Presented by the LA Phil in partnership with Aida Rodriguez and Marissa Herrera De Mi Alma Productions, The Remix promises far more than a traditional comedy show. Hosted by Rodriguez—fresh off the success of her new HBO Max comedy special Fighting Words—the event blends stand-up comedy, iconic music, celebrity storytelling, and audience interaction into an immersive live experience under the stars.

Rodriguez has long been recognized for her fearless comedy, honest storytelling, and ability to connect deeply with audiences by addressing life, family, culture, and social issues with humor and authenticity. The Remix reflects that same spirit by bringing together diverse voices through comedy and music in an atmosphere designed to celebrate community and shared experiences.

Joining Rodriguez is one of today’s most distinctive comedic voices, Frankie Quiñones, whose unforgettable characters and culturally inspired humor have made him a fan favorite. Setting the musical vibe throughout the evening is acclaimed DJ D-Nice, whose signature ability to unite audiences through music transforms the event into a celebration that feels part comedy show, part concert, and part party.

Adding another exciting layer to the evening is a celebrity open mic featuring an impressive lineup of entertainers including Justina Machado (One Day at a Time, and the Broadway play Real Women Have Curves), Ana Ortiz (Imperfect Women), Judy Reyes (ABC’s High Potential & Scrubs), Marlyn Ortiz (Puerto Rican-born dancer, aerialist, choreographer), Sarah Jones (Playwright & Broadway actress), and Grammy Award-winning singer Macy Gray. Their unscripted appearances promise spontaneous moments, personal stories, and plenty of laughs, making every performance unique.

The Ford makes for a magical night under the stars. Nestled in the Hollywood Hills, The Ford has become one of Southern California’s premier outdoor entertainment venues. The historic open-air amphitheater offers an intimate setting with fewer than 1,200 seats, ensuring every audience member enjoys an exceptional view of the stage.  Audiences are welcome to bring their own food an drinks.

The performance is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, reinforcing a commitment to making high-quality arts programming accessible to audiences throughout Los Angeles County.

Event Information

What: Aida Rodriguez’s The Remix

When: Friday, July 17, 2026

Time: Gates open at 6:30 p.m.; Show begins at 8:00 p.m.

Where: The Ford, Los Angeles

Tickets are available at TheFord.com or by calling 323-850-2000.

Whether you’re a fan of stand-up comedy, live music, or simply looking for an unforgettable summer night under the stars, The Remix promises an evening filled with laughter, music, surprise celebrity appearances, and the kind of shared energy that only live entertainment can deliver.

The post Aida Rodriguez Brings The Remix to The Ford for an Unforgettable Night of Comedy, Music and Celebrity Surprises first appeared on .

For more than two decades, Juan Pablo Raba has built a career that few Latino actors have successfully navigated. From becoming a household name in Latin America’s telenovela world to earning respect in Hollywood dramas such as Narcos, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Six, and The Marksman, the Colombian actor has steadily expanded his reach across languages, genres, and continents. Today, he finds himself at the center of one of television’s most talked-about franchises, portraying Joaquin Jackson in Paramount+’s hit series Dutton Ranch.

For longtime fans of Raba, the journey feels both remarkable and fitting.

Long before stepping onto the sprawling Texas landscapes of Dutton Ranch, Raba captivated audiences throughout Latin America in popular Colombian and Venezuelan telenovelas. His breakthrough came during the golden era of serialized Latin television, starring in productions such as Mi Gorda Bella, which became one of the most successful telenovelas of its generation and established him as a leading man throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

Like many Latino actors who dream of crossing into the U.S. market, Raba faced the challenge of reinventing himself. Rather than relying on his telenovela fame, he studied acting in New York and gradually built an English-language résumé that showcased his dramatic range. The result was a career marked by versatility—playing soldiers, law enforcement officers, political figures, and complex antiheroes.

Now, in what many are calling television’s modern-day Western “telenovela,” Raba has found a role tailor-made for his strengths.

