‘In the Heights’ Director Jon M. Chu on Film’s In-Person LALIFF Screening: ‘Like I’m Waking Up From Some Crazy Dream’

In the journalism section, “PBS NewsHour” anchor Judy Woodruff was named the first-ever recipient of the Peabody Award for Journalistic Integrity, with “PBS NewsHour” also receiving two Peabodys for their work covering the COVID-19 pandemic and migrant caravans in Central America.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is engaged! The Jersey Shore star proposed to girlfriend Saffire Matos on a beach in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 19, a source told People. Ronnie and Saffire, who began dating last fall, were reportedly joined at their engagement by the reality star’s family, including his 3-year-old daughter, Ariana Sky Magro. Ronnie shares Ariana with his ex-girlfriend Jen Harley.

It looks like Millie Bobby Brown, 17, and Jake Bongiovi, 19, could be the cutest new young couple in Hollywood! The actress and the son of rocker Jon Bon Jovi, 59, were photographed keeping each other close by holding hands during a New York stroll on June 17 and it was sweet to see.

John Paragon was an actor who played Jambi the Genie on the 1980s cult classic children’s TV show “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”Paragon was a member of the well-known Los Angeles improv troupe the Groundlings, alongside comedians including Paul “Pee-wee Herman” Reubens and Phil Hartman. He made his TV debut in “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” playing the genie who was a disembodied head in a box.

Lights up on Washington Heights! Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s first Tony-winning Broadway musical, In the Heights, is set to jumpstart the careers of its fresh-faced cast members after heading to the big screen (and HBO Max).

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “American Gigolo” series adaptation starring Jon Bernthal has been ordered to series at Showtime, Variety has learned.The project was ordered to pilot at Showtime in March 2020 after having been in development at the premium cabler since 2016.Bernthal will play Julian Kaye, the character played by Richard Gere in the film.

Showtime has given a series order to the TV adaptation of “American Gigolo” starring Jon Bernthal, the premium cabler announced Tuesday.The drama, a modern-day reimagining of the 1980 film starring Richard Gere, comes from writer and director David Hollander (“Ray Donovan”).

Jon Stewart used his time as the first post-COVID guest on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" to push the theory that the coronavirus came from a lab in Wuhan, China.  The former "Daily Show" host sat down with his old comedy friend for an interview where he almost immediately began pushing the unproven theory that COVID-19 began spreading across the world after leaking from a lab that was doing research on bat coronaviruses in Wuhan.  "I think we owe a great debt of gratitude to science

Former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Jon Lovitz is speaking out about cancel culture.  The star joined the myriad of comedians talking about the current state of the genre now that comics face potential cancellation over past or present material.

When Jon M. Chu stepped outside to film “In the Heights” on the streets of Washington Heights, New York, he found another certain movie filming on the same streets: Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” happened to film at the same time, in the summer of 2019, and at the same place as “In the Heights.” “We were right there in each other’s back some days,” Chu told TheWrap.

The Santa Barbara Film Festival said Friday that it has set dates for its 2022 edition, saying it will return to a fully live, in-person event that will run March 2-12 throughout the coastal city that is less than 100 miles north of Los Angeles.

Jon Burlingame editor“In the Heights,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tale of the immigrant community of New York’s Washington Heights, will be released on Friday. Its four Tony Awards for the original Broadway show included best musical, best original score, and best orchestrations for Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman — who oversaw the musical transition from stage to screen.

Haley Bosselman editor“Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon M. Chu sees his error in casting brown actors in subservient roles.While promoting his new film “In the Heights,” Chu told Insider that he should have made the South Asian characters in “Crazy Rich Asians” “more human” and that he “totally gets” the criticism.The 2018 rom-com hit centers on the relationship between Chinese American professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and history professor Nick Young (Henry Golding).

Jim Fassel, whose bold guarantee of a playoff bid late in the 2000 season seemingly catapulted the New York Giants to a spot in the Super Bowl, has died. He was 71.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorWhile filming Jon M. Chu’s “In the Heights” (out in theaters and HBO Max on Friday) cinematographer Alice Brooks fell in love with “the people, the smells, the sounds and the taste of Washington Heights.”That relationship is captured through her framing of the film.

Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.MOVIES— Summer movies are finally starting to heat up this week with the much-anticipated debut of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights.” The sweaty, vibrant musical about a close-knit Washington Heights neighborhood during a citywide black out is undoubtedly meant for the big screen — director Jon M.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLegendary rapper Snoop Dogg has joined Def Jam Recordings as executive creative and strategic consultant, “a new role that will allow him to strategically work across the label’s executive team and artist roster,” according to the announcement.

Stephanie Beatriz is pregnant with her first child and she just debuted her baby bump on the red carpet!

Lisa Banes, a 65-year-old actress whose credits include such films as Gone Girl and A Cure for Wellness plus numerous TV shows, is in critical condition after being struck by a motorized scooter in New York City.