Win or lose, Jenna Ortega will take the SAG Awards stage…
The Screen Actors Guild has announced the latest group of presenters for Sunday’s SAG Awards ceremony, with the 20-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress set to participate.
Ortega is nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series category for her starring role in Netflix’s acclaimed series Wednesday, which has been renewed for a second season.
In addition to Ortega, the list of recently added presenters includes Jason Bateman, Jeff Bridges, Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, Zendaya, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, Matt Bomer, Ariana DeBose, Eugene Levy and Amy Poehler.
Previously announced presenters for the 29th annual ceremony include Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Paul Dano, Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Rooney Mara, Jovan Adepo, Diego Calva and Li Jun Li.
The SAG Awards are set for Sunday, February 28, at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. The ceremony, featuring the winners in the guild’s 15 acting categories, will stream live on Netflix’s YouTube channel.
HBO has ordered a third season of Euphoria, the Emmy-winning drama series starring Zendaya and the 24-year-old Spanish Australian actor from creator Sam Levinson.
Euphoria’s renewal comes as its sophomore season continues to deliver ratings records for HBO and HBO Max. The Season 2 premiere currently boasts 14 million total viewers across all HBO platforms.
In Season 2, Zendaya returns as Rue, who’s relapsed since Jules (Hunter Schafer) left her for the city. With school back in session, Rue faces new obstacles to her sobriety and her relationship with Jules. Tensions also rise between Nate (Elordi), Maddy (Alexa Demie) and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), while Lexi (Maude Apatow) takes on a creative venture.
Written, directed and executive produced by Levinson, Euphoria has been a hit critically and culturally.
Beyond trending on Twitter with nearly each episode, Euphoria took home three prizes at the 2020 Primetime Emmys, including Zendaya’s history-makingOutstanding Lead Actressin a Drama Series win.
At the 2021 Primetime Awards, Euphoria received three nominations.
“Sam, Zendaya, and the entire cast and crew of Euphoria have taken Season 2 to extraordinary heights, challenging narrative convention and form, while maintaining its heart. We couldn’t be more honored to work with this gifted, wildly talented team or more excited to continue our journey with them into Season 3,” said Francesca Orsi, EVP of HBO Programming.
Euphoria also features Nika King, Eric Dane, Angus Cloud, Algee Smith, Barbie Ferreira, Javon Walton, Dominic Fike, Storm Reid and Austin Abrams. Season 2 wraps on February 27.
The series, produced in partnership with A24, is based on the Israeli series of the same name that was created by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin, from HOT.
Colman Domingo is ready to remember this feeling in early 2022…
HBO recently unveiled the first poster for Euphoriaseason two starring Zendaya and the 52-year-old Guatemalan American actor.
The season premiere is set for January 9, 2022.
Along with Zendaya and Domingo, the show also stars Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeny, Jacob Elordi and Storm Reid.
Sam Levinson is executive produce alongside Drake, Future the Prince, Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin, Tmira Yardeni, Ravi Nandan, Kevin Turen, Hadas Mozes Lichtenstein, Mirit Toovi, Yoram Mokadi and Gary Lennon. Augustine Frizzell directed the pilot and are co-executive producers. A24 Television is also producing.
Euphoria, directed by Levinson, follows Zendaya’s Rue Bennett, a drug addict fresh from rehab who’s struggling to make sense of her future. Her life changes dramatically when she meets Jules Vaughn (Schafer), a girl who recently moved to town following her parents’ divorce and like Rue is searching for where she belongs. They navigate the intense dramas of drugs, sex, identity, love and friendship in their small town. The season 1 finale, which saw Rue and Jules part ways, was followed by two special episodes centering each of the friends.
The series received nominations for the British Academy Television Award for Best International Programme, and the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama. For her performance, Zendaya won a Primetime Emmy Award and Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
For his performance, Domingo received an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actor – Television (Drama).
There are more late nights in The Kid Mero’s future…
Showtime has ordered a fourth season of the 38-year-old Dominican American comedian and television personality’s (real name Joel Martinez) late night show with his co-host Desus Nice, Desus & Mero, which is set to be released in 2022.
