America Ferrera to Serve as Presenter at This Year’s Oscars

Win or lose, America Ferrera will be taking the Oscars stage…

The 39-year-old Honduran American actress, who earned her first-ever Academy Awards nod this year for her performance in Barbie, will serve as a presenter at Sunday’s Oscars.

She’s part of a roster of new presenters that includes Emily Blunt, Cynthia Erivo, Sally Field, Ryan Gosling, Ariana Grande, Ben Kingsley, Melissa McCarthy, Issa Rae, Tim Robbins, Steven Spielberg, Mary Steenburgen, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlize Theron, Christoph Waltz and Forest Whitaker.

They join previous announced presenters Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate McKinnon, Rita Moreno, John Mulaney, Catherine O’Hara, Octavia Spencer and Ramy Youssef, Mahershala Ali, Nicolas Cage, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Lange, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong’o, Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ke Huy Quan, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Yeoh and Zendaya.

The Oscars will be broadcast live on March 10 ceremony from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Jimmy Kimmel is returning to host the ceremony for a fourth time.

ABC, which has aired the Oscars since 1976, is televising the show live starting at 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT — an hour earlier that usual. The network, which has begun to use the Oscars as a lead-out to showcase its top programming, will follow its coverage of the live ceremony with an original episode of Abbott Elementary.

ABC’s time tweak also means that its annual pre-show will now run for 30 minutes — instead of the usual 90 — beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. As per usual, the main Oscar telecast will be rebroadcast in the Pacific Time zone in primetime after the live presentation.

Raj Kapoor will serve as showrunner and executive producer of the 96th Oscars, with Molly McNearney and Katy Mullan executive producers. Hamish Hamilton is directing.

Bad Bunny to Serve as Presenter at This Year’s Academy Awards

Bad Bunny has a date with Oscar…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning superstar has been added to the list of presenters for this year’s Academy Awards show.

Bad BunnyBut the “Monaco” singer is not the only Puerto Rican artist set to take the stage.

West Side Story star Rita Moreno, an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony Award) winner, will also serve as a presenter.

Bad Bunny and Moreno are among the list of recently added presenters for the March 10th Oscars telecast that includes Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate McKinnon, John Mulaney, Catherine O’Hara, Octavia Spencer and Ramy Youssef.

Moreno won an Oscar in 1962 for West Side Story. In 1977, she became the first Latina (and just the third person overall) to complete the EGOT.

In 2022, Bad Bunny made history when Un Verano Sin Ti became the first Spanish-language album to top Billboard’s year-end chart and to receive a Grammy nod for album of the year. His acting credits include Bullet Train, Narcos: Mexico and Cassandro,

Earlier this week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced that another popular Latin star, Becky G, would perform the nominated “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot on the telecast.

Previously announced Oscars presenters are Mahershala Ali, Nicolas Cage, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Lange, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong’o, Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ke Huy Quan, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Yeoh and Zendaya.

The 96th Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast to outlets worldwide on Sunday, March 10, at the new, earlier time of 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT.

Jimmy Kimmel is hosting the show for the fourth time. It will be held at its usual home, the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

Raj Kapoor is executive producer and showrunner for the 2024 Oscars. Molly McNearney and Katy Mullan are also executive producers. Hamish Hamilton is directing. Rickey Minor is music director.

Netflix to Premiere “The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday Featuring Anthony Ramos, in November

Anthony Ramos is preparing for a Bad holiday season…

Netflix will premiere the animated half-hour special The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday, featuring the 31-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer and Broadway star as part of the voice cast, on November 30.

Anthony RamosThe special is a prequel to the 2022 hit animated film The Bad Guys.

Based on a children’s graphic novel series, the The Bad Guys film follows a group of anthropomorphic criminals, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Shark and Mr. Piranha, voiced respectively by Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson and Ramos.

After getting caught, Mr. Wolf makes a play to escape prison time by claiming that the group wants a chance to reform themselves into good guys. Though it starts as a ruse, Mr. Wolf soon finds himself excited by the opportunity to better himself.

The film grossed more than $250 million worldwide and was the second-highest-grossing animated film of 2022.

