David Pecker, a former publisher for the National Enquirer, confessed that an article which claimed a connection between Sen. Ted Cruz‘s (R-Texas) father, Rafael Cruz, and Lee Harvey Oswald was completely fabricated.
The story, published in 2016, claimed that a previously unidentified man photographed with Oswald handing out leaflets to support the former Cuban president Fidel Castro in New Orleans was actually Rafael.
The report noted that “experts” who reviewed photos of the evangelical preacher from this period found that he appeared to look similar to the assassin’s companion.
Former President Donald Trump made comments about this article by saying that Sen. Cruz’s father was in the company of Oswald just months before when he shot John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Even though Rafael confessed that he once backed Castro, he says he had been “duped” and did not know he was a communist.
One of Sen. Cruz’s...
The story, published in 2016, claimed that a previously unidentified man photographed with Oswald handing out leaflets to support the former Cuban president Fidel Castro in New Orleans was actually Rafael.
The report noted that “experts” who reviewed photos of the evangelical preacher from this period found that he appeared to look similar to the assassin’s companion.
Former President Donald Trump made comments about this article by saying that Sen. Cruz’s father was in the company of Oswald just months before when he shot John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Even though Rafael confessed that he once backed Castro, he says he had been “duped” and did not know he was a communist.
One of Sen. Cruz’s...
- 4/25/2024
- by Alessio Atria
- Uinterview
From Sergei Eisenstein to Andrei Konchalovsky, Russian filmmakers perfected a formula for manufacturing social reality out of highly concentrated mixes of activist outrage and artistic chutzpah. Political hindsight overshadows their unparalleled toying with film language, but it also deepens great works of art like Aleksandr Dovzhenko’s Earth and Mikhail Kalatozov’s I Am Cuba. These two enthralling synergies of sight and sound were made with the support of a communist machine that would eventually fail the people of the Soviet Union and Cuba, but they’re first and foremost exaltations of the rebel spirit, hurled at audiences with a fierce conviction and belief in cinema as a propagandistic vehicle for change.
For the Soviet Union, I Am Cuba was an opportunity to promote socialism abroad during de-Stalinization in the Khrushchev era, and for Cuba it was a way of staking out a cinematic presence. So it is that the...
For the Soviet Union, I Am Cuba was an opportunity to promote socialism abroad during de-Stalinization in the Khrushchev era, and for Cuba it was a way of staking out a cinematic presence. So it is that the...
- 4/19/2024
- by Ed Gonzalez
- Slant Magazine
There are very few television shows or movies out there that capture the horrors of hijackings, which were very common from the 1960s to the 1980s across the world. As stated in this Netflix Original as well, there were over 380 hijackings that happened all around the world, and most of them happened in Latin America ever since the rise of communism, with Che Guevara and Fidel Castro becoming the faces of it. It is appalling to learn such stories never made it to the screen, but decades later, The Hijacking of Flight 601, a Colombian Netflix original, brings a story inspired by a real-life event that took place in the year 1973. Created by C.S. Prince and Pablo Gonzalez, the six-part miniseries, was released on April 10, 2024.
The Hijacking of Flight 601 is a detailed retelling of an incident that occurred in South America in the same year as mentioned in the series.
The Hijacking of Flight 601 is a detailed retelling of an incident that occurred in South America in the same year as mentioned in the series.
- 4/12/2024
- by Smriti Kannan
- Film Fugitives
Call of Duty franchise is known for its difficult yet fun missions. But one of the missions that stands among the most talked about ones is the No Russsian mission from 2009’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Not only did the mission make noise for being a difficult one, but it also had a controversy surrounding it back when the game was released.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 No Russian Controversy
Before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released in 2009, video footage from one of the missions named “No Russian” was illegally leaked on the Internet. Call of Duty publisher Activision immediately confirmed that such a level existed in the game and also went on to clarify its context within the game.
The devs issued an email statement which read that the leaked level was “not representative of the overall gameplay experience in Modern Warfare...
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Not only did the mission make noise for being a difficult one, but it also had a controversy surrounding it back when the game was released.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 No Russian Controversy
Before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released in 2009, video footage from one of the missions named “No Russian” was illegally leaked on the Internet. Call of Duty publisher Activision immediately confirmed that such a level existed in the game and also went on to clarify its context within the game.
The devs issued an email statement which read that the leaked level was “not representative of the overall gameplay experience in Modern Warfare...
- 4/4/2024
- by Amarylisa Gonsalves
- FandomWire
While Martin Scorsese aims to kick off production on his Jesus film this year, Terrence Malick is going on year five of editing his, marking one of the only films to wrap production pre-pandemic that still has yet to be released. As so happens every year before the Cannes Film Festival announces its lineup, rumors have swirled that the director’s Biblical epic The Way of the Wind (formerly known as The Last Planet) may see a premiere in 2024. We will, unfortunately, have to wait another year, but in the meantime we have exclusive new details on the highly anticipated project.
Actor Géza Röhrig, who stars as Jesus in the film, recently stopped by a university in the Northeast for a conversation on his career. During the chat he confirmed the film is targeting a 2025 Cannes debut. Wind will not exactly focus on Jesus and Peter (as played by Matthias Schoenaerts...
Actor Géza Röhrig, who stars as Jesus in the film, recently stopped by a university in the Northeast for a conversation on his career. During the chat he confirmed the film is targeting a 2025 Cannes debut. Wind will not exactly focus on Jesus and Peter (as played by Matthias Schoenaerts...
- 3/27/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Updated on March 10, 2024, at 5:43 am Pt with comments from Oliver Stone.
A team of investigative journalists in Europe has published a new report that links Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone to a planned series of documentaries intended to act as de facto propaganda for several autocratic leaders worldwide.
The investigation — a joint effort by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (Occrp), German public broadcaster Zdf, Austrian newspaper Der Standard, German news magazine Der Spiegel and independent Kazakhstan media outlet Vlast — found that Russian American producer Igor Lopatonok pitched a series of hagiographic documentaries about such notorious leaders as Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which were to star Stone as the on-air interviewer.
In an interview with Occrp, Lopatonok said Stone was aware of the projects and supported them, though the investigation did not turn up a direct link to the director to support that claim.
A team of investigative journalists in Europe has published a new report that links Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone to a planned series of documentaries intended to act as de facto propaganda for several autocratic leaders worldwide.
The investigation — a joint effort by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (Occrp), German public broadcaster Zdf, Austrian newspaper Der Standard, German news magazine Der Spiegel and independent Kazakhstan media outlet Vlast — found that Russian American producer Igor Lopatonok pitched a series of hagiographic documentaries about such notorious leaders as Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which were to star Stone as the on-air interviewer.
In an interview with Occrp, Lopatonok said Stone was aware of the projects and supported them, though the investigation did not turn up a direct link to the director to support that claim.
- 3/8/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix has settled a defamation lawsuit brought by the head of a Cuban exile organization, who accused the streamer of falsely portraying him as a terrorist and drug trafficker in Olivier Assayas’ political spy thriller Wasp Network.
Lawyers for Brothers to the Rescue leader Jose Basulto and Netflix notified the court of a deal to resolve the suit, according to a notice of settlement filed on Wednesday. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. A jury trial was set to start next month.
Wasp Network, released in 2019 with a representation that it’s “based on a true story,” is adapted from the book The Last Soldiers of the Cold War by Fernando Morais. The suit accused Netflix of making concessions to Cuba, which allegedly interfered with the making of the movie to ensure a favorable retelling of history, to shoot in the country. It pointed to requirements by Cuba’s...
Lawyers for Brothers to the Rescue leader Jose Basulto and Netflix notified the court of a deal to resolve the suit, according to a notice of settlement filed on Wednesday. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. A jury trial was set to start next month.
Wasp Network, released in 2019 with a representation that it’s “based on a true story,” is adapted from the book The Last Soldiers of the Cold War by Fernando Morais. The suit accused Netflix of making concessions to Cuba, which allegedly interfered with the making of the movie to ensure a favorable retelling of history, to shoot in the country. It pointed to requirements by Cuba’s...
- 1/24/2024
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"The Twilight Zone" is often lauded for its social commentary; it condemned things like racism and nationalism and beauty standards, even as the world around it failed to follow suit. It was a bold and innovative show, but it was also churning out up to 37 episodes a season, so a few clunkers were all but guaranteed. Such was the case with season 3's "The Mirror," an episode that is very much not ahead of its time. Instead, it's perfectly in line with mainstream political opinion in 1961, and it makes for a somewhat dull, grating viewing experience as a result.
