comedian -

The Power of Fluffy

Roberto Leal — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 06:25:10 +0000

Chicano Funnyman Lights Up the Comedic World

by Roberto Leal

Imagine a Chicano Pillsbury Doughboy comic made from aromatic masa fina para tortillas rather than refined white flour. Imagine this “muchacho” echoed masa wearing short pants and a gaudy Hawaiian shirt topped off with a small cap. Now further imagine this big lovable hunk of Latino performing in packed stadiums before thousands of adoring loyal fans enjoying his “clean” humor and seemingly endless character voices and impressions that would put Mel Blanc to shame. Imagine all that and voila! you have Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, the chuckling, cherubic comedian whose star is rising higher and faster than a NASA rocket into The Outer Limits.

Fluffy’s Power Source

Iglesias recently became the first comedian in history to sell out Dodger Stadium for a May stand-up comedy concert that will be turned into a Netflix special joining his other two Netflix specials currently streaming on Netflix. But this should come as no surprise. Iglesias has been selling out concert venues of all sizes for years. It has been facetiously speculated by comic historians that Fluffy’s court jester ancestors routinely sold-out Greek amphitheaters and the Roman Coliseum.

Iglesias was born in San Diego but grew up in Long Beach. “My comedy heroes and influencers were Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, Paul Rodriguez and Billy Crystal,” says Iglesias. He told his first joke when he was ten years old in a school talent show.

According to Iglesias, everything changed for him in 1997at a comedy club. “I wasn’t supposed to go up on stage. They had a show, and the emcee did not show up,” he recalls, “A friend of mine was friends with the promoter. My buddy reminded me I always wanted to do stand-up and convinced me to emcee the show.” That impromptu gig resulted in Iglesias getting booked to do stand-up in other comedy clubs. And the rest, as they say, is comedy legend history.

While Fluffy’s comedy routine has its roots in his Hispanic heritage and background it has proven to have universal crossover appeal to a wide diverse audience. As a result, Iglesias is now one of America’s most successful stand-up comedians performing at sold-out concerts around the world. He is also one of the most-watched comedians on YouTube with almost a billion views and has over 25 million fans across social media.

The Sweet Smell of Success

Iglesias has more irons in the fire than an overworked village blacksmith. His TV series, Mr. Iglesias (2019-2020), is still streaming on Netflix and is still hip and funny. His two comedy specials, Gabriel Iglesias: I’m Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry and Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias: One Show Fits All, are still showing strong on Netflix. A third comedy special titled A Comedy Event scheduled to be taped in San Antonio will also be streaming on Netflix.

He also has several other projects in development:

I, Chihuahua: No, I, Chihuahua is not a Mexican pooch spoof of Mickey Spillane’s detective novel, I, the Jury. This Netflix animated feature film, which will be directed by Jorge Gutiérrez (Maya and the Three, The Book of Life) will star Iglesias as Chacho, a masked luchador Chihuahua who becomes Luchcho when he puts on the Lucha Libre mask. Chacho goes on a hilarious, action-packed adventure fighting for family and home. I, Chihuahua is writer and director Gutiérrez’s affectionate Valentine to the popular Mexican art and sport of Lucha Libre.

Hungry: Iglesias joins the NBC comedy pilot and is set as a regular cast member. James Burrows (Cheers, Friends, Will & Grace) will direct NBC’s multi-camera comedy pilot which will be executive produced by Demi Lovato (Camp Rock, Sonny with a Chance). Hungry is about a bunch of friends who belong to a food issues support group. They help each other find love, success, and the perfect snack in the fridge.

Space Jam: A New Legacy: Iglesias will do the voice of Speedy Gonzalez. Ironically, it was Mel Blanc, the Warner Bros. voice actor legend (Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny) who first did the voice of Speedy Gonzalez. Like Blanc, Iglesias has a multitude of voice characters he uses in his stand-up routine and could easily do all the voices in this movie.

What’s left for Fluffy to do? He has already appeared in several movies, lent his talented voice to many animated features and is the undisputed king of large stadium comedy concerts. He could host the Oscars, but he would have to find a tux with short pants. Surely seeing a floating Fluffy balloon character in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade can’t be too far behind.

Success Through Laughter

Forbes Magazine ranks Iglesias as one of the top ten highest-earning comedians of all time. He has proven himself to be a skillful businessman and entrepreneur with several highly profitable online stores selling a huge variety of merchandise. Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias has turned that one joke he told as a ten-year-old kid at a school talent show into a multi-million-dollar entertainment empire. “Fluffy” is no longer just a nickname, it’s a global brand name. But his main product is still laughter and we, his worldwide audience, are the richer for it.

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Bill Cosby Speaks Out After Overturned Conviction, Says ‘I Have Always Maintained My Innocence’

latinheat — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 04:56:36 +0000

WASHINGTON — After being released from a Pennsylvania state prison, American actor and comedian Bill Cosby, on July 1, shared a social media post breaking his silence on the decision.
Alongside a photo of himself with his fist raised, Cosby shared a statement on Twitter.

“I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters, and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law,” he said.
As per a media report, in a stunning reversal, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, and he was allowed to walk free just hours later.

