spread homophobia and to hold accountable those who are responsible for unlawful and violent arrests of August 7, 2020.
We call on the European Commission to take immediate steps to defend core European values – equality, non-discrimination, respect for minorities – which are being blatantly violated in Poland. LGBT+ rights are human rights and must be defended as such.
Naja Marie Aidt, writer, Danish language Pedro Almodóvar, film director, Spain Jakuta Alikavazovic, writer, France Margaret Atwood, writer, Canada Paul Auster, writer, USA John Banville, writer, Ireland Sebastian Barry, writer, Ireland Judith Butler, philosopher, USA Sophie Calle, writer and artist, France John Maxwell Coetzee, writer, South Africa Isabel Coixet, director, Spain Stephen Daldry, director, UK Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, writer, France Lucas Dhont, director, Belgium Marion Döring, director of European Film Academy Cynthia Enloe, political scientist, USA Anne Enright, writer, Ireland Ildiko Enyedi, director, Hungary Richard Flanagan, writer, Australia Barbara Frey, theatre and opera director, Switzerland/Austria Timothy Garton Ash, historian, UK Agnieszka Graff, americanist, Poland Luca Guadagnino, director, Italy Miron Hackenbeck, dramaturg, Germany Ed Harris, actor, director USA Aleksander Hemon, writer, Bosnia/USA Agnieszka Holland, director, Poland Siri Hustvedt, writer, USA Isabelle Huppert, actress, France Aki Kaurismäki, director, Finland Padraic Kenney, historian, USA Jan Komasa, director, Poland Ivan Krastev, political scientist, Bulgaria Jan Kubik, political scientist, UK Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, choreographer, Belgium Yorgos Lanthimos, director, Greece Andrzej Leder, philosopher, Poland Jacek Leociak, historian, Poland Jonathan Littell, writer, France Mike Leigh, director, UK Deborah Levi, writer, UK Edouard Louis, writer, France Sergei Loznitsa, director, Germany/Ukraine Valeria Luiselli, writer, USA Dorota Masłowska, writer, Poland Hisham Matar, writer, USA Ulrich Matthes, actor, Germany Ian McEwan, writer, UK Lina Meruane, writer, Chile Teona Mitevska, director, North Macedonia Chantal Mouffe, philosopher, Belgium James Norton, actor, UK Claus Offe, sociologist, Germany Paweł Pawlikowski, director, Poland Richard Powers, writer, USA Axel Ranisch, filmmaker and opera director, Germany Keith Ridgway, writer, Ireland Philippe Sands, lawyer and writer, UK Volker Schlöndorff, director, Germany Marci Shore, historian, USA Stellan Skarsgaard, actor, Sweden Leila Slimani, writer, France Timothy Snyder, historian, USA Johanna ter Steege, actress, the Netherlands Dariusz Stola, historian, Poland Małgorzata Szczęśniak, stage designer, Poland Małgorzata Szumowska, director, Poland Colm Toibin, writer, Ireland Olga Tokarczuk, writer, Poland Alia Trabucco Zerán, writer, Chile Fien Troch, director, Belgium Jan Vandenhouwe, artistic director and opera dramaturg, Belgium Krzysztof Warlikowski, theater director, Poland/France Beau Willimon, playwright, screenwriter, USA Adam Zagajewski, poet, Poland Slavoj Žižek, philosopher, Slovenia
Joaquin Castro is calling for a more diverse media…
In a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) – chaired by the 45-year-old Mexican American politician and U.S. Representative for Texas’ 20th congressional district – is urging the commission to update its “Diversity in the Media: A Chart Book for Selected Industries” report, which hasn’t been updated since 2004.
The call to action furthers Castro and the CHC’s efforts to increase diversity in media and entertainment and to have a baseline of data for transparency and ultimately greater accountability in the industry.
The letter is addressed to EEOC Chair Janet Dhillon, as well as EEOC Commissioners Victoria A. Lipnic and Charlotte A. Burrows and discusses the importance of having a baseline of data for transparency and ultimately greater accountability.
The 2004 report lays out data on the diversity in media in three major categories: broadcasting, publishing and cable.
With the advent of streaming and the surge of digital content, the CHC points out that the media industry has “drastically changed” since the report was released over 16 years ago and it’s time that revisions be made.
Castro and the CHC requested the EEOC update the report no more than 60 days from the receipt of the letter. They also are looking for updates every 30 days until the final report is released.
The CHC broke it down and requested that the new report include:
Disaggregated data on race, ethnicity and gender by individual industry rather than the grouping format used in 2004.
New industries such as digital content and streaming provider
Updated data for all positions in each industry from entry level up to and including Executive level positi
When possible, data on salaries and wages disaggregated by race, ethnicity and gender for each of the employee categories, including Executive level positions for each industry.
