Alberto Ferreras’ “B as in Beauty” Being Developed as a Television Series

Alberto Ferreras’ first novel is getting the small screen treatment…

The Spanish/Venezuelan writer and director’s novel B as in Beauty is being developed as a television series from writers Manuel Figueroa and Jordan Heimer after Concord Originals partnered with Marsh Entertainment and Telemundo Streaming Studios.

Alberto Ferreras, At this time, no broadcaster is attached.

The bilingual dramedy will follow Bella “B” Zavala, whose personal life, career and relationships are at best a mess. That is until she meets a mysterious and unique woman who offers her a moonlighting job as an emotional companion. Through the unexpected adventures she faces with her eccentric new clients, Bella’s own notions of beauty, love and self-worth will never be the same.

B as in Beauty won the International Latino Book Award for Best English Popular Fiction in 2009. It was also chosen by Siempre Mujer magazine as the Best Novel of the Year after its release.

Figueroa and Heimer previously developed drama series The Three Joaquins at ABC. The duo served as executive story editors on Starz’s Step Up: High Water and developed Eastside at NBC with Ruben Fleisher’s The District and previously staffed on ABC’s Stumptown and Syfy’s Defiance.

Concord Originals is the television and film division of the company that owns music catalogs such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and Otis Redding and musicals from Rodgers & Hammerstein and Tennessee Williams.

“The magic of B as in Beauty is in B’s ability to look inward and redefine her personal power. It’s our hope that this character and the path that she finds herself on will touch hearts all over the world because B’s journey is global in nature,” said Marsh.

“This project represents the culmination of our key objectives – giving existing IP new life in another format and championing filmmakers as they create content for underserved audiences,” said Concord Originals’ Sophia Dilley. “We know Sherry and our friends at Telemundo share this vision, making them the perfect partners to bring Alberto’s whip smart B to life on screen.”

“Telemundo Streaming Studios’ core mission is to tell stories that inspire connection while elevating Hispanic voices and representing them authentically on the screen. We are committed to representing diverse perspectives in front of and behind the camera and are excited to partner with Marsh Entertainment and Concord Originals who share in our values. We are confident audiences will identify with Bella’s universal story about self-love,” added Ponce, SVP and GM of Telemundo Streaming Studios.

Yul Vazquez to Star in MGM+’s Crime Thriller “Hotel Cocaine”

Yul Vazquez is checking into his next project…

The 58-year-old Cuban-American actor and musician is set as a lead opposite Danny Pino and Michael Chiklis in Hotel Cocaine, MGM+’s upcoming crime thriller from creator Chris Brancato.

Yul Vazquez

Hotel Cocaine is the story of Roman Compte (Pino), a Cuban expatriate who fought against Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion and re-made his life in Miami. He is general manager of the Mutiny Hotel, the glamorous epicenter of the Miami cocaine scene of late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The Mutiny Hotel was Casablanca on cocaine, a glitzy nightclub, restaurant and hotel frequented by Florida businessmen and politicians, international narcos, CIA and FBI agents, models, sports stars and musicians.

Vazquez will play Nestor Cabal, Roman Compte’s (Pino) brother and one of the biggest suppliers of cocaine to a coke-hungry Miami population. He’s dangerous, funny, wily, and seeking reunion with his long-lost brother.

Chiklis plays Agent Zulio who will stop at nothing to shut down the drug trade, even if it means using innocent civilians to accomplish his ends.

Brancato serves as executive producer and showrunner. Guillermo Navarro will direct the pilot episode and executive produce the series, with Michael Panes and Alfredo Barrios Jr. also serving as executive producers.

The eight-episode series from MGM+ Studios, in partnership with MGM Television, will begin production in May in the Dominican Republic, and is slated to premiere in early 2024.

Vazquez will next be seen in the HBO Max limited series White House Plumbers, opposite Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux. He was most recently seen on season 3 of the MGM+ series Godfather of Harlem opposite Forest Whitaker and in the Emmy-nominated Apple TV+ series, Severance, directed by Ben Stiller.

His other credits include Jason Bateman’s HBO series The Outsider, ABC’s Promised Land, Netflix’s Russian DollTNT miniseries I Am The Night and HBO’s Succession, among others.

His film work includes Books of Blood, Last Flag Flying, Gringo, Traffic and The Infiltrator.

David Archuleta Returning to “American Idol” to Mentor This Season’s Contestants

It’s a special Idol homecoming for David Archuleta.

The 32-year-old half-Honduran and part-Spanish American singer and former American Idol finalist will be serving as a mentor to the contestants on season 21 of ABC’s long-running singing competition.