The Jackson Family’s Steady Hand

In Dutton Ranch, Joaquin Jackson serves as the eldest son and presumed heir to the powerful Jackson family empire led by ranch matriarch Beulah Jackson, portrayed by Academy Award nominee Annette Bening. Joaquin is the responsible sibling—the man constantly cleaning up family crises while protecting the legacy of the famed 10 Petal Ranch.

Unlike his volatile younger brother Rob-Will, Joaquin is disciplined, strategic, and deeply committed to the family business. Much of the show’s family tension revolves around Joaquin’s efforts to preserve stability while navigating the chaos created by those around him.

As the series unfolds, viewers quickly discover that Joaquin is far more than a ranch executive. He is Beulah’s confidant, fixer, and, in many ways, the emotional glue holding together a fractured family.

Beulah and Her Children: A Family Built on Loyalty and Conflict

At the center of Dutton Ranch stands Beulah Jackson, the formidable Texas ranching queen whose influence extends far beyond the boundaries of her land. Her relationships with her children form one of the show’s most compelling storylines.

Joaquin occupies a unique position within the family dynamic. He is often portrayed as the loyal son who bears the weight of responsibility while managing the fallout created by his younger brother Rob-Will. Their relationship reflects the classic sibling rivalry that has become a hallmark of the Yellowstone universe.

Adding another layer to the family drama is Oreana, Beulah’s granddaughter, whose rebellious spirit frequently clashes with the expectations placed upon her by the family legacy. Together, Joaquin, Rob-Will, and Oreana represent different visions of the future of the Jackson dynasty.

For Beulah, preserving the ranch is everything. Yet the question looming over the series is whether her children and heirs share that same commitment—or whether the family’s internal divisions will ultimately threaten the very legacy she has spent a lifetime building. Recent episodes have intensified that conflict, particularly as Beulah contemplates succession and the future leadership of the ranch.

The Vaquero (The Cowboy)

What makes Raba’s casting especially significant is that Joaquin Jackson is not written as a stereotype. He is sophisticated, powerful, flawed, and central to the narrative. 

In a genre historically lacking Latino representation, Raba’s presence reflects the reality that the “vaqueros” (the Cowboy) were part of the Southwest long before Americans traveled West.  Mexico’s native vaqueros where the blueprint for the “American cowboy”. Raba’s presence comes full circle to reflecting a reality not fully known.  Mexicans were the originators to the ranching culture across Texas and the American Southwest.

The role also allows Raba to bring decades of experience in serialized storytelling to a franchise that thrives on family conflict, loyalty, betrayal, and power struggles—the same ingredients that make telenovelas a global phenomena.

In many ways, Dutton Ranch is today’s version of a telenovela: larger-than-life families, generational battles, forbidden loyalties, and dramatic twists that keep audiences coming back week after week. The only difference is that the setting is a cattle ranch instead of an hacienda.. 

From Bogotá soundstages to the dusty roads of Texas, Raba’s career has come full circle—proving that great storytelling and acting transcends language, genre, and borders.

Seeing Juan Pablo Raba ride at the center of the Dutton Ranch universe is more than another career milestone. It is a reminder that Latino talent continues to shape the biggest stories on television, one ranch at a time.

Dutton Ranch, the Yellowstone spin-off series, airs Episode 7 (“Den of Sin”) on Fridaym June 19. New episodes premiere at 12 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. ET on Paramount+ and air on Paramount Network at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The nine-episode first season follows Beth and Rip’s new life in Texas.

The post Juan Pablo Raba’s Journey to ‘Dutton Ranch’ first appeared on .

Los Angeles audiences will have an opportunity to witness art used as a powerful form of activism when Constance Marie and eight other actors take to the stage to read monologues inspired by true stories of families and communities affected by ICE.  Malice: Stories of Injustice, a special two-night theatrical event at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble.

The monologues are inspired by real stories and written by Vivianne Nacif and Juan Pablo Oubina 
Directed by Vivianne Nacif.

