Demi Lovato to Make Special Appearance During This Week’s Virtual GLAAD Media Awards

Demi Lovato’s GLAAD to accept the invitation…

The 27-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actress will be taking part in this year’s GLAAD Media Awards.

Demi Lovato

Lovato, who recently announced her engagement to fiancé Max Ehrich, will make a special appearance during the virtual ceremony.

The organization announced that along with a special musical performance from Chloe x Halle, the show will also now feature two new performers; actor and singer Ben Platt, and singer-songwriter Shea Diamond.

In addition to Lovato, stars like Jennifer GarnerLilly SinghCharli XCX, Kandi BurrussTheo GermaineAugust GettyGigi Gorgeous GettyNats GettyHarvey Guillén and Darryl Stephens will also appear throughout the event.

“Among this year’s nominees are a wide range of stories and narratives about LGBTQ people of different races, ethnicities, genders, religions, and other identities that demonstrate the power of inclusion and diversity in fostering positive cultural change,” GLAAD president & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “As this year’s Media Awards go virtual, we hope to send a powerful message to LGBTQ people that in the midst of this culturally and politically divisive time, our visibility and voices have never been more important.” 

Ahead of Thursday’s ceremony, GLAAD is already beginning to announce select winners, including Transparent: Musicale Finale for Outstanding TV Movie

The organization will continue to announce winners on their Twitter account leading right up to the start of the ceremony.

The show will be livestreamed on Thursday, July 30 at 8:00 pm ET via GLAAD’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

Quibi to Stream All-Star Remake of “The Princess Bride” Featuring Jenna Ortega

It’s a royal moment for Jenna Ortega

Starting Monday, Quibi will stream an all-star remake of The Princess Bride filmed by actors at home while in quarantine, including the 17-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress.

Jenna Ortega

In addition to Ortega, the re-creation will feature an A-list cast that includes couples Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner,Common and Tiffany HaddishNeil Patrick Harris and David Burtka and Chris Pine and Annabelle Wallis, along with Hugh JackmanJennifer GarnerElijah Wood, Jon HammBeanie FeldsteinLucas HedgesJack BlackDavid OyelowoKeegan-Michael KeyPatton OswaltJosh GadAndy SerkisDiego LunaTaika Waititi and Zazie Beetz and more.

Directed by Jason Reitman, the project will see Common playing the heroic Westley (originated by Cary Elwes), Haddish as Princess Buttercup (first played by Robin Wright), and Jackman as the villainous Humperdinck, to name a few.

The Princess Bride’s director, Rob Reiner, will also appear in the remake, along with Fred Savage, who reprises his role as the grandson in the film.

Beginning June 29, Quibi will release chapters of the made-at-home movie daily for two weeks.

The remake also is aiding a good cause. As part of the project, Quibi has donated $1 million to chef José Andrés’ charity World Central Kitchen, which provides meals to those who have been most affected by the coronaviruspandemic.

The remake of The Princess Bridewas first reported by Vanity Fair.

Cardi B Celebrates Class of 2020 in Special Facebook & Instagram Virtual Commencement Ceremony

Let Cardi B’s brilliant speechwriting commence

Despite ending their year in quarantine, the Class of 2020 is getting some great advice from the 27-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar and other celebrities.

Cardi B

Cardi B, Selena GomezOprah Winfrey,Matthew McConaughey and more celebs have come together for #Graduation2020: Facebook and Instagram Celebrate the Class of 2020, which kicked off on Friday, May 15 at 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm. ET. 

The event was co-hosted by Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak, with a commencement address by Oprah Winfrey and words of wisdom from AwkwafinaJennifer GarnerLil Nas XSimone Biles and others. 

A preview of Cardi B’s speech was released on Thursday, showing the rapper offering her pearls of wisdom.

“It’s more than a diploma,” Cardi B says. “It’s more than graduation. It’s knowledge. It’s knowing that you took it… that you went through those hard nights studying. To this day, I just replay my high school memories in my head, and for the college ones… I didn’t finish college, but I went. I just want to say congrats. Now you’re about to start your life, you’re about to make some money!”

Http://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=250142263005997

#Graduation2020: Facebook and Instagram Celebrate the Class of 2020 will be available on Facebook Watch and facebook.com/facebookapp.

Highlights and more will be posted to the @instagram account on Instagram and on contributors’ social media accounts.

Jenna Ortega to Star in the High School Drama “The Fallout”

Jenna Ortega is dealing with some Fallout

The 17-year-old Mexican and Puerto Rican actress has been cast as the lead in the high-school drama The Fallout.

