Krysta Rodriguez & Fellow “Smash” Cast & Crew to Mount Fully Staged & Choreographed Workshop This Month

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Krysta Rodriguez is one step closer to smashing it on Broadway again…

Smash, the stage musical adaptation of the NBC musical series of the same name starring the 39-year-old Latina actress/singer and Broadway star, is set to take another major step in its march to Broadway.

The cast and crew will gather for six weeks starting this month to mount a fully staged and choreographed workshop, with an orchestra, culminating in five performances for recruited audiences.

The new Susan Stroman-directed musical, inspired by the NBC TV series, is slated for Broadway in the 2024-25 season.

In addition to Rodriguez, who starred on the original television series as Ana Vargas, the workshop cast includes Brooks Ashmanskas, Alex Brightman, Yvette Nicole Brown, Bella Coppola, newcomer Nihar Duvvuri, Casey Garvin, Robyn Hurder, Kristine Nielsen and Jonalyn Saxer.

The full company includes Wendi Bergamini, Giovanni Bonaventura, Jim Borstelmann, Zachary Downer, Tiffany Engen, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Megan Kane, Caleb Marshall-Villarreal, Connor McRory, JJ Niemann, Tanairi Sade Vazquez, Brian Shepard, Sarah Sigman, Jake Trammel and Katie Webber.

Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote songs for the series, also handle the score for the Smash musical, which will feature tunes from the TV show as well as new material. Book writers are Bob Martin and Rick Elice.

The musical is produced by Steven Spielberg, Robert Greenblatt and Neil Meron.

“Bob, Steven and I are thrilled to take this next big development step on the road to bringing ‘Smash’ where it was always meant to be: a Broadway theater,” Meron tells me. “Not a week goes by when someone doesn’t tell us how much they loved the original series, and it’s time to pull back the curtain on how we’re transforming this show into a funny, joyous stage musical.”

Greenblatt adds, “This workshop/rehearsal process will give the creative team a chance to get reactions from real theatergoers who will experience it for the first time in a theater setting. We’re so fortunate to be working with this fantastic cast of Tony and Emmy nominees, and it will be exciting to see the show on its feet, fully staged by Susan Stroman and choreographed by Josh Bergasse.”

Rodriguez’s previous theater credits include Cabaret, Into the Woods, West Side Story, Spring Awakening and The Addams Family.

Netflix Considering “Wednesday” Spinoff Centered Around Fred Armisen’s Uncle Fester Character

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Fred Armisen’s most recent role may be festering a new series…

Netflix is looking to build a franchise around its reigning most popular series, with a Wednesday spinoff centered around the 57-year-old half-Venezuelan American actor/comedian’s Uncle Fester character in early development at the streamer from MGM Television.

Conversations about the offshoot are happening alongside preparations for Season 2 of Wednesday — a new take of The Addams Family starring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams — which became a ratings and pop culture phenomenon when it launched in November 2022.

The horror comedy ranks as Netflix’s most popular English-language series with 252.1M views, almost doubling the next most popular television season on the streamer.

Armisen guest starred in one episode of Wednesday‘s first season in a memorable appearance as Uncle Fester, brother of Wednesday’s father Gomez Addams (Luis Guzman), who used his ability to generate electricity to revive Thing.

Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White, Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Georgie Farmer, Naomi J. Ogawa, Christina Ricci and Moosa Mostafa co-starred in Season 1, with Catherine Zeta-Jones recurring as Wednesday’s mother Morticia.

Season 2 will be filmed in Ireland, with production tentatively slated to begin in late April. Season 1 was shot in Romania.

There is little information about where the mothership Wednesday series would go thematically in Season 2.

Gough and Millar have hinted that we might see more Addams family members — further expanding the universe and potentially setting up new offshoots — and explore further Wednesday’s relationship with her mother while Ortega, who is becoming a producer for Season 2, has indicated that the show would have stronger emphasize on horror over teen romance.

