Keyla Monterroso Mejia to Star in Mindy Kaling’s Untitled Comedy Series for Netflix

Keyla Monterroso Mejia is answering the Kal(ing)… 

The 25-year-old Guatemalan & Mexican American actress and Curb Your Enthusiasm scene-stealer will star in Mindy Kaling‘s Netflix comedy series, set in the world of pro basketball, lead by Kate Hudson.

Keyla Monterroso MejiaMonterroso Mejia is among a roster of cast newcomers that includes Fabrizio Guido, Toby SandemanChet Hanks and Roberto Sanchez, who previously starred in Queen of the South.

In addition to Hudson, they join previously announced cast members Brenda Song, Drew Tarver and.

In the as-yet untitled comedy series, when a scandal forces her brother to resign, Isla Gordon (Hudson) is appointed President of the Los Angeles Waves, one of the most storied professional basketball franchises, and her family business. Ambitious and often overlooked, Isla will have to prove to her skeptical brothers, the board, and the larger sports community that she was the right choice for the job, especially in the unpredictable, male-dominated world of sports.

Guido plays Jackie Moreno, a popcorn vendor at the stadium where the Waves play, Jackie can’t believe it when he is suddenly thrust into the inner circle of his favorite team. Now he has the opportunity to work his way up the organization from the ground floor.

Monterroso Mejia plays Ana MorenoJackie’s cousin who is also a personal injury attorney. Ana is smart, ambitious and always looking for an angle.

Sanchez is Stephen Ramirez, the intimidating head of the board who’s been with the Waves through generations of Gordons. He’s old-fashioned, no-nonsense, and a constant reminder of the old guard, making Isla desperate to prove she’s more than just Jack Gordon’s little daughter.

The 10-part series is written and executive-produced by Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen, who serves as showrunner.

Guido’s television credits include the role of Mikey Gutierrez on Mr. Iglesias, a major recurring role on Perry Masonas well as Welcome To The Family, The Night Shift and Wisdom of the Crowd.

Monterroso Mejia is perhaps best known for her absurdly hilarious role as Maria Sofia on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Her other credits include the major recurring role of Ashley on Abbott Elementary, as well as On My Block spinoff Freeridge and is in post on Amazon StudiosWill Ferrell & Reese Witherspoon wedding comedy You’re Cordially Invited.

Sanchez will next be seen in a major recurring role on Starz’s BMF and in Apple TV+’s upcoming Palm RoyaleHis previous credits include Queen of the South and 2 Fast 2 Furious

Netflix Releases Teaser Video for Fourth & Final Season of “Never Have I Ever” Featuring Michael Cimino as a New Love Interest

Never say never have I ever to Michael Cimino

Netflix has released a teaser video for the fourth and final season of Never Have I Ever, which will feature the 23-year-old half-Puerto Rican actor as a new distraction for protagonist Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan).

Michael CiminoThe new season will premiere on the streaming service on June 8.

The video shows what Devi’s senior year will look like.

Never Have I Ever is a coming-of-age comedy about the complicated life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl. Devi is an overachieving high school student who has a short fuse that gets her into difficult situations, many of which involve one of her latest crushes who may or may not be Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet) and/or Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison).

Cimino will portray Ethan, who arrives on the heels of Paxton’s departure to college. At the end of Season 3, Devi had seemingly gotten over her crush on Paxton and moved on to option B, Ben, to whom she probably lost her V-card.

And Devi may not even be the character with the most exciting love life this season. It has been confirmed a wedding will take place, though the bride and groom are as yet a mystery.

The obvious guess is Devi’s cousin Kamala (Richa Moorjani) and her new beau Manish Kulkarni (Utkarsh Ambudkar). But wildcard guesses include Dr. Vishwakumar (Poorna Jagannathan), who is getting a new love this season played by Ivan Hernandez; her mother-in-law Nirmala (Ranjita Chakravarty) who meets a sweet new man (played by Jeff Garlin) who makes her reconsider if she really is done with relationships forever; or maybe Eleanor Wong (Ramona Young) and (Trent Benjamin Norris). It truly could be anyone.