Performances will be on March 10 at 8PM (Constance Marie will perform on this day) and March 11 also at 8PM. The performances feature nine monologues inspired by real-life stories of individuals affected by immigration enforcement actions. The fundraising event is designed inform and create community around the topic of immigration, not only as a theatrical experience but as a fundraiser with all proceeds going to help support and aid immigrant detained and/or their families.

Post-show discussions after each day’s performance will give the audience an opportunity to engage with the cast, writers, directors and discussions and learn what and where help will be provided for immigrants navigating the new challenges they face with ICE raids.

In addition to Marie, the actors (and the roles they will play) donating their time and talent to these two day charitable performances include:

Eduardo Enrikez – Francisco (Paletero) 
Angelines Santana – Linda (Tamalera) 
Alejandro Cardenas – Andry Hernandez (make-up artist) 
Iran Daniel – Alma (Home Health aid worker) 
Eduardo Enrikez – Marcos (Gardner) 
Constance Marie English performance only – Angeles (Agricultural worker) 
Vivianne Nacif   – Mariana (Jazmin’s mom) 
Alex Peña – Antonio (Daca Recepient-uber driver) 
Maria Jimena Gastelum -Sofia (US citizen College Student) 

All proceeds from the performances will benefit Mar Vista Voice and West Los Angeles Rapid Response Network, grassroots groups working on the front lines to provide legal aid, emergency response alerts, and community support for families impacted by ICE detentions.

The evening brings together actors who will portray the voices of individuals whose lives have been directly affected by immigration enforcement. Rather than statistics or headlines, the monologues present deeply personal narratives that reveal the human impact of policy.

“These monologues are based on are real people,” said Marie. “They’re not numbers or talking points. Many of them have lived in this country for decades and contributed enormously to the communities they live in.”

Marie will perform during the English-language performance on March 10, portraying an agricultural worker whose story reflects the experiences of many essential laborers. The Spanish-language performance will take place March 11, bringing the stories to Spanish-speaking audiences.

Among the characters represented are long-time residents, workers, and even a DACA recipient studying law whose life was disrupted by detention.

Art as Action

For Marie, whose decades-long career includes iconic roles in films like Mi Familia and Selena and starring as Angie Lopez on George Lopez (2002–2007) and Regina Vasquez on Switched at Birth (2011–2017) and most currently in TV showrunner Gloria Calderon Kellett’s With Love, working on Malice reflects her belief that storytelling can play a role in social awareness and community engagement.

“The antidote to despair is action,” Marie said. “People can protest, they can donate, they can post online — and this performance is another way to take action. Creative resistance is important right now.”

Audience members are encouraged to attend, bring friends, and engage with the community through the event and enjoy an evening is meant to be both moving and empowering.

For Marie, being part of this creative fundraiser is more than doing a monolough of another persons’ real life experineces with ICE — it is personal. “The hardest part for me is being in a country where I am a citizen but because the color of my skin i’m asked for my papers. I’m indigenous but because i’m brown I have to worry about the racial profiling that’s happening.”

Malice: Stories of Injustice performances will take place at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles with two performances:

• March 10 — English-language performance (featuring Constance Marie)
• March 11 — Spanish-language performance
• Time: 8:00 PM

Tickets and donation information can be accessed through Constance Marie’s Instagram, @GoConstance, where a link and QR code are available for purchasing tickets or contributing to the cause, or at The Odyssey Theater website. Donations can also be made online at the Odyssey Theater Support Page, However, make sure to to indicate your donation is restricted funds to be used only for Malice charities.

Marie leaves us with an ecnouraging thought, “Right now many people feel overwhelmed. But community is the answer. Remembering our humanity and our shared stories are essential.”

The post Constance Marie On The Power of Creative Resistance Thru The Arts ‘Malice: Stories of Injustice’ first appeared on .

The filmmakers of American Sons, producer Laura Varela, along with producer and director Andrew Gonzales, skillfully use the video diaries of Corporal  Jorge “JV” Villareal, the young Marine who did not return, which he recorded for his family in San Antonio, Texas. Those diaries serve as the storyteller’s voice of day-to-day life during his tour of duty in Afghanistan; he tragically did not survive.