The Bad GuysIn the prequel, set before the events of the feature, there’s nothing the Bad Guys love more than Christmas morning — because while everyone is home opening presents, it’s the perfect time to execute their citywide holiday heist. But when Christmas is unexpectedly canceled, the Bad Guys must do the unthinkable: reignite the city’s holiday spirit by giving instead of taking.

The voice cast includes Michael Godere as Wolf, Ezekiel Ajeigbe as Shark, Raul Ceballos as Piranha, Chris Diamantopoulos as Snake, Mallory Low as Tarantula, Zehra Fazal as Tiffany Fluffit, Keith Silverstein as Gary, Shaved Ice Vendor and Kari Wahlgren as DJ Trudy Tude.

Bret Haaland directs and executive produces with Katherine Nolfi.

Aubrey Plaza to Make Stage Debut in Off Broadway Revival of “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea”

Aubrey Plaza is preparing to make her stage debut…

The 39-year-old half-Puerto Rican Emmy-nominated actress, comedian and producer will star opposite Christopher Abbott in an Off Broadway revival of John Patrick Shanley’s 1984 classic Danny and the Deep Blue Sea this fall, with a producing team that includes Sam Rockwell.

Aubrey PlazaThe revival will begin previews on Monday, October 20, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, with an opening night set for Monday, November 13.

The 10-week limited engagement will be directed by Jeff Ward, in his stage directorial debut.

Rockwell said in a statement, “My life and career have been profoundly impacted by Off-Broadway theater – like John Malkovich and Gary Sinise in True West at the Cherry Lane; Stanley Tucci in Scapin at Classic Stage Company; Phil Hoffman and Justin Theroux in Shopping and F*cking at New York Theatre Workshop; and Blasted with Reed Birney and Marin Ireland at Soho Rep, to name a few. I really do believe it’s the beating heart of this city. I couldn’t be prouder to be downtown at the Lucille Lortel with this vital play.”

Rockwell will be producing via his and Mark Berger’s Play Hooky Productions, along with Seaview, Sue Wagner, and John Johnson, by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

The original production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea premiered Off Broadway at Circle in the Square Theatre Downtown in 1984 starring June Stein and John Turturro (who won an Obie Award for his performance).

The official synopsis: Have you ever been caught in an earthquake? A chance meeting. A dive bar. Some encounters are so dangerous and so beautiful, they redefine the meaning of love. Follow two desperate people in the Bronx, Danny and Roberta, as they walk the line between destruction and transcendence.

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea will feature scenic design by Scott Pask, lighting design by John Torres, costume design by Arianne Phillips, sound design by Kate Marvin, and movement by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber.

Plaza is best known for her breakthrough role on Parks and Recreation and, more recently, The White Lotus.

Ariana DeBose to Star in Apple Original Films’ Actioner “Argylle”

The spies have it for Ariana DeBose

The 30-year-old half-Afro-Puerto Rican actress, singer and dancer has joined the cast of Argylle, an action film from Apple Original Films and Matthew Vaughn’s Marv Studios.

Ariana DeBose

The film is currently in production in Europe.

DeBose, a Tony Award nominee, joins a cast that includes Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson, and Grammy winner Dua Lipa, who is making her big screen debut.

The film—setting up a new franchise for Vaughn—follows the world’s greatest spy, Argylle, as he is caught up in a globetrotting adventure, which takes him from America to London and beyond.

It’s based on Elly Conway’s upcoming spy novel of the same name, which is set for publication via Transworld Publishers Ltd, a division of Penguin Random House, next year.

Vaughn is directing Argylle from a script by Jason Fuchs. Dua Lipa will also pen the film’s original title track and score.

“We have assembled an absolutely stellar cast to inhabit each of the wonderfully original and captivating characters in this thrill ride of a story,” said Vaughn. “We’re so excited that production is now off and running, bringing us closer to sharing this epic action spectacle with audiences around the world.”

DeBose earned her Tony nomination in 2018 for her turn as Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. She also featured in the original cast of Hamilton, along with other Broadway titles including Bring It On: The Musical and Pippin.

She will next be seen portraying Anita in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story, and can currently be seen in Apple’s musical comedy series Schmigadoon!.

Javier Bardem to Present at This Year’s Oscars

Javier Bardemhas a date with Oscar…

The 49-year-old Spanish actor has been added to the list of presenters for the 91st Oscars show later this month.