David ArchuletaIt’s part of American Idol’s long history of inviting seven past finalists to mentor contestants during Hollywood Week, which begins airing on ABC on Sunday, April 2.

In addition to Archuleta, the season 7 runner-up who released his eighth studio album Therapy Sessions in May 2020, the returning Idols are Justin Guarini (season 1), Clay Aiken (season 2), Jordin Sparks (season 6), Phillip Phillips (season 11), Catie Turner (season 16) and Noah Thompson (season 20).

“Having a mentor in Hollywood Week is something we’ve always wanted to explore,” executive producer and showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick told Billboard. “We usually have over 150 people come to Hollywood Week, so it’s hard to have one mentor talk to everyone individually. I thought, ‘Who better to mentor on the Hollywood experience than people who have actually been through it.’ Jordin Sparks always speaks so well about this. She feels that Hollywood Week really was a perfect training ground for the music industry, all baked into that week. There’s no one better to mentor this week than people who have been there, and now that we can pull from 20 years of Idols, it was incredible. The people who came back this year were so excited to do it.”

Explaining how this year’s Hollywood Week will be revamped, Michaels Wolflick says, “In the past two years in the ABC era, we’ve done this genre challenge. We would say, ‘Okay, you’re rock. You’re pop. You’re soul/R&B,’ and it was becoming less relevant, because a lot of the finalists were telling us, ‘I’m pop-soul.’ ‘I’m country-rock.’ There was a blurred genre thing going on. So I thought we should explore something else.

“This year we gave all the contestants one of three areas that they wanted to work on: confidence, songwriting or stage presence. It was my challenge to pick two people who would be applicable for confidence. Clay Aiken and David Archuleta were total confidence. Both of them came in second place, and it was funny because when we were first talking to them about it, they said, ‘I still don’t have all the confidence.’ I told them, ‘Yes, but you have more than you came with.’ For the songwriting category, we had Catie Turner and Phillip Phillips, who are both songwriters in their own right. Both of them in their respective seasons brought an artistry to the show that maybe we hadn’t seen. And for stage presence, we have Jordin Sparks and Justin Guarini, two people who commanded the stage in their own way and still do.”

The seventh mentor is last season’s winner, Noah Thompson. “He gave some motivational speeches and was able to talk about his experience from last year. I can’t tell you how many people auditioned this year inspired by him. His friend Arthur signed Noah up [to audition], so we had a lot of people secretly signing people up, which was really cool.”

Addressing the legacy of 21 seasons of Idol, Michaels Wolflick says, “I think American Idol is now like the NFL, where people train their [whole] lives to come on the show. It’s now bigger than a TV show. It’s something you can aspire to be a part of — young singers are born every day.” As proof, the 15-year-old contestants on the current season were born during Idol’s seventh season, when Archuleta was competing on the show.

Michaels Wolflick, who joined the Idol production staff in season 2, says, “If you come on the show, you’re part of the American Idol alumni. You are part of our history. This show has changed lives in so many different ways. When David Archuleta makes news, it’s picked up everywhere. Even though he was on the show in 2008, people still have a passion for him. The investment is real. Carrie Underwood knows to this day when she’s playing to full arenas, there might be a good portion of these people who voted for her. There’s a special connection that all of the alum have to the show. They like to give back to these people who are coming in and the people who are coming in love to talk to them.”

Michaels Wolflick revealed to Billboard that more Idol alums will be returning during this 21st season, including the winner of season 2, Ruben Studdard.

Sarah Shahi to Star in ABC’s Drama Pilot “Judgement”

Sarah Shahi isn’t passing (on) judgement

The 43-year-old part-Spanish actress and Sex/Life will star in and produce JudgementABC’s drama pilot from showrunner Joey Falco and 20th Television.

Sarah ShahiShahi had been in talks for the project since January as ABC and the producers had to work through her commitment to Sex/Life, which she headlines.

Netflix just released the second season of the drama, inspired by BB Easton’s book 44 Chapters About 4 Men.

While there has been chatter for a while that this might be Sex/Life‘s final chapter, creator Stacy Rukeyser has shared hopes for a third season. If the show is renewed, Shahi will be able to reprise her role, subject to availability as Judgement now reportedly has her in first position.

Written and executive produced by Falco, Judgement is a high-stakes legal soap that redefines the genre by playing out over two timelines. Fifteen years from now, a woman (Shahi) being vetted for a Supreme Court seat recounts her experience at a prominent D.C. law firm in 2023, where the only thing more controversial than the cases was her messy love life, caught between two feuding brothers. Now, with a Supreme Court seat on the line, all of her darkest secrets are at risk of coming out, threatening her nomination, her reputation and her marriage.