Stephanie Beatriz’s “Encanto” to Premiere on Freeform During “31 Nights of Halloween”

Posted on September 4, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Stephanie Beatriz will bring a little magic to Freeform’s annual Halloween celebration…

Encanto, featuring the 42-year-old Colombian-Bolivian Argentine actress as the lead voice cast member, will premiere on Freeform as part of the network’s 31 Nights of Halloween programming event.

Now in its 25th year, Freeform’s popular Halloween campaign will see the return of fan favorite films such as Hocus Pocus, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Monsters, Inc., Cruella and The Addams Family.

Beatriz’s Encanto will premiere on Sunday, October 22 at 7:35 pm EDT/PDT.

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel (voice of Beatriz). But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope.

Last year’s 31 Nights of Halloween, which runs from October 1-31, brought Freeform to the No. 1 ranking among primetime cable networks in entertainment across Adults 18-34, Women 18-34 and Women 18-49, excluding news and sports.

“Over the last 25 years, our viewers have grown up with ‘31 Nights of Halloween’ as a time-honored tradition to watch Halloween favorites and connect with their loved ones during this special time of the season,” said Simran Sethi, EVP of Programming and Content Strategy, ABC Entertainment and Freeform. “There’s something sentimental about these holiday classics that brings a real sense of comfort and nostalgia to people, and we look forward to celebrating this anniversary with another spirited lineup.”

Below is a night-by-night list of the programming airing during “31 Nights of Halloween”:

Sunday, Oct. 1
7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Mrs. Doubtfire”
10:10 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Scared Shrekless”
10:40 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown”
12:45 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween”
2:50 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)
4:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
6:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
8:45 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
10:50 p.m. EDT/ PDT – “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”
1:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic”

Monday, Oct. 2
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror”
11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween”
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Twitches”
3:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Twitches Too”
5:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Shrek Forever After”
7:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
9:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”
12:00-2:00 a.m EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror ” episodes

Tuesday, Oct. 3
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic”
11:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Twilight: Special Edition”
2:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”
5:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
7:50 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Cruella”
12:00-2:00 a.m EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Wednesday, Oct. 4
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”
1:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
4:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)
6:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” marathon
12:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown”

Thursday, Oct. 5
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
1:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1”
4:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The House with a Clock in Its Walls”
6:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Monsters, Inc.” (Disney-Pixar)
8:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Monsters University”(Disney-Pixar)
12:00 a.m EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge”

Friday, Oct. 6
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1”
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”
3:30-11:00 p.m EDT/PDT – “Family Guy” episodes
12:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986)

Saturday, Oct. 7
7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “ZOMBIES” – Freeform Premiere
9:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “ZOMBIES 2” – Freeform Premiere
11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Scared Shrekless”
11:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Shrek Forever After”
1:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
3:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
5:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
7:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Addams Family” (1991)
9:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Addams Family Values”
11:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The House with a Clock in Its Walls”

Sunday, Oct. 8
7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Scared Shrekless”
7:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Shrek Forever After”
9:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The House with a Clock in Its Walls”
12:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
2:05 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
5:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Addams Family” (1991)
7:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Addams Family Values”
9:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
11:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Craft” (1996)

Monday, Oct. 9
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
1:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Bewitched” (2005)
3:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Craft” (1996)
6:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
8:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Tuesday, Oct. 10
10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Family Guy” episodes
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Twilight: Special Edition”
4:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”
7:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown”
9:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge”
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Wednesday, Oct. 11
10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Family Guy” episodes
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1”
3:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”
6:00-11:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” marathon
12:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Ready or Not”

Thursday, Oct. 12
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1”
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”
3:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Mrs. Doubtfire”
6:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Toy Story of TERROR!” (Disney-Pixar)
7:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
9:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”
12:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Twitches”

Friday, Oct. 13
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Toy Story of TERROR!” (Disney-Pixar)
11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
12:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)
2:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
4:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”
6:50 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
9:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – TBA
10:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – TBA
12:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Twitches Too”

Saturday, Oct. 14
7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Mrs. Doubtfire”
10:10 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Monsters Vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space”
10:40 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
1:45 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: Pop ‘N Knowledge Edition”
3:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus: Pop ‘N Knowledge Edition”
5:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Incredibles” (Disney-Pixar)
8:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Incredibles 2” (Disney-Pixar)
10:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
1:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Family Guy” episodes

