Get ready to vote for the latest short films from emerging Latino and Hispanic filmmakers in the Spotlight Dorado lineup. Starting today, you can check out three diverse projects from the latest edition of the short film contest at SpotlightDorado.com. The films include Marissa Díaz‘s action-packed “Fancy Florez’s Summer Staycation,” Kryzz Gautier‘s virtual reality romance, “Chimera,” and Pablo Riesgo‘s satire sci-fi, “Cuando Volvimos A La Tierra.” Voting for your favorite film is open until February 11 to help determine the grand prize winner.

The short films are launching at a time when there’s a notable lack of representation for Latinos and Hispanics in the entertainment and film industry. Recent research from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, supported by McDonald’s Spotlight Dorado, reveals that less than 5% of directors of major motion pictures from 2007 to 2022 were Hispanic/Latino. Among them, only five were women.

This inequality extends beyond directors, with a mere 4.4% of lead or co-lead roles featuring Hispanic/Latino actors. This research underscores the pressing need for a more inclusive film landscape.

McDonald’s is addressing this issue by supporting important research and upcoming storytellers, contributing to inclusivity and demonstrating its commitment to diverse communities.

Ryan Worthy, Content and Culture Director at McDonald’s USA, stated, “As part of our commitment to giving back to the diverse communities we call home, we are proud to support opportunities that help drive inclusivity and change. With Spotlight Dorado, McDonald’s has been able to use its scale to amplify pivotal research and create opportunities for Latino and Hispanic storytellers. We’re proud of the outstanding talent showcased by this year’s Spotlight Dorado finalists, and we look forward to seeing what else is in store for them.”

After being selected as the top three finalists last summer, McDonald’s provided the filmmakers with a combined budget of $225,000 to produce their short films. Each filmmaker also received personalized mentorship from industry leaders, including Grammy®-winning artist, Golden Globe® and Emmy® nominated actor Anthony Ramos, actress Danay Garcia, comedian, writer, actor, and producer Al Madrigal, director Carlos López Estrada, and writer-director Nancy Mejía.

The grand prize winner of this year’s program will be announced in March. For more information on the program, and to cast your vote visit www.spotlightdorado.com.

The post McDonald’s Spotlight Dorado Champions Hispanic Representation in Film by Unveiling Top Three Finalist Short Films first appeared on .

Netflix’s tick, tick…BOOM! and 20th Century Fox’s West Side Story, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Steven Spielberg, respectively, vie for the honor in two categories, Best Picture Drama and Best Picture-Musical/Comedy. tick, tick…BOOM!, a semi-biographical musical drama about a relatively young promising theater composer navigating romance, friendship and life’s challenges in New York City, marked the directorial debut of Miranda, the creator of the acclaimed stage musical Hamilton.

On the other hand, Spielberg’s new version of West Side Story features a sizable Latino cast portraying the musical film’s Puerto Rican characters–a welcome correction of the original 1961 movie. In fact, the 2021 film female lead, Zegler in the role of Maria, is also nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Actress-Motion Picture-Musical/Comedy category. A newcomer to Hollywood, Zegler competes against established stars Marion Cotillard (Annette), Jennifer Lawrence (Don’t Look Up) and Emma Stone (Cruella) and the also newcomer Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza).

In both the Best Picture Drama and Best Picture-Musical/Comedy categories, tick, tick…BOOM! and West Side Story face Cyrano, Don’t Look Up and Licorice Pizza. 

Spanish actor Bardem is among the five candidates vying for the award for Best Actor-Motion Picture Drama for his role in the Amazon Original Movie Being the Ricardos, the Aaron Sorkin drama about the Hollywood power couple Dezi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. Bardem, a Golden Globe and Oscar winner, faces Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Will Smith (King Richard) and Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth). As a side note, Being the Ricardos also won Sorkin a nod for Best Screenplay-Motion Picture and a nom for Nicole Kidman for Best Actress-Motion Picture for her lead as Ball.

With Latinos shining in two film adaptations of Broadway musicals, it isn’t surprising to see other Latinos competing in additional Golden Globe categories. 

Ramos is a nominee for In the Heights in Best Actor-Motion Picture-Musical/Comedy. Set in New York’s largely Dominican community of Washington Heights, the musical is written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Miranda and directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). Ramos’s competition includes Leonardo DiCaprio (Don’t Look Up), Peter Dinklage (Cyrano), Andrew Garfield (tick, tick…BOOM!), and Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza).

