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Rhode Island
In R.I. to film a movie, Jamie Lee Curtis tells California: ‘This is how you do it’ – The Boston Globe
“We are here because there weren’t a lot of opportunities around the country and particularly in California,” she said. “So for my friends in California, and California government: This is how you do it.”
The Rhode Island Film & Television Office uses motion picture production film tax credits to try to bring film crews to Rhode Island, and state officials said the “Ella McCay” production will create jobs, bolster tourism, and shine a big spotlight on the smallest state.
“If you don’t want us to leave and go to places like Rhode Island, then you have to create tax incentives for the people in California, or we are going to come here, every time,” Curtis said.
Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film & Television Office, said filming will begin Monday, taking part mostly in Providence but in other parts of the state as well. Film crews will be here through March or April, he said.
The production will result in an estimated 300 full-time jobs and 500 part-time jobs, and the production will result in “spending million of dollars on the ground in Rhode Island,” Feinberg said.
The film credit is for 30 percent of state-certified production costs that can be directly attributed to activity within the state. The film or television production needs to be shot primarily in Rhode Island, meaning that 51 percent of principal photography must take place in the state. A minimum of $100,000 needs to be spent on the ground in Rhode Island.
In 2022, the Rhode Island Office of Revenue Analysis issued a report saying the state’s tax credit program fails to break even, its goals are “vague,” and data reporting requirements “lead to inconsistent and unreliable data on program performance.”
But Feinberg has strongly disagreed, saying the report contained “miscalculations” and “omissions.” He noted Industrial Economics, a company based in Cambridge, Mass., produced a report in 2022 saying every $1 in film tax credits generated $5.44 in economic activity, and that the benefit extended to nearly every city and town in the state.
During Thursday’s event in the State Room, Governor Daniel J. McKee emphasized the economic impact of the film.
“The whole strategy for us is putting people to work in good-paying jobs,” he said. “In this case, a number of the trades are going to be working on this project with you, and I think you will see second to none. I think you are going to be really, really pleased with what workers will be able to do.”
McKee, a Democrat who previously served as the state’s lieutenant governor, noted “Ella McCay” is a film about a lieutenant governor who becomes a governor.
The 20th Century Studios production tells the story of an “idealistic young politician” named Ella McCay, who will be played Mackey (known for her rolls in “Barbie” and “Death on the Nile.”) The title character juggles family issues and a challenging work life while preparing to take over for her mentor, California’s long-time governor, who will be played by Albert Brooks (known for “Broadcast News” and “Lost in America.”)
“This is a movie about ideas — politics, politicians, government,” Curtis said. “America is about ideas, and this is a movie about big ideas and people dreaming for the betterment for other people.”
Curtis said she’d given the cast and crew mugs emblazoned with a quote from the movie: “Government works best when citizens stay interested because, as has been said, if you don’t know what you want, you will probably get what someone else wants. Let’s get started.”
Brooks — the director, writer and producer whose credits include “Taxi,” “Terms of Endearment,” and “The Simpsons” — also spoke in the State Room, saying, “What I need is for this film to represent America in sort of the best sense possible. We looked at a lot of places, and I’m so glad we are here. We feel it every day. Everybody who goes out and is in this city just appreciates the graciousness of it and how much we’ve been welcomed.”
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, noted Rhode Island has also hosted film crews in Newport for the HBO series “The Gilded Age” and in Lincoln and Providence for the film “Hocus Pocus 2.” And he said he has backed the Rhode Island Film & Television Office and the film tax credits since he became speaker three years ago.
“Because it’s not just showing off our great state,” Shekarchi said. “The film industry is a revenue generator, and also people want to visit our state when they see the great locations on the big screen. It brings in more tourism dollars to our state.”
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Louis P. DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat, also spoke, with Feinberg introducing him as “Taxi’s own Lou DiPalma.” DiPalma joked that he believes he is the tallest Lou DiPalma, surpassing Danny DeVito’s taxi dipatcher character, “Louie DiPalma.”
“This is a great day for Rhode Island,” DiPalma said. The film tax credit program has provided a clear “return on investment” over the years, he said, and it has helped to “put Rhode Island on the map.”
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.
TV
Andy Cohen announced the “Real Housewives of Rhode Island” cast — including a former local NBC news anchor, a URI alum, and a Cranston pizzeria co-owner.
A former local news anchor. A pizzeria co-owner. Rhody’s “Cannabis Queen.”
New England, meet your Real Housewives.
Executive producer/dedicated Deadhead/Anderson Cooper’s BFF Andy Cohen revealed the cast and trailer for the first-ever New England-based “Housewives” Nov. 16 at BravoCon.
Bravo announced the Rhody-set show in May. “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” will premiere in 2026, with no specific date given. But, ’26 marks the 20th anniversary of the Real Housewives franchise.
