Emmy Award-winning director/producer Eric Drath is known for capturing stories about the entertaining sport of boxing. His 2010 film Assault In The Ring captured an Emmy for Outstanding Sports Documentary.

Drath has since produced other acclaimed films, including No Mas, which revolved around the controversial ending of the 1980 rematch between boxing greats Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Durán.
Showtime will air Drath’s newest project, Macho: The Hector Camacho Story, exclusively on Dec. 4. It speaks on one of boxing’s all-time greatest fighters and showmen.

Camacho ended his career in 2010 with a record of 79 wins, six losses, and three draws. No one ever stopped him during his 30-year career.
Camacho was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016. He shone brightly inside the ring, but he had dark moments outside it, ending with his tragic shooting death in November 2012.
Drath captures the ups and downs of the Puerto Rican boxing superstar in this highly anticipated documentary.
Percy Crawford interviewed Eric Drath for Zenger News.

Zenger: You have done a remarkable job with all of your documentaries, but your boxing ones have been really special. What made Hector “Macho” Camacho a subject for you, and someone who you wanted to dig deeper into his story?
Drath: Thank you! Well, Hector was one of those bigger-than-life characters from when I was a fan watching sports as a kid. I also had a great affinity towards him because he was a New Yorker, from East Harlem. He was just one of those guys that—there was a moment in boxing where he owned the sport! After Leonard and before Tyson, it was Hector Camacho. It was “Macho Time!” I just felt like nobody had done this story. And when he was killed and there were so many questions about his murder and the fact that it was unsolved, I just knew I had to.

Zenger: With “Assault In The Ring” you captured the good, bad, and the ugly of boxing. A “No Mas” hit on the controversial side of the sport. This one captures one of the greatest showmen in boxing history, and all his tragedy. What do you feel like viewers will take away from your documentary?
Drath: Just on what you said, he took what [Muhammad ] Ali started and quadrupled it. If there was a showman, I agree with you, it was Camacho. What do I think fans or viewers will take away from this? I’m not exactly sure, but I hope that they go on a ride, the Hector Camacho ride—from the humble beginnings in the Barrio to the top of the boxing world. And that they see that this man, as bright as he was, also had a dark side. Unfortunately, that dark side caught up with the light. It put the light out. What started as one of the brightest lights in boxing was darkened by his inner demons, which he could never fully run from.

 

Zenger: Boxing to a degree is a very dark sport, and secretive at times. You have been able to capture some great content in your previous two boxing documentaries, and I’m sure you did the same with “Macho.” The people that you reach out to, are they willing to talk and be open about these fighters and situations?
Drath: Oh certainly! You’d be amazed at how truthful people become when the cameras start rolling. The people that loved him, while they want to protect his legacy and his reputation, they also are true. What you find with Hector Camacho is, even though it was widely known that he had this dark side and this party life, it didn’t stop you from loving him. He never was not a sympathetic character. In his darkest moments, he was still a sympathetic character. And I think that’s why people kind of accepted—that’s who he was. So people were ready to talk about it because people want to celebrate it. It’s part cautionary tale and it’s part tragedy. And it’s also an inspirational story of someone who against all odds made it.
Zenger: In your research and your findings, did you learn anything new about Camacho?

Drath: Oh yeah! A lot of fun facts along the way. His biggest influence, believe it or not, is Bruce Lee. He loved Bruce Lee. That was something I learned. I learned a lot about his style and his early days of fighting and where he fought. One of the many things I actually set out to learn is about the circumstances of his murder. That was something that I felt was this open wound for the family, and we’re still living with it today. And it was that charge that kind of made me say, “I gotta find out more information here.”
Zenger: To have a Puerto Rican icon murdered in Puerto Rico, where he is or should be revered—and yet they seem no closer to solving the murder of Hector Camacho. Unbelievable to me.

Drath: Well, I did dig into that. And the sad truth is, if Puerto Rico can’t solve the murder of their hero of the streets, then whose murder can they solve? You’re right: If they can’t solve his murder, then what kind of luck are you are you going to have? Only about a third of murders get solved there. And they have the second-largest police force in all of the United States and its territories. They are second only to New York City. So they have this massive police force and they still can’t solve these crimes. and this crime.
Zenger: This documentary definitely appears to capture the highs, middle ground and lows of Hector Camacho. Did you sense that most of his problems came once his career was over, or do you feel like when he was at his highest point, things came too easily for him and his problems stemmed from there?
Drath: I honestly feel like you can’t pinpoint it. I even feel like in the beginning there was foreshadowing of what was to come. Even at the height of his career, there were moments where it was like, “Oh s**t, is he going to show up for the fight?” He had the networks scared. When he was on, there was nobody better. He was an unknown commodity at times. Which Camacho is going to show up?
Zenger: Showtime has this documentary exclusively. How did that come together?
Drath: I pitched it around and I talked to Showtime, and after one phone call, it was right away done. I gotta tell you, I could not be happier working with any other network. Showtime is a network that really cares about both the Latino community and about their fans and most importantly about boxing. They have just been a great network to work with. Stephen Espinoza, who is the president of Showtime Sports, is a remarkable executive who helped us in the making—in the sense of getting us great feedback and great ideas and notes. And also Vinnie Malhotra, who is out in L.A. They were just terrific. And I’m not just saying that because they funded it. They were truly great to work with.
Zenger: It premieres on Showtime on Dec. 4. What happens between now and Dec. 4 in terms of what’s going on with the film?

