KELSEY MERRITT MAKES SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT 2019 ROOKIE CLASS

Supermodel Kelsey Merritt can add Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model to her rapidly increasing list of credits. Merritt is one of several beauties who have made the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2019 rookie class. She joins New England Patriots cheerleader Camille Kostek, plus size model Hunter McGrady and Bret Michaels’ daughter Raine Michael. Kelsey auditioned for the magazine this past October saying,

“I really want to be a Sports Illustrated model because I love how confident the models are and I want to show everyone who is looking at these pictures and reading the magazine that they can also be confident in their own skin.”

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue is scheduled to come out in May.

Merritt also shared several behind the scenes videos of her photoshoot for Sports Illustrated on her Instagram Account.

A little #bts from the photo I posted earlier 💞 #SISwim @si_swimsuit 💋

213.2k Likes, 2,599 Comments - Kelsey Merritt (@kelseymerritt) on Instagram: "A little #bts from the photo I posted earlier 💞 #SISwim @si_swimsuit 💋"

JAMIE CHUNG'S NEW FOOTWEAR COLLABORATION 42GOLD

Jamie Chung’s 2019 is off to a great start. Last month, the luxury handbag company Hammit, announced that she is the Brand Ambassador and face of their Spring line.

This month, Jamie Chung is celebrating the launch of her footwear collaboration with Chinese Laundry founder Bob Goldman, titled 42Gold. 42Gold is a new venture for Goldman, the CEO of Cels Enterprises, the parent company to Chinese Laundry. The line is a response to the constantly changing market and how consumers are now making purchases. The brand will work with Influencers to capture the attention of shopper’s in a new way. Chung is one of the 42 Influencers who are part of the 42Gold label.   

In an interview with Footwear News, Chung expressed her love for fashion stating,

“Fashion is always something I gravitated toward and I had so much fun with, so being able to turn that into a business is great.” Chung added, “Footwear is a really personal thing. 42 Gold is elevated. It’s for the working woman, the woman who does it all, the multitask-er, the mom, the business owner. It fits with the modern-day woman. It felt right.”

Jamie Chung had a lot of input in regards to the shoe styles and was inspired by footwear that are fashion forward, timeless and you can wear throughout the year. The 42Gold collection is available now at Nordstrom and features an array of heels, flats and sandals.  

LEVY TRAN JOINS MACGYVER

Actress and model Levy Tran will join the cast of CBS’ MacGyver this month. In the recurring role, Tran will play Denise Nguyen, “who joins the Phoenix Foundation to protect MacGyver (Lucas Till) and his team on their global missions” according to Deadline.

Late last year, George Eads who plays Jack Dalton on MacGyver, reportedly asked to be released from his contract to return to Los Angeles to be closer to his daughter. However, his resignation also came after reports of an altercation during the production of an episode of MacGyver. Tran’s role will fill the void of Eads’ character.

If Levy Tran’s character is successful and MacGyver is renewed for a fourth season, CBS will have the option of making her role a series regular.  Tran’s debut on MacGyver will be on the February 15th episode.

Levy Tran shared the news on her Instagram account below:

KAREN GALLMAN IS FIRST FILIPINA MISS INTERCONTINENTAL PAGEANT WINNER

47 years after its inception, a Filipina contestant was crowned Miss Intercontinental.  Filipina Australian beauty Karen Gallman became the first Filipina to win the competition which was held at the Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines this past weekend.

“It means a lot to me. This is the first time the Philippines has won Miss Intercontinental so I am very happy I could do this for the Philippines. I am speechless. I can’t stop smiling. I am just so grateful,” she said in an interview after her coronation at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Gallman thanked her supporters via her Instagram account and also dedicated her crown to the Philippines.

With her Miss Intercontinental win, Gallman hopes to be a great role model for young women. She added that she wants to be voice for those that cannot be heard and would like to be an inspiration to others. Like current Miss Universe winner, Catriona Gray, one of Karen Gallman’s main goals is to fight for better education for children living in poverty and are from the rural areas of the Philippines.

