Short Takes on Miss Saigon, Vanessa Hudgens, Hailee Steinfeld, MindyKaling & Awkwafina

Eva Noblezada stars in the new Miss Saigon production.

Jon Jon Briones

Miss Saigon returns to Broadway

to introduce two new talents

MISS SAIGON, the smash 1989 musical that introduced Lea Salonga to the world is returning to Broadway. A new star may be in the making when the New York critics discover 30-year old newcomer Eva Noblezada playing the role that Salonga made famous. The production is moving from a successful run in London where Filipina/American Noblezada took over the role when she was only 17. From Charlotte, North Carolina, she will be joined by her London castmate, Filipino/American Jon Jon Briones. Born and raised in the Philippines, Briones has won accolades for his portrayal of the Engineer. Miss Saigon, which takes place in Saigon during the Vietnam War, will have a heavily Asian/American cast and should help continue efforts to diversify Broadway's stages. The show's producer, Cameron Mackintosh, announced that the revival will be housed in the Broadway Theater, where the show began its original Broadway run in 1991. Mackintosh also noted that the limited production will only be running until January 2018, and will then tour throughout North America. Previews will begin on March 1, with opening night scheduled for March 23.

Vanessa Hudgens will star in super hero comedy series

Vanessa Hudgens returns to TV

VANESSA HUDGENS is staging a return to series television. The High School Musical  star has signed on to star in an NBC comedy pilot titled Powerless – about regular people living in a world of annoyingly powerful superheroes. The show is set at “one of the worst insurance companies in America — with the twist being that it also takes place in the universe of DC Comics. The show is about the reality of working life for a normal, powerless person in a world of superheroes and villains.” Hudgens will star as the ordinary human Emily Locke, an “insurance claims adjuster who loves her job because she gets to help people. Emily likes to fly under the radar and just get her work done. She finds herself increasingly exasperated by the disruptive antics of the various superheroes that proliferate in her city.” The stills from the show is confusing showing "ordinary" Emily and another version in which she wears a superhero-looking costume. Is that latter shot a spoiler of what's to come?

Hailee Steinfeld has a new movie coming

AS COMING-OF-AGE stories go, The Edge of Seventeen starring one of the busiest actresses in Hollywood, Hailee Steinfeld, looks like it’ll be following in the recent footsteps of The Duff, delivering a smart (and smart-mouthed) look at the complications, conflicts, and crisis of an outsider girl’s attempts to figure out who she is and what she wants in the years preceding college ala Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink and American Graffitti. It also seems like an ideal lead role for Filipina/American Steinfeld, who on the basis of the film’s debut promo, will get plenty of opportunities to exhibit the same sort of feisty attitude that marked her breakout role in the Coen brothers’ True Grit. The Edge of Seventeen premieres in theaters on Sept. 30. This is 19-year old's second film to premier this year. Term Life with Vince Vaughn was released in January. On top of it all, this month's Seventeen magazine's cover features ... who else?

Mindy Kaling and Awkwafina join 'Ocean's Eight' cast

Awkwafina

OCEANS EIGHT, the upcoming all-female spinoff of Ocean's 11 will have loads of star power and one of the most racially diverse casts gathered for a single movie. Mindy Kaling and Nora Lum -- aka rapper/comedian Awkwafina -- joins a heavyweight cast including Academy Award-winning actresses Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and Sandra Bullock, Helena Boham Carter who was nominated for Oscars twice and super pop star Rihanna.
Casting is still going on, and there's no hint who the the eight member will be. Ealing, we know is the creator and star of Hulu's The Mindy Project, but Awkwafina is not as well known outside of the Asian/American community. She is not your Asian woman fetish or Dragon Lady, far from it. A Chinese-Korean-American rapper, comedian and TV personality, she is one of those Asian artists who has gained a following in the digital world. Her debut comedy rap track “My Vag” when viral in 2012.

