FX has released the first trailer for the third and final season of its groundbreaking series Pose, starring the 30-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer.
In less than two minutes, the clip serves up a lot of drama, tears, laughter, hope, love and sickening looks.
At the beginning of the trailer we see Emmy-winner Billy Porter reflect on ballroom culture and how it has changed and how it brought him so much life.
“Your life matters,” Rodriguez’s Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista tells him — a statement that has been a mantra of the entire series, which was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Steven Canals.
Blanca now works at a hospital and the entire Pose crew talks about the legacy they want to leave behind and in turn.
“We are just gonna be ourselves and that’s it,” says Indya Moore’s Angel.
Set to the tune of Aretha Franklin’s “A Deeper Love,” the clip features glimpses of scenes from the final season, which includes Porter, Rodriguez, Moore, Dominique Jackson, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Hailie Sahar, Angel Bismark Curiel, Dyllón Burnside, and Sandra Bernhard.
From AIDS activism to moments of heartwarming familial love to ballroom fierceness, the final season is set to bring it and we are here for it.
Lin Manuel Miranda is stressing the importance of diversity on the small screen…
During Sunday night’s Primetime Emmy Awards, a powerful PSA that challenges the television industry to do more to create an all-inclusive environment will air, featuring the 40-year-old Puerto Rican composer, lyricist, actor, singer, rapper, producer, and playwright.
Miranda, who created the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton, appears alongside Billy Porter, Isis King, Daniel Dae Kim, Jamie Chung and others, in the 60-second PSA, titled “See All.”
The PSA, created by the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM), a division of the New York-based Association of National Advertisers, features the actors alternating lines of the script, which opens with the appeal, “We appreciate the dialogue. We see the effort from Hollywood. But we need more.”
In the spot’s midsection, the voices raise important questions. “Do you see me in this industry? You act as if bias doesn’t exist. Would you rather breathe life into stereotypes or stand up against them? Because what I know of my culture isn’t who you portray me to be.”
The comments become more pointed as the spot progresses. “We are more than a splash of color on your white canvas. We’re not your quota. We are quotable. So show me — me. Not your me. Me.”
A social movement to #SEEALL will follow.
The actors epitomize the success in recent years of more diverse performers. Miranda, who has Puerto Rican roots, is just an Oscar away from becoming an EGOT. Porter, the star of Poseand Kinky Boots, is among today’s most high-profile LGBTQ performers. King, the first trans woman to compete on America’s Next Top Model, is one of the most visible transgender people on television. Kim, who was born in South Korea, has appeared in Lost, Hawaii Five-OandAngel. Chung, a second-generation Korean-American, has appeared in the films The Hangover Part II, Sucker Punch and Big Hero 6.
AIMM describes itself as “a coalition of entities from the entire marketing ecosystem, representing the Hispanic, African-American, Asian, and LGBTQ+ markets. AIMM members are focused on re-prioritizing multicultural and inclusive marketing to help companies maximize their growth potential. AIMM has been the catalyst for unprecedented industry research examining multicultural marketing opportunities and the obstacles that stand in the way of optimal growth.”
ABC has put in development In The End, a drama from the 39-year-old Afro-Puerto Rican screenwriter, producer and Pose co-creator and his Story Ave. Productions, and 20th Century Fox Television, where Canals is under a deal.
Written and executive produced by Canals, the project centers on Kiona Brown, who, incapable of living life to the fullest, makes the only logical choice – to embrace death as an end-of-life doula. With an eclectic list of patients – including cancer survivor Mariana Cortez – Kiona soon discovers the secret to a new beginning is to embrace what happens…in the end.
In The End is among the first projects for Canals under his overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television.
Canals co-created and executive produces the Emmy– and Golden Globe-nominated and Peabody Award-winning drama series Pose, named one of the Best TV Programs of the Year by the American Film Institute in 2018 and 2019. It will return for a third season in 2020.
A 2015 graduate of UCLA’s MFA Screenwriting program, Canals began his journey as a storyteller in high school, producing the documentary short Turf Violence: What’s It All About?co-funded by HBO Family. He went on to earn a BA in Cinema, and a Masters in Student Affairs & Diversity from Binghamton University. While attending UCLA, Canals served as a Research Assistant at Hungry Jackal Productions. In 2016 Canals was a staff writer on Freeform’s Dead of Summer, the same year his short film, Afuera, premiered at the LA Film Festival.
