Netflix to Finance & Release Antonio Banderas-Starrer “The Laundromat” About the Panama Papers Scandal

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

It’s Laundry day for Antonio Banderas…

Netflix has committed to finance and release The Laundromat, the Steven Soderbergh-directed drama about the Panama Papers scandal starring the 58-year-old Spanish actor.

Banderas is part of a stellar cast that includes David Schwimmer, Gary Oldman and Meryl Streep. Other cast circling include Will Forte and Riley Keough.

The film has a script by Scott Z. Burns, based on the Jake Bernstein book Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite.

Schwimmer will play Matthew Quirk, an attorney who speaks on behalf of one of the insurance companies after twenty elderly passengers die on a boating excursion. The boating company learned its insurance isn’t the large company it thought it was, but merely just a P.O. box in Nevis. Quirk would eventually kill himself after seeing no way out of the liability situation, but the incident triggers lawyers, government officials, and more to track down these shell companies. Those investigations lead to the laundering geniuses at the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, who created hundreds of thousands of ‘companies’ to help the wealthy avoid paying taxes. Reams of documents were leaked from Mossack Fonseca in April by an anonymous whistleblower that bared embarrassing details on investments and money trails from politicians the world over, meant to evade taxes.

The scandal drew in several world leaders, including former UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Iceland Prime Minister Sigmunder Gunnlaugsson, the latter of whom resigned on April 5, 2016, after it was revealed he and his wife set up an offshore shell company in 2007 in the British Virgin Islands; he then sold his half of the company to his wife for $1 on the last day of 2009 to shield them from a new law that would have required him to declare his ownership as a conflict of interest. Among the swarms of famous people named in the leaked documents was current President of the United States Donald Trump— already embattled over charges his empire was built by avoiding taxes — and director Pedro Almodovar, Jackie Chan and Emma Watson.

Bernstein was part of a team of journalists who formed the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to break the Panama Papers story. The leak of data — 11 million records revealed — was the largest in corporate and government history.

Rodriguez Earns MTV Movie & TV Awards Nomination

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez wants her MTV…

The 32-year-old Puerto Rican actress has earned a nomination for the MTV Movie & TV Awards, the renamed MTV Movie Awards. The inaugural telecast — hosted by actor and comedian Adam Devine — will air live on Sunday, May 7.

Rodriguez is nominated in the Best Actor in a Show for her starring role on The CW’s Jane the Virgin, which earned her a Golden Globe back in 2015.

Meanwhile, Jared Leto has earned a nomination in the Best Villain category for his performance as The Joker in Suicide Squad.

Different from the original awards show, the new format will now include separate categories for TV in addition to film. Another rule change sees actors in both mediums competing against one another for the same awards. The network has also broken down the gender wall with exclusively non-gendered categories — meaning Emma Watson will go up against Hugh Jackman for top performance honors.

Five new categories make this year’s telecast, as MTV hopes to highlight cultural relevancy in today’s society. Aside from the explanatory categories Best Host, Best Reality Competition, and Tearjerker, there will also be awards for Best American Story (awarded to the show or film that shows America at its best, open and diverse) and Best Fight Against the System (formerly known as Best Fight — awarded to the film or show whose characters best exemplify fighting against a system that tries to keep them down).

Here’s a look at this year’s nominees:

MOVIE OF THE YEAR
Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Get Out (Universal Pictures)
Logan (20th Century Fox)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
The Edge of Seventeen (STX Entertainment)

BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE
Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out (Universal Pictures)
Emma Watson – Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Hailee Steinfeld – The Edge of Seventeen (STX Entertainment)
Hugh Jackman – Logan (20th Century Fox)
James McAvoy – Split (Universal Pictures)
Taraji P. Henson – Hidden Figures (20th Century Fox)

SHOW OF THE YEAR
Atlanta (FX)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Insecure (HBO)
Pretty Little Liars (Freeform)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
This Is Us (NBC)

BEST ACTOR IN A SHOW
Donald Glover – Atlanta (FX)
Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones (HBO)
Gina Rodriguez – Jane the Virgin (The CW)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan – The Walking Dead (AMC)
Mandy Moore – This Is Us (NBC)
Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things (Netflix)

BEST KISS
Ashton Sanders & Jharrel Jerome – Moonlight (A24)
Emma Stone & Ryan Gosling – La La Land (Summit Entertainment)
Emma Watson & Dan Stevens – Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Taraji P. Henson & Terrence Howard – Empire (FOX)
Zac Efron & Anna Kendrick – Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates (20th Century Fox)

BEST VILLAIN
Allison Williams – Get Out (Universal Pictures)
Demogorgon – Stranger Things (Netflix)
Jared Leto – Suicide Squad (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan – The Walking Dead (AMC)
Wes Bentley – American Horror Story (FX)

