Written by Judi Jordan

The Imagen Awards was co-founded by legendary television producer and writer Norman Lear, who lived to the ripe age of 101, and passed in 2023. A deeply curious and humane person, Mr. Lear’s awareness of the void of positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry gave weight to the importance of positive Latino images. 

Norman Lear would be so proud of the 2025 nominees. His quest to see Latinos portrayed with respect and creativity is met in the ten categories including Drama, Comedy, Docs, Shorts and more. Helen Hernandez is the President & Founder of the Imagen Foundation who produces the Imagen Awards.

LATIN HEAT + IMAGEN  – Part One

The suave Latin devils of old Hollywood TV cliches have been replaced by a crop of intriguing, grown men with callings, consciences and inner conflicts. 

These new Drama Kings are dyslexic, intuitive, vulnerable (Will Trent/ Ramón Rodriguez) caring, conflicted, educated (The Cleaning Lady/Santiago Cabrera) regretful, emotive and resolute, (The Last of Us/Pedro Pascal) evolved, affable and effective, (Lincoln Lawyer/Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and lonely, wary, idealistic (Andor/Diego Luna) These roles played to the talent’s dramatic strengths while offering exciting nuances that kept audiences tuning in weekly or binging – streamer contingent.  

Drama Kings – modern Latin Lovers are vulnerable, aspirational, responsible and gainfully-if sometimes painfully-employed. These seasoned IMAGEN-nominated men defy the tired one-dimensional stereotypes of heartless seducers, skeezy scammers and gun-happy cholos.

Established TV and film stars in uncommen roles wowed their fans with new facets of their talent and audiences approved. With resumes, personas and ‘chops’ that TV networks and streamer execs respect, TV showrunners craft episodes that highlight and challenge their characters’ strengths. 

Three seasons of Will Trent blew up the long, steady career of Ramón Rodriguez! Who knew he had 20+ film roles on his resume including G-20, Gang Related, Transformers? His memorable early TV work on The Wire 2002-2008 laid the foundation. By the time Will Trent arrived, Ramón Rodriguez, in the title role, was more than ready. His heartfelt, eccentric Southern detective is fascinating, never parodied. Will Trent, broken and brave feels embedded in his soul, but joy has crept into the series with dance numbers that lighten the storyline and a thoughtful, romantic storyline with Gina Rodriguez that fans loved.

An executive producer on the show, Rodriguez directed the exceptional Season 3 premiere episode and will direct again in Season 4. Deadline broke the story that Rodriguez recently signed a multi-year deal with 20^th Television, to develop and produce series and films for Disney, a fitting outcome for the gifted, dedicated multi-hyphenate. 

Santiago Cabrera is nominated for his dark turn as Jorge Sanchez, the highly-reluctant Harvard-educated drug cartel leader of the Sin Cara Cartel, in the gritty Fox/Hulu series The Cleaning Lady. Chilean-born Cabrera joined the show in seasons 3 and 4. Typically cast as the hero, female fans still swoon over his pitch-perfect portrayal of dashing, soulful Aramis in the 3-season BBC hit show Musketeers, now airing on Hulu. His 20-year working streak of good guy supporting and leads in Picard, Heroes, Merlin, Salvation, and prestige series romantic roles in Big Little Lies, Flight Attendant, Land of Women, and a kindly ghost Richard Deetz in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice called for a change. 

Cabrera had resisted drug lord roles for years; but tempted by the premise, he used his discomfort – his very conflicted Jorge feels real. He admits, “It was fun to play the bad guy.” Audiences witnessed a very different Cabrera with a gun in his hand wading through cartel carnage as the ambiguous yet ambitious man with a plan that goes south by the hour. Not to mention a fraudulent marriage with Thony, a fearless Cambodian female doctor (played by Elodie Yung), who dissects bodies of cartel enemies in exchange for his protection. Plagued at every step by his obsessed sociopath sister Ramona (Kate de Castillo) for control of Sin Cara, Santiago’s Jorge is an idealist, out of his depth in the blood-soaked world.  

STAY TUNED.  NEXT UP: Sci-Fi Nominees

The post Drama Kings: The Imagen Award Actor Nominees Crush The Cliches first appeared on .

Joining the exclusive ranks of Rita Moreno, a Puerto Rican trailblazer, and Lupita Nyong’o, today Oscar nomination of America Ferrera makes a notable dent in the lack of diversity for Latinos in Hollywood.

Ferrera’s nomination not only celebrates her exceptional talent but also symbolizes a positive shift in the industry’s recognition of Latinx performers. Known for her impactful roles in projects like Real Women Have Curves and Ugly Betty, Ferrera has consistently broken barriers and challenged stereotypes.

Ferrera’s journey reflects the increasing acknowledgment of diverse voices in the entertainment world. Her presence in the Oscar nomination list is a testament to the importance of representation and the ongoing efforts to promote inclusivity in the film industry.

