Category Archives: Film and TV

Marco Rubio Will Play Role Of Successful Undocumented Immigrant In Upcoming Brad Pitt Movie

March 8, 2016 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

HOLLYWOOD, California (The Adobo Chronicles, San Francisco Bureau) – Brad Pitt will be joining Disney Films in producing the story about an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who came to the United States at 19 and started working on farms in California, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa saved up a ton of money and enrolled in Harvard Medical School. He is currently the head of brain tumor surgery at the famous Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Pitt’s company, Plan B, first started a relationship with the doctor in 2007 and it is now all coming together. Matthew Lopez will be writing the script focused on the surgeon’s life.

Today, Plan B and Disney announced that soon-to-be ex-presidential candidate Marco Rubio will play the role of Quiñones-Hinojosa. Rubio, in real life, is Latino of Cuban heritage.

Pitt told The Adobo Chronicles that the shooting of the film had been put on hold pending the outcome of Rubio’s candidacy, but now that it has become certain that the senator is not going to be the Republican nominee for president, the film production goes in high gear.

It will be a welcome change in career for the handsome Rubio. His selection to play the lead role will be free of criticism in Hollywood where white actors are constantly being tapped to play the roles of people of color.

The Internet group #oscarssowhite immediately praised Rubio’s selection to play the film’s lead character.

Awards, Film and TV, Race Relations

‘Nina,’ Starring Zoe Saldana: The First Contender For The 2017 Oscars

March 2, 2016 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

HOLLYWOOD, California (The Adobo Chronicles, San Francisco Bureau) – Now that the 2016 Oscars have been handed out, it’s time for film makers and moviegoers to look to next year’s contenders. Critics are already saying that ‘Nina,’ a biopic about the legendary troubled singer Nina Simone, is leading the pack.

The new film stars actress Zoe Saldana and David Oyelowo (‘Selma,’ ‘The Brave One’).

Saldana, a Latina, brings to life the blues legend who was a major figure during the civil rights movement.

There was one problem when Saldana was cast. She wasn’t black enough. But make-up artists worked hard to make her light skin several shades darker. They even gave her a prosthetic nose.

And so, the rest is history. ‘Nina’ is all but assured of a nomination, perhaps even an Oscar statuette for ‘Best Make-up’ come the 2017 Academy Awards.

Is this the beginning of the end of #oscarssowhite?

“Nina,” hits theaters and VOD on April 22.

Entertainment, Film and TV

The Philippines’ Next Hit Reality TV Show: ‘Housemaids Academy’

February 27, 2016 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Trainees hard at work at the Housemaids Academy in Quezon City

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Aldub fans might not be happy about this news. There is a new reality TV show that’s brewing on ABS-CBN, and it’s called “Housemaids Academy” which producers think will break all reality show ratings in the Philippines.

The Adobo Chronicles learned that the network is about to announce a casting call for Filipino domestic helpers who want to train in the Housemaids Academy and earn a contract to work in Hong Kong or Singapore.

Housemaids Academy is for real. It is a government-run training center for domestic helpers to prepare them for work abroad. It is located on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. At the center, Filipinos are trained to properly clean, cook, use the washing machine (always separate whites from colors), and perform other tasks that domestic helpers are expected to do by their prospective foreign employers.

With more than 96,000 women leaving the Philippines each year to work abroad as maids, domestic helpers are the second largest overseas Filipino workforce behind merchant seamen, according to government statistics. The top 10 destinations for Filipina maids are Hong Kong, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, Bahrain, Oman, Cyprus, and Italy.

Now, back to the reality show.

It is patterned after a similar show on GMA-7 called ‘Pinay Beauty Queen Academy’ where beauty queen aspirants are selected to compete for the top spot with the guidance of professional mentors, all of them previous beauty title holders. Contestants are eliminated one by one until the last woman standing.

“Housemaids Academy” will also involve an elimination (voting out) process, and the last contestant remaining will be declared the winner, bagging a contract plus free round-trip airfare to the country of her new employment.

Watch out for ABS-CBN’s casting all announcement. In the meantime, brush up on your domestic skills.