The series, which debuted in 2016 on Viceland before moving to Showtime three years later, is the network’s first-ever late-night talk show. In each episode, the longtime friends discuss the day’s hot topics and interview some of the biggest names from the world of pop culture, sports, music, and politics.
Season 3 currently airs weekly on Sunday and Thursday nights at 11:00 pm ET/PT from New York City through December 12. This season’s guests include Stacey Abrams, Zendaya, John David Washington, Ludacris, Delroy Lindo, Glenn Close, J Balvin, Andra Day, Issa Rae, Lil Nas X,Barry Jenkins, and Zazie Beetz, among others.
Desus and Mero returned to their newly revamped studio in June after the pandemic forced them to shoot their show remotely since March 2020. The pair bought their own facility just before the pandemic — the old Al Jazeera studio, complete with bulletproof glass — having previously shot at the CBS Studio in New York.
Desus & Mero is produced for Showtime by JAX Media. It’s executive produced by Desus Nice, The Kid Mero, Lilly Burns, Tony Hernandez, Victor Lopez, Suzanne Fagel, and Mike Pielocik.
Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for Dune, starring the 42-year-old Guatemalan & Cuban actor.
It’s the first clip of the highly anticipated film since the initial trailer hit last September, prior to the recent schedule change.
Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September before it hits theaters and HBO Max day-and-date on October 22.
This trailer begins with Zendaya’s character Chani surveying the deserts of her planet Arrakis before kicking into higher gear with action scenes and a dash or two of comedy (“Look at you – put on some muscle?,” asks Jason Momoa’s Duncan upon seeing Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. “I did?”, Chalament responds. “No,” says Momoa.)
In addition to Isaac, Zendaya, Chalamet and Momoa, Dune features Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Chang Chen and David Dastmalchian, with Charlotte Rampling and Javier Bardem.
The official synopsis: A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Dune, a Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures presentation of a Legendary Pictures Production, is also being released in 3D and Imax, will makes its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and then plays the Toronto Film Festival. Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth wrote the script.
Warner Bros. has released a series of character posters from Dune, its upcoming sci-fi tentpole starring the 42-year-old Guatemalan & Cuban actor.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film is an update of Frank Herbert’s novel, which was turned into a 1984 movie by David Lynch.
Dune is set to have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September before it hits theaters and HBO Max day-and-date on October 22.
In addition to Isaac, Dune‘s cast includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Sharon Duncan Brewster, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen and David Dastmalchian, with Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem.
The character posters revealed via the film’s social media pages feature Chalamet, who stars as Paul Atreides; Zendaya as Chani; Ferguson as Lady Jessica; Momoa as Duncan Idaho; Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides; Bardem as Stilgar; Brolin as Gurney Halleck; and Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.
The plot centers on Atreides, a brilliant and gifted man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence — a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential — only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth.
The producers of this year’s 93rd annual Academy Awards have cast an ensemble of 15 stars to handle all the presenting duties, including the 89-year-old Puerto Rican actress, singer and dancer.
Moreno, one of the few artists to have won all four major annual American entertainment awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award, is part of a “cast” that includes last year’s Oscar winners Joaquin Phoenix, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt and Laura Dern.
It’s part of the producers’ pledge to do the entire broadcast as if it were a movie itself.
Last year’s Best Director winner, Bong Joon Ho, who made four trips to the stage for Parasite, is also part of this ensemble, presumably to present Best Director.
Other names announced — in alphabetical order — are Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya.
“In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we’ve assembled a truly stellar cast of stars,” said producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh. “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required.”
This idea of having a set group of presenters rotating in and out of the show is not new. When producer Gower Champion reimagined the 1969 Oscar show, he created what they called “Friends of Oscar,” with 10 stars exclusively serving as presenters (and no host). The format was then repeated successfully the next year, and has been tweaked occasionally over the decades — including for the innovative 2009 show produced by Bill Condon and Laurence Mark, which used combinations of five past winners each to present the acting awards.
Additional talent joining the April 25 live broadcast on ABC will be announced later.
Alfred Molina is ready for an mollusk-uous reprisal…
The 67-year-old half-Spanish actor will return as scientist-turned-villain Otto Octavius a.k.a Doctor Octopus in the forthcoming third installment of Sony/Marvel’s Tom Holland-led Spider-Manfranchise.