In a landscape where Latinx representation remains a crucial topic, America Ferrera’s Oscar nomination stands as a beacon of inspiration, paving the way for more Latinx talent to be recognized and celebrated on the grand stage of the Academy Awards.

This year Latinos were also nominated in various categories either for individual statues, or as part of a team.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Colman Domingo
Rustin

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

America Ferrera
Barbie

AIMATED FEATURE FILM

Robot Dreams
Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé and Sandra Tapia Díaz

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Killers of the Flower Moon
Rodrigo Prieto

MUSIC (Original Song)

“The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren – Performed by Becky G

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Society of the Snow
Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé

The 96th Oscars will be broadcast on Sunday, March 10, 2024 on ABC. Those without access to ABC can still watch the Oscars live with streaming services that offer live television, including Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and FuboTV

The post Latino Oscar Nominees 2024 first appeared on .

Gina Rodriguez is the star and Executive Producer of ABC’s comedy series, Not Dead Yet (debuting February 8), playing Nell Serrano, a woman attempting to jump start her life and the career she left behind five years earlier. “Nell is a self-described disaster, says Rodriguez. Returning to the newspaper she used to work for, she lands the only position available…writing obituaries. “She’s just ended a five-year relationship and is broke. Her life becomes complicated by a job she didn’t even want when Nell begins getting life advice from the dead people she’s writing about.”

Marking Gina Rodriguez’s first television series since her Golden Globe-winning five-year run   on CW’s Jane the Virgin (2014-19), Not Dead Yet, adapted from Alexandra Potter‘s book, Confessions of a 40-Something F**k Up, also stars Hannah Simone (New Girl), Lauren Ash (Superstore), Rick Glassman (As We See It), Joshua Banday (Upload), and Angela Gibbs (Hacks, Black Jesus). 

When asked how it feels being an Executive Producer on the series, she explains, “Well, in real life, I am about to have a baby. I accidentally got pregnant right before the show started. My husband and I were very excited about it, but it wasn’t planned. I was so afraid.”  Rodriguez explained to Dean, their pilot director, the situation and that she was not about to get any smaller, on the contrary. “He just smiled and told me, ‘You are pregnant. You are a miracle.  Just live in it, and we’ll figure it out.’  And they did.” 

Dean Holland, also an Executive Producer, helped craft the show. “We came up with very creative ways to cover the belly, whether it was costumes or her office cubicle.”  “They used plants, even a refrigerator,” quipped Gibbs, who plays Cricket, the widow of Nell’s first obituary subject, and who befriends Nell. “The directors were ingenious.” 

Another ingenious aspect of this series is the built-in need to have guest stars in each episode to play the recently deceased who interact with Nell. “Oh, we have so many incredible people, Rodriguez exclaims. “We have Rhea Perlman, Paula Pell, Ed Begley, Jr., Telma Hopkins, Brittany Snow, Julia Sweeney and more to come. We got very lucky.”

Executive Producer, Casey Johnson, who co-wrote the pilot with Holland talked about the writing process, “During our writing sessions, we sort of discovered that we both always loved to read obituaries.  Even the most ordinary-seeming person is fascinating if you just pay attention.  And so that’s something we love about these characters. There are some people who lead extraordinary lives. Our guest stars have so much to work with in playing them.”  

Rodriguez connected with her character on a family level.  “My fascination with the people who came before me in my family is one of the reasons I connected with this show so much,” she explained. “I have always felt like my ancestors have been around, have been with me, have been present in my journey, taking care of me in those moments of fear or doubt.”

As far as what we can expect from her character, Rodriguez had quite a lot to say, “You might meet some of Nell’s family. But it’s more about me playing a person going through an experience of establishing her identity. For sure, she can never deny her roots, but it’s not the plot. I’ve been deconstructing my identity for the past eight months, and I am nothing.  I’m just dust, guys. It’s great to play somebody who gets to fail but also gets to learn from her failures. It’s really cool to be playing this role at a time when I’m continuously unraveling and rebuilding myself.”

Rodriguez has had an adventurous life. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest daughter of Puerto Rican parents. At the age of seven, Rodriguez performed at the salsa dance company, Fantasia Juvenil. She focused on salsa dancing until age 17 when she began acting. She went on to voice the title character of the Netflix animated action adventure series, Carmen Sandiego and  portrayed Frida Kahlo in the world premiere of Casa Blue in the United Kingdom.

When asked if the Latino culture she grew up with is present in Nell’s life in the series, Rodriguez retorts, “It’s impossible for it to not. I’m always Latina.  It’s so much of my identity. I have writers that are creating a woman and her experience, a human, and I always bring something of myself to everything I play.” 

Hannah Simone, who plays Sam the editor of the Life & Style section of the newspaper interjects, “I think it’s kind of groundbreaking and refreshing that you have this show with these three women at the top of the call sheet. But this is not a show that’s about women.  You have two women at the top of this call sheet who are women of color. But it’s not a show about being any particular ethnicity. That’s usually how it was in the past.  You always had to explain yourself or define the show by those identities.”

