Michael Vea News

Tony Award winners Bobby Lopez ('The Book of Mormon,' 'Avenue Q') and Jhett Tolentino ('Here Lies Love,' 'A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder'), among others, receive Filipino American community honors.

In its fourth year, presented by AARP, The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York (TOFA-NY) Awards, the grandest celebration that caps the monthlong Filipino American History Month in New York City, has announced today that Filipino-American EGOT holder Bobby Lopez ('Frozen,' 'The Book of Mormon'); fashion designer and philanthropist Josie Natori; Dean of Academic Affairs at Columbia University Sheila Coronel; the people behind Fiesta In America, an annual trade and cultural expo; and the medical mission volunteers of Philippine Medical Association in America (PMAA) will be feted with the highest honors--The Heritage Awards--at TOFA-NY Awards ceremony, which will be held at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall (881 7th Ave, New York, NY) on Saturday, October 25, at 7 p.m.

Chiwetel Ejiofor will play Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti in the upcoming biopic to be directed by Steve McQueen.

Variety reports that Fela!,will get big screen treatment by Hunger director Steve McQueen. Like the musical, the film is based on the life and music of groundbreaking African composer, performer and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti as written in the book, Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon, by Michael Veal.