BEST HOST
Ellen DeGeneres – The Ellen DeGeneres Show (NBC)
John Oliver – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
Samantha Bee – Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
Trevor Noah – The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
13TH (Netflix)
I Am Not Your Negro (Magnolia Pictures)
O.J.: Made in America (ESPN Films)
This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous (YouTube|Red)
TIME: The Kalief Browder Story (Spike)

BEST REALITY COMPETITION
America’s Got Talent (NBC)
MasterChef Junior (FOX)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
The Bachelor (ABC)
The Voice (NBC)

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Adam Devine – Workaholics (Comedy Central)
Ilana Glazer & Abbi Jacobson – Broad City (Comedy Central)
Lil Rel Howery – Get Out (Universal Pictures)
Seth MacFarlane – Family Guy (FOX)
Seth Rogen – Sausage Party (Sony)
Will Arnett – The LEGO Batman Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures)

BEST HERO
Felicity Jones – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Grant Gustin – The Flash (The CW)
Mike Colter – Luke Cage (Netflix)
Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things (Netflix)
Stephen Amell – Arrow (The CW)
Taraji P. Henson – Hidden Figures (20th Century Fox)

TEARJERKER
Game of Thrones – Hodor’s (Kristian Nairn) Death (HBO)
Grey’s Anatomy – Meredith tells her children about Derek’s death (Ellen Pompeo) (ABC)
Me Before You – Will (Sam Claflin) tells Louisa (Emilia Clarke) he can’t stay with her (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Moonlight – Paula (Naomie Harris) tells Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) that she loves him (A24)
This Is Us – Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Randall (Lonnie Chavis) at karate (NBC)

NEXT GENERATION
Chrissy Metz
Daniel Kaluuya
Issa Rae
Riz Ahmed
Yara Shahidi

BEST DUO
Adam Levine & Blake Shelton – The Voice (NBC)
Daniel Kaluuya & Lil Rel Howery – Get Out (Universal Pictures)
Brian Tyree Henry & Lakeith Stanfield – Atlanta (FX)
Hugh Jackman & Dafne Keen – Logan (20th Century Fox)
Josh Gad & Luke Evans – Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Martha Stewart & Snoop Dogg – Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party (VH1)

BEST AMERICAN STORY
Blackish (ABC)
Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)
Jane the Virgin (The CW)
Moonlight (A24)
Transparent (Amazon)

BEST FIGHT AGAINST THE SYSTEM
Get Out (Universal Pictures)
Hidden Figures (20th Century Fox)
Loving (Focus Features)
Luke Cage (Netflix)
Mr. Robot (USA)

Rodriguez to be Focus of Special Exhibit at Miami’s Frost Art Museum

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Narcisco Rodriguez is officially an exhibitionist… Sort of!

The 55-year-old fashion designer’s creations will be featured at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum in Miami.

The new exhibition titled, “Narcisco Rodriguez: An Exercise in Minimalism,” is the first solo exhibition for the American designer.

The display of the designer’s thoughtful, modern pieces will also feature never-before-seen archival materials, original sketches, video, and works of art that have influenced Rodriguez’s work.

“I am honored to be asked to be part of the celebrated history of exhibitions presented by the Frost Art Museum FIU — and particularly excited to do so during Art Basel Season in Miami,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

The exhibition — co-curated by Elle creative director Alex Gonzalez and Frost Art Museum curator Klaudio Rodriguez — will kick off with a private reception on October 8 and then open to the public the following day. It will remain on view through Jan. 8, 2017.

Rodriguez’s minimalist luxe designs are a perennial favorite of the Hollywood set. Julianna Margulies most recently wore a single-shoulder look by Rodriguez to the Accessories Council Excellence Awards.

Claire Danes, Emma Watson and Gugu Mbatha-Raw have also worn his dresses.

And First Lady Michelle Obama is a longtime fan; she wore one of his dresses on election night 2008, and another to the final State of the Union address this year.

Trejo to Participate in This Year’s Red Nose Day Special on NBC

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Rudolph-like moment for Danny Trejo…

The 72-year-old Mexican American actor, best known for portraying villains and anti-heroes, has signed on for NBC’s Red Nose Day Special.

The fundraiser, which aims to help lift kids out of poverty, will be broadcast live on May 26 from 9:00 – 11:oo pm ET on NBC.

The special, hosted by Craig Ferguson, features comedy, musical performances and short films that shed light on children in need here at home and around the world.

