Kristen Anderson Lopez Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

EXCLUSIVE: The Hulu comedy Up Here starring Mae Whitman (Good Girls) and Carlos Valdes (Gaslit) has completed casting on several of the leading and recurring roles.

Jennifer Lee, Chief Creative Officer at Disney Animation, confirmed this afternoon that work has quietly begun on a third edition in the company’s Frozen film franchise during a keynote session at the London Film Festival (LFF). 

Hulu is saying so long to Up Here, the musical romantic comedy from Dear Evan Hansen writer Steven Levenson, after one season.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The musical romantic comedy series “Up Here” has been canceled after just one season at Hulu, Variety has learned. The series’ one and only season debuted on Hulu back on March 24. It was originally ordered to series at the streamer in January 2022.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Memorable songs have been synonymous with the Disney brand for decades, captivating audiences and earning immense respect from critics, and especially Oscar voters. Approaching its centennial, the House of Mickey has garnered 40 noms for original song and walked away with the statuette 16 times, the most for any movie studio in history. These winning moments have brought music icons like Elton John and Phil Collins to the stage, in addition to history-making representation for duos like Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (twice).

Jon Burlingame Despite all the musical superstars who entered this year’s Emmy competition, only one – Ed Sheeran – managed to score when the 75th annual Emmy Award nominations were announced Wednesday. Sheeran was nominated (along with co-writers Max Martin and Foy Vance) for the song “A Beautiful Game” for the season 3 finale of “Ted Lasso,” one of two songs from the popular Apple TV+ series that made it into the music-and-lyrics category. Emmy’s 550-member music peer group ignored the original songs entered by Dolly Parton, David Byrne, Steve Martin, Kid Cudi, Donald Glover and Lainey Wilson, as well as those from such Oscar-winning tunesmiths as Alan Menken, Steven Schwartz, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

Disney’s announcement earlier this year that another sequel to “Frozen” was in the works came as a surprise — not just to fans, but to the Oscar-winning songwriting team responsible for the franchise’s songs such as “Let It Go” and “Into the Unknown”.

Hunter Ingram SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for the first season of “Up Here,” now streaming on Hulu. The first time Mae Whitman sang in front of an audience on camera, it was just her, a guitar and her “Parenthood” family cheering her on from the front row. On the NBC drama, Whitman’s reckless young character Amber finally grew up by channeling her angst through music. For character and performer alike, it required overcoming the terror of standing in front of people and bearing a piece of her soul as she sang. Back then, it helped having her costars staring back at her.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic It’s an interesting, telling choice that “Up Here,” Hulu’s new musical sitcom starring Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdes, is set in 1999. Not merely is the turn of the century, according to the roughly 20-year nostalgia cycle, currently in vogue, but the particular sort of moment the Y2K era was lends texture and meaning to the story “Up Here” tells. Assaying a time just before the social web allowed loners to find one another, “Up Here” presents a winning and lovely pair of oddballs singing their hearts out, in disbelief at having found one another. Here, Whitman plays Lindsay, who was lectured in childhood to shield her spiky and odd side from peers in order to be liked. “You show people the nice parts, because believe me, that’s all that people want to see,” her mother (Katie Finneran) tells her; grown up, she’s terrified to show vulnerability at all.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Streaming March 24, Hulu’s “Up Here” joins the musical comedy pantheon of “Smash,” “Schmigadoon” and “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” with Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdes as the romantic leads. The series is based on a play of the same name from songwriting duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, which opened at La Jolla Playhouse in 2015. Set in New York City in 1999, the show follows Lindsay and Miguel as they fall in love and discover their inner critic is their biggest obstacle to finding happiness. Robert (“Wandavision,” “Frozen”) and Kristen (“Frozen,” “Frozen II”), also executive producers, weave a tapestry of 21 new and original ’90s-esque songs as the couple navigate fear, fantasies and chaotic inner voices that second-guess their instinct for love.

Mae Whitman has been acting since she was two years old, but her new Hulu series,, is like nothing she's ever done before.«I've never done a musical. I've never gotten to dance,» she shared with ET on the set of the upcoming musical rom-com.

Her? Yeah, sorry, Mae Whitman, that classic line from “Arrested Development” may just follow you for the rest of your life. The good news is that role really helped launch a great career.

Animated sequels to Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia are in the works, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on today’s Q1 earnings call.

An artist and songwriter has sued Disney claiming that a song which appeared on the soundtrack to 2019’s ‘Frozen II’ movie ripped off a track he wrote and released via his own label Pelican Records all the way back in 1999.The alleged rip off song is ‘Some Things Never Change’. According to Daniel E Grigson, it is basically a rework of his song ‘That Girl’.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorThough Season 2 of Apple TV+’s “Central Park” features a slew of changes for the lovable Tillermans, one family member has a harder time than most. Not only is daughter Molly — now voiced by Emmy Raver-Lampman to provide accurate representation for the mixed-race character — navigating puberty, but she also goes shopping for her first bra and has her first glimpse of romance.Josh Gad, who voices Birdie and co-created the series alongside Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith, says the addition of Raver-Lampman really allowed the writers to dive into the character, using her experience to help the character grow.

Carlos Valdes will star opposite Mae Whitman in Hulu’s upcoming series “Up Here,” the streamer announced today ahead of the start of production. Valdes, who is best known for his seven-season role in The CW’s “The Flash” and most recently co-starred in Starz’s “Gaslit,” will play Miguel in the original romantic comedy musical from Disney Television Studios’ 20th Television and Old 320 Sycamore Productions. “Up Here” is an original series set in New York City in the waning days of 1999.