 

Drath: Believe it or not, we’re still kind of putting the final touches on it right now. With the film, putting on the graphics, mixing the music. We’ve got a month to promote it and talk about it, because we want as many people as we can get to see it. This is an important film for boxing fans and also for the Puerto Rican community, because he truly was a legend and is a legend for the Puerto Rican people and the people of Spanish Harlem, New York. And now more than ever they can use a shot in the arm. Puerto Rico has had a lot of hardships in the last eight years or so. He was killed eight years ago, Nov. 20. Well, he was shot.
Zenger: What is it about boxing that provokes you to want to do these documentaries?
Drath: I always have been drawn to the underdog no matter what. I’ve always rooted for the underdog. I mean, I’m a Mets fan, for crying out loud! Fighters usually come from hard lives, or what could be hard lives. They usually come from socioeconomically depressed lower-income families, most of the time. And they fight their way out of it. There is something so primitive yet beautiful about that. I think the sport can be so engaging. When you see a great fighter, it’s so athletic. I’m drawn to the sport because of its athleticism, and I’m drawn to the stories because of the underdog nature of them.
Zenger: I think documentaries like these show a side of humility. It shows that although fighters are looked at as brute-force athletes, they also have a sensitive side as well. I love seeing the side of fighters that documentaries like yours oftentimes showcase.
Drath: Yeah! I think that’s important. These are people. When I first started working with fighters I had no idea that they were some of the nicest, kindest and most humble human beings that I have ever met. You think fighters are going to be these angry, nasty guys, but they’re really not. This is a sport. And it’s a primitive sport, it’s a brutal sport, and they are true warriors. But almost every time, they are humble warriors.
Zenger: I cannot wait until Dec. 4 to see your work and to see this light be shed on the late great Hector “Macho” Camacho. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Drath: I really hope people tune in and watch this, and really relive that moment of light that Camacho shined on everybody, and on the sport of boxing. It was a moment where boxing shined, and there aren’t many showmen like that anymore. There’s a lot of guys that can fight, and there are a lot of guys that can show, but there’s not a lot of guys that can do both as well as Hector “Macho” Camacho.
(Edited by David Matthew and Daniel Kucin Jr.)

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Jesus Trejo, who is a staple in the Los Angeles standup comedy scene, just released his long-awaited first comedy special debut on Showtime, Jesus Trejo: Stay at Home Son, which premiered on May 29, 2020. It’s now available to view on Showtime and for streaming on the Showtime app and Hulu Showtime add-on.

Trejo has spent 13 years making a name for himself in the live standup comedy circuit. Along with multiple recognitions, he was most notably featured in the “10 Comics to Watch in 2017” list in the business trade Variety , alongside popular comedians Tiffany Haddish and Hasan Minhaj. Trejo also hosts his own YouTube show with comedians, Tacos Con Todo (Tacos with Everything), with an array of popular comedians from Joey Diaz, to Pauly Shore, to fellow Long Beach native Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias.

The 33-year-old Long Beach, CA native began his interest in comedy, like most comics, as a fan of comedy. As a child, Trejo was exposed to the comedy of his Mexican immigrant parents, including the popular Mexican comedic icon Cantinflas. Another early major influence, was Bobby’s World, an early 1990’s animated series starring standup comedian Howie Mandel. Eventually, he discovered and became a fan of a wide variety of heavyweight standup comedians such as Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Hicks, Sam Kinson, and Richard Pryor. Trejo was also heavily influenced by the pioneering Latino comedians Paul Rodriguez and George Lopez seeing them as “voices to my upbringing”.

For years, Trejo, especially during his high school years, dreamed of being a comedian and having his own comedy special, like his comedic heroes. When he revealed this dream to his parents, they were let down over his decision of going into comedy. A reaction most successful comedians faced in their earlier days. Trejo’s parents, like many immigrant parents, saw the American Dream as going to college and having a job or career with a stable income. Although Trejo did attend college, Cal State Dominguez Hills, majoring in marketing, his calling was standup comedy. With comedy in his heart, he continued to pursue his heart’s passion.

