One of this year’s TV pleasures has been watching a homebound Selena Gomez earnestly trying to learn to cook via Zoom calls with various famous chefs on her HBO Max series Selena + Chef. We had no idea that in between mastering the mechanics of a proper French omelette she was negotiating new deals for herself, but coming soon(ish), she’ll take on the role of real-life lesbian mountain climber Silvia Vásquez-Lavado.
Writer-director Elgin James (Little Birds) will adapt Vásquez-Lavado’s memoir, In the Shadow of the Mountain, as a starring vehicle of Gomez (whose casting got a nod of approval from the queer Peruvian climber herself). Vásquez-Lavado not only climbed Mount Everest but became the first out lesbian to climb the highest mountain on each continent, a challenge known as the Seven Summits. No production or release dates are known yet, but this is already Appointment Cinema.
GUESS WHAT PANDEMIC “THE SECOND WAVE” WILL BE ABOUT
Queer screen darling Taylor Schilling (Orange is The New Black) is back for an upcoming limited series from Michelle and Robert King (The Good Wife, The Good Fight). It’s called The Second Wave, and it’s about two neighbors, played by Schilling and Audra McDonald, who find themselves locked down again in New York City when an unexpected second wave of the coronavirus breaks out. The women are forced to handle their lives and jobs from the confined space of their apartments while contending with an even more deadly version of the virus, one that may spell the end of humanity itself. The six-episode series will co-star Leslie Uggams (Deadpool), Steven Pasquale (The Good Wife), and Hamilton‘s Phillipa Soo, and with vaccines currently rolling out, maybe by the time this series hits your TV screen, it’ll have the retro feeling of scary science fiction that can’t possibly happen again. Fingers crossed!
Selena Gomez has come a long way in the kitchen, but we're not calling her "Chef" just yet.
On Monday, Jan. 11, HBO Max dropped a new trailer for season two of Selena + Chef, which kicks off Thursday, Jan. 21 with three new episodes. Once more, the "Rare" singer will tackle different delicious dishes while being guided by all-star chefs.
"Hey, it's Selena! As you all know by now, I'm not the best cook," the chart topper comments in a voice-over. "But, I'm not going to stop trying to get better. So, I'm back in my kitchen to get schooled by the best chefs."
And the line-up of chefs for season two is pretty impressive as it includes Aarti Sequeira, Curtis Stone, Evan Funke, Graham Elliot, JJ Johnson, Jordan Andino, José Andrés, Kelis Rogers, Marcela Valladolid and Marcus Samuelsson.
Although this cooking adventure has been mostly successful for Selena amid the ongoing quarantine, it hasn't been without some hiccups. Just take a look at the just-released season two trailer below!
In the footage, the former Disney Channel darling almost burns down her kitchen thanks to one flammable dish.
"What is happening?" a confused Kelis asks as Selena tries to blow out the massive flames.
Selena Gomez has been trying to hone her cooking skills on her HBO Max show Selena + Chef, which premiered its second season on Thursday.
And to celebrate, the 28-year-old singer shared a hilarious Selena + Chef blooper reel with her fans.
From spilling on the counter top to gagging at the smell of raw fish, the playful mishaps seen in the video are rather endearing, with Selena asking: 'Is it really an episode of Selena + Chef if I don't make at least one mistake?'
In the bloopers shared Thursday, Selena looks incredibly animated - ranging from elation to defeat - as she is walks through dishes step by step with no in person guidance.
At the end of each episode, Gomez donates money to a food-related charity of that chef's particular choice, and this season is set to feature the talents of chefs such as Jose Andres and Kelis.
Selena Gomez's rainbow knife collection may be so popular they even have their own Instagram account, but that doesn't mean the singer has gotten any better at wielding them.
In an exclusive clip from episode 2 of Selena + Chef's second season, the singer has a little trouble keeping her fingers to herself — and by that, we mean attached to her body. The episode sees James Beard-award winning author, humanitarian, and chef, JJ Johnson teaching Gomez how to make a flavorful seafood gumbo, inspired by his time cooking in West Africa.
As seen in the clip above, things get off to a tense start as Gomez goes rogue while cutting a red pepper, gently ignoring Johnson's tips on how to slice with ease. "No, no, why are you doing that?" he yells, via video call from his own kitchen. "Why are you doing that? Watch your fingers, please!" Not the most reassuring words to hear during a cooking master class, but we're glad he's putting safety first.
Season 2 also invites the likes of Curtis Stone and José Andrés into Gomez's enviable kitchen as they introduce her to some of their signature dishes, including mouthwatering steak sandwiches and gazpacho. The star's nana and papa, also pop in from time to time to assist her when she can't find the correct utensil or nearly sets her stove on fire.
Selena + Chef is available to stream on HBO Max now. Watch the clip above.
Selena Gomez is bringing the heat with Selena + Chef ... literally.
In a PEOPLE exclusive clip of the singer's HBO Max cooking show — which has raised $360,000 for 23 nonprofit organizations over two seasons — Gomez, 28, nonchalantly puts out a fire in her kitchen while staying as chill as ever.
Charities that have benefited from funds raised include World Central Kitchen, Beit T'Shuvah, City Harvest, Alma Backyard Farms, NAACP, Alex's Lemonade Stand, Feeding San Diego, No Kid , Feeding America, Postpartum Support International, Chrysalis, Harlem Grown, C-CAP, Summa Everything, MAAC Project, Baby2Baby, Smile Train.
"We're going to take two tablespoons of butter and you're going to put it in your sauté pan on the stove," Kelis Rogers (yes, Kelis of the iconic song "Milkshake") tells Gomez before the fire. "You're going to turn that on low."
After the Rare Beauty founder — who launched her Rare Impact Fund last year with the goal of raising $100 million to go towards mental health — places the piece of butter in the pan, the pan starts to smoke before it bursts into flames.
As Gomez's friends freak out, the singer attempts to literally blow out the fire. (Her friends walk away afraid while Gomez tries to deal with the flames.)
The new season of Selena + Chef comes just as the singer announced her first-ever Spanish-language body of work, EP Revelación. On Friday, the singer dropped its second single "Baila Conmigo" featuring Puerto Rican star Rauw Alejandro.
"I feel like it's the perfect timing. Just with all the division in the world, there's something about Latin music that globally just makes people feel things, you know?" she said about the new music.