Ice Spice Teams Up with Nicki Minaj on “Barbie World,” Featuring a Sample of AQUA’s “Barbie Girl” Track

Posted on June 25, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ice Spice is getting all dolled up…

The 23-year-old half-Dominican American rapper, born Isis Naija Gaston, has joined voices with Nicki Minaj for “Barbie World,” a new track that sees the two rapping over AQUA’s iconic “Barbie Girl” track.

Released earlier this week, it’s the latest single from the Mark Ronson-produced Barbie soundtrack and marks the reunion of Minaj, Ice Spice, and RiotUSA.

The trio first linked up on the remix of Ice Spice’s “Princess Diana,” which debuted and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Combining elements of drill and Jersey club, the new track is a sleek fusion of hip-hop’s most popular sounds and the individual styles of Minaj and Ice Spice.

The track also features a prominent sample of AQUA’s “Barbie Girl,” a welcome treat for fans after initial reports seemed to indicate that the song would not appear in the Greta Gerwig-helmed film.

“Barbie Girl” peaked at No. 7 on the Hot 100 back in 1997, AQUA’s sole top ten hit.

Minaj first announced the song on June 10 with a Tweet reading, “It’s Barbie, b—h, if you still in doubt.” The iconic doll has long been a part of Minaj’s artistry and image; she even posed as one on the cover for her 2010 Billboard 200-topping debut album Pink Friday.

In a recent episode of her Queen Radio Amp show, Minaj opened up about why she decided to accept Ice Spice’s invitation and join her on “Barbie World.”

“This is the first time that someone had put this sample in a way that didn’t make me uncomfortable or gimmicky,” the “Super Freaky Girl” rapper said. “I figured out that it needed to be a beat that would still give Barbie & Nicki.”

Barbie: The Album will be available on all streaming and digital download platforms on July 21.

The soundtrack is set to feature contributions from Khalid, Gayle, Kali, Fifty Fifty, Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, PinkPantheress, Lizzo and more.

Nicki Minaj Shares Snippet of Ice Spice-Collab “Barbie World” for Upcoming “Barbie” Film

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ice Spice’s (Barbie) World is her oyster…

In a little over a week, the 23-year-old half-Dominican American’s collaboration with Nicki Minaj, “Barbie World,” will be released. And now you have a chance to hear a snippet thanks to Minaj, who shared a snippet of the forthcoming track.

“Barbie World” simultaneously serves as the latest single from Barbie: The Album, the accompanying soundtrack to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (in theaters July 21), and the second collaboration between Nicki and Ice Spice.

In a snippet posted to TikTok on Sunday (June 11), the two New York rap queens trade verses over an AQUA-sampling drill-infused beat produced by Ice Spice’s go-to collaborator RiotUSA.

The pair switch off line by line as they rap about being the prettiest Barbies in all the land. “All of the Barbies is bad/ It girls, and we ain’t playing tag,” Nicki spits.

“Barbie World,” which will be released on all platforms on Friday, June 23, looks to follow in the footsteps of Nicki and Ice’s last collaboration, the Billboard Hot 100 No. 4-peaking “Princess Diana.”

The Barbie soundtrack also features previously released singles such as Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” Karol G and Aldo Ranks’ “Watati” and PinkPantheress’ “Angel.”

Barbie: The Album, which touts Hot 100 chart-topper Mark Ronson as its executive producer, will also feature contributions from Lizzo, Khalid, Fifty Fifty, Kali, Gayle, Ava Max, Haim, Tame Impala, The Kid Laroi and Ryan Gosling, who stars as Ken in the highly anticipated film.

Ice Spice currently has the most top five Hot 100 hits out of any act this year; she’s reached the region with “Princess Diana,” PinkPantheress duet “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2,” and the remix version of Taylor Swift’s “Karma.” Like, her debut EP, peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200.

https://www.tiktok.com/@nickiminaj/video/7243543096661740842

Karol G Among Artists Appearing on Official “Barbie” Soundtrack

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Karol G is getting all dolled up…

The lineup of artists featured on the official soundtrack for Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated film Barbie has been revealed, with the 32-year-old Colombian singer and songwriter making the list.

No word yet on the track name for Karol G’s single.

But she isn’t the only Latinx artist set to appear on the soundtrack.

Ice Spice, who recently joined voices with Taylor Swift on the “Karma Remix,” will also form part of the Barbie The Album soundtrack. Both Ice Spice and PinkPantheress are credited, perhaps signifying that their joint hit “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2” has a place on Barbie’s pink-tastic playlist.

Other confirmed artists are Charli XCX, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, FIFTY FIFTY, Dominic Fike, GAYLE, Ava Max, Khalid, The Kid LAROI and more.

