Gonzalez was surrounded by many cast members of the film and TV projects she has worked on this year, as well as her family and close friends.

The event was hosted by NEFT Vodka at their headquarters in the city of El Segundo, California. The intimate, exclusive event had a feeling of familia. Special invited guests of seasoned talent who have literally paved the way for the next generation included actors Marlene Forte (Superstore, Star Trek), Enrique Castillo (In Other Words, Blood In Blood Out, DejaVu), Patricia Rae (All Rise) and Seidy Lopez (Selena: The Series, Mi Vida Loca), Art Bonilla (Gentefied) and Emmy Award-nominated writer-producer Nancy De Los Santos (Answer to My Prayers, Selena, Mi Familia).

The young cadre of Latino actors in Hollywood was in full force, a sign that Latinos are a new creative force on the big and small screens. Among the new stars that attended to celebrate Gonzalez were Julio Macias (Selena: The Series on My Block), Joseph Julian Soria (The Flight Attendant, Gentefied), Chelsea Rendon (Maya and the Three, Vida), Julissa Calderon (With Love, Gentefied), Jacqueline Grace Lopez (East Los High), Armida Lopez (Boss Level), Karina Noelle Castillo (NCIS, S.W.A.T.), Suanny Serpas (Eye for an Eye) Momo Rodriguez (Mayans MC) and Jesse Garcia (Flamin’ Hot, Narcos Mexico).

Other guests included Emmy Award-winning actor Terrence Terrell (Giants), NEFT Vodka’s Director of Business Development Enrique Velez, Brenda Herrera of The Herrera Agency, Gabriel Gonzalez of Grammy-winning band Quetzal, and Dr. Jose Luiz Ruiz, president of the Mexican-American Cultural Education Foundation, entertainment photographer Eddie Sakaki and Ruben Cardiel of the Raza Golf Club Association.

Featured Photo: Annie Gonzalez receives the Latin Heat Rising Star Award (Photo: Cesar Arredondo/Latin Heat)

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Latin Heat Media Founder and CEO  Bel Hernandez has been selected to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Credentials Committee. The committee selects new members of the HFPA, the group that presents the prestigious Golden Globe Awards.

Considered “The Godmother of Latino Hollywood,” Hernandez is one of five prominent outside journalism professionals recruited to join a committee key to diversifying the HFPA. The other members are journalist Tre’Vell Anderson, author and former TV anchor Terry Azur, publicist Toni B. Moston and USC assistant journalism professor Allissa Richardson. 

The appointments are hailed by HFPA as “one of the most important steps of their comprehensive reform plan announced in May,” when the nonprofit organization announced proposed changes to correct its failures. Those shortcomings were the subject of a Los Angeles Times expose last February which generated widespread criticism of the 78-year-old group about its inner workings and lack of diversity. After the reporting, some actors returned their Golden Globes, NBC canceled the broadcast of the awards ceremony and some HFPA members resigned.

With the Credential Committee namings and other recent changes and new proposals, the beleaguered association hopes to turn the page on this year’s controversies.  

“We are so grateful that these five highly respected journalism professionals—each with diverse backgrounds and extensive experience in their fields—are devoting their time and energy to ensure an inclusive makeup of our Association,” said recently installed HFPA Board President Helen Hoehne. “Just in the past few months, we’ve changed our governance structure from top to bottom. Inclusion will be at the core of our new organization, and this new structure will allow us to not only grow but continue to add unique, representative voices from journalists around the world.” 

Hernandez has worked as a journalist for more than four decades, with her work earning recognitions from the Hispanic Public Relations Association, Latina Style Magazine, La Opinion newspaper, Hispanic Lifestyle, National Hispanic Health Foundation, National Hispanic Media Coalition and the City of Los Angeles. 

For her work focused on Latinos in the film industry, Moviemaker Magazine dubbed Hernandez “The Godmother of Latino Hollywood.” Hernandez is at the helm of Latin Heat Media, a multi-media company creating content by and about Latinos for universal audiences. She wears many hats under the Latin Heat brand including the publisher of the online magazine Latin Heat Entertainment (LatinHeat.com), executive producer and co-host of TheTRENDTalk Show and co-founder of LATINAFest: Mind, Body & Soul, an annual event to empower Latina women.

