Latest news with #KennyOrtega
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cameron Boyce's Life in Photos: Remembering the Actor's Legacy, 6 Years After His Death
Cameron Boyce was an actor, dancer and activist The Disney Channel star died on July 6, 2019, when he was 20 years old After Boyce's sudden death, his family created the Cameron Boyce Foundation to honor his legacyCameron Boyce was a successful Disney Channel star before his sudden death at 20 years old. Boyce rose to fame via several Disney Channel TV shows and films. He became known for his roles in the Descendants franchise, the Disney show Jessie and 2010's Grown Ups, among others. In addition to acting, Boyce was also a talented dancer and passionate activist. He worked with several organizations, including March for Our Lives and United Way. Boyce died on July 6, 2019, in his sleep. His death "was due to a seizure as a result of an ongoing medical condition, and that condition was epilepsy," the Boyce family told PEOPLE in a statement at the time. Kenny Ortega, who directed Boyce in Descendants, told PEOPLE in June 2024 that Boyce 'lit up the room' with his presence. 'He just was always ebullient and full of enthusiasm and energy and was the most generous and delightful, loving, kind person. And so when I think of him, all of that. All of that,' Ortega continued. From starring alongside Adam Sandler to advocating for change, look back on Boyce's accomplished life in photos, six years after his death. Boyce was born on May 28, 1999, in Los Angeles to Victor and Libby Boyce. He also has a younger sister, Maya, born in 2001. At age 9, Boyce made his acting debut in Panic! At The Disco's music video for 'That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)" in 2008. The star portrayed a younger version of the pop rock band's guitarist Ryan Ross. Later that year, Boyce made his feature film debut in the horror film Mirrors, acting opposite Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton and Amy Smart. According to his father, the star 'never watched' the film. The young star proved he could do comedy in the 2010 comedy Grown Ups, in which he played Keithie, the son of Adam Sandler's Lenny. He reprised his role in the sequel three years later. Speaking to Crookes Magazine in 2017, Boyce said that working with Sandler, Chris Rock and David Spade taught him 'how to listen.' 'As an actor, it's crucial you keep your ears open, especially when you're playing opposite comedic legends in almost every scene,' Boyce shared. 'I was just a 9-year-old kid waiting for his cue line. That is, until I realized that I might be waiting forever.' After wading into the Disney Channel world with minor appearances on Good Luck Charlie and Shake It Up, Boyce landed a leading role as Luke Ross in Jessie. For four seasons, Boyce played the mischievous brother of the clan, with Peyton List, Skai Jackson and Karan Brar as his siblings and Debby Ryan as their nanny. In his last interview before his death, Boyce told Another Man that his stint on Disney Channel changed his perspective on public perception. 'When working with Make-A-Wish, I'll spend the day with a 9-year-old girl who's struggling with an autoimmune disease,' the actor explained. 'She's so full of life, she's super excited to see me and wants to talk about the roles I've played on the Disney Channel. Those kids definitely change your view of how important it is to be someone who says the right things and has that passion for making the world a little bit better.' Boyce also joined the Descendants dream team as Cruella De Vil's son Carlos alongside Dove Cameron, Booboo Stewart and Sofia Carson. He reprised the role for the entire film trilogy, but died a month before the third installment aired. The network canceled the premiere event in the wake of his death, but paid tribute to the late star with a post-film montage. "We just kept our heads down and had fun doing it, but it was really like, 'Let's make this the best that we can possibly make it, and hopefully people like it.' ' Boyce recalled to Hero in May 2018. In addition to his creative work, Boyce worked closely with many philanthropic and activist causes, including United Way's initiative to end homelessness, sexual assault awareness movement It's On Us and the LucStrong Foundation. Collaborating with March for Our Lives co-founder Delaney Tarr, Boyce launched the social media campaign Wielding Peace to fight against gun violence. He credited his drive to 'a long line of difference makers' in his family, he told Haute Living in May 2019. Boyce followed in the footsteps of his mother, who works with teams to find unhoused people permanent housing, and his paternal grandmother, one of 'The Clinton 12' who attended the first desegregated public schools. With his childhood friends, he formed the breakdancing crew X-Mob. As a b-boy, Boyce was known as 'Truth,' but he was also trained in other dance styles like ballet and jazz. On top of acting, he took on professional dance gigs like Ice Cube's 'Ya'll Know How I Am' music video. Three months before his death, Boyce choreographed for and performed in Hozier's 'Almost (Sweet Music)' video with dancer Christine Flores. 