News

‘MasterChef Sri Lanka’ Baking At Free TV Network

Calling Sri Lanka’s best amateur cooks: Time to get you recipe books out. A local version of MasterChef is in the works at Sri Lankan free-to-air network ITN, and will debut in September as a 25-episode season. Reality TV Production will make the show in association with Nilenda Deshapriya Productions. The Banijay Entertainment format as been remade 70 times before, ranking MasterChef among the most globally-popular formats. It sees amateur cooks have their food judged by a team of professional chefs and critics, with one eventually crowned the MasterChef. “This globally celebrated culinary format will see aspiring chefs showcase their talent, passion, and creativity, marking a new chapter in Sri Lankan television history. We look forward to delivering the MasterChef experience with the quality and excellence our viewers expect.” In related Banijay news, the company’s branded entertainment division, Bbe, has formed...

Exclusive: Mexican-American filmmaker Jorge Xolalpa (Strangelove) has signed on to direct Huehxolotl, an immigration thriller starring an ensemble of Hispanic-Latino performers.

The cast features Maya Zapata (Amazon Studios: Cada Minuto Cuenta) Elyfer Torres (Paramount+: Tengo Que Morir Todas las Noches), Katherine Castro (Lolita), and Alexander James Rodriguez (Netflix: Bee and Puppycat).

The film follows an undocumented Mexican woman and restaurant owner whose asylum petition is denied, leaving her with just 30 days to self-deport.

Synopsis reads: When Xochit is pursued by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E) agents, a tense standoff ensues outside her restaurant, with her 8-year-old son Diego witnessing the traumatic event. Amidst the chaos, attorney Helen steps in to protect Xochitl, but Agent Walker (Castro) unlawfully arrests her, sparking a legal battle. As Xochitl’s family grapples with the aftermath, her sister Nayeli (Torres), a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) recipient, becomes Diego’s primary guardian,...

I have a deep yearning for uniting people. I believe that one of my purposes in this life is to bring people together in a way that transcends status, class, and occupation, creating a space where everyone feels truly united and understood. That's why in 2022, I decided to launch my first El Teteo party in Los Angeles, driven by a longing for something that reminded me of my home in NYC.

I was feeling homesick and needed to feel connected to my roots and my community. El Teteo serves as an extension of what I was taught: to find moments of joy through pain, troubles, and hard work. For me, community is about gathering with the people you love and care for, no matter where you are - whether that's getting together with beach chairs in front of a building or plastic chairs at a park under a bridge. Teteo,...

"Con paciencia y calma se sube un burro a una palma," is a famous Dominican saying that translates to "With patience and calm, a donkey can climb a palm." The saying speaks to the resourcefulness of Dominicans. It's about making do with what you have and creating new opportunities for yourself when the opportunities aren't necessarily falling on your lap. If there's one Dominican in the biz who has built their career off creating opportunities for themselves, when the opportunities weren't coming, it's comedian, actress, and writer Sasha Merci Medina.

Six years ago, Medina, who was born and raised in the Bronx, took her first stab at comedy. In 2016, she started off performing at open mics and doing standup. But when the opportunities weren't knocking on her door, Medina started posting comedy clips to her Ig @sashamerci after Instagram added the video feature to its platform. Before she knew it,...

Exclusive: Bridget Regan (Jane the Virgin) and Patrick Heusinger (Jack Reacher: Never Go Back) have signed on to star alongside Katherine Castro in Weak, a new thriller from writer-director J.S. Mayank.

The film inspired by a true story follows an investigation involving two women: Audra (Castro), who’s suffering from depression, and her friend Jen (Regan), who’s trying to help her cope with the mental health issues. Upon their visit to a gun range, an unexpected turn of events leads to a surprising and horrifying revelation.

It’s not yet clear who Heusinger is playing.

Alex Creswick is producing the film, with Anival Morales and Mayank’s longtime collaborator Castro serving as exec producers.

Regan was just cast as Poison Ivy in The CW’s Batwoman, and recently completed filming on Paradise Lost, starring in the Spectrum Originals limited series opposite Josh Harnett, Nick Nolte and Barbara Hershey.

Sueños 2020, The Dream Project’s 8th Annual Benefit, served as one of New York City’s premier events that celebrated Dominican Independence.

Tony Peralta, Solly Duran, Kathy Romero, Taye Diggs, Shane Evans and Jonathan Wunderlich

Celebrities, educators and some of New York’s most prominent philanthropists gathered to help the organization fund and collect resources to expand their educational programs, impacting more than 27 disadvantaged communities and helping close the cycle of poverty in the Dominican Republic.

Sueños red carpet kicked off the night with celebrity guest appearances and an exclusive Brugal 1888 Ambassador Cocktail and VIP networking hour. This limited networking hour was hosted by Brugal 1888 and the event’s Co-Chair’s, event planner to the stars Kathy Romero, artist Tony Peralta and philanthropist Michel Zaleski. In addition, actors Taye Diggs from All American, Food Network’s Chef Kelvin, were joined by additional celebrities, among them a group of independent Dominican...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has secured worldwide rights to The Summoning, a supernatural thriller written and helmed by Alberto G. Rodriguez, and has attached a January 10 release date. Starring Eric Roberts, the pic, based on hauntings around the town of Sugar Land TX, follows law student Rachel Iverson who places her life in danger while investigating the disappearance of another law student Clayton Ward and Chief Lubbock who assigns Detective Jonathan Silva to her case. Leila Almas, Jaime Zevallos, Razaaq Adoti, Rheagan Wallace, Aaron Perilo and Katherine Castro co-star.

Greg Germann and Katherine Castro have joined the cast of Reinbou, a fantasy pic from Andrés Curbelo that begins filming this week in the Dominican Republic. Based on the novel Maceta, it tells the story of the 1965 American invasion into the Dominican Republic seen through the magical eyes of a child, Angel Maceta. It centers on Captain Horton (Germann), one of the commanders who leads the invasion and marries a young native Dominican (Castro). Gilberto Morillo, Nashla…...

For his last film Matthew Spradlin combined The Breakfast Club with a slasher in Bad Kids Go to Hell. The cool thing? It actually worked! On tap right now is the trailer premiere for his latest project, a short called The Social Contract! Dig it!

From the Press Release

Integrated Arts & Media and Emr Media have finally unleashed the highly anticipated first trailer to support their latest production, The Social Contract, directed by Matthew Spradlin (Bad Kids Go to Hell), written by award-winning writer Carlito Rodriguez (The Tony Story), and starring Dominican Republic actress Katherine Castro (El Gallo).

The drama thriller, co-starring Patricia Rae (The Big Wedding), Phillip DeVona (Ride Along), Hector Hank (The Iceman), and the youngest cast member at six years old, child actor Alexander James Rodriguez (All Stars), The Social Contract is a fast-paced action thriller following "The Woman’s" (Katherine Castro) dark and violent past until...