TGIF FEATURE: Hailee Steinfeld duet with Shawn Mendes

ACTRESS Hailee Steinfeld, a Filipino/American, recorded an acoustic duet with teen heartthrob Shawn Mendes, one of Vine's breakout stars. The Academy Award-nominated actress (True Grit) demonstrated her singing ability in the motion picture Pitch Perfect 2. The young lady can sing!

In fact, the 18-year old star sang so well in Pitch Perfect 2 that she was offered a record contract with Republic Records, the same company that records her friend Taylor Swift. (You might have heard of her.) Hailee's new up-tempo single, "Love Myself," will be released August 7.

In the video, which was posted to YouTube on July 28, Hailee and Shawn perform an acoustic version of Mendes' hit "Stitches." This version is better than the original, don't you think?

Have a great weekend!

Hailee Steinfeld was only 13 when she filmed True Grit with co-star Jeff Bridges.

TGIF FEATURE: Filipino American Hailee Steinfeld signs record deal

In Barely Lethal, Hailee Seinfeld shows she is up for action movies as well as musicals and dramas.

HAILEE STEINFELD is having quite a month: Pitch Perfect 2—which she starred in—debuted at No. 1, she played a part in Taylor Swift’s record-breaking “Bad Blood” music video, she just landed a record deal with Republic Records and her latest movie, Barely Lethal opened last weekend.

The Filipino American said she has always loved to sing but she never sang in a film until Pitch Perfect 2, in which she plays Emily Junk. Her cover of "Flashlight" got the attention of Republic Record executives.

“The moment that we met Hailee we found her commitment to music inspiring,” Republic Records’ executive vice president Charlie Walk said in a statement. “She has the vision, natural talent, and dedication to compete at the highest level. We are thrilled to be part of her musical journey.” 

“What I love about Hailee at the end of the movie is that you feel like she’s at the beginning of something,” explained director/actress Elizabeth Banks. “The message was that the Barden Bellas all-girl singing group had mentored her through the movie and now, she’s ready for whatever comes next," hinting at a Pitch Perfect 3. 

Hailee wasn't the only Filipino American in the Pitch Perfect 2 cast. She was joined by the Filharmonics, an a cappella boy-band based in Los Angeles.

Besides singing and acting, the multi-talented Hailee showed she also has some martial arts moves in the just-released Barely Lethal, in which she plays a teenage assassin who longs for a "normal" life. Mix Nikita with Mean Girls and you get the gist of the movie.

Hailee shot to fame in 2011 after starring in the western True Grit. At 14-years-old, she was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar

Between then and now, at 18, Hailee has blossomed into a lovely young woman after playing Juliet in the 2013 version of Romeo and Juliet directed by Carlo Carlei.

Steinfeld also recently starred in Taylor Swift's celeb-packed "Bad Blood"music video, playing a group of triplets called the Trinity. The video also featured many other of Swift's high-powered BFFs, including Lena Dunham, Selena Gomez, Karlie Kloss, among others.

Her mother is interior designer Cheri Domasin Steinfeld from Bohol Province in the Philippines. Through the early years of her career, the mother-daughter practically lived in their car going from audition to audition in Los Angeles.

“My relationship with my mother is amazing,” she disclosed. “My mom and I are so close. She travels the world with me and I could not do what I am doing without her by my side. I found that the best thing when I am in a group of people, I would have one or two people come up to me and say, ‘You are Filipino!’ I am Filipino, too. And I am like ‘Yes, this is awesome!’ So it is sort of this one thing that connected me with many people that I find is really interesting.”

By all reports, this talented young lady has her head on straight. No airs, no diva-like behavior. In a lot of ways, she is like her Perfect Pitch 2 character, Emily Junk. Even though she's been in the business for a number of years  she still emanates an innocence and naivety.

Watch out for her name, Hailee Steinfeld is in high demand in Hollywood and she is heading for stardom, folks.

Have a great weekend! Go watch a movie.

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