For her part, Ariana DeBose is a candidate in Best Supporting Actress-Motion Picture for her role of Anita in West Side Story–that’s the role played by Rita Moreno in the 1961 musical feature that won her both a Golden Globe and an Oscar. The other candidates in DeBose’s category are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Another two Latino actors vying for Golden Globes are Oscar Issac and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez.

Issac is nominated for Best Actor-Television Motion Picture for his role in HBO Max’s Scenes From a Marriage while Rodriguez got a nod for Best Television Actress-Drama Series for her role in FX’s Pose.

Two films with Latino connections compete in the Best Picture-Animated category. Disney’s Encanto is set in a fantastical Colombia and stars Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero and John Leguizamo. The movie is directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Charise Castro Smith, all of whom also share writing credits. The other film, Raya and the Last Dragon, is helmed by Mexican director Carlos López Estrada along with Don Hall and Paul Briggs. 

In the category of Best Picture-Non-English Language, the Spanish film Madres Paralelas by Pedro Almodóvar faces Compartment No. 6, a co-production of Germany, Russia and Finland; Drive My Car from Japan; The Hand of God, from Italy; and A Hero, a co-production of Iran and France. This is Almodóvar’s 11th Golden Globe nomination, winning on two occasions–for Pain and Glory in 2019 and All About My Mother in 1999.

Both Encanto and Madres Paralelas also earned a nomination for their respective film composers, Texas’ Germaine Franco and Spain’s Alberto Iglesias. Additionally, Encanto’s theme song “Dos Oruguitas” got a nod for Best Song Motion Picture. “Dos Oruguitas” is written by Miranda and performed by Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra.

The Golden Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The 79th awards ceremony will be held Jan. 9.

(See complete list of nominees below the video)

Featured Photos: Javier Bardem (Photo: Carlos Delgado/Wikipedia), Rachel Zegler (Photo: Courtesy, self), Anthony Ramos (Photo: Courtesy, self)

GOLDEN GLOBES 2022
Complete list of nominees

Best Picture Drama
CyranoDon’t Look Up
Licorice Pizza
tick, tick…BOOM!
West Side Story

Best Picture – Musical/Comedy
Cyrano
Don’t Look Up
Licorice Pizza
tick, tick…BOOM!
West Side Story 

Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Lady Gaga, House of Gucci
Kristen Stewart, Spencer

Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Mahershala Ali, Swan Song
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog 
Will Smith, King Richard
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Actress – Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy
Marion Cotillard, Annette
Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza
Jennifer Lawrence, Don’t Look Up
Emma Stone, Cruella
Rachel Zegler, West Side Story

Best Actor – Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy
Leonardo DiCaprio, Don’t Look Up
Peter Dinklage, Cyrano
Andrew Garfield, tick, tick…BOOM!
Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza
Anthony Ramos, In the Heights

Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Caitriona Balfe, Belfast
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Ruth Negga, Passing

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Ben Affleck, The Tender Bar
Jamie Dornan, Belfast
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
Troy Kotsur, CODA
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

Best Director Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story 
Denis Villeneuve, Dune

Best Screenplay Motion Picture
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog 
Adam McKay, Don’t Look Up
Aaron Sorkin, Being the Ricardos

Best Picture – Animated
Encanto 
Flee
Luca
My Sunny Maad
Raya and the Last Dragon

Best Picture – Non-English Language (formerly Foreign Language)
Compartment No. 6, Germany, Russia and Finland
Drive My Car, Japan
The Hand of God, Italy
A Hero, Iran and France
Parallel Mothers, Spain

Best Score Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat, The French Dispatch
Germaine Franco, Encanto
Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog
Alberto Iglesias, Parallel Mothers
Hans Zimmer, Dune

Best Song Motion Picture
King Richard, “Be Alive”
Encanto, “Dos Oruguitas”
Belfast, “Down to Joy”
Respect, “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)”
No Time To Die, “No Time To Die”

Best Drama Series
Lupin
The Morning Show
Pose
Squid Game
Succession

Best Musical/Comedy Series
The Great
Hacks
Only Murders in the Building
Reservation Dogs
Ted Lasso

Best Television Motion Picture
Dopesick
Impeachment: American Crime Story
Maid
Mare of Easttown
The Underground Railroad