Never Have I Ever is created by executive producers, Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, with Fisher serving as the showrunner.

The series is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and executive produced by 3 Arts Entertainment’s Howard Klein and David Miner.

The first three seasons of Never Have I Ever are available to stream via Netflix.

José Feliciano Officially Honored with National Medal of Arts

José Feliciano is officially a medalist…

Following a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 77-year-old Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer has finally received his 2021 National Medal of Arts prize.

Jose FelicianoPresident Joe Biden doled out medals to the National Medal of Arts recipients, as well as the 2021 National Humanities Medal honorees.

The White House hosted a livestreamed East Room ceremony on Tuesday for the recipients, who included Mindy KalingGladys KnightJulia Louis-DreyfusBruce Springsteen and fashion designer Vera Wang. Feliciano was unable to attend the event as he’s in Hawaii after performances on the West Coast.

Feliciano was born blind as a result of glaucoma. His family moved to New York City’s Spanish Harlem when he was five years old, and he fell in love with music and playing the accordion and the guitar. While in high school, he played as a regular at a Greenwich Village coffeehouse. He eventually dropped out of high school and moved to Detroit to take a more permanent singing gig, and soon after was signed with RCA Records. He is most known for his bilingual Christmas song, “Feliz Navidad” which has been named among the most popular holiday songs of all time.

According to Billboard, Feliciano has two top-10 hits in his career and 11 top-100 songs. Feliciano is also a seven-time Grammy award winner.

The NEA website writes the decision to honor Feliciano came from his tenure in the music industry, saying “Over 60 years, 60 albums, and 600 songs, Jose Feliciano has opened hearts and built bridges — overcoming obstacles, never losing faith, and enriching the goodness and greatness of the Nation.”

The honorees received their awards about two years late due to a backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

First lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris also attended the ceremony, which Biden opened with a speech filled with quips about the honorees.

The recipients of the National Medals of Arts – the highest honor from the United States government for advancing the country’s arts – include actors, comedians and singers. Other recipients were artist-activist Judith Francisca Baca, philanthropist Fred Eychaner, Puerto Rican painter Antonio Martorell-Cardona and film producer Joan Shigekawa.

The Billie Holiday Theatre and The International Association of Blacks in Dance also received medals.

The National Humanities Medal honors those who have improved Americans’ understanding and engagement with history, literature, philosophy and more humanities subjects.

The 2021 recipients are poet Richard Blanco, anthropologist Johnnetta Betsch Cole, author Walter Isaacson, social historian Earl Lewis, Native American studies academic Henrietta Mann, novelist Ann Patchett, activist Bryan Stevenson, novelist Amy Tan, memoirist Tara Westover and novelist Colson Whitehead, as well as the organization Native America Calling.

Pedro Pascal to Serve as Presenter at This Year’s Academy Awards Show

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Pedro Pascal is headed to the Oscars

The 47-year-old Chilean actor appears on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ final list of names chosen as presenters for the 95th annual Academy Awards.

Pedro Pascal

In addition to Pascal, the latest round of stars set to present includes Eva Longoria, Halle Berry, Paul Dano, Cara Delevingne, Kate Hudson, Mindy Kaling, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Andie MacDowell, Elizabeth Olsen and John Travolta, executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner and executive producer Molly McNearney have announced.

Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, at Ovation’s Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Previously announced Oscars presenters include Riz Ahmed, Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Nicole Kidman, Troy Kotsur, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Florence Pugh, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Donnie Yen.

Bruno Mars Named to Gold House’s A100 List of Impactful Asians & Pacific Islanders

Bruno Mars has earned a spot on the A(100) List

The 36-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and his Silk Sonic group mate Anderson .Paak have been named to Gold House’s 2022 A100 List, which seeks to recognize the 100 APIs (Asians and Pacific Islanders) who have most significantly impacted American culture and society in the last year across various industries.