MARC DELA CRUZ MAKES HISTORY ON BROADWAY WITH HAMILTON

Filipino singer and actor Marc Dela Cruz makes history by becoming the first Filipino to play Hamilton on Broadway. Born in Hawaii, the Filipino Japanese star made his Broadway debut in 2014 playing Swing in “If/Then” and joined the cast of Hamilton in 2018 playing various roles which included King George, General Philip Hamilton, Tennessee Congressman James Reynolds and more.

Marc delaCruz on Instagram: "Sometimes amazement lies right around the corner. Thank you for all the messages of support and encouragement I've received over the last..."

2,341 Likes, 92 Comments - Marc delaCruz (@marc_delacruz) on Instagram: "Sometimes amazement lies right around the corner. Thank you for all the messages of support and..."

TRAILER FOR JORDAN PEELE'S WEIRD CITY - AWKWAFINA, STEVE YUEN & HANNAH SIMONE

A trailer for Jordan Peele’s upcoming web series, Weird City, has just been released. The sci-fi anthology takes place in the city of Weird, where there are only two classes that exist – Above the Line where the wealthy reside and Below the Line, for the less fortunate. The series seems to poke fun at our present-day life which covers issues such as social media addiction, online dating, and our need for instant gratification.

The six episode anthology series is written by Jordan Peele and former Key & Peele writer Charlie Sanders and features a star studded cast that includes Awkwafina, Steve Yuen, Eugene Cordero, Hannah Simone, Cynthy Wu, and Auli’i Cravalho.

Weird City is scheduled to premiere February 13th on Youtube Premium.

DANIEL DAE KIM'S RECURRING ROLE ON THE GOOD DOCTOR

Daniel Dae Kim will take his talents in front of the camera for his ABC show, The Good Doctor. Aside from being the Executive Producer of the successful drama series, Kim has signed on to play a recurring role, as Dr Jackson Han, the new chief of surgery who will “shake things up at St. Bonaventure and specifically put Dr. Shaun Murphy’s career in jeopardy,” according to ABC.

“As a fan of our show, I’m thrilled to be doing a guest arc with such a talented, kind and hard-working cast,” Kim said in a statement. “[Executive producer] David [Shore] and I have been looking for the right opportunity, and we’ve found a character that’s both dynamic and surprising. It’s an added bonus for my character to be directed by our own Freddie Highmore, who’s proving to be as talented behind the camera as in front of it. It’s been a lot of fun already, and I’m excited for the episodes to air.”

Kim will appear in the last four episodes of Season 2. Season 2 of The Good Doctor will premiere on January 14th.

DWAYNE JOHNSON WELCOMES AWKWAFINA TO JUMANJI SEQUEL

For the past several days, reports have surfaced that Awkwafina was in negotiations to star alongside Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart in the sequel to the 2017 hit film, Jumanji. The 2017 remake which grossed over $900 million worldwide will reunite Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and director Jake Kasdan. Although the studio has not confirmed the news, Johnson did tweet the message below, which pretty much solidifies the rumors.

SANDRA OH AND DARREN CRISS ARE DOUBLE WINNERS AT GOLDEN GLOBES

It was a night of firsts for Sanda Oh who became the first person of Asian descent to host (alongside Andy Samberg) the Golden Globes and also became the first Asian performer to win multiple Golden Globes. Oh took home the Golden Globe last night for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama for her work in BBC America’s Killing Eve. In 2006, she was awarded a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for playing Cristina Yang on Greys Anatomy. Oh is the first Asian woman to take home the Best Leading Actress award in over 35 years when Yoko Shimada won in 1981 for her role as Mariko in Shogun.

During Oh’s acceptance speech, she acknowledged her parents in Korean, bowing and saying “Mom, Dad, I Love You.”  