He made his TV directorial debut with the eighth episode of the second season ofPose titled “Revelations.”
The 29-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer has been cast in Between the World and Me, HBO’s adaptation of the stage show based on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ New York Times bestseller.
Rodriguez joins a lineup of cast additions that includes Jharrel Jerome, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Janet Mock, Jason Moran, Wendell Pierce, Kendrick Sampson, Yara Shahidi and Michelle Wilson.
They join previously announced cast members Angela Bassett, Alicia Garza, Joe Morton, Phylicia Rashad, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Courtney B. Vance, Pauletta Washington, Susan Kelechi Watson and Oprah Winfrey.
Originally adapted and staged by the Apollo Theater in 2018, the special will combine elements of that production, including readings from Coates’ book, and will again be directed by award-winning director and Apollo Theater executive producer Kamilah Forbes.
It will also incorporate documentary footage from the actors’ home life, archival footage and animation.
The book, first published in 2015 by One World, is written as a letter to Coates’ teenage son and recounts the author’s experiences growing up in Baltimore’s inner city and his growing fear of daily violence against the Black community. The narrative explores Coates’ notion that American society structurally supports white supremacy.
The special, which is currently in production under COVID-19 guidelines, debuts this fall on HBO and will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
Rodriguez rose to acclaim on FX’s series Pose. Her other credits include television appearances on Luke Cage, The Carrie Diaries and Nurse Jackie.
In November 2019, Rodriguez landed a contract with OlayBody, becoming the first Latina trans woman to enter a partnership with the company.
Joaquin Castro is calling for a more diverse media…
In a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) – chaired by the 45-year-old Mexican American politician and U.S. Representative for Texas’ 20th congressional district – is urging the commission to update its “Diversity in the Media: A Chart Book for Selected Industries” report, which hasn’t been updated since 2004.
The call to action furthers Castro and the CHC’s efforts to increase diversity in media and entertainment and to have a baseline of data for transparency and ultimately greater accountability in the industry.
The letter is addressed to EEOC Chair Janet Dhillon, as well as EEOC Commissioners Victoria A. Lipnic and Charlotte A. Burrows and discusses the importance of having a baseline of data for transparency and ultimately greater accountability.
The 2004 report lays out data on the diversity in media in three major categories: broadcasting, publishing and cable.
With the advent of streaming and the surge of digital content, the CHC points out that the media industry has “drastically changed” since the report was released over 16 years ago and it’s time that revisions be made.
Castro and the CHC requested the EEOC update the report no more than 60 days from the receipt of the letter. They also are looking for updates every 30 days until the final report is released.
The CHC broke it down and requested that the new report include:
Disaggregated data on race, ethnicity and gender by individual industry rather than the grouping format used in 2004.
New industries such as digital content and streaming provider
Updated data for all positions in each industry from entry level up to and including Executive level positi
When possible, data on salaries and wages disaggregated by race, ethnicity and gender for each of the employee categories, including Executive level positions for each industry.
“While discrimination and lack of equal opportunity for underrepresented groups is present in many fields, the media industry is unique in its ability to influence the broader culture and shape the perception of entire groups,” the letter stated. “When Latinos do not have the opportunity to shape the media’s depiction of our communities, it ultimately emboldens a misunderstanding of our communities that weakens the social fabric of American society. The CHC views greater transparency around employment data through publicly available information as critical to increasing representation for Latinos and other underrepresented communities.”
An updated report would hopefully help move the needle further as Hollywood tries to become more inclusive when it comes to talent in front of and behind the camera — specifically in a time when the country is seeing a social and civic reckoning.
It also comes after a blatant lack of Latinx representation when it came to Emmy award nominations, even though the television landscape was filled with Latinx-led shows like Vida, One Day At A Timeand Gentefied.
Pose has been an Emmy favorite and although star Billy Porter was nominated, there was no love for show co-creator Steven Canals or series stars Mj Rodriguez and Indya Moore, who’ve delivered stellar work on the FX drama.