Latin Heat’s unprecedented coverage has supported the growing impact of Latinos in Hollywood. Considered the third entertainment trade in Hollywood by many, the outlet provides business news coverage, latest breaking industry news, talent profiles, TV & films news, spotlight on talent in front and behind the camera, and inside research not found anywhere else on Latinos in Hollywood. 

An accomplished Hollywood businesswoman, Hernandez originally pursued acting as a career. And although she may have found big success as a multimedia mogul, she more recently appeared in The Purge: Anarchy and the indie film Pretty Rosebud directed by Oscar Torre.

Hernandez’s work and leadership led her to serve as a juror on the George Foster Peabody Awards Board, where she was the first Latina/o to serve as the chair of the board.  

“I am beyond honored to be part of the HFPA Credentialing Committee which is tasked with the important work of helping diversifying the make-up of their members to be as inclusive as possible,” said Hernandez. “I know first hand about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion”.

In late August, the HFPA selected a new 15-member board of directors, with four of them serving on the powerful body for the first time. This board selected Hoene as the new president in early September and also oversaw the selection of the five new outside members of the revamped Credentials Committee, which is expected to announce a “class of new members” in the next few days. 

In the past several weeks, the HFPA also appointed Shaka McGlotten, Santiago Pozo and Paula Williams Madison to its Advisory Board. Also, it named Jeff Harris, Joanna Dodd Massey and Sharlette Hambrick as the first independent board directors for the association.

Latin Heat’s Hernandez and the other four new appointees will help the Credentials Committee with its sole responsibility to “ensure potential members meet the proper requirements,” according to the association. The obscure membership approval process was one of the main criticism the exclusive, 80-something-member association has faced, leading to allegations of persistent cronyism and even racial discrimination.

The HFPA overhauled its criteria for new member applicants in August in an effort to make itself more inclusive. That includes:

• Applicants can now work for any foreign publication medium: print, radio, television, online, or be a photojournalist. The previous requirement allowed only print journalists.
• Applicants can live anywhere in the United States. This replaces the former requirement of living solely in Southern California.
• Applicants must submit eight examples of their journalistic work products from the past two years. The previous requirement was 24 examples over a three-year period. The credentials committee will set a required number of clippings in subsequent years.
• Eligibility is now expanded to journalists outside of those accredited by the Motion Picture Association, MPA.
• The sponsorship requirement is now eliminated and the role of the credentials committee will include third parties from credible journalistic and other organizations focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
• New members will immediately be allowed to vote on the Golden Globes, vote on board members and serve on committees.
• All current members will be required to meet the standards as incoming members for re-accreditation of their membership. This process will take place annually, and members may begin submitting materials to the credentials committee.

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Where to WATCH HERE

This weekend’s Cinco de Mayo LA festival will honor the contributions of Latinos to America’s filmmaking in over a century. The major event brings together dozens of world-famous Latino music stars and will also feature segments on culture, food, community empowerment, financial philanthropy and, crucial to a nation beating the pandemic, a call to Latinos to get vaccinated against COVID. 

The fest will feature “Latinos in Hollywood,” a series of video segments from the documentary The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of The Latino Image in Hollywood Cinema. This section is presented by Latin Heat Media. The videos feature legends like Anthony Quinn, Kathy Jurado, Raquel Welch, Rita Moreno and Rita Hayworth, among others. 

Some of the biggest stars in Hollywood in the first half of the twentieth century were Dolores del Rio, Ramon Novarro, Lupe Velez and Ricardo Montalban, according to Bel Hernandez of Latin Heat Media. LHM is the parent company of this website, LatinHeat.com, which has been covering Hollywood for over two decades.

“Cinco de Mayo LA is proud to bring you a glimpse of the history of Latinos in Hollywood in short clips of the groundbreaking and important documentary The Bronze Screen,” says Hernandez. “This documentary highlights, examines, analyzes and critiques the portrayal of Latinos in Hollywood over the course of a century. To know our history empowers us to learn to create a better future.”

The documentary was produced by multiple Primetime Emmy nominee Nancy De Los Santos (Selena, Resurrection Blvd.), Susan Racho (American Gladiators) and Alberto Domínguez. “Susan Racho and I are so very proud of being a part of this celebration with highlights from The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in Hollywood Cinema,” says De Los Santos. “This celebration – Cinco de May LA – is being held on May 29th, and in my mind… every day is Cinco de Mayo!”

