Lin-Manuel Miranda to Serve as a Presenter at This Weekend’s Tony Awards Show

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda has a date with Tony…

This Sunday’s 75th Annual Tony Awards will feature a line-up of all-star presenters from the stage and screen, including the 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor, rapper, composer, playwright and filmmaker.

Miranda, a multiple Tony Award winner, is among a roster of presenters that includes Andrew Garfield, Laurence Fishburne, Nathan Lane, Bowen Yang and both Paris and Prince Jackson, the children of MJ subject Michael Jackson.

The roster of presenters was announced by Tony Awards producers, and also includes Josh Lucas, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Skylar Astin, Zach Braff, Danielle Brooks, Danny Burstein, Len Cariou, RuPaul Charles, Jessica Chastain, Lilli Cooper, Bryan Cranston, Wilson Cruz, Colman Domingo, Anthony Edwards, Cynthia Erivo, Raúl Esparza, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Tony Goldwyn, David Alan Grier, Vanessa Hudgens, Jennifer Hudson, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelli O’Hara, Sarah Paulson, Bernadette Peters, Jeremy Pope, Billy Porter, LaTanya Richardson, Chita Rivera, Tony Shalhoub, Phillipa Soo, Sarah Silverman and George Takei,

The four-hour June 12 Tony evening begins at 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT with The Tony Awards: Act One, a one-hour streaming event of exclusive content live on Paramount+ hosted by Darren Criss and Julianne Hough.

The 75th Tony Awards, hosted by Oscar-winning actress and singer Ariana DeBose, follows at 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT on CBS and Paramount+. The awards will be presented live coast-to-coast from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Last night, DeBose confirmed that the Tony Awards also will pay respect to the swings and understudies who made this Covid-plagued Broadway season possible. In response to a tweet from Actors’ Equity president Kate Shindle dismissing social media rumors that swings and understudies would be ignored during the ceremony,

DeBose reiterated Shindle’s assurances, writing, “To all concerned, all I can ask is that you keep the faith & trust. I am working round the clock to bring you all a beautiful celebration of everyone’s hard work…”

Ariana DeBose to Appear on Season Finale of Brian Stokes Mitchell’s On Demand Streaming Talk Show “Crossovers Live!”

Posted on October 30, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Ariana DeBose is preparing for a crossover…

The 30-year-old half-Afro-Puerto Rican actress, singer and dancer will be a guest on the season finale of Brian Stokes Mitchell’s on demand streaming talk show Crossovers Live!.

DeBose will appear along side fellow Broadway star Audra McDonald.

Portions of ticket sales for the live show will benefit The Actors Fund.

The season holiday finale episode is set for Monday, December 20 at 8:00 pm ET.

A Stellar Original presentation in association with Atomic Focus Entertainment, Crossovers Live! was created and will be directed by Tom Wiggin, and is designed to showcase performers who have made the jump from stage to film, television or music.

Since the monthly series debuted last June, Crossovers Live!, hosted by Mitchell, has featured such guests as Vanessa Williams, Daniel J. Watts, Marc Shaiman, Megan Hilty, Bernadette Peters, Kristin Chenoweth and David Hyde Pierce.

Blending candid interviews, rare footage and various surprises, the series is livestreamed in New York City and also available on demand. Ticket info is available here, with a minimum of 10% of net proceeds benefiting The Actors Fund.

DeBose made her television debut competing on So You Think You Can Dance and her Broadway debut in the musical Bring It On. Other Broadway credits have included Motown: The Musical, the revival of Pippin, A Bronx Tale and as Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, which earned her a Tony Award nomination.

On film and television, she appeared in the filmed version of Hamilton, Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of Broadway musical The Prom, and most recently in Apple TV’s Schmigadoon!.

She’ll soon be seen on the big screen as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film adaptation of West Side Story.

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Take Part in Virtual Birthday Fundraiser for Harry Belafonte

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is helping celebrate a living legend…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer, songwriter, rapper, composer, director, producer, author and playwright will honor Harry Belafonte, who will turn 94 years old on March 1, during a virtual birthday concert.