The 83-year-old was freed after having served more than two years of his 10-year sentence for aggravated indecent assault on Temple University basketball coach Andrea Constand at his home in 2004.

At Cosby’s first trial, in 2017, a judge had allowed only one other accuser to testify, and the jury was unable to reach a verdict. But at his retrial, five other accusers were allowed to testify, and he was ultimately sentenced to three to 10 years in prison.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed that decision on the grounds that the testimony at the trial was tainted and could be considered an attack on Cosby’s character, despite a lower court also finding that Cosby had demonstrated a pattern of drugging and molesting women.
“The collective weight of these considerations led D.A. Castor to conclude that, unless Cosby confessed, there was insufficient credible and admissible evidence upon which any charge against Mr. Cosby related to the Constand incident could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” the decision read.

Why was he convicted?
The actor-comedian was convicted in 2018 following a number of sexual assaults, typically the one involving Constand. Cosby was arrested on charges of drugging and sexually assaulting Constand at his suburban house in 2004. However, instead of apologizing to her, the comedian promised to serve his entire 10-year jail time.

Constand, 45, said that Cosby gave her three blue pills and knocked her out. Then as she lay there, unable to say no, he penetrated her with his fingers. However, Cosby said that the act at his Philadelphia residence was consensual, and he only gave her allergy and cold medicine to ease up.
Post this, more than 60 women came forward and accused Cosby of rape and assault allegations.
Reactions
Many survivors, activists, and advocates have expressed their disappointment with the decision to free him.
In a joint statement on June 30, Constand and her lawyers said that the decision might discourage sexual assault survivors from coming forward and seek justice.
“Today’s majority decision regarding Bill Cosby is not only disappointing but of concern, in that it may discourage those who seek justice for sexual assault in the criminal justice system from reporting or participating in the prosecution of the assailant or may force a victim to choose between filing either a criminal or civil action,” they said.
Victoria Valentino, one of Cosby’s accusers, spoke to the National Public Radio and stated that the court’s decision had left her stunned.
“I was stunned. I was stunned,” she said.
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing because we had just received a letter from the victim advocate division at Norristown in Montgomery County, Penn., courthouse that his parole was denied.”
“We weren’t expecting to get that judgment until probably September 25, which would have been three years of his 3-to-10 sentence. And so, when we got that, we felt validated and vindicated again. And then to suddenly get this out of the left-field, I — we are just all stunned, just stunned,” said Valentino.
Lisa Bloom, who was representing three of the Cosby survivors, said that she and the accusers were disgusted as his charges got overturned.
“The 3 Bill Cosby accusers I represent and I are disgusted that he is a free man today,” she said.
“He is not released because he is innocent. He is released because a prosecutor promised him years ago that he would not be brought to justice, without even making a deal for him to do time.”
Temple University professor and renowned journalist Marc Lamont Hill also expressed his anger on Cosby’s release.
“BILL COSBY IS NOT INNOCENT. HE HAS NOT BEEN EXONERATED,” he said.
“His release means that Cosby, a sexual predator, was incarcerated within a criminal legal system that has as little regard for its own rules and procedures as Cosby does for his victims.”
Even the Twitterati expressed their discontent with this recent decision by trending #BillCosbyIsARapist.
“So #BillCosby has been released from prison. This right here is a prime reason why women don’t come forward to report their sexual assaults! #BillCosbyIsARapist,” a user said.
“I can’t even comprehend this. I’m sick to my stomach. Shaking. How do those 60 women feel??? A monster is getting away with drugging women and raping them. If you defend him in any way, unfollow me NOW. #rape #BillCosbyIsARapist #MeToo #NoJustice,” another user said.
(With inputs from ANI)
(Edited by Anindita Ghosh and Nikita Nikhil)

The post Bill Cosby Speaks Out After Overturned Conviction, Says ‘I Have Always Maintained My Innocence’ appeared first on Zenger News.

The post Bill Cosby Speaks Out After Overturned Conviction, Says ‘I Have Always Maintained My Innocence’ first appeared on .

Comedian Chris Estrada Lands Pilot at Hulu

latinheat — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 22:20:51 +0000

Stand up comedian Chris Estrada will be executive producing and starring in the new Hulu half-hour comedy pilot entitled Punk Ass Bitch. Also onboard as executives producers are SNL alum Fred Armisen and Jonathan Groff (Black-ish executive producer)

Estrada was born and raised in South Los Angeles and is a self-described “Ghetto Latino Punk Rocker.” In 2019 Comedy Central singled him out as the “Next Up Comedian,” and he has sure lived up to that title.

Estrada will write the series along with the three creators of Comedy Central’s Corporate, Jack Weisman, Matt Ingebretson, and Pat Bishop.

The series is inspired by Estrada’s own life growing as the L.A. hood, with Estrada playing Julio Lopez, a guy with a heart of gold who doesn’t always get the respect he deserves and wants.

https://youtu.be/V49CBAFDyPs

Casting is currently underway on this ABC Signature production, which is the first project under Estrada’s overall deal with ABC. Estrada was seen recently in a half-hour comedy special Entre Nos for HBO Latino

Estrada is repped by UTA, Jordan Tilzer at El Centro, and Morris Yorn.

— Latin Heat News Service

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