"The Mirror" focuses on a revolutionary figure named Ramos Clemente, who has just overthrown the previous government of a unspecified Central American country and is looking forward to his glorious reign. Although the episode does not call this man Fidel Castro, he's clearly based on him. He's played by Peter Falk,...
"The Mirror" focuses on a revolutionary figure named Ramos Clemente, who has just overthrown the previous government of a unspecified Central American country and is looking forward to his glorious reign. Although the episode does not call this man Fidel Castro, he's clearly based on him. He's played by Peter Falk,...
- 1/21/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
If you knew Laurie Frank — and who didn’t? — you know her great heart burst skyward on Nov. 30. Hours earlier, a technicolor rainbow appeared over the Hollywood Hills, Laurie’s Promised Land.
You likely knew she was in the first class at Yale that matriculated women — class of 1973 — and went on to be an accomplished screenwriter, journalist and acclaimed gallerist. In the late ‘70s, she worked at ABC News and directed short films for Saturday Night Live, famously Prose and Cons featuring Eddie Murphy in a spoof on Norman Mailer’s championing of murderer Jack Abbott.
In the mid-1980s, she moved to Los Angeles and co-wrote Making Mr. Right (1987) starring John Malkovich and Ann Magnuson, as well as Love Crimes (1992) and later ventured into collecting and selling art. From 2002 to 2013, she ran Frank Pictures at Bergamot Station, showcasing artists of fame and those undiscovered. The latter was Laurie’s forte.
You likely knew she was in the first class at Yale that matriculated women — class of 1973 — and went on to be an accomplished screenwriter, journalist and acclaimed gallerist. In the late ‘70s, she worked at ABC News and directed short films for Saturday Night Live, famously Prose and Cons featuring Eddie Murphy in a spoof on Norman Mailer’s championing of murderer Jack Abbott.
In the mid-1980s, she moved to Los Angeles and co-wrote Making Mr. Right (1987) starring John Malkovich and Ann Magnuson, as well as Love Crimes (1992) and later ventured into collecting and selling art. From 2002 to 2013, she ran Frank Pictures at Bergamot Station, showcasing artists of fame and those undiscovered. The latter was Laurie’s forte.
- 12/29/2023
- by A.L. Bardach
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Black List announced the top unproduced screenplays of the year on Monday, December 11.
The “most liked” scripts include 76 feature screenplays by 80 writers, selected by more than 375 film executives. In the 19th edition of the annual list, the topics range from a Tom Hanks meta satire to a time-traveling couple who try to fall out of love. The making of ill-fated Broadway production “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” a Patsy Cline biopic, and the true story behind the feud between Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller are also among the selected scripts.
After Todd Haynes helmed The Black List alum Samy Burch’s “May December” script, leading to multiple Golden Globe nominations, this year’s crop of best scripts is all the more essential following the writers strike.
“This year, the industry was defined by a debate about the value of writers within it, and I think it’s inevitable that...
The “most liked” scripts include 76 feature screenplays by 80 writers, selected by more than 375 film executives. In the 19th edition of the annual list, the topics range from a Tom Hanks meta satire to a time-traveling couple who try to fall out of love. The making of ill-fated Broadway production “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” a Patsy Cline biopic, and the true story behind the feud between Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller are also among the selected scripts.
After Todd Haynes helmed The Black List alum Samy Burch’s “May December” script, leading to multiple Golden Globe nominations, this year’s crop of best scripts is all the more essential following the writers strike.
“This year, the industry was defined by a debate about the value of writers within it, and I think it’s inevitable that...
- 12/11/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Gloria Estefan is set to be featured in Revolution’s Daughter, a documentary that delves into the lives and experiences of people who were impacted by the Fidel Castro era in Cuba. The deceased dictator’s daughter Alina Fernandez is a central subject in the doc and also an executive producer.
Deadline has your first look at the project in the video above.
“A bond formed with Alina from our shared Cuban roots, yet etched with our distinct experiences, speaks volumes of our kinship beyond political lines, Estefan shared in an exclusive statement to Deadline.
She continued, “Years ago, Alina’s daughter, Alina Salgado, was a lead dancer on one of my tours, symbolizing a deeper connection — a melding of generations bridging Cuba’s complex past. The collaboration wasn’t just about music; it was a celebration of liberty, an homage to the brave like Alina [Fernandez], who pursued freedom from her father’s dictatorship.
Deadline has your first look at the project in the video above.
“A bond formed with Alina from our shared Cuban roots, yet etched with our distinct experiences, speaks volumes of our kinship beyond political lines, Estefan shared in an exclusive statement to Deadline.
She continued, “Years ago, Alina’s daughter, Alina Salgado, was a lead dancer on one of my tours, symbolizing a deeper connection — a melding of generations bridging Cuba’s complex past. The collaboration wasn’t just about music; it was a celebration of liberty, an homage to the brave like Alina [Fernandez], who pursued freedom from her father’s dictatorship.
- 12/7/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Director Eif Rivera is set to make his feature debut with the promising-looking period thriller Killing Castro, starring Al Pacino.
Romulus Entertainment has announced Killing Castro, an exciting-sounding project that boasts an intriguing cast.
The period thriller is set to feature a bevy of exciting names including Al Pacino, Diego Boneta, Xolo Mariduena, KiKi Layne, Alexander Ludwig, Ron Livingston, Kendrick Sampson, Nicole Beharie, Logan Marshall-Green and Titus Welliver.
Based on true events, the film is set in 1960 and ‘begins when Fidel Castro travels to New York City to deliver his first speech to the United Nations after having won the Cuban revolution. When met with hostility at his original hotel, Castro meets Malcolm X, who invites him to stay at the famed Hotel Theresa in Harlem. With the eyes of the world watching, a rookie undercover FBI agent originally assigned to investigate Malcolm X suddenly becomes the FBI’s most...
Romulus Entertainment has announced Killing Castro, an exciting-sounding project that boasts an intriguing cast.
The period thriller is set to feature a bevy of exciting names including Al Pacino, Diego Boneta, Xolo Mariduena, KiKi Layne, Alexander Ludwig, Ron Livingston, Kendrick Sampson, Nicole Beharie, Logan Marshall-Green and Titus Welliver.
Based on true events, the film is set in 1960 and ‘begins when Fidel Castro travels to New York City to deliver his first speech to the United Nations after having won the Cuban revolution. When met with hostility at his original hotel, Castro meets Malcolm X, who invites him to stay at the famed Hotel Theresa in Harlem. With the eyes of the world watching, a rookie undercover FBI agent originally assigned to investigate Malcolm X suddenly becomes the FBI’s most...
- 12/5/2023
- by Dan Cooper
- Film Stories
Exclusive: Al Pacino, Diego Boneta, Xolo Maridueña, KiKi Layne, Alexander Ludwig, Ron Livingston, Kendrick Sampson, Nicole Beharie, Logan Marshall Green and Titus Welliver will star in Killing Castro. Eif Rivera will direct the movie from a script by Leon Hendrix, Thomas DeGrezia and Colin Bateman. This will be Rivera’s first feature film.
Killing Castro will be produced by Romulus Entertainment’s Brad Feinstein, along with Christina Weiss Lurie of Fourth and Twenty-Eight Films. Romulus will also finance. Principal photography will take place in Newark, NJ.
Based on true events, the film is set in 1960. Shortly after winning the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro travels to New York City to deliver his first speech to the United Nations. When met with hostility at his original hotel, Castro meets Malcolm X who invites him to stay at famed Hotel Theresa in Harlem. With the eyes of the world watching, a rookie undercover...
Killing Castro will be produced by Romulus Entertainment’s Brad Feinstein, along with Christina Weiss Lurie of Fourth and Twenty-Eight Films. Romulus will also finance. Principal photography will take place in Newark, NJ.
Based on true events, the film is set in 1960. Shortly after winning the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro travels to New York City to deliver his first speech to the United Nations. When met with hostility at his original hotel, Castro meets Malcolm X who invites him to stay at famed Hotel Theresa in Harlem. With the eyes of the world watching, a rookie undercover...
- 12/4/2023
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Andy Garcia is a highly acclaimed and versatile Cuban-American actor, director, and musician. Born as Andrés Arturo García Menéndez on April 12, 1956, in Havana, Cuba, he has made a significant impact in the film industry with his iconic characters and dedication to his craft. Despite his success, Garcia remains a private and guarded individual, focusing on his acting roots and personal projects. Let’s take a closer look at his journey, from his early life to his rise to stardom and his notable contributions to the world of cinema.