Not Dead Yet premieres with back-to-back episodes Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. The series will be available to stream on Hulu from Feb 8.

The post Gina Rodriguez Returns to Comedy and ABC with ‘Not Dead Yet’ first appeared on .

Ramon Rodriguez returns to broadcast television in the title role in ABC’s upcoming crime / drama series, Will Trent, as a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) special agent. The series premieres on January 3 on ABC.

Rodriguez got his star on television with his first series regular in ABC’s Day Break. From there he went on to make to short live series Charlie’s Angels and Fox’s Gang Related.  Meanwhile on film fans followed his trajectory in films such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Taking of Pelham 123 and Battle Los Angeles. 

As Rodríguez embarks on his latest television series, which he also produces, he eloquently and enthusiastically spoke to Latin Heat about his artistic journey and emotional investment in creating a unique character for the TV series. 

Discovering Will Trent

Rodríguez recalls he did not initially seek out the role of Will Trent:

“I had just done a project with Hulu. I know some of the executives and have a history with them and they wanted to do something else with me and they presented me with Will Trent.”

The TV show, Will Trent, is based on author Karen Slaughter’s popular series of novels on the Atlanta-based special agent. Will Trent, who was abandoned as a child, grew up in the Atlanta foster care system, has dyslexia but overcame those obstacles to attain the highest clearance rate in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Rodríguez admits he was not familiar with slaughter’s books but immersed himself in them and found Will Trent to be an attractive and appealing character.

He recalls, “I met with the showrunners, Liz Heldens and Daniel Thomsen, and we had several creative dialogs on how to approach the material, where we want to take the show, how to portray Will Trent and how to best develop a compelling character,” 

“A big part of it for me,” adds Rodríguez, “is the chance to produce and be a part of the early on dialogs about the show.”

The Puzzle Master

There were several factors that drew Rodríguez to the character of Will Trent:

“I found Will Trent to be a most interesting character,” says Rodríguez, “He had a difficult childhood growing up an abandoned orphan in the Atlanta foster care system. He experienced a lot of traumas and carries a lot of scars.  He’s dyslexic. But despite all that, Will manages to rise to the highest levels in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation earning  its highest clearance rate”

Rodríguez refers to Trent as a Puzzle Master because, despite his dyslexia, he can come onto a crime scene and see things others miss. Trent takes the puzzle pieces and creates a collage or story  to solve the hidden mystery  of a crime.

“We have created a visual language,” says Rodríguez, “to portray to the audience how Will sees things.”

Unlike Sherlock Holmes, Columbo and Hercule Poirot, who employ linear, logical geometrical deductive reasoning to solve crimes, Trent uses an unconventional, asymmetrical approach to reconstruct and deconstruct a crime scene.

Vulnerabilities

People with dyslexia are often wrongly characterized as being not very intelligent because they often have great difficulty reading. Will Trent has suffered with this all his life, but has developed coping methods to deal with it; visual aids, colors, color coded files, etc. But sometimes his dyslexia completely betrays him.

“We sometimes show Will really struggling with his dyslexia,” says Rodríguez. “There are times when he simply cannot read, and we show his frustration. Will is ashamed of his visual liability and works hard to keep it from being revealed.”

A Three-Dimensional Character in a Three-Piece Suit

According to Rodríguez, “Will is the kind of guy who loves working a crime scene. He lives for this stuff, and it sometimes creates tension between himself and the Atlanta Police Force.”

To present himself as a guy in charge and in control of the situation, he always shows up wearing a natty three-piece suit that gives him the aura of respectability, authority and being on top of things.

“I love Will’s outlook on life, his point of view and how he sees things differently than others do,” says Rodríguez. “Here’s a guy who grew up alone. Nobody helped him and yet because of his tragic childhood he is someone who cares and wants to help others in need.”

Rodríguez shares, “in the pilot we demonstrate this quality when will adopts a chihuahua dog he doesn’t like or want but can’t stand the idea of it being left alone and helpless like he was. This immediately shows the heart and I love that. This guy has a lot of heart.

Atlanta As A Character

Will Trent is shot on location in Atlanta, Georgia because as Rodríguez points out, “The novels take place in Atlanta. We shoot on location here in Atlanta, so the city is a real character. We want to capture that energy, heat and vibe,” explains Rodríguez. “Our stories are mostly Atlanta-based stories. In one episode we tell a story that takes place at a lake here that has a history that we mine for a story.”

Atlanta is rapidly becoming a center of entertainment production. Rodríguez indicates that the show is surrounded by so much talent. In addition to Rodríguez, the cast of Will Trent features Erika Christensen, Iantha Richardson, Jake McLaughlin and Sonja Sohn .