Javier Bardem

Bardem, won the Academy Awardfor Best Supporting Actorfor his role as the psychopathic assassin Anton Chigurh in the 2007 Coen Brothersfilm No Country for Old Men, joins a roster of new additions that includes Angela BassettChadwick BosemanEmilia ClarkeLaura DernSamuel L. JacksonStephan JamesKeegan-Michael KeyKiKi LayneJames McAvoyMelissa McCarthyJason Momoa and Sarah Paulson.

They join previously announced AwkwafinaDaniel Craig,Chris EvansTina FeyAllison Janney,Brie LarsonJennifer LopezFrances McDormandGary OldmanAmy PoehlerSam RockwellMaya Rudolph,Amandla StenbergCharlize TheronTessa Thompson and Constance Wuat the show, set for February 24 live on ABC.

The presenters have added interest in a year in which the Oscars is going host-less, with Academy president John Bailey saying as late a week ago the show remained “in flux.”

“The array of talent anchoring the show this year has brought some of the most indelible moments in recent cinematic memory to audiences around the world,” said producer Donna Gigliotti and co-producer and director Glenn Weisson Monday in the announcement. “They join together to reconnect us with the nominees, their tremendous movies, and outstanding performances.”

Bianca Marroquin to Portray Chita Rivera in FX’s Limited Drama Series “Fosse/Verdon”

Bianca Marroquin is a Chita girl…

The 43-year-old Mexican musical theatre and television actress has been cast in FX’s high-profile eight-episode limited drama series Fosse/Verdon, starring Oscar winner Sam Rockwell and Oscar nominee Michelle Williams in the title roles.

Bianca Marroquin

Written by Sam Wasson and based on his Fosse bio, the limited series tells the story of the singular romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse (Rockwell) and Gwen Verdon (Williams). He was a visionary filmmaker and one of theater’s most influential choreographers and directors. She was the greatest Broadway dancer of all time. Together they changed the face of American entertainment – at a perilous cost. Featuring Fosse’s choreography, the series explores the hidden corners of show business, the price of pursuing greatness, and the suffering inflicted in the name of art.

Marroquin will portray the legendary Chita Rivera in the series, which will also star Norbert Leo ButzMargaret Qualley, Evan HandlerAya CashNate CorddrySusan Misner, Kelli BarrettRick HolmesPaul ReiserEthan SlaterByron Jennings and Laura Osnes.

Originally from Mexico, Marroquin made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago in 2002 and has since appeared on Broadway in The Pajama GameandIn the Heights. On television in Miami and Mexico City, she can be seen as a judge in Pequeños Gigantes and Mira Quien Baila, among others.

The project hails from award-winning producers Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Lin Manuel-Miranda and Joel Fields, FX Television Studios and FX Productions.

Production on the series is currently underway in New York City ahead of its spring 2019 premiere on FX.

Garcia to Pen the English Remake of the Spanish Heist Thriller “25 Kilates”

Eric Garcia has landed a 25-carat project…

The Latino writer /screenwriter has signed on to pen 25 Carat, the English-language remake of the Spanish heist thriller 25 Kilates for Kamala Films and producer Guy Stodel.

Eric Garcia

Garcia, whose 2003 novel Matchstick Men was made into a film starring Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell and directed by Ridley Scott, was the screenwriter, with Garrett Lerner, of the 2010’s Repo Men, based on Garcia’s novel The Repossession Mambo.

Written and directed by Patxi Amezcua, 25 Kilates was released in 2009 and centered on a petty thief and a mob enforcer who hatch a daring plan to break free from the criminal underworld in Barcelona. The film is also a love story following two desperate people who are forced to trust one another.

Garcia’s acclaimed Anonymous Rex trilogy was turned into a TV movie in 2004. Recently, he wrote an adaptation of John Searles‘ thriller novel Strange but True, to be directed by Alex and David Pastor later this year.

Cabezas to Direct Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick in “Mr. Right”

Paco Cabezas has found his Mr. Right

The Spanish filmmaker will direct Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick in the film Mr. Right.

Paco Cabezas

Kendrick will portray a woman whose bad luck streak at finding true love seems to come to a successful end when she meets Mr. Right. That’s until she discovers he’s a reformed hit man. When his dark past catches up with him, their fledgling relationship is tested as they try to save one another.

