Sally Ride: Last News

EJ Panaligan editor As part of a new initiative, the United States Mint will honor Anna May Wong, star of movies such as “Shanghai Express,” by making her the first Asian American featured on U.S. currency, placing her likeness on quarters with production starting Oct. 18. The printed quarter shows an image of Wong resting on her hand, serving as a tribute to what most consider the first Chinese American movie star. She was born in 1905 in Chinatown, Los Angeles and died in 1961 of a heart attack in her Santa Monica home. Wong started her career in the entertainment business at 14 years old, talking her way into her first movie role. In the following years, she rose to stardom as among the first Asian American stars in Hollywood and appeared in more than 50 films. Though the quarter seeks to pay tribute to her career in the film industry, it also acknowledges the difficulties that came her way trying to land meaningful roles as an Asian American actress during a time where racial discrimination and commonplace practices of putting white actors in “yellowface” to portray Asian characters was prevalent. In addition, Wong’s characters were often killed in the films she acted in, which she once joked about, saying that she had already “died a thousand deaths.”

Filmmaker Cristina Costantini is leaving the Sundance Film Festival with an award and with distribution already secured for her documentary Sally, about the late astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.

Lisa Kennedy During one of the countless, often boneheaded interviews Sally Ride endured about her pioneering role in the United States space program, she schools a reporter on how to address her. “It’s Dr. Ride or Sally, but not Miss,” she says, flashing a smile that softened the lecture and much of director Cristina Costantini’s absorbing documentary the first American woman to go into space.

EXCLUSIVE: The Sundance Institute and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation today awarded three artist grants intended to support projects in development, as part of their Science-in-Film initiative.

The Sundance Institute has named 16 jurors for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the group of five that deliberated on the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize.

Some of the biggest talents in documentary film will be unveiling new work at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, including Oscar winners Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Davis Guggenheim, and Mstyslav Chernov.

EXCLUSIVE: Kristen Stewart will make her TV series-starring debut in The Challenger, a limited series in which she’ll play Sally Ride, the astronaut and physicist who became the first American woman to fly in space. She did this as part of a NASA space shuttle astronaut class of 1978 that was the first to be diversified and not comprised of all white men.  

Kristen Stewart has lined up what will be one of her first big television roles.

Kung Fu Panda star Jack Black is set to read for CBeebie’s Bedtime Stories, followed by Joanne Froggatt, Justin Fletcher and Tom Hardy.Black will kickstart the Easter weekend editions of the show on Friday, March 29, with a reading of Pom Pom Is Super, written by Sophy Henn.Per an official description, the book “tells the story of Pom Pom the panda, who is excited to have his friends come round to play. When they arrive in superhero costumes, Pom Pom thinks he would like to be super too – but he’s not quite sure what he’s super at! With the help of his friends, he soon finds his talents.”Following on from Black on Saturday, March 30, Downton Abbey actress Joanne Froggatt will read Like A Girl by Lori Degman and illustrated by Mara Penny.

José Sarria, a San Francisco trailblazer who was the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States, will be inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

Silent era movie icon Anna May Wong is now a different kind of star. Starting Monday, her image will appear on new quarters, making her the first Asian American to appear on US currency.

Anna May Wong is getting her own quarter!

William Shatner is getting candid about his experience.

When he was an undergrad at Harvard, author and historian Eric Cervini’s first encounter with queer history surprisingly did not come from a book.

Pioneering ‘Star Trek’ actress Nichelle Nichols has died aged 89. Her role as lieutenant Nyota Uhura on the bridge of the show’s starship was a seen as a groundbreaking representation of black Americans in Hollywood. She passed away Saturday (30.

the maker, Mattel, said. “I hope every child is reminded that they can be and do anything,” Osaka tweeted on Monday after announcing the release of the toy. The newest plastic-version of Osaka, which comes complete with a replica of her Yonex racket, is a part of the Barbie Role Model series.