The new trailer packages the Ocean State as a tiny, everybody-knows-everybody state full of secrets and drama. “Smallest state with the biggest attitude,” one cast member says in the official trailer, which debuted this weekend.
Rhode Island is “teeny. It’s a blip. But to us, it’s the center of the universe,” another cast member says.
The trailer is packed with all the shots you might expect— Newport mansions, polo games, tony beach shorelines, Adirondack chairs, sailboats in a harbor.
“Welcome to Rhode Island where nobody tells anybody the truth,” says a cast member, as we see, presumably, a Newport polo match. “Everybody just lies to each other’s faces and talks s*** behind their back.”
“It’s Rhode Island!” one cast member exclaims. “When someone says something, we all hear it!”
“You may not know Rhode Island, but here, secrets don’t stay buried for very long.”
It’s interspersed with classic Housewives drama and gossip (“Her husband’s a foot doctor, but I think he’s doing more than rubbing foot.”)
So pop the popcorn and grab coffee milk, reality fans. This looks juicier than a Del’s lemonade. (And yes, you’ll notice a shot of one cast member drinking a can of Narragansett’s Del’s Shandy.)
Meet the cast for the “Real Housewives of Rhode Island” premiere season:
— Early risers may recognize Rosie DiMare, a former local “news anchor/reporter.” A scroll through her Instagram shows her with NBC 10’s Mario Hilario with the caption, “It’s like we’re real professionals or something.” Looks like she was part of Turn to 10’s “Sunrise Crew.”
She’s “not afraid to call people out,” we’re told. We then see her on pink bouncing sneakers gossiping about someone’s affair.
— Alicia Carmody: “Welcome to Rhode Island, b****, this is how we roll,” she says from an Adirondack chair, talking to someone off-camera in the trailer. Carmondy and her fiancé, Billy Kitsilis, run his restaurant, Pizza Mamma in Cranston.
— Liz McGraw: the “dominant figurehead here,” we’re told in the trailer, as we see her in black leather boots driving a boat. (“I’m scary,” she tells the camera. “Boo.”) Per Bravo, McGraw is “Rhode Island royalty… the state’s very own Cannabis Queen.” With her husband, Gerry, she owns and operates The Slater Center, a pot dispensary in Providence.
—Ashley Iaconetti: she’s “not from here,” we’re told. “This is not the kind of people I’m usually around,” she says in the trailer. Iaconetti married Warwick, R.I. native Jared Haibon, on “Bachelor in Paradise,” and is now “acclimating to her new life in her husband’s home state,” per Bravo.
— Jo-Ellen Tiberi, who we’re told in the trailer “knows everything.” Per Bravo, “Self-proclaimed town gossip Jo-Ellen knows everyone and everything worth knowing in Cranston.” The “aesthetic practice development manager … juggles a busy career with family life” with her husband Gary and their three kids, per Bravo.
— Rulla Nehme Pontarelli: “She’s a boss,” we’re told in the trailer. Per Bravo, Pontarelli “helms a financial empire as a Certified Financial Planner and Wealth Manager to some of the East Coast’s most distinguished families.”
“I opened my own branch office, Royal One Financial Group, in the historic downtown area of Providence,” she says, per her website.
— Kelsey Swanson says in the trailer she’s not with a sugar daddy: “My boyfriend is, like, actually attractive. The money’s just a plus.” The former Miss Rhode Island and University of Rhode Island alum is now a makeup artist, her Bravo bio says.
“Kelsey has been in a 10-year relationship with one of Rhode Island’s most notable figures, enjoying the lap of luxury while keeping her social calendar full,” the bio notes, without naming her boyfriend.
Watch the full trailer here.
Lauren Daley is a freelance culture writer. She can be reached at [email protected]. She tweets @laurendaley1, and Instagrams at @laurendaley1. Read more stories on Facebook here.
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 16, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Nov. 16 drawing
03-11-26-32-45, Lucky Ball: 02
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Numbers numbers from Nov. 16 drawing
Midday: 9-5-9-1
Evening: 8-1-4-7
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from Nov. 16 drawing
01-04-09-12-25, Extra: 19
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
- Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
- Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.
When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Cranston police have identified the man who was hit and killed by a car on Atwood Avenue Friday evening.
Major Todd Patalano said the man was 80-year-old Richard Viti, of Cranston.
Police were called Friday evening to the area of 700 Atwood Avenue for reports of a pedestrian who was hit by a car. Investigators say Viti was crossing the street to get to the San Bernardo Society.
The driver, who has not yet been identified, faces charges of operating on a suspended license and operating an unregistered vehicle, according to Patalano.
There may be more charges the driver is facing as the investigation is still in its early stages, Patalano explained.
Viti was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Patalano said the driver is cooperating with authorities.
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