Adrian Quesada’s Black Pumas to Perform at Next Week’s NFL Draft

Adrian Quesada’s music is on draft

The 43-year-old Latino producer and guitarist and his Grammy-nominated Black Pumas band mates will perform at next week’s NFL draft in Cleveland

Black Pumas

Quesada’s Black Pumas join a roster of performers that include the Grammy-nominated rock and soul duo Black Pumas and Cleveland’s own Machine Gun Kelly.

The league announced its musical acts for the second and third days of the draft, which is back on the road after being all virtual last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A massive stage has been constructed near FirstEnergy Stadium and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to host the three-day event from April 29 to May 1.

Black Pumas will perform after the third round is completed on April 30. Their self-titled debut album was nominated as album of the year at the 2021 Grammy Awards.

Rockers Kings of Leon will help kick off the draft on April 29 before Commissioner Roger Goodell tells the Jacksonville Jaguars they are on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick.

Apple TV+ Orders Ramón Campos’ Bilingual Drama Series “Now and Then”

It’s a case of now and then for Ramón Campos

Apple TV+ has given a series order for Now and Then, a drama created by the Spanish television writer and producer, one the country’s busiest and most important television producer, Teresa Fernández-Valdés and Gema R. Neira.

Ramón-Campos

The series, from Bambú Producciones, will be shot in Spanish and English.

Set in Miami with an all-Hispanic cast, Now and Then explores the differences between youthful aspirations and the reality of adulthood, when the lives of a group of college best friends are forever changed after a celebratory weekend ends up with one of them dead. Now, 20 years later, the remaining five are reluctantly reunited by a threat that puts their seemingly perfect worlds at risk.

Gideon Raff will executive produce and direct the first two episodes.

The series will be written by Neira and Campos with their team. Campos and Fernández-Valdés will serve as showrunners. Bambú Producciones will produce for Apple TV+.

Campos and Neira created Spanish series Gran Hotel, which was adapted by ABC as Grand Hotel; Cable Girls, which is distributed by Netflix; and Velvet.

Fernández-Valdés worked with the duo on all three series, produced by Bambú. Campos and Fernández-Valdés executive produced the three Spanish shows, as well as ABC’s Grand Hotel.

This is the second bilingual English/English series Apple TV+ has ordered, joining Acapulco, a half-hour comedy series starring Eugenio Derbez inspired by the film How To Be a Latin Lover. The streamer also has upcoming English-language action-thriller series Echo 3, which is set in South America, and projects under an overall TV deal with Alfonso Cuarón.

Cecilia Suárez to Star in ABC Drama Pilot “Promised Land”

Cecilia Suárez has landed a new starring role…

The 49-year-old Mexican actress and activist has been set as a lead opposite Augusto Aguilera in John Ortiz’s ABC drama pilot Promised Land.

Cecilia Suarez,

Written by Matt LopezPromised Land is an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.

Suárez plays Lettie Sandoval, the matriarch of the Sandoval family, a wealthy vineyard-owning family in the Sonoma Valley. Lettie will do anything to keep her family, with all its fraying allegiances, intact. She is proud of the fortune the Sandovals have built, but the arrival of a figure from Lettie’s past soon causes her to question whether the cost of achieving the American Dream is too high.

Aguilera will play Mateo Sandoval,t he hardworking, highly capable general manager of the Heritage Vineyard, but as the stepson to patriarch Joe Sandoval (Ortiz), he has never felt fully accepted by the wealthy, vineyard-owning Sandoval family. Mateo finds himself at a crossroads when a young immigrant who reminds him of his roots arrives to work in the Sandoval household.

Previously cast in the pilot are Mariel Molino as Camila Sandoval, the youngest daughter of the Sandoval family, Christina Ochoa as Veronica Sandoval, the eldest daughter of the Sandovals, as well as Andres Velez as Carlos Rincón, a young immigrant who comes to the Heritage Vineyard in search of a better life.

Suárez just wrapped the title role in Latido Films’ feature Alegria, directed by Violeta Salama. She can be seen in the new Netflix Spanish mini-series Someone Has To Die, written and directed by her long-time collaborator Manolo Caro.

She also starred in the Amazon limited series 3 Caminos. For the last three seasons, she starred in Manolo Caro’s popular Netflix series: The House of Flowers (La Casa de las Flores). She also is the first Spanish speaking actress to be nominated for an International Emmy Award for her role in the Capadoccia series for HBO.

Aguilera recently recurred as Liver opposite Ray Romano and Cristin Milioti in HBO Max’s Made For Love, a half-hour series adaptation based on Alissa Nutting’s tragicomic novel. Aguilera was also seen as one of the leads in Nic Refn’s Amazon series Too Old To Die Young, opposite Miles Teller.

He was previously seen in 20th Century Fox’s The Predator, directed by Shane Black and the Hulu pilot Citizen directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon as well as the Audience Network series Ice directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Maluma Releases Surprise New Single “Rumba (Puro Oro Anthem)” in Time for Earth Day

Surprise! Maluma is back with brand new music…

The 27-year-old Colombian singer/songwriter has released the single “Rumba (Puro Oro Anthem),” and it arrives just in time for Earth Day and the approaching lazy days of summer.