It is fitting that one of the sponsors of the festival is Warner Bros. Pictures’ whose upcoming musical film In The Heights, features an all Latino cast, and on which the producers, Lin Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes, (also the writer) are Latinos. In The Heights premieres on June 11.

Slated for Sat., May 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. PST and co-hosted by Hollywood stars Rosario Dawson (The Mandalorian) and Melissa Barrera (upcoming In The Heights), the festival will feature about 20 Latino music stars will help raise awareness and funds for the California Rural Legal Assistance, a prominent legal aid nonprofit serving farmworkers. 

More than a third of U.S. farmworkers live in California and 92 percent of them are Latino, helping produce a third of the nation’s vegetables and more than 350 food commodities, according to festival organizers. “They have labored in the fields through the pandemic and are a driving force that keeps the nation’s grocery stores stocked,” says Manny Ruiz, festival co-producer. “Yet, despite the hazards that farmworkers face, they receive far fewer legal protections than most other workers.”

Presenting Sponsor, Latino Community Foundations,

The Latino Community Foundation is on a mission to unleash the civic and economic power of Latinos in California. LCF has the largest network of Latino philanthropists in the country and has invested $17 million to build Latino civic and political power and leadership in the
state. It is the only statewide foundation solely focused on investing in Latino youth and families in California.

Cinco de Mayo LA will also highlight the importance of Latinos taking the COVID vaccine. The pandemic has disproportionately affected Latinos. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Latinos are twice as likely to contract the virus as white adults are and 2.3 times more likely to die from it. Furthermore, vaccine access remains a challenge in many Latino communities.

Festival production company Brilla Media partnered with CRLA because of the organization’s 55-year track record of providing legal assistance in the areas of labor and employment, housing, health, and education to farmworkers throughout California, according to Ruiz, who is also a senior partner at Brilla Media. He says that celebrities and other guests will encourage donations for CRLA during the festival’s broadcast. “All of the donations submitted through this special festival link, http://weblink.donorperfect.com/CRLA-Cinco, will go directly to CRLA,” says Ruiz.

Other fest sponsors include Converse, WSS, Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming musical film In The Heights, Disney and Pixar’s upcoming animated film Luca, the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino and MyCajita.

The festival will be broadcast Sat., May 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. on the VMe national network, Viva Live TV’s OTT platform and streamed on the Facebook fan pages of Spanish Broadcast System stations like New York’s La Musica Mega 97.9 and 93.1 Amor, Los Angeles’s 97.9 La Raza and Mega 96.3, Miami’s El Zol 106.7, Zeta 92 and Ritmo 95.7, San Francisco’s 93.3 La Raza, Maria Marin Live and Cinco de Mayo L.A., among others.

For more information, visit https://www.cincodemayola.com.

The post Cinco de Mayo LA Fest to Pay Tribute to Hollywood Latinos first appeared on .

‘Vida’ Creator Tanya Saracho Launches Ojalá Productions

Tanya Saracho is marking her place among TV elites of showrunners and creating her own production company: Ojalá Productions and has hired Saracho hired Christine Dávila, most recently at Warner Bros. content studio Stage 13, to help her run the production studio. Dávila will be the Head of Development and Production for the studio. 

Saracho, best known as the creator of Vida, is a champion for diversity for Latinos and LGBTQ+ representation. She is also one of the founders of the Untitled Latinx Project which was established to help increase Latinx representation in television, broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms through content created by Latinx writers.

“It is a dream come true to be able to bring such a talented, energetic and accomplished Latina to help me kick off Ojalá,” Saracho told Deadline. “With Christine’s impeccable taste, undeniable intellect and boundless spirit, the possibilities are endless for us.”

“I’m grateful and truly invigorated to work with such an undeniable voice as Tanya’s,” Dávila said of the producer-writer. “Vida was a game changer and there is a lot more where that came from. She is intentional and unapologetic, and committed to supporting Latinx talent in all aspects of the industry and in the most inclusive way.”