Dua Lipa — the film’s resident pop star who’s portraying Mermaid Barbie in the project —previously announced her participation on the soundtrack, contributing the song “Dance The Night,” which arrived late last week.

More surprising, though, is that another of the film’s stars is also billed as a featured artist: Ryan Gosling, who’s playing Ken opposite Margot Robbie’s titular character.

The news comes in the form of a very on-brand poster shared by the soundtrack’s official Instagram, showing Robbie in character reading a pink-tinted newspaper (Barbie News, obviously) with the names of the project’s musicians printed in twisty, hot pink letters. “More Barbies & Kens to be announced…” it teases at the bottom.

The faux newspaper also directs readers to a new website called BarbieTheAlbum.com, on which limited edition vinyls and cassettes for the soundtrack are now available for preorder.

Barbie fans have quite the variety of different-colored options to choose from, including the “Candy Floss” vinyl, the “Cotton Candy” vinyl, the “Pink Bloom” vinyl and more.

According to Rolling Stone, the album was executively produced by Mark Ronson.

The soundtrack drops along with the Barbie film on July 21.

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AMC Developing Latinx Family Drama “Queen of the Jungle” From Michal Zebede

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Michal Zebede has landed a royal-size project…

AMC is developing Queen of the Jungle, a Latinx family drama created and executive produced by the Costa Rican and Panamanian American writer and producer.

Michael London is executive producing the project via his Groundswell Productions banner. The project is in the works for AMC and its sister streamer AMC+.

The series follows the estranged granddaughter of the Cortez family, which has the largest eco-luxury hotel real estate empire in Costa Rica. When her grandfather dies, she pulls the thread that unravels her family’s dark past, as descendants and rivals fight to the death for control of the lucrative Cortez empire.

Queen of the Jungle tackles themes of power, machismo, greed, family betrayal, Latin American classism, ancestral wounds, and modern colonialism.

“At a time when our world is in crisis, Queen of the Jungle offers the escapism we all crave, while addressing through the microcosm of one family the wounded societal patterns which no longer serve us,” said Zebede in a statement to Deadline. “In a sense the entire Cortez family is the show’s underdog, as it battles against the far more powerful Western hotel families colonizing Costa Rica and neighboring countries. But at its heart, this is the story of one heroine’s quest to escape the demons of her ancestors as she transforms her family business for generations to come,” she added.

Zebede is best known for her screenplay The Humbling, starring Al Pacino and Greta Gerwig, and her teleplays, including Freeform’s Party of Five.

America Ferrera to Star in Sony & Black Bear Pictures’ Upcoming Dramedy “Dumb Money”

Posted on October 21, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

America Ferrera is makin’ money moves…

The 38-year-old Honduran American award-winning actress has joined the cast of Sony and Black Bear Pictures’ upcoming dramedy Dumb Money.

Ferrera is now part of an A-list ensemble cast that includes Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley, Anthony Ramos, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dane DeHaan and Pete Davidson, with Craig Gillespie directing.

The film is based on Ben Mezrich’s book The Antisocial Network. It tells the story of fortunes won and lost overnight in the David-vs.-Goliath GameStop short squeeze that may have ended up changing Wall Street forever. It offers a gripping portrayal of how a loosely affiliated group of private investors and internet trolls on a subreddit called WallStreetBets took down one of the biggest hedge funds on Wall Street, firing the first shot in a revolution that threatened to upend the establishment.

The script was adapted by Rebecca Angelo & Lauren Schuker Blum.

Principal photography is underway.

Ferrera can be seen next year in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie alongside Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Simu Liu and Kate McKinnon. She recently starred on the Apple TV+ series WeCrashed opposite Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway.

She is making her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Erika Sánchez’s New York Times bestselling novel  I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter for Netflix.

Daniel Zovatto to Star Opposite Russell Crowe in Screen Gems’ Supernatural Thriller “The Pope’s Exorcist”

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Daniel Zovatto exorcising his right to work…

The 31-year-old Argentinian-Costa Rican actor will star opposite Russell Crowe in Screen Gems’ supernatural thriller The Pope’s Exorcist.

Directed by Julius Avery, the film stars Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth, the legendary Italian priest who performed over 100,000 exorcisms for the Vatican—drawing on his international bestselling memoirs An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories.

Father Amorth, who died in 2016, left behind a trove of additional accounts of his exploits pulling the devil out of people all over the world.

Screen Gems acquired his life rights for the project, along with rights to his memoirs.

Details on Zovatto’s role have not been disclosed.

The Pope’s Exorcist has been gestating at Screen Gems for a number of years, with Ángel Gómez having previously been attached to direct as of 2020.

Evan Spiliotopoulos wrote the current draft of the script, with revisions by Chuck MacLean, which is based on Michael Petroni-revised original drafts by Chester Hastings & R. Dean McCreary.

