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'In The Heights' star Anthony Ramos shares advice Lady Gaga gave him while co-starring in 'A Star Is Born'
Before Anthony Ramos was the lead in In The Heights , in theaters and streaming exclusively on HBO Max beginning tomorrow (June 10), he was the supportive best friend Ramon to Lady Gaga's Ally in 2018's A Star Is Born.
Wednesday, Ramos shared with USA Today how Gaga assumed that role for him in real life:
"I remember when I got signed, she said to me, she was like, 'Alright, gotta learn how to swim,'" the 29-year-old actor, singer and songwriter relayed. "She said something like, 'You're swimming with the sharks now, kid.'"
Ramos added: "She's been through it, man. She was telling me stories about how she'd, like, lug around a keyboard. She'd be playing gigs, you know, at two or three spots."
Earlier this week, Ramos visited The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and additionally revealed the advice—or lack thereof—Lin-Manuel Miranda gave him for In The Heights:
Miranda originally penned In The Heights as a musical that debuted at the Richard Rodgers Theatre before earning a whopping 13 Tony Nominations in 2008. The 41-year-old Hamilton star also wrote the lead role of bodega owner Usnavi for himself, and he played Usnavi for years.
Ramos, who also got his start on Broadway in the original cast of Hamilton, has assumed the role of Usnavi for the feature film, and Miranda has said Ramos is "a better Usnavi than I could ever be" (h/t CBS News).
Ramos separately has a new album titled Love and Lies coming June 25.
In the Heights, directed by Jon M. Chu, centers around Usnavi in his Washington Heights neighborhood dreaming of a better life in his native Dominican Republic.
Watch the trailer and a cut of the first eight minutes below.
More must-reads:
- The 20 best characters from 'Pulp Fiction'
- Robert De Niro comes clean on whether his 'Taxi Driver' monologue was ad-libbed
- 25 forgotten Oscar-winning performances
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Commanders flaw exposed in blowout preseason loss to Ravens
The Washington Commanders have a potentially significant problem on special teams. During Saturday's 30-3 preseason Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, kicker Matt Gay missed a 53-yard field goal wide left at the end of Washington's first offensive possession. Gay finished the preseason 3-of-5 on field goal attempts. He also missed a 49-yarder wide left in preseason Week 1 against the New England Patriots. Gay's struggles continue the chaotic journey for the Commanders at kicker. Last season's Week 1 starter, Cade York, went 0-of-2 in the opener and was promptly released. His replacement, Austin Seibert, was in the midst of a fantastic season through Week 9, going 25-of-27 on field goals and 22-of-22 on extra points before missing two weeks with a hip injury. He was later placed on injured reserve after missing three kicks in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, including a would-be tying extra point following a wild 86-yard touchdown with under a minute remaining. Zane Gonzalez and Greg Joseph combined to go 7-of-10 on field goals the rest of the season, including each missing a 50-yard attempt. Overall, Commanders kickers struggled from long distance, with the four combining to go 2-of-8 on attempts of 50 yards or more. Only the Philadelphia Eagles had a worse percentage (14.3%) on attempts of at least 50 yards, per Pro Football Reference data. Washington signed Gay to a one-year, $4.25M fully guaranteed contract in late April following the 2025 NFL Draft. Per CBS Sports, it's the largest guaranteed contract for a kicker on a one-year deal in NFL history. Last season, while with the Indianapolis Colts, Gay was 3-of-9 on 50-yard field goals. The Commanders have the talent on offense to be one of the league's top scoring units, so they might not need to convert many tries from over 50 yards. Still, having a kicker who can reliably hit from that distance is an undeniable asset, particularly late in close games or on possessions that stall after crossing midfield. Washington largely has a roster capable of contending for a Super Bowl. But following its final tune-up before the regular season, kicking is a notable flaw.