Andy Garcia. Depositphotos
Andy Garcia’s parents, Amelie Menéndez and René García Núñez, were both Cuban natives. His mother was an English teacher, while his father worked as an attorney and avocado farmer. Garcia’s family was relatively affluent until Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba. In 1961, when Garcia was just two years old, his family fled to Miami Beach, seeking refuge from the political turmoil.
Andy Garcia. Depositphotos
Andy Garcia’s parents, Amelie Menéndez and René García Núñez, were both Cuban natives. His mother was an English teacher, while his father worked as an attorney and avocado farmer. Garcia’s family was relatively affluent until Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba. In 1961, when Garcia was just two years old, his family fled to Miami Beach, seeking refuge from the political turmoil.
- 10/26/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
James Franco will play a U.S. Navy sailor stationed in post-World War II Naples, where he fathers a child, in gritty Italian drama “Hey Joe.” Directed by Claudio Giovannesi, the film is now shooting in the southern port city.
Franco, who has recently been taking roles outside the U.S. following a now-settled 2019 lawsuit alleging that he sexually exploited young women who took his acting class, will be speaking both English and Italian to play the lead in “Hey Joe,” said producer Carlo Degli Esposti, head of Italy’s prominent Palomar shingle. Degli Esposti added that Palomar got a waiver from SAG-AFTRA for Franco to work on the film “since we are an indie production.”
In “Hey Joe,” Franco plays Dean Barry, an American sailor who in 1944, at age 23, disembarks in Naples which has been destroyed by bombing. He falls in love with a young, very poor, local woman named Lucia.
Franco, who has recently been taking roles outside the U.S. following a now-settled 2019 lawsuit alleging that he sexually exploited young women who took his acting class, will be speaking both English and Italian to play the lead in “Hey Joe,” said producer Carlo Degli Esposti, head of Italy’s prominent Palomar shingle. Degli Esposti added that Palomar got a waiver from SAG-AFTRA for Franco to work on the film “since we are an indie production.”
In “Hey Joe,” Franco plays Dean Barry, an American sailor who in 1944, at age 23, disembarks in Naples which has been destroyed by bombing. He falls in love with a young, very poor, local woman named Lucia.
- 10/19/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: James Franco is starring in a Middle Eastern TV crime drama penned by Shades of Blue creator Adi Hasak. Check out a teaser below.
Alongside a cast of actors who hail from the Mena region, the Oscar-nominated 127 Hours star recently wrapped on Karantina, which is being shopped for the first time at Mipcom Cannes this week. Hasak told Deadline he hopes the “gamechanger” crime drama will “do for Mena what Fauda did for Israel and Squid Game did for Korea.”
Based on the German series Tempel, Franco plays an American laying low from the FBI in Beirut who has opened a club called the Miami Rainbow Club, a “taste of Americana,” according to Hasak.
The show’s lead is Yaqoub Al Farhan as Dahab, who is released from jail and promises his paraplegic wife and teenage daughter that he will never return to a world of crime, instead...
Alongside a cast of actors who hail from the Mena region, the Oscar-nominated 127 Hours star recently wrapped on Karantina, which is being shopped for the first time at Mipcom Cannes this week. Hasak told Deadline he hopes the “gamechanger” crime drama will “do for Mena what Fauda did for Israel and Squid Game did for Korea.”
Based on the German series Tempel, Franco plays an American laying low from the FBI in Beirut who has opened a club called the Miami Rainbow Club, a “taste of Americana,” according to Hasak.
The show’s lead is Yaqoub Al Farhan as Dahab, who is released from jail and promises his paraplegic wife and teenage daughter that he will never return to a world of crime, instead...
- 10/16/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Three-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone has courted controversy with a series of technically ambitious, rabble rousing political dramas, chronicling the highs and lows of American history. But how many of his titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at all 20 of his films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1946, Stone served in the Vietnam War before enrolling in NYU film school. He first came to prominence as a screenwriter, winning an Oscar for penning “Midnight Express” (Best Original Screenplay in 1978) before writing “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Scarface” (1983) and “Year of the Dragon” (1985). During this same period, he directed the low-budget horror films “Seizure” (1974) and “The Hand” (1981).
He emerged as a an A-list director when he was 40 years old with a pair of acclaimed war dramas released in 1986: “Salvador” and “Platoon.” Both earned him Best Original Screenplay nominations, while “Platoon,” which was based on...
Born in 1946, Stone served in the Vietnam War before enrolling in NYU film school. He first came to prominence as a screenwriter, winning an Oscar for penning “Midnight Express” (Best Original Screenplay in 1978) before writing “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Scarface” (1983) and “Year of the Dragon” (1985). During this same period, he directed the low-budget horror films “Seizure” (1974) and “The Hand” (1981).
He emerged as a an A-list director when he was 40 years old with a pair of acclaimed war dramas released in 1986: “Salvador” and “Platoon.” Both earned him Best Original Screenplay nominations, while “Platoon,” which was based on...
- 9/8/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Jacobin Magazine documentary follows leftist economist Andres Arauz at 2021 polls.
Buffalo 8 has acquired North American rights to Héctor Muniente’s documentary The Ecuadorian Candidate which shot during the 2021 Ecuador election.
The Jacobin Magazine documentary follows the story of Leftist economist Andres Arauz as he bids to become the next president of Ecuador.
Arauz was backed by Rafael Correa, the former president who launched Ecuador’s Leftist movement, governed the South American country from 2007 to 2017, and was an ally of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez.
Arauz contested the election against the conservative banker Guillermo Lasso, who was...
Buffalo 8 has acquired North American rights to Héctor Muniente’s documentary The Ecuadorian Candidate which shot during the 2021 Ecuador election.
The Jacobin Magazine documentary follows the story of Leftist economist Andres Arauz as he bids to become the next president of Ecuador.
Arauz was backed by Rafael Correa, the former president who launched Ecuador’s Leftist movement, governed the South American country from 2007 to 2017, and was an ally of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez.
Arauz contested the election against the conservative banker Guillermo Lasso, who was...
- 7/17/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Jacobin Magazine documentary follows leftist economist Andres Arauz at 2021 polls.
Buffalo8 has acquired North American rights to Héctor Muniente’s documentary The Ecuadorian Candidate which shot during the 2021 Ecuador election.
The Jacobin Magazine documentary follows the story of Leftist economist Andres Arauz as he bids to become the next president of Ecuador.
Arauz was backed by Rafael Correa, the former president who launched Ecuador’s Leftist movement, governed the South American country from 2007 to 2017, and was an ally of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez.
Arauz contested the election against the conservative banker Guillermo Lasso, who was...
Buffalo8 has acquired North American rights to Héctor Muniente’s documentary The Ecuadorian Candidate which shot during the 2021 Ecuador election.
The Jacobin Magazine documentary follows the story of Leftist economist Andres Arauz as he bids to become the next president of Ecuador.
Arauz was backed by Rafael Correa, the former president who launched Ecuador’s Leftist movement, governed the South American country from 2007 to 2017, and was an ally of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez.
Arauz contested the election against the conservative banker Guillermo Lasso, who was...
- 7/17/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Manny Coto, the Cuban-born writer and producer who received an Emmy for his work on 24 and spent four seasons on American Horror Story and two more on American Horror Stories, has died. He was 62.
Coto, whose childhood love of Star Trek and Super-8 moviemaking led to a 40-year career in film and television, died Sunday at his home in Pasadena after a 13-month battle with pancreatic cancer, a family spokesperson announced.
Coto also worked on the final two seasons of Upn’s Star Trek: Enterprise (2003-05) and on the final three seasons of Showtime’s Dexter (2010-13). Taking the reins on the former as showrunner in season four, he was called an unsung hero, creating a run of episodes that returned classic elements to his beloved franchise.
His “love of Star Trek permeated his life and his worldview,” his family noted. “In addition to being well-known for a spot-on William Shatner...
Coto, whose childhood love of Star Trek and Super-8 moviemaking led to a 40-year career in film and television, died Sunday at his home in Pasadena after a 13-month battle with pancreatic cancer, a family spokesperson announced.
Coto also worked on the final two seasons of Upn’s Star Trek: Enterprise (2003-05) and on the final three seasons of Showtime’s Dexter (2010-13). Taking the reins on the former as showrunner in season four, he was called an unsung hero, creating a run of episodes that returned classic elements to his beloved franchise.