It was also an unforgettable night for Filipino American Darren Criss who won Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie for his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in the FX special series, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Criss’ award makes him the first Filipino American Golden Globe Winner. During his acceptance speech, he recognized his Filipino mom.

“This has been a marvelous year for representation in Hollywood, and I am so enormously proud to be a teeny tiny part of that as the son of a firecracker Filipino woman from Cebu that dreamed of coming into this country and getting to be invited to cool parties like this. Mom, I know you're watching this.”

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story also won a Golden Globe for Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.

1ST GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR LEA SALONGA

Lea Salonga, along with her Once on This Island cast received a Grammy nomination (Best Musical Theater Album category) for their cast album. This is the first Grammy nomination for Salonga who was in disbelief. She admitted in a tweet that she had to visit grammy.com to verify the news.

@MSLEASALONGA TWITTER

In the Broadway musical Once on This Island, Salonga plays Erzulie, the goddess of love. The musical follows the story of a peasant girl and a French descended nobleman and the gods that watch over them.  

Joining the Once on This Island cast under the Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album category include albums of The Band’s Visit, Carousel, My Fair Lady and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.

The 61st Annual Grammy Awards will take place on February 10th 2019 at the Staples Center.

Sandra Oh to Co-Host 2019 Golden Globe Awards

Killing Eve actress and Co-Executive Producer Sandra Oh and Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Andy Samberg will cohost the upcoming 76th Annual Golden Globes.

“Sandra and Andy are the perfect choices to host this world-class event,” said Paul Telegdy and George Cheeks, the co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment. “They bring wit, charm, and style to a room filled with the very best of film and television. It’s sure to be another unforgettable, fun-filled night.”

Although this will be the first time Oh and Samburg are hosting the awards show. They have taken home their own Globes. Samberg won twice for Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Oh snagged a Globe as Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2006 for her character in Grey’s Anatomy.

This isn’t the first time Samburg and Oh hit the stage at an awards show together. Here is a clip of them presenting an award for the 2018 Emmy Awards.

Oh is the first person of color to emcee the show. And If all goes in Oh’s favor, she may also receive a nomination for her work in BBC America’s Killing Eve.

The Golden Globes will air live Sunday, January 6th on NBC.  

The nominations for the Golden Globes will be announced tomorrow morning.

Awkwafina to star in her own series for Comedy Central

Awkwafina is having a stellar year which includes a standout role in Crazy Rich Asians and costarring in Oceans 8 and hosting SNL. Now, Comedy Central has ordered 10 episodes of a half hour series by the star, fittingly titled, “Awkwafina”.  

The comedy will follow her character, “a twenty-something living in Queens, striving for a larger than life existence while living with her father and grandmother.” BD Wong will play her father, and Lori Tan Chinn will play her grandmother. In a statement, Awkwafina said, “I’ve been watching Comedy Central since I was old enough to hold a remote, and so many of their shows have defined who I am today…I am so honored to be given their platform to tell the story of an Asian-American girl against the backdrop of the city [in which] I was raised.”

Awkwafina wrote the pilot along with Kary Dornetto (Portlandia, SMILF) and Teresa Hsiao (Family Guy).

Awkwafina currently graces the cover of Entertainment Weekly alongside her Crazy Rich Asians costars, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan and Constance Wu. She will also be seen on the big screen in two films at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

AWKAFINA TO HOST SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

Rapper and Actress Awkwafina is scheduled to host Saturday Night Live on October 6. The Crazy Rich Asian’s star will be joined by rapper Travis Scott. The last time an Asian American woman hosted SNL was Lucy Liu back in 2000.

The official announcement was made on Saturday Night Live’s twitter account yesterday with a photo of a cork board with the first three hosts and musical guests kicking off the show’s upcoming season.

Past Asian SNL hosts include Jackie Can, Kumail Nanjiani and Aziz Ansari.

PIA WUTZBACH WAX FIGURE AT MADAME TUSSAUDS HONG KONG

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach will be the first Filipino to have a wax figure in Madame Tussauds Hong Kong in early 2019.