We meet Shahi’s Mia Bahari in two distinct periods of her life. In one, she’s a brilliant, successful Appeals Court judge being vetted for the U.S. Supreme Court — so long as her dark and painful secrets don’t derail the nomination. In another, she’s a young spitfire of an attorney, painfully awkward at times but ingenious when it comes to navigating the many nuances of the law. She’s also caught romantically between two feuding brothers who are at the root of the very things she’s trying to hide from her Supreme Court investigators.

Falco executive produces with Melvin Mar, Jake Kasdan and Jordan Cerf. Paul McGuigan directs and also executive produces. 20th Television is the studio.

This marks Shahi’s return to ABC, where she had a major recurring role on The Rookie.

She also recently recurred on Showtime’s City on a Hill and was seen on the big screen in Warner BrosDC feature Black Adam alongside Dwayne Johnson.

Arturo Castro to Star in ABC’s Comedy Pilot “Public Defenders”

Arturo Castro is preparing to defend publically…

The 37-year-old Guatemalan actor and Natasha Lopez will star opposite Anthony Anderson of ABC’s single camera comedy pilot Public Defenders.

Arturo CastroCastro and Lopez have been set as series regulars in the pilot, written by Eddie Quintana and to be directed by Randall Einhorn.

In it, up to their earholes in student loan debt, four inexperienced public defenders work tirelessly to keep their clients out of jail. Along the way, they have to rely on one another to navigate their first defendants, the absurd court system and the copy machine that always jams.

Castro will play Efren, the smartest, most charismatic lawyer in the public defender’s office. At least, that’s what he’d tell you. Over-confident, Efren wants to rack up as much trial experience as possible, so he can become the next Johnnie Cochran. But underneath his arrogance is a lawyer who cares deeply about his clients and fights hard to keep them out of jail.

Lopez will play Lindsay who brings street smarts and fashion sense to the public defender’s office. She’s a fiercely competitive lawyer who doesn’t back down from a good fight, even if it means chipping a nail. While her clients get to see her compassion and hard work, her co-workers are left to deal with her intensity and brutal honesty.

Castro can be seen in Mark Mylod’s The Menu for Searchlight, produced by Adam McKay. Most recently, Castro wrapped Road House.

Lopez, who was cast in the 2018 ABC Discovers Showcase, is repped by The Hybrid Agency, Brillstein Entertainment Partners & Imprint.

John Ortiz to Star in Netflix’s Limited Series “The Madness”

John Ortiz is embracing the madness

The 54-year-old Puerto Rican actor has been cast opposite Colman Domingo in Netflix’s limited series The Madness.

John OrtizThe conspiracy thriller hails from Chernin Entertainment via its first-look deal with Netflix, creator and co-showrunner Stephen Belber  and co-showrunner VJ Boyd.

In The Madness, media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive.

Ortiz plays Franco Quinones, a longtime FBI field agent with strong convictions and a relentless approach to his work.

Clément Virgo will direct and executive produce the first two and final two episodes. Quyen Tran and Jessica Lowrey will each direct two middle episodes.

Ortiz starred as Joe Sandoval in drama series Promised Land, which aired for one season on ABC. On the film side, he recently wrapped filming The Mothership opposite Halle Berry.

He’s currently filming a key recurring role in Apple’s Bad Monkey opposite Vince Vaughn.

David Del Rio to Star Opposite Kathy Bates in CBS’ Drama Pilot “Matlock”

David Del Rio is (Mat)locking in his next project…

The 35-year-old Latinx actor/director and former Baker and the Beauty star and Leah Lewis have been cast as series regulars opposite Kathy Bates and Skye P. Marshall in CBS’ drama pilot Matlock.

David Del RioThe project is a new take on the classic legal television drama starring Andy Griffith, which hails from Jane the Virgin creator Jennie Snyder Urman and NCIS: Los Angeles star Eric Christian Olsen.

In Matlock, written by Urman and to be directed by Kat Coiro, after achieving success in her younger years, the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline Matlock (Bates) rejoins the work force at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within.

Del Rio plays Billy, a charismatic young associate a few years out of law school and assigned to work on one of the firm’s biggest cases.  He helps Matty navigate her new work environment as he seemingly knows more than he should.

Lewis plays Sarah, a Junior Associate eager to get ahead and not worried about being liked. Sarah is all ambition, determined to be seen for her smarts and willing to do anything to move up a peg at the firm. She is not pleased when she’s forced to work alongside Matty, lowering her position at the company even further.

Bates executive produces alongside Sutton Street’s Urman and Joanna Klein, Coiro, as well as Cloud Nine’s Olsen and John Will.