Best Actress – Television Motion Picture
Jessica Chastain, Scenes from a Marriage 
Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha
Elizabeth Olsen, Wandavision
Margaret Qualley, Maid
Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown

Best Actor – Television Motion Picture
Paul Bettany, Wandavision
Oscar Isaac, Scenes from a Marriage 
Michael Keaton, Dopesick
Ewan McGregor, Halston
Tahar Rahim, The Serpent

Best Television Actress – Drama Series
Uzo Aduba, In Treatment
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Christine Baranski, The Good Fight
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Pose

Best Television Actor – Drama Series
Brian Cox, Succession
Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
Omar Sy, Lupin

Best Television Actress – Musical/Comedy Series
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Elle Fanning, The Great 
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Jean Smart, Hacks

Best Television Actor – Musical/Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Nicholas Hoult, The Great
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso

Best Supporting Actress – Television
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus 
Kaitlyn Dever, Dopesick
Andie MacDowell, Maid
Sarah Snook, Succession
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso

Best Supporting Actor – Television
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show 
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Mark Duplass, The Morning Show 
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
O Yeong-su, Squid Game

The post Latinos Stand Out Among Golden Globe Nominees first appeared on .

The film that has been generating a lot of buzz leading up to today’s theatrical release is In the Heights, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). It releases today June 11 in theaters nationwide and on HBO Max. Its a film to be appreciated to the fullest on a “big screen” for many reasons.

Almost every single critic has raved about the film, the direction and the casting. You will see an amazing cadre of “new” talented actors (at least on he big screen), starting with the lead Anthony Ramos. Ramos is on his way up with a bullet. Ramos met Miranda when he was cast in his hit play Hamilton. Since then he has worked on four project with him. Even before the release of In the Heights, which is his first starring role in a movie, Ramos’ talent has already led to roles in HBO’s In Treatment, and the Paramount Pictures upcoming untitled Transformers project.

In addition to Ramos, the two female leads Melissa Barrera (Vida) and singer Leslie Grace make their film screen debut and they do it spectacularly! These are now two talents that will be getting a lot more work in Hollywood. As a matter of fact Barrera has already landed her next three films. She just finished shooting Carmen where she plays the lead in the Sony Pictures Classics while also just wrapping Scream for Paramount pictures. The actress just signed a deal to star in Breathe, a six-episode drama series for Netflix.

Grace is a Latin Grammy Award-nominated singer who in 2015 signed a distribution deal with Sony Music Latin and a worldwide contract with Sony/ATV. After her performance in In the Height, where she shines as Nina, we predict you will be hearing about her next role soon.

There is a wave of support for In The Height, which is literally “opening up” theaters with it’s release this weekend. Celebrities who have seen the movie and asking people to go see it include Oprah, Dwayne Johnson, Ariana Grande and Hugh Jackman among others.

Social media is a-buzz with excitement for the premiere with several organizations coming out in full force to support.

NALIP, an organization that addresses the professional needs of Latino filmmakers content creators, launched #LatinxGoldOpen Theater Buyout Movement. An extension of the campaign that began with Asian films, it is now expanding to help secure box office success for Latino movies.

Joining to the supporters are Eugenio Derbez who said, “Thanks to NALIP and Gold House we get behind our creative community and Lin Manuel Miranda is one of the creators we are all most proud of. I’m also in Atlanta shooting our next movie and selfishly want to see In the Heights on the big screen ASAP!”

Actress Tatyana Ali of The Young and the Restless fame stated, “Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jon M. Chu’s upcoming film, In the Heights is a much needed celebration of the diverse perspectives and identities that make up our Latinx communities. To experience the sounds and sights of one’s own culture on the big screen is a balm to the soul. This film is also an invitation to listen to the dreams of others—a declaration of the sueñitos we all share. Join the #LatinxGoldOpen movement to ensure that more stories like In the Heights are told!”

Several multi-cultural organizations including CAPE, African-American Film Critics Association, Define American, The Blackhouse Foundation, and more have joined the effort behind #LatinxGoldOpen.

“Countless studies have demonstrated that films with diverse casts in front and behind the camera tend to do better at the box office,” says Benjamin Lopez, executive director of NALIP. “While Hollywood knows this to be true, there is still a long road ahead for proper diverse representation. We’re excited to work with Gold House for the #LatinxGoldOpen initiative promoting Jon M. Chu’s film In the Heights, based on the stage musical by the same name by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes. Added Lopez, “This partnership is a strong example of multicultural organizations coming together to support one cause, amplifying and supporting authentic stories and diverse talent in the media and proving that there is a worldwide audience for them.”

