Tag: Rita Moreno

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First Look: New Spielberg Revamp Of ‘West Side Story’

Still from the upcoming 2021 revamp of West Side Story
Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler in West Side Story (credit: Niko Tavernise/20th Century Studios)
In addition to seeing the legend herself, Rita Moreno, present on last night’s Oscars, viewers were also treated to the first look at the upcoming film reboot of West Side Story. Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tony Kushner, West Side Story reinvents the classic Romeo and Juliet story seen through the lens of fierce gang rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. With the focus on young lovers Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler), sharing the spotlight are territorial gangs Sharks and Jets pulsing with youhtful angst and a desire to find ‘somewhere’ they can belong. I know I have a lot of readers who love Broadway musicals. Having performed WSS several times (playing just about every Jet from Riff to Action to Snowboy to Baby John) as well as staging the show, this looks to be amazing. I got chills watching this quick sneak peek. From 20th Century Studios, The Walt Disney Company will release West Side Story in US theaters on December 10, 2021. Can’t wait! The luminous Moreno (who scored one of the original 1961 film’s 10 Oscars) not only plays the role of ‘Valentina’ in gender-flipped casting of the local drug store owner ‘Doc,’ but is an executive producer on the film.

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News Round-Up: December 11, 2020

Rita Moreno celebrates her 90th birthday today

Michael and I with living legend Rita Moreno who turns 89 today (photo: Denise Truscello)
Some news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: Todd Gloria made history as he was sworn in as San Diego’s mayor Thursday, becoming the first out member of the LGBTQ+ community and first person of color to hold the post on anything but an interim basis. San Diego becomes the largest city in the nation with an out gay man as mayor. • KIT212: Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications includes an article in MetroWeekly about gay adult performer Billy Santoro admitting he faked a suicide attempt (below) after backlash for racist social media posts.
Billy Santoro (via husband, Gage Santoro/Instagram)
• Gay Star News: The parliament for the isolated Asian country Bhutan, located in the Himalayas, has approved a bill decriminalizing gay sex. • BosGuy: It’s Furry Friday over at the Boston-based gay blog. Yay! Find more furballs here.
(via BosGuy)
• HuffPost: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) introduced legislation in the House on Thursday that would bar schools from receiving federal funding if they allow transgender girls and women and non-binary people to compete on sports teams consistent with their gender identities. The bill was immediately denounced by transgender activists and allies who labeled the legislation “blatantly transphobic.” • Gr8terDays: The Hollywood throwback Instagram account highlights celebrity birthdays like living legend and EGOT-winner Rita Moreno, who turns 89 today. The lead photo with the iconic star and hubby Michael was taken at Nevada Ballet’s annual gala last year. We asked if we could pose as her back-up dancers Tiger and Duff from her film, The Ritz.

 

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News Round-Up: January 22, 2020

Matthew Camp (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: I’m still in a Matthew Camp kinda mood since I met the woofy hunk (above) at the GayVN Awards Monday night. #EvenBetterInPerson • Instinct: After being canceled by Netflix earlier this year, PopTV has picked up Season 4 of One Day At A Time, with a premiere date of March 24th at 9:30 pm ET/PT. The LGBTQ-inclusive reboot of the 70’s classic follows the Cuban-American Alvarez clan, an immigrant family living and loving in California. The luminous Rita Moreno co-stars as sassy grandmother ‘Lydia.’ • NY Times: The impeachment trial of Donald Trump is now underway. Use this link to check for the latest developments in the trial. Today, Trump set a new Twitter record as he lashed out at House managers seeking his removal from office. • NBC News: Missouri lawmaker proposes bill criminalizing public libraries’ drag queen story hours. Under the proposed law, librarians would be subject to fines or jail time for holding such events. • Yahoo Finance: Michael Bloomberg has spent more than a quarter-billion dollars on political advertising since joining the Democratic presidential race, far outpacing all other candidates. Bloomberg’s presidential campaign has spent $209.3 million on broadcast television time, $13.7 million on cable, $1.1 million on radio and $27.2 million on digital. • WXII-12: A Wilkes County pastor was arrested Thursday on more than 100 counts of felony sex offenses that span 15 years, detectives said. Rodney Dean Luffman, 58, of Pleasant Ridge Road, was charged with 115 felony sex charges — 80 counts of indecent liberties and 35 counts of sexual offenses. One of the victims was as young as 4 years old, and the other was as old as 16 when the offenses occurred.

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Rita Moreno Achieves PEGOT Status With Peabody Award

That time hubby Michael and I met Rita Moreno when she was honored as
Woman of the Year by  Nevada Ballet Theatre

I’m not sure there’s any more room left on Rita Moreno’s mantle.

The EGOT – winner of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards – will soon become a PEGOT.
On Thursday, the Peabody Awards Organization announced it will honor Moreno with a career achievement award

She is only the third PEGOT, joining Barbra Streisand and film director Mike Nichols.

She is the first Latina to achieve the status.

This is only the second Peabody Career Achievement Award to be bestowed. Comedian Carol Burnett was first in 2018.

From NBC News:

Moreno, who gained widespread fame in the film “West Side Story,” will be honored at the Peabody Awards annual gala in New York City on May 18.

“Rita Moreno is a unique talent who has not only broken barriers, but whose career continues to thrive six-plus decades after her acting debut,” Jeffrey P. Jones, executive director of Peabody Awards. “We are delighted to celebrate her many contributions to entertainment and media, as well as her passion for children’s programming and important social issues.”

Most recently, Moreno starred in three seasons of the popular Latino remake of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom, “One Day at a Time” on Netflix, which was nominated for a 2017 Peabody Award, She also signed on to be an executive producer in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story — a film in which she is also co-starring.

Moreno has also received other prestigious awards, such as The Kennedy Center Honor for her lifetime contributions to American culture and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.

She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush and the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.

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@Netflix – Please Don’t Cancel ‘One Day At A Time!’

Please don't cancel my One Day at a Time, Netflix!

Netflix hasn’t committed to a 4th season of its terrific reboot of the 1975-1984 sitcom One Day at a Time, kids, so fire up your Netflix and watch because it’s terrific!

The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer scores are a whopping 100% fresh score for seasons two and three, and a 97% score on season one.

The series has put a spotlight on depression, sexism, homophobia (there’s an openly lesbian daughter) and even more – Rita Moreno stars as the fabulously sassy grandmother, Lydia.

Watch the one minute scene below where Lydia confronts her own homophobia – brilliant!

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Podcast: Jussie Smollett Attacked, Rita Moreno Honored, An Armed Disruptor At Drag Queen Storytime

In this week’s podcast:

• Protester with a gun disrupts Drag Queen Storytime in Houston

• Anti-gay former county Clerk Kim Davis may have to pay big buck for denying same-sex couples marriage licenses

• New Jersey will soon have LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum in schools

• Empire star Jussie Smollett attacked in homophobic, racist assault in Chicago – returns to the concert stage

• Arkansas Supreme Court reverses on Fayetteville city ordinance protecting LGBTQ people

• And my chat with the living legend and EGOT, Rita Moreno

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report.