Camila Cabello to Appear as Musical Guest in April Episode of “Saturday Night Live”

Camila Cabello is returning to Saturday Night Live

The 25-year-old Cuban-Mexican singer and former Fifth Harmony member will serve as the musical guest on the April 9 episode of the long-running, late-night NBC sketch comedy show.

Camila CabelloCabello will perform the day after her new album Familia is released.

It will be the “Bam Bam” singer’s second time as a musical guest on SNL.

She made her debut on the October 12, 2019 episode, performing the tracks “Cry for Me” and “Easy.”

Cabello will appear alongside the evening’s host Jake Gyllenhaal.

Annie Gonzalez to Star in George Lopez’s Drama Pilot “Once Upon a Time in Aztlan”

Annie Gonzalez’s Time card is filling up…

The Chicana actress will star in the drama pilot Once Upon a Time in Aztlan, a project from George Lopez for STXtelevision and Amazon Studios.

Annie Gonzalez

Gonzalez will star opposite her Flamin’ Hot co-star Jesse Garcia, as well as Lopez, in the pilot.

Gonzalez will portray Dolores “Lola” Duran, the youngest of Gervasio Duran’s (Lopez) children. She’s the heart of the family, a spitfire mother, and entrepreneur who runs a bar-cabaret with her ex. She is always game, at the party, and in the riot.

Garcia will portray the show’s hero, Arturo Duran. After 13 years in federal prison, Arturo has missed a lifetime’s worth of changes. His second chance at life will be born through his transcendental artistry, which will single-handedly take possession of how the world sees the Southern California Dream.

Written by Javier Rodriguez, the one-hour drama revolves around a Chicano family in the deep suburbs of Los Angeles as they come to terms with the falsehoods of the American dream, and their ability to defy expectations.

Rodriguez executive produces with photographer/director Estevan Oriol, LA-based artist Mister Cartoon, and Michael Connolly who put the Latinx package together under his STXtelevision-based Mad Hatter Entertainment banner.

Gonzalez is returning for Season 2 of Netflix’s Gentefied on November 10. Her previous credits include VidaShameless, and American Horror Story. She portrayed Garcia’s wife Judy Montanez in Flamin’ Hot.

Garcia most recently appeared in Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico as DEA agent Sal Orozco. Up next, he will appear in the films Ambulance opposite Jake Gyllenhaal; Netflix’s The Mother with Jennifer Lopez; and the Richard Montanez biopic from Eva LongoriaFlamin’ Hot in the role of Montanez.

 

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Appear on “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!” Special

Lin-Manuel Miranda is celebrating Broadway’s reopening…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican Tony Award-winning actor, singer, songwriter, rapper, producer and playwright will take part in Broadway’s Back!, the live two-hour broadcast special immediately following this Sunday’s streaming-only Tony Awards ceremony.

Lin-Manuel Miranda 

In addition to Miranda, who created the Broadway hits In The Heights and Hamilton, the program will include appearances by Kristin Chenoweth, André De Shields, Jake Gyllenhaal, Audra McDonald, Idina Menzel, Broadway legend Chita Rivera, Daphne Rubin-Vega, who originated the role of Mimi Marquez in the Broadway musical Rent, and more, according to CBS and The American Theatre Wing.

The special, presented live on Sunday, Sept. 26 from Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre, will be hosted by Leslie Odom, Jr.

Designed as a celebration of Broadway’s return to the stage following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, the special (full title: The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!) airs on CBS from 9:00 – 11:00 pm ET (live) and PT (delayed). The special also will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

The concert special will include Broadway performers and Tony Award winners re-uniting on stage to perform classics, and will feature performances from the three Tony-nominated Best Musical contenders: Jagged Little Pill, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.

The special also will include the live presentation of three Tony Awards: Best Play, Best Revival of a Play and Best Musical.

The 74th Annual Tony Awards, delayed from June 2020 due to COVID-19 and representing a shorter roster of nominees because of the shutdown, will stream exclusively on Paramount+ live beginning at 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT. The ceremony will be hosted by Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning singer and actor Audra McDonald, and will cover productions from the abbreviated 2019-2020 Broadway season.

