Ana Ortiz to Star in Season 2 of Disney+’s Anthology Series “Goosebumps”

Ana Ortiz is (goose)bumping up her television plans…

The 53-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress will star opposite David Schwimmer in the Disney+ anthology series Goosebumps for Season 2 as a series regular.

Ana OrtizFrom Disney Branded Television and produced by Sony Pictures Television, the series is based upon R.L Stine’s bestselling Scholastic series. Each season features a new story, setting and cast. Season 2 will follow teenage siblings who discover a threat stirring, triggering a chain of events that unravel a profound mystery. As they delve into the unknown, the duo find themselves entangled in the chilling tale of four teenagers who mysteriously vanished in 1994.

Ortiz will play Jen, a dedicated police detective who remains rooted in her Brooklyn neighborhood after experiencing a tragic event that involved her friends in adolescence.

Nicholas Stoller and Rob Letterman developed the series and serve as executive producers, alongside showrunner Hilary Winston, Neal H. Moritz, Scholastic Entertainment’s Iole Lucchese, Pavun Shetty, Conor Welch, Scholastic Entertainment’s Caitlin Friedman and Erin O’Malley.

Ortiz broke out as Hilda Suarez on ABC’s hit comedy Ugly Betty, earning both American Latino Media Arts and Imagen Awards prizes for “Best Supporting Actress” for her portrayal as Betty’s (America Ferrera) sassy older sister.

Additional television credits include roles in Marc Cherry’s Devious MaidsThe Mindy Project from Fox/Hulu, ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder, FX’s Over There and ABC’s Boston Legal, to name a few.

Most recently, Ortiz was a series regular on the Hulu series Love, Victor.

Rita Moreno to Star in the Indie Horror Thriller “Theirs”

Rita Moreno is preparing to scare up a new audience…

The 92-year-old Puerto Rican award-winning actress, dancer and singer has been cast in Theirs, an indie horror thriller going into production in Tulsa, Oklahoma this summer.

Rita Moreno,But she isn’t the only Latina artist joining the project.

Roselyn Sanchez, who most recently starred in the Fantasy Island reboot,

The 50-year-old Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, producer and writer and Moreno will star alongside Harvey Keitel and Udo Kier in the project.

Written by Juan Pablo Reinoso and to be directed by Sonja O’Hara, the film centers on a mother who, after a lifetime of grappling with abusive men and a bitter divorce, finds hope for herself and her teenage daughter in a new home, only to quickly find their newfound freedom tested by malicious secrets within its walls.

Keli Price will produce for his Price Productions, alongside Reinoso for LookBook, and David Bond for Dark Elegy Films. Tom Biolchini will serve as the film’s executive producer.

Recent credits for EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony Award) winner Moreno include dark comedy The Prank, out March 15, as well as Fast X, Netflix’s Family Switch80 for Brady and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, to name a few.

Most recently starring on the Fox series Fantasy Island, Sanchez has also been seen in prominent roles on shows like Grand HotelDevious Maids and Without a Trace.

Roselyn Sánchez to Return as Co-Host of This Year’s Latin Grammy Awards Show

Roselyn Sánchez is reporting for Latin Grammy duty…

The 50-year-old Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, producer and writer will serve as a co-host of this year’s Latin Grammy Awards ceremony, which will be broadcast from the Conference and Exhibition Centre (FIBES) in Seville, Spain, on Thursday, November 16, at 8:00 pm ET via UnivisionUniMás and Galavisión in the U.S., and at 10:30 p.m. CET on Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) in Spain.

Roselyn SanchezSanchez, best known for her work on Devious Maids and Without a Trace, will host the awards show alongside Mexican singer Danna Paola, Colombian superstar Sebastián Yatra and Spanish actress Paz Vega. 

A host staple for the awards show, Sánchez returns for the sixth time after presenting the 16th, 17th, 18th, 20th and 22nd annual Latin Grammys.

Racking up a total of 15 Latin Grammy nominations throughout his career, Yatra is nominated for best pop song for “Contigo,” featuring Pablo Alborán.

Previously nominated for a Latin Grammy, Danna Paola joins the lineup of hosts for the first time.

Last but not least, award-winning actress Paz Vega returns for a second time after hosting the 20th annual ceremony.

The first round of performers were announced earlier this week, which includes Maria Becerra, Bizarrap, Feid, Kany García, Carin León, Christian Nodal, Rauw Alejandro and Alejandro Sanz.

This year, Mexican-American super producer Edgar Barrera leads the list of nominees with 13 nods, including songwriter of the year, producer of the year and song of the year. Barrera is followed by Colombian stars Camilo, Karol G, Shakira and composer Kevyn Mauricio Cruz (also known as Keityn), each with seven nominations.

Prior to the Latin Grammys, the Latin Recording Academy will bestow the Person of the Year title to Italian icon Laura Pausini. Marco Antonio Solís received this prestigious honor last year.