His “love of Star Trek permeated his life and his worldview,” his family noted. “In addition to being well-known for a spot-on William Shatner...
- 7/10/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spoiler Alert! This post contains details from Wednesday’s episode of Riverdale.
Hiram Lodge is back to cause chaos in Riverdale.
Mark Consuelos reprised his character as the conniving father of Camila Mendes’ Veronica Lodge during Wednesday night’s episode, titled “The Crucible.” In this iteration of Riverdale, which is set in the 1950s, Hiram is a big-time actor living in Los Angeles who comes to town under the guise that he misses his daughter and wants a taste of the small town life. But some things never change, and Hiram has an ulterior motive up his sleeve.
You see, the country is currently in the midst of the Red Scare and Hiram has found himself the latest target of McCarthyism. He tells Veronica that, after a very innocent recent trip to Cuba, he’s been flagged as a communist sympathizer and he needs Veronica to lie on his behalf,...
Hiram Lodge is back to cause chaos in Riverdale.
Mark Consuelos reprised his character as the conniving father of Camila Mendes’ Veronica Lodge during Wednesday night’s episode, titled “The Crucible.” In this iteration of Riverdale, which is set in the 1950s, Hiram is a big-time actor living in Los Angeles who comes to town under the guise that he misses his daughter and wants a taste of the small town life. But some things never change, and Hiram has an ulterior motive up his sleeve.
You see, the country is currently in the midst of the Red Scare and Hiram has found himself the latest target of McCarthyism. He tells Veronica that, after a very innocent recent trip to Cuba, he’s been flagged as a communist sympathizer and he needs Veronica to lie on his behalf,...
- 6/29/2023
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Toledo, Spain — At this month’s Annecy, France’s Canal+, France Télévisions and even Gulli delighted the business by unveiling new production slates which boasted some of the boldest projects being brought to market at the French festival.
At one and the same time, major European broadcasters, the BBC and France Télévisions again, were talking up their streaming services at Annecy.
These used to be treated as a complement to their linear offering. Now it’s increasingly the other way round.
Annecy, of course, is animation. But could the same market forces be at work in live action TV and in Spain?
More than a hint of a step-by-step revolution at work at Rtve, Spain’s public broadcaster, was sensed at an upbeat showcase on Wednesday.
Moderated by José Pastor, Rtve’s director of film and fiction, the show-case, Rtve Co-Productions on Board, featured three shows, “Allende, the Thousand Days,...
At one and the same time, major European broadcasters, the BBC and France Télévisions again, were talking up their streaming services at Annecy.
These used to be treated as a complement to their linear offering. Now it’s increasingly the other way round.
Annecy, of course, is animation. But could the same market forces be at work in live action TV and in Spain?
More than a hint of a step-by-step revolution at work at Rtve, Spain’s public broadcaster, was sensed at an upbeat showcase on Wednesday.
Moderated by José Pastor, Rtve’s director of film and fiction, the show-case, Rtve Co-Productions on Board, featured three shows, “Allende, the Thousand Days,...
- 6/28/2023
- by John Hopewell and Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
CNN Worldwide has promoted David Culver to the role of senior national correspondent.
Culver, who’s played a central role in the network’s coverage around the world, is currently based in Los Angeles, where he has done in-depth stories from the U.S.-Mexico border and delivered an hour-long special on psychedelics from Jamaica.
Prior to that, he was based in Beijing where he covered major news stories out of China and the Asia-Pacific region, including the coronavirus and the country’s unprecedented containment measures. Culver’s coverage, which included traveling to the original epicenter of Wuhan and living through the pandemic’s lockdown in Shanghai, earned him and his team the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in TV Journalism, the Overseas Press Club of America’s David Kaplan award and the George Polk Award, marking the first time in its 73-year history that the top honor for Foreign...
Culver, who’s played a central role in the network’s coverage around the world, is currently based in Los Angeles, where he has done in-depth stories from the U.S.-Mexico border and delivered an hour-long special on psychedelics from Jamaica.
Prior to that, he was based in Beijing where he covered major news stories out of China and the Asia-Pacific region, including the coronavirus and the country’s unprecedented containment measures. Culver’s coverage, which included traveling to the original epicenter of Wuhan and living through the pandemic’s lockdown in Shanghai, earned him and his team the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in TV Journalism, the Overseas Press Club of America’s David Kaplan award and the George Polk Award, marking the first time in its 73-year history that the top honor for Foreign...
- 6/27/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Daniel Ellsberg died on Friday at 92 years after a battle with cancer and barely six weeks after concluding 40 hours of interviews with documentary maker Paul Jay, who is at work on How to Stop a Nuclear War. The feature follows the Pentagon Papers leaker’s efforts to raise an alarm about the threat of a devastating nuclear war.
On Monday, Jay told The Hollywood Reporter that the man who sounded the alarm about the Vietnam War was far more concerned for the rest of his life about the United States and Russia planning for a globally destructive nuclear attack that could be launched by accident, or intentionally.
“Dan considered today’s world more dangerous than during the Cuban Missile Crisis,” the Toronto-based filmmaker said of the Oct. 1962 stand-off between U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and Cuban prime minister Fidel Castro that nearly resulted in a nuclear war.
On Monday, Jay told The Hollywood Reporter that the man who sounded the alarm about the Vietnam War was far more concerned for the rest of his life about the United States and Russia planning for a globally destructive nuclear attack that could be launched by accident, or intentionally.
“Dan considered today’s world more dangerous than during the Cuban Missile Crisis,” the Toronto-based filmmaker said of the Oct. 1962 stand-off between U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and Cuban prime minister Fidel Castro that nearly resulted in a nuclear war.
- 6/19/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
He was one of the biggest screen icons and one of the most colorful real-life characters in Hollywood history. Still considered the king of swashbucklers more than 60 years after his death, Errol Flynn’s success was a combination of happenstance, luck and his ability to charm.
Errol Leslie Flynn was born on June 20, 1909, in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia to an affluent family. A natural born rascal, he was thrown out of several private schools, and eventually wandered, working odd jobs. He fell into acting quite by chance when he won the role of Fletcher Christian in the Australian film “In the Wake of the Bounty” (1933). There are conflicting stories of how he landed this part, but it is the film that piqued his interest in acting, and eventually caught the attention of Warner Bros. executives.
In Hollywood, a combination of luck and Flynn’s athleticism and charm landed him the lead...
Errol Leslie Flynn was born on June 20, 1909, in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia to an affluent family. A natural born rascal, he was thrown out of several private schools, and eventually wandered, working odd jobs. He fell into acting quite by chance when he won the role of Fletcher Christian in the Australian film “In the Wake of the Bounty” (1933). There are conflicting stories of how he landed this part, but it is the film that piqued his interest in acting, and eventually caught the attention of Warner Bros. executives.
In Hollywood, a combination of luck and Flynn’s athleticism and charm landed him the lead...
- 6/17/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: The colorful life of Ecuador’s former President León Febres-Cordero is being adapted for a feature biopic by his grandson, producer James Leon of 8th Gear Entertainment.
Ted Field will produce the film alongside Leon, with writer-director Fernando Guzzoni (Blanquita) signed on to pen the screenplay. President Febres-Cordero’s daughter, Maria Liliana Febres – Cordero, will serve as Executive Producer.
The Spanish-language movie will be shot entirely in Ecuador, with principal photography slated to begin in spring 2024. We understand the film will follow a similar narrative to historical biopics like Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour and Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech by telling the story of a political figure through the effect their decisions have on themselves and their family. Liliana, one of Febres-Cordero’s daughters, will feature at the center of the story and voice the contents of her father’s diaries in the movie.
Ted Field will produce the film alongside Leon, with writer-director Fernando Guzzoni (Blanquita) signed on to pen the screenplay. President Febres-Cordero’s daughter, Maria Liliana Febres – Cordero, will serve as Executive Producer.
The Spanish-language movie will be shot entirely in Ecuador, with principal photography slated to begin in spring 2024. We understand the film will follow a similar narrative to historical biopics like Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour and Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech by telling the story of a political figure through the effect their decisions have on themselves and their family. Liliana, one of Febres-Cordero’s daughters, will feature at the center of the story and voice the contents of her father’s diaries in the movie.
- 6/8/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Top Chilean fiction house Parox, producer of “Invisible Heroes,” has kick-started principal photography on international co-production “Los mil días de Allende”, a historical drama mini-series about the last three years in the life of Chilean President Salvador Allende.
