For one day only, a carpeted, fourth-floor ballroom at the Hialeah Park racetrack transformed into the site of a '90s-era high-school chess competition. Teenage extras in flannel shirts and striped polos thoughtfully moved pawns across their boards. In a back corner, the cinematographer worked to find the right lighting. A makeup artist painted an actor's lips with the perfect shade of fleshy pink. Continue Reading"If you have an iWatch on, guys, take it off!" a woman wearing a headset shouted.It was 14 days into a monthlong shoot for Critical Thinking, an upcoming feature film based on the story of real-life chess champions from Miami Jackson Senior High. The project has been in the works for more than 20 years: Miami movie producer Carla Berkowitz obtained the rights after reading an article about the chess team in the Miami Herald's Tropic magazine in 1997.But it wasn't until actor John Leguizamo recently got involved that the film began to take shape. After he committed … [Read more...] about John Leguizamo’s New Chess Movie Is “a Love Letter to Miami Jackson Senior High”
John leguizamo movies
This Week in TV: Election Night, John Leguizamo and More
The first full week of November is a fairly quiet one for premieres. Nothing is new on the broadcast networks, and the volume on cable and streaming is lower than usual too. Likely the most-watched event of the week will be election night, which will take over cable news and several broadcast networks on Tuesday. Below is The Hollywood Reporter's rundown of some of the coming week's highlights. It would be next to impossible to watch everything, but THR can point the way to some worthy options. All times are ET/PT unless noted. On broadcast … Specials: ABC, CBS and NBC will all devote much of primetime to coverage of the midterm elections. After the local news, both The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (11:35 p.m., CBS) and Late Night with Seth Meyers (12:35 a.m., NBC) are going live. Colbert will have The Circus hosts John Heilemann and Alex Wagner on hand; MSNBC's Chris Hayes joins Meyers. On cable … New: Sally4Ever (10:30 p.m. Sunday, HBO) … [Read more...] about This Week in TV: Election Night, John Leguizamo and More
John Leguizamo Recounts ‘Latin History for Morons’ in Trailer for New Netflix Special
John Leguizamo might best be known for starring in the ill-fated Super Mario Bros. Movie, or maybe voicing Sid the Sloth in the Ice Age franchise. But he’s also quite the accomplished character actor, appearing in movies such as Moulin Rouge, the John Wick franchise, Romeo + Juliet, The Lincoln Lawyer, and, of course, Spawn. However, Leguizamo shines the most in his ongoing series of one-man shows, and a new one called Latin History for Morons is coming to Netflix next month. Watch the John Legauizamo’s Latin History for Morons trailer below to see what he’s up to this time. John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons Trailer John Leguizamo takes the stage in this new special, dressed like a hip college professor. And this time he’s taking a look back at the history of Latin people, starting all the way back with Mayan culture and stretching up to recent years in which Pitbull reigns supreme. Latin History for Morons is framed around Leguizamo’s son, … [Read more...] about John Leguizamo Recounts ‘Latin History for Morons’ in Trailer for New Netflix Special
John Leguizamo Is Directing Movie About Miami Jackson Chess Champs
South Florida entrepreneur Carla Berkowitz was flipping through the Miami Herald's Tropic magazine one morning in 1997 when she came across an article about teenage chess players. The story, written by John Dorschner, chronicled the lives of students at Miami Jackson Senior High School as they competed in statewide and national chess tournaments. Led by coach Mario Martinez, Jackson's team of mostly low-income, minority students became one of the best teams in the nation.The story resonated so deeply with Berkowitz that she called the coach and eventually bought the life rights to the tale in hopes of someday producing a movie."I just felt this is a story that needs to be told," she says today. "The world needs to hear it."While Berkowitz worked with a writer on the script, Hollywood producer Scott Rosenfelt says he unknowingly stumbled across the same story. On a trip to Miami in search of funding, he discovered Berkowitz was already working on a film about the chess champs."Lo and … [Read more...] about John Leguizamo Is Directing Movie About Miami Jackson Chess Champs
John Leguizamo Is Directing New Movie About Miami Jackson Chess Champs
South Florida entrepreneur Carla Berkowitz was flipping through Miami Herald's Tropic magazine one morning in 1997 when she came across an article about teenage chess players. The story, written by John Dorschner, chronicled the lives of students at Miami Jackson Senior High School as they competed in statewide and national chess tournaments. Led by Coach Mario Martinez, Jackson's team of mostly low-income, minority students became one of the best teams in the country.The story resonated so deeply with Berkowitz that she called the team's coach and eventually bought the life rights of the tale in hopes of someday producing a movie."I just felt this is a story that needs to be told," she says today. "The world needs to hear it."While Berkowitz worked with a writer on the script, Hollywood producer Scott Rosenfelt says he unknowingly stumbled across the same story. On a trip to Miami in search of funding, he discovered Berkowitz was already working on a film about the chess … [Read more...] about John Leguizamo Is Directing New Movie About Miami Jackson Chess Champs