Also scheduled to make an appearance on the special are Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tony Hale, Iwan Rheon, Sterling K. Brown, Yvette Nicole Brown, Margot Robbie, Jane Lynch, Connie Britton, Jay Pharaoh, Mayim Bialik, Ellen DeGeneres, Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Sarah Silverman, Tracy Morgan, Key & Peele, Anna Kendrick, Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Ellie Kemper, along with Kristen Bell, Emma Watson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Rose Byrne, Blake Griffin, Emma Thompson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Steve Buscemi, Adam Devine and Ron Funches. Additional talent will be announced at a later date.

Created by Oscar nominee and Emmy-winning writer-director Richard Curtis, the idea of Red Nose Day was built upon the foundation that mass media and celebrities can help raise money and awareness of poverty to save and change millions of lives.

Red Nose Day has raised more than $1 billion globally in the last 25 years, and in the UK has become a cultural phenomenon where people across the country come together to have fun, raise money and change lives.

Red Nose Day launched in the U.S. in 2015, and raised more than $23 million, with the money now at work in all 50 states and 15 countries internationally through programs to keep children and young people safe, healthy and educated.

Brühl Becomes Producing Partner in Amusement Park Film

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Daniel Brühl is ready to produce…

The 37-year-old half Spanish actor and Golden Globe nominee has become a partner at Amusement Park Film, a Berlin-based production company.

Brühl, the star of Rush and Inglourious Basterds, will join Amusement Park’s Malte Grunert and Klaus Dohle to develop and produce film and television projects, with a focus on English-language productions.

Brühl, who appears in Marvel‘s upcoming Captain America: Civil War, first worked with Grunert on A Most Wanted Man, Anton Corbijn‘s adaptation of the John Le Carre novel of the same name, which Amusement Park co-produced.

“For a few years now I have had the wish to involve myself in the creative and commercial process of filmmaking beyond my usual role as an actor,” said Brühl, who began his work at a young age in a German soap opera called Forbidden Love. “It was always clear that I wanted to do this in a partnership with people that shared the same taste and values. Being based in Berlin but working mostly internationally it took a while, but I am convinced I have now found the perfect partnership, both structurally as well as creatively.”

Added Grunert: “I always knew Daniel as a great actor, but as we got to know each other following the filming of A Most Wanted Man, we felt we shared the same taste and passion for working with talented filmmakers, at home in Germany as well as internationally. I think our networks of partners complement each other very well, as do our past experiences and approaches to the industry.”

Brühl will be an equal partner in Amusement Park with Grunert and Dohle, with Grunert running the day-to-day business as managing director. Dohle, who also produces under his Erfttal banner, has been an active investor in the German film business for many years.

Founded by Grunert in 2009, Amusement Park has produced or co-produced 11 feature films to date, including A Most Wanted Man and David Mackenzie’s Perfect Sense. Titles in the pipeline include Remainder, Omer Fast‘s adaptation of the Tom McCarthy bestseller, which is in post; new projects by Mackenzie, Lone Scherfig (An Education) and a new project by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, screenwriters on James Bond films Skyfall and the upcoming Spectre.

Grunert will attend the Toronto International Film Festival this week with Amusement Park’s Land of Mine, a Danish/German co-production set in the wake of World War II, which opens TIFF’s Platform section on Thursday, September 10.

Brühl will celebrate the world premiere of his latest film, Colonia, co-starring Emma Watson and directed by Florian Gallenberger, which bows in Toronto on September 13.

Amenabar’s “Regression” to Open the San Sebastian Film Festival

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Amenabar latest project will have its world premiere at one of the most important cinema festivals in the world.

The 43-year-old Spanish-Chilean director’s Regression will open the 63rd annual San Sebastian Film Festival as part of its world premiere.

“The world premiere of the film, presented in the Official Selection out of competition, will take place on September 18 in the Kursaal Auditorium,” the festival’s official website announced on Friday.

Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson, David Thewlis and David Dencik star in the psychological thriller, following in the path he forged with favorites like The Others and Open Your Eyes.

The story focuses on a detective, played by Hawke, who is investigating the claims of a young woman, Watson, who has accused her father, played by Dencik, of a crime that he has no recollection of committing.

When the father unexpectedly admits his guilt, a renowned psychologist, David Thewlis, is brought in to help the father rediscover his apparently repressed memories.

Regression is an English-language film shot in Canada, and will hit select cinemas just a few weeks after its screening in San Sebastian.

“Regression will open in Spain on October 2 followed by key territories, including Germany, the UK, France, Italy, China and Korea later this fall. The remaining worldwide releases will take place in the months to follow,” the announcement added.

Hernandez to Star Opposite Emma Stone in Lionsgate’s Musical Film “La La Land”

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Callie Hernandez is La La Land bound…

The Latina actress has joined the cast of Lionsgate’s film La La Land.