Alfredo Castro – one of Latin America’s most respected actors and a Pablo Larraín regular, star of films such as “Karnawal” and “El Club” – leads the mini-series cast as Allende; Benjamín Vicuña plays Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
The four-episode, 55-minute fiction drama shoot is taking place entirely in Chile, lensing from May 15 for two months, under “Besieged” and “Inés of My Soul” director Nicolás Acuña.
Leonora González and Sergio Gándara, Parox co-founders, are respectively the mini-series’ showrunner and producer.
A Chile-Spain-Argentina co-production, “Allende, the Thousand Days” teams Spain’s Mediterráneo Media Entertainment and Argentine companies Aleph, Mente Colectiva and HD Argentina.
Chilean public broadcaster Tvn, Spanish nationwide group Rtve and Argentina’s...
Alfredo Castro – one of Latin America’s most respected actors and a Pablo Larraín regular, star of films such as “Karnawal” and “El Club” – leads the mini-series cast as Allende; Benjamín Vicuña plays Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
The four-episode, 55-minute fiction drama shoot is taking place entirely in Chile, lensing from May 15 for two months, under “Besieged” and “Inés of My Soul” director Nicolás Acuña.
Leonora González and Sergio Gándara, Parox co-founders, are respectively the mini-series’ showrunner and producer.
A Chile-Spain-Argentina co-production, “Allende, the Thousand Days” teams Spain’s Mediterráneo Media Entertainment and Argentine companies Aleph, Mente Colectiva and HD Argentina.
Chilean public broadcaster Tvn, Spanish nationwide group Rtve and Argentina’s...
- 5/17/2023
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Let's take a brief trip through the looking glass, shall we?
There is not a more tantalizing mystery in United States history than the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Though the Warren Commission emphatically concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole gunman and acted alone, many people believe their investigation was either flawed or a full-scale cover-up. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists alleged an alliance between the Fidel Castro-led Cuban government and mobsters in the States. Louisiana District Attorney Jim Garrison believed Kennedy's murder was orchestrated by New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw and anti-Castro Cubans (who were still raw over the failed Bay of Pigs invasion). Everyone from Lyndon B. Johnson to Frank Sinatra has been linked in some way or another to the assassination.
The myriad of theories, many of which clumsily intersect with competing theories, tend to discredit each other. But it's understandable why people need...
There is not a more tantalizing mystery in United States history than the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Though the Warren Commission emphatically concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole gunman and acted alone, many people believe their investigation was either flawed or a full-scale cover-up. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists alleged an alliance between the Fidel Castro-led Cuban government and mobsters in the States. Louisiana District Attorney Jim Garrison believed Kennedy's murder was orchestrated by New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw and anti-Castro Cubans (who were still raw over the failed Bay of Pigs invasion). Everyone from Lyndon B. Johnson to Frank Sinatra has been linked in some way or another to the assassination.
The myriad of theories, many of which clumsily intersect with competing theories, tend to discredit each other. But it's understandable why people need...
- 5/16/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
“Beneath the Grass,” a drama about the criminal justice system and marijuana incarceration rates, will hit the market at the Cannes Film Festival next week.
Mía Maestro, Quincy Isaiah and Jeff Kober will lead the film, which begins production next month in New Jersey. Paradigm is representing worldwide sales for the film.
“Beneath the Grass” is set in 2008, capturing both the economic recession and the “Yes We Can” summer, and follows a single Latina mother whose illegal marijuana business is jeopardized when her young son befriends the new neighbors, a young white boy and his police officer grandfather.
According to production research, in 2008, Latino people were four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people, while Black people were seven times more likely. Despite marijuana legalization in several states in the years since, the research explains, arrest rates have risen with racial disparities still prevalent.
Conscious Contact Entertainment...
Mía Maestro, Quincy Isaiah and Jeff Kober will lead the film, which begins production next month in New Jersey. Paradigm is representing worldwide sales for the film.
“Beneath the Grass” is set in 2008, capturing both the economic recession and the “Yes We Can” summer, and follows a single Latina mother whose illegal marijuana business is jeopardized when her young son befriends the new neighbors, a young white boy and his police officer grandfather.
According to production research, in 2008, Latino people were four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people, while Black people were seven times more likely. Despite marijuana legalization in several states in the years since, the research explains, arrest rates have risen with racial disparities still prevalent.
Conscious Contact Entertainment...
- 5/11/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Paramount+ International is investigating Mafia Spies.
The streamer has ordered a six-part premium doc series, based on Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro by Thomas Maier, who wrote the book that Showtime’s Masters of Sex was based on.
The series comes from CreativeChaos, Danny Strong Productions and Jackson Pictures.
Based on never-before-released JFK files, the series tells the shocking connections between the CIA, the mob, and Sinatra’s Rat Pack from Vegas to Miami to Havana. It explores America’s most remarkable espionage plots ever—with CIA agents, mob hitmen, “kompromat” sex, presidential indiscretion, and James Bond-like killing devices together in a top-secret mystery full of surprise twists and deadly intrigue.
In the early 1960s, two top gangsters, Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, were hired by the CIA to kill Cuba’s Communist leader, Fidel Castro, only to wind up murdered themselves...
The streamer has ordered a six-part premium doc series, based on Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro by Thomas Maier, who wrote the book that Showtime’s Masters of Sex was based on.
The series comes from CreativeChaos, Danny Strong Productions and Jackson Pictures.
Based on never-before-released JFK files, the series tells the shocking connections between the CIA, the mob, and Sinatra’s Rat Pack from Vegas to Miami to Havana. It explores America’s most remarkable espionage plots ever—with CIA agents, mob hitmen, “kompromat” sex, presidential indiscretion, and James Bond-like killing devices together in a top-secret mystery full of surprise twists and deadly intrigue.
In the early 1960s, two top gangsters, Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, were hired by the CIA to kill Cuba’s Communist leader, Fidel Castro, only to wind up murdered themselves...
- 5/4/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Mankind Entertainment feature starring Ana Villafane, James Franco is in post.
Mankind Entertainment has hired music producer, composer and songwriter Carlos José Alvarez to score Castro’s Daughter, which UTA Independent Film Group’s Alex Brunner represents for worldwide sales and has begun talks with buyers heading into the Cannes market.
As previously announced Ana Villafane plays the lead role opposite James Franco as Castro. The project shot on location in Colombia doubling for Castro-era Havana and is in post. Global sales talks continue with an eye towards having the film ready for Venice and Toronto.
Miguel Bardem directs the...
Mankind Entertainment has hired music producer, composer and songwriter Carlos José Alvarez to score Castro’s Daughter, which UTA Independent Film Group’s Alex Brunner represents for worldwide sales and has begun talks with buyers heading into the Cannes market.
As previously announced Ana Villafane plays the lead role opposite James Franco as Castro. The project shot on location in Colombia doubling for Castro-era Havana and is in post. Global sales talks continue with an eye towards having the film ready for Venice and Toronto.
Miguel Bardem directs the...
- 4/30/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Mankind Entertainment feature starring Ana Villafane, James Franco is in post.
Latin Grammy-winning music producer Carlos José Alvarez has been hired by Mankind Entertainment to score Castro’s Daughter, which UTA Independent Film Group’s Alex Brunner represents for worldwide sales and has begun talks with buyers heading into the Cannes market.
As previously announced Ana Villafane plays the lead role opposite James Franco as Castro. The project shot on location in Colombia doubling for Castro-era Havana and is in post. Global sales talks continue with an eye towards having the film ready for Venice and Toronto.
Miguel Bardem directs...
Latin Grammy-winning music producer Carlos José Alvarez has been hired by Mankind Entertainment to score Castro’s Daughter, which UTA Independent Film Group’s Alex Brunner represents for worldwide sales and has begun talks with buyers heading into the Cannes market.
As previously announced Ana Villafane plays the lead role opposite James Franco as Castro. The project shot on location in Colombia doubling for Castro-era Havana and is in post. Global sales talks continue with an eye towards having the film ready for Venice and Toronto.
Miguel Bardem directs...
- 4/30/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
John Leguizamo has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most outspoken advocates for better Hispanic representation, speaking his mind on everything from James Franco being cast as Fidel Castro to the lack of colorblind casting in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in recent years. He consistently recalls the racist typecasting that he was often subjected to at the beginning of his career — and laments that not much has changed in the film industry.
In an interview with GQ, Leguizamo revealed that he was so sick of auditioning to play drug dealers early in his career that he considered passing on his now-iconic role as Benny Blanco in Brian De Palma’s “Carlito’s Way.”