'To this day nothing makes me feel as free as when I dance,' Boyce told Vulkan. 'Acting can take you away from yourself at times, whereas expressing emotion through free movement is one of the purest ways to discover more about yourself.' Shortly before his death, the actor had moved in with Brar and Gamer's Guide to Everything costar Sophie Reynolds. In May 2019, Brar celebrated Boyce's 20th birthday with a sweet Instagram tribute: 'I love you. You're the greatest brother I could've ever asked for, and I will forever feel lucky to have you in my life,' Brar's caption read. 'Happy birthday. That's all. (Think you can tell Cam's better at sappy posts than I am).' Four years after his roommate's death, Brar opened up about how losing Boyce was 'destabilizing' and turned his world upside down. 'I think that's one thing I'm trying to take away losing Cameron is to take care of myself the way that he would want me to take care of myself,' the Diary of a Wimpy Kid actor told Jennette McCurdy on her podcast Empty Inside. After Boyce's 2019 death, he posthumously led the 2020 teen drama Runt as Cal, a victim of physical bullying after he attempts to ask out the star football player's girlfriend. He was also in the main cast for the 2019 miniseries Mrs. Fletcher, starring Kathryn Hahn, and the 2021 musical drama Paradise City with Andy Biersack, Bella Thorne and Stewart. His family opened the nonprofit Cameron Boyce Foundation after his death, which honors his legacy 'by aiming to cure epilepsy through funding research, education and awareness campaigns while still supporting causes that were important to Cameron.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ashley Tisdale Explains Why Sharpay Evans Wasn't the ‘Popular Girl' in 'High School Musical' (Exclusive)
Ashley Tisdale, 39, told PEOPLE that she doesn't think her High School Musical character Sharpay Evans was the 'popular girl' The actress said that playing Sharpay as though she thought she was popular is what helped make the character 'so funny' 'What's so funny is that she's not the popular girl. She's the drama queen,' she explained of SharpayAshley Tisdale is spilling the tea on what she thinks made her High School Musical character so iconic. Tisdale, 39, who played musical theater queen bee Sharpay Evans in the hit Disney franchise, recently caught up with PEOPLE and she exclusively shared what she thought was 'so funny' about the role. 'When I played the character of Sharpay — I think it was probably what made her so funny — was that I truly thought [Sharpay] was the popular girl in school. I thought Sharpay was popular, and I played it like she was popular,' Tisdale recalls. 'And [director] Kenny Ortega enhanced that. He really made me feel like I was popular. But what's so funny is that she's not the popular girl. She's the drama queen. And my husband's like, 'That's what's so funny about how you played it. You really thought you were popular,' ' she continues. The actress also shared how it feels 'so cool' to see the character find new life on social media and in meme culture. 'Sharpay is — I swear she's mother to everybody — because it's like she just keeps coming back on these memes and people keep talking and doing the songs,' she says. 'And I'm just like, I mean, out of everyone in High School Musical, my character is the most iconic. It's so cool.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Tisdale — who also voices Candace Flynn in the hit animated series Phineas and Ferb — went on to say how lucky she feels to have been a part of multiple franchises that have reached cult status. 'I mean, it's so cool … It's really awesome to be a part of these projects that have really been so prevalent in pop culture and to play these characters," she adds. "It's just, you're like, 'Dang, man.' I can't believe out of everything that I auditioned for [...] I got this animation [series] that has lasted this long. Or I was always trying to get a Disney movie, and never got the movie. And then, I got High School Musical. " 'Out of all the ones, I get that. This is pretty awesome,' she says. High School Musical became one of the most successful Disney Channel Original movies of all time. It generated two popular sequel films, the third of which was released in theaters in 2008 and earned more than $250 million worldwide at the box office, per Variety. High School Musical 3: Senior Year marked the biggest opening weekend for a musical film up until that point (though it was eventually eclipsed by Les Misérables in 2012). Read the original article on People
Korea Herald
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Hybe Latin America to launch new Mexican boy group
