TV Series:  Mayans M.C.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Creators: Elgin James, Kurt Sutter, 

Showrunner: Elgin James

CAST: JD Pardo, Clayton Cardenas, Sarah Bolger, Michael Irby, Carla Baretta, Raul Max Trujillo. Edward James Olmos

REVIEW

Get ready for the return of cool tunes, cooler bikes, and the coolest group of motorcycle dudes on TV, because FX has renewed Mayans M.C. for a 5th season.

Watching the Mayans M.C. roar down the highway on their Harleys sounding like approaching heavy metal thunder while gripping those butterfly handlebars, they look like a flock of bad-intentioned raptors searching for some prey to pounce on.

During the Dark Ages feudal lords had small armies of knights who protected the feudal lord from his rivals, helped collect taxes and tributes and controlled the peasants who lived on the lord’s land. Mayans M.C.is a modern hipper retelling of that medieval European reality. But now rather than European knights in shining armor on mighty steeds, we have leather-clad, tattooed Latinos on powerful chrome and steel “hogs”.

For four seasons, the Mayans M.C. have dealt with the usual drug cartel mayhem: battles with rival gangs over territory and distribution routes, protection and distribution of the Galindo heroin and cocaine, revenge killings, kidnapping, extortion and assassination, family secrets, and the audience can’t get enough of this.

Season 4 ended with EZ Reyes (JD Pardo) taking the reins of the club as the President of the Mayans after Marcus (Emilio Rivera) is ousted. All of this is cause for Angel’s (Clayton Cardenas) concern for his brother. Meanwhile, Galindo (Danny Pino) is revealed as “familia’ to the Reyes’ by the patriarch Felipe (Edward James Olmos).

Despite the fact that the Mayans are a motorcycle gang of arch criminals, you find yourself rooting for these “bad boys” because they do everything with kickass Latino gusto style and flair to a great soundtrack.  Bring on Season 5!

Producers: Elgin James, Kurt Sutter, Sean Trotta

Production Company: FX Productions

Distributor: FX Network

Available: FX, Hulu

Rating:

TV Series  Now and  Then

Genre: Crime, Drama. Mystery

Creators:  Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, Teresa Fernández+Valdés

Showrunners:  Ramón Campos, Teresa Fernández-V aldés

CAST: Mateo Guerrero, Naruba de Tavira, Maribel Verdú, Jose María Yazpik, Manolo Cardona, Soledad Villamil, Zeljko Ivanek, Rosie Perez

REVIEW

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive” —William Shakespeare. 

It’s an accepted historical fact that Richard Nixon didn’t have to resign his presidency because of the break-in at the Watergate hotel. He had to resign because of his subsequent cover-up and lies surrounding the third-rate burglary of the Democratic Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel by his “Plumbers.”

Now and Then is the multi-level story of five well-to-do individuals in Miami who have been covering up the mysterious death of one of their friends twenty years prior at a college graduation beach party. During the ensuing twenty years, these five people have formed a secretive cover-up bond that holds them together like connective tissue. The threads of their tangled web now weave through each other’s lives and affect them personally, politically, financially and emotionally.

Making matters more complicated now is Detective Sergeant Flora Neruda (Rosie Perez) who back twenty years ago was just a rookie cop on the initial investigation. But now she is back investigating the case and driven by a personal agenda  not to let “those rich kids get away with it again.”

Now and Then features a brilliant cast of actors from various Spanish-speaking countries. As a result, you will hear the distinctive accents from Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Argentina and Brooklyn. The creators and writers of this eight-part mini-TV series envision it will have global appeal. Now and then has all the ingredients for global appeal; an international cast, an intriguing mystery, complicated characters, and a plucky little latter-day Inspector Hercule Poirot-like detective sergeant in Perez bound and determined to figure out whodunit. 