The line-up of Broadway’s Back! performers and presenters also includes Annaleigh Ashford, Kerry Butler, Christopher Jackson, Ruthie Ann Miles, Bebe Neuwirth, Leslie Odom, Jr., Kelli O’Hara, Ben Platt, Jeremy Pope and BD Wong. Additional performers and presenters will be announced later this week.

The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back! will be produced in collaboration with Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, and White Cherry Entertainment, the team behind the annual Tony Awards telecast. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss are executive producers for White Cherry Entertainment. Weiss will serve as director.

Santino Fontana to Perform During Broadway “Show of Titles” Musical Event to Benefit The Actors Fund

Santino Fontana is a title(s) act…

The 39-year-old part-Spanish America actor will perform at Show of Titles, a special livestreamed musical event next month benefiting The Actors Fund.

Santino Fontana

Fontana joins a lineup of nearly 30 stars – from Glenn ClosePatti LuPone, Darren Criss, Kelsey Grammar and David Alan Grier to Jake Gyllenhaal, Joshua Henry and Phillipa Soo – who will perform title songs from more than 20 musicals.

The event will feature title songs of Broadway musicals spanning nine decades, from “Lady Be Good” to “The Light in the Piazza.”

The line-up also includes Annaleigh Ashford, Len Cariou, Isabelle Huppert, Norm Lewis, Rob McClure, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Melba Moore, Jessie Mueller, Eva Noblezada, Kelli O’Hara, Laura Osnes, Steven Pasquale, Michael Rupert, Ernie Sabella, Lea Salonga, Will Swenson, Aaron Tveit, Leslie Uggams, Vanessa Williams and Patrick Wilson.

Making special appearances will be Broadway Inspirational Voices, Candice Bergen, Danny Burstein, Bryan Cranston, Sheldon Harnick, John Kander, Angela Lansbury, John Lithgow, Lindsay Mendez, Phylicia Rashad, Ben Vereen, BD Wong and Florian Zeller.

Conceived by Broadway’s Best Shows producer Jeffrey RichardsShow of Titles will be directed by Lonny Price, with music direction by Jason Howland, and livestreamed on June 8, 8:00 pm ET on Stellar for a limited time only.

Tickets went on sale May 17 for $29 ($39 starting May 21), with all sales donated to The Actor’s Fund.

Composers represented include Lee Adams, Maxwell Anderson, Burt Bacharach, Irving Berlin, Jerry Bock, Bertolt Brecht, Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, Joe Darion, Hal David, Fred Ebb, Gary Geld, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Adolph Green, Adam Guettel, Oscar Hammerstein, Sheldon Harnick, Jerry Herman, John Kander, Burton Lane, Mitch Leigh, Alan Jay Lerner, Frank Loesser, Frederick Loewe, Galt MacDermot, Cole Porter, James Rado, Gerome Ragni, Richard Rodgers, Charles Strouse, Jule Styne, Peter Udell and Kurt Weill.

Jesse Garcia to Star in Michael Bay’s Action Feature “Ambulance”

Jesse Garcia is calling 9-1-1…

The 39-year-old Spanish and Mexican American actor has joined the cast of Michael Bay’s Endeavor ContentUniversal Pictures action feature Ambulance

Jesse Garcia

Garcia joins a growing cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza Gonzalez, Garret DillahuntA Martinez, Keir O’DonnellMoses Ingram, rapper Wale FolarinCedric SandersJackson WhiteColin Woodell and Olivia Stambouliah.

Ambulance is based on the original Danish film Ambulancen and is in the spirit of such 1990s action films as Speed and Bad BoysChris Fedak wrote the original screenplay.