Carlos Valdes (Gaslit, The Flash) is set to lead Hulu‘s musical romantic comedy series Up Here alongside previously announced Mae Whitman.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorThe music branch of Emmy voters is not always impressed by big names. Take last year, when Beyonce, Cher, H.E.R. and even Bruce Springsteen had songs in the mix for consideration Voters ignored them, shutting out superstars in favor of composers and songwriters within the.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Good Girls star Mae Whitman has been tapped as the female lead in Up Here, Hulu’s musical romantic comedy series from Tick, Tick… Boom! and Dear Evan Hansen writer Steven Levenson, The Carmichael Show‘s Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, Hamilton director Thomas Kail; and the Frozen and WandaVision songwriting duo of Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorHusband-and-wife team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are no strangers to writing musical earworms. They’ve won Oscars for “Let It Go” from “Frozen” and “Remember Me” from “Coco” and an Emmy for “Agatha All Along” for “WandaVision.” Now they’re reuniting with friends and family, penning “You Are the Music” for the Apple TV Plus animated comedy “Central Park,” which returns to the streamer March 4.Songwriters Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson (Kristen’s sister) invited the duo to write a song, and it was an offer they couldn’t turn down.

A cellphone video of a little Ukrainian girl named Amelia singing a sweet and defiant rendition of Frozen‘s “Let It Go” from a bomb shelter in Kyiv has been viewed by many thousands since going viral yesterday, with no less than the film’s original Elsa – Idina Menzel – taking notice.

Hulu has given an eight-episode series order to Up Here, a musical romantic comedy from Tony-winning playwright Steven Levenson (tick, tick… BOOM!), Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (The Carmichael Show, My Name Is Earl), Tony-winning Hamilton director Thomas Kail and Oscar, Emmy and Grammy-winning duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Frozen, WandaVision). 20th Television and Kail’s Old 320 Sycamore Productions co-produce the series, which is currently casting with production set to begin this summer in New York.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHulu has ordered the musical romantic comedy series “Up Here,” with an all-star lineup set behind the camera.Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the songwriters of “Frozen” and “Frozen 2,” Steven Levenson, who wrote the book for “Dear Evan Hansen,” and veteran TV writer Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (“New Girl,” “My Name Is Earl”) will all serve as writers and executive producers on the series.Levenson will also serve as showrunner, while the Anderson-Lopez and Lopez will write original songs for the series. Thomas Kail, who previously directed Broadway shows like “Hamilton” and “In the Heights,” will direct and executive produce under his Old 320 Sycamore Productions banner.

, the acclaimed Apple TV+ animated musical series, is back with all-new episodes of its second season. And after an extended delay, the platform is celebrating the series’ return with the release of the original song, “You are the Music,” led by Josh Gad and Rory O’Malley, who voice the characters, Birdie and Elwood, respectively.

Jon Burlingame editorOscar-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez won their first Emmy Sunday night for their popular “Agatha All Along” song from Marvel Studios and Disney Plus’ limited series “WandaVision.”The collaborators, whose credits include Disney’s “Frozen” and “Coco” movies, won in Emmy’s music and lyrics category, beating out tunes from “The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Boys,” “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” “Bo Burnham: Inside” and “Soundtrack of Our Lives.”“Agatha

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterOf the many pleasures Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez have experienced writing the songs for Disney Plus’ “WandaVision,” one of their favorites has been the ability to get instant feedback on their work via the gargantuan social media response to the Marvel Studios series.

WandaVision song ‘Agatha All Along’ is now available to stream on Spotify.The track, which was recorded for the seventh episode of the Marvel and Disney+ series, is played when Kathryn’s Hahn’s character Agnes is revealed to be Agatha Harkness, a notorious witch.Agnes’ identity is then looked back upon in the series in a musical montage underscored by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez’ song ‘Agatha All Along’.The pair, who also wrote the music for Frozen, recently told Entertainment Weekly

WandaVision theme song has been released, sung by Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna – listen to it below.Each episode of Marvel‘s new Disney+ series pays homage to a sitcom from the past, including nods to shows like Bewitched, I Love Lucy, and more.The show’s latest episode touches down in the ’90s, and included within the many Easter eggs is a brand new theme song, performed by the Bikini Kill frontwoman.Written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the married songwriting team behind

The third episode of WandaVision is finally out on Disney+, and so are the soundtracks for the first two episodes.

Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are all dressed up for a magic show in the brand new TV spot for WandaVision, coming to Disney+ sooner than you think.

Janet W. Lee Rejoice, Marvel fans!Disney Plus unveiled a TV spot teasing its long-awaited superhero series “WandaVision.” The clip introduces an original theme song written by Oscar-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (“Frozen”), who wrote unique tunes for a series that spans from the 1950s to the early 2000s.“‘WandaVision’ is such a cool, strange, one-of-a-kind project,” said Lopez.

back-to-back-to-back-to-back entries this year with the Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany starrer,.

“Frozen” is one of Disney’s most successful movies, but initial screen tests rated it as a flop.

“Couch Surfing,” Gad recounted a discussion he had with Robert Lopez, who wrote all of the songs for the two “Frozen” films with his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

NEW YORK -- Imagine being a young songwriter and getting tips from a creative team who really know how to construct a tune. After all, they wrote “Let It Go.”

By Jazz Tangcay