Producers: Andres Barahona, Victor Fandiño, Luís Malet

Production Company: AppleTV+

Distributor: AppleTV+ 

Available:  AppleTV+

Rating:

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By Bel Hernandez Castillo

Look around and you will see Latinas rising and driving the cultural conversation in the U.S. From JLO’s recent marriage to Ben Affleck to Actress Ana de Armas (No Time to Die, Knives Out) playing Marilyn Monroe, to Adhara Pérez the young Mexican niña who has an IQ higher than Einstein, and at 9 years of age, is pursuing two degrees at the University of Arizona. And what about the future you ask? The fact that actress Zoe Saldaña is the star of the five Avatar films that are set in the future, well you know Latinas will be kicking butt well beyond “a galaxy far far away” for eons. But just who are these outspoken U.S. Latinas who are seemingly unstoppable in their quest to make a difference? MSNBC’s special The Culture Is: Latina has captured the frank and insightful conversation led by actress Justina Machado (One Day at a Time, Jane The Virgin) with some of these Latinas.

The Culture Is series returns with the second installment of the series of four specials. The Culture Is: Latina one-hour special will premiere Sunday, August 7 at 10 p.m. ET and will feature an exclusive one-on-one interview with Machado and Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress and activist Rosie Perez who currently stars in HBO Max’s dark comedy The Flight Attendant. Perez’s first acting role in Hollywood was in director Spike Lee’s feature Do the Right Thing. It changed the course of her life and eventually lead to an Oscar nomination for her work in Fearless.

Additionally, there will be an open roundtable dialogue with eight other high-profile Latinas who during their conversation explore Latinas’ racial diversity, the power of images and how they shape the perception of what it is to be Latina, and their increasingly growing economic and voting power — all experiences that have shaped them personally and professionally.

Machado‘s smart and sassy role as Army veteran Penelope Alvarez on One Day at A Time garnered her the title of “The most dynamic actress on TV” by the magazine Harpers Baazar. Machado will soon be seen in the upcoming Amazon series The Horror of Dolores Roach which is executive produced by Showrunner Gloria Calderon Kellett, who is also part of The Culture is: Latina conversation. The other women include:

• Bricia Lopez, James Beard Award-Winning Restaurateur and Author
• Janel Martinez, Writer and Founder of Ain’t I Latina? 
• Gina Torres, Actress and Producer (9-1-1: Lone Star)
• Gloria Estefan, Grammy-Award Winning Singer, Actress and Philanthropist 
• Gloria Calderón Kellett, Executive Producer and Showrunner 
• Julissa Arce, Author of You Sound Like A White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation
• Maria Hinojosa,Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist and Anchor of Latino USA 
• Mónica Ramírez, Co-founder and President of The Latinx House

The Culture Is: Latina is the second of a four-part special series highlighting Black, Latina, Asian American Pacific Islander, and Indigenous women.

“The Culture Is amplifies our efforts to elevate diverse voices across MSNBC’s cable and streaming platforms,” said MSNBC president Rashida Jones when the series was first announced in May. “It puts women at the forefront to tell their own stories and share their experiences directly with audiences.”

To watch The Culture Is: Latina tune in Sunday, August 7 at 10 p.m. ET. For more on this follow @MSNBC, and @JustinaMachado  on Twitter. 

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Morales will debut live Oct. 11. alongside current hosts former NFL player Akbar Gbajabiamila, fitness instructor Amanda Kloots, actor Jerry O’Connell and comedian Sheryl Underwood. The national show features the prominent personalities discussing current events, pop culture, family, celebrity and trending topics of the day. The hosts exchange stories and share their opinions on issues and events in the headlines. The show also features celebrity guest interviews, musical performances and cooking segments, as well as human interest stories. Morales is the only professional journalist on the show’s hosting panel. 

Morales is the second new host to join the show to join The Talk in three months. In July, O’Connell replaced Sharon Osbourne, who left the show after having a controversial on-air exchange with Underwood.

LATINO INCLUSION
With Morales’s arrival, The Talk will finally catch up with its rival The View on ABC on Latino representation. The latter New York-produced show has featured two Latinas in its 20-plus-years history–actress Rosie Perez was brought in in 2014 and political commentator Ana Navarro has been a co-host since 2018.

The Talk is broadcast live weekdays at the CBS Studio Center in Studio City, California. Morales has lived in Los Angeles since 2016.