“I’m a Latin guy and I didn’t wanna play another drug dealer. I was just kind of sick of that kind of routine,” Leguizamo said. “So I turned it down three times.”
He continued to resist the role,...
In an interview with GQ, Leguizamo revealed that he was so sick of auditioning to play drug dealers early in his career that he considered passing on his now-iconic role as Benny Blanco in Brian De Palma’s “Carlito’s Way.”
“I’m a Latin guy and I didn’t wanna play another drug dealer. I was just kind of sick of that kind of routine,” Leguizamo said. “So I turned it down three times.”
He continued to resist the role,...
- 4/29/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Harry Belafonte, the pioneering Calypso singer, actor, and civil rights leader, has died at the age of 96.
According to The New York Times, Belafonte passed away on Tuesday from congestive heart failure.
Born on March 1st, 1927 in Harlem, New York to Jamaican-American parents, Harold Bellanfanti, Jr. served in the Navy in World War II before becoming enamored with the stage while attending shows at the American Negro Theater with close friend Sidney Poitier. Eventually, he began performing at the venue after taking acting classes at The New School and won a Tony Award for the 1953 musical revue John Murray Anderson’s Almanac.
Belafonte began his musical career performing in nightclubs as a way to afford his acting classes. In 1953, he signed a recording contract with RCA Victor and released his debut single, “Matilda,” ahead of his breakthrough album Calypso. The 1956 LP topped the Billboard album chart for 31 weeks and spawned...
According to The New York Times, Belafonte passed away on Tuesday from congestive heart failure.
Born on March 1st, 1927 in Harlem, New York to Jamaican-American parents, Harold Bellanfanti, Jr. served in the Navy in World War II before becoming enamored with the stage while attending shows at the American Negro Theater with close friend Sidney Poitier. Eventually, he began performing at the venue after taking acting classes at The New School and won a Tony Award for the 1953 musical revue John Murray Anderson’s Almanac.
Belafonte began his musical career performing in nightclubs as a way to afford his acting classes. In 1953, he signed a recording contract with RCA Victor and released his debut single, “Matilda,” ahead of his breakthrough album Calypso. The 1956 LP topped the Billboard album chart for 31 weeks and spawned...
- 4/25/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
New films from Hong Sang-soo and Michel Gondry will world premiere at Directors Fortnight, a selection running parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. This edition marks the first under the leadership of Julien Rejl as artistic director.
Succeeding to Paolo Moretti, Rejl was named by the governing body of Directors’ Fortnight, the Srf (Société des réalisateurs de films), as part of a rebranding. Unlike previous artistic directors for this selection, Rejl doesn’t come from the festival circuit. He was previously in charge of distribution, international co-productions and international sales at Capricci, an arthouse film banner based in Paris.
The well-balanced lineup shows his taste for international cinema, with a mix of emerging directors and established masters, such as Hong, who will present his movie “In Our Day” on closing night. The edition will kick off with “The Goldman’s Case,” a thriller directed by actor-turned-helmer Cedric Kahn about the true story of Pierre Goldman,...
Succeeding to Paolo Moretti, Rejl was named by the governing body of Directors’ Fortnight, the Srf (Société des réalisateurs de films), as part of a rebranding. Unlike previous artistic directors for this selection, Rejl doesn’t come from the festival circuit. He was previously in charge of distribution, international co-productions and international sales at Capricci, an arthouse film banner based in Paris.
The well-balanced lineup shows his taste for international cinema, with a mix of emerging directors and established masters, such as Hong, who will present his movie “In Our Day” on closing night. The edition will kick off with “The Goldman’s Case,” a thriller directed by actor-turned-helmer Cedric Kahn about the true story of Pierre Goldman,...
- 4/18/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Looks like John Leguizamo still isn’t sold on The Super Mario Bros. Movie. TMZ flagged down the former Luigi actor the day of its premiere Wednesday, and he doubled-down on his stance that the producers “could’ve included a Latin character.”
“No, I will not be watching,” Leguizamo told TMZ. “They could’ve included a Latin character… Like, I was groundbreaking and then they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion. They dis-included.”
Leguizamo played Luigi opposite Bob Hoskins’ Mario in the 1993 live-action film, roles that have now been passed off to the voices of Charlie Day and Chris Pratt respectively. It’s unclear whether or not Leguizamo is trying to push for accurate casting — echoing complaints that neither of the new movies stars were notably Italian — or if he’s advocating for more ethnic diversity across Hollywood in general.
“Just cast some Latin folk!” Leguizamo, who is Colombian,...
“No, I will not be watching,” Leguizamo told TMZ. “They could’ve included a Latin character… Like, I was groundbreaking and then they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion. They dis-included.”
Leguizamo played Luigi opposite Bob Hoskins’ Mario in the 1993 live-action film, roles that have now been passed off to the voices of Charlie Day and Chris Pratt respectively. It’s unclear whether or not Leguizamo is trying to push for accurate casting — echoing complaints that neither of the new movies stars were notably Italian — or if he’s advocating for more ethnic diversity across Hollywood in general.
“Just cast some Latin folk!” Leguizamo, who is Colombian,...
- 4/6/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Film News
Exclusive: MGM+ continues to round out the lead cast for Hotel Cocaine, adding Mark Feuerstein as a series regular opposite Danny Pino. In addition to Pino, Feuerstein joins previously announced Michael Chiklis and Yul Vazquez in the streamer’s upcoming crime thriller from creator Chris Brancato.
Hotel Cocaine is the story of Roman Compte (Pino), a Cuban expatriate who fought against Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion and re-made his life in Miami. He is general manager of the Mutiny Hotel, the glamorous epicenter of the Miami cocaine scene of late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The Mutiny Hotel was Casablanca on cocaine, a glitzy nightclub, restaurant and hotel frequented by Florida businessmen and politicians, international narcos, CIA and FBI agents, models, sports stars and musicians.
Feuerstein will play Burton Greenberg, the owner of the Mutiny Hotel, the “Studio 54” of Miami. He’s a fun-loving hedonist whose spiritual journey...
Hotel Cocaine is the story of Roman Compte (Pino), a Cuban expatriate who fought against Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion and re-made his life in Miami. He is general manager of the Mutiny Hotel, the glamorous epicenter of the Miami cocaine scene of late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The Mutiny Hotel was Casablanca on cocaine, a glitzy nightclub, restaurant and hotel frequented by Florida businessmen and politicians, international narcos, CIA and FBI agents, models, sports stars and musicians.
Feuerstein will play Burton Greenberg, the owner of the Mutiny Hotel, the “Studio 54” of Miami. He’s a fun-loving hedonist whose spiritual journey...
- 4/4/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Yul Vazquez is set as a lead opposite Danny Pino & Michael Chiklis in Hotel Cocaine, MGM+’s upcoming crime thriller from creator Chris Brancato.
Hotel Cocaine is the story of Roman Compte (Pino), a Cuban expatriate who fought against Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion and re-made his life in Miami. He is general manager of the Mutiny Hotel, the glamorous epicenter of the Miami cocaine scene of late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The Mutiny Hotel was Casablanca on cocaine, a glitzy nightclub, restaurant and hotel frequented by Florida businessmen and politicians, international narcos, CIA and FBI agents, models, sports stars and musicians.
Vazquez will play Nestor Cabal, Roman Compte’s (Pino) brother and one of the biggest suppliers of cocaine to a coke-hungry Miami population. He’s dangerous, funny, wily, and seeking reunion with his long-lost brother.
Chiklis plays Agent Zulio who will stop at nothing...
Hotel Cocaine is the story of Roman Compte (Pino), a Cuban expatriate who fought against Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion and re-made his life in Miami. He is general manager of the Mutiny Hotel, the glamorous epicenter of the Miami cocaine scene of late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The Mutiny Hotel was Casablanca on cocaine, a glitzy nightclub, restaurant and hotel frequented by Florida businessmen and politicians, international narcos, CIA and FBI agents, models, sports stars and musicians.
Vazquez will play Nestor Cabal, Roman Compte’s (Pino) brother and one of the biggest suppliers of cocaine to a coke-hungry Miami population. He’s dangerous, funny, wily, and seeking reunion with his long-lost brother.
Chiklis plays Agent Zulio who will stop at nothing...
- 3/29/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
John Leguizamo joked if “white people can take Latino roles” then he wants to play Gwyneth Paltrow in the ski accident trial movie.