For decades studios and the Latino community have had high hopes for Latino themed film to succeed at the box office, only too see them fail. This time around there is also support from other communities, and even mainstream media. This time it feels different.

There is already buzz about Oscar nominations. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and just get out there, especially if you are vaccinated, and enjoy In The Heights where it was made to be seen, on the “big screen”.

The post Where and why to watch the most talked about film in Hollywood ‘In the Heights’ this weekend first appeared on .

Beginning on Monday, June 7th, Anthony Ramos who plays the lead role of Usnavy, and who is already known to tens of thousand Broadway fans from his role in the Tony award-winning plays In The Heights, will start off the week talking to Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest on Monday, June 7^th. We will get some insight into shooting the film and what we can expect. Already the buzz is strong, with the reviews to discuss the film adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical 

On Thursday, June 10, fresh off receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Jimmy Smits joins Kelly and Ryan for some insight into why he agreed to smaller role in the major production. On Friday, two-time Tony Award nominated Daphne Rubin-Vega will close out the week of In The Heights talks, the day before the film’s premiere on June 11.

There is much buzz on In The Heights and which has a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes while movie critics seem to be all on point with their praise of the film. “Movies and Shakers” summed up the critics’ consensus well when they said, “With Lin Manuel-Miranda’s genius, Jon Chu’s direction, and the fusion of talented cast and crew, this production, filled with exhilarating energy, more than translates from stage to screen.”

Jon M. Chu’s directs the much anticipated Warner Brothers’ adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda’s Broadway hit musical In the Heights, which opens nationwide on June 11, 2021. 

The post Anthony Ramos, Jimmy Smits, Daphne Rubin-Vega ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’ Starting Monday first appeared on .

By Marco Antonio Gonzalez 

While there have been a few films, and I do mean a few, inspired by and for Latinos in the Hollywood factory, never has there been a film, much less a musical, where Latinos are not only the subject matter but also the behind the scenes, front and center of a plot. The celebration of community, Latino cultural pride and heritage have rarely been depicted or delivered in such a majestic manner by Hollywood as it has been in Jon M. Chu’s much anticipated Warner Brothers’ adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda’s Broadway hit musical In the Heights, which opens nationwide on June 11, 2021. 

To be fair, there have been some notable and remarkable films in the limited Hollywood archives that have been reserved for us in a dark corner of their basement and that are worth mentioning as legacy Latino films; some of these iconic films include Zoot Suit, Mi Familia, Stand and Deliver, La Bamba, El Norte, Selena, Frida, The Motorcycle Diaries and most recently, Disney’s Coco. But for the most part, our stories have been relegated to play second fiddle or simply stand in as extras on the sideline of American cinema–Think West Side Story, whose only redeemable element is the presence of our iconic Rita Moreno as the only real Latina in a reinvented Latino-themed Romeo and Juliet Broadway musical-turned-film. 

In the Heights stars Anthony Ramos (A Star is Born, Hamilton, Honest Thief, In Treatment), Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton, Kong: ), Melissa Barrera (Vida, Scream, and Carmen), Lin Manuel Miranda, Jimmy Smits, Marc Anthony, singer/songwriter Leslie Grace in the lead role of Nina and Olga Merediz, who is the only cast member from the original Broadway musical that captures the essence of community and family in her reprised role as Abuela.

In the Heights marks a dramatic and most defined line between visibility and invisibility of the Hispanic experience in America as told by Hollywood, and while it may have taken some time to get here, it makes a bold statement about the importance, contributions and influence of Latinos in America.  In the Heights may take place in New York City’s Washington Heights, but it unites us all by subtly and elegantly embracing all Latinos under one beautifully wrapped bow; it could be the immigrant story of any of our families. Yes, language and culture are perhaps a common thread between the diverse and complex Latin American diaspora in the U.S., but in the end, as members of this rich and mixed culture, we understand that we all inevitably experience our “Latinoness” in a very unique idiosyncratic nationalist way, without failing to accept the fact that we still belong to a larger tribe, and that is the Latin American tribe, where the triumph of one is the triumph of us all. It’s hard for me as an American born Mexican to not move my hips on cue with the first note or beat of a cumbia or salsa track, or the contagious rhythms of Colombian vallenato, or feel pride when I see the Aztec dancers on Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles or hear the dazzling and intoxicating notes of a Brazilian samba; that’s just who we are!