“It’s an extraordinary opportunity to be joining this team at The Talk,” said Morales, a journalist who speaks Spanish and Portuguese, was born in Taiwan and spent much of the first 18 years of her life living overseas in Panama, Brazil and Spain as the daughter of an Air Force family. “I love the new energy and direction and couldn’t be more excited to join Sheryl, Amanda, Jerry and Akbar,” she added. “I’m looking forward to many good times while talking about the days’ topics, and I can’t wait to get going.” 

Morales was born in Taiwan while her Air Force family was stationed there. She graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and Latin American studies.  

LONG CAREER AT NBC
Morales comes from NBC Universal, a media company in which she spent 15 years as an anchor and national correspondent in some of the network’s most prominent national shows. Most recently she was West Coast anchor of NBC News’ Today, a correspondent for Dateline NBC as well as the anchor of Behind Closed Doors with Natalie Morales. 

She previously served as host of Access and co-host of Access Live and as news anchor of Today, co-hosting the show’s third hour. Morales joined Today in 2006 as a national correspondent and reported across all of NBCUniversal News’ platforms, including NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and MSNBC. 

In a Today first, Morales followed 20 children from the class of 2020–all of whom were born a year after 9/11–from their first day of kindergarten to graduation, amid a global pandemic nonetheless. In addition to hosting At Home With Natalie, Morales contributed to several major breaking news stories, including the sexual harassment scandals, the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the rescue of the Chilean miners in 2010. The latter coverage was seen worldwide and earned a National Headliner Award. 

EXCLUSIVES & NOTABLE INTERVIEWS
In August 2008, Morales had the exclusive jailhouse interview with the infamous convicted murderer and impostor Clark Rockefeller. Her other notable reports include the 2009 presidential inauguration; Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005; the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami; the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005; and the election of Pope Francis in 2013. She also reported on the royal wedding in 2011 and the birth of Prince George in 2013.  

As a part of the Shine a Light campaign in 2014, Morales ran in the Boston Marathon and raised over $70,000 for victims of the 2013 bombing. Morales has won three Daytime Emmy Awards as part of Today’s recognition as the best morning news program. She won a Robert F. Kennedy Award in international journalism for her report on Honduran lobster divers for Rock Center with Brian Williams in June 2013. She has won three Gracie Awards, one for Outstanding Series for her Dateline NBC special, “My Kid Would Never,” and two for her reporting in 2016 and 2017. 

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Natalie Morales join the Talk family,” said executive producers Heather Gray and Kristin Matthews. “We have been fans of her and her work for years. Her varied skill set and versatility are a great addition to our talented panel. Natalie’s intelligence, passion and enthusiasm always shine through in all her work, and we are fortunate to have her on the team. In addition to her role as an exceptional broadcaster, we believe her perspective as a wife and mother will provide a special connection with our audience.” 

The Talk airs weekdays, 2-3 p.m., ET and 1-2 p.m. PT/CT, on the CBS Television Network. It is available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. The show is produced by CBS Studios. 

Featured Photo: Natalie Morales (Credit: CBS)

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Actors Anya Taylor-Joy, Colman Domingo, Hamilton, Jason Rodriguez, MJ Rodriguez, Pedro Pascal and Rosie Perez stand out among the nominees for the inaugural Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards. Other notable candidates with Latino connections are the series Selena + Chef, Superstore and the film Hamilton. 

Founded in 2016, HCA’s mission is to “Bring together a passionate group of critics and journalists who represent the voices of a new era in Hollywood.” Formerly known as the Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society until 2019, the group has presented film awards since 2017. This is the first time it hands out television awards, which also include streaming platform categories.

Taylor-Joy is nominated for her role in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit in the category of Best Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Movie. Taylor-Joy’s orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon has earned her various accolades, including a SAG Award and a Golden Globe.

Domingo got a nod for his role in HBO’s Euphoria Two-Part Special for Best Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Movie.

The film Hamilton competes for Best Streaming Limited Series, Anthology Series or Live-Action Television Movie. The Disney+ feature, starring and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, captures the live performance on Broadway with the original cast of the multiple Tony Award-winning musical America’s founding father Alexander Hamilton.