Speaking of Latino underrepresentation in Hollywood, the 62-year-old actor said it’s not right to cast non-Latino actors in Latino roles.
On Monday’s (27 March) episode of The Daily Show, Leguizamo spoke about American actors such as James Franco being cast as Fidel Castro in Alina of Cuba.
“Well guess what? If white people can take our roles, imma take theirs,” he said. “When they do the TV series based on Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski accident trial, Imma be Gwyneth Paltrow.”
Paltrow is currently facing trial after being sued by a man who accused her of colliding with him in a “hit-and-run ski crash” seven years ago.
The incident took place on the slopes of Flagstaff Mountain, Utah, on 26 February 2016 when Paltrow and retired optometrist Dr Terry Sanderson...
Speaking of Latino underrepresentation in Hollywood, the 62-year-old actor said it’s not right to cast non-Latino actors in Latino roles.
On Monday’s (27 March) episode of The Daily Show, Leguizamo spoke about American actors such as James Franco being cast as Fidel Castro in Alina of Cuba.
“Well guess what? If white people can take our roles, imma take theirs,” he said. “When they do the TV series based on Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski accident trial, Imma be Gwyneth Paltrow.”
Paltrow is currently facing trial after being sued by a man who accused her of colliding with him in a “hit-and-run ski crash” seven years ago.
The incident took place on the slopes of Flagstaff Mountain, Utah, on 26 February 2016 when Paltrow and retired optometrist Dr Terry Sanderson...
- 3/29/2023
- by Peony Hirwani
- The Independent - Film
For those who haven’t visited Havana and traversed seafront promenade Avenida de Maceo from old Havana to the central business district of Vedado and then on to upscale Miramar, taking in the myriad stories of grandeur, genteel decay, resignation, resilience, and optimism, while hearing strains of rumba, jazz, and nueva trova, and seeing the murals of ‘Commandante’ (Fidel Castro) or ‘Che’, there is an alternative.
Books.
There is a wide array of books, both fiction and non-fiction, by authors new and old, known and unknown, that bring Havana, and Cuba, to life from the times of soldier-turned-dictator Fulgencio Batista to Castro and further.
The focus, though, is more on the days of Mafia dominance, Castro and his revolution, and the Cuban Missile Crisis – the first time the world was on the brink of a nuclear war.
And they span genres from gritty stories of life to crime noir and police procedurals,...
Books.
There is a wide array of books, both fiction and non-fiction, by authors new and old, known and unknown, that bring Havana, and Cuba, to life from the times of soldier-turned-dictator Fulgencio Batista to Castro and further.
The focus, though, is more on the days of Mafia dominance, Castro and his revolution, and the Cuban Missile Crisis – the first time the world was on the brink of a nuclear war.
And they span genres from gritty stories of life to crime noir and police procedurals,...
- 3/26/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
"Patria y Vida." Homeland and life. Those are the words Cuban protesters chanted as they took to the streets on July 11, 2021, in what became one of the biggest antigovernment demonstrations against the Cuban regime in decades. The slogan came from a hip-hop song released the same year by Yotuel Romero, the Afro-Cuban leader of the rap group Orishas, singer Descemer Bueno, the reggaeton group Gente de Zona, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Osorbo, and DJ El Funky.
The song has become the sound of liberty in Cuba. It also won two Latin Grammy Awards for song of the year and best urban song, becoming a song of both victory and empowerment for the Cuban people. Romero, Gente de Zone, Descemer Bueno, and El Funky even performed the song at the 22nd annual Latin Grammys on Nov. 18, 2021.
Now, two years after the song's release, it's getting an official history. The documentary...
The song has become the sound of liberty in Cuba. It also won two Latin Grammy Awards for song of the year and best urban song, becoming a song of both victory and empowerment for the Cuban people. Romero, Gente de Zone, Descemer Bueno, and El Funky even performed the song at the 22nd annual Latin Grammys on Nov. 18, 2021.
Now, two years after the song's release, it's getting an official history. The documentary...
- 3/24/2023
- by Johanna Ferreira
- Popsugar.com
It has taken Peggy Seeger nearly 70 years to bring out a new version of the world famous love song inspired by and written for her.
Peggy, 87, first recorded “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in 1957, when it was composed by her lover, fellow singer and activist Ewan MacColl. It was later made famous by Roberta Flack. Peggy stopped performing it in 1989 when MacColl, by then her husband, died.
“People would ask me to sing it at concerts, but I just kept breaking down,” she told me when I interviewed her at her home in Oxford. But she has now found novel inspiration to bring out a new version of the song.
Sitting opposite Peggy, sister of fellow American-born radical songwriter Pete Seeger, you can see why she was MacColl’s muse. The luminosity that bewitched him then is as bright now.
Peggy, who has lived in Britain for most of her life,...
Peggy, 87, first recorded “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in 1957, when it was composed by her lover, fellow singer and activist Ewan MacColl. It was later made famous by Roberta Flack. Peggy stopped performing it in 1989 when MacColl, by then her husband, died.
“People would ask me to sing it at concerts, but I just kept breaking down,” she told me when I interviewed her at her home in Oxford. But she has now found novel inspiration to bring out a new version of the song.
Sitting opposite Peggy, sister of fellow American-born radical songwriter Pete Seeger, you can see why she was MacColl’s muse. The luminosity that bewitched him then is as bright now.
Peggy, who has lived in Britain for most of her life,...
- 3/24/2023
- by Simon Walters
- The Independent - Music
Ruben Igielko-Herrlich, a veteran film marketing executive, died March 7 in Beverly Hills. He was 62 and had been fighting glioblastoma brain cancer for four years.
He co-founded PropagandaGEM, a global entertainment marketing group, in 1991 with his friend and business partner Anders Granath. The company expanded to encompass 10 offices across Europe, Asia, South America, and the U.S.
Under his leadership, Propaganda created brand integrations such as “The Matrix” placing Nokia’s flip phone into the hands of Keanu Reeves and the iconic “Mission Impossible” chase scenes with Tom Cruise behind the wheel of a BMW.
Igielko-Herrlich connected Hollywood studios and celebrities with clients including Gucci, Bulgari, Piaget, Lamborghini and Rimowa. In the early days of product placement, he pioneered unique and creative integrations as well as orchestrating powerful advertising and promotional campaigns.
Born March 15 in Havana, Cuba, his family immigrated to Switzerland when Fidel Castro came to power. He obtained a...
He co-founded PropagandaGEM, a global entertainment marketing group, in 1991 with his friend and business partner Anders Granath. The company expanded to encompass 10 offices across Europe, Asia, South America, and the U.S.
Under his leadership, Propaganda created brand integrations such as “The Matrix” placing Nokia’s flip phone into the hands of Keanu Reeves and the iconic “Mission Impossible” chase scenes with Tom Cruise behind the wheel of a BMW.
Igielko-Herrlich connected Hollywood studios and celebrities with clients including Gucci, Bulgari, Piaget, Lamborghini and Rimowa. In the early days of product placement, he pioneered unique and creative integrations as well as orchestrating powerful advertising and promotional campaigns.
Born March 15 in Havana, Cuba, his family immigrated to Switzerland when Fidel Castro came to power. He obtained a...
- 3/20/2023
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Ruben Igielko-Herrlich, the co-founder of the marketing firm Propaganda Gem who as a leader in product placement oversaw major brand integrations in Hollywood, has died. He was 62.
Igielko-Herrlich died March 7 in Beverly Hills after a nearly four-year battle with glioblastoma brain cancer, a spokesperson for Principal Communications Group announced.
Igielko-Herrlich founded Propaganda Global Entertainment Marketing with friend and business partner Anders Granath in 1991. Over the next 30 years, their company grew to have 10 offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia and South America.
Under his leadership, Propaganda was responsible for ground-breaking brand integrations that saw Keanu Reeves using a high-end Nokia flip phone in The Matrix and Tom Cruise behind the wheel of BMWs in Mission: Impossible movies.
Igielko-Herrlich would become a go-to liaison connecting Hollywood studios and celebrities with his clients, which also included Gucci, Bulgari, Piaget, Lamborghini and Rimowa. Studios, filmmakers, talent and brands trusted him for his vision and integrations into storylines.
Igielko-Herrlich died March 7 in Beverly Hills after a nearly four-year battle with glioblastoma brain cancer, a spokesperson for Principal Communications Group announced.
Igielko-Herrlich founded Propaganda Global Entertainment Marketing with friend and business partner Anders Granath in 1991. Over the next 30 years, their company grew to have 10 offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia and South America.
