Anna Garcia to Make Feature Debut in Apple’s 1960s Space Race Film “Project Artemis”

Anna Garcia has found a new Project

The Latina actress will make her feature film debut with a sizable role alongside Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum in Project Artemis, the anticipated 1960s space race film Greg Berlanti is directing for Apple.

Anna GarciaWhile details about her role are being under wraps, her audition was reportedly impressive enough that it helped her secure one of the most coveted jobs in Hollywood, even in competition with a number of offer-only actresses.

Apple acquired Project Artemis for upwards of $100M when the hot package hit the market this past spring, as we told you first.

Specifics regarding the plot of the Apple Original haven’t yet been revealed. But Garcia joins an ensemble that also includes the previously announced Jim Rash and Ray Romano.

Johansson is producing alongside Jonathan Lia and Keenan Flynn of These Pictures, which commissioned and developed the script by Rose Gilroy, as well as Sarah Schechter.

Garcia is a relative newcomer who most recently wrapped a role on Showtime’s Party Down reboot, having recently appeared on HBO Max’s Emmy-winning series Hacks and FX’s long-running comedy, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. She’s a graduate of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre who still performs regularly at the well-known comedy venue, and also proved a standout as part of the CBS Comedy Showcase for 2022.

Garcia hosts her own live variety show, Scrambled Eggs, at the Elysian Theater and has also appeared on the viral improv show Make Some Noise for College Humor’s subscription media service, Dropout.

Edy Ganem to Star in the Indie Action Thriller “Free Dead or Alive”

Edy Ganem’s schedule is Free-ing up…

The 37-year-old Mexican-Lebanese actress will star opposite Seth Michaels and 50-year-old Venezuelan actress and model Patricia Velasquez in Free Dead or Alive, an indie action thriller written, produced and directed by Erik Bernard.

Edy Ganem

The film follows Eva (Ganem), a beautiful strong-willed young woman who enters a journey to escape her mother’s (Velasquez) arranged marriage to the region’s most dangerous cartel. Her defiance sets off a chain of events that threatens her life. Surviving will require the skills of Dragon (Michaels), a coyote that can protect her during her quest throughout the dangerous world of cross-border cartels who are the law of the lands.

Robert LaSardo, Robert Avellanet, Jonathan Joss, and Al Coronel will co-star. Courtney LeMarco will serve as executive producer.

Ganem’s previous credits include Devious Maids, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationThe Cleveland Show and Rob. 

Velasquez’s previous credits include The Mummy, Saint Bernard and The Curse of La Llorona.

Armisen to Participate in Comedy Central & Superfly’s “Colossal Clusterfest”

Fred Armisen is preparing for a colossal cluster

The 50-year-old half-Venezuelan American actor/comedian will take part in Colossal Clusterfest, Comedy Central and Superfly’s comedy event.

Fred Armisen

It’s slated to run June 2-4 at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, culminating with a live Comedy Central special.

Colossal Clusterfest aims to do for the icons of Millennial comedy what Burning Man and Bonnaroo have done for music and other contemporary art happenings: Bring folks together for a paid communal experience featuring a wide range of programming, tons of food and ancillary experiences that will promote diversity and, not coincidentally, their brands.

In addition to Armisen, the inaugural lineup includes Sarah Silverman & Friends, Ice Cube, Hannibal Buress, Tig Notaro, Pete Davidson, Natasha Leggero, Tegan and Sara, Chromeo, Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, Bob Odenkirk, Vince Staples, Chris Hardwick, Reggie Watts, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Princess featuring Maya Rudolph, and Gretchen Lieberum. The full lineup is available at http://www.clusterfest.com.

“For a long time we’ve been really looking at the festival space,” Comedy Central president Kent Alterman said, discussing plans for the event at Superfly’s Midtown New York office. “It’s a great opportunity to connect directly with our fans and utilize the talent that is part of the fabric of what we do on a daily basis.

“We’ve had experience with comedy festivals in different regards – those festivals are always very fractured experiences that are all over town,” Alterman added. “Several years ago we got to know these guys at Superfly by going to Bonnaroo [and] Outside Lands, and those festivals are just complete holistic experiences that bring people together, where everything is happening in this almost communal atmosphere.”

The festival includes interactive attractions featuring three iconic comedy shows: Comedy Central’s South Park, FXX’s It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Seinfeld. It will also incorporate musical performances and collaborations between musicians and comedians across five indoor and outdoor stages.

“Music is in our DNA,” said Superfly co-founder Jonathan Mayers. “And we’ve always had comedy as an ingredient at Bonnaroo and Outside Lands.” Mayers said that San Francisco was chosen as the site of the new festival because of Superfly’s decade-long experience presenting Outside Lands in the city’s Golden Gate Park.

On June 4, as the festival comes to a close, Comedy Central will present a live 90-minute on-air special hosted by @midnight’s Chris Hardwick and will feature a team of on-the-ground comedian correspondents, taped performances, collaborations, highlights, interviews and behind-the- scenes segments from the Colossal Clusterfest weekend, as well as live wrap-arounds from the last day.

“Comedy has become such a huge part of the Millennial audience lives, in terms of how they identify themselves,” Alterman said. “In our generation growing up it was all about music…comedy over the last decade or so overtook music.”

Gonzaga to Star in TBS’ Comedy Pilot “Wrecked”

Ginger Gonzaga has wrecked her career…

The part-Latina actress has been cast in the TBS pilot Wrecked, a single-camera comedy from up-and-coming writers Justin Shipley and Jordan Shipley and producer Jesse Hara.

Ginger Gonzaga

Described as Lost meets It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Wrecked follows a group of extremely diverse survivors of a plane crash on a remote island who must adjust to life in a dangerous new world that poses unique threats — mostly brought upon themselves. No longer plugged in, the group must navigate this new society and learn to live without the comforts of 2015, including social media, Wifi, indoor plumbing and Chipotle.

Gonzaga, whose television credits include Anger Management, Mixology and In Gayle We Trust, will portray Emma, who’s on her way to Thailand with her friend, Florence, after having decided to drop out of medical school.

Gonzaga’s costars include Zach Cregger, Jessica Lowe, Asif Ali, Ally Maki, Will Greenberg, Brooke Dillman, James ScottGeorge Basil and Rhys Darby.

Filming on the pilot has begun in Puerto Rico.

Ganem to Star in the Indie Film “Ana Maria”

Edy Ganem is ready for her telenovela close-up…

The half-Mexican actress has landed the lead role in the indie feature film Ana Maria.

Edy Ganem

Ganem will portray the title character, a receptionist obsessed with a telenovela who suddenly finds herself transferred to the TV world of her beloved characters, where everyone thinks she’s the fabulous and beautiful star of the show.

Georgina Riedel will direct the pic, which she co-wrote with Jose Marquez.

Ganem currently stars as Valentina Diaz on Lifetime’s Devious Maids. Her other television credits include appearances on Rob, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Entourage and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

She’ll next appear in the feature film After The Wedding.