The Emmy and Golden Globe nominee’s character first appeared in 2004’sSpider-Man 2, starring Toby Maguire and directed by Sam Raimi. A
nd he won’t be the only one from a previous Spidey-verse who’ll make an appearance. Early this year, it was revealed that Jamie Foxx would be returning as Electro from Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Jon Watts is back to direct the sequel to the $2 billion-grossing franchise. Stars Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, and Tony Revolori are expected to return as well.
Spider-Man 3 is currently scheduled for release on December 17, 2021.
There’s more euphoria in Colman Domingo’s near future…
HBO has released the first trailer for a pair of special episodes of Euphoria, starring the 51-year-old half-Guatemalan American actor and Emmy-winner Zendaya.
While it’s not a full-fledged sophomore season of the acclaimed HBO original series, the special episodes will give fans a chance to catch up with the show’s characters.
The first episode is titled “Part 1: Rue” and will stream on HBO Max on December 6 at 9:00 pm.
The brief trailer picks up after the Season 1 finale, in which Rue (Zendaya) uses cocaine and relapses after her girlfriend Jules (Hunter Schafer) gets on a train and leaves her after their high school winter formal. Rue sits in a diner contemplating her life when she runs into Ali (Domingo), whom she met at her Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson wrote and directed the first special episode, and HBO has yet to announce the release date or title for the second episode.
Back in September, Zendaya became the youngest person to win an Emmy for best lead actress in a drama for her work on the show. Euphoria was nominated for six categories in total, taking home awards in contemporary makeup and original music and lyrics in addition to Zendaya’s win.
The show is produced in partnership with A24 and based on the Israeli series of the same name, which was created by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin.
Jennifer Lopez is ready to motivate this year’s graduates…
YouTube has added several speakers and musical performances to Dear Class of 2020, its global virtual commencement ceremony set for June 6, including the 50-year-old Puerto Rican superstar.
In addition to Lopez, others joining Barack and Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga and more as part of the special event are Beyoncé Knowles-Carter— who will deliver an inspirational message to the graduates — La La Anthony, Andy Cohen, Lana Condor, Misty Copeland,Kevin Durant, FINNEAS, Bill & Melinda Gates, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Demi Lovato, Hasan Minhaj, Janelle Monáe,Antoni Porowski, Billy Porter, Phoebe Robinson, Yara Shahidi, Michael Strahan, Taylor Swift, Ciara & Russell Wilson, the casts of Euphoria and Riverdale, Today’s Jenna Bush Hager and Natalie Morales, and YouTub ecreators Emma Chamberlain, John Green, NikkieTutorials, and Mark Rober.
The multi-hour event premieres on Saturday, June 6 on YouTube. Other speakers and performers include BTS, Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, Kerry Washington, Chloe x Halle and Zendaya, among others.
Barack and Michelle Obama each will deliver commencement speeches – as well as a joint heartfelt message – to this year’s high school and college seniors who are missing graduation celebrations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Michelle Obama’s Higher Reach Initiative will host a full hour of content to kick off the celebration.
“Graduation is a tradition that students and families look forward to and with the current state of the world, YouTube is lending some inspiration in the form of a virtual commencement,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Content for YouTube. “We hope bringing together noteworthy, influential speakers along with performances from some of their favorite artists will provide encouragement for the students who have worked so hard to get here.”
In “Dear Class of 2020,” people from around the world will join the class of 2020 as a singular community to celebrate their resilience, and the endless possibilities of their future, says YouTube.
“The festival-style line up combines classic commencement day themes with a diverse array of entertainment that will capture all of the emotions of graduation including pride, hope, optimism, and camaraderie.”
YouTube is working in partnership with Higher Reach, Born This Way Foundation, Malala Fund, TODAY, and Ideas United to showcase student stories and feature graduates around the world, including a crowd-sourced commencement speech. The special will be produced by Done + Dusted.
“Dear Class of 2020” can be streamed on the YouTube Originals channel and the Learn@Home site.
The full schedule of commencement events is available on the Learn@Home site.
Ortega is nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series category for her starring role in Netflix’s acclaimed series Wednesday, which has been renewed for a second season.