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

Judy Reyes to Appear on Season Two of Peacock’s “Dr. Death”

Judy Reyes is embracing death

The 55-year-old Dominican American actress and former Scrubs star will appear on Peacock’s Dr. Death in a recurring role.

Judy ReyesReyes joins a roster of new cast additions that includes Rita Volk, Jack Davenport (Ten Percent), Annika Boras (Succession) and Sandra Andreis (Snabba Cash).

Season 2 of the anthology series will feature the “Miracle Man” storyline based on the most recent third season of the Wondery podcast.

Paolo Macchiarini, played by Edgar Ramirez, is a charming surgeon, renowned for his innovative operations that earn him the nickname “Miracle Man.” When investigative journalist Benita Alexander (Mandy Moore) approaches him for a story, the line between personal and professional begins to blur, changing her life forever. As she learns how far Paolo will go to protect his secrets, a group of doctors halfway across the world make shocking discoveries of their own that call everything about the “Miracle Man” into question.

Previously announced Season 2 cast also includes Luke Kirby, Ashley Madekwe and Gustaf Hammarsten.

Season one of Dr. Death, based on the first season of the hit Wondery podcast, explored the psyche of disgraced Texas Neurosurgeon, Dr. Christopher Duntsch (Joshua Jackson), who maimed or killed 33 out of 38 patients over his career. The series was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Limited Series.

Season 2 hails from showrunner, writer, and executive producer Ashley Michel Hoban.

Reyes is known for her starring role as Carla in Scrubs, Zoila on ABC’s Devious Maids, and Quiet Ann on TNT’s Claws. 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.

Judy Reyes to Star in New Line’s Film Adaptation of John Green’s “Turtles All the Way Down” for HBO Max 

It’s turtle time for Judy Reyes

The 54-year-old Dominican American former Scrubs star will appear in New Line’s film adaptation of John Green’s #1 NY Times best seller Turtles All the Way Down for HBO Max.

Judy Reyes,Turtles All the Way Down tackles anxiety through its 17-year-old protagonist, Aza Holmes (played by Isabela Merced).

Reyes will play Gina, the mother of Aza. Cree Cicchino and Felix Mallard also star. It’s not easy being Aza, but she’s trying… trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, and a good student, all while navigating an endless barrage of invasive, obsessive thoughts that she cannot control. When she reconnects with Davis, her childhood crush, Aza is confronted with fundamental questions about her potential for love, happiness, friendship, and hope in the face of her mental illness.

New Line/HBO Max picked up the project from Fox 2000 when that division closed; the project being ripe for the streamer’s devotion to YA fare, i.e. the new Gossip Girl, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and the upcoming Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.

Green’s Turtles All the Way Down is his follow-up to his hit novel The Fault in Our Stars, which was a big YA movie in 2014 for 20th Century Fox and Temple Hill, making over $307M WW.

Reyes played Carla on the TV series Scrubs, Zoila on Lifetime’s Devious Maids, and Quiet Ann on the hit TNT series Claws.

Upcoming for Reyes is the Paramount Players’ horror film Something’s Wrong Rose.

Recent film credits include Netflix’s All Together Now, The Circle and Gun Hill Road. Recurring roles include Eva on HBO’s smash hit Succession, Lala on FX’s Better Things, Ramona on Netflix’s One Day at a Time, Deb on the TBS series Search Party and Irene Vega on Bravo’s Dirty John.

Reyes has worked extensively in television, theater, and film for the last 20 years and remains a founding member of NYC’s Labyrinth Theater Company.

She is executive-producing the animated video series LaGolda, which tackles a variety of social and environmental issues through the sport of soccer and is sponsored by UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” initiative.

Cristián de la Fuente to Star in the Indie Rom-Com “Switch Up”

Cristián de la Fuente is switching things up…

The 47-year-old Chilean actor, model and presenter will star in Switch Up, an indie romantic comedy that will serve as the feature directing debut of Tara Pirnia.

Cristián de la Fuente de la Fuente will star opposite Julieth RestrepoJeff Fahey and Sal Velez Jr. in the film, which is expected to begin production in Texas this coming January.

Written by Pamela Beach and Felice Heather Monteith from Pirnia’s original story, the film centers on popular Miami talk show host Ricardo De La Cruz (de la Fuente), whose world gets turned upside down when a scheming rival sets him up for a scandalous fall. Destitute, Ricardo finds himself stranded at a homeless shelter he once featured on his show, where he meets a young widow (Restrepo) who finds it hard to move on. As Ricardo begins to fall in love, he comes to understand how helping others is the true path to finding happiness.

“This story sheds light on the issue of homelessness which is often overlooked,” Pirnia said. “We are hoping to remind audiences that homelessness is still happening and how some people try to cope, in an entertaining manner.”