Maluma, ELLE Magazine

The soulful, Caribbean-infused reggaeton track is in collaboration with Michelob Ultra Pure Gold to celebrate Earth Day (April 22) and the brand’s first-ever organic lager brewed with 100 percent renewable electricity from solar power.

“I’ve collaborated with some of the biggest artists in the world, but never before with a star that’s literally out of this world,” Maluma said in an official statement about the sun-powered beer. “I had so much fun partnering with Michelob Ultra Pure Gold to record this anthem and I love that it is in support of sustainability, which is a huge passion of mine. I really hope people enjoy ‘Rumba (Puro Oro Anthem)’ and join us in this celebration with a Pure Gold in hand.”

“Rumba” — co-produced by MadMusick (Giencarlos Rivera and Jonathan Rivera) and Edgar “Edge” Barrera — features the roaring sounds of the sun.

An official music video will be released on Thursday through Maluma’s YouTube channel.

“This Earth Day we look forward to celebrating our commitment together with our long-standing partner, Maluma, who shares in our passion for nature and sustainability,” said Ricardo Marques, vice president of Michelob Ultra.

In addition to solar power and reinforcing Anheuser-Busch‘s commitment to achieving its 2025 Sustainability Goals, the “brewer has been investing in other forms of renewable electricity, including wind, and recently announced that $100M of the company’s planned $1 billion investment over the next two years will go to sustainability initiatives,” Billboard has learned.

To further celebrate with fans, the beer brand and Maluma will be giving away limited-edition “Rumba (Puro Oro Anthem)” gold vinyl records to fans 21 and older on social media.

Camilo to Appear on Ntertain’s Original Docu-Series “Los Montaner”

Camilo will be spending a lot of time with the in-laws…

The 27-year-old Colombian singer, songwriter and record producer, whose full name is Camilo Echeverry, will appear in the original series Los Montaner.

Camilo

Hailing from Ntertain, the recently launched multimedia company from Neon16’s Lex Borrero, music mogul Tommy Mottola and Range Media Partners, the unscripted docu-series will offer an exclusive look inside Latin music’s influential family, the Montaners, who have a social media audience of over 150 million and over eight billion video content views.

Borrero will executive produce the series, with Range Media Partners co-financing the project, handling global sales of the series. The series will film globally, as the crew follows the daily life of the Montaner family.

Featured on Los Montaner are:

  • Multiple Latin Grammy nominee & Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Ricardo Montaner
  • Marlene Rodriguez, Ricardo’s wife, and filmmaker
  • Award-winning recording artist and member of Mau y Ricky, Ricky Montaner
  • Actress, model, and TV host, Stefi Roitman, fiance of Ricky Montaner
  • Award-winning recording artist and member of Mau y Ricky, Mau Montaner
  • Sara Escobar, creative director, wife of Mau Montaner
  • Actress, singer, songwriter, Evaluna Montaner
  • Camilo Echeverry, Evaluna’s husband and Latin Grammy winning singer, songwriter.

Ntertain was founded earlier this month as a new entertainment and media company focusing on the creation, development, and production of premier content leaning in on Latin talent, brands and culture.

Edgar Ramírez to Star in Netflix Series “Florida Man”

Edgar Ramírez is headed to the Sunshine State

The 44-year-old Venezuelan actor will star in Florida Man, which has received a formal eight-episode series from Netflix.

Edgar Ramirez

Ramirez, the star of the streamer’s popular film Yes Day, will headline the hourlong series from veteran television writer/producer Donald Todd and Jason Bateman & Michael Costigan’s Aggregate Films.

In Florida Man, created by Todd, when a struggling ex-cop (Ramírez) is forced to return to his home state of Florida to find a Philly mobster’s runaway girlfriend, what should be a quick gig becomes a spiraling journey into buried family secrets and an increasingly futile attempt to do the right thing in a place where so much is wrong. The series is described as a wild odyssey into a sunny place for shady people in the spirit of Body Heat and Elmore Leonard’s Out of Sight.

The series is not related to limited series Florida Man starring Joel Edgerton, which is in development at Anonymous Content. It’s based on Tom Cooper’s novel, with Graham Gordy writing.

Ramírez stars opposite Jennifer Garner in Netflix’s movie Yes Day, which was estimated to be seen by 53 million households in the first four weeks. He recently starred opposite Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant in HBO’s high-rated and award-winning limited series The Undoing. He soon will begin production on Borderlands and next will star in Disney’s Jungle Cruise and Universal’s The 355.

Ramírez is a two-time Golden Globe nominee for his performances as Carlos the Jackal in Carlos and as Gianni Versace in American Crime Story

NBC Gives Pilot Order to Demi Lovato’s Comedy Series “Hungry”

Demi Lovato is officially hungry

NBC has handed a pilot order to the 28-year-old half-Mexican American actress/singer’s Hungry.

Demi Lovato

Lovato is starring in and executive producing Hungry, a single-camera comedy that follows a group of friends who belong to a food issues group who help each other as they look for love, success and the perfect thing in the fridge that’s going to make it all better.