“In the Heights is more than a movie to me,” said Barrera exclusively to Latin Heat. “It represents honoring our people, it represents honoring our culture, it represents honoring generations of our ancestors that have long felt erased from the narrative and I love that the world will get to see our community in all of our complexity, in all of our beauty and glory too, and to see us celebrate each other and lift each other up because I feel that’s the essence of the Latinx community.” 

When you watch In the Heights for the first time, you feel that type of sensation and a warm fuzzy feeling, and you forget about your own Mexicanness, Puertoricanness (if those are even words), or your own family’s immediate national heritage and you embrace that rich culture that we all call Latino (or Hispanic, Latinx or whatever term you prefer), a culture that is expressed by this musical film in an explosion of color, music, dance, emotion and raw honesty. It took two influential and talented people of color, Miranda and Chu, to get Hollywood to finally tell our story with dignity and respect. 

In the Heights, the musical film is the product of two brilliant minds that bring to life our Latin experience in the U.S., the life of hard-working immigrant families who have been a quintessential part of the American fabric and the greatness of this nation. It is also a celebration of community, family and cultural pride, and heritage. The film is brilliantly directed by Chu as a musical of colossal proportions, with a crescendo effect of color and music that result in an explosive cinematic masterpiece with musical choreographies and numbers that are reminiscent of some of Hollywood’s most epic musicals of yesteryear. 

While the Broadway musical focused on the life and aspirations of Nina (played by Dominican singer Grace) and her personal conflicts between fulfilling her academic dreams and leaving her barrio behind, the film actually pivots its attention to the romantic storyline between the film’s lead characters Usnavi de la Vega (Ramos) and Vanessa (Barrera). The on-screen chemistry between Ramos and Barrera is pure magic and seamless. You believe their romance and truly fall for their love story from the opening of the film to the last frame that closes this unapologetic musical. 

In her film debut, Barrera steals every scene she appears in and unravels her singing, dancing and acting abilities in a similar fashion that Moreno must have done in 1961 when she swept Hollywood off its feet with her performance as Anita in West Side Story, which won her an Oscar for best actress in a supporting role that year. Barrera is not the next anything, she may very well be Hollywood’s newest quadruple threat, singer, actor, dancer and perfectly bilingual, a feat not seen or accomplished since Moreno’s successful and legendary career in entertainment. “I’m so excited for all the world to see us, to see our stories and to empathize with us, because I feel like we’re so much more similar than we are different,” said Barrera.

The film opens with the title track of “In the Heights,” and it is then that you immediately realize that you’re in for a very exhilarating and unforgettable cinematic experience because what comes next is an amalgamation of stellar choreographies, great music and a beautiful story that will endure the test of time. The grandeur and colorful performances of the “96,000” musical number in the community swimming pool are simply mesmerizing, and perhaps one of the most memorable moments in recent cinematic splendor. It truly is difficult to pick just one favorite moment, because Chu practically makes any plot fragment a gem without even trying, as is the case with the musical number “When You’re Home” with Hawkins and Grace dancing away on the side of an apartment building with the sunset as a golden backdrop or “It Won’t Be Long Now” with Barrera and Ramos. The art direction and the clever, timely insertion of the Dreamers storyline, which is not part of the original Broadway musical, are undoubtedly both carefully crafted characteristics that give the film and its characters a breath of depth and dignity you would never come to expect from a musical. 

Like Barrera said, In the Heights is more than a movie, it truly is an experience, the collective narrative of a group of people that have long been ignored by and intentionally left out of the Hollywood storytelling machine. In the Heights is the story of all Latinos living in the U.S. and a celebration of our communities, our cultural heritage and our powerful voices. In the Heights is truly the story of all of us. 

Featured Photo: ‘In the Heights’ (Credit: Warner Bros.)

The post ‘In the Heights,’ an Instant American Classic, Breath of Fresh Air first appeared on .

Lana Parrilla, B.K. Cannon, Jordane Christie, Matthew Daddario and Veronica Falcón have joined the cast of CBS All Access’ dark comedy Why Women Kill created by Marc Cherry (Devious Maids, Desperate Housewives). Set in multiple time periods, the series depicts the events leading to a death that occurs after the respective husbands of three married women commit adultery.The new cast members will appear alongside Allison Tolman and Nick Frost in the sophomore installment of the dark comedy series.

