Friday, March 30, 2007

Catch the Encore Presentation of Re- Animated and Dexter with Dominic Janes this Weekend!!


IMTA alum Dominic Janes has two shows airing this Sunday April 1, Re-Animated and Detxer. Dominic attended IMTA in Los Angeles in 2004. Shortly after attending IMTA, he landed a recurring role on the television show Dexter. He also appeared on the hit dramas ER for two seasons and Crossing Jordan. In Re- Animated Dominic plays Jimmy, a kid everybody is mean to. One day, he gets into a freak accident and for him to survive he receives the brain of Milt Appleday, a famous cartoon creator. When he wakes up, he can see cartoons! Dominic's first movie role was in the comedy Wild Hogs in theaters now. He is currently working on a project for the USA channel titled Wolverine and the X-Men. Watch for this talented young IMTA alum this Sunday, April 1 and in all of his upcoming projects. To see more on Dominic and Re- Animated click here .

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Music and Lyrics Soundtrack is now on iTunes!



The Music and Lyrics soundtrack is the featured album in the iTunes store containing tracks sung by Haley Bennett. Haley sings "Buddha's Delight," "Entering Bootytown," "Slam," and does a duet with Hugh Grant entitled "Way Back Into Love." From the dance melody in "Slam" to the love ballad of "Way Back Into Love," Haley demonstrates her true musical talent for audiences of all ages to enjoy.

Haley is currently working on an independent album. She is co-writing it with Shaley Scott and describes it in her latest blog, "I'm very excited to share my honesty with the world through my music...and I mean the world." Haley and her fans from all over the globe are anticipating the release of this exciting new album.

Haley competed at the 2001 IMTA Convention where she met her agents Mara Santino and Ryan Daly of Kazarian/Spencer & Associates. She recently came back to IMTA to present awards to our New York IMTA contestants. Check out Haley's songs and be on the look out for more of this multi- talented, rising star!!

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Catch Dance Fever: Happy Feet out on DVD Today!

Happy Feet is out on DVD March 27th and everyone is dancing! IMTA alum Elijah Wood provides the voice over for the ever lovable main character Mumble. This film has won accolades from audiences worldwide and earned an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

Currently Elijah is working on an animated action adventure film called 9, a post-apocalyptic nightmare in which all of humanity is threatened. He is also filming the thriller The Oxford Murders. At Oxford University, a professor and a grad student (Wood) work together to try and stop a potential series of murders seemingly linked by mathematical symbols.

Elijah attended IMTA in 1989 and has been working ever since. He was scouted by and signed with Al Onorato. Since then, he has had an amazing career and starred in over 40 feature films, including the Academy-Award winning Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. So get your dancing shoes on and go buy Happy Feet out on DVD today!

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Lauren Champey on Cold Case This Weekend!!

Don't miss the beautiful, young Lauren Champey on the hit television show Cold Case on CBS, airing this Saturday March 25. Cold Case is a drama about Lilly Rush, a dedicated female detective in the Philadelphia homicide squad, who finds her niche when she's assigned to "cold cases"--crimes that have never been solved. The episode Lauren guest stars on is called the ‘Offender’ and revolves around the detective trying to solve the 20-year-old case of a 6-year-old boy's demise.

Lauren attended IMTA and found an agent and manager at the convention. Her first movie role was in the ever popular movie Josh and Drake go to Hollywood which is based on a television series known by the same name. The movie is about when Josh's creative writing teacher assigns him the task of penning a story detailing his wildest adventure. His story was about a summer in which he and his brother accidentally put their sister on a cross-country flight, booked Drake for MTV's TRL, and found themselves falling in with the FBI's ten most wanted provides all the excitement needed for a paper that's bound to make the grade. Be sure to see Lauren in both these popular shows!!!

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Regine Nehy feature film opening!


IMTA alum Regine Nehy's feature film Pride opens March 23rd! The Lionsgate film has a stellar cast including Bernie Mac and Terrence Howard.

Yahoo movies describes the provocative plot:
The year is 1973, and Jim Ellis, a college-educated African-American, can’t find a job. Driven by his love of competitive swimming, Jim converts an abandoned recreational pool hall in a Philadelphia slum with the help of Elston, a local janitor. But when city officials mark the new Philadelphia Department of Recreation for demolition, Jim fights back--by starting the city’s first African-American swim team. Recruiting troubled teens from the streets, Jim struggles to transform a motley team of novices into capable swimmers--all in time for the upcoming state championships. But as racism, violence and an unsympathetic city official threaten to tear the team apart, Jim must do everything he can to convince his swimmers that victory, both in and out of the pool, is within their reach.


Regine plays the role of Willie and she is the only female on the swim team. Her managers recently let us know that she booked on a role an upcoming film with Aly & AJ! You may also have seen Regine guest-starring on Grey's Anatomy. You can see the trailer for Pride online now on the film's official site!

Monday, March 19, 2007

Renee Alway on America's Next Top Model!


IMTA Alum, model Renee Alway, appears on the current season of UPN's hit show America's Next Top Model! Renee has modeled in New York, Europe & Japan. She has appeared in Seventeen & Italian Vogue magazines!

