Vertical Entertainment Acquires U.S. Rights to Eva Longoria’s Comedy “Unplugging” 

Eva Longoria will be unplugging next spring…

Vertical Entertainment has acquired the U.S. rights to the comedy Unplugging, starring the 46-year-old Mexican American actress and former Desperate Housewives star, with plans to release it in theaters nationwide next spring.

Eva LongoriaThe film also stars Matt Walsh, Lea Thompson, Keith David and Nicole Byer.

In the feature directorial debut of veteran film editor Debra Neil-Fisher, husband and wife Dan (Walsh) and Jeanine (Longoria) plan a weekend getaway of “digital detox” without kids, phones, or social media. They need—or think they need—only clean fresh air and alone time together to rekindle their romance. But once they forego GPS to guide them and disconnect from the internet, can they reconnect their own internal servers to spark their marriage?

Johnny Pemberton, Al Madrigal, Joel Kim Booster, and Nancy Friedrich round out the cast of the film, scripted by Walsh and Brad Morris.

Longoria executive produced the film.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better time in the director’s chair than with this marvelous cast captained by Eva and Matt, and our dedicated crew,” said Neil-Fisher. “Vertical is the perfect partner to bring Unplugging to audiences next spring.”

Unplugging unites great talents in front of and behind the camera,” said Vertical Entertainment Partner Rich Goldberg, “and Debra’s storied skills as editor translate to a keen directorial eye for comedy.”

“Having previously partnered on many successful releases (Four Good DaysBuckley’s Chance) we know our friends at Vertical are the perfect distributor to bring the hilarious Unplugging to US audiences,” added Santor, who serves as Productivity Media’s CEO. “Eva and Matt are at the top of their game in this whip-smart, comedic look at relationships in the digital age, and we’re sure audiences will love it just as much as we loved making it.”

It’s Official… Mota to Compete on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

It’s official… Bethany Mota will be shaking her tailfeather on television soon.

The 18-year-old half-Mexican YouTube vlogger and fashionista, as previously rumored, has been selected to compete on Season 19 of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.

Bethany Mota

Mota, who recently won Choice Female Web Star at the Teen Choice Awards, is among the 13 new dancers for the upcoming season of DWTS, which will premiere on Monday, September 15.

The beauty guru’s YouTube channel — macbarbie07 (7 million subscribers) — features hair, makeup, fashion and DIY tutorials. It earned her a fashion line at Aéropostale, and she was featured as part of a YouTube ad campaign.

Paired with professional dancer Derek Hough, Mota will compete for the coveted mirror ball trophy against the likes of Olympian Lolo Jones, Mean GirlsJonathan Bennett, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air‘s Alfonso Ribeiro and NASCAR great Michael Waltrip.

Other competitors include Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson, actress Lea Thompson of Back to the Future, Ultimate Fighting Champion Randy Couture, legendary comedian Tommy Chong, celebrated talk show host Tavis Smiley, as well as famed fashion designer Betsey Johnson, Pretty Little Liars actress Janel Parrish and General Hospital alum Antonio Sabato, Jr.

Co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews announced the celebrity cast live Thursday morning on Good Morning America in Times Square.

The addition of Julianne Hough, named as the fourth judge last month, will add some pizazz this season. Hough won two mirror-ball trophies as a pro during her DWTS run, and will have a permanent spot at the judges’ table next to veterans Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

 

Mota to Reportedly Compete on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

Bethany Mota  may have reason to dance in the near future…

The 18-year-old half-Mexican YouTube vlogger and fashionista has reportedly been cast for season 19 of ABC’s celebrity ballroom dance competition Dancing with the Stars, according to TMZ.

Bethany Mota

If Mota’s casting news holds true, the decision seems to recognize that there’s more to a “star” than someone who appears on a television or film screen. There’s another screen that counts these days… the computer screen.

Not only does the charming and charismatic Mota have more than nine million subscribers across her two YouTube channels (Macbarbie07 and BethanysLife), she also has 3.6 million Instagram followers, 1.9 million on Twitter, and even a line at Aeropostale.

Mota recentlt judged an episode of Project Runway alongside Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Zac Posen earlier this year, and even scored a winning surfboard at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Female Web Star.

Mota would reportedly  dance alongside other reported celebrities: Back to the Future’s Lea Thompson, Pretty Little LiarsJanel Parrish, Olympian Lolo Jones and soap star Antonio Sabato Jr., among others.