Kenny Ortega Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

EXCLUSIVE: American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance creator Simon Fuller, High School Musical director and Michael Jackson choreographer Kenny Ortega and buyers including ABC’s Rob Mills were among the crowd for a new dance competition format pitch in Hollywood last night.

World Choreography Awards nominees list includes Mandy Moore (“Zooey’s Extraordinary Playlist”), Casey Nicholaw (“The Prom”) two-time Emmy Award winner and “Dancing With the Stars” host Derek Hough (“The Disney Holiday Singalong,” “DWTS”) and many others, the awards organization said Wednesday. The “Choreo” Awards nominees list also includes Ashley Wallen (“The Greatest Showman”) and Chris Scott (“In The Heights”), and Kenny Ortega and Paul Becker (“Julie and the Phantoms”).

series format over on Disney+, but the original performances are also finding new life on TikTok.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorMusic luminaries Clive Davis (pictured), Kenny Ortega and Rickey Minor will participate in the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards on Sunday night (April 11), each feting Maureen Crowe, who will receive the Legacy Award.

Kenny Ortega had directed a string of “Ally McBeal” and “Gilmore Girls” episodes, but what he really wanted to was return to making movies.So he asked his agents to keep an eye out for a TV movie, something “under the radar” that would allow him to quietly flex his filmmaking chops as he slid behind the camera for his first feature since 1993’s “Hocus Pocus.” (And before that, he’d directed another cult Disney favorite, the 1992 musical “Newsies.”)The script that caught his eye, a Disney Channel

Audrey Cleo Yap Director Kenny Ortega knew he had found the lead for Netflix’s “Julie and the Phantoms” when he saw Madison Reyes’ audition tape after casting directors had put out requests to performing arts schools across North America.

“High School Musical” franchise.“What was really cool about it was that Kenny established that we do have a say in the process. He really made it clear to us that we were his partners, not like he was a boss and we were his workers,” says Reyes.

As Disney forges ahead with its planned sequel to the classic Halloween hit “Hocus Pocus,” it seems that it’s doing so without the director of the original film. “Hocus Pocus” came out in 1993 as a family-friendly movie about a young man who accidentally awakens three witches on Halloween night who must absorb the town’s youth in order to stay alive forever.

Netflix just dropped the first season of the new musical series Julie and the Phantoms and the soundtrack is out now too!

Charlie Gillespie is starring in the brand new musical series Julie and the Phantoms!

Netflix has a brand new musical series called Julie and the Phantoms premiering this week and we caught up with the show’s star, Madison Reyes, to learn more about her!

Gordon Cox Theater EditorThe director-choreographer Kenny Ortega is known for his work in film and TV, including the “High School Musical” franchise and “Newsies.” But he points to his early career in the theater as the experience that laid the groundwork for his Hollywood success.Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below: Ortega, whose new series “Julie and the Phantoms” drops Sept. 10 on Netflix, attributes his eye for promising young talent to his stage experience.

Charlie Kaufman, Ryan Murphy, Kenny Ortega, and more.Charlie Kaufman's unnerving thriller i'm thinking of ending things, which premieres Friday, Sept. 4, stars Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette, and David Thewlis and is inspired by Iain Reid's novel of the same name.

High School Musical fans are sure to love this nine episode series, as Kenny Ortega the director of the Disney movies is producing and directing the series.They are even releasing a soundtrack to go along with it, so we’re very excited about the whole thing!Netflix has announced that the show will be dropping on 10 September, so we won’t have to wait too much longer to binge.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Kenny Ortega, the prolific director, choreographer and producer known for the Disney Channel’s High School Musical franchise, has signed with A3 Artists Agency.This marks the second highest-profile long-time Paradigm lit client to sign with A3, which last month brought in four former Paradigm agents to reestablish a literary division, led by Andy Patman and Adam Kanter, Co-Heads of Television Content and Motion Pictures, respectively.

Brandon Choe Photo EditorNetflix has dropped a music video teaser from their new musical-dramedy Julie and the Phantoms. The acoustic performance features the main cast playing “Edge of Great”, an original song from the show’s soundtrack.Arriving September 10, the series from Kenny Ortega stars Madison Reyes as Julie, a high schooler who lost her passion for music after her mom died last year.

Julie and the Phantoms, please let TV Guide introduce you to your new favorite ghost band. The upcoming series from High School Musical and Descendants mastermind Kenny Ortega centers on 15-year old Julie (Madison Reyes), who loses her love of music when her songwriter mother passes away, only to rekindle that love affair when she meets three talented, and very cute, musician ghosts still trying to figure out the afterlife.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorComing soon to a streaming device in your city: It’s Julie and the Phantoms. Netflix has dropped the needle on the cast, premiere date, first photos and a promo for its new musical dramedy from Kenny Ortega.Madison Reyes is set as frontwoman of the live-action series, which premieres September 10. She plays Julie, a high schooler who lost her passion for music after her mom died last year.

Sonny Bustamante portrays Julie's younger brother in the series.  also stars as Willie, a skater boy.«I wanted this to be a Latina family, and I also wanted a Julie 'from the block' — a young girl that was relatable, that other young women could relate to,» Ortega exclusively tells ET. After going through dozens of casting reels of hopefuls, Ortega felt the authenticity he was looking for was missing.

Dave McNary Film ReporterA3 Artists Agency has hired industry veterans Andy Patman and Adam Kanter as partners in an effort to build its literary division and grow the company.Patman has been hired as co-head of television content and Kanter has become co-head of motion pictures.Patman spent more than 20 years at Paradigm, where he sold “Desperate Housewives” to ABC and represented William Broyles, Marc Cherry, David Henry Hwang, Robert and Michelle King, and Kenny Ortega.Kanter spent 24 years

High School Musical star Lucas Grabeel talked about his role in the Disney Channel movies after director Kenny Ortega revealed that his character, Ryan Evans, was gay.“If High School Musical was made today, I don’t know if I would play Ryan,” Grabeel, 35, told TMZ on Sunday, July 5. “I would love to, but I just don’t know.

“High School Musical” director Kenny Ortega has finally confirmed that Ryan (portrayed by Lucas Grabeel) is gay.

Lucas Grabeel is opening up about playing Ryan in High School Musical.

Kenny Ortega, the director of High School Musical, claims the police once framed him while in South Carolina in the 1970s. Kenny says that a police chief in the state tried to set him up for a crime he didn’t commit while he was touring through South Carolina as part of the musical, Hair.

High School Musical director Kenny Ortega confirmed that Ryan Evans, the character played by Lucas Grabeel, is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

“High School Musical” director Kenny Ortega has finally confirmed that Ryan (portrayed by Lucas Grabeel) is gay.

Kenny Ortega revealed that there’s a common theme that runs through his films, including High School Musical.“I put a lot of who I am into my work,” Ortega, 70, told Variety on Tuesday, June 30, as one of its Power of Pride list honorees.

Ramin Setoodeh New York Bureau ChiefYes, there’s Gus Van Sant, Pedro Almodovar, Lee Daniels, Gregg Araki, Kimberly Peirce, Lisa Cholodenko and Dee Rees.

Disney got fans ready to “Bop To The Top” ahead of Thursday night’s “Disney Family Singalong”.