The new ABC comedy United We Fall features Latinx characters but with the cancellation of The Baker and the Beauty, there’s a glaring absence of shows with a majority Latinx cast on a major network.
Last fall, Castro led a congressional delegation to Los Angeles where the CHC met with several studios and streamers, talent agencies, as well as union and guilds. Congress has worked to include this language in almost all of the major funding bills during the Appropriations process and in the National Defense Authorization Act. The CHC has regular conversations with stakeholders regarding the state of the industry. Most recently the CHC had meetings with Amazon Studios and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as they develop their new 2025 diversity initiatives to ensure that Latinos are included in these goals on diversity.
The letter was signed by Castro, Robert Menendez (Co-Chair, Diversity Taskforce), Tony Cárdenas (Co-Chair, Diversity Taskforce) as well as members of Congress José E. Serrano, Ruben Gallego, Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr., Juan Vargas and Nydia M. Velázquez.
FX is developing the limited series 81 Words,from the 39-year-old Afro-Puerto Rican screenwriter, producer and Pose co-creator, Pal Pictures and 20th Century Fox Television.
Written by Canals, the series centers on gay rights pioneers Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings.
It’s based on Alix Spiegel’s award-winning This American Life episode, “81 Words” and the soon-to-be-released PBS documentary Cured,directed by Bennett Singer and Patrick Sammon.
Until 1974, the medical establishment considered gay people sexually deviant and diagnosed them as mentally ill.
81 Words tells the true story of gay activists Kameny an Gittings, who risked their careers and reputations to conspire with the GAYPA – a clandestine group of closeted psychiatrists – and challenge the American Psychiatric Association’s definition of homosexuality.
Canals will executive- produce the project via his Story Ave. Productions.
Canals is the co-creator and executive producer, alongside Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, of the Emmy– and Golden Globe-nominated and Peabody Award-winning drama series Pose.
The series, named one of the Best TV Programs of the Year by the American Film Institute in 2018 and 2019, will return for its third season in 2021.
Canals was a staff writer on Freeform’s Dead of Summer and made his television directorial debut with the eighth episode of the second season of Pose titled “Revelations.”
The 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer and her fellow Pose castmates and producers will take part in this year’s virtual GLAAD Media Awards ceremony.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the awards show will stream on GLAAD’s Facebook and YouTube accounts on Thursday, July 30 at 8:00 pm ET and will air on Logo on Monday, August 3 at 8:00 pm ET.
In addition to Rodriguez and her Pose castmates and producers, the awards show will include appearances by Dolly Parton, Dwayne Wade & Gabrielle Union, Lil Nas X, Cara Delevingne, Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Lena Waithe, Jonica T. Gibbs, Dan Levy, Rachel Maddow, Ryan O’Connell, trans model and advocate Geena Rocero, Angelica Ross, Brain Michael Smith, Peppermint, Olivia Wilde, Raquel Willis,WWE superstar Sonya Deville and comedian Benito Skinner.
The ceremony will feature a special performance from the Grammy-nominated duo Chloe x Halle.
Comedians Fortune Feimster and Gina Yashere will serve as co-hosts of the show.
Honoring film, TV and media for its fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues, the GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies were originally supposed to take place in New York on March 19 and in Los Angeles on April 16.
The ceremonies were cancelled due to the pandemic, but GLAAD shifted plans and strived ahead in order to give shine to the LGBTQ-centric film, TV and media.
Earlier this year, GLAAD announced over 175 nominees in 30 categories who are being recognized for their work in queer media.
“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,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “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.”
HBO Max has released the first official trailer forLegendary, the streaming service’s upcoming unscripted ballroom competition show featuring the 32-year-old transgender Afro-Puerto Rican dancer, instructor, model, activist, and ballroom dancer, known as the “Wonder Woman of Vogue,” as a judge.
The series follows young voguing teams competing in balls and showcasing fashion for a panel of judges.
In addition to Maldonado, the judges panel includes Law Roach, Jameela Jamil and Megan Thee Stallion.
Legendary comes from Scout Productions. Jane Mun and Josh Greenberg serve as showrunners. David Collins, Rob Eric and Michael Williams also serve as executive producers.