Filming begins in Mexico for reality series following formation of five-member boy band Hybe Latin America, the Mexican subsidiary of Hybe, is set to launch a new boy band in Mexico, marking the company's second major project in the region following its recent band survival audition program. The move signals Hybe's accelerating efforts to expand into the Latin music market. According to Hybe Latin America, Thursday, filming has begun for a reality series aimed at selecting members for a next-generation global boy group. The program is being filmed at a custom-built training camp located in a school in Mexico City. 'This project is a creative experiment in how we can discover, nurture and introduce Latin talent to the world,' said Hybe Latin America CEO Kah Jong-hyun. 'With creativity and world-class production capabilities, we're laying the foundation for the next generation of global Latin artists. Our goal is to amplify the Latin voice — louder and farther than ever.' The goal is to form a five-member group and the selection process began with 300 initial candidates chosen from a large pool of applicants. Of those, 16 trainees joined the camp, where they will undergo six months of intensive training. Around 30 professional coaches — including vocal trainers, choreographers, producers and fitness instructors — are supporting the program. Hybe aims to fuse its systematic K-pop training model with the unique cultural and artistic sensibilities of Latin America to develop an original artist incubation model. Rather than relying on traditional TV formats, the company plans to distribute the show across streaming services, social media platforms and music apps on mobile phones. The production team includes an impressive roster of mentors. Kenny Ortega, the acclaimed director and choreographer known for Disney's hit series "High School Musical" and "Descendants," is serving as executive producer. Ortega has also choreographed for the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards and the Olympics and directed the Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It." The show's chief choreographer is Charm La'Donna, who has worked with Kendrick Lamar -- including his 2025 Super Bowl performance, Bruno Mars, Selena Gomez and Beyonce. Vocal coaching will be led by Robert Stevenson, who has trained artists such as Justin Timberlake, Rihanna and SZA. Colombian veteran creators Jaime Escallon and Lucas Jaramillo, who serve as co-creators and executive producers, are overseeing the series' creative direction. Meanwhile, Hybe Latin America is also producing the band audition program "Pase a la Fama" in partnership with US-based Spanish-language network Telemundo. The large-scale show, which aims to discover a new band in Mexico, will premiere on June 8, local time.
Khaleej Times
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Disney's 'High School Musical' director Kenny Ortega recalls cast of film
High School Musical director Kenny Ortega revealed that he had a premonition while filming the movie's final musical number, and it ultimately came true in a big way. High School Musical is a 2006 American musical television film produced by and aired on Disney Channel as part of the network's slate of original television films. The first instalment of the series was directed by choreographer and filmmaker Ortega from a screenplay by Peter Barsocchini. It stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Alyson Reed, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman. Ortega attended the opening night of Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre. During the conversation, the famed director, choreographer and producer recalled one of his most vivid memories from the High School Musical set. "There are a lot of them [memories], so many of them," said Ortega, adding, "But we were filming High School Musical 1, and we were filming the finale, We're All in This Together. And we had all these cameras going, and the cast and the dancers, and I looked into the gymnasium and I said, 'Man, if Disney does the job we're doing here, this is going to reach a lot of people'." "And I took the cast, and I put them in a circle, and I said, 'Get ready. I think your lives are going to change.' And they remember that moment as I do," he continues. "I just had this premonition, this feeling that we were up to something that was going to matter." High School Musical became one of the most successful Disney Channel Original movies of all time and launched the careers of stars like Efron, Hudgens and Tisdale. It also generated two popular sequel films, the third of which was released in theatres in 2008 and earned over $250 million (Dh918 million) worldwide at the box office. Ortega also shared one of his all-time favourite songs from the franchise. "Oh, well, so I like Get your Head in the Game," he said. "There are so many fabulous songs. I couldn't even begin. We had three albums, and all of them just eclipsed anything that had ever happened for a television soundtrack." "And the writers that we had working with us on were of the great composer lyricists, working in film, and television and theatre. So yeah, an endless list of favourites," he said.