As previously announced, Tolman and Frost will play Alma and Bertram, a seemingly ordinary couple with mundane ambitions whose marriage is threatened when Alma finds out Bertram has been keeping a secret hobby.

Parrilla (The Tax Collector, Once Upon A Time) will portray Rita, the sardonic wife to the wealthy and evil Carlo Castillo. Rita rules over the garden club that Alma desperately wants to join, and is engaged in an affair with a younger lover while she waits for her elderly husband to die.

Falcón (Perry Mason, Queen of the South) will portray Catherine, Carlo Castillo’s spinster daughter. Prim and proper, Catherine detests Rita, and returns to town after a mysterious accident, searching for a way to destroy her.

Cannon (Switched at Birth, Sin City Saints) will play Dee, Alma’s wry and brassy daughter who works as a waitress in a local diner. Though self-deprecating, Dee can be vulnerable under her emotional armor and is both excited and humiliated by her illicit affair with a secret lover.

Christie (The Haunting of Hill House, Atlanta) will appear as Vern, a tough and rugged private detective, who Rita hires to investigate Scooter when she begins to suspect he’s cheating on her.

The new season of Why Women Kill is set to release in 2021. For now, catch up on Season 1 of Why Women Kill on CBS All Access.

Camila Mendes is set to star in Netflix’s upcoming Strangers

Riverdale star Camila Mendes and Stranger Things actress Maya Hawke will together star in a dark comedy for Netflix called Strangers that resembles the Alfred Hitchcock classic Strangers on a Train.

Strangers is directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Someone Great) based on a screenplay she wrote with Celeste Ballard, and the film’s premise follows two strangers plot to murder someone the other person wants gone. Strangers subverts that idea of Drew, the trendy It Girl and Eleanor, an alternative girl, who team up to go after each other’s bullies.

Robinson is producing the feature film with Anthony Bregman and Peter Cron for Likely Story under their overall deal with Netflix. Mendes can also be seen in Hulu’s Palm Springs and Netflix’s The Perfect Date.

Anthony Ramos Joins HBO’s In Treatment Cast

Anthony Ramos (Hamilton) has been cast in a recurring role in the upcoming fourth season of HBO’s Emmy-winning drama series In Treatment. opposite Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black)

In Treatment, which ended a three-season run in 2010, is returning for a fourth season as a reimagined half-hour series. The series is in pre-production under COVID-19 guidelines, with a 2021 debut planned to air on HBO and stream on HBO Max.

The return of the series brings a diverse trio of patients in session with an observant, empathetic therapist, played by Aduba, who is wrestling with her own issues.

Ramos will play Eladio, a patient who works as a home health aide for a wealthy family’s adult son. Additional cast has yet to be announced.  

Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg, Hagai Levi, Jennifer Schuur, Joshua Allen and Melissa Bernstein will serve as exec producers of the new season, with Joanne Toll and Noa Tishby co-executive producers.

Ramos first made his mark in the Tony and Grammy award-winning Broadway smash Hamilton, which is now streaming on Disney+. He can currently be seen in the feature Honest Thief opposite Liam Neeson. He will also star in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s anticipated feature, In The Heights, directed by Jon M. Chu, set to premiere in summer 2021. Ramos is repped by CAA, Door 24, Modest! and Paul Hastings.

–ANA PEREZ

The post Hollywood Spotlight: Latino Talent Lighting Up The TV Screen first appeared on .

#TrollsWorldTour is in theaters April 2020

J Balvin brings Reggaeton
Anthony Ramos brings Techno
Gustavo Dudamel appears as Trollzart from the land of Classical

Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return in an all-star sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s 2016 musical hit: Trolls World Tour. In an adventure that will take them well beyond what they’ve known before, Poppy (Kendrick) and Branch (Timberlake) discover that they are but one of six different Troll tribes scattered over six different lands and devoted to six different kinds of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop, and Rock. Their world is about to get a lot bigger and a whole lot louder.

A member of hard-rock royalty, Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom), aided by her father King Thrash (Ozzy Osbourne), wants to destroy all other kinds of music to let rock reign supreme. With the fate of the world at stake, Poppy and Branch, along with their friends — Biggie (James Corden), Chenille (Caroline Hjelt), Satin (Aino Jawo), Cooper (Ron Funches) and Guy Diamond (Kunal Nayyar) — set out to visit all the other lands to unify the Trolls in harmony against Barb, who’s looking to upstage them all.