Watch for Renee on Wednesdays on the CW!



Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Kyle Lowder on The Bold & The Beautiful!

IMTA alum Kyle Lowder joined the cast of the hit daytime drama The Bold & The Beautiful! Playing Rick Forrester, Kyle is actually resuming a role that was originally played by another IMTA alum, Justin Torkildsen who played Rick Forrester for four years!

Kyle is excited about his return to daytime television. "It's one of the things that I really missed about my life, was the grind of Daytime. It kept me busy. I'm someone who loves to stay busy," he said. "Once you've done this grind it's hard to do anything else because it keeps you busy and it's such a great time." You can read the entire interview with Kyle on CBS.com.

The Bold and The Beautiful is also going to incorporate Kyle's musical talents into the show.
"I'm on an amazing show and I get to keep doing what I'm doing musically," said Kyle. "I've been very blessed, and again, I don't take one day of it for granted."

Kyle came to IMTA and was the IMTA Male Model of the Year in 2000. He was scouted and trained by the renowned TOMORROW TALENT of New York City. Kyle made a great impression at IMTA because he was a triple threat; proficient in modeling, acting and singing. He was also the Most Sought After Male Model at IMTA that year. Visit his official site to hear his beautiful music and read more about what Kyle is doing.


Monday, March 12, 2007

Eva, Eva Everywhere!!


Everything is coming up Eva! IMTA alum actress Eva Longoria is the cover for the April issue of Cosmopolitan. Photographed by Sante D'Orazio, Eva is adorable in a pink top and jeans by Bebe.

It was recently announced celebrity Eva Longoria is the new face of Bebe Sport. The brand's first campaign was shot by Greg Kadel and will be seen in stores, on billboards, on the website and in print! Eva Longoria, the first-ever face of Bebe Sport, said announcing her new two-year contract with the brand that she is very exciting to be part of the major marketing campaign. "When I was poor, my dream was to walk into Bebe and buy everything. It was always my favorite. In college, I was an aerobics instructor and a cheerleader - I lived in active lifestyle [apparel]. It was always a challenge to find something really cool and functional, so when I found Bebe Sport, I became a big fan. I thought, finally - stylish, sexy workout-wear that’s functional." said Eva Longoria about Bebe.












She is also on the cover of the current issue of Beauty News and continues to be the spokesmodel of L'Oreal. Eva Longoria competed at IMTA during the Los Angeles 1998 Convention. She competed in swimwear, TV Beauty and many other IMTA competitions. Eva received 38 callbacks! It was enough to convince her that she had better pursue her dreams! She signed with Debra-Lynn Findon who helped her get established in L.A. and got Eva her first auditions. Eva starred on the daytime soap The Young and the Restless.Now, of course, she is an A-List actress who stars on the hit show Desperate Housewives as Gabrielle Solis.



Friday, March 9, 2007

Two important Saturday television appearances by IMTA alumni!

IMTA alumni actors Joseph Castanon, Jeremy James Kissner, and Lauren Storm all have major television appearances this Saturday. CBS is re-airing the episode of Shark that Joseph appeared on as a guest-star. This is the role that earned him a nomination for a Young Artists Award. The winner will be announced later this month. Shark airs at 8 or 9pm depending on your area. Please check your local listings to watch Joseph, one of Hollywood's most talented young actors. Joseph Castanon competed at the New York IMTA Convention in 2004 and signed with Martin Weiss Management and Abrams Artists Agency. Joseph played Adam Sandler's son in the hit film Click.

Jeremy James Kissner and Lauren Storm star in the finale of their hit Discovery Kids/NBC show Flight 29 Down. You can catch a sneak peek at the finale here. It airs Saturday night on Discovery Kids at 8pm ET with an encore presentation at 11pm ET. Please check your local listings to catch the finale of this beloved award-winning show .


Lauren Storm came to the New York 1999 IMTA Convention. Lauren describes her IMTA experience, saying, “I ended up getting a lot of response from theatrical agencies and was asked to relocate to LA for pilot season. I tried it out for 6 months and got my first job, so I stayed a little longer and booked again.” That was six years ago, and she’s been working steadily ever since.

Jeremy James Kissner, who plays Eric, competed at IMTA in 1995. Jeremy has been in numerous television guest appearances and feature film roles including AI: Artificial Intelligence, Great Expectations, Melrose Place and Touched by an Angel.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Tyler McKean modeling in New Zealand!