Garcia recently wrapped the new season of Narcos and was attached to the Marvel/Hulu series Ghost Rider before it was stalled. Garcia plays Ranger Freddie Gonzalez in the El Rey Network’s From Dusk Till DawnHe is also known for the award-winning film Quinceañera, written and directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer, executive produced by Todd Haynes. The film won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival in the Dramatic Independent Feature Competition. Garcia won Best Actor at the 2007 ALMA Awards for his role as Carlos, a troubled gay teenager.  In 2012, Garcia played a supporting role in The Avengers, in addition to roles in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Manifest Destiny. His TV work also includes Edward James Olmos’ movie Walkout for HBO, recurring roles on Sons of Anarchy, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and The Shield

A Martinez to Star in Michael Bay’s Action Thriller “Ambulance”

A Martinez is preparing a medical emergency

The 72-year-old part-Mexican American actor will star in the Michael Bay-directed action thriller Ambulance.

A Martinez

Martinez joins the list of new additions to the cast list that includes Garret DillahuntKeir O’Donnell and Moses Ingram.

The four join current cast members Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza Gonzalez in a feature that’s based off the original Danish film Ambulancen

While the plot is being kept under wraps, the film is expected to be in the spirit of such 1990s action films as Speed and Bad Boys.

Chris Fedak wrote the original script.

Universal is distributing the movie with Endeavor Content packaging of the project.

Martinez, who gained acclaim in the soap operas Santa Barbara, General Hospital, One Life to LiveThe Bold and the Beautiful and Days of Our Lives, recently appeared in the series-long role of Jacob Nighthorse on Netflix’s Longmire, as well as recurring roles on The Bay and Queen of the South. He has also appeared in films including The Cowboys, She-Devil and Powwow Highway.

Eiza Gonzalez to Star Opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in Michael Bay’s Action-Thriller “Ambulance”

Eiza Gonzalez is calling 9-1-1…

The 30-year-old Mexican actress and singer will star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Michael Bay’s action-thriller Ambulance

Eiza González

Chris Fedak wrote the original script, based on the original Danish Film Ambulancen produced by Nordisk Film Productions.

The logline is being kept under wraps, but insiders say the film is the vein of the great action thrillers of the ’90s like Speed and Bay’s Bad Boys.

The script has been highly coveted for years but never able to lock down a director before Bay got his hands on it and instantly fell in love.

Universal Pictures recently finalized the deal to distribute the film with Endeavor Content handling the packaging of the project.

Production is expected to start in January.

Gonzalez’s 2021 looks to be quite busy as she can be seen next in the thriller I Care A Lot, which also stars Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was picked up by Netflix for a 2021 release.

She also has the tentpole Godzilla vs. Kong, which will bow in 2021 in theaters and on HBO Max day and date.

Oscar Isaac Attached to Star in Sony Pictures’ Film Adaptation of Konami’s “Metal Gear Solid” Video Game

Oscar Isaac has landed a solid role…

Sony Pictures’ long-awaited Metal Gear Solid adaptation looks to have gained some major momentum as the 41-year-old Guatemalan & Cuban actor has been attached to play Solid Snake in the film.

Oscar Isaac

The film is currently in development at Sony with Jordan Vogt-Roberts on board to direct.

The film is based on the Metal Gear Solid video game created by Hideo Kojima and published by Konami. The script is written by Derek Connolly. Avi Arad is producing. Peter Kang is the executive overseeing for the studio.

The game was first launched on PlayStation in 1998 and follows Snake, a soldier who infiltrates a nuclear weapons facility to neutralize the terrorist threat from Foxhound, a renegade special forces unit. The game has received acclaimed on many fronts, but its storytelling that has a cinematic feel always made it seem like a movie adaptation was inevitable.

Given Isaac’s extremely busy schedule, a production start date is still unknown, but his involvement makes the property a high priority for the studio going forward. As for Isaac, Metal Gear Solid could give him another major franchise, having already starred in the most recent Star Wars franchise.

Even as the industry slowly gets back into production due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Isaac has been busy setting his future slate in recent months. He is set to star in HBO’s Scenes From a Marriage opposite Jessica Chastain, followed by playing the title role in Marvel’s Moon Knight for Disney+.