Dávila is a prime pick to work with for Saracho having been a member of the programming teams at the Sundance Film Festival, the LA Film Festival and the Morelia International Film Festival. Dávila was also instrumental in helping Diego Luna (Narcos: Mexico, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Gael García Bernal’s (Coco) with their traveling documentary film festival, Ambulante.

Saracho recently penned an overall deal with UCP (Universal Content Productions) that includes the creation of a lab and program for Latino voices. Since the acclaimed Vida ended its three-season run on Starz, Saracho has remained busy working with musician Johnny Flynn (Stardust) on the Love Story pilot for UCP. The pilot will focus on a different heartbreak each season. The first season will feature a Latinx friendship that is tested when the friends become involved with the same musician. 

Saracho is repped by UTA, Writ Large and J.R. McGinnis at Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson.

Rosario Dawson Makes Debut As Key ‘Clone Wars’ Character in ‘The Mandalorian’

Rosario Dawson finally made her debut on The Mandalorian as Jedi Ahsoka Tano. 

Ahsoka was a fan favorite from Star Wars: Clone Wars and fans have been eager to meet her in the series since Bo-Katan told Mando (Pedro Pascual) that he would need to track her down. Until now, Ahsoka’s character was only seen as a cartoon and was voiced by Ashley Eckstein (Star Wars: Clone Wars). 

This role resulted initially as a Dawson fan-cast for the role on Twitter. Dawson retweeted the fan tweet with immediate interest in the character. Although that’s not how she was ultimately casted for the role, it definitely served as a treat for fans who knew she’d be the perfect Ahsoka. 

Dawson was seen most recently as Allegra Dill on Briarpatch and is best known for her roles in Rent, Eagle Eye, The Lego Batman Movie and Clerks II.

She is set to star in HBO Max’s limited-series DMZ, an adaptation of the DC comic book series by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli. The series being exec produced and directed by Ava DuVernay. Roberto Pattino is set to write the limited-series as well as exec produce alongside DuVernay. 

HBO’s ‘Scenes From A Marriage’ Production Halted Due To Covid-19

The wait to see Oscar Isaac in HBO’s Scenes From A Marriage may have gotten a little bit longer. The adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s miniseries starring Isaac and Jessica Chastain has been shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The limited series has paused after two production members have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. In order to comply with safety protocols, the two members are in isolation, production is undergoing deep cleaning, contact tracing and testing of all the production members.

Scenes From A Marriage was written and directed by Hagai Levi (Our Boys, The Affair), the series will examine the intricacies of love, marriage and divorce. Isaac and Chastain are set to star as the contemporary American couple that will walk us through these lessons. 

Levi is exec producing with Michael Ellenberg (Prometheus, Stoker), Lars Blomgren (The Bridge), Chastain, Isaac, Daniel Bergman, Blair Breard (The Half of It, Baskets) and Amy Herzog (Mary Jane).

This isn’t the first time Isaac and Chastain grace our screens together, they previously starred together in A Most Violent Year.

Eugenio Derbez To Star In Apple TV+ Bilingual Comedy Series ‘Acapulco’

Eugenio Derbez is set to star in the TV series Acapulco, a Spanish and English-language comedy that was inspired by his 2017 comedic hit film How to Be A Latin Lover. The series will be on Apple TV+ and will be exec produced by Derbez. 

The series was created by Austin Winsberg (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), Eduardo Cisneros (Half Brothers, Instructions Not Included) and Jason Shuman (Half Brothers).

Acapulco will follow a young man who lands an amazing gig at the hottest resort in Acapulco who soon finds himself in over his head when the job is more complicated than he expected. The job soon has the young man questioning his beliefs and morals. The show is set in 1984 with Derbez narrating and playing the present-day version of the main character.

Winsberg will serve as showrunner, with Chris Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as co-showrunner. The two will executive produce alongside Derbez and Odell via 3Pas, Eric and Kim Tannenbaum for the Tannenbaum Co. as well as Shuman and Cisneros. The Tannenbaum Co’s Jason Wang co-executive produces. Gaz Alazraki (Nosotros Los Nobles) will direct and executive produce the pilot.

The post Spotlight: Rosario Dawson’s Jedi, Tanya Saracho’s ‘Ojalá’, Eugenio Derbez In ‘Acapulco’; Oscar Isaac On Hold first appeared on .