The film is skillfully edited into a bookend, non-linear, fractured structure that goes from the video diaries to ten years after, with his surviving Marine brothers sharing their thoughts about J. V., their struggles trying to reconnect back into the “real world”, and tender scenes of his family recalling memories of their son, JV Villareal.

The various emotional and haunting testimonials by Villareal’s brothers in arms, spoken in frank,  intimate streetwise vernacular about their PTSD, isolation, alienation, and hopelessness, often rise to the level of working-class, urban free verse poetry. There’s an eloquent urgency to their authenticity that echoes the pain of servicemen from past conflicts and foreshadows what may be awaiting those serving in the military now.

The overarching truth of American Sons is in its honoring and celebration of those generations of men and women who have given us so much and all too often received so little in return.

American Sons also underscores and reminds us of the tremendous contributions and historic participation of Latinos in the U.S. armed forces since the days of the American Revolution to the present.

It is an honorable legacy of our heritage that Latinos are the most decorated ethnic group in the long and storied annals of American military conflicts.

The story of JV Villareal and his Marine brothers in American Sons is an important chapter in the book of that proud history.

American Sons is a co-production of Infinite Warrior LLC, Latino Public Broadcasting, and Black Public Media. Major funding by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and additional support by the Jacquie Jones Memorial Fund. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional funding is provided by Bexar County and the City of San Antonio Arts and Culture.

American Sons premieres on PBS on Monday, January 12. Check local listings for time.

The post American Sons: A Documentary Film first appeared on .

In 2015, six women from La Cantera, a community in the municipality of Guanajuato, established a civil association called MAYOYE. They discovered that the water in their area was radioactive and joined forces to investigate the cause of several girls suffering from a particularly aggressive form of cancer. Their efforts led them to uncover the radioactive contamination of their water supply, which they believed contributed to the deaths of three girls within just one year. This experience transformed them from leading ordinary lives into dedicated activists.

Brother and sister filmmakers Alfredo and Isabel Alcántara chronicle the long, determined, and inspiring struggle of these Mexican women as they confront the patriarchal bureaucracy in their quest for answers in the PBS documentary Age of Water.

The film, shot in the classic cinema verité style, features no celebrity voiceover, narration, or musical score to enhance the dramatic narrative. The story is told simply through the eyes, voices, and faces of all the characters involved, moving the narrative from one act to the next, employing basic storytelling structures and minimal editing.

The collective efforts of the women of La Cantera underscore a long tradition of Mexican women in the vanguard of social justice movements dating back to the 19th century in their fight for education and political participation, their valiant efforts in the Mexican Revolution, events for women’s suffrage, and Chicana feminism and against gender violence.

Mexico now has the distinction of electing its first woman president, Claudia Shinebaum, who has implemented policies to address some of the environmental issues facing Mexico.

Clean water, climate change, and other pressing environmental issues continue to be topics of interest for Alfredo and Isabel.

Unfortunately, our current US administration has gutted the EPA standards for clean water and cleaning up the pollution that contaminates our water system.

Pity, they could learn much from the resolute Mexican women of Lan Cantera and the Age of Water documentary directed by Alfredo and Isabel Cantarra.

The Age of Water is streaming on PBS.org until December.

The post REVIEW: Documentary: ‘The Age of Water’ first appeared on .

Fernandomania, now playing at Casa 0101 Theater, offers a unique and heartfelt theatrical tribute to Mexican-born Major League Baseball pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, whose meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s captured the imagination of fans worldwide. Conceived by Artistic Director and award-winning playwright Josefina López (Real Women Have Curves), the production weaves López’s throughline of muralist Roberto Vargas as he tries to finish Valenzuela’s mural before the legend passes, with twelve world-premiere playlets penned by a diverse group of Los Angeles writers. The result is a collage of perspectives that illuminates Valenzuela’s legacy not only as an athlete, but as a cultural touchstone for the Latino community.