Executive producers are Liz Heldens, Daniel Thomsen, Karin Slaughter and Oly Obst. Ramón Rodríguez is a producer and the star of Will Trent. His tireless dedication and commitment to the character of Will Trent results in a relatable special agent who is resilient in the face of his adversities and liabilities, a relentless unorthodox crime solver but ultimately tempered and defined by his innate sense of decency and genuine humanity.

In the pilot episode of Will Trent premieres on ABC on January 3, Special Agent Will Trent relies on his keen instincts and unique experience to uncover the truth when a murder investigation reveals there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

The post Ramón Rodríguez Brings Special Agent Will Trent to Life in New ABC Series first appeared on .

I have built my career in journalism highlighting the triumphs of our Latino community collective through our publication, now online www.latinheat.com. Believe me when I say that we are finally being given opportunities in all aspects of the entertainment industry. The days of slim pickings are behind us. There is still work to be done to reach parity, but we have made progress. However, there is also much more to do and more competition. Talent is key for the continued growth of the presence of Latinos in Hollywood and beyond; with that comes the raising of the bar and the need for everyone to up their game!

It’s an exciting time and we will record the milestones in this column, by following the “Latino surge” in the industry as well as spotlighting the issues that pertain to Latino/as. As an opinion piece, it will represent my voice and not necessarily the position of Latin Heat, a news platform that strives to be impartial.
It will be a fun ride and I hope you will want to chime by leaving a comment to enrich the discussion.

So let the Talks begin.

First off we cannot let the month of January pass without acknowledging major firsts in Hollywood.

HISTORIC THREE GOLDEN GLOBE WINSThis year in their non-televised and no-celebrity awards show, the Golden Globes upped their past record of one Latina award winner. This year three Latinas took home the GG. Rachel Zegler became the first Latina in GG history to win the Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical award, Ariana DeBose took the Supporting Actress prize, both for their work in Steven Spielberg’s re-dux of West Side Story. On the television side, MJ Rodriguez won for her role on the FX show Pose. Encanto and its producers, among them Yvette Merino, writer Charise Castro Smith, and composer Germaine Franco, all noted for their work on the animated feature that took the top prize of Animated Film.

What other mainstream awards shows have this track record?

I have always had a special connection to the Golden Globes as I have observed the inclusion of more Latinos at these high-profile awards than any other mainstream awards show. The GG were the first to nominate and bring attention to Latina and Latino talent before other awards shows. (full disclosure, last year I was appointed to the Credentialing Committee for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association who produce the Golden Globes. My feelings towards the inclusion of the GG were formed prior to the recent snafu that they are currently facing.

The list of Latinos who have won a GG is impressive. Latinos honored include: Benicio del Toro, Guillermo del Toro, Gina Rodriguez, America Ferrera, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Andy Garcia, Jimmy Smits, and Rita Moreno, among others. It put them on the map. Both del Toros and Iñarritu were the only ones that went on to win an Oscar for the same projects they received their GG for. But the careers of Rodriguez and Ferrera literally took off with their GG wins.

ANOTHER WIN FOR THE POWER OF LATINA LEADS

The film Scream, released earlier this month, has proven once again that Latinos will support Latino/a leads in a film franchise – especially if it’s a horror flick.

Melissa Barrera(In The Heights, Vida) and Jenna Ortega (Yes Day, Jane the Virgin) play sisters in the latest Scream franchise film. On its opening weekend it beat every other film at the boxoffice with a resounding $30M and to date has made $85.6 million internationally.
That box office could be due to the fact that Latinos LOVE horror flix…so maybe in this case Latinos did go support the film which had Latinas in the lead? We will take that.

‘PROMISED LAND’ AND LATINO WINEMAKERS

There is a new ABC TV series, Promised Land, that just premiered Jan. 24. It’s a Dallas-like TV show set in California’s wine country, Sonoma Valley, where Mexican-American families have gone from working in the fields picking grapes to becoming vintners and, ultimately, to owning the winery. Two of those families include Maria and Reynaldo Robledo who founded the Robledo Family Winery in Sonoma, the first winery established by Mexican Americans. In 1988 The Ceja winery was founded by Amelia, Pedro, Armando and Martha Ceja.

Promised Land is patterned after these families who are also multi-generational. That may be the only resemblance between real life and the television family. The TV show has the telenovela style of intrigue, power, jealousy and money. It follows more along the lines of past successful primetime shows like CBS’ Dallas, ABC’s Dynasty (1981) and CBS’ Falcon Crest which ran from 1981 to 1990 and did have some Latino regulars in the cast (Ana Alicia and Lorenzo Llamas). ABC describes the Promised Land as, “An epic, generation-spanning drama about a Latinx family vying for wealth and power.”