Trejo’s fist standup performance was at 20-years-old, at an open mic in Long Beach, where he “bombed”. As a result, it took him one year to get back on the stage. After getting over that initial setback Trejo became more persistent in standup comedy, navigating through both the achievements and disappointments that come with being a standup comedian. He realized early on, “Even though I love the art, you know there is still a business side to it. You have to match up the art with the business”. Over time his weekend open mic participation slowly turned into paid gigs, eventually launching his professional comedic career.

Recognizing Trejo’s talent at an AARP comedy event, AARP Studios made Trejo the focus of their first original film, Care to Laugh. They filmed for a year, documented Trejo being caregiver when both of his parents were diagnosed with cancer.  Jesus moved back home with his parents to oversee their care and to take over his father’s landscaping business.  All this while also trying to pursue your own career and personal goals.

While it’s traditional for Latino families to help care for elderly parents, the role of the caregiver is usually expected to be filled by the women of the family, while the men’s role is limited to just working outside of the home and bringing home a paycheck. Trejo challenges this expectation, showing a positive and progressive image of the Latino man. He demonstrates how a son can be just as capable and responsible as a daughter to care for elderly parents as a caregiver. Also, he shows that Latino men can be caring, compassionate, and nurturing. Trejo wants to, “Write a positive narrative of our culture, and to have more men like myself step up and care for our parents.” A perspective he went in-depth within his special Stay at Home Son.

Stay at Home Son, was filmed over two shows at The El Portal Theatre in West Hollywood, CA. Through his unique and sincere brand of humor, Trejo discussed a variety of subjects of his life, from childhood to the present. Most notably detailing the funny, yet awkward situations of caring for his parents as an only child. With situations such as having them follow a strict medical diet, only to find their stash of chicharróns. Another notable story of the special was the awkwardness of a seven-year-old Trejo having to translate for his Spanish-only speaking mother, and the demands of an English-speaking thief trying to rob them. This special was a refreshing and funny perspective of a Latino Millennial filled with sincerity.

For the premiere of Stay at Home Son Trejo and his parents had their own viewing party at home, with pizza, cake, and a good table cloth. After watching the special and seeing all of the work their son put into this special, they were finally proud of him. They got to witness their son succeed in his American Dream. This special was just the beginning of what will, no doubt, be a bright future in comedy.

In my conversation with Trejo, I mentioned how exciting it was to see another Latino with a standup special like Garbiel Iglesias and George Lopez. He responded with an abundance of sincerity, “I’m very fortunate and I’m blown away to be mentioned in the conversation, in the scene with those huge names.” Trejo continued, “I still have a long way to go. These guys are legends and have put in the work. Overall, I hope to one day be in those conversations more and more, but I realize [how much] work [it will require]. I’m excited to get to work and put out more specials.”

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by Roberto Leal

“The more things change, the more they stay the same” —Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

When it comes to amassing a team of talented, resumé rich, creative people to put together a series, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, which premieres on Showtime, Sunday, April 26, is loaded for bear!

It begins with Academy Award nominee writer and creator of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator), to Oscar winning producer / director, Sam Mendes (1917, American Beauty), who executive produced the original Showtimes series. 

The cast is stellar with engaging performances that include Natalie Dromer playing all the female evil incarnations (Magda, Alex, Elsa and Rio); Daniel Zovatto (The TV Shows Here and From Dusk Til Dawn) as the first Chicano detective in the LAPD; Kerry Bishe as the saintly Molly.  Nathan Lane, in a dramatic turn as Lewis Michener, Daniel Vega’s detective partner. Then there is Amy Madigan as Molly’s mother whose actions belie the religious woman she purports to be.  The rest of the Vega family is played by Adam Rodriguez (NCIS: Miami, Magic Mike), Johnathan Nieves (Shameless) and Jessica Garza (The Purge).

Logan’s sweeping, kaleidoscopic, multi-layered saga is set in 1938, Depression Era, pre-world War II, Los Angeles. It is a story with many fascinating moving parts; murder, racial discrimination, crooked cops and politicians, religious charlatans, Nazis, cultural upheaval in the Chicano community, horror, myth, and Mexican folklore, all culminating in a penultimate, apocalyptic battle between Good and Evil. Logan’s story is a cautionary tale that eerily and prophetically holds up a critical mirror, to present-day America, to remind us: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The breadth and depth of Penny Dreadful: City of angels, is truly breath-taking.

However, within all those moving parts, there is one significant, central gear that makes the narrative machinery move along smoothly: Maria Vega, the strong-willed, loving mother of the Vega family. And fortunately, Logan cast the perfect Latina actress to play this critical, pivotal role, Adriana Barraza. Mexican-born actress, Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner, director, and acting coach.

Barraza grew up in Toluca watching old Mexican and North American movies, in black and white, on Mexican network TV. Young Adriana loved watching such diverse movie stars as German Valdez Tin Tan, Pedro Infante, Carmen Montejo, Marga Lopez, as well as Esther Williams and Fred Astaire.

