Movie Actress Anna May Wong Will Be First Asian-American To Be Featured on US Currency

EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Entertainment has picked up U.S. rights to Misanthrope, a psychological thriller marking the first English-feature from BAFTA-winning Argentinian director Damián Szifron (Wild Tales). The indie distributor has slated the film starring Emmy nominee Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies), Emmy winner Ben Mendelsohn (The Outsider) and Emmy nominee Jovan Adepo (Babylon) for release exclusively in theaters nationwide in the first half of 2023.

Kids say the darndest things!

CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) and Janet Yang Productions announced the second year of the Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge for Asian American and Pacific Islander Women and Non-Binary Filmmakers. The Challenge’s sophomore year kicks off with a Nov. 1st premiere, sponsored by AMC Theatres, where the four short films by year one’s winning filmmakers will be unveiled: 

Katie Holmes has been set to star in The Wanderers, a new Off Broadway play from the Roundabout Theatre Company. The New York debut of Anna Ziegler’s latest will begin preview performances January 26, 2023 head of a February 16 opening at the Laura Pels Theater in New York.

EXCLUSIVE: The Worst Person In The World and Portrait Of A Lady On Fire outfit MK2 has joined UK feature How To Have Sex, which is currently shooting in Greece.

EXCLUSIVE: Dark Sky Films has acquired North American distribution rights to Mother, May I?, the psychological thriller starring Kyle Gallner (Smile) and Holland Roden (Teen Wolf). 

Silent era movie icon Anna May Wong is now a different kind of star. Starting Monday, her image will appear on new quarters, making her the first Asian American to appear on US currency.

Anna May Wong broke into Hollywood during the silent film era, and now her name speaks louder. The late star will soon be in our pockets after becoming the first Asian American to appear on U.S currency.A century after she landed her first leading role, Wong’s signature blunt bangs and pencil-thin eyebrows will be on full display at the back of the new quarters starting Monday, October 24, 2022.The new coin design is part of the American Women Quarters Program, a project highlighting pioneering women in different fields.

Anna Faris has claimed that late director Ivan Reitman slapped her bottom on a movie set. The Scary Movie actress claimed during the early days of the #MeToo movement in 2017 that a director once touched her inappropriately on a movie set. In the latest episode of her Unqualified podcast, she alleged that it was her My Super Ex-Girlfriend director, who passed away in February aged 75.

a courageous advocate who championed for increased representation and more multi-dimensional roles for Asian American actors.”Wong’s coin will start shipping Oct. 24.

Anna Faris is speaking out about her experience working with director Ivan Reitman.

EJ Panaligan editor As part of a new initiative, the United States Mint will honor Anna May Wong, star of movies such as “Shanghai Express,” by making her the first Asian American featured on U.S. currency, placing her likeness on quarters with production starting Oct. 18. The printed quarter shows an image of Wong resting on her hand, serving as a tribute to what most consider the first Chinese American movie star. She was born in 1905 in Chinatown, Los Angeles and died in 1961 of a heart attack in her Santa Monica home. Wong started her career in the entertainment business at 14 years old, talking her way into her first movie role. In the following years, she rose to stardom as among the first Asian American stars in Hollywood and appeared in more than 50 films. Though the quarter seeks to pay tribute to her career in the film industry, it also acknowledges the difficulties that came her way trying to land meaningful roles as an Asian American actress during a time where racial discrimination and commonplace practices of putting white actors in “yellowface” to portray Asian characters was prevalent. In addition, Wong’s characters were often killed in the films she acted in, which she once joked about, saying that she had already “died a thousand deaths.”

Emily Longeretta CBS’ original holiday films will star many familiar faces for Christmas enthusiasts. The broadcast network will debut three original festive flicks in December, some starring their own talent. “The Talk” co-host Amanda Kloots and “The Equalizer” star Lisa Lapira each lead their own film. The network brought back original holiday movies in 2021 with “Christmas Takes Flight” and “A Christmas Proposal” — the first time CBS re-entered the space in nine years. “Fit for Christmas”Sunday, Dec. 4, 8:30 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT)Amanda Kloots executive produced and stars in “Fit for Christmas” alongside Paul Greene, best known for his many Hallmark holiday movies. The movie tells the story of Audrey, “an enthusiastic Christmas-obsessed fitness instructor at a beloved, financially beleaguered community center in quaint Mistletoe, Mont., who begins a holiday romance with a charming, mysterious businessman, complicating his plans to turn the center into a more financially profitable resort property.” Rebecca Budig also stars.

A sequel to “The Joy Luck Club” is on its way.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Novelist Amy Tan and Oscar-winning “Rain Man” screenwriter Ron Bass are on board to deliver a sequel to “The Joy Luck Club,” the 1993 movie that broke new ground for Asian American representation. The new film, “Joy Luck Club 2,” is set up at Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment Group, with Ashok and Priya Amritraj producing alongside Tan, Bass and Jeff Kleeman. A director hasn’t been announced yet. The original “Joy Luck Club,” directed by Wayne Wang, was an epic, multigenerational saga of Chinese and Chinese-American mothers and daughters, whose histories, stories and lives interweave as they navigate life. Club members included characters played by Tsai Chin, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu and Kieu Chinh. The ensemble cast also included Tamlyn Tomita, Rosalind Chao and Russell Wong.

William Earl A new study from nonprofit environmental firm Good Energy and the USC Norman Lear Center found few references to climate change and environmental crises in a survey of more than 37,000 scripts from 2016 to 2020. The study aimed to track the level of “climate change representation” in mainstream scripted entertainment. The data showed that only 2.8% of 37,453 scripts analyzed used any “climate change keywords,” while only 0.6% featured the words “climate change.” Only 10% of stories that depicted “extreme weather events” tied the occurance to any form of climate change, while a mere 12% of those tied the problem to the use of fossil fuels.

Something Corporate have announced that they’re set to reunite next year for their first gig in 13 years.The Californian rock band will get back together for a slot at the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas next October, which announced its line-up yesterday (October 12).The news of the full reunion comes after all four members of the band staged a surprise reunion on stage during a gig in Anaheim, California last month, where they performed six songs at a gig celebrating singer Andrew McMahon’s 40th birthday.Discussing the reunion show at When We Were Young, which will be the band’s first gig since their US reunion tour in 2010, McMahon tweeted: “Well, I figure since #somethingcorporate is trending at the moment, I’d jump on here for the first time in forever and let you all know how excited the band and I are to be playing the 2023 When We Were Young festival.”Well, I figure since #somethingcorporate is trending at the moment, I’d jump on here for the first time in forever and let you all know how excited the band and I are to be playing the 2023 @WWWYFest— Andrew McMahon (@andrewmcmahon) October 11, 2022Discussing last month’s mini-reunion in an interview with Alternative Press, McMahon said: “Truthfully, it’s rare that all of us can even get together.