Model Tyler McKean wrote us and sent us some amazing shots from a photoshoot he did recently with David Shields on Piha Beach in Auckland, New Zealand! Tyler competed at the IMTA Convention in January in Los Angeles. Since then, he has shot for a clothing company called Credibility with Matthew Mitchell from L.A. as well as the New Zealand shoot. He wrote to us about modeling in New Zealand and his experience at IMTA:

"Hey, here are some new photos I just had taken, I am getting work over here in the meantime, and when I return to the states, my managers are going to get me placed with either DNA, IMG, or Major Model Management, Marc/Marcia, my managers, have a lot of agencies waiting to hear more from me, and then when I am ready, Bravo in Tokyo will take me, hopefully.I just thought you would want to see these new photos, done on Piha Beach,in Auckland New Zealand, with David Shields.Then the other ones were done by Matthew Mitchell, from LA. I did a photoshoot for a clothing company called Credibility. Thanks so much for the helping me out. This past IMTA could not have went any better for me.
Thanks again,
Tyler McKean"

Thank you Tyler! It's great to see these amazing shots and we can't wait to see what else you do as a model.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Americus Abasemis guest-starring on ABC primetime!



IMTA alum, Americus Abesamis, is appearing in an episode of In Case of Emergency this Wednesday, March 7th on ABC at 9:30pm. Please check your local listings.

Americus competed at IMTA in New York in 1999 and 2000 with Tomorrow Talent and has appeared in numerous television shows, feature films, commercials and music videos.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Catch Bobby Moresco's Newest hit TV series Monday March 5 on NBC!!


NBC's newest and most talked about drama The Black Donnelly's aired Monday February 26th, following the hit drama Heroes. NBC was so excited about the mid-season drama that it premiered it a week earlier than planned. In creating the new drama for NBC, Academy Award winners Paul Haggis and longtime IMTA colleague Bobby Moresco (Crash, Million Dollar Baby) developed a story of four brothers involved in organized crime in New York that is loosely based on both Moresco’s and Haggis's backgrounds.

The pilot episode, which can currently be viewed on the Bravo channel, centers around one brother’s plan to help another out of a gambling debt by stealing a truckload designer shirts. This plan backfires, forcing the two to kidnap a local mob boss's nephew. When the boss’s right-hand-man decides to take the matters into his own hands, the most clever of the brothers has to choose between fighting for his family and life as an honest man.
What a great preview/interview with Bobby here!

Amanda Moresco, a veteran of IMTA has written two scripts for The Black Donnellys. The titles of her episodes are “All of Us Are in the Gutter” and “Wasn’t That Enough?”. Amanda is no stranger to working with her father. She was First Assistant Director on Crash and had a small role in last year’s feature 10th and Wolf which was written and directed by Bobby. Amanda also wrote the script for A Modern Day Twain Story: The Prince and The Pauper an updated retelling of the Mark Twain classic that stars twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse from Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Bobby acted as Executive Producer for this project.

For nearly 15 years, Bobby has been conducting acting workshops and looking for new talent at IMTA conventions with his manager, Al Onorato, while Amanda has worked with IMTA behind the scenes. IMTA congratulates them both and wishes them continued success! Catch the next episode of this new drama Monday March 5 on NBC!!!


Friday, March 2, 2007

Katie Holmes' Bazaar on newstands everywhere!



The gorgeous Katie Holmes issue of Harper's Bazaar is on newstands now! The cover, feature article and fantastic photo essay displays Katie at her best, glowing with happiness. The 10 page layout was written by Sarah Bailey and photographed by Peter Lindbergh with guest fashion editor, Katie's friend Victoria Beckham.

Katie competed at IMTA in 1993 and 1995. She met her first manager Al Onorato during an IMTA workshop. She went up to do her monologue (an excerpt from To Kill a Mockingbird) and Al gave her a suggestion. She started again and he was amazed at how well she could take direction and vary her subtle delivery. He kept an eye on her throughout her competitions and even arranged for her to shoot a screen test for a pilot during the IMTA week. In fact, her first screen test was shot by David Cardwell (DNA CREATIVE SERVICES) of the IMTA Video Crew! Katie was cast as Joey Potter in the beloved WB series Dawson's Creek. She is also an accomplished feature film actress starring in many critically acclaimed films and box office hits.
< After Katie found fame on Dawson's Creek, she took the time to write IMTA a thank-you letter. She wrote, "On July 23, 1995 my life changed. This particular Sunday, evening, I found myself in the New York Hilton for the International Modeling and Talent Association convention. I was sitting in one of the ballrooms reciting a monologue in front of about 50 other contestants, as well as Al Onorato, David Guillod and Bobby Moresco, the men who were conducting this seminar on "Prepare to Compete". After I had finished, Al and Bobby offered some direction and had me alter it a little. I used my nervous anxiety to help me become more intense and, following my second performance, I felt elated. It was clear to me that something very special occurred in that ballroom that evening.

About six months later, If found myself in the Los Angeles office of Al Onorato, rehearsing an audition piece for the Ang Lee, film The Ice Storm. David, Al and Bobby had become my business managers following that memorable convention and encouraged me to audition in Los Angeles during the 6-week pilot season. Instead of viewing Hollywood on my T.V., I was there. Being in that untouchable world, experiencing the life of a beginning actress, was surreal. Suddenly this strange path of life seemed so normal. I love it."



To read the entire letter Katie sent, please visit an archived page from 1998! Katie is not only one of Hollywood's most beautiful and talented stars, but also one of the sweetest! Check out Katie's latest gorgeous cover and article for Harper's Bazaar now!