Jenna Ortega

In the feature, high schooler Vada navigates the emotional fallout she experiences in the wake of a school tragedy. Relationships with her family, friends and view on the world are forever altered.

Actress Megan Parkwill write and direct the project.

Ortega, who rose to acclaim on the Disney Channel’s Stuck In The Middle, most recently appeared on Netflix’s series You.

Her other television credits include Jane the VirginCSI: NYand Bizaardvark.

She’ll next star on the big screen in Yes Dayopposite Jennifer Garnerand The Babysitter 2opposite Bella Thorne.

Arturo Del Puerto Lands Recurring Role in Apple’s Untitled Space Drama Series

Arturo Del Puerto’s latest project is out of this world

The Spanish and Puerto Rican actor has landed a recurring role in Apple’s upcoming space drama series from Battlestar Galactica‘s and Outlander‘s Ronald D. Moore.

Arturo Del Puerto

Produced by Sony Pictures Televisionand Moore’s Tall Ship Productions, the untitled Apple series, created and written by Moore along with Matt Wolpertand Ben Nedivi, explores what would have happened if the global space race had never ended. Joel Kinnaman,Michael Dormanand Sarah Jonesstar. Eric Ladin and Rebecca Wisocky have recurring roles.

Del Puerto will portray Octavio Rosales, an immigrant looking for a better life for his family.

Del Puerto will next be seen as a series regular opposite Jennifer Garneron HBO’s Camping and recurs in the upcoming season of TNT’s The Last Ship.

Arturo Del Puerto to Star in HBO’s New Comedy Series “Camping”

Arturo Del Puerto is heading to campground…

The Latino actor has been cast opposite Jennifer Garner and David Tennant in HBO’s new half-hour comedy series Camping.

Arturo Del Puerto

Del Puerto joins a cast that includes Janicza Bravo, Brett Gelman and Bridget Everett.

Based on the British series created by Julia Davis, the project hails from the Girls duo of creator/executive producer Lena Dunham and executive producer Jenni Konner.

Production begins this spring in Los Angeles.

Co-written by Dunham and Konner, who also showrun, Camping centers on Walt (Tennant), whose 45th birthday was supposed to be a delightful weekend back to nature, at least according to his obsessively organized and aggressively controlling wife Kathryn (Garner). But when the camping trip gathers Kathryn’s meek sister, holier than thou ex-best friend and a free-spirited Tagalong in one place, it becomes a weekend of tested marriages and woman-on-woman crime that won’t soon be forgotten. Plus, bears.

Del Puerto will portray Miguel, who is smack dab in the middle of a midlife crisis, recently separated. He is now expressing his instability through Topshop clothing and very strange life choices.

Bravo will play Nina-Joy, the friend you go to for everything: best massage, best jeans, best oatmeal. But her tension with Kathryn over a breach of confidence threatens to topple the weekend and put tooth marks in her marriage to the husband (Gelman) she adores almost as much as she likes a nice clog boot.

Del Puerto was most recently seen in features Independence Day: Resurgence, Ride Along 2 and CHIPS. He’s also known for his recurring role on AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead and a memorable guest spot in the Season 2 premiere of Pamela Adlon’s Better Things.

Known as a writer and director, Bravo directed and co-wrote with Gelman feature Lemon which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. She also helmed the “Juneteenth” episode of Donald Glover’s hit FX series Atlanta, as well as episodes of HBO’s Divorce, Here and Now, Netflix’s Love and Dear White People, and also guest-starred as Lorna in an episode of Love.

John Ortiz to Star in Netflix’s Drama Series “Messiah”

John Ortiz has landed the king of all projects…

The 49-year-old Puerto Rican actor has joined the cast of Netflix’s drama series Messiah, from writer Michael Petroni and producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.

Created by Petroni, the 10-episode Messiah explores the lines among religion, faith and politics. It chronicles the modern world’s reaction to a man who first appears in the Middle East creating a groundswell of followers around him claiming he is the Messiah. Is he sent from God or is he a dangerous fraud bent on dismantling the world’s geopolitical order? The story unfolds from multiple points of view, including a young CIA agent, an Israeli Shin Bet officer, a Latino preacher and his Texan daughter, a Palestinian refugee and the media, among others.

Ortiz plays Felix, smart, humble and unassuming on the outside. Though blessed with a strong faith and a loving family, Felix struggles with his lot in life leading a tiny, uninspired congregation in a border town in Texas where he assumes he will live out the rest of his days. Felix’s life is about to change as he gets swept up into Al-Massih’s world. With growing power comes corruption and Felix must choose between remaining true to himself or going down a darker path.