“While discrimination and lack of equal opportunity for underrepresented groups is present in many fields, the media industry is unique in its ability to influence the broader culture and shape the perception of entire groups,” the letter stated. “When Latinos do not have the opportunity to shape the media’s depiction of our communities, it ultimately emboldens a misunderstanding of our communities that weakens the social fabric of American society. The CHC views greater transparency around employment data through publicly available information as critical to increasing representation for Latinos and other underrepresented communities.”
An updated report would hopefully help move the needle further as Hollywood tries to become more inclusive when it comes to talent in front of and behind the camera — specifically in a time when the country is seeing a social and civic reckoning.
It also comes after a blatant lack of Latinx representation when it came to Emmy award nominations, even though the television landscape was filled with Latinx-led shows like Vida, One Day At A Timeand Gentefied.
Pose has been an Emmy favorite and although star Billy Porter was nominated, there was no love for show co-creator Steven Canals or series stars Mj Rodriguez and Indya Moore, who’ve delivered stellar work on the FX drama.
The new ABC comedy United We Fall features Latinx characters but with the cancellation of The Baker and the Beauty, there’s a glaring absence of shows with a majority Latinx cast on a major network.
Last fall, Castro led a congressional delegation to Los Angeles where the CHC met with several studios and streamers, talent agencies, as well as union and guilds. Congress has worked to include this language in almost all of the major funding bills during the Appropriations process and in the National Defense Authorization Act. The CHC has regular conversations with stakeholders regarding the state of the industry. Most recently the CHC had meetings with Amazon Studios and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as they develop their new 2025 diversity initiatives to ensure that Latinos are included in these goals on diversity.
The letter was signed by Castro, Robert Menendez (Co-Chair, Diversity Taskforce), Tony Cárdenas (Co-Chair, Diversity Taskforce) as well as members of Congress José E. Serrano, Ruben Gallego, Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr., Juan Vargas and Nydia M. Velázquez.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is set to talk about the Future, now…
The 40-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer, composer/lyricist and playwright, the creator of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Hamilton, will speak with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as part of NowThis’ Future Is Now event.
The virtual community conversation is presented by the Latino Victory Project and will focus on increasing Latino representation from the stage to the halls of government.
Miranda and the former Vice President’s The Future is Now talk will stream on NowThis’ YouTube, Twitterand Facebookpages on Tuesday, August 18 at 3:30pm ET.
The event is part of NowThis’ younger-skewing coverage of 2020 Democratic National Convention.
“As the 2020 election approaches, NowThis audiences are more engaged than ever with the issues impacting young voters and how candidates plan to address them,” said NowThis’ Chief Content Officer Tina Exarhos. “NowThis looks forward to bringing this important conversation with former Vice President Biden to our huge young audience.”
“The 2020 election will be unlike any other in our history. We want to speak directly to Latino voters on the importance of voting in this election and ensure that they are engaged and motivated to do so,” said Nathalie Rayes, Latino Victory Project president & CEO. “We are thrilled to partner with NowThis to present The Future is Now conversation about Latino representation and celebrate our rich diversity and culture.”
In addition to the conversation between Miranda and Biden, NowThis will feature news from the DNC Convention throughout the week and interview elected officials and former presidential candidates. Guests will be announced at a later date.
The Future is Now will also feature appearances by artists America Ferrera, Chef José Andrés, Jennifer Lopez, Zoe Saldaña, Latino Victory Project Co-Founder Eva Longoria Bastón, and special guest interviews hosted by Maria Elena Salinas, independent journalist and CBS News contributor.
The interview lineup includes Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, FL-26, Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Ben Ray Luján, and State Representative Ana-Maria Ramos, Texas HD 102.
Eva Longoria is taking the national stage once again…
The 45-year-old Mexican American actress, former Desperate Housewives star and activist has been added to the lineup of speakers for this week’s Democratic National Convention.
Longoria, who also appeared at the 2012 DNC and later served on the Presidential Inaugural Committee, will appear on Monday. Ross will speak on Tuesday, Washington on Wednesday and Louis-Dreyfus on Thursday.
Monday’s lineup includes Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former First Lady Michelle Obama. The convention will run from 9:00 – 11:00 pm ET each night.
The convention also will feature performances from Leon Bridges, The Chicks, Common, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Billy Porter, Maggie Rogers, Prince Royce and Stephen Stills.
In addition to the lineup of speakers, Democrats plan to feature testimonials from everyday Americans who will appear from locations across the country.
Convention organizers also announced that the keynote address, traditionally delivered by one up-and-coming party figure, will instead feature 17 different speakers.