According to a press statement, Madame Tussauds General Manager Jenny You stated, “This is our way to showing the Filipino community living and visiting Hong Kong as well as our neighbor SEA cities that we heard them well. With Pia’s sweet, positive and fun personality, we really could not have imagined having anyone but her to represent the Philippines…”

@PiaWurtzbach Instagram

Pia announced the news on her birthday, via her Instagram page (above).

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER'S MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN ENTERTAINMENT

The Hollywood Reporter’s Most Powerful People in Entertainment Top 100 list has been released and Director/Producer Jon M. Chu made the list at #97. Although Chu has been a filmmaker for years - producing and directing films including “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”, “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never”, “Now You See Me 2”, “Step Up 2: The Streets”, it is his work in the hugely successful “Crazy Rich Asians” that has put him in the Hollywood limelight. According to CBS News, “Crazy Rich Asians” has become the most successful studio romantic comedy at the box office in 9 years.  

Lisa Nishimura - By Photo by Stephanie Moreno/Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications for Peabody Awards/University of Georgia [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Other Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who made the list include Netflix’s Lisa Nishimura (along with Cindy Holland, Scott Stuber) who took the #9 spot. Nishimura was responsible for bringing “Wild Wild Country” and the Emmy winning shows, “The Crown” and “Seven Seconds.”

Coming in at #16 was Warner Bros.’ Kevin Tsujihara (and Toby Emmerich) who can credit the success of “Crazy Rich Asians”, “The Meg”, and “The Nun” for helping them make the list.

Dwayne johnson = Eva Rinaldi [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

And finally, Dwayne Johnson claimed the 38th spot. Johnson earned a reported $124 million in 2018. This year, in addition to his HBO series “Ballers”, he was also in the films “Rampage” and “Skyscraper”. Late last month, it was announced that Johnson will play King Kamehameha in Robert Zemeckis’ upcoming film “The King.”

Methodology: During a months-long process, editors compiled the THR 100 based on the size and reach of a person's purview, the success of his or her projects since 2017's list, the power to get a project made (company ownership helps) and the ineffables: heat, clout and intangible indicators of influence gleaned from conversations with top insiders (not to mention THR’s daily reporting).

HENRY GOLDING IN "LAST CHRISTMAS" WITH EMILIA CLARKE

There is just no stopping Henry Golding. Golding has just coveted another role as leading man. This time for the romantic film “Last Christmas” which he will co-star alongside Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clark. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Golding will reunite with director Paul Feig for the upcoming holiday movie, “Last Christmas.”  Feig and Golding just recently worked together in the film, “A Simple Favor” costarring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick which is out in theaters now.

Although very few details have been released on “Last Christmas.” There are rumors that the film will be set in London. “Last Christmas” was written by Emma Thompson and Bryony Kimmings and the movie is said to be inspired by George Michael’s hit single of the same name. George Michael collaborated on the movie’s concept up until his death.

DARREN CRISS WINS EMMY, MAKES HISTORY

Darren Criss took home an Emmy in the Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie yesterday for his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan, Versace’s murderer in “American Crime Story: The Assasination of Gianni Versace.”

“Oh my God, you guys are witnessing the most extraordinary moment of my life thus far. I’m very privileged to be in this room among so many people who inspire the crap out of me, and I’m so honored to be nominated,” Criss started off his acceptance speech.

He also added, “Unlike the character I played, I was lucky enough to be raised in a home that was very loving and emphasized the value of hard work, compassion and not taking yourself too seriously.”

Criss made history as being the first Filipino American actor to take home the Emmy, making him the third Asian Actor who have won Prime Time Emmy awards. In 2010, Archie Panjabi won her Emmy for Best Supporting Actress for her work in “The Good Wife” while Riz Ahmed took home the Emmy for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie last year for his role in “The Night Of.”