Elizabeth Avellán, Marcela Ronquillo Hinojosa, de la Fuente, Melissa Bickerton, Angela Blair, Peter Bandera and Pirnia are producing the film, which will shoot in Brownsville and South Padre Island.

Richard Garza, Steve Owens, Susan Michaels, Larry Krask, Andrea Marquez, Pedro Armando Gutierrez and Pierre Romain are executive producers. Tina Randolph Contogenis of Eris Entertainment is as an executive consultant in conjunction with Golden Apple Productions.

De La Fuente’s previous credits include In Plain Sight, Devious Maids and Driven.

Judy Reyes to Star in the Lifetime’s Border Separation Film “Torn From Her Arms”

Judy Reyes is a woman Torn

The 53-year-old Dominican American actress and former Scrubs star will lead the cast of Torn From Her ArmsLifetime’s family border separation film.

Judy Reyes,

Hailing from Ozy Media and Motion Picture Corporation of America, the movie will also star Gloria Reuben.

Fátima Molina and Camila Nuñez also star in the timely film, which, amidst the ongoing crisis at the U.S. border, depicts the harrowing true story of a mother and daughter who must find their way back to each other after being separated.

It’s slated to premiere this fall.

Reyes will play Thelma Garcia, a Texas Immigration lawyer who works tirelessly to reunite the pair, while Reuben plays Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist ProPublica reporter, Ginger Thompson, who broke the story.

Originally covered by Ozy’s reporting arm, Torn From Her Arms marks Ozy’s first foray into scripted programming and an expansion of its television catalog.

Based on a true story, Torn From Her Arms follows Cindy Madrid (Molina) and her six-year-old daughter, Ximena (Nuñez), who fled violence in El Salvador for safety in the U.S., only to be separated at the border as a part of the Administration’s Zero Tolerance Policy. Detained in detention centers in different states, Cindy and Ximena endured inhumane living conditions and inadequate medical care, but that was nothing compared to the emotional toll of being apart. Their story would gain national attention when a whistleblower leaked a gut-wrenching audiotape of six-year-old Ximena crying for her mother. The onslaught of media attention incited by Ginger’s story alerted the nation to the cruelties being committed against undocumented immigrant families at the border.
Alan Jonsson Gavica directs from a script written by Tawnya Bhattacharya and Ali Laventhol.

Reyes, who plays “Quiet Ann” on Claws, also appeared on Devious Maids.

Gloria Calderón Kellett Developing “With Love” as First Series Under Overall Production Deal with Amazon Studios

Gloria Calderón Kellett is bringing the Love to Amazon…

The 46-year-old Cuban American television writer/creator’s GloNation Studios and Amazon Studios have set With Love as the first series under Calderón Kellett’s overall deal with the streamer.

Gloria Calderón Kellett

The one-hour romantic dramedy, created and written by the One Day At a Time co-creator, had been fast tracked since the pitch stage with the goal to launch it during the 2021 holiday season.

Additionally, Calderón Kellett has set up three other series projects for development at Amazon Studios through GloNation as part of her deal. The wide-ranging slate includes Shakespeare-themed high-school drama Verona, co-created by Calderón Kellett; Glowing Up, a half-hour adult animation musical series based on the graphic novel Mismatched, a modern-day adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma; and Dating the Lopez Ladies, a half-hour animated comedy created by Calderón Kellett.

Glowing Up and Dating the Lopez Ladies follow Calderón Kellett’s foray into animation with the well-received special episode of One Day At a Time, which was produced during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Meanwhile, With Love and Verona mark a return to the hour-long side for Calderón Kellett, who previously worked on Devious Maids and iZombie.

With Love follows the Diaz siblings, Lily and Jorge, who are on a mission to find love and purpose. The Diaz siblings cross paths with seemingly unrelated residents during some of the most heightened days of the year –the holidays.

“I started writing as a way to create characters and stories that represented myself and the community I love,” Calderón Kellett said. “After such a heavy year, there was nothing I wanted more than to see a happy, warm, loving family that looked like mine, celebrating trauma-free and falling in love. So, to be bringing that family to life as my first project with Amazon Studios feels especially personal and is incredibly exciting. I cannot wait to share With Love this holiday season!”

The holiday series is currently in prep, with production set to begin in June. Its pilot episode will be directed and executive produced by Meera Menon.

With Love is a special project and Gloria at her best, creating a world with a vibrant family at its center, hysterical circumstances, and so much heart and soul. We’re so proud of what’s to come of this series and can’t wait for the world to fall in love with it,” said Marc Resteghini, US and Global Head of Development for Amazon Studios.

