Rivera’s Feature Film Debut in “Filly Brown” to Entertain Theater Audiences This Weekend

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Jenni Rivera’s first and only big screen acting role will finally see the light at box offices nationwide…

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival hit Filly Brown will open in theaters on Friday amid great anticipation over seeing the late Mexican American singer’s acting debut.

Filly Brown centers on aspiring hip hop artist Majo Tonorio (portrayed by Gina Rodriguez) to establish a career and make enough money to get her drug-addicted mom (Rivera) out of jail.

Although Rivera appears in only four scenes, the film has generated great interest among the Latino community by becoming the posthumous work of the popular singer.

Rivera’s co-star Edward James Olmos told Efe that sharing the stage with her was an “incredible” experience.

“Working with her was a dream because it was the first time that she had done dramatic acting and she was incredible. We were very happy to work together,” he said.

Sharing that opinion is Rodriguez, who added: “Everyone who loves and adores Jenni Rivera has been able to see who she was. Working with her was a blessing. Each day I have to give thanks for having worked with her.”

Rivera, known as “La Diva de la Banda,” died in a plane crash in Mexico last December. She had the chance to see Filly Brown during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

New Jenni Rivera Biography Due in Late April

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

La Diva de la Banda may be gone too soon… But Jenni Rivera’s legacy will live on in another biography…

Leila Cobo, the executive director of Latin content and programming for Billboard, has written a biography of the late Mexican American singer.

The book, which is titled Jenni Rivera: The Incredible Story of a Warrior Butterfly, is heralded as an “intimate portrait of the difficult, successful life” of Rivera.

Her life was cut tragically short in a plane crash on December 9, right as Rivera’s fame was reaching new heights. Along with being a top-selling artist in her musical genre and the star of a highly successful reality TV show on mun2, she earned rave reviews for her acting debut in Filly Brown and had just signed on a deal to develop a comedy series for ABC. She also had her own lines of makeup and fashion, and even set up a not-for-profit foundation.

In the biography, Cobo notes that she had an indomitable determination.

Rivera was born in the Los Angeles area, the first girl among four brothers. She grew up like a princess – but also like a warrior, because she soon learned to stand up for herself among men.

Rivera, a good-grade earning student, got pregnant at the age of 15. But she never gave up her studies, thanks to support and encouragement from her teachers.

Rivera’s life as a young mom wasn’t easy, mainly because her man abused her.

Years after the couple separated, the book says, Rivera learned that her daughter and her sister had been abused by the same man. She was determined that justice be done and eventually got even.

She recorded her first album in 1993 as a gift for her dad, an album of traditional songs that didn’t attract much attention. Every year afterwards she recorded another for her father – because she wanted to do it and because it made her happy.

By the start of the last decade she had climbed the heights of stardom, traveling, recording, and forging very close ties with her many fans.

The book will be released on April 24.

Rodriguez Cast in Fox’s “Wild Blue” Drama Pilot

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez is headed into the wild blue (yonder)…

The Puerto Rican actress has been cast as the female lead in Fox’s Navy drama pilot Wild Blue, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The project, which has been described as a mix between ER, The West Wing and Top Gun, centers on the men and women working aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier. Equipped with a 500-foot landing strip, a nuclear reactor and 6,000 military personnel on board, the drama takes a closer look at stressful lives of the Navy’s elite.

Rodriguez, who was recently cast in the film Marching Banda, will portray Pilar “Maytag” Robles, an overachiever seemingly born to be a Naval open aviator. She’s described as athletic and graceful but by no means a pushover who is smart, driven and unafraid to fight for what she believes is right and fair.

Rodriguez, who starred opposite the late Jenni Rivera in Filly Brown, has previously appeared in Army Wives, Happy Endings and The Mentalist.

She joins a cast that includes Battle: Los Angeles’ Will Rotthaar, The Carrie Diaries’ Josh Salatin, Alano Miller and Damages’ Mykelti Williamson.

Rodriguez to Star in “Marching Banda”

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez has joined the Banda…

The Puerto Rican actress has signed on to star in Marching Banda.