Bruno Mars, Ricky Regal, Lacoste

Mars, who was born in Hawaii and is part Filipino, and .Paak won four Grammys at this year’s awards show for their chart-topping single “Leave the Door Open.”

The A100 List was announced to help commemorate Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Other honorees include Michelle Yeoh, Dwayne Johnson and Mindy Kaling as this year’s A100 Legends, while Gemma Chan and Kelly Marie Tran are among the A100 Hall of Fame Inductees for 2022.

Additional honorees in the Entertainment section of the list Simu Liu, Chloé Zhao, Bowen YangTurning Red helmer Domee Shi, the creative teams and stars of Pachinko and Squid Game, Jimmy O. Yang, Destin Daniel Cretton, Riz Ahmed and Ryuske Hamaguchi.

The annual lists’ honorees are selected by a selection committee. Among this year’s judges are Lea Salonga, Daniel Dae Kim, Lisa Link, Janet Yang and Janice Min.

Gold House will celebrate the notable APIs at its inaugural in-person Gold Gala on May 21 in downtown Los Angeles.

Click here for the full list.

HBO Max Renews Ilia Isorelýs Paulino’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls” for Second Season

Ilia Isorelýs Paulino is staying in college

HBO Max has renewed The Sex Lives of College Girls, starring the up-and-coming Latina actress, for a second season.

Ilia Isorelýs Paulino

Created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, the 10-episode dramedy following the lives and affairs of four college roommates (Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, Reneé Rapp, and Alyah Chanelle Scott) attending New England’s prestigious Essex College.

Additional Season 1 regular cast members include Midori Francis, Gavin Leatherwood, Chris Meyer, Isorelýs Paulino, Lauren Spencer, and Renika Williams.

“Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble have created and written a show that is full of heart, female friendships, and awkward naked parties,” said Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max. “We are delighted that this comic, honest portrayal of the college condition has resonated for everyone, whether they had sex in college or not. We can’t wait to see where these uniquely complex yet relatable characters will go next.”

Kaling and showrunner Noble co-wrote the first episode and executive produce with Howard Klein. The series is produced by Kaling International in association with Warner Bros. Television.

All 8 episodes of Season 1 are currently available to stream via HBO Max.

Eva Longoria Joins Coalition Set to Launch LA-Based Magnet School, Roybal School of Film and Television Production

Eva Longoria is helping “drive transformational change across the entertainment industry for students from underserved communities.”

The 46-year-old Mexican American actress, producer and activist has joined a coalition of industry leaders who are partnering with Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner to found the Roybal School of Film and Television Production, a specialized academy housed within the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center.

Eva Longoria

In addition to Longoria, the project is also being spearheaded by George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Don Cheadle, Kerry WashingtonMindy Kaling, Nicole Avant, Working Title Films founders Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner and CAA co-chairman Bryan Lourd.

The Roybal School is set to launch in fall 2022 as a magnet school, providing LAUSD teachers with access to storytellers, industry professionals and experts, while supporting students with academic education and practical training.

The inaugural program will be overseen by Principal Blanca Cruz. Roybal will feature a curriculum designed to meet standards prescribed by the state of California and the University of California system. Students also will receive real-world experience through a dedicated internship initiative.

The school will launch with grades 9 and 10, and include grades 11 and 12 over the next two years. The pilot program could be expanded later to additional schools throughout the Los Angeles area.

“This effort will help open the doors of opportunity for a diverse group of students from underserved communities,” Beutner said. “This groundbreaking program will help prepare students for good-paying jobs in the film and television industry by integrating practical industry experience and internships for students into the curriculum.”

Beutner explained how industry lessons could be woven into the curriculum: “Physics is involved in the choice of a lens by a cinematographer, math is part of the foundation for a musical score in a film, critical thinking skills are needed to design a set, screenwriters need a foundation in literacy, and a make-up artist needs to know the chemistry of the different materials they might use – all of this will be tied into the curriculum at the school,” he said.