It’s written and executive produced by Will & Grace writer and Hot In Cleveland creator Suzanne Martin. It comes from Hazy Mills and SB Projects in association with Universal Television. Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner & Scooter BraunScott Manson and James Shin executive produce.

Hungry’s pilot order comes as Lovato’s recent documentary series Dancing with the Devil recently aired on YouTube. The four-parter documented Lovato her eating disorder as well as use of heroin and crack cocaine.

Leslie Silva to Star in ABC Civil Rights-Themed Limited Series “Women of the Movement”

Leslie Silva is on the move(ment)

The 52-year-old Afro-Latina actress has been cast in ABC’s limited series Women of the Movement, which hails from creator-writer Marissa Jo Cerar and a producing team that includes Jay-Z, Will Smith and Aaron Kaplan.

Leslie Silva,

Silva, who will portray Ruby Hurley, joins a cast that includes Chris Butler as Rayfield Mooty, Alex Désert as Dr. Howard, Miles Fowler as Simeon Booker, Tongayi Chirisa as Medgar Evers, Jason Turner as James Hicks, and Daniel Abeles as Chet Packton.

Inspired by the book Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement by Devery S. Anderson, the six-episode limited series is set in 1955. It centers on Mamie Till-Mobley (Adrienne Warren), who risks her life to find justice after her son Emmett (Cedric Joe) is brutally murdered in the Jim Crow South. Unwilling to let Emmett’s murder disappear from the headlines, Mamie chooses to bear her pain on the world stage, emerging as an activist for justice and igniting the Civil Rights movement as we know it today.

Glynn Turman, Chris Coy, Julia McDermott, Carter Jenkins, Tonya Pinkins and Ray Fisher co-star.

Silva’s Ruby Hurley was a famed NAACP activist and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. A lady badass among men, Ruby was fiercely committed to getting justice for Emmett Till.

Silva’s television and film credits include NBC’s Shades of Blue, CW’s In The Dark, Showtime’s Odyssey 5, the Hulu limited series The Looming Tower and the independent film Reversion.

On stage, she starred in the Signature Theatre’s production of Chicago, directed by Joseph Chaikin and Sam Shepard, as well as The Master Builder directed by André Gregory.

Ricky Martin Teams Up with Carlos Vives for New Single “Canción Bonita”

Ricky Martin is back with pretty music…

The 49-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actor has joined voices with Carlos Vives for their first-ever collaboration, “Canción Bonita.”

Carlos Vives & Ricky Martin

The dancetastic track, which celebrates Vives’ Colombian and Martin’s Puerto Rican roots, is an invitation to celebrate. It’s also a celebration of Puerto Rico, down to the video shot in Old San Juan.

“If anything, we’re more childlike than the new generation,” laughs Martin when asked what he brought to the table. “We’ll never change. We’re relaxed. We’ve achieved pretty things in life. We don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”

“We don’t want to change. We want to be the same people. And this song is a declaration of love to a city I love,” adds Vives, who lived in Puerto Rico in the beginnings of his career. “And it’s one of Ricky’s cities. For me to have a piece of Ricky in this song … it’s total happiness.”

Ironically, the fact that “Canción Bonita” is a “happy” song led to it being put on indefinite hold for months after its inception. Written by Mauricio Rengifo and Andrés Torres, along with Rafa Arcaute, Vives and Martin, the song went back and forth between the two artists and was nearly finished when the pandemic hit.

“It was a party song. We couldn’t release it at that point,” says Martin, who was in “total lockdown” until Vives came back to him with “Canción Bonita” at the beginning of this year.

“Carlos Vives took me out of quarantine to film a video,” he laughs.

The video, directed by Carlos Pérez, was shot in Old San Juan, in the middle of streets still empty of tourists. Still, it was enough to remind Vives why he was now paying homage to the city.

“I came to live in Puerto Rico when Ricky’s career was taking off,” he recalls. “I was an actor with a hit series and I understood that special essence that the city has. This is my way of giving back.”

Lionsgate Releases Trailer for Salma Hayek-Starrer “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard”

Salma Hayek isn’t letting down her (body) guard

Lionsgate has released the trailer for The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, the action comedy starring the 54-year-old Mexican actress.

Salma Hayek

The film sees to return of Hayek, Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, director Patrick Hugues and screenwriter Tom O’Conner for a second go-round after 2017’s successful The Hitman’s Bodyguard.

Like others films delayed by the pandemic, it will now open in U.S. theaters on June 16.

The Lionsgate and Millennium Media sequel picks up after the events of the first movie and finds bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) trying to recover from those events and recharge — call it a psychological sabbatical. But he literally is pulled back into action by his old friend/foe Darius’ (Jackson) even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Hayek), who needs Bryce’s help saving her husband. They get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful madman (Antonio Banderas).

Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo, Caroline Goodall, Rebecca Front, Gabriella Wright, Alice McMillan, Kristofer Kamiyasu, Tom Hopper, Blake Ritson and Richard E. Grant also star in the film, penned by O’Conner and Phillip Murphy & Brandon Murphy.