In 2006 CBS premiered Cane with the patriarch played by Jimmy Smits (In The Heights, How to Get Away With Murder). It was a generational series, however, this time about the Cuban-American Vega family and their sugarcane business. Seasoned and well known Latino actors lead the cast, Hector Elizondo (Last Man Standing), Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Nestor Carbonell (The Morning Show), Oscar Torre (7th & Union). However, it was cut short in its first season when the great writers’ strike of 2007 forced it off the air temporarily. It was forgotten after the strike, never to be seen or heard of again.

Here’s to a better fate for Promised Land which, pardon the pun, looks “promising.” John Ortiz leads a very talented cast which includes many fresh new faces.

ANOTHER HONOR FOR LEGENDARY EGOT

Rita Moreno has been selected to receive the 2022 Stanley Kramer Award at the 33rd annual Producers Guild Awards on March 19. That is another honor to add to more than 30 film, TV and music awards by the Puerto Rican star. She is among a selected group of artists who have won the four major American entertainment awards, the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony–hence EGOT. Moreno is also among a distinguished roster of performers who have accomplished what is known as the Triple Crown of Acting, with individual competitive Academy, Emmy and Tony prizes for acting. Furthermore, she has received several lifetime achievement awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Kennedy Center Honor a Peabody Award.

LOOK OUT FOR JENNA ORTEGA

In 2022 Jenna Ortega started the year with a lead role in Scream and will next star in The Fallout, which premiered Jan. 27 on HBO Max. The film follows two teenage classmates navigating grief after surviving a school shooting. AND…many are anxiously awaiting to see her in the title role of Tom Burton’s Netflix’s live action film Wednesday, an offshoot of The Addams Family. She is one of the youngest and brightest stars in Hollywood. Ortega was seen last year in director Miguel Arteta’s Yes Day, starring alongside Jennifer Garner and Edgar Ramirez.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Actress Maria Canals-Barrera is a recent cast addition to NBC’s Kenan. Catch her work TONIGHT in the final episode on January 31, on NBC 8/7c.

Until next time.

The post HOLLYWOOD TALKS: Latina Award Winners, ‘Promised Land’ and More first appeared on .

Hamilton actress and singer Ariana DeBose and Encanto singer Sebastián Yatra will appear on the ABC special The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration Nov. 28.

DeBose will join country singer and Rock of the Ages actress Julianne Hough in the rendition of “We Need a Little Christmas,” “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” and “Holiday” medley.

The Carolina-born DeBose debuted on the TV series So You Think You Can Dance in 2009, and has alternated acting between Hollywood and theater stages. Her credits include the vampire series True Blood, the drama series One Life to Live, the indie film Daphne and the musical plays Hairspray and Bring It On. The Afro-Latina actress has played the roles of famous singers in Broadway productions, like Mary Wilson in Motown and Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Her role in Hamilton in 2015 meant she was part of the musical’s original cast whose live performance was filmed for Disney+’s Hamilton. 

For his part, multiple Latin Grammy-nominated Yatra will sing “Dos Oruguitas,” track number six on the soundtrack for Disney’s animated film Encanto, which is set in a fantastical Colombia. The song was written and composed by Grammy Award-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame. The song also was produced by Miranda along with Mike Elizondo. “Dos Oruguitas” is one of a few songs in Spanish among the movie soundtrack’s 45 tracks. The film’s album was released one week before the film’s premiere Nov. 24 in time for Thanksgiving weekend.

Yatra has received eight nominations for the Latin Grammy, the two most recent in 2020 for his collaboration with Colombian singer Juanes in the single “Bonita”–both as Song of the Year and Best Pop Son. 

The Medellin-born and Miami-raised Yatra will also perform a “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” medley in the yuletide TV special. 

In The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration, DeBose and Yatra will join a lineup that includes artists like Julianne Hough, Jimmie Allen, Kristin Chenoweth, Darren Criss, Brett Eldredge, Needtobreathe, Switchfoot, Norah Jones and Gwen Stefani.

The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration” and “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade” are executive produced by Sally Conner for Disney Parks, who brought on production company 45 Live and executive producer Michael Antinoro.

The Nov. 28 show will air from 7 to 9 p.m., Eastern Standard Time/Pacific Standard Time. 

Featured Photos: Ariana DeBose (Credit: Kat Hennessey/Courtesy of artist) / Sebastian Yatra (Credit: Courtesy, self)

The post Two Latino Stars Join ABC’s Christmas Special first appeared on .

ABC has released the first music video for Queens, the upcoming drama series co-starring  Nadine Velazquez of My Name Is Earl fame. The show premieres Oct. 19.

“Nasty Girl” is directed by Queens executive producer Tim Story and features Velazquez and co-stars Eve, Naturi Naughton and Brandy performing in ’90s hip-hop style. The video came out hours after the release of the single by Def Jam Recordings, the official label partner for all original music for the show. Swizz Beatz is the executive music producer for all of the original music in the series.

Story has directed music videos for NSYNC, Tyrese Gibson, Sonique, India Arie, Beenie Man, Avant and Pete Rock. His film credits include comedy/drama Barbershop and the superhero Fantastic Four franchise. 