Damien Chazelle’s musical, set in contemporary Los Angeles, stars Ryan Gosling as a jazz pianist and Emma Stone as the aspiring actress he falls in love with. The catch: the city that brought them together may tear them apart, as they soon discover that balancing love and art in such a cutthroat climate isn’t easy.

Hernandez, who has appeared in Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, has been cast as on of Stone’s three roommates. The other two roommates will be played by Sonoya Mizuno and Jessica Rothe.

La La Land has already secured a July 15, 2016 release date.

The film originally had Miles Teller and Emma Watson in the works to star. Teller and Chazelle had teamed on Whiplash, and the writer-director penned La La Land before that movie, which landed a Best Picture nomination last year and won him the Adapted Screenplay Oscar. But Teller moved on and Lionsgate scooped up Gosling and Stone in April.

Hernandez’s other credits include television appearances on From Dusk Till Dawn and Members Only. She’ll next star in the upcoming film Cover Girl.

Brühl to Star Opposite Emma Watson in the Political Thriller “Colonia”

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Daniel Brühl has landed a (politically) thrilling role…

The 36-year-old half-Spanish actor, who earned his first-ever SAG Award nomination last December, will star opposite Emma Watson in the thriller Colonia.

Directed by German helmer Florian Gallenberger, who previously directed Brühl in the feature films Honolulu and City Of War: The Story of John Rabe, Colonia is inspired by true events.

The film centers on a young couple who become entangled in the Chilean military coup of 1973. Daniel (Bruhl) is abducted by Pinochet’s secret police and Lena (Watson) tracks him to a sealed-off area in the south of the country called Colonia Dignidad. The Colonia presents itself as a charitable mission run by a lay preacher, but is in fact a place from which no one has ever escaped. In order to find her beloved, Lena decides to join the cult.

Principal photography is set to begin shortly on Colonia. Shooting will take place in Luxembourg, Munich, Berlin and South America until the end of the year.

Brühl earned multiple award nominations for his performance as former Formula 1 driver Niki Lauda in the Ron Howard biographical film Rush. His other credits include 7 Days in Havana, Inglourious Basterds and The Fifth Estate.

Bovaira Heading the Seven-Person Jury at This Year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Fernando Bovaira is the head of the class at one of Spain’s biggest film festivals…

The Spanish producer will head the seven-person jury that will select the winner of the top prize, the Golden Shell, at this year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival, which runs September 19-27.

One of Spain’s most international names, Bovaira has produced all of director Alejandro Amenabar’s films including The Others, The Sea Inside and the upcoming Regression — starring Ethan Hawke and Emma Watson — as well as Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Biutiful, Julio Medem’s Sex and Lucia and Javier Fesser’s Mortadelo and Filemon, The Big Adventure.

Bovaira is joined by Venezuelan writer/director/producer Mariana Rondon, who returns to San Sebastian after winning last year’s Golden Shell with her acclaimed film Bad Hair, while Iranian born writer and director Marjane Satrapi will come to the seaside resort town in Spain’s northern Basque region after premiering her latest work, The Voices, starring Ryan Reynolds, at the Toronto Film Festival.

Singaporean director Eric Khoo, who heads Zhao Wei Films/Gorylah Pictures, will also join the panel. He has been credited with putting Singapore on the international film map with films like My Magic and animated Tatsumi.

Berlin-born actress Natassja Kinski, Germany director of photography Reinhold Vorschneider and Romanian character actor Vlad Ivanov, who won the L.A. Critics Award for his portrayal of an illegal abortion doctor in 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, round out the jury.

In addition to the seven official jurors, named Thursday, jailed Ukraine filmmaker Oleg Sentsov is an honorary jury member. The Federal Security State of the Russian Federation (FSB) arrested Sentsov on May 10 for backing the protests in Kiev and for his opposition to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The festival said it took the step of officially naming Sentsov to the jury to defend freedom of expression and in response to an request by the European Film Academy.

Amenábar’s Next Thriller “Regression” to Star Emma Watson

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Amenábar has found his next leading lady…

The 41-year-old Chilean-Spanish Oscar-winning filmmaker will direct Harry Potter franchise alum Emma Watson in the thriller Regression.

Amenábar, who rose to acclaim after making the Spanish-language sci-fi film Abre los ojos, wrote the original screenplay for The Weinstein Company–Dimension Films project.

The storyline for Regression is being kept under wraps, but the film is being described as an “elevated suspense thriller.”

As previously reported, Ethan Hawke will star in the Regression, which has been slated for release in 2015.

Amenábar’s previous projects include The Sea Inside, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2004.

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