Zovatto can currently be seen on HBO Max’s Station Eleven and has also appeared on series like Penny Dreadful: City of Angels and Here and Now.

His other notable film credits include Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, Drake Doremus’ Newness, Fede Alvarez’s Don’t Breathe, David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows, and the late Lynn Shelton’s Laggies.

America Ferrera to Star Opposite Margot Robbie in Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” Film

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

America Ferrera is getting dolled up…

The 37-year-old Honduran American Emmy-winning actress will co-star opposite Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in Warner Bros.’ Barbie, the studio’s film centered on the classic doll line.

Greta Gerwig is directing the film, with Robbie playing the titular role and Gosling playing Ken. No word yet on who Ferrera will play.

Gerwig also co-wrote script with Noah Baumbach.

Plot details are unknown, but given Gerwig’s track record as a director, one can expect that this won’t be your typical take on the doll’s story.

Robbie is producing the film under her LuckyChap Entertainment production banner along with LuckyChap’s Tom Ackerley.

Ferrera is set to make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Erika Sánchez’s bestselling novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, with Sánchez to serve as a co-producer on the film. She also has the anticipated Apple TV+ limited series We Crashed, which bows in March and also stars Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway.

Ferrera executive produced and directed episodes for Seasons 1 & 2 of Netflix’s Gentefied.

Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” Named Top Film by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro’s latest project is resonating with the ladies…

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists has selected the 53-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s The Shape of Water as its top film, with del Toro earning top director honors, and Sally Hawkins winning its bravest performance award.

Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird was also honored with three awards that included best supporting actress for Laurie Metcalf and two awards for Gerwig for best woman director and best woman screenwriter.

The alliance awards are called the EDAs in honor of AWFJ founder Jennifer Merin’s mother, actress Eda Reiss Merin. The Florida Project won two EDA Awards for best supporting actor for Willem Dafoe and best breakthrough performance for Brooklynn Prince.

In the EDA special mention categories, documentary filmmaker Agnes Varda was voted to receive the Actress Defying Age and Ageism Award, while receiving the best documentary award for her film Faces, Places.

Kate Winslet won the organization’s Actress Most in Need of a New Agent for Wonder Wheel and The Mountain Between Us.

The alliance also honored Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd and all women who spoke out against sexual harassment with the EDA Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Film Industry. The Annual AWFJ Hall of Shame Award was bestowed upon the high-profile group of those accused of sexual abuse including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and Brett Ratner.

“This past year was an important year for women to feel empowered to speak out and be heard,” said Merin. “The need for gender parity and gender diversity in the movie industry is patently clear, and the time to stop sexual harassment in all industries is now. These goals are fundamental to AWFJ’s mission and its core values.

“I am thrilled that for this year’s awards, our AWFJ members voted to honor such a diverse array of talent and to recognize those who are leading with their voices to put an end to long time misconduct, making the 2017 EDA Awards particularly relevant when art and film must be the vanguard of social progress.”

Larrain’s “Jackie” Joins the Film Slate at This Year’s AFI Fest

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Pablo Larraín’s latest film will get the AFI Fest treatment…

The 40-year-old Chilean director’s latest film Jackie has joined the American Film Institute’s slate of AFI Centerpiece Galas at this year’s AFI Fest.

From Fox Searchlight and starring Oscar winner Natalie Portman, the film will screen on Monday, November 14, at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

Jackie, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival, is an intimate portrait of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, which takes us into the iconic First Lady’s world during the difficult days immediately following her husband’s assassination.

Noah Oppenheim penned the screenplay.

In addition to Portman, the film stars Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup and Oscar nominee John Hurt.

Jackie joins previously announced Mike Mills-directed 20th Century Women; Elle directed by Paul Verhoeven; and Damien Chazelle-helmed La La Land starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

The AFI Fest runs from November 10-17.

Rodriguez Lands Bestie Role on CBS’ “How I Met Your Dad” Pilot

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Krysta Rodriguez is reporting for Dad duty…

The 29-year-old Latina actress and Broadway star, who most recently starred on the second season of NBC’s short-lived series Smash, has been cast in one of the lead roles on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) spinoff How I Met Your Dad.

Rodriguez will star opposite Greta Gerwig and Drew Tarver on the follow-up to the long-running hit sitcom.

Similar to the original series, How I Met Your Dad (HIMYD) tells the story from a female point of view, that of Sally (Gerwig), and revolves around a new group of friends in New York.

Rodriguez will portray Sally’s best friend Juliet, a sexy, flamboyant force of nature who runs the most successful fashion blog in the country.

The pilot, from 20th Century Television, was written by Emily Spivey and HIMYM creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. It will be directed by Pam Fryman.

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