The new single and video is the first taste that audiences are getting of Queens, a show that revolves around four ex-members of a defunct ‘90s hip-hop female band who reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger. About three decades ago, they became legendary in the music business as Nasty Bitches but now the 40-something-year-old old women are estranged and out of touch. 

Chicago-born Velazquez is best known as Catalina Aruca on the Primetime Emmy-winning comedy series My Name Is Earl and as Sofia Ruxin on the comedy series The League. The first series won the Puerto Rican actress four nominations to the Alma Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. Her credits also include the TV series Six and the feature films Flight opposite two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington and Snitch opposite Dwayne Johnson.

In Queens Velazquez plays Valeria, a.k.a. Butter Pecan. The cast also features Eve as Brianna, a.k.a. Professor Sex, Naturi Naughton as Jill, a.k.a. Da Thrill, and Brandy as Naomi, a.k.a. Xplicit Lyrics. The cast also includes Taylor Sele as Eric Jones and Pepi Sonuga as Lil Muffin.

The series is exec produced by Zahir McGhee and Sabrina Wind along with Story and produced by ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios. 

Featured Photo: Nadine Velazquez (Credit: Joel Maisonet)

The post ABC Releases First Music Vid for Upcoming ‘Queens’ Series first appeared on .

John Ortiz, Christina Ochoa Head to ABC’s Promised Land

The epic, generation-spanning drama Promised Land is heading to primetime. It is ABC’s second pilot drama series picked up for the 2021-22 season. The series is about two powerful Latino dynasties that rule California’s Sonoma Valley, starring John Ortiz (Togetherness, Rake) and Christina Ochoa (Animal Kingdom, Blood Drive).

The stellar cast is led by Ortiz as Joe Sandoval, Ochoa as Veronica Sandoval.  The cast is rounded out by Cecilia Suarez as Lettie Sandoval, August Aguilera as Mateo, Mariel Molino as Camila Sandoval, Tonatiuh as Antonio Sandoval, Andres Velez as Carlos, Katya Martin as Juana and Rolando Chusan as belly. Cuban-American scripter Matt Lopez (Gone, Gothica), wrote the pilot and is also executive producer. 

Lopez is also currently writing the film remake of Cuban-American centered remake of The Father of the Bride for Warner Bros. that stars Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Adria Arjoa, Isabela Merced, and Diego Boneta. Lopez has also developed other ABC projects, most recently the CTV drama Gone, starring Chris Noth, Leven Rambin and Danny Pino. His film credits include The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Race to Witch Mountain, and Bedtime Stories.

Promised Land is also executive produced by Adam Kolbrenner and Maggie Malina and set to direct and executive produce is Michael Cuesta.  Promised Land is an ABC Signature studio project. 

It is encouraging to see the film and television industry slowly picking up again after the devastating pandemic brought it to a complete halt. While the pandemic continues to hit the TV pilot season hard, it is wonderful to see networks slowly picking up new pilots during this year as they sort through the pilots in the pipeline from last year.

John Ortiz is repped by Gersh, Principal Entertainment LA, Schreck Rose Dapello. Christina Ochoa is repped by Buchwald and The Gersh Agency, and Matt Lopez is repped by Lit Entertainment Group and  Lichter Grossman.

AFI FEST Opening Night Film: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ‘tick, tick…BOOM!’ 

After Lin-Manuel Miranda’s critical success with his award-winning In The Heights, he now presents his feature directorial debut of tick, tick…BOOM! at this year’s AFI Fest Opening Night on November 10 at the TCL Chinese Theatre. 

Miranda, a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner goes behind the camera for his next musical which is a semi-autobiographical about a promising young theater composer who on the cusp of his 30^th birthday navigates love, friendship, and the pressures of life as an artist in New York City. Sound familiar? Yeah, it’s about Miranda’s rise from struggling New York artist.

Currently, in post-production, tick, tick…BOOM! stars Andrew Garfield as Jon, the young theater composer, Aleandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus, Joshua Henry, and current Emmy Award nominees MJ Rodriguez and Bradley Whitford, Tariq Trotter aka Black Thought of The Roots, with Judith Light and Vanessa Hudgens. It is written by Steven Levenson, and produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard for Imagine Entertainment, Julie Oh and Miranda. 

According to industry buzz, AFI scoping up Miranda’s directorial debut was a coup because they beat other major film festivals for his highly anticipated movie. This drama is based on the musical of the same name by Jonathan Larson. The screenplay is written by Steven Levenson.

“AFI Fest 2021 will captivate our community of film lovers, starting with our opening-night film, tick, tick…BOOM!” said Sarah Harris, Director of Programming at AFI Festivals.  “We’re thrilled to elevate the best I global cinema to audiences safely in theaters in Los Angeles and across the nation virtually, celebrating the beauty and power of film.”