Miranda is among a cadre of friends and famous fans that will gather this Sunday for a virtual event that will feature performances, video tributes and testimonials by civil rights and racial justice leaders, politicians, artists, athletes and more. It will serve as a fundraiser for Belafonte’s Gathering for Justice organization and is sponsored in part by the Hope and Robert F. Smith family.

Belafonte founded the organization in 2005 after seeing a news story of a 5-year-old Black girl who was cuffed and arrested in her Florida classroom for “being unruly.” Since then, the organization’s mission is to build a movement to end child incarceration while working to eliminate racial inequities.

Titled The Gathering for Harry, the event will feature Common, Danny Glover, Alfre Woodard, Chuck D, Bernie and Jane Sanders, Stacey Abrams, Aloe Blacc, Tamika D. Mallory, Rev. Al Sharpton, Jackie Cruz, Aja Monet, Mysonne the General, Diane Nash, Carmen Perez-Jordan, DJ Carisma, Bryan Stevenson, Bernadette Peters, Christopher Jackson, Tony Shalhoub and more.

As of February 23, event organizers announced that Jay-Z was confirmed to appear to accept a Gatekeeper of Truth Award. Also new to the list are Tiffany Haddish, Usher, Miranda, Charlamagne Tha God, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Susan Sarandon, Pete Buttigieg and others.

The virtual party will be held Sunday, February 28, at 7:00 pm ET.

More information about how to take part in the event can be found here.

Sony Pictures to Release Arturo Castro’s “The Broken Hearts Gallery” One Week Later

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Arturo Castro’s broken heart will have to wait a week…

Sony Pictures has pushed the release of the 34-year-old Guatemalan actor’s romantic comedy “The Broken Hearts Gallery” back a week.

Instead of opening on Friday, July 10, the film will now be released on Friday, July 17.

Sony Pictures says the movie will still be the first wide release of the summer.

In addition to Castro, The Broken Hearts Galleryalso stars Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo, Suki Waterhouse, Ego Nwodim, Taylor Hill and Bernadette Peters.

Castro’s previous film credits include The Informer,Lady and the Tramp and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Take Part in Stephen Sondheim Virtual Birthday Concert

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is celebrating a living musical theater legend.

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican composer, lyricist, singer, actor, producer and playwright, widely known for creating and starring in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton, has signed on to appear on Sunday’s Stephen Sondheim virtual birthday concert.

Miranda, who starred in Mary Poppins Returns, joins a roster of new additions that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Lavin, Laura Benanti, Neil Patrick Harrisand Ben Plattfor the all-star benefit for Artists Striving To End Poverty.

Previously announced stars participating in the concert include Annaleigh Ashford, Melissa Errico, Beanie Feldstein, Josh Groban, Judy Kuhn, Randy Rainbow and Lea Solanga.

Special appearances will be made by Victor Garber, Joanna Gleason, Nathan Lane and Steven Spielberg.

They’ll all join the previously announced Meryl Streep, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald, among many others, in the special virtual concert to celebrate Sondheim’s 90th birthday.

Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration, hosted by Raúl Esparza, is set for this Sunday, April 26, the 50th anniversary of the opening night of Sondheim’s groundbreaking musical Company.

The concert kicks off at 8:00 pm ET, and will be available for free at Broadway.comand the Broadway.com YouTubechannel.

Other artists performing songs from the Sondheim catalog will include Mandy Patinkin, Christine Baranski, Donna Murphy, Kristin Chenoweth, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kelli O’Hara, Aaron Tveit, Maria Friedman, Iain Armitage, Katrina Lenk, Michael Cerveris, Brandon Uranowitz, Stephen Schwartz, Elizabeth Stanley, Chip Zien, Alexander Gemignani and, from the cast of Pacific Overtures at Classic Stage Company, Ann Harada, Austin Ku, Kelvin Moon Loh and Thom Sesma.

Esparza starred as Bobby in the 2006 Tony Award-winning revival of Companyand in the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration productions of Sunday in the Park with George and Merrily We Roll Along in 2002, as well as the City Center Encores! production of Anyone Can Whistle and in last year’s Road Show.

“The world is in a hard place,” Esparza said in a statement, “and we are all searching for something great. Well, Stephen Sondheim is greatness personified.”