“Our aim is to better reflect the diversity of our country,” Clooney said. “That means starting early. It means creating high school programs that teach young people about cameras, and editing and visual effects and sound and all the career opportunities that this industry has to offer. It means internships that lead to well-paying careers. It means understanding that we’re all in this together.”

The founding members will serve on the school’s Production Advisory Board, lending expertise and support with the intent of building a more inclusive pipeline of career-ready talent for the film and television industry, according to the announcement.

Said Avant, “Everyone involved with this effort understands the need to create points of access: access to resources, information, skills, and mentorship. It is our hope that every guild and company across the entertainment industry landscape joins our efforts to build a bridge to opportunity.”

Added Lourd, “We invite every interested and committed person and company in our industry to join this effort. We have the collective power to accelerate the academic and professional trajectories of so many students and bring about positive change.”

Ilia Isorelýs Paulino to Star in HBO Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls”

Ilia Isorelýs Paulino is college bound…

The Latina actress has been cast as a series regular in The Sex Lives of College GirlsMindy Kaling’s upcoming comedy series at HBO Max.

Ilia Isorelýs Paulino

Paulino joins a roster of cast newcomers that includes Midori FrancisGavin Leatherwood, Christopher MeyerLauren “Lolo” Spencer and Renika Williams.

They join previously announced Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, Reneé Rapp, and Alyah Chanelle Scott who star as four roommates and students at the prestigious New England Essex College.

Paulino plays “Lila” in the series.

Kaling and showrunner Justin Noble co-wrote the first episode and executive produce with Howard Klein. The series is produced by Kaling International in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Paulino graduated from Yale drama school this past spring. In addition to being part of the WB inaugural Actors in Training program, Paulino just completed filming her first feature Queenpins with Kristen Bell. Sex Lives of College Girls is her first series.

Tyler Alvarez to Appear on Season Two of Mindy Kaling’s Netflix Series “Never Have I Ever”

It’s a special game of Never Have I Ever for Tyler Alvarez

The 23-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actor has landed a recurring role for season two of Mindy Kaling’s Netflix series Never Have I Ever.

Tyler Alvarez

Alvarez will play Malcom. A “Young Hollywood” type, Malcom went to elementary school with Devi and her friends but left when he was cast in a Disney Channel show. He’s recently returned to Sherman Oaks High while continuing his acting career.

Co-created by Kaling and Lang Fisher, Never Have I Ever stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as high school student Devi Vishwakumar, alongside returning cast including Poorna Jagannathan, Richa Moorjani, Jaren Lewison, Darren Barnet, Lee Rodriguez and Ramona Young.

The show follows the complicated life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl, dealing with issues of family, sexuality and high school. Ramakrishnan’s Vishwakumar is a 15-year-old from Sherman Oaks, CA, who wants to change her social status after a horrible year that included losing her father and being confined to a wheelchair for three months.

Alvarez is best known for his starring role as Peter Maldonado in Netflix’s American Vandal. His other notable credits include Netflix’s Orange is the New Black and the Hulu revival of Veronica Mars.

Salma Hayek to Present at This Year’s Oscars

Salma Hayekwill be taking the Oscarsstage…

The 53-year-old Mexican actress and producer has been added to the list of presenters for the 92nd annual Academy Awards telecast on Sunday.

Salma Hayek

In addition to Hayek, who earned an Oscar nod for her portrayal of iconic Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in the 2002 film Frida, the new additions include Utkarsh AmbudkarBrie LarsonSpike LeeRay Romano, and Rebel Wilson

Previously announced presenters include James CordenPenélope CruzBeanie FeldsteinZack GottsagenDiane KeatonShia LaBeouf, George MacKaySteve MartinKeanu Reeves, Maya Rudolph, Zazie BeetzTimothée ChalametWill FerrellGal GadotMindy KalingJulia Louis-Dreyfus, Lin-Manuel MirandaAnthony RamosMark RuffaloKelly Marie Tran, Kristen Wiig and Sigourney Weaver.

The 92nd annual Academy Awards will be broadcast live on ABC on February 9 from the Dolby Theatre