Sunday, Oct. 15
7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
10:05 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Twitches”
12:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Twitches Too”
2:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)
4:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
6:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
8:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Cruella”
11:50 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween”

Monday, Oct. 16 – DISNEY 100
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Spider-Man” (2002)
1:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Spider-Man 2” (2004)
4:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween”
6:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Monsters, Inc.” (Disney-Pixar)
8:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Monsters University” (Disney-Pixar)
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Tuesday, Oct. 17
10:30 am. EDT/PDT – “Spider-Man 2” (2004)
1:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Spider-Man 3” (2007)
4:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Shrek Forever After”
6:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Toy Story of TERROR!” (Disney-Pixar)
7:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
9:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Wednesday, Oct. 18
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown”
12:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge”
2:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown High”
4:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Toy Story of TERROR!” (Disney-Pixar)
5:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”7:00-11:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” marathon
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Thursday, Oct. 19
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986)
12:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Mrs. Doubtfire”
3:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
6:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
8:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (2010)
12:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986)

Friday, Oct. 20
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
1:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Bewitched” (2005)
3:30-8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Family Guy” episodes
8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Aladdin” (2019)
12:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Bewitched” (2005)

Saturday, Oct. 21
7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Twitches”
9:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Twitches Too”
11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “ZOMBIES”
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “ZOMBIES 2”
3:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)
5:05 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
7:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
9:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”
11:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986)
1:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Family Guy”

Sunday, Oct. 22
7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown”
9:10 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge”
11:10 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown High”
1:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Return to Halloweentown”
3:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
5:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”
7:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Encanto” – Freeform Premiere
9:45 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
11:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Shrek Forever After”

Monday, Oct. 23
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “ZOMBIES”
12:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Twitches”
2:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Twitches Too”
4:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Shrek Forever After”
6:45 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
8:50 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Tuesday, Oct. 24
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Family Guy”
11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Frankenweenie” (2012)
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
4:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
6:05 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
7:45 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Cruella”
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Wednesday, Oct. 25
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Family Guy” episodes
11:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
2:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Bewitched” (2005)
4:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Craft” (1996)
7:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween”
9:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Thursday, Oct. 26
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Family Guy” episodes
11:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Bewitched” (2005)
1:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Craft” (1996)
4:05 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween”
6:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
8:50 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Friday, Oct. 27
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012)
1:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014)
4:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Family Guy” episodes
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Saturday, Oct. 28
7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown”
9:05 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge”
11:05 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Halloweentown High”
1:05 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Frankenweenie” (2012)
3:05 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Shrek Forever After”
5:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Monsters, Inc.” (Disney-Pixar)
7:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Monsters University” (Disney-Pixar)
9:45 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
11:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”

Sunday, Oct. 29
7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “ZOMBIES
9:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “ZOMBIES 2”
11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Shrek Forever After”
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Scared Shrekless”
1:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” 30^th Anniversary
3:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)
5:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
7:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Addams Family” (1991)
9:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Addams Family Values”
11:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Craft” (1996)

Monday, Oct. 30
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Craft” (1996)
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
3:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Addams Family” (1991)
5:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Addams Family Values”
7:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
9:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

Tuesday, Oct. 31
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Family Guy”
11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)
3:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
4:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania”
6:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”
8:50 p.m. EDT/PDT – “Hocus Pocus”
12:00-2:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – “The Simpson: Treehouse of Horror” episodes

All programming is subject to change.

Netflix Renews Jenna Ortega’s Hit Series “Wednesday” for Second Season

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jenna Ortega’s Wednesdays are officially booked for another season…

Netflix has ordered a second season of its hit series Wednesday, starring the 20-year-old Mexican and Puerto Rican actress.

From MGM Television, Wednesday crossed the 1B hours viewed mark – only the third show to do that on Netflix – in less than a month and overtook Dahmer to become the second most-watched U.S. show behind season four of Stranger Things.