Shooting on Mr. Right, which was written by Chronicle scribe Max Landis, is set to begin this fall.

Cabezas earned critical acclaim for directing 2013’s Tokarev.

Peña Earns a Spirit Award Nomination

Michael Peña has the spirit

The 36-year-old Mexican American actor has received a Spirit Award nomination in the Best Supporting Male category for his work in the police drama End of Watch.

Michael Pena

Peña, who portrays Los Angeles police officer Mike Zavala in the film, will face off against Magic Mike’s Matthew McConaughey, Middle of Nowheres David Oyelowo, Seven PsychopathsSam Rockwell and Moonrise Kingdom’s Bruce Willis.

Meanwhile, Aurora Guerrero has been nominated for the John Cassavetes Award, which is given to a picture made for under $500,000. The Mexican American filmmaker earned the nod for writing and directing the film Mosquita y Mari.

Nominees for the Spirit Awards are determined by its “independence” based on guidelines that include uniqueness of vision, original and provocative subject matter and they must be made for budgets up to $20 millions.

Winners of the 2013 Spirit Awards will be announced on February 23, during the annual awards luncheon taking place in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.

The ceremony will be broadcast at 10:00 pm ET on IFC.

Here’s a complete look at the 2013 Spirit Award nominees:

Best Feature

  • Beasts of the Southern Wild
  • Bernie
  • Keep the Lights On
  • Moonrise Kingdom
  • Silver Linings Playbook

Best Director

  • Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
  • David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
  • Julia Loktev- The Loneliest Planet
  • Ira Sachs – Keep the Lights On
  • Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Screenplay

  • Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
  • David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
  • Ira Sachs – Keep the Lights On
  • Zoe Kazan – Ruby Sparks
  • Martin McDonagh – Seven Psychopaths

Best First Feature

  • Fill the Void
  • Gimme the Loot
  • Safety Not Guaranteed
  • Sound of My Voice
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Best First Screenplay

  • Rama Burshtein – Fill the Void
  • Derek Connolly – Safety Not Guaranteed
  • Christopher Ford – Robot & Frank
  • Rashida Jones & Will McCormack – Celeste and Jesse Forever
  • Jonathan Lisecki – Gayby

John Cassavetes Award (given to best picture made for under $500K)

  • Breakfast with Curtis
  • Middle of Nowhere
  • Mosquita y Mari
  • Starlet
  • The Color Wheel

Best Female Lead

  • Linda Cardinelli – Return
  • Emayatzy Corinealdi – Middle of Nowhere
  • Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
  • Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
  • Mary Elizabeth Winstead – Smashed

Best Male Lead

  • Jack Black – Bernie
  • Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
  • John Hawkes – The Sessions
  • Matthew McConaughey – Killer Joe
  • Wendell Pierce – Four
  • Thure Lindhardt – Keep the Lights On

Best Supporting Female

  • Rosemarie DeWitt – Your Sister’s Sister
  • Ann Dowd – Compliance
  • Helen Hunt – The Sessions
  • Brit Marling – Sound of My Voice
  • Lorraine Toussant – Middle of Nowhere

Best Supporting Male

  • Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike
  • David Oyelowo – Middle of Nowhere
  • Michael Pena – End of Watch
  • Sam Rockwell – Seven Psychopaths
  • Bruce Willis – Moonrise Kingdom

Best Cinematography

  • Yoni Brook – Valley of Saints
  • Lol Crawley – Here
  • Ben Richardson – Beasts of the Southern Wild
  • Roman Vasyanov – End of Watch
  • Robert Yeoman – Moonrise Kingdom

Best Documentary

  • How to Survive a Plague
  • Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present
  • The Central Park Five
  • The Invisible War
  • The Waiting Room

Best International Film

  • Amour
  • Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
  • Rust and Bone
  • Sister
  • War Witch    

Piaget ProduPcers Award

  • Nobody Walks
  • Prince Avalanche
  • Stones in the Sun

Someone to Watch Award

  • Pincus
  • Gimme the Loot
  • Electrick Children

Truer Than Fiction Award

  • Leviathan
  • The Waiting Room
  • Only the Young

Robert Altman Award

  • Starlet