The writing team spans from seasoned playwrights to first-time community writers, underscoring the communal nature of the project. Among the contributors is Valenzuela’s daughter, Maria Fernanda Valenzuela, whose piece Linda emerges as one of the production’s most personal and affecting entries. In it, Fernando (portrayed by Edward Navarrete) is seen in the early days of his career, leaving behind his beloved in Mexico as he is recruited by the Dodgers, only to return years later with a marriage proposal. The story, told through the lens of Maria Fernanda, movingly charts the couple’s journey through Fernando’s career ascent and their life together until his passing this year.

Each of the playlets, drawn from memories and reflections of what Valenzuela meant to the writers, is directed by a different artist, giving the program a broad stylistic range.

Of note is director Vance Valencia, helms three standout works. Kimberly Huff’s Safe at Home delivers emotional resonance, while Our Playground written by Dr. Connie Valencia reimagines the world of Latina baseball players in a manner reminiscent of A League of Their Own, yet firmly grounded in cultural specificity. Most striking, however, is La Habra Ass Foos by Don Huesos—a raucous, high-energy exploration of Chicano identity that electrified the audience. Navarrete, doubling here as the quintessential Chicano character Gabe, commanded the stage with humor and authenticity, demonstrating impressive range alongside his portrayal of Valenzuela.

While the evening varies in polish from piece to piece, as might be expected from a collection of multiple writers and directors, the overall impact is one of celebration, memory, and cultural pride. Fernandomania succeeds not only as a theatrical experiment but also as a community-driven homage to an icon who continues to inspire across generations.

Fernandomania runs through September 21 at Casa 0101 Theater. For admirers of Fernando Valenzuela, and for anyone interested in witnessing a diverse chorus of voices come together to honor a legend, this production is a meaningful tribute well worth experiencing.

Directors of FERNANDOMANIA include:  Emmanuel Deleage (of Silver Lake, CA); Carmelita Maldonado (of El Sereno, CA); Karla Ojeda (of East Los Angeles, CA) and Vance Valencia (of Boyle Heights).

Playwrights include:  Josefina López (of Boyle Heights) (Fernandomania Forever), which anchors the show playing out in 12 transitional scenes between each play throughout Act I and Act II; Maria Fernanda Valenzuela (of Hollywood, CA) (Fernando and Linda Valenzuela’s youngest daughter) (Linda); Oscar Arguello (of La Puente, CA) (No Sabo) (I Don’t Know); Chris Banda (of West Covina, CA) (Blue Days); Gloria Isabel Briseño (of Inglewood, CA) (Nando); Ignacio Gonzalez (of Downey, CA) (Beisbol y Novelas) (Baseball and Mexican Soap Operas); Kimberly Huff (of Azusa, CA) (Safe At Home); Jose Luis Lopez, Jr. (of Riverside, CA) (From Somewhere); Christopher John Magallanes (aka Don Heusos) (of Montebello, CA) (La Habra Ass Foos); Celina Martinez (of Silver Lake, CA) (A Good Hero/Un Buen Heroe); Michael St. Onge (of Fontana, CA) (Once Upon A Time in LA); and Dr. Connie Valencia (of South Los Angeles, CA) (Our Playground).

The Cast of FERNANDOMANIA includes:  Adlih Alvarado (of Hollywood, CA); Yasha Alaniz (of Van Nuys, CA); Luis Galilei (of Los Angeles, CA); Veli Gonzalez (of Nuys, CA); Phoenix Marroquin (of South Central Los Angeles, CA); Evelyn Menchaca (of Pico Rivera, CA); Gabriel Montoya (of Sherman Oaks, CA); Martin Morales (of Silver Lake, CA); Jose Nateras (of North Hollywood, CA); Edward Navarrete (of Northridge, CA); Eugene Antonio Negrete (of East Los Angeles, CA); Itzel Ocampo (of Alhambra, CA); Jeremiah Ocañas (of Boyle Heights); Gabriela Pedraza (of Burbank, CA); Alejandro Reynoso (of Santa Ana, CA) and Laura Vega (of Pasadena, CA).