Winners and losers from Packers' dominant preseason win over Seahawks
The Green Bay Packers have completed their last preseason game before the start of the NFL regular season, doing so in dominant fashion against the Seattle Seahawks. With a final score of 20-7, the Packers got the final word after the two teams had several brutal fisticuffs on Thursday’s joint practice. The team had several players star in their roles during their final auditions before roster cuts on Tuesday, but while Saturday’s game was all Green Bay, several players also missed their chance to leave a lasting impression. Winner: Ty’Ron Hopper impresses with several splash Plays Any Green Bay Packers fans who watched Saturday afternoon’s preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks are now familiar with the name Ty’Ron Hopper. The second-year linebacker out of Missouri was all over the field, making several impressive plays. He finished with three tackles, a sack, and some good plays in coverage as well. Additionally, he had a forced fumble on a fourth-down play where Seahawks QB Jalen Milroe had achieved enough yardage to move the chains, but found himself unable to hold onto the ball. Hopper was not a name getting a lot of attention entering camp, but there’s no chance of him not making the roster following an excellent preseason. With starters Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, and Isaiah McDuffie cemented as the top three ‘backers for the team, Hopper appears to firmly have his hands on the reins for the fourth spot. Winner: Kalen King makes his presence felt Kalen King may have been an outside shot to make the roster a few weeks ago, but it seems like many think the former Penn State star has done enough. King ran with some of the Green Bay starters on defense during the opening periods of the game and had several important contributions. None stands out more than his fumble recovery, which was one of four turnovers forced by the team on the afternoon. In addition to the fumble recovery, he had a strong tackle on Jalen Milroe as the Seattle quarterback scampered towards the end zone, which resulted in no gain. While the secondary remains an area of concern for the Pack, King looks like he may have done enough to ensure he is a part of it entering the season. Loser: Rookie Anthony Belton still has a lot to learn Rookie offensive tackle Anthony Belton has certainly had his struggles this preseason. Just a week after being called for five first-half penalties against the Indianapolis Colts, Belton continued to show up with some poor moments against Seattle. Although he was only called for one false start on Saturday afternoon, head coach Matt LaFleur was seen ripping into Belton during the late first half. Later, it was revealed that LaFleur was upset with Belton’s stance on a third–down play where the team was hoping to secure field goal position. Belton will likely not be counted on for many snaps on offense this upcoming season. He clearly has a way to go before he can develop into a reliable player. Loser: Sean Clifford fails to impress in third-string QB battle King certainly had a strong day, but for another Penn State alum, it was more of a struggle. Reserve quarterback Sean Clifford did not have his best outing in limited action. Clifford finished 6-9 passing, but managed only 19 yards. He had multiple inaccurate balls on some shorter throws that many would expect him to convert. Competing with Clifford for the last quarterback spot is Taylor Elgersma, who had a better day. He went 6-8 for 33 yards. Even though both QBs did not do much of note against Seattle, Elgersma has had a much better preseason overall. In fact, his QB rating was over double of that of Clifford’s entering the final preseason game. Saturday’s contest was a chance for Clifford to rebound, and he failed to take advantage of the opportunity. One other advantage that Elgersma has is that he is four years younger than Clifford. Despite Clifford being just a second-year pro, he is already 27 years old. Theoretically, Elgersma has more room to grow if he was kept around.
Raiders, Vikings Could Work Out Trade After Aidan O’Connell Injury
The Minnesota Vikings sent the 142nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Seattle Seahawks for Sam Howell and the 172nd overall pick, but the quarterback may not even make the Week 1 roster. With roster cuts right around the corner, nobody should be too surprised if Minnesota cuts the former late-round pick and moves forward with a different option behind J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy is clearly entrenched atop the depth chart, and undrafted free agent Max Brosmer has played well against admittedly weak competition. While entrusting him to be the full-time backup would be dangerous, he might not make it through waivers if the team cuts him. He’d be an ideal third quarterback for the 2025 season with the potential to grow into a long-term backup. Sam Howell, however, has struggled for the Vikings. While he had a good drive or two, the overall body of work leaves a lot to be desired. Minnesota recently brought in Carson Wentz for a visit, and he’d be a capable QB2 for the season. Cutting Howell would be surprising, but perhaps they could trade him to the Las Vegas Raiders to be their backup quarterback while Aidan O’Connell recovers from a wrist injury. Vikings, Raiders Could Agree to Aidan O’Connell Trade Aidan O’Connell is not a starting-caliber quarterback, but he is one of the league’s better backups. The former fourth-round pick has started 17 games over the past two seasons, going 7-10 on a weak roster while completing 62.6% of his passes for 3,830 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Again, he’s clearly an inferior option to Geno Smith, but he’s more than capable of filling in and keeping the offense afloat. Unfortunately, he’s going to miss some time thanks to a wrist injury sustained in the preseason finale. Reports indicate he will miss 6-8 weeks with this injury, and Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team reports Vegas will look for a new quarterback. Howell could be the ideal choice, as Cam Miller is the only other quarterback on the roster. Much like O’Connell, Howell is not a starting-caliber quarterback in this league, but he possesses starting experience. The fifth-round pick led the Washington Commanders in 2023, starting all 17 games while finishing the year with 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. Again, there’s a reason he spent the 2024 season as a backup, but he could be a valuable insurance policy for a team that believes they can compete in 2025.
