Pope Francis to be Honored at Upcoming Cinema for Peace Gala

Pope Francis is being receiving a special piece for bringing the peace

The 87-year-old Argentine head of the Catholic Church, bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State will be honored at the upcoming Cinema for Peace gala in Berlin on February 19.

Pope FrancisPope Francis will be honored together with the film Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom by Evgeny Afineevsky, for his contributions to the freedom of Ukraine and humanitarian efforts to protect civilians and children.

Pope Francis, the first and only pontiff from the Americas, will be honored alongside Hillary Rodham Clinton and former UN chief Ban Ki-Moon.

The long-running gala run by the Cinema for Peace Foundation will be accompanied by the inaugural World Forum on the Future Of Democracy, Tech and Humankind.

The latter event will run from February 18 to 19 at the Allianz Forum next to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with the aim of promoting the renewal of democracy and freedom at a time when both are under threat.

The Cinema for Peace Foundation was created in 2008 as an international non-profit organization with the goal to foster change through film. Over the years it has worked with a host of stars including Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney.

Pope Francis will be honored virtually by video-link, while Clinton and Ban will attend the February 19 gala in person.

They will be presented with their Cinema for Peace prizes by Sharon Stone, Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk, and Irish singer-song writer and political activist Bob Geldof.

Rodrigo Prieto to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at GuadaLAjara Film Festival 

Rodrigo Prieto is earning a special award…

The 57-year-old Mexican Oscar-nominated cinematographer will be honored with the 2023 Árbol de la Vida, a lifetime achievement award, at the 13th edition of the GuadaLAjara Film Festival on November 1.

Rodrigo Prieto,Taking place at the Theater at the Ace Hotel in Downtown L.A., Prieto will be honored at the opening night gala celebration. Past honorees have included Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette, in addition to stars such as Xolo Maridueña, Rosario Dawson and Danny Trejo.

Prieto has garnered worldwide acclaim for his work on various feature films, collaborating with some of cinema’s most vital masters. He has picked up his three Oscar nods for Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain (2005) and two with Martin ScorseseSilence (2016) and The Irishman (2019).

He’s teamed up with the iconic filmmaker again for Killers of the Flower Moon, the story of a group of men that murdered Osage tribe members in the 1920s. The Apple Original Films and Paramount Pictures co-distributed feature stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone.

Prieto also lensed Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar Mattel meta-comedy Barbie from Warner Bros — now the highest grossing release of 2023.

Curated with Latinx and BIPOC communities in mind, GLAFF’s programming is a mix of films that aim to attract cinephiles and art and culture enthusiasts. The 2023 program and official selection includes a special Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) centerpiece gala screening of the 1960s Mexican classic Macario from director Roberto Gavaldón. More films will be announced in the coming weeks.

“GLAFF continues its mission to be a bridge between Latin America and U.S.-based Latinx/BIPOC creators,” says Ximena Urrutia, festival director. “Being part of a festival run by Latina women, we strive to add to the efforts of ensuring domestically and internationally Latinx representation.”

The GuadaLAjara Film Festival is supported by the University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, the University of Guadalajara Foundation USA, the Grodman Legacy Family Foundation and the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG).

Domingo Zapata to Direct Film Adaptation of His Semi-Autobigraphical Novel “The Beautiful Dream of Life”

Domingo Zapata is turning his life into art…

The 48-year-old Spanish celebrity artist, writer and fashion designer is set to direct a film adaptation of his 2017 semi-autobiographical novel The Beautiful Dream of Life.

Domingo ZapataVeteran producers Cary Granat and Ed Jones will produce the feature adaptation.

In an innovative move, the production will feature 18 pieces of original artwork by Zapata that will be sold as Fine Art pieces and NFTs.

Last year, Zapata’s work Mona Lisa Bull Fighter sold for a personal £1 million record at a charity auction in St. Barts, in which Leonardo DiCaprio was reportedly outbid.

Zapata is known for his lavish lifestyle, film star girlfriends and celebrity collectors, such as DiCaprio, Johnny Depp and George Soros.

He travelled to the Cannes Film Festival for the final days of the film festival to help launch the project and also attend the world premiere of Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or contender The Old Oak on Friday evening.