Del Rio can be seen as a lead in the Hulu Original series, Maggie, opposite Rebecca Rittenhouse. His most recent credits include starring as Mateo in ABC’s Baker and the Beauty. He also replaced Lin-Manuel Miranda in his Tony winning role on Broadway as Sonny in In the Heights, and teamed up with Miranda to star in the Emmy nominated Grease: Live on Fox.

Ariana DeBose to Serve as Presenter at This Year’s Academy Awards Show

Ariana DeBose is returning to the Oscars stage…

The 32-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer, who made Oscar history with her Best Supporting Actress win last year, will be a presenter at this year’s Academy Awards show.

Ariana DeBose,No doubt DeBose will present the award for Best Supporting Actor per long standing Academy tradition.

The announcement comes on the heels of DeBose’s much talked about rap tribute to BAFTA’s actress nominees at the BAFTA awards ceremony.

CODA Best Supporting Actor winner Troy Kotsur will also return to the Dolby Theatre, this time as a presenter.

Last year’s Live Action Short Oscar winner Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, eight-time nominee Glenn Close, Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly, past Honorary Oscar recipient Samuel L. JacksonDwayne Johnson, Creed III’s Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Oscar winner Questlove, Zoe Saldaña and Donnie Yen will all be onstage at the Oscars.

Final Oscar balloting is underway. The 9,579 eligible Academy voters are now going to make their choices, and they have only until March 7 at 5:00 pm PT to do so.

Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on March 12 at 8:00 pm ET/5 pm PT from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

The producers will continue to announce talent joining the show leading up to the ceremony. They already have been rolling out talent taking part in performances of songs up in the Original Song category.

Judy Reyes to Star in ABC’s Character-Based Procedural Drama Pilot “HPI (High Intellectual Potential)”

Judy Reyes is reaching new potential

The 55-year-old Dominican American actress and former Scrubs star has landed a series regular role opposite Kaitlin Olson and Daniel Sunjata in ABC’s character-based procedural drama pilot based on TF1’s popular detective series HPI (High Intellectual Potential).

Judy ReyesThe project hails from top TV and film writer Drew Goddard and ABC Signature, where Goddard and his Goddard Textiles are based.

Written by Goddard, the untitled HPI remake centers on Morgan (Olson), a single mom with three kids and an exceptional mind who helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a cleaner for the police department. When they discover she has a knack for putting things in order because of her high intellectual potential she is brought on as a consultant to work with a by-the-book seasoned detective, Karadec (Sunjata), and together they form an unusual and unstoppable team.

Reyes will play Selena Soto.

In addition to Olson and Sunjata, series regular cast also includes Javicia Leslie as Daphne and Deniz Akdeniz as Lev “Oz” Osman.

In the original French series Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (HPI), created by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot, Stéphane Carrié and Nicolas Jean, the leads were played by Audrey Fleurot and Mehdi Nebbou.

Goddard and Sarah Esberg executive produce the ABC adaptation for Goddard Textiles; Rob Thomas, who serves as showrunner, and Dan Etheridge for Spondoolie Productions; and Pierre Laugier and Anthony Lancret for Itinéraire Productions, a UGC company. Alethea Jones is director and executive producer. Olson serves as producer.

Known for her work on Scrubs, Devious Maids and Claws, Reyes was recently seen in Birth/Rebirth, the AMC/Shutter film that premiered this year at Sundance.

Up next, Reyes can be seen in recurring roles in Season 2 of the Peacock anthology series Dr. Death and in Amazon’s The Horror of Dolores Roach.

On the film side, she’ll next be seen in a lead role in New Line’s Turtles All The Way Down for HBO Max. Most recently, she starred on the big screen in Paramount’s Smile

Gina Rodriguez’s “Not Dead Yet” Becomes ABC’s Most-Watched Multi-Platform Comedy Debut in Nearly Four Years

Gina Rodriguez’s latest project is experiencing success…

The premiere episode of the 38-year-old Puerto Rican Golden Globe-winning actress’ new series Not Dead Yet drew solid numbers for ABC in delayed viewing.

Gina RodriguezThe premiere episode of Not Dead Yet drew an audience of about 7.6M people after seven days of viewing across linear and digital platforms.

That makes it ABC’s most-watched multi-platform comedy debut in nearly four years, since the premiere of Bless This Mess in April 2019.

Not Dead Yet’s seven-day viewership marked an increase of 4M from its live + same-day audience of 3.6M on February 8 — the largest delayed-viewing increase for an ABC comedy since The Conners in October 2018.

In terms of the ad-friendly 18-49 demographic, the episode posted a 1.76 rating after seven days of delayed viewing, which is a 300% increase from the 0.44 rating it earned in L+SD. That’s the biggest growth ever for an ABC comedy debut.

Not Dead Yet airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on ABC.