Wednesday offers a new take on The Addams Family — the classic cartoon strip that was created by Charles Addams which ultimately became a ’60s sitcom and a ’90s feature film.

Wednesday ranks No. 2 on the most popular (English) TV list with 1.237 billion hours viewed within its first 28 days.

What’s most unique about the series is how one of Netflix’s biggest rivals, Amazon, is responsible for the series after it closed a $8.5B deal to buy MGM.

MGM Television has since been restructured into Amazon Studios under Jen Salke.

Wednesday debuted in November. The coming-of-age comedy is from Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar and directed/executive-produced by Tim Burton.

Krysta Rodriguez to Star in Broadway Production of Anthony McCarten’s “The Collaboration”

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Krysta Rodriguez is working on a new collaboration…

The 38-year-old Latina actress/singer and Broadway star and Erik Jensen will complete the cast of the upcoming Broadway production of Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration starring the previously announced actors Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope.

The play, a hit in London, depicts the artistic collaboration of painters Andy Warhol (Bettany) and Jean-Michel Basquiat (Pope), will make its American premiere in a Manhattan Theatre Club production beginning previews on Tuesday, November 29 ahead of a Tuesday, December 20 opening at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

Rodriguez will play Basquiat’s girlfriend “Maya” and Jensen will portray “Bruno Bischofberger,” the art dealer and gallery owner who brings Warhol and Basquiat together. Kwame Kwei-Armah directs.

The casting announcement was made today by Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) and the Young Vic Theatre, Kwame Kwei-Armah (Artistic Director) and Lucy Davies (Executive Director) by special arrangement with Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Anthology Theatre, Stanley Buchthal, and Denis O’Sullivan.

Rodriguez’s previous Broadway credits include Spring Awakening, Into The Woods, Hercules, A Chorus Line and The Addams Family.

Freddie Prinze Jr. to Star Opposite Aimee Garcia in Untitled Netflix Holiday Rom-Com

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Freddie Prinze Jr. is getting into the holiday spirit…

The 45-year-old part-Puerto Rican actor will star opposite Aimee Garcia in an untitled Netflix holiday rom-com to be directed by Gabriela Tagliavini.

The film centers on Angelina, a pop star feeling career burnout, who escapes to grant a young fan’s wish in small town New York. There, she not only finds the inspiration to revitalize her career, but also a shot at true love.

Jennifer C. Stetson and Paco Farias wrote the original screenplay, with Michael Varrati handling revisions.

German Michael Torres is producing for GMT Films, alongside Lucas Jarach, with Eric Brenner serving as the film’s executive producer.

Prinze Jr. currently voices multiple characters for Adult Swim’s animated series Robot Chicken, and stars in Peacock’s reboot of Punky Brewster. The actor has previously appeared in series including GEGG WARS: Galaxy of Crime, Star Wars Rebels, Bones, 24 and Freddie. He’s appeared on the big screen in Vanessa Parise’s Jack and Jill vs. the World, Warner Bros.’ live-action Scooby-Doo films, the original I Know What You Did Last Summer and more.

Garcia is a SAG Award nominee known for her series regular role as Ella Lopez in Netflix’s Lucifer. She will next be seen in the second season of Hulu’s Woke and in Richard Gray’s Western Murder at Emigrant Gulch opposite Gabriel Byrne. She has also appeared on the TV side in Rush Hour, Dexter, Vegas, George Lopez and more. Her additional film credits include The Addams Family (2019), Saint Judy, What They Had, RoboCop (2014) and Spanglish.

Aimee Garcia to Star In & Executive Produce the Rom-Com “Match Me If You Can”

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Aimee Garcia has met her match…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress and Lucifer star will executive produce and star in Match Me If You Can, a romantic comedy about the world of dating in today’s geek culture.

Marian Yeager is directing the film from a script by Betsy Morris.