Ortiz will next be seen on the big screen alongside Hailee Steinfeld and Jon Cena in Paramount Pictures’ Transformers spinoff Bumblebee and in a co-starring role in revenge thriller Peppermint opposite Jennifer Garner.

Maestro Lands Recurring Role on ABC’s “Scandal”

It’s a scandalous time for Mia Maestro

The 37-year-old Argentine actress and singer-songwriter, who currently stars on FX’s The Strain, has landed a major recurring role on the upcoming fifth season of ABC’s Washington, D.C., drama series Scandal.

Mia Maestro

As is the case with most castings on Shonda Rhimes’ series, the character Maestro will play is being kept under wraps.

This marks Maestro’s return to ABC, where she had a heavily recurring role on another popular drama series, Alias, as Jennifer Garner’s sister.

Maestro starred in the The Twilight Saga as Carmen.

Derbez to Star in Sony Pictures’ “Miracles From Heaven”

Eugenio Derbez has landed a miracle role…

The 53-year-old Mexican actor and director has joined the cast of Sony PicturesMiracles From Heaven, which will be released via TriStar Pictures.

Eugenio Derbez

The film, starring Jennifer Garner, Martin Hendersen and Queen Latifah, will be directed by fellow Mexico compatriot Patricia Riggen.

Written by Randy Brown, adapting Cristy Beam’s same-titled book, the faith-based Miracles From Heaven centers on a young girl suffering from a rare digestive disorder who is miraculously cured after suffering a terrible accident.

Derbez will play an eminent but simpatico U.S.-based Mexican gastroenterologist-pediatrician, who plays games with his child patients to lighten their experience of hospital treatment.

Derbez’s character is inspired by Boston Children’s Hospital specialist Dr. Samuel Nurko, he said.

Derbez joins the Miracles From Heaven Atlanta shoot next week.

Miracles From Heaven reunites Riggen and Derbez, who co-starred in Riggen’s 2008 U.S. breakthrough Under the Same Moon, which grossed $12.6 million for the Weinstein Company.

This is a relatively rare drama outing for Derbez, who has carved out a career in comedy, breaking through with comedy-drama Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever in North America, with a $44.5 million box office trawl. It went on to become the biggest Mexican hit ever in Mexico, punching $46.1 million.

Derbez is currently advancing on three projects at his production label 3pas Studios, which has a first-look deal with Pantelion Films, the LionsgateTelevisa joint U.S. distribution venture.

“The projects have a lot to do with my personality,” Derbez said.

Derbez is set to direct and star in a remake of Argentine hit Chinese Take-Out, a cross-the-cultural-tracks buddy movie about a cantankerous Argentine hardware store owner and an adrift Chinese immigrant. Derbez regular co-scribe Eduardo Cisneros is writing the screenplay. The Argentine would become an American.

3pas Studios is also developing an English-language remake of 2006 French comedy Le Valet. Derbez’s next actor-director gig looks like one of these two projects. “Le Valet” is also at screenplay stage.

A third 3pas Studios project is an Untitled Latin Lover Project, from an original screenplay by Chris Spain and Jon Zack, about an aging Latin lover suddenly thrown out by his wife and forced to get a real job.

Derbez runs 3pas Studios with former Pantelion Films production chief Ben Odell.

Shakira Joins President Obama’s ‘Invest in US’ Educational Campaign

Shakira is supporting quality early childhood development…

The 37-year-old Colombian singer-songwriter, former The Voice coach and philanthropist is helping President Barack Obama launch a new national campaign, Invest in US, promoting better programs for early childhood development and education.

Shakira

The campaign, organized by the First Five Years fund and its philanthropic partners, was launched earlier this week at the White House Summit on Early Education.

Obama will call on celebrities, business leaders, philanthropists, advocates and public officials to help create and fund programs in local communities across America designed to help children from birth to age five.

Shakira recently participated in a Twitter Q&A with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The singer discussed her experiences with education since becoming a mother, her reasons behind joining the campaign and what she would change about the U.S. education system.

In addition to Shakira, the campaign also reatures the participation of John Legend, Julianne Moore and Jennifer Garner.

Shakira and the gang have all lent their voices to a series of PSAs that highlight individual programs already making a difference in Chicago, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

Shakira’s video, about Max, an educator in Utah, is available to watch below (she also recorded a version in Spanish.

According to a statement, dozens of corporations, foundations and nonprofits have already pledged to help raise awareness for Invest in US. Earlier this week, the White House announced over $1 billion in funding from the private and public sectors, which will mark the beginning of the campaign, and hopefully encourage others to invest as well.