Under his leadership, Propaganda was responsible for ground-breaking brand integrations that saw Keanu Reeves using a high-end Nokia flip phone in The Matrix and Tom Cruise behind the wheel of BMWs in Mission: Impossible movies.
Igielko-Herrlich would become a go-to liaison connecting Hollywood studios and celebrities with his clients, which also included Gucci, Bulgari, Piaget, Lamborghini and Rimowa. Studios, filmmakers, talent and brands trusted him for his vision and integrations into storylines.
- 3/20/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ruben Igielko-Herrlich, a veteran film marketer who co-founded the global entertainment marketing group PropagandaGEM, has died of brain cancer. He was 62.
His family said he died March 7 after a four-year battle with glioblastoma.
Igielko co-founded PropagandaGEM in 1991 with his longtime friend and business partner, Anders Granath. During the next three decades, the company grew to have 10 offices in Europe, Asia, South America and the U.S.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story WME Img's Elia Infascelli Named CEO Of Wanda-Owned Propaganda Gem Related Story PropagandaGEM Expanding To Thailand; Julie Andrews To Direct 'My Fair Lady Staging: Global Briefs
Among its most recognized brand integrations are The Matrix placing Nokia’s flip phone into the hands of Keanu Reeves and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’s chase scenes with Tom Cruise behind the wheel of a BMW. Igielko was the go-to liaison...
His family said he died March 7 after a four-year battle with glioblastoma.
Igielko co-founded PropagandaGEM in 1991 with his longtime friend and business partner, Anders Granath. During the next three decades, the company grew to have 10 offices in Europe, Asia, South America and the U.S.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story WME Img's Elia Infascelli Named CEO Of Wanda-Owned Propaganda Gem Related Story PropagandaGEM Expanding To Thailand; Julie Andrews To Direct 'My Fair Lady Staging: Global Briefs
Among its most recognized brand integrations are The Matrix placing Nokia’s flip phone into the hands of Keanu Reeves and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’s chase scenes with Tom Cruise behind the wheel of a BMW. Igielko was the go-to liaison...
- 3/20/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Emmy winner Michael Chiklis is set to star alongside Danny Pino in Hotel Cocaine, MGM+’s upcoming crime thriller from creator Chris Brancato.
Related: 2023 MGM+ Pilots & Series Orders
Hotel Cocaine is the story of Roman Compte (Pino), a Cuban expatriate who fought against Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion and re-made his life in Miami. He is general manager of the Mutiny Hotel, the glamorous epicenter of the Miami cocaine scene of late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The Mutiny Hotel was Casablanca on cocaine, a glitzy nightclub, restaurant and hotel frequented by Florida businessmen and politicians, international narcos, CIA and FBI agents, models, sports stars and musicians.
Chiklis will play Agent Zulio who will stop at nothing to shut down the drug trade, even if it means using innocent civilians to accomplish his ends.
Brancato serves as executive producer and showrunner. Guillermo Navarro will direct the pilot...
Related: 2023 MGM+ Pilots & Series Orders
Hotel Cocaine is the story of Roman Compte (Pino), a Cuban expatriate who fought against Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion and re-made his life in Miami. He is general manager of the Mutiny Hotel, the glamorous epicenter of the Miami cocaine scene of late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The Mutiny Hotel was Casablanca on cocaine, a glitzy nightclub, restaurant and hotel frequented by Florida businessmen and politicians, international narcos, CIA and FBI agents, models, sports stars and musicians.
Chiklis will play Agent Zulio who will stop at nothing to shut down the drug trade, even if it means using innocent civilians to accomplish his ends.
Brancato serves as executive producer and showrunner. Guillermo Navarro will direct the pilot...
- 3/20/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Drew Barrymore is returning to the MTV Movie & TV Awards stage, this time as the host of the popular fan-voted awards show, airing live on Sunday, May 7 at 8 pm Et (and on tape-delay Pt).
The actress and daytime talk show host has been nominated for nine MTV Movie & TV Awards and won three in the span of her over four decades-long career.
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Beach Boys Tribute, Jason Ritter Joins Matlock and MoreTVLine Items: The Bear Sets Return Month, Three Pines Cancelled and MoreDid The Flash Botch Baby News? Can Poker Face Stop Spoiling Itself? Did Sheldon Misuse 'Kitty'?...
The actress and daytime talk show host has been nominated for nine MTV Movie & TV Awards and won three in the span of her over four decades-long career.
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Beach Boys Tribute, Jason Ritter Joins Matlock and MoreTVLine Items: The Bear Sets Return Month, Three Pines Cancelled and MoreDid The Flash Botch Baby News? Can Poker Face Stop Spoiling Itself? Did Sheldon Misuse 'Kitty'?...
- 3/15/2023
- by Erianne Lewis
- TVLine.com
Exclusive: With Mayans M.C. coming to an end, star Danny Pino has lined up his next series role — the lead in Hotel Cocaine, MGM+’s upcoming crime thriller from creator Chris Brancato (Narcos).
Related: 2023 MGM+ Pilots & Series Orders
Hotel Cocaine is the story of Roman Compte (Pino), a Cuban expatriate who fought against Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion and re-made his life in Miami. He is general manager of the Mutiny Hotel, the glamorous epicenter of the Miami cocaine scene of late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The Mutiny Hotel was Casablanca on cocaine, a glitzy nightclub, restaurant and hotel frequented by Florida businessmen and politicians, international narcos, CIA and FBI agents, models, sports stars and musicians. At the center of it all was Compte, who was doing his best to keep it all going and fulfill his own American dream.
Related Story ‘Belgravia: The Next Chapter’: Harriet Slater,...
Related: 2023 MGM+ Pilots & Series Orders
Hotel Cocaine is the story of Roman Compte (Pino), a Cuban expatriate who fought against Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion and re-made his life in Miami. He is general manager of the Mutiny Hotel, the glamorous epicenter of the Miami cocaine scene of late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The Mutiny Hotel was Casablanca on cocaine, a glitzy nightclub, restaurant and hotel frequented by Florida businessmen and politicians, international narcos, CIA and FBI agents, models, sports stars and musicians. At the center of it all was Compte, who was doing his best to keep it all going and fulfill his own American dream.
Related Story ‘Belgravia: The Next Chapter’: Harriet Slater,...
- 3/15/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Michael Keaton expanded his comic-book cred when the former “Batman” star played supervillain Vulture in “Spider-Man: Homecoming”.
Had things gone differently, however, another actor was set to be Peter Parker’s nemesis in the 2017 film: John Leguizamo, who made the revelation in a recent interview with ComicBook.com.
“I was supposed to be the Vulture,” Leguizamo said, revealing that he was approached for the role after Keaton had apparently passed, but then had a change of heart.
Read More: John Leguizamo Says Casting Chris Pratt In New ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Is ‘Going Backwards’
“We had negotiated and I was about to play him, and they said that Michael Keaton wanted it back and they asked me if I would give it up. I said, ‘Well, okay I guess.’ They said, ‘No, we’ll work with you again, we’re gonna…’ That’s what happened there,” he explained.
That promised replacement role,...
Had things gone differently, however, another actor was set to be Peter Parker’s nemesis in the 2017 film: John Leguizamo, who made the revelation in a recent interview with ComicBook.com.
“I was supposed to be the Vulture,” Leguizamo said, revealing that he was approached for the role after Keaton had apparently passed, but then had a change of heart.
Read More: John Leguizamo Says Casting Chris Pratt In New ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Is ‘Going Backwards’
“We had negotiated and I was about to play him, and they said that Michael Keaton wanted it back and they asked me if I would give it up. I said, ‘Well, okay I guess.’ They said, ‘No, we’ll work with you again, we’re gonna…’ That’s what happened there,” he explained.
That promised replacement role,...
- 2/10/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
Following the TikTok virality of Grupo Frontera’s song “Bebé Dame” with Fuerza Régida, the Mexican group is back for another collaboration, this time with Marca Registrada. On Thursday night, the bands released the Tejano song “Di Que Sí” with an accompanying video seeing both groups coming together.
Backed by the genre’s signature accordion sound, the song follows the bands’ lead singers crooning to a former lover about making a mistake and asking them to come back to their side: “I’ve gone several nights with no sleep/My...
Backed by the genre’s signature accordion sound, the song follows the bands’ lead singers crooning to a former lover about making a mistake and asking them to come back to their side: “I’ve gone several nights with no sleep/My...
- 2/10/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
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