AFI Fest is moving on despite the surging COVID-19 challenges and is pushing forward with its prestigious film festival running November 10^th through the 14^th.  AFI is not the only festival continuing, others for this fall include Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York and London have also announced they are back on at full speed. AFI will use a “hybrid model featuring both in-person screenings and events in L.A., as well as virtual screenings.” 

Netflix first acquired the film in June of 2019, and principal photography began in March 2020. COVID-19 pandemic shut down filming In April 2020. Production resumed in October 2020 and wrapped in November 2020. 

tick, tick…Boom! premieres on November 12^th in select theaters, and on Netflix starting November 19^th. Remember, AFI Fest will require that anyone who attends in-person gatherings be fully vaccinated.

Canela TV’s Cantinflas Birthday Streaming Fest

Tell your parents, grandparents and great grandparents that Canela TV is streaming all 52 episodes of the Cantinflas Shows for free!

In honor of the beloved Mexican comedian’s birthday (August 12, 1911), Cantinflas aka Mario Moreno, Canela TV is presenting the complete digital restoration of the beloved animated series Cantinflas Show.

Considered to be the most widely accomplished Mexican quintuple (comedian/actor/producer/writer/singer) who not only was celebrated throughout Mexico and  Latin America as a cultural icon, but also crossed over to be a Hollywood legend to star in such mega-hits as in the 1956 Mike Todd feature comedy, Around the World in 80 Days, The Three Musketeers (1942), and El supersabio (1948). During the span of his long career, Moreno garnered many award nominations and wins, including Golden Globes (1961), where he won a special award for comedy for his role in Pepe (1960). On October 10, 1980, he was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6438 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, CA. 

Born in Mexico, Moreno was the son of a Mexican postal employee, and was not only a prolific and productive television and movie star but also was quite intelligent and at 15 years, his parents sent him to agricultural college. But nine months later he ran away to join a “carpa” (traveling tent show) and began his career as an actor. He did, however, during his brief college stint, learn a lot about agriculture and medicine. Married to Valentina Ivanova from 1936 until her death. Moreno died on April 20, 1993. 

Although Moreno was a millionaire several times over and was one of the biggest stars ever in Spanish language films, he never forgot where he came from. He donated millions to charities dedicated to helping children. Moreno was aware that Latino children needed to see themselves reflected in the media. In 1972, he approached Televisa and the educational animated Cantinflas Show evolved. 

Through his animated series, viewers join Cantinflas on his different adventures through time and space where he visited with Shakespeare, saw the ancient pyramids, met Einstein, and even traveled to other planets. No doubt, Cantinflas aka Mario Moreno was ahead of his time.

According to IMDB trivia, Cantinflas was once described as the “world’s greatest comedian” by none other than Charles Chaplin. Indeed, the reason he was such a global success was for two main reasons: his films were enormously popular throughout Latin America and Spain, and he never lost his stardom after he became a star. 

Canela Media is a leading digital media tech company whose goal is to connect with multicultural audiences leading with its free streaming service, Canela TV, offering on-demand Latino-focused movies and TV entertainment through multiple platforms. 

Happy Birthday, Cantinflas! Looking Good at 110!

Latin Jazz: Rubén Blades & The Robert Delgado Big Band Salswing Tour!

Our favorite Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, is back! That’s right, Latin music icon, Rubén Blades returns to the stage with the Salswing Tour! & The Roberto Delgado Big Band, and will take him to eight major cities in the U.S.A.  

Salswing Tour! Is presented by the media company, Loud And Live, and takes place in Miami, New York, Los Angeles among others, starting out in San Jose, California on November 20, 2021. For tour scheduled dates CLICK HERE.

Blades’ opportunity to resume live concerts is finally here and it kicks off with an exciting tour, which is includes songs from his latest album along with his iconic hits, and is accompanied by amazing The Roberto Delgado Big Band. 

“We are very happy to be able to work and engage with our fans again, after almost two years without being able to do so. With the Roberto Delgado Big Band, a band of 20 musicians that continuously sounds better and better, we are eager and excited to share our latest album Salswing!, and my greatest hits… please make sure to get vaccinated,” stated Blades. 

Salswing! combines the origins of Latin Jazz and the mutual influences between Son rhythmic Afro-Caribbean music, and swing. Ladies, dust off those crystal encrusted salsa pumps and get ready to salsa-swing with your favorite dance partner. 

For more information, CLICK HERE

Or follow on www.facebook.com/Ruben.Blades.Oficial. www.instagram.com/ruben.blades. www.twitter.com/rubenblades

The post Lin’s ‘tick, tick BOOM’; John Ortiz in ABC’s ‘Promised Land’; Animated Canfinflas; and Ruben Blades in Concert first appeared on .

Queens revolves around four ex-members of a defunct ‘90s hip-hop female band who reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger. As Nasty Bitches they became legends of the music genre but today the 40-something-old women are estranged and out of touch. 