Tickets are available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fernandomania-tickets-1402491031429?aff=oddtdtcreator

The post ‘Fernandomania’ at Casa 0101 a Grand Slam Tribute to Fernando Valenzuela first appeared on .

REVIEW By Bel Hernandez Castillo

Leguizamo Does America is back for Season 2, and its return couldn’t be more timely. At a moment when harmful rhetoric and misinformation about Latinos is dominating headlines, this six-episode series flips the narrative. Instead of portraying Latinos as takers, Leguizamo Does America showcases what U.S. Latinos have always been: builders, innovators, and culture shapers. 

In these times the MSNBC TV series becomes more than a docuseries—it becomes an antidote, a cultural resistance providing visibility and celebration wrapped in a bold, funny, and fiercely loving package.

Leguizamo Does America, is an NBC News Studios and Casa NOHO Production, created and hosted by Emmy and Tony award-winning actor John Leguizamo. “For season two, I wanted to go deeper into America and put a magnifying glass on Latino exceptionalism, Latino ingenuity, and Latino genius,” says Leguizamo.

Under director Ben DeJesus guidance and the excellent production skills of showrunner Carolina Saavedra the audience is taken on a cultural journey of Latino excellence in six stunningly shot and powerful episodes filmed in New Orleans, Philadelphia, Denver, Phoenix, Raleigh, and San Antonio.  Leguizamo meets the artists, chefs, activists, and cultural entrepreneurs—who are making an undeniable impact across the U.S.

The opening episode takes us to Philadelphia, the birthplace of the USA where we learn of the major role Latinos played in the American Revolution. We find out the famous Philly cheesesteak has been Latinized and people are loving it…and literally “eating it up”.  

In Raleigh, North Carolina, home to Academy Award winning actress Ariana deBose, we learn, among other things, how immigrants were brought into the US by corporations to help save the poultry industry there; how the Flor de Hidalgo dance group is keeping Mexican folklorico alive — and giving Leguizamo the host, a change to show off his “zapateado”. This episode drives home the notion that whether honoring or correcting historical erasure, Latinos in America are living examples of what it means to own our story while shaping America’s future.

In San Antonio, we meet the Castros—Congressman Joaquin Castro and his mother Rosie Castro, a lifelong activist and community organizer who helped lay the groundwork for modern Chicano politics in San Antonio. We’re also introduced to Shelly Lares, the legendary Tejano artist whose career has not only been preserving traditional music but passing it on with a Tex Mex twist to new generations with pride and purpose.

In Phoenix, Leguizamo goes head to head with WNBA’s great Diana Taurasi in a round of “hoops”. While in Denver Leguizamo explores the birthplace of the Chicano Movement, while also suiting up for a “lucha libre” bout at Hugo’s Lucha Libre cultural landmark arena.

Throughout the series, we meet musicians, chefs, artists, and entrepreneurs who are not just surviving—but thriving. And let’s talk about the food. From Mexican carnitas  to Venezuelan arepas to Tex-Mex fajitas the series celebrates Latino culinary excellence. Several featured chefs are James Beard Award winners and nominees, further proving what we’ve always known—Latinos are impacting cuisine in a most delicious way.

Think about it: tomatoes, vanilla, avocados, chocolate —these and so many other staples of global food culture are gifts from the Americas, cultivated and cherished by Indigenous and Latin communities for centuries. Leguizamo Does America honors that legacy, and reminds us of the central role Latinos play in the culinary world globally.

This is part of our resistance showing Latin joy, Latin success, Latin excellence, Latin genius, Latin exceptionalism and innovation” — John Leguizamo.

The historical context, too, is essential. The episodes filmed in New Orleans, Phoenix, and San Antonio underscore that Latino roots in America run deep—long before the arrival of the European immigrants. These are not stories of outsiders or newcomers; these are stories of indigenous peoples and Latinos who helped build this nation.