JUST RELEASED - NEW POSTER & MOVIE CLIP FEATURING HENRY GOLDING IN "A SIMPLE FAVOR"

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate flew Golding from Singapore to Los Angeles on August 31st for a last-minute promotionl shoot at the Hancock Park home of Lionsgate chief brand officer Tim Palen. “Golding has been upgraded to first-name-only basis alongside Anna (Kendrick) and Blake (Lively) in a retro-cool poster that simultaneously evokes Hitchock and Bond.”

Fresh off his starring role in the hugely successful film, “Crazy Rich Asians,” Henry Golding will once again play the leading man in the thriller “A Simple Favor” alongside Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick. The Paul Feig directed film based on the Darcey Bell novel of the same name, centers on mommy blogger Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) who befriends a mysteriously rich mother Emily Nelson (Blake Lively).

After quickly becoming best friends, Emily asks Stephanie for a simple favor, to pick her son up from school. However, Emily disappears and leaves Stephanie on a mission to find her best friend. Golding plays Emily’s husband, Sean Townsend, a struggling author who joins Stephanie in the quest to find the truth about his missing wife.

It was actually Paul Feig’s wife, Laura, a huge fan of the Kevin Kwan “Crazy Rich…” franchise who turned the director on to Golding. After watching Golding’s travel videos, he knew that Henry was the “perfect guy” to play Sean Townsend. “Henry is handsome, he has a beautiful voice and he has that ineffable sense of cool—but most importantly, Henry is also a really talented and dedicated actor,” says Feig. “He was ready to explore the minutia of Sean’s every word and I thought from day one, this guy is going to be a big star.”

“A Simple Favor” hits theaters September 14th.

Up next for Henry Golding? He will star in the independent film Monsoon where he plays a British Vietnamese man who left Saigon as a young refugee and must fly back to Saigon to scatter his parents’ ashes.

ABC, Viola Davis & Lisa Takeuchi Cullen take on "Ohana"

A new hour long drama titled, “Ohana” based on Kiana Davenport’s novel Shark Dialogues is in development for ABC. The series will follow the story of four hapa women who reunite after their grandmother passes away and leaves them the family plantation.

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, a former Times writer will write the adaptation. Cullen told the Hollywood Reporter “This is a story we’re passionate about telling from the point of view of native Hawaiians – Pacific Islanders, people of Asian descent and people of hapa heritage.”

The four main characters in Ohana will be of different mixed ethnicities including half white, half Japanese, half Filipino and half black. According to the Hollywood Reporter, “their unexpected shared inheritance will force them to overcome years of jealousies, misunderstandings, resentments and secrets.”  

Viola Davis and her husband Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions will be teaming up with ABC on the upcoming series.

Chrisa Hickey [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

JOY LUCK CLUB SEQUEL - 25 YEARS LATER

During the 25th Anniversary screening of “The Joy Luck Club” at the AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) last week, it was announced that a sequel may be in the future for the successful Amy Tan penned novel turned film.

Producer Ronald Bass told Entertainment Tonight that there is a script for both a TV series and a film sequel being circulated around Hollywood right now. Bass states, “both the series or sequel, if they happen, will be the same cast 25 years later…in other words, the mothers are now grandmothers. The daughters are no mothers and they each have a millennial daughter of their own. So, now it would be a three generation…what’s that like in mother-daughter relations? Today’s world versus first, second generations and immigrants.”

After the recent successes of "Crazy Rich Asians" and "To All the Boys I've Loved Before", Hollywood has increased their interested in producing more projects starring APAs or telling the Asian and APA story; including ABC developing a new drama titled, "Ohana" which follows the lives of 4 hapa women, and Netflix's productions of "Wu Assasins," which will star Byron Mann, Mark Dacoscos and JuJu Chan, "Tigertail" - an upcoming drama directed and written by Alan Yang and starring John Cho, Christine Ko, Hayden Szeto and Tzi Ma, as well as "Always Be My Maybe" starring Ally Wong, Randall Park, Daniel Day Kim, and Keanu Reeves.