Co-starring along with Velazquez are singers/actresses Eve Jihan Cooper (Barbershop franchise), Brandy Norwood (Brandy) and Naturi Naughton (Power, Barbershop franchise), all of whom have singular nicknames like Butter Pecan, Professor Sex, Xplicit Lyrics and Da Thrill, respectively.

The series is exec produced by Zahir McGhee, Sabrina Wind and Tim Story and produced by ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios. The pilot episode was written also by McGhee and directed by Story.

Chicago-born Velazquez may be best known for her roles as Catalina Aruca on the Primetime Emmy-winning comedy series My Name Is Earl and Sofia Ruxin on the comedy series The League. The first series won the Puerto Rican actress four nominations to the Alma Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. Her credits also include the TV series Six and the feature films Flight opposite two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington and Snitch opposite Dwayne Johnson.

Featured Photo: Nadine Velazquez (Credit: Joel Maisonet)

The post Nadine Velazquez to Co-Star in ABC Series ‘Queens’ first appeared on .

Vanessa Ramos Universal TV Deal

Vanessa Ramos is finding a home with Universal Television, a Universal Studio Group division where the writer/producer scored a multi-year overall deal. Ramos, known as Co-Producer on Superstore, Supervising Producer on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and most recently, Co-Executive Producer on Kenan, will develop projects for Universal TV for different platforms. 

“We are thrilled to continue building our relationship with Vanessa, who is an extremely talented writer and has contributed greatly to every project she’s been a part of,” said Jim Donnelly, EVP of Comedy Development, Universal Televsion. “Her sense of humor and range of ideas will add greatly to our roster at Universal Televsion, and we are excited to be a part of her future.” 

The comedic writer began her television career as a staffer on the Comedy Central Roast, the Emmy-nominated series of celebrity roast specials. As for new projects, Ramos recently exec produced a single-camera workplace comedy for NBC with David Caspe (Black Monday), John Fox (Dolemite is My Name) and John Davis (Game Night). 

Ramos currently serves as a Co-Executive Producer of Mr. Mayor and has written on the TV shows Big Mouth, Bordertown, Crashing and Superstore, which had it’s series finale last month. 

“I could not be more thrilled to make it official with Universal Television,” said Ramos to Deadline. “The whole team has been nothing but supportive and nurturing of my voice as a writer throughout my career, and no one said anything when I pitched a show while wearing sweatpants. I’m looking forward to collaborating on all sorts of fun projects together.”

Ramos is repped by UTA and 3 Arts Entertainment.

Annie Gonzalez Joins ABC Comedy Pilot ‘Bucktown’ 

ABC’s Bucktown has two more coming! Annie Gonzalez (Gentefied) and newcomer Sofia Capanna will join Jane Lynch (Glee), Shannon Woodward (Westworld) and Nicole Richie (The Simple Life) in the new ABC multi-cam sitcom. 

Bucktown follows Amy, played by Woodward, who moves back into her mother’s home after her boyfriend dumps her right before a big promotion. Amy reconnects with her teenage niece living there as her sister is doing her latest stin in rehab.

The project, produced by ABC Signature, is also executive produced by Marc Provissiero (Pen15) and Mandy Summers (The Greatest American Hero). 

Gonzalez recently finished shooting the second season of Netflix’s Gentefied, a series that follows three cousins who work together to keep their Grandfather’s popular Boyle Heights taco shop in business as the neighborhood becomes more gentrified.

Annie Gonzalez is repped by the Smith & Hervey/Grimes Talent Agency.

Natalie Morales Takes Lead in CBS Untitled Comedy 

Natalie Morales (The Little Things) has landed a lead role in CBS’s comedy pilot based on Sarah Cooper’s book How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings. Also, cast in lead roles are Amy Landecker (Transparent) and Alice Lee (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist). 

The single-cam comedy will follow three women who are at different stages in their careers at a male-dominated company who help each other navigate modern gender politics in their professional and personal lives.

Morales will play Joanna, a conflict-averse, people-pleasing middle manager at the small tech company Lucent Muse. She lives with her boyfriend of two years, a sweet, loyal guy who might be too sweet and loyal for her.

Sarah Cooper penned the untitled series based on her book How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings with Cindy Chupack and Amy York Rubin directed. Morales also serves as a producer alongside Chupack, who serves as showrunner, and Executive Produces with Cooper and Nina Tassler, Denise Di Novi, via PatMa Productions. 

Morales’ acting credits include playing Detective Jamie Estrada on The Little Things and Michelle Gutierrez on Netflix’s Dead To Me. She directed and starred in Language Lessons, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and won the Audience Award at SXSW. The Florida native is an exec producer and director on Plan B, a feature comedy on Hulu that will be released in spring 2021. She is repped by CAA.

The post Vanessa Ramos TV Deal; Annie Gonzalez in Bucktown; Natalie Morales as Lead first appeared on .