Here are details about the three other projects from Calderón Kellett’s GloNation Studios in the works at Amazon:

VERONA
As Shakespeare so famously wrote, all the world’s a stage… and never is that truer than as a teenager, when you are performing for yourself, your peers, your parents, and social media. Verona is an hour-long drama series which takes the classic Shakespearean stories you know and love out of the renaissance and into present-day high school. The highs are still high, the lows are still low, but one thing is certain… high school drama is about to get a lot more poetic. We follow the Del Castillo sisters Nico, Delilah, and Inez as they play out familiar stories interweaved together in fair Verona where we lay our scene.
Created By: Roja Gashtili & Julia Lerman, Kelly Younger and Gloria Calderón Kellett.
Writers / Executive Producers: Roja Gashtili, Julia Lerman

GLOWING UP
Based on the graphic novel Mismatched (a modern-day adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma), Glowing Up is a half-hour adult animation musical series centered on Evan Horowitz, an out and proud Latino/Jew amateur matchmaker and wannabe makeup influencer. Evan is an old-school romantic who dedicates himself to getting true love to trend at his high school in Queens — through singing, dancing, and contoured cheekbones. A big gay musical comedy that focuses on love and celebrates LGBTQIA+ youth.
Writers / Executive Producers: Debby Wolfe & Marcos Luevanos
EPs: Gloria Calderón Kellett and Will Graham (for Field Trip)

DATING THE LOPEZ LADIES
A half-hour animated comedy series following plus-sized powerhouse Ilana Lopez. She’s a 25-year-old artist who runs a wildly successful comic strip about dating called Sharp Curves following the misadventures of her alter-ego Gabby. Gabby becomes all too real and is the devil on Ilana’s shoulder in life as well as on the page. When Ilana’s mother, the 49-year-old glamorous divorcee, Sofia visits, she points out that fictional Gabby has more fun than real-life Ilana. It makes Ilana and her friends energized to start a date club and take their romantic conquests seriously. Inspired by the young people, Sofia decides to join her daughter and friends in date club! Adventures and hilarity ensue.
Creator/Writer/EP: Gloria Calderón Kellett

Calderón Kellett, a leading voice in Latinx storytelling on television, was executive producer/co-showrunner, director and actress on Netflix/Pop’s One Day At A Time, which was universally praised for its authentic and nuanced portrayal of the the Latinx experience.

She began her TV writing career as a staff writer on the CBS comedy series How I Met Your Mother, rising to co-producer and earning an ALMA Award for one of her scripts in 2008. She then worked as a writer-producer on such series as CBS/Sony Television’s Rules of Engagement, Lifetime’s Devious Maids and the CW’s iZombie before taking on One Day at a Time. 

Jesse Garcia to Star in the Eva Longoria-Directed “Flamin’ Hot” Film

It’s a flamin’ hot time for Jesse Garcia.

The 38-year-old Mexican American actor and former Quinceañera star has landed the lead role in Eva Longoria’s feature directorial debut Flamin’ Hot from Searchlight Pictures and Franklin Entertainment.

Jesse Garcia

Garcia will play Richard Montanez, the architect of the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto, while Annie Gonzalez of Gentefied will portray his wife, Judy.

Flamin’ Hot tells the true life story of Richard Montanez, the Frito Lay janitor who took inspiration from his Mexican American heritage to create Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, the snack that disrupted the food industry and became a pop culture phenomenon.

Desperate Housewives actress and Telenovela, Grand Hoteland Devious Maids EP Longoria beat out several directors for the job after impressing Franklin and Searchlight with her authentic approach to the project.

“It has been my biggest priority to make sure we are telling Richard Montañez’s story authentically,” said Longoria in a statement. “I am so happy to have two extremely talented and fellow Mexican-Americans on board in these pivotal roles. Jesse and Annie have a deep understanding of our community and will be able to help tell this story of great importance for our culture.”

Also new to Flamin’ Hot is scribe Linda Yvette Chavez who has come aboard for revisions on the Lewis Colick-penned screenplay. Chavez is the creator of Netflix’s Gentefied and she’s also adapting I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at the streamer for America Ferrera’s upcoming directorial debut.

Garcia appears in the Searchlight Pictures title Under the Same Moon, alongside Kate del Castillo and Ferrera. He has been widely recognized for his role in the highly acclaimed Quinceañera winner of the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. For his performance as Carlos, Garcia was nominated and won the prestigious ALMA Award (American Latino Media Arts) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture in 2007. Garcia can also be seen in The Avengers.

Gonzalez is a Chicana actress and East Los Angeles native. She grew up singing with the band Quetzal, (which has been a noted force in the Chicano movement), was one of the original dancers on Jamm X Kids for the WB and has been appearing on TV since the age of 10. She is most known for her roles in Gentefied, Vida, Shameless, and Legion. She was recently cast in the ABC pilot, Bucktown starring opposite Jane Lynch and Nicole Richie. Gonzalez also has a YouTube page with videos dedicated to her thoughts on spirituality, self-love, peace, positivity and living life as a Latina.