Juan Pablo Di Pace to Take Part in Project Angel Food’s COVID-19 Emergency Telethon, ‘Lead With Love’

Juan Pablo Di Pace is ready to take your call… all for a great cause.

Project Angel Food will be holding a special telethon this Saturday, June 27, with the 40-year-old Argentinian actor/singer and Fuller House scene-stealer set to man the phones.

Juan Pablo Di Pace

The Lead With Love: Project Angel Food Emergency Telethon will air from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm PT on KTLA 5in Los Angeles and stream live on the channel’s website and on the Project Angel Food page.

The goal is to raise $500,000 to support Project Angel Food’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, set up for increased needs due to the coronavirus. In the past two months, the organization has gone from serving 1,600 people a day, to serving 2,000 people a day.

Along with a mix of in-studio and virtual appearances, the telethon will include a live phone bank where callers can talk to celebrity guests, including Di Pace, Jonathan AdamsJoely FisherRachel LindsayPeter Porte, Charlie CarverLawrence ZarianSasha Roiz and Lauren Tom

Scheduled performers include Annie LennoxKristin Chenoweth and Kelly Clarkson, with Eric McCormackSheryl Lee Ralph and Jessica Holmes hosting.

Other performers include Cee Lo GreenDeborah Cox and Billy Idol, and the event will include appearances by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Elton JohnJamie Lee CurtisSharon Stone, Marie OsmondZachary LeviPauley PerretteMarianne WilliamsonJohn GoodmanValerie BertinelliMarlee MatlinOlivia Newton-JohnKelly OsbourneMargaret ChoCharoDanny TrejoMatt Bomer,Cheryl TiegsTyler HenryCarson Kressley,Eileen DavidsonChrissy MetzSandra LeeLisa RinnaHarry HamlinJimmy SmitsVictoria PrincipalYvette Nicole BrownLoni LoveChaz DeanSasha Alexander, Ron Cey and Josh Flagg.

The event is being presented by City National Bank, and executive producer is Brad BesseyLisa Foxx will serve as announcer and auctioneer Gabriel Butu will be the money man.

Founded in 1989 during the AIDS crisis, Project Angel Food medically tailored meals to people with life-threatening illnesses, including those who are at high risk for COVID-19.

“This event will blend the best nostalgic elements from the Jerry Lewis Telethon with the modern virtual fundraisers of today,” Project Angel Food executive director Richard Ayoub said in a statement.

Click here for more information on the event and learn how to donate.

Julian Castro to Take Part in 2020 Presidential Candidate Forum on LGBTQ Issues

Julian Castro will be discussing LGBTQ Issues later this week…

The 45-year-old Mexican American politician and Democratic US presidential candidate will take part in the national 2020 Presidential Candidate Forum on LGBTQ Issues.

Julian Castro

Hosted by Pose actress Angelica Ross, the forum is presented by GLAADOne IowaThe Gazette and The Advocate and will be livestreamed from Coe College’s Sinclair Auditorium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on September 20 at 7:00 pm CT.

In addition to Castro, whowas the youngest member of President Barack Obama‘s Cabinet, serving as the 16th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2014 to 2017, participants include Joe BidenCory BookerPete Buttigieg, Tulsi GabbardKamala HarrisAmy Klobuchar, Joe SestakElizabeth Warren and Marianne Williamson. Country artist and contestant on season 11 of The Voice Billy Gilman is set to perform the National Anthem at the event.

A transgender activist, Ross will join GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellison stage tol bring LGBTQ specific-issues to the forefront of discussion in the 2020 presidential election. 

During the Forum, each candidate will discuss their plan and vision for improving LGBTQ acceptance in a divisive time for marginalized communities.

“This LGBTQ Presidential Forum is a pivotal moment in the 2020 election cycle,” said Ellis. “It’s the first time that LGBTQ issues will be exclusively discussed by 2020 presidential candidates on a national stage.”

She adds, “We look forward to hearing how the 2020 candidates plan to reverse the attacks and rollbacks of the Trump Administration and put LGBTQ Americans on a course to 100% acceptance.”

This comes at a time when members of the American LGBTQ community have faced more than 124 anti-LGBTQ attacks in policy and rhetoric from the Trump Administration. This includes the ban on transgender Americans from serving in the military and the administration’s opposition to the Equality Act.

Acevedo Named to the Social 25 as Part of Social Media Week Los Angeles

Beatriz Acevedo is being feted for her social media skills…

The 45-year-old Mexican entertainment executive and Emmy-winner is among this year’s honorees in the Social 25 as part of the upcoming Social Media Week Los Angeles conference and other festivities.

Beatriz Acevedo

Acevedo is the founder and president of MiTu Network, which provides Spanish-language lifestyle programs on YouTube. When the network launched, it had 30 channels with about 15 million monthly views. MiTu now has more than 700 channels, and about 100 million monthly views.

MiTu provides content in English, Spanish and Portuguese, because many Latinos, Acevedo said, though they are Spanish speakers, prefer to search in English and watch English videos. Most traditional networks offer only game shows, soap operas and sports in Spanish, but MiTu provides “culturally relevant content,” including shows on Mexican cookery and raising bilingual children — free of charge.

“You have to pay a high premium for most Spanish channels, except for us,” she said.

Acevedo joins actors Sophia Bush, Caitlin Crosby and Marlon Wayans; Endemol Beyond USA president Will Keenan; Russell Simmons and Steve Rifkind of All Def Digital; Beats founders Jimmy Iovine, Doctor Dre and Ian Rogers; Danny Gabai of Vice Media; and YouTubers Grace Helbig, DJ Skee; the Fine Brothers; Jonathan Skogmo of Jukin Media; the 26MGMT management company and Meridith Rojas of live-event company Digitour on the list.

The L.A.-based list recognizes the year’s “25 most outstanding individuals, companies, and brands influencing the future of social media.”

Honorees will be part of an event on September 22, opening night of Social Media Week Los Angeles.

Other honorees on the list include: Matt Pohlson and Ryan Cummins of charity Omaze; Sean Rad of Hollywood’s favorite hook-up app, Tinder; Jim Redner of virtual-reality company Oculus Rift; Jonathan Shokrian of online retailer MeUndies; author and speaker Marianne Williamson; and musician ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, whose social-media-driven latest album was the biggest in his decades-long career as a parodist.

The list also includes chef, author and starter of the food-truck revolution Roy Choi; Tony Horton of Beachbody Fitness (the P90X fitness empire); Bastian Lehmann of “Uber of stuff” site Postmates; Jason Nazar, CEO of small-business documents company Docstoc; and Abhi Nemani, the city of Los Angeles Chief Data Officer.

Along with attending the VIP event, some of the honorees will serve as keynotes and panelists during the four-day Social Media Week LA conference in Santa Monica.