Rodriguez & Her Fast & Furious Co-Stars to Receive Generation Award at the MTV Movie & TV Awards

It’s a new generation for Michelle Rodriguez

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress and her fellow Fast & Furious franchise co-stars will receive the Generation Award at this year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards on May 7, marking the first time the award show will give the honor to a film franchise rather than an individual actor.

Michelle Rodriguez

Fast & Furious star and producer Vin Diesel will accept the award alongside his co-stars Rodriguez, who portrays Letty in the franchise, Tyrese Gibson and Jordan Brewster.

Since 1992, the Generation Award has honored talent with a body of work throughout their career that speaks directly to the MTV audience. Past recipients include Will Smith, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Wahlberg, Sandra Bullock, Jamie Foxx, Johnny Depp, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey.

MTV will air marathons of the first three Fast & Furious films this weekend. They’ll feature a trivia game hosted by stars Diesel and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, offering social engagers a chance to win a trip to attend the MTV Movie & TV Awards.

The 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards will be hosted by actor and comedian Adam Devine, with the telecast airing live on Sunday, May 7, at 8:00 pm EST from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Ortiz Lands Recurring Role on USA Network’s Drama Series “Shooter”

Jaina Lee Ortiz has landed a new role…

The 30-year-old Latina actress has landed a recurring role opposite Ryan Phillippe on the second season of USA Network’s breakout drama series Shooter.

Jaina Lee Ortiz

Based on the best-selling novels by Stephen Hunter and the 2007 Paramount Pictures film starring Mark Wahlberg, Season 2 follows the journey of Bob Lee Swagger (Phillippe), a highly decorated veteran who must confront a nemesis from his past in order to return to a life of normalcy.

Ortiz will play Angela Tio, a Marine and part of Bob Lee’s former unit. Tio holds her own with the guys and is one of the few people who knows Bob Lee well enough to keep him grounded.

Ortiz can currently be seen starring opposite Morris Chestnut in the second season of Rosewood. She previously played one of the lead roles in Amazon pilot The After and also starred in indie features Misfire and Laid Out.

Shooter Season 2 premieres July 18 on USA Network.

Ambrosio to Star in Paramount Pictures’ “Daddy’s Home 2”

Alessandra Ambrosio is returning Home

Following a cameo appearance in the 2015 comedy Daddy’s Home, the 35-year-old Brazilian supermodel and Victoria’s Secret Angel is set to return in a more prominent role for Paramount Pictures’ upcoming Daddy’s Home 2.

Alessandra Ambrosio

The film will see Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell reprising their roles, as well as new additions Mel Gibson and John Lithgow.

In the sequel, father and stepfather, Dusty (Wahlberg) and Brad (Ferrell), are now working together to give their kids a perfect Christmas, however, upon the arrival of Dusty’s dad (Gibson) and Brad’s dad (Lithgow), their blended family conflicts rise to the surface.

Sean Anders is directing a script he wrote with John Morris.

Ambrosio most recently appeared in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

Cabrera to Star in Michael Bay’s “Transformers: The Last Knight”

Santiago Cabrera is ready to transform his career…

The 38-year-old Venezuelan-born Chilean actor is starring in Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Last Knight, the fifth installment in the Transformers franchise.

Santiago Cabrera

Mark WahlbergJosh DuhamelTyrese Gibson and Stanley Tucci are set to reprise their roles as Cade Yaeger, William Lennox, Robert Epps and Joshua Joyce respectively in the action flick.

Other cast members include Anthony HopkinsLaura HaddockIsabela MonerJerrod Carmichael, John Turturro and John Goodman.

Written by Art Marcum, Matt Halloway and Ken Nolan, the movie follows Optimus Prime who finds his home planet, Cybertron, now a dead planet. Thinking that he’s responsible for its demise, he finds a way to bring the planet back to life. However, in order to do so he needs to find an artifact on Earth.

Cabrera’s previous credits include appearances on The Mindy Project, Covert Affairs, Merlin, Dexter, The Musketeers and Heroes.

Transformers: The Last Knight is coming to U.S. theaters on June 23, 2017.

Ortiz to Appear in Boston Marathon Attack-Themed Film “Patriots Day”

David Ortiz is ready for his close-up…

The 40-year-old Dominican designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox will appear in the upcoming movie, Patriots Day, a film that revisits the events of the terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.

David Ortiz

Ortiz will play himself and reenact his speech addressing fans in Fenway Park on April 20, 2013, in which he stated, “This is our f—ing city. And nobody’s going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong!”

The film is scheduled for a limited release in theaters in Boston, New York and Los Angeles on December 21, 2016, with a wider national release slated for January 13, 2017.

It’s being directed by Peter Berg and stars Mark Wahlberg playing a Boston policeman.

“Yeah, Mark [Wahlberg] and I go way back,” Ortiz told ESPN.com. “He came and approached me the other day, asking me about it. And I said, ‘No problem.’ It sounds like it’s going to be fun. We’re going to do the filming when I get back to Boston, one of those mornings. I’m excited.

“It’s a big deal,” Ortiz said. “This movie is going to be a big deal, especially in Boston. After what happened in 2013, it’s going to come out on Christmas.”

Ortiz had no problem getting into how important that moment was for him, as well as for the city of Boston. He feels comfortable tapping into the feelings of the day he spoke to fans and of the pride he feels in helping to express the sentiments of many in the city. It’s especially noteworthy because the film will reportedly use considerable amounts of documentary footage, so the decision to reenact Ortiz’s speech and recapture the emotions of that moment make for a potentially powerful artistic decision.