 The Beautiful Dream of Life is being represented by Dan Aloni, Deborah McIntosh, Daniel Rak, and Chris Jacquemin at WME.

Granat is best known for producing the Chronicles of Narnia franchise, Scream, Journey to the Center of the EarthSpy Kids and Scary Movie.

Currently operating under the banner of Santa Monica EMH Media, he was previously a co-founder of Walden Media and before that, president and COO of Miramax Film’s Dimension Division from 1995 to 2000

Set against the backdrop of the contemporary art world, Zapata’s immersive novel The Beautiful Dream of Life revolves around a renowned painter living in a multi-million-dollar penthouse in New York’s Gramercy Park.

Tired of his hedonistic, party lifestyle and the adulation of those who worship him, he escapes into an imaginary world, where he lives side-by-side with his fantasy ideal of the perfect woman.

Originally from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Zapata maintains studios in New York City, Venice, Paris, and Miami.

Jennifer Lopez to Perform at Charity Gala for Ukraine Children & Families

Jennifer Lopez is helping to raise funds for the children of the Ukraine…

The 53-year-old Puerto Rican superstar is set to perform on the Italian island of Capri at a Ukraine-focused charity gala for UNICEF.

Jennifer LopezExpected guests at the exclusive event, which is called LuisaViaRoma for UNICEF, include Leonardo DiCaprio; Jamie Foxx; Elon Musk’s mother, the supermodel Maye Musk; Naomi Campbell, Jared Leto, and Vanessa Hudgens.

The intimate Capri charity event will take place in the island’s Certosa di San Giacomo, a 14th-century monastery with a large grassy cloister area and a stunning view of the Mediterranean.

Lopez will be the main musical act at the exclusive gala, where the hit-making DJ Diplo and singer/actress Sofia Carson, as well as Switzerland’s DJ Cruz, are among other artists that are expected to take the stage, Italy’s La Repubblica reported.

Past editions of the charity concert have been complemented with performances by the likes of John Legend, Katy Perry and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, as well as Rita Ora, Ricky Martin and Ellie Goulding, according to Variety sister publication Women’s Wear Daily, which broke the news in May that Lopez would headline the Capri gala.

After kicking off with musical entertainment, the event will be followed by a lavish dinner and charity auction.

The guest list also includes Dutch supermodel and actor Lara Stone; U.S. producer and director Tonya Lewis Lee; Saudi producer and philanthropist Mohammed Al Turki; and, from Italy, singer and songwriter Sangiovanni and actor Matilde Gioli, according to La Repubblica.

During the charity gala, UNICEF representatives based in Ukraine will join the soirée remotely. A documentary will also screen, detailing the work being done by UNICEF at the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps in Jordan that welcome Syrian children and their families.

It’s Lopez’s first stage performance since marrying actor Ben Affleck earlier this month.

Kid Cudi Releases New Ariana Grande Collaboration “Just Look Up”

Things are looking up for Kid Cudi

The 37-year-old half-Mexican American singer, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, has officially released his new collaboration with Ariana Grande, “Just Look Up.”

Kid Cudi x Ariana GrandeThe new song appears on the soundtrack to the Adam McKay-directed film Don’t Look Up, which stars both Grande and Cudi and begins streaming on Netflix on December 10.

Don’t Look Up also stars Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, and others.

The soundtrack is out December 10.

Don’t Look Up is the next chapter in both Grande and Cudi’s film careers.

Grande was recently cast in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked.

A new documentary about Cudi arrived last month.

Grande and Cudi also last released albums in 2020: Positions and Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, respectively.

Kid Cudi Teams Up with Ariana Grande for New Single “Just Look Up”

It’s a grande collaboration for Kid Cudi

The 37-year-old part-Mexican American rapper, real name Scott Mescudi, has joined voices with Ariana Grande on the new single “Just Look Up.”

Kid CudiThe track appears on the soundtrack for the new Netflix film Don’t Look Up, a film in which they both appear.

The film, which stars Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio, will be released on December 10.