“I loved the dramas with Bette Davis,” she recalls fondly. “I think I’ve seen All About Eve more than 20 times.” What she admired most about those stars and stories, was they made her laugh, cry and always to dream.

In Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Adriana plays family matriarch, Maria Vega. She modeled Maria Vega after her own grandmothers.  “I modeled Maria after my two grandmothers who were the attentive parental role models in my life,” she began.

“My fraternal grandmother, Doña Virginia Marin de Barraza, was a very traditional, old-fashioned woman, very Catholic, and always wore black.”

“On the other hand,”, she continued, “My maternal grandmother, Doña Angela Flores de Gonzalez was an eccentric woman with a beautiful house full of light, classical music, birds in the garden, extravagant pets, like herons and large turtles.”

Logan played a huge part in getting the talented Mexican actress involved in this epic project. She had been a fan of the original Penny Dreadful series and an admirer of John Logan’s work.

“I received an invitation, from John Logan, to read the first episode of the new series. I was thrilled,” she recalls gleefully. “John’s uncanny knowledge of Mexican culture—such as Maria’s nahual, the coyote, and the other positive examples of what la Santa Muerte means—that is what hooked me on the project.”

Logan expressed to Barraza his desire and passion to bring to a wide audience the rich, complex, often turbulent and painful history of Mexican Americans in a city that once had a much longer poetic Spanish name, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río Porciúncula — before it became simply, Los Angeles.

It was Logan’s portrayal of Mexican Americans as not “the other”, but as people with normal every day hopes and dreams like everyone else, that ultimately drew Adriana to the role of Maria Vega. 

“I knew that I understood Maria Vega as a Mexican and as a fighting mother who loves her children and is capable of doing anything for them. Plus, the supernatural world that is familiar to me as I previously mentioned. I am forever grateful to John Logan for thinking of me for the role of my beloved Maria!” And Logan has done a masterful job of capturing the essence, the sights and sounds and what has been documented to be the reality of the Mexican American / Chicano experience of that time.

As with all great stories, and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels is all that and a bag of spicy chicharrones, there is always an overarching truth. Here it’s Logan’s tribute to the struggle and triumph of humanity of the Vega Family and by extension, the greater Chicano community.  The powerful mythical, supernatural presence of Coatlicue, the Aztec Earth Mother Goddess of Life, is embodied in the heart and soul of the family matriarch, Maria Vega.

It has been reported that Barazza has a part in the upcoming Robert Rodriguez superhero film We Can Be Heroes, due to appear on Netflix soon. Did Robert cast her as the very first mature, Latina superhero?

“No,” she came back quickly, “I play Grandma Moreno. I teach the superheroes.”

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels premieres on the Showtime Networks , Sunday, April 26, 10/9c.

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by Luis Reyes

Showtime’s hit supernatural horror series Penny Dreadful, closing its series run after three seasons (2014-2017), will return with a new focus on Depression Era 30’s Los Angeles through the prism of a Mexican-American family in Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.

While the new series shifts away from its previous setting, it will have the involvement of series creator/ writer/ producer John Logan and executive producer/writer John Aguilar who has written for Showtime’s Kidding and I’m Dying up Here.

Daniel Zovatto, of Costa Rican ancestry will star as Detective Tiago Vega, the LAPD’s first Mexican-American detective. Tago’s reality will be rife with racism, childhood trauma and faith issues that challenge the inexplicable supernatural occurrences in the storylines.

Zovatto’s credits include the horror features Don’t Breathe and It Follows and the Greta Gerwig comedy Lady Bird. His television credits include HBO’s Here and Now and AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead.

Joining Zovatto will be Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Adriana Barraza, who will play Maria Vega, the powerful matriarch of the Vega family who will go to any length to protect her children from the dangerous world of 1938 social politics as well as from the chilling supernatural forces invading their lives. Barraza won a Best Supporting Actress nomination in 2006 for her role in Alejandro Inarritu’s Babel. She was most recently seen in FX’s The Strain. Upcoming for the Mexican actress are roles in the feature films Rambo 5 and Dora the Explorer.

Jessica Garza will play Josefina, the youngest of the Vega family (Tiago’s daughter). She plays the quiet and overlooked sister that possesses a powerful spirit waiting to be unleashed. Garza was recently seen on USA Networks The Purge and History channels Six. She has also guest stared on Modern Family and NCIS.  Jonathan Nieves plays Mateo Vega, Tiago’s younger brother, who looks up to his older sibling and carries his strength of character but is vulnerable to people and events around him. Nieves’ credits include New Amsterdam, Better Call Saul and Chicago Fire.
Also in the cast are Nathan Lane (Birdcage) and Natalie Dormer(Game of Thrones, The Tudors).

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