“That’s the idea,” Ortiz said. “Being proud of it, it’s one of the main reasons they want me in it. But I can say, he went through some other details with me that, once you guys watch the movie, you guys are going to find out about. I’m excited.”

For Ortiz, beyond his personal feelings and role in the events after the bombing, this was also something that speaks to the kinds of movies he’s interested in.

“It’s about history, and I’m a big fan of movies based on true stories,” he said. “When they came out and asked me about it, I could agree with it.”

Gomez to Executive Produce Drama Based On Her Own Life for Lifetime

It appears art will soon imitate Selena Gomez’s life…

The 23-year-old half-Mexican American actress/singer will executive produce a scripted drama inspired by her own life experiences for Lifetime.

Selena Gomez

The project is among the highest-profile entries on the network’s development slate.

Search is underway for a writer to pen the untitled Gomez project, which draws from the young actress’ experience navigating a career in Hollywood as seen through the eyes of her friends who quickly become her most trusted inner circle.

The drama draws parallels to the HBO comedy Entourage, inspired by executive producer Mark Wahlberg’s life as a young Hollywood actor surrounded by his close friends.

Gomez has been ramping up her portfolio as a producer. She is also executive producing Netflix’s upcoming series 13 Reasons Why, which has set Tom McCarthy to direct the first two episodes, as well as a Latina Empire-themed drama in development at Freeform.

Szifron to Direct Sci-Fi Series “The Stranger” for Media Rights Capital

It’s stranger times for Damian Szifron

The 39-year-old Argentine film and television director, whose Relatos Salvajes was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, is set to helm a sci-fi series in the United States.

Damian Szifron

Szifron will make his directorial debut on the small screen in the U.S. with “The Stranger,” a series limited to 10 episodes that he’ll write and direct for Media Rights Capital (MRC) studios.

The format will include stories that go global, with multiple locations and different languages, according to Deadline.com.

The agreement gives Szifron a new project in the U.S. market, where he recently closed a deal to write the screenplay for the film The Six Billion Dollar Man starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Peter Berg.

That film is a movie adaptation of the TV series of the same name that was a hit on the ABC network in the United States between 1974 and 1978.

Szifron has also signed a deal to write and direct a future thriller for TriStar.

Rodriguez Attached to Star in Alloy Entertainment’s “Purple Hearts”

Forget red! Gina Rodriguez is seeing purple…

Alloy Entertainment has attached the 30-year-old Puerto Rican actress, who won a Golden Globe this year for her starring role in the CW’s Jane the Virgin, to Purple Hearts, a film project that Alloy commissioned internally by Alloy Entertainment Features with The Sessions writer-director Ben Lewin attached to direct.

Gina Rodriguez

Written by Kyle Jarrow, it’s a love story about an aspiring musician and a soldier who marry under false pretenses but eventually find true love.

Lewin’s The Sessions starred Helen Hunt.

In addition to her role in Purple Hearts, Rodriguez is expected to star opposite Mark Walhberg in Deepwater Horizon.

Sanchez Forms Pursuit Productions with Dan Friedkin

Lauren Sanchez has launched a new production company.

The 44-year-old Emmy-winning news anchor/entertainment reporter has formed Pursuit Productions with Dan Friedkin.

Lauren Sanchez

The company will focus on telling compelling real life stories from around the world.

Pursuit Productions already has its first documentary feature in the works, Foundand closed a deal with Mark Monroe to pen the film.

The documentaryfollows the search for those pilots whose planes were lost in The Battle of Peleliu during World War II.  Also joining the search for the missing pilots in the film is former United States Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell, whose memoir Lone Survivor was adapted into the 2013 Universal Studios film of the same name starring Mark Wahlberg.

Friedkin and Sanchez, in conjunction with Imperative Entertainment, are also filming a pilot, On the Road, which follows the death-defying adventures of The Horsemen, the world’s only vintage P-51 aerobatic flight team.

Sanchez, who served as a guest-host on ABC’s The View this morning, is considered a frontrunner to join the daytime talk show  as a co-host.

Gomez Earns Top Honors at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards

Selena Gomez is the kids’ choice…

The 21-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actress took home top music honors at Nickelodeon‘s 27th annual Kids’ Choice Awards during the Mark Wahlberg-hosted ceremony, which aired live on Nickelodeon from the University of Southern California‘s Galen Center on Saturday, March 29.

Selena Gomez

Gomez beat out Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift for the coveted orange blimp in the Favorite Female Singer category.

In addition, Gomez took home the award for #1 Fan Army for her oh-so-committed Selenators.

Gomez, who has won at least one Kids’ Choice Award every year since 2009, has raised her overall orange blimp count to eight.

Full List of Winners:

Favorite Song 
One Direction “Story of My Life”

Favorite Music Group 
One Direction

Favorite Male Singer
 Justin Timberlake

Favorite Female Singer
 Selena Gomez

Favorite Movie
 ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’

Favorite Animated Movie 
’Frozen’

Favorite Male Buttkicker
 Robert Downey Jr.

Favorite Female Buttkicker
 Jennifer Lawrence

Favorite Movie Actor
 Adam Sandler

Favorite Movie Actress
 Jennifer Lawrence

Favorite TV Show 
’Sam & Cat’

Favorite TV Actor
 Ross Lynch

Favorite TV Actress
Ariana Grande

Favorite Funny Star
Kevin Hart

Favorite Reality Show
 Wipeout

Favorite Cartoon
 SpongeBob SquarePants

Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie
 Miranda Cosgrove

Favorite Book
 ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ series

Favorite Video Game
 ‘Just Dance 2014’

Favorite App Game 
Despicable Me: Minion Rush

Favorite Animated Animal Sidekick
 Patrick Star

Most Enthusiastic Athlete 
Dwight Howard