Isaac will next be seen in the much-anticipated reboot of Dune and Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter. He’s also set to star in and produce the adaptation of Brian K. Vaughn’s Ex Machina comic retitled The Great Machine and star in Barry Levinson’s Francis and The Godfather, alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Take Part in Stephen Sondheim Virtual Birthday Concert

Lin-Manuel Miranda is celebrating a living musical theater legend.

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican composer, lyricist, singer, actor, producer and playwright, widely known for creating and starring in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton, has signed on to appear on Sunday’s Stephen Sondheim virtual birthday concert.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Miranda, who starred in Mary Poppins Returns, joins a roster of new additions that includes Jake GyllenhaalLinda LavinLaura BenantiNeil Patrick Harrisand Ben Plattfor the all-star benefit for Artists Striving To End Poverty.

Previously announced stars participating in the concert include Annaleigh AshfordMelissa ErricoBeanie FeldsteinJosh GrobanJudy KuhnRandy Rainbow and Lea Solanga

Special appearances will be made by Victor GarberJoanna GleasonNathan Lane and Steven Spielberg.

They’ll all join the previously announced Meryl StreepBernadette PetersPatti LuPone and Audra McDonald, among many others, in the special virtual concert to celebrate Sondheim’s 90th birthday.

Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration, hosted by Raúl Esparza, is set for this Sunday, April 26, the 50th anniversary of the opening night of Sondheim’s groundbreaking musical Company.

The concert kicks off at 8:00 pm ET, and will be available for free at Broadway.comand the Broadway.com YouTubechannel.

Other artists performing songs from the Sondheim catalog will include Mandy Patinkin, Christine BaranskiDonna MurphyKristin ChenowethSutton FosterBrian Stokes MitchellKelli O’HaraAaron TveitMaria Friedman, Iain ArmitageKatrina LenkMichael CerverisBrandon UranowitzStephen SchwartzElizabeth StanleyChip Zien, Alexander Gemignani and, from the cast of Pacific Overtures at Classic Stage CompanyAnn HaradaAustin KuKelvin Moon Loh and Thom Sesma.

Esparza starred as Bobby in the 2006 Tony Award-winning revival of Companyand in the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration productions of Sunday in the Park with George and Merrily We Roll Along in 2002, as well as the City Center Encores! production of Anyone Can Whistle and in last year’s Road Show.

“The world is in a hard place,” Esparza said in a statement, “and we are all searching for something great. Well, Stephen Sondheim is greatness personified.”

Mary-Mitchell Campbell will be the music director, with Paul Wontorek serving as director.

The online event will act as a fundraiser for ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty), the organization conceived by Campbell and Juilliard students to transform the lives of youth through art.

Pedro Almodóvar to be a Guest Speaker at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 50th Anniversary Gala

Pedro Almodóvaris headed to the Big Apple for a special occasion…

The Film Society of Lincoln Center has invited the 69-year-old legendary Spanish director to be a guest speaker at its 50th Anniversary Gala on Monday, April 29, 2019 in Alice Tully Hall.

Pedro Almodovar

Reflecting and building upon the organization’s half-century introducing New York audiences to many of the industry’s most acclaimed and important filmmakers, the Gala will honor the Film Society’s legendary past and vibrant present, and look ahead as we extend our commitment to the film community.

Almodóvar will be joined by Darren AronofskyJake GyllenhaalDee Rees, and Martin ScorseseMarielle HellerTilda Swinton, and John Waters, who will also be feted.

Almodóvar has a specialconnection with the New York Film Festivaland FSLC

His film What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984) screened in New Directors/New Films, and since then he has premiered 10 films in the New York Film Festival; 

The 50th Anniversary Gala will tell the story of the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s semi-centennial, reflecting and building upon the organization’s half-century introducing New York audiences to many of the industry’s most acclaimed and important filmmakers. The special guest speakers will present this history alongside a collection of interviews and archival footage, photographs, and film clips that will reflect upon the organization and its role in New York City film culture. In honoring the past, the evening will celebrate a film community that is helping to shape the future of our art form.