Green Bay Packers: Malik Willis Gets Incredible Take From Matt LaFleur After Seahawks Game
World Series-winning pitcher won't commit to playing beyond 2025
Jon Gray’s season was all but officially ended last week by a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome and a subsequent placement on the Rangers’ 15-day injured list. TOS surgery would keep Gray sidelined for a big chunk of the 2026 season and perhaps the entirety of next year, and Gray would be 35 on Opening Day 2027. The idea of hanging up his glove entirely has apparently at least crossed Gray’s mind, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that Gray “responded mostly with a shrug” when asked by reporters Friday if he was going to keep playing beyond this season. When asked about pitching again in 2025, Gray said “I don’t have any idea about the future. I guess there is always hope. But it’s hard to have hope with everything that’s happened. It’s just become a really frustrating pattern.” That said, Gray noted that he had some interest in looking to “go out with a good feeling” rather than be somewhat forced out of baseball due to injury. Given that a TOS surgery hasn’t even been officially planned yet, it is probably too soon to be reading too much into Gray’s immediate reaction, as his emotions are (understandably) raw about this latest major setback to his career. There is no rush for him to make any big decision about his playing career, and naturally Gray might want to take his time in considering whether or not to walk away from the game entirely. This major injury adds another layer, however, to what was already looking like a crossroads of an offseason for the right-hander. Gray is in the final season of his four-year, $56M contract, and he has pitched only 14 innings this season due to a broken wrist suffered during spring training, and then this most recent IL placement. The Rangers have used Gray out of the bullpen rather than as a starter, and he has struggled to a 7.71 ERA over his six appearances. The sample size is small enough that it’s hard to make any clear observations from Gray’s 2025 performance, and five homers allowed over his 14 innings obviously skewed his numbers to some extent. It still clearly wasn’t the type of platform year Gray was hoping for heading into free agency, and if healthy, he would’ve likely been looking at a one-year guarantee from a team hoping he could bounce back. The TOS surgery could make a two-year deal a possibility, with a minimal salary in the first year and a larger commitment for 2027 when Gray is presumably healthy, yet the overall size of that contract doesn’t figure to be too pricey considering the shaky track record of pitchers returning in good form after thoracic outlet syndrome. Injuries have been a frequent concern for Gray, as a variety of issues (foot problems, an MCL strain, an oblique strain, blisters, shoulder inflammation, a forearm strain, multiple groin strains in 2024 and his fractured wrist) have led to IL stints over the course of his 11 major league seasons. Despite these health woes and the fact that he spent his first seven seasons pitching in the thin air with the Rockies, Gray has a respectable 4.49 ERA, 23.4% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate over 1230 2/3 career innings. Chosen third overall by Colorado in the 2013 draft, Gray didn’t quite reach the star level associated with such lofty draft status, but he has been a solid rotation member over his career with some flashes of being a frontline starter. If this is indeed it for Gray, he can look back with pride on a long career that included a World Series ring with Texas in 2023. (Gray contributed to that title with a 1.59 ERA over 5 2/3 relief innings during the Rangers’ postseason run.) Grant suggested two other factors that might impact any of Gray’s retirement plans. Gray has over 10 years of MLB service time — officially crossing that threshold earlier this season — and therefore is already qualified for a full pension. There is also the widespread expectation that MLB will be facing a work stoppage when the collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2026 season, so if Gray does indeed miss next year while rehabbing, a return to the field could be even further delayed by a lockout.
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