At the recent MSNBC LA premiere for Leguizamo Does America, Leguizamo spoke to a who’s who of Hollywood executives, actors, directors, producers and executives about the upcoming series.  “This is part of our resistance showing Latin joy, Latin success, Latin excellence, Latin genius, Latin exceptionalism and innovation” he said. That is exactly what Leguizamo Does America does once again in season 2. The series shines an undeniable  bright light on a community that has been here longer than America itself. Latinos in the U.S. are 65 million strong, they are American and they are here to stay.

WHERE TO WATCH:

• MSNBC: The series airs on MSNBC on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET. 
• Peacock: You can also stream the show on Peacock. 
• Roku: The Roku Channel offers access to the show, with options to buy episodes or watch through streaming services that carry MSNBC. 
• Other Streaming Services: Check platforms like Fubo, Sling TV, DIRECTV, Xumo Play, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video for availability. 

The post ‘Leguizamo Does America’ Is the Cultural Resistance We Need Right Now first appeared on .

I’ve been watching Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain and Pati Jinich Explores Panamericana with mixed feelings. I am on record as being an unapologetic, gushing fan of director, actor, producer, and Latina superstar, Eva Longoria. I followed her through Mexico in her Searching for Mexico series on CNN. If she did a series titled, Eva Longoria: Searching for Lint in Her Coat Pocket, I’d watch it because I’m a diehard fan.

Pati Jinich, best-selling cookbook author and TV host of PBS’s long-running, popular series, Pati’s Mexican Table is another favorite of mine. Jinich has a great on-screen persona, but is there any Latina TV personality who looks more like a gringa than Pati Jinich but sounds more Mexican than she does? I enjoy her infectious charming curiosity  when she ventures out finding new Mexican cuisines.

But so far for my personal Mexican taste buds, Eva and Pati have encountered mostly ho-hum cuisines on their very different food journeys

The historical and gastronomical fact is we Mexicans took Spanish food stuffs; beef, pork, lamb, flour, rice manteca, and citrus and other fruits, incorporated them into an already outstanding diet and turned it into the world’s most popular and delicious cuisine. I don’t see people lining up for tappas and sangria. But you can find snotty, stuck-up Parisians in France eating tacos from Mexican food trucks (holding them incorrectly) and foregoing their overrated wine for good Mexican beer.

¡Hay Dios Mio! We even improved the language they gave us! Who can understand the Catalan Spanish that comes out of the mouths of Spaniards with that lisp, cotton balls  in their mouths, dropping the “S” off the end of words, jamming words together and shooting them out in rapid machine gun bursts of nouns, vowels, and verbs.?

We Mexicans modified, moderated and improved the pronunciation of Spanish so that Mexican-style Spanish is the foreign language of choice to learn and despite what Trump says, it is the “official” language of most of America and the world.

Eva for the most part, seems to be living la vida loca in Spain, but occasionally she puts on a brave face when she is offered unappetizing Spanish food.  But she smiles graciously, takes a small bite, swallows and washs it all down with glasses of wine.

Meanwhile Pati, up in the frozen tundra of North Alaska and The Yukon and living the vida of Nanook of the North, suffers eating seal fat, moose meat and other Alaskan delicacies. Although she has been treated to some delicious Alaskan salmon, crab and other seafood treasures, Pati has also  bravely tasted unappetizing  items like seal fat, whale blubber and moose meat with her typical grace and humor.

Surprisingly, Pati has found Latino culture and people up in the frozen tundra of the Great White North.  Eva, for her part, has taken us back to the Mothership of all Latin American countries and reminded us of the Arab, Middle Eastern and African culinary, cultural and musical influences that flourished in Spain for centuries and were brought to us buy the Spaniards during The Conquest.

But what both these two food / travelogue programs emphatically demonstrate is the influence and global dominance of Hispanic culture that came to Mesoamerica from Spain, took root there and blossomed into the worlds’ most vibrant, colorful and delicious cultural expression.

Gore Vidal once characterized the grater Southwest, but especially the Tex Mex Border from El Paso to Brownsville, as The Occupied Territories.

