Tag Archives: A Star Is Born

Anthony Ramos In Talks to Star in the Film Adaptation of the Hit Broadway Musical “In The Heights”

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Anthony Ramos may be reaching new Heights…

The 26-year-old Puerto Rican actor, part of the original cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton, is in negotiations to star in In the Heights, Warner Bros.’ adaptation of Miranda’s other Tony-winning musical.

Anthony Ramos

If the talks pan out, Ramos would play Usnavi, the bodega owner at the center of the action in the Washington Heights-set musical, according to Deadline.

Miranda originated the role in the musical and earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance.

The musical won four Tonys in 2008 including for Best Musical, for Quiara Alegría Hudes’ book, and for Miranda’s lyrics. In the original storyline, Usnavi strikes it rich and plans to leave, until the pull of the neighborhood and the people in it give him pause.

The synopsis of the In The Heights film: Residents of the largely Latino Upper Manhattan neighborhood Washington Heights – a bodega owner, a college student, a taxi driver, a beauty salon worker, and an old woman – aspire for better lives as gentrification begins to take hold, and a sweltering summer power blackout brings their personal life crises to a head.

This is the first cast action since it was announced in May that Warner Bros. had wrapped a $50 million deal to acquire film rights to the musical. The property was the subject of a hot auction after it was extracted from the The Weinstein Company ahead of its bankruptcy.

Jon M. Chu is directing the film, adapted by Hudes.

Ramos, who played Philip Hamilton and John Laurens in Hamilton, appeared in Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It.

He currently appears in A Star is Born, as well as toplined the Sundance Film Festival film Monsters and Men.

He’ll next appear in Legendary‘s filmGodzilla: King of Monsters.

Anthony Ramos to Star in Legendary/Warner Bros.’ Monster Sequel “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”

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Anthony Ramos has landed a monster of a role…

The 25-year-old Puerto Rican actor and Hamilton star has been cast in Legendary/Warner Bros.’ upcoming monster sequel Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Anthony Ramos 

Ramos, who recently landed a role opposite Lady Gaga in A Star is Born, joins a stellar cast that includes Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Ken Watanabe, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Aisha Hinds.

Michael Dougherty is directing from a script he co-wrote with Zach Shields.

Ramos will play Cpl. Mendoza, who keeps calm and cool on the surface but whose bravery isn’t to be underestimated in battle.

No plot details have been released for the film, which hits theaters March 22, 2019.

Ramos stars as Mars Blackmon in Spike Lee’s forthcoming Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It and co-stars in the Sundance Film Festival’s breakout film Patti Cake$, which Fox Searchlight nabbed for $9.5M and will release it in select theaters July 7.

He originated the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton‘s eldest son, in the Broadway musical Hamilton. Prior to that, he created the role of Justin Laboy in the Lin-Manuel Miranda short musical, 21 Chump Street.

Downs Wins Her First-Ever Grammy Award

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It’s official… Lila Downs can add “Grammy winner” to her list of accomplishments…

The 44-year-old Mexican American singer-songwriter earned her first gramophone from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at the 55th Grammy Awards.

Lila Downs

Downs, who mixes indigenous Mexican roots music with contemporary sounds, picked up the award at a pre-Grammy telecast event in the  Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) category.

Downs’ Pecados y Milagros won in a category often dominated by Mexican regional genres like ranchera and norteño. Besides English and Spanish, Downs sings in indigenous Mexican languages like Mixtec, Zapotec and Nahuatl, an artistic choice that underscores her political involvement in supporting native people’s rights.

But Downs wasn’t the only Hispanic artist to win a Grammy this year…

Miguel, who led the Latino field of Grammy nominees with five nods, won the first gramophone of his career in the Best R&B Song category.

The 27-year-old half-Mexican American singer-songwriter picked up the award for his hit single “Adorn,” which dominated the Billboard charts last year.

Juanes, who performed during  Sunday night’s show, won the award for Best Latin Pop Album for his most recent work, MTV Unplugged Deluxe Edition. It’s the latest award for the 40-year-old Colombian singer’s highly acclaimed project, which won the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year last November. It’s the second Grammy of Juanes’ career.

Esperanza Spalding, who beat Justin Bieber for Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards, won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her sophomore project Radio Music Society. She also won in the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) category for “City of Roses” with Thara Memory. It’s the second and third Grammy awards for the 28-year-old part-Mexican singer, who will be starring in the remake of A Star is Born.

Other Latino winners include Quetzal’s Imaginaries for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album and Marlow Rosado y La Riqueña’s Retro for Best Tropical Latin Album.

Spalding to Replace Beyoncé in “A Star Is Born” Remake?

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She beat out Justin Bieber for the Best New Artist award at the 53rd Grammy Awards… And, now Esperanza Spalding could be replacing Beyoncé on a highly anticipated big screen project.

Following Beyoncé’s recent exit as the lead in the Clint Eastwood-helmed remake of A Star Is Born, the Hollywood legendary actor/director is reportedly looking at the 27-year-old part-Mexican jazz singer to fill in the female lead role.

Esperanza Spalding

Beyoncé quit the project due to scheduling issues, which has opened the door to Spalding to sign on for her first-ever big screen role.

However, sources say that until a male lead is signed, no discussions or offers will be made with the female lead.

In the remake to the 1976 musical film, Beyoncé was set to tackle the character which was originally played by Barbra Streisand. When the “Crazy In Love” singer was pregnant with her first child, Warner Bros. Pictures postponed the production, which was expected to begin this past February.

The delay was seen as an opportunity to give the studio more time to find the lead actor. Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Will Smith and most recently Bradley Cooper have been mentioned as the contenders, but no deal has been firmed up  of now.

The A Star Is Born remake promises an updated version of a romantic relationship between an alcoholic star on his way out and a young female artist on the rise.

Earlier this year, Spalding, who performed a moving rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” released her follow up album entitled, Radio Music Society.