The song — which was nominated at this week’s Hollywood Music in Media Awards for Song – Onscreen Performance — features Grande’s signature vocals belting out a high note as footage from the film plays.

Kid Cudi and Grande both have writing credits on the song, in addition to Nicholas Britell and Taura Stintson.

The summary of the movie reads, “Kate Dibiasky (Lawrence), an astronomy grad student, and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy (DiCaprio) make an astounding discovery of a comet orbiting within the solar system. The problem — it’s on a direct collision course with Earth. The other problem? No one really seems to care. Turns out warning mankind about a planet-killer the size of Mount Everest is an inconvenient fact to navigate.”

The collaboration marks Grande and Kid Cudi’s first time working on a song together.

Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon III: The Chosen was released in December 2020 and charted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

Mariah Carey Urges Fans to #CallOutYourSenator” in Campaign to Save Anti-Voter Supression ‘For the People Act’

Mariah Carey is encouraging you to help stop voter suppression efforts…

The 52-year-old half-Venezuelan American singer has joined several stars, including John Legend and Common, to urge their fans to #calloutyoursenator in a viral campaign to save the anti-voter suppression For the People Act.

Mariah Carey

Carey and the other stars have joined the Twitter campaign urging a bipartisan group of four U.S. senators to vote in favor of the bill that has already passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and is pending, but imperiled, in the U.S. Senate.

“No matter our color, party, or zip code, our voices and our votes count. @senatorsinema @joemanchinWV @senatortimscott @senrobportman can make that happen,” tweeted Common referring to a group of, respectively, two democrat and two republican senators who could serve as the pivotal votes in favor of the bill. “If you live in AZ, WV, SC or OH #CallOutYourSenators. Tell them VOTE YES on the #ForThePeopleAct.”

Carey, Legend, Evanescence‘s Amy Lee and actors Kerry WashingtonLeonardo DiCaprio and comedians Sarah Silverman and Billy Eichner have also joined the campaign to salvage a bill that enjoys support from nearly all the Democrats in the Senate, but is in danger of falling short due to democratic holdouts Machin and Sinema.

As former president Donald Trump and a number of his Republican allies continue to spread the unfounded “Big Lie” alleging massive voter suppression in the 2020 election — which election integrity experts said was actually the most secure vote in the nation’s history — the Senate is stalled on passing the bill that would, among other things, outlaw partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, overhaul campaign finance laws, make federal campaign spending more transparent and protect early voting while requiring states to adopt Automatic Voter Registration.

According to a recent survey, 67 percent of Americans are in favor of the bill, which has effectively been put on ice due to West Virginia democrat Sen. Manchin’s stated refusal to vote for it, which means it will fall short of the 50 votes necessary to break a filibuster; fellow democrat Arizona Sen. Sinema has also said she would not support the bill known as “S 1.”

Experts say passage in the Senate is vital to combat the hundreds of bills introduced (and passed) in Republican-led states so far this year that aim to gut early, vote-by-mail and no-excuse voting, repealing automatic voter registration and limit the powers of local officials to oversee elections, among other actions that critics say would heavily impact, young and Black voters.

Camila Cabello Teams Up with ‘Free the Vote’ to Fight to Restore Voting Rights of Florida’s Former Convicts

Camila Cabello is helping to free the vote

23-year-old Mexican and Cuban American singer and former Fifth Harmony member and John Legend have joined forces for crowdfunding campaign Free the Vote, which aims to restore voting rights in Florida for the formerly convicted.

Camila Cabello

Earlier this month, a Florida court ruled that people with felony convictions in Florida are required to pay off all of their fees and fines before they’re allowed to vote, putting 700,000 possible voters in jeopardy.

So Cabello and Legend have acted in response as Florida’s voter registration deadline looms on October 5, with public support from Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Schumer, Kerry Washington, Uzo Abuda and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Since its Tuesday launch, the campaign has received more than 5,000 donations amounting to over $400,000.

“I am so proud to call Florida my home. It is full of unique and compassionate people from all backgrounds and lived experiences,” Cabello tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Voting is one of the most important ways Americans can make their voices heard. It is this diversity of voices and experiences that makes the state such a special place to live, and every single one of those voices — including returning citizens — deserves to be heard and counted.