Two Latino actors from the FX’s Pose contend in two different categories. Jason Rodriguez and MJ Rodriguez vie for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Drama, respectively.

Pascal scores his fourth award nomination for his leading role in The Mandalorian. He is nominated for Best Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama category for his role in Disney+’s sci-fi series.

Academy Award-nominee Rosie Perez gets a nom for Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy for her role in HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant.

Selena + Chef, the HBO Max that features singer/actress Selena Gomez, competes for Best Cable or Streaming Reality Series, Competition Series, or Game Show. 

And Superstore, the NBC comedy series starring and executive produced by America Ferrera, nabbed a total of three noms, including Best Broadcast Network Series, Comedy. 

NBC has a total of 29 nominations, the most out of all of the traditional broadcast networks with. Its popular series Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Young Rock, Superstore, Mr. Mayor and This is Us all boast multiple noms.

HBO leads the Cable categories, also with a total of 29 nods. Mare of Easttown, I May Destroy You, the Euphoria Two-Part Special and The Undoing have multiple nods. The cable channel’s streaming counterpart HBO Max also received various noms with Hacks and The Flight Attendant gathering the most. 

As more and more networks have started to expand into streaming, Netflix continues to lead the way with a total of 28 nominations spread across multiple categories including Best Streaming Docuseries, Documentary Television Movie, or Non-Fiction Series. The Crown received the most nominations of all the Netflix submissions with a total of six nods, including Best Streaming Series, Drama. 

The HCA TV Awards ceremony will be held at the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles Aug. 22.

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One of the nation’s most prominent Latino dance groups, the company was founded in 1970 in New York by Tina Ramirez, a dancer and choreographer who since her early beginning studied ballet, modern dance and ethnic dance. The Puerto Rican/Mexican-American artist would later incorporate those styles into the core programs of the company that is world-famous for presenting dances reflecting the experience of Hispanics and Latino Americans.

Ballet Hispánico’s New York City headquarters houses a School of Dance and state-of-the-art dance studios for its programs and the arts community. In 2010, the company launched Instituto Coreográfico, a choreographic institute for “Latinx artists to create culturally specific work in a nurturing learning laboratory of dance,” according to its website. The choreographer in residence is paired with an emerging filmmaker to document their process, create promotional materials and add a layer of artistic collaboration.

In recognition of her work and contributions to the field of dance, Ramirez received the National Medal of Arts in 2005. Created by the U.S. Congress, the award honors artists and patrons of the arts. 

Last year, the Ford Foundation designated Ballet Hispánico one of “America’s Cultural Treasures,” awarding the company $4.5 million over four years.

Oscar-nominated Miranda and Perez are scheduled to appear in the May 27 private virtual celebration featuring performances by Ballet Hispánico Company and artists of its School of Dance. The exclusive event will include a welcome and toast from Eduardo Vilaro, company artistic director, and a live post-performance conversation with company dancers. 

Ticket prices start at $150. Individuals who purchase tickets with multiple invitations will be able to invite guests to join them for the private screening at no additional cost. These multiple-invitation tickets start at $250. Ticket buyers and their guests will also have the opportunity to visit and mingle together in private virtual event rooms.

“This is an evening you won’t want to miss with performances from our Company dancers and School of Dance students in celebration of 50 years of Dance, Orgullo, Education, Sabor, Access, Amor, Community, Espíritu, and Innovation,” reads a company Facebook post. 

Adds Vilaro in another post, “It’s our celebration of 50 years of pride, dance, education and it’s going to be phenomenal.” 

Ballet Hispanico’s 50th Celebration will premiere virtually to the public for free this Friday with performances by Ballet Hispánico Company and artists of its School of Dance on YouTube, Facebook and ballethispanico.org. The ballet notes the May 28 event is free of charge “thanks to the generous support of our ticket buyers, donors, and sponsors. The performance will remain available for two weeks on the three online platforms.

The company has reportedly performed for more than two million people in the U.S, Europe and South America with a repertory of over 75 works, all of them created especially for Ballet Hispanico fusing ballet, modern and Latin dance in celebration of contemporary Latino culture. 