Garcia, who’ll reprise her role as Ella Lopez in the sixth and final season of Netflix’s Lucifer, will play Kip Parsons, a talented computer nerd who is rejected by an online dating service as “unmatchable.” After her online blog about her humiliating status goes viral, Kip quickly becomes the reluctant spokesperson for all the frustrated singles out there. There’s just one problem: the dating service swears they didn’t reject her and she becomes the target of a kangaroo court.

Production is slated to commence Spring 2021 in Texas.

Garcia, who can be heard in the forthcoming Marvel M.O.D.O.K. animated series at Hulu, has previously appeared in Showtime’s Dexter, The George Lopez Show, RoboCop, opposite Gary Oldman and Michael Keaton, Lorenzo DiBonaventura’s superhero movie El Chicano, and MGM’s The Addams Family with Charlize Theron and Oscar Isaac.

Oscar Isaac Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on October 24, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Oscar Isaac has new representation…

The 39-year-old Cuban and Guatemalan actor, who most recently starred in and produced Chris Weitz’s MGM film Operation Finale and will reprise his role as Poe Dameron in Star Wars: Episode IX, has signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for representation in all areas.

Isaac, who won a Golden Globe in 2016 for HBO’s Show Me a Hero, has several film projects in the works including starring in JC Chandor’s ensemble Triple Frontier, the long-gestating dramatic thriller set up at Netflix.

He also voices Gomez Addams in MGM’s upcoming animated The Addams Family movie.

Additionally, Isaac plays Paul Gauguinopposite Willem Dafoe’sVincent van Goghin At Eternity’s Gate, the biopic directed by Julian Schnabelthat CBS Filmswill release on November 16.

His credits include Alex Garland’s Ex Machina in 2014, the same year he starred in Chandor’s A Most Violent Year; both films were in that season’s awards mix. He also starred in Garland’s follow-up Annihilation, which bowed this year. He nabbed his first Golden Globe nomination for the Coen brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis in 2013.

Star Wars: Episode IX, which returns JJ Abrams to direct in the finale of the Skywalker saga franchise, has a December 20, 2019 release date.

Isaac had been at UTA for almost a decade with that agency sealing the deals that helped him grow into an A-list name, breaking out in Nic Refn’s Drive opposite Ryan Gosling.

Rodriguez Lands Recurring Role on ABC’s “Quantico”

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Krysta Rodriguez is heading to the Alphabet Network…

The 32-year-old Latina actress and Broadway star has landed a recurring role for the second half of the second season of ABC’s Quantico.

Rodriguez will play Maxine “Max” Griffin, the intelligent, passionate and fiercely driven founder of “the Roster,” a network and visibility platform for professional women committed to helping one another rise. A DC insider who wants to change the way politics treat women, Max is not to be messed with – in her personal or professional life.

Rodriguez, who originated the role of Wednesday Addams in the 2009 Broadway musical The Addams Family, stars in the NBC mockumentary Trial & Error. She previously starred in the second season of Smash as Ana Vargas, followed by the Broadway musical comedy First Date.

Additional television credits include Mysteries of Laura, Gossip Girl and Chasing Life.

Rodriguez to Star in NBC’s Documentary-Style Comedy Pilot “The Trail”

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Krysta Rodriguez is blazing new trail…

The 31-year-old Latina actress and former Smash star has been cast opposite John Lithgow in The Trail, NBC’s documentary-style procedural comedy from comedy veteran Jeff Astrof, Forever creator Matt Miller and Warner Bros. Television.

Written by Astrof and Miller and to be directed by Jeffrey Blitz, The Trail, whose title is a scrambled version of “trial,” follows Josh Simon (Nick D’Agosto), a young big-city lawyer and his oddball defense team during a high-profile murder trial in a small Southern town. Sent from his big New York law firm to small town South Carolina to prep a ragtag team in defending a poetry professor Larry Henderson (Lithgow) accused of murdering his wife, Josh tries to keep his optimism while feeling a bit out of his element — both professionally and as the first “Northeasterner” many of the townspeople have seen.

Rodriguez will play Summer Henderson, Larry’s free-spirited adopted daughter, who comes back to town to help her father.

Rodriguez, who appeared on ABC Family’s Chasing Life, also appeared on Broadway in The Addams Family musical.

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