How about if Eva and Pati team up and do a Latina Lewis & Clark type exploration of The Occupied territories on their next food / travelogue series? They will certainly encounter a helluva lot tastier food and easier to understand Spanish.

Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain – Sundays at 9 PM ET On CNN

Pati Jinich Explores PanaAmerica – PBS, Check for Dates and times

Streaming on Amazon Prime video 

The post Eva Longoria and Pati Jinich: On A Quest For Good Eats first appeared on .

In movies like Avatar and Guardians of the Universe, just to name a few, Zoe Saldana has solidified her creds as a lethal action / adventure hero superstar who happens to be Latina. And now on the heels of her powerful dramatic performance in Emilia Perez (and the girl can dance and sing, too), which has garnered her many award nominations, Saldana puts both acting / action talents in violent, harmonic, full blown display on Lioness.

Saldana plays Joe, the head of a top-secret special op unit called “Lioness.” Their top-secret CIA mission is to insert a female asset (a lioness) into terrorists’ cells and make high value targets in the cell vulnerable and exposed, at which point, Saldana’s team “terminate” the target with “extreme prejudice.”

Saldana and her team are salty, earthy, hardened, experienced warriors and they all drop more “F” bombs in one episode than all the bombs dropped  on Germany, Japan and Vietnam combined. The shootouts are nail-biting bullet blazing scenes with Saldana relishing all the action, almost to a fault.

Her life is complicated by a marriage and family she is neglecting to fulfil these dangerous missions.  Saldana finds herself torn between duty and family. She’s a flawed, adrenaline- driven, emotionally conflicted person. Saldana plays it beautifully in a compelling, riveting performance.

“Lioness” is the name of the special ops program and the female asset to be inserted in a terrorist cell. But it also perfectly describes the fierce persona of Zoe Saldana in this pulse-pounding, Latina character-driven, action, thriller hit Paramount+ Original TV series.

Lioness streams on Paramount+, Hulu and other streaming platforms.

Stars:  Zoe Saldana, Laysla De Oliveira, Dave Annable, Jill Wagn

The post Zoe Saldana a Ferocious Force of Nature on Paramount+ TV Series ‘Lioness’ first appeared on .

Emilia Perez starring Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofia Gascón and Selena Gomez, is a gender-bending, genre-busting, phantasmagorical, operatic, hyper theatrical, electrifying crime and redemption melodrama.

Saldana plays Rita Mora Castro, an attorney tasked with negotiating a sex change operation for Manitas Del Monte, an arch drug cartel criminal . In a dark, unsettling scene, we meet the mobster with Gascón eerily portraying Del Monte in heavy prosthetic make-up.

Del Monte is born again as Emilia Perez. She tries to make up for her previous evil ways by helping  grief-stricken Mexican citizens find loved ones who have disappeared, often at Manitas’ hands. It’s a nice try, but sometimes redemption is a bridge too far.

Emilia Perez is a powerful Latina centric film. Saldana showcases her singing and dancing talents. Gomez, as Jessi, Manitas’ clueless spouse, gives a surprisingly strong and tough performance proving she has the acting chops for more demanding dramatic roles. Gascón shines in the dual role of Manitas and Emilia.

 The three leads, Saldana, Gascón and Gomez all shared a Best Actress Award for their performances in the film at the Cannes Film Festival. They will all get Oscar nominations. Hopefully, they won’t cancel one another out.

Writer / director Jacques Audiard will, no doubt, be considered for an Oscar for Best Director, as well as the movie for Best Picture. Could this, at long last, finally be the year Latinos make their too often overlooked and snubbed presence known at the Academy Awards? Hope so, otherwise the Academy will be on the receiving end of an acid drenched “WTF were you thinking? ¡Fideo Loco! blog from yours truly.

Emilia Perez is streaming on Netflix.
Director: Jacques Audiard
Cast: Karla Sofía Gascón , Zoe Saldana , Selena Gomez , Adriana Paz , Edgar Ramirez
Running time: 2 hr 10 minCast:  

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