For tickets and more information, visit https://www.ballethispanico.org.

Featured Photo: Rosie Perez (Credit: Joella Marano), Ballet Hispanico (Credit: Courtesy of Company), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Credit: Gage Skidmore)

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The 24-year-old actress of Argentine descent defeated past Golden Globe and Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman, who competed for their roles in Mrs. America and The Undoing, respectively. Taylor-Joy acknowledged both acclaimed actresses in her acceptance speech. She also prevailed over Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones and Unorthodox’s Shira Haas, both of whom—like Taylor-Joy—were first time Golden Globe nominees.

However, in the case of The Queen’s Gambit star, she got two nods for the coveted award presented by Hollywood Foreign Press Association. She also vied for the Golden Globe for best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy for Emma. The award in that category went to Rosamund Pike for I Care a Lot.

A LONG WAY FROM ATLANTIS
The Golden Globe win is a big accomplishment for Taylor-Joy, who now has earned 11 awards and 26 nominations since her debut in the 2015 fantasy series Atlantis. Accolades started to roll in that same year with The Witch, a period horror film that won the actress nine film festival prizes. Other recent movies that have brought her recognition are Glass, Marrowbone, and Thoroughbreds.

Taylor’s Golden Globe was one of two awards for the series she leads. The Queen’s Gambit also took home the prize for best television limited series or motion picture made for television. 

The awards night also featured a few other Latino stars, including actresses Rosie Perez and Salma Hayek, who were presenters, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose Hamilton musical film was nominated in two categories—for best musical or comedy motion picture and for best actor.  

JANE FONDA’S MESSAGE
One of the biggest highlights of the event was the speech delivered by actress Jane Fonda while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award, honoring the outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. Her subject: diversity in Hollywood.

“You know, we are a community of storytellers, aren’t we?,” said the On Golden Pond actress. “And in turbulent, crisis-torn times like these, storytelling has always been essential.”

Fonda talked about the power of stories and art to change hearts and minds and acknowledged the challenges one sometimes faces to understand people of diverse backgrounds at work and life. “But inevitably, if my heart is open, and I look beneath the surface, I feel kinship,” she said and called for more inclusivity in film and Hollywood. 

“So let’s all of us—including all the groups that decide who gets hired and what gets made and who wins awards—let’s all of us make an effort to expand that tent,” added Fonda, “so that everyone rises and everyone’s story has a chance to be seen and heard.”

GOLDEN GLOBE: COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS

Best motion picture, drama:
Nomadland

Best actress in a motion picture, drama:
Andra Day, The United States v. Billie Holiday

Best actor in a motion picture, drama:
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best motion picture, comedy or musical:
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Best actress in a motion picture, comedy or musical:
Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot

Best actor in a motion picture, comedy or musical:
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Best director, motion picture:
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland

Best supporting actress in a motion picture:
Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian

Best supporting actor in a motion picture:
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

Best TV series, drama:
The Crown (Netflix)

Best actress in a TV series, drama:
Emma Corrin, The Crown (Netflix)

Best actor in a TV series, drama: 
Josh O’Connor, The Crown (Netflix)

Best TV series, musical or comedy:
Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)

Best actress in a TV series, musical or comedy:
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)

Best actor in a TV series, musical or comedy:
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso (Apple TV Plus)

Best limited series or TV movie:
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

Best actress in a limited series or TV movie:
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

Best actor in a limited series or TV movie:
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True (HBO)

Best supporting actress in a series, limited series or TV movie:
Gillian Anderson, The Crown (Netflix)

Best supporting actor in a series, limited series or TV movie:
John Boyega, Small Axe (Amazon)

Best screenplay, motion picture:
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best animated feature film:
Soul

Best foreign language film:
Minari (United States)

Best original score, motion picture:
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste, Soul

Best original song, motion picture:
Io sì (Seen) from The Life Ahead

Featured Top Photo: Anya Taylor-Joy, left, reacts to winning best actress in a television limited series ‘The Queen’s Gambit.’ Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Rosie Perez announces the winner onstage at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Rainbow Room on February 28, 2021. Photo: Peter Kramer/NBC

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