Maldonado was a member of the dance troupe “Vogue Evolution,” which was featured on America’s Best Dance Crew. She has worked with artists like Willow Smith,Icona Pop, and CocoRosie. She’s also a choreographer for the ballroom scenes in FX’s Pose.
The 45-year-old Cuban American television writer and One Day at a Time co-showrunner will be taking part in ATX Television Festival’s virtual edition, which has been appropriately titled “ATX TV…From The Couch!”
Calderón Kellett will take part in a conversation about Latinx representation on the small screen, alongside Vida creator Tanya Saracho, Pose’s co-creator Steven Canals and Diary of a Future President’s Ilana Peña.
Calderón Kellett, Saracho, Canals and Peña, some of today’s hottest Latinx content creators, will be “Celebrating Authentic Stories,” the title of their panel.
They’ll talk about celebrating and continuing the push for positive Latinx representation, as well as how decision-makers within the industry can amplify Latinx voices.
“ATX TV… from the Couch!” marks the first virtual event for the fest and will include industry-forward panels with showrunners and executives, sneak previews of upcoming series, and virtual events such as television trivia and a music showcase.
The virtual event will take place June 5-7. It will be free to access via ATX’s official YouTube channe l, with the option for viewers to donate to select organizations providing COVID-19 relief regionally and nationally.
In addition to the Latinx panel, the festival’s virtual line-up will include conversations with cast and creatives from Freeform’s The Bold Type, NBC’s hit drama New Amsterdam, and The CW’s mystery-drama Nancy Drew.
The ATX Television Festival will also include a Scrubs reunion with the show’s creator Bill Lawrence, as well as cast members Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, and Judy Reyes. The cast was previously confirmed for ATX Season 9 in Austin, and rescheduled their in-person reunion for the 2021 festival.
Mj Rodriguezis bringing the pride to sheltering in place…
GLAAD will host the live stream event “Together in Pride: You are Not Alone” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the 29-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and Pose star among the celebrities taking part.
The event will be available on GLAAD’s YouTube channel and Facebook Liveon April 26 at 8:00 pm ET.
“Together In Pride” will raise funds for LGBTQ community centers impacted by the coronavirus.
In addition to Rodriguez, the event will include appearances by Billy Eichner, Matt Bomer, Adam Lambert, Lilly Singh, Bebe Rexha, Dan Levy, Wilson Cruz, Gigi Gorgeous, Nats Getty, Michelle Visage, Javier Muñoz, Sean Hayes, Sharon Stone,Tatiana Maslany, with more guests being announced soon.
The event will include performances by Kesha and Melissa Etheridge.
Actor and producer Erich Bergen is working alongside GLAAD to bring the event to the masses.See More
“At a time when some LGBTQ people could be isolating in homes that are not affirming, GLAAD is bringing together the biggest LGBTQ stars and allies to send messages of love, support and acceptance,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “So many LGBTQ people, especially our youth, depend on support from local community centers around the country, and during this time of financial distress, we must come together as a community to ensure that all LGBTQ organizations can continue their life-saving work.”
“Together in Pride: You are Not Alone” will also raise critical funds for CenterLink, a coalition of more than 250 LGBTQ community centers from 45 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, as well as Canada, China, Mexico, and Australia.
CenterLink strengthens, supports, and connects LGBTQ community centers, which serve over 2 million people each year. Participating community centers will also share the livestream on their social platforms.
“LGBTQ centers are the heart of the community, and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic these centers have continued to provide vital connectivity and services, pivoting to virtual programming, modifying in-person services when possible, and ensuring that their communities have resources and support when they need it the most,” said Denise Spivak, Interim CEO of CenterLink.
In March, GLAAD joined over 100 LGBTQ organizations in an open letter calling on U.S. public health officials and media to address the heightened vulnerability of LGBTQ people to COVID-19. Amongst other factors, the LGBTQ community experiences higher rates of cancer, HIV, and tobacco use — all which factor into higher susceptibility to negative outcomes from COVID-19. Additionally, LGBTQ people continue to experience discrimination and unwelcoming attitudes in medical settings, and as a result, many are reluctant to seek medical care. On Wednesday, Centerlink released a letter signed by over 160 LGBTQ community centers to House and Senate leaders, urging them to include nonprofits who serve the LGBTQ population in future relief packages.