“Florida’s pay-to-vote system unjustly prevents some formerly convicted individuals from casting their ballots,” she adds. “This system also disproportionately impacts people of color, creating obstacles for these communities as they try to exercise their right to vote.”

In 2018, Florida voters overwhelmingly passed Amendment 4, which ended the state’s lifetime ban on voting for former felons who completed their parole or probation periods and were not convicted of murder or sexual offenses. Legislators tried to limit the new law by imposing the fees and fines requirement, which was struck down in court, but then upheld on appeal September 11.

Aside from the public campaign, Legend has also quietly helped raise more than $20 million for the cause from private donors including Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg, Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg, Michael Bloomberg and LeBron James for the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. More than 56,000 donations have been made to the organization, with the goal of raising $25 million.

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Earlier this month, a Florida court ruled that people with felony convictions in Florida are required to pay off all of their fees and fines before they’re allowed to vote, putting 700,000 possible voters in jeopardy.

So Cabello and Legend have acted in response as Florida’s voter registration deadline looms on October 5, with public support from Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Schumer, Kerry Washington, Uzo Abuda and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Since its Tuesday launch, the campaign has received more than 5,000 donations amounting to over $400,000.

“I am so proud to call Florida my home. It is full of unique and compassionate people from all backgrounds and lived experiences,” Cabello tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Voting is one of the most important ways Americans can make their voices heard. It is this diversity of voices and experiences that makes the state such a special place to live, and every single one of those voices — including returning citizens — deserves to be heard and counted.

“Florida’s pay-to-vote system unjustly prevents some formerly convicted individuals from casting their ballots,” she adds. “This system also disproportionately impacts people of color, creating obstacles for these communities as they try to exercise their right to vote.”

In 2018, Florida voters overwhelmingly passed Amendment 4, which ended the state’s lifetime ban on voting for former felons who completed their parole or probation periods and were not convicted of murder or sexual offenses. Legislators tried to limit the new law by imposing the fees and fines requirement, which was struck down in court, but then upheld on appeal September 11.

Aside from the public campaign, Legend has also quietly helped raise more than $20 million for the cause from private donors including Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg, Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg, Michael Bloomberg and LeBron James for the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. More than 56,000 donations have been made to the organization, with the goal of raising $25 million.

Jennifer Lopez to Present at This Year’s Golden Globes

Jennifer Lopezwill be taking the stage at this year’s Golden Globes

The 50-year-old Puerto Rican superstar, a nominee in the Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture category, has been added to the star-studded presenter lineup.

Jennifer Lopez

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that J.LoElton JohnZoe KravitzLeonardo DiCaprioWill FerrellGwyneth PaltrowBrad PittPaul RuddJennifer AnistonCate BlanchettReese WitherspoonJason Momoaand more will also present at this weekend’s ceremony.

They join previously announced presenters Nick JonasAnsel ElgortDakota FanningCharlize TheronOctavia SpencerSofia VergaraKerry WashingtonTed Danson,Kate McKinnonTiffany HaddishDaniel CraigGlenn CloseChris EvansMargot RobbieScarlett JohanssonSalma HayekAmy PoehlerRami MalekTim Allenand Pierce Brosnan.

The 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Ricky Gervais, will air live from the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 5 at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET on NBC.

Lorenza Izzo to Star in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood”

Lorenza Izzo is heading to Hollywood

The 28-year-old Chilean actress and model has landed a role in the Quentin Tarantino-helmed film Once Upon a Time In Hollywood.

Lorenza Izzo

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, the film visits 1969 Los Angeles, where one-time TV star Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt) make their way in an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The plot features multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

The large ensemble cast also includes Margot Robbie, Timothy Olyphant, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Dakota FanningAl Pacino, Emile Hirsch, Clifton Collins Jr., Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Scoot McNairy, Keith Jefferson and Nicholas Hammond.

Tarantino,David Heyman and Shannon McIntosh are producers on the film, which is slated for release July 26.

Izzo recurs in the final season of Hulu’s Casual series and appears in Universal Pictures’ The House with a Clock in Its Walls.