Cast as members of the different musical tribes is one the largest, and most acclaimed, groups of musical talent ever assembled for an animated film. From the land of Funk are Mary J. Blige, George Clinton, and Anderson Paak. Representing Country is Kelly Clarkson as Delta Dawn, with Sam Rockwell as Hickory and Flula Borg as Dickory. J Balvin brings Reggaeton, while Ester Dean adds to the Pop tribe. Anthony Ramos brings the beat in Techno and Jamie Dornan covers smooth jazz. World-renowned conductor and violinist Gustavo Dudamel appears as Trollzart and Charlyne Yi as Pennywhistle from the land of Classical. And Kenan Thompson raps as a hip-hop newborn Troll named Tiny Diamond.

Trolls World Tour is directed by Walt Dohrn, who served as co-director on Trolls and is produced by returning producer Gina Shay. The film is co-directed by David P. Smith and co-produced by Kelly Cooney Cilella, both of whom worked on the first Trolls. Trolls World Tour will also feature original music by Justin Timberlake, who earned an Oscar® nomination for his song for 2016’s Trolls, “Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” and a score by Theodore Shapiro (2016’s Ghostbusters, The Devil Wears Prada).

Genre: Animated Musical Adventure

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, J Balvin, Rachel Bloom, Flula Borg, Kelly Clarkson, James Corden, Ester Dean, Jamie Dornan, Gustavo Dudamel, Ron Funches, Caroline Hjelt, Aino Jawo, Kunal Nayyar, Ozzy Osbourne, Anderson .Paak, Anthony Ramos, Sam Rockwell, Betsy Sodaro, Karan Soni, Kenan Thompson, Charlyne Yi, with George Clinton and Mary J. Blige

Director: Walt Dohrn
Producer: Gina Shay
Co-director: David P. Smith
Co-producer: Kelly Cooney Cilella

The post Gustavo Dudamel, Anthony Ramos, & J Balvin Star in “Trolls World Tour” first appeared on .

By Elia Esparza

He’s everywhere these days — currently trending on a tender and sweet Crown Royal TV commercial, and soon to be seen in the highly anticipated blockbuster movie, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, to be released on May 31, 2019. The actor stirring up so much buzz is Anthony Ramos!

Ramos is an actor who can be as cool and suave as a GQ model, as versatile as the dual roles he portrayed in the original cast of Hamilton as Laurens and Philip Hamilton, or as Lady Gaga‘s BFF in A Star Is Born, where he made all award shows appearances with the cast.

Currently, Ramos has two films in pre-production status — In the Heights, where he will once again play Usnavi de la Vega, the lead role he played in the Broadway version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s theatrical production. He also stars in Trolls World Tour, the sequel to the 2016 animated hit, where he lends his voice alongside Anna Kendrick, Sam Rockwell, Jamie Dornan, and Justin Timberlake— both movies due out in 2020.

Lately, Ramos has been warming our hearts in a national TV commercial, where he appears with his mother. It is a glimpse into a tender moment when a mother toasts with her adult son about the blessings of their lives. I mean, it tugs at your heartstrings and bravo to these global brands who are recognizing how important Latino consumers are.

The 27-year-old Ramos is a triple threat: Actor. Singer. Dancer. Recently, for Vanity Fair, he said when he sang, he would imitate John Legend or the Temptations. But during his time in high school, he was all into sports, playing baseball. However, “Once I got onstage, I loved it just as much, if not more than playing ball,” he stated.

Born and raised Brooklyn, New York, where he excelled in baseball but had a love of the arts — acting, singing, and dancing– since a child. At 18, he was set to go into the Navy, when a teacher instead got him to apply to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, a private college conservatory for the performing arts in New York City. All it took was a scholarship from Jerry Seinfeld’s foundation and for one person to believe in him. His breakthrough roles came in playing John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton.

So, what’s next for this highly talented young man?

“I just wrote my first album– it’s pop music, authentic to New York,” he stated in the Vanity Fair interview. “But I’m super grateful for what’s happening to me right now, and I hope that in 10 years, I’ll be able to do it for somebody else.

Anthony Ramos is repped by CAA, Door 24 (Management), and ID Public Relations (Publicist).

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