Mary-Mitchell Campbell will be the music director, with Paul Wontorek serving as director.

The online event will act as a fundraiser for ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty), the organization conceived by Campbell and Juilliard students to transform the lives of youth through art.

Amazon Renews Garcia Bernal’s “Mozart in the Jungle” for a Fourth Season

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Gael Garcia Bernal will be making music for another season…

Amazon has renewed its Golden Globe-winning series Mozart in the Jungle, starring the 38-year-old Mexican actor.

The fourth season of Mozart in the Jungle will begin production later this year for a 2017 return. “

We’re all delighted to be back for a fourth season and to share the further tales of our orchestra and all the artists who comprise it,” said executive producer Roman Coppola. “For the fans who have been so enthusiastic about our show, we’re so happy to have an audience that wants to see stories about the arts, music, and all these characters we’ve invented.”

“Mozart” draws back the curtain at the New York Symphony, where artistic dedication and creativity collide with mind games, politicking, and survival instincts.

García Bernal — who earned a Golden Globe for his portrayal of conductor Rodrigo — stars alongside Lola Kirke, Saffron Burrows, Malcolm McDowell, Bernadette Peters, and others.

Miranda to Perform at One-Night Only Broadway Show Benefiting Hillary Clinton’s Hillary Victory Fund

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is stumping for Hillary Clinton…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican actor and Hamilton star/creator has joined the list of Broadway and Hollywood stars teaming up for a one-night only Broadway performance benefiting the Hillary Victory Fund.

Miranda joins a lineup that includes Julia Roberts and Hugh Jackman, all appearing in support of Clinton.

The show, “Stronger Together,” features Chelsea Clinton as a special guest and Billy Crystal as host, appearing alongside familiar faces including Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway, Josh Groban, Angela Bassett, Neil Patrick Harris, Helen Mirren, Sienna Miller, Bernadette Peters, Cynthia Erivo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Sarah Jones, Andrea McArdle and Ayodele Casel.

Organizers of the evening promise new duets and collaborations.

Michael Mayer, the Spring Awakening and Hedwig and the Angry Inch director whose Off-Broadway production of Love, Love, Love is now running, will direct the production, with Diane Paulus on board as special consultant. John Guare serves as script consultant, with Seth Rudetsky as musical director.

The event is set for October 17 at the St. James Theater, the Jujamcyn-owned venue currently occupied by “Something Rotten!,” which is dark on Monday nights.

Tickets are on sale on the Hillary Clinton website.

García Bernal’s “Mozart in the Jungle” Ordered to Series by Amazon

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s official… Gael García Bernal will star in his first English-language television series…

Amazon has ordered the 35-year-old Mexican actor’s comedy series Mozart in the Jungle pilot to series.

The Paul Weitz-directed pilot was scripted by Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman and Alex Timbers.

The story was inspired by Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, oboist Blair Tindall‘s 2005 memoir of her professional career in New York, playing various high-profile gigs with ensembles including the New York Philharmonic and the orchestras of numerous Broadway shows.

In addition to García Bernal as ‘Rodrigo’ a fictionalized version of conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the half-hour comedy series also stars Malcolm McDowell, Saffron Burrows and Bernadette Peters.

Amazon Picks Up Garcia Bernal’s Comedy Series “Mozart in the Jungle”

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Gael Garcia Bernal will be making music on television in the near future…

Amazon Studios has picked up to series the 35-year-old Mexican actor’s half-hour comedy series Mozart in the Jungle.

The dramatic comedy was written by Oscar-nominated writer and director Roman Coppola (Moonrise Kingdom, The Darjeeling Limited), actor and musician Jason Schwartzman (Saving Mr. Banks, Moonrise Kingdom, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), and Tony-nominated writer and director Alex Timbers (Peter and the Starcatcher).

The project is based on the memoir Mozart in the Jungle by Blair Tindall.

It’s all about sex, drugs—and classical music—and shows that what happens behind the curtains at the symphony can be just as captivating as what happens on stage.

Paul Weitz (About a Boy, Admission) directed the pilot and executive produced.

In addition to Garcia Bernal, the series stars Saffron Burrows, Lola Kirke, Malcom McDowell, Bernadette Peters and Peter Vack.

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