Rodriguez, who starred as an aspiring hip-hop artist in Filly Brown, will portray a single mother of a high school trumpet player in the film from Cima Productions. When the boy’s estranged musician father turns up, he bonds with his son as he begins teaching traditional Mexican regional music to the school’s marching band.

Marching Banda is set to begin filming in the late summer with Filly Brown director Youssef Delara at the helm.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez’s Filly Brown will finally be released in theaters on April 19 by third-party distributor Pantelion. The film received renewed interest after Jenni Rivera’s tragic death in a plane crash last December. Rivera portrays Rodriguez’s imprisoned mother in the film.

Rivera’s English-Language Pop Album to Be Released

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

La Diva de la Banda’s crossover dreams are still alive despite her untimely passing…

Jenni Rivera‘s family members say they plan to release the late singer’s English-language pop album, which was recorded in 2004, according to MTV Tr3s.

The songs were submitted to her label and held for unknown releases, according to sources.

Rivera’s record sales have significantly increased since her tragic death last month in a plane crash in Mexico. Rivera’s albums sold 10 times more than the week before she passed away (a total of 64,000 albums sold in the United States alone), according to The New York Times.

In addition, her latest album La Misma Gran Señora, which was released only two days after her passing, debuted at No. 1 with 27,000 – the best sales week of the year for any Latin album – on the Billboard Latin Albums chart.

Her English album was one of many crossover projects Riverai had planned. Besides her portrayal of an incarcerated mother fighting to rebuild her relationship with her daughter in Filly Brown, she also planned on starring and producing in an ABC sitcom loosely based on her life.

Since her death, her sister Rosie Rivera has been left in charge of Jenni Enterprises, including ongoing business deals and album sales. Although a release date hasn’t been announced yet, Rivera’s English-language pop album is expected to come out later this year.

Rivera Headlining ABC’s “Jenni” Comedy Project…

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She’s already a mega superstar on mun2… And now Jenni Rivera’s ready to shine on ABC.

The network has put in development Jenni, a multi-camera family comedy starring the 43-year-old Mexican-American singer–songwriter.

The project hails from leading Broadway producer Robert L. Boyett – marking his return to television, where he was one of the top comedy series producers in the 1980s and 1990s — and Designing Women’s Robert Horn.

Boyett and Horn will write the project, which stars Rivera as a strong, middle-class, single Latina working to raise a family using unique parenting skills, while struggling to run a family business and navigate her extended, co-dependent relatives — all while fighting the cultural perception that she needs a man to do it.

Boyett and Horn will executive produce, with Rivera and her manager Pete Salgado serving as producers for ABC Studios.

Rivera has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. She’s also the star mun2′s docu-reality series I Love Jenni, now filming its third season.

In addition, Rivera made her big screen acting debut in the critically acclaimed Filly Brown.

Rodriguez Picks Up Imagen Award for Her Filly Brown Role

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She gained critical acclaim for her role in Filly Brown… And, now Gina Rodriguez is reaping the rewards for her impressive work in the indie film.

The 27-year-old 28-year Puerto Rican actress picked up the best actress in a feature film prize for her starring role as an aspiring hip-hop artist in Filly Brown at this weekend’s 27th annual Imagen Awards, which honor the best and most talented portrayals of Latinos in film.

Rodriguez’s performance won rave reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and led to a talent holding deal with ABC/ABC Studios.

Filly Brown, which co-stars Edward James Olmos, Jenni Rivera and Lou Diamond Phillips, follows Rodriguez’s character’s rise to fame and consciousness as she copes with the incarceration of her mother through her poetry and music.

Phillips picked up the Imagen Award for best actor in a feature film for his role in the film.

Meanwhile, singer-turned-reality-star Rivera, who made her acting debut in Filly Brown, received the 2012 Imagen President’s Award.

In addition to picking up an award, Rodriguez served as the Imagen Foundation-sponsored awards show host. ,

Here’s a look at all of the Imagen Award winners:

Best Primetime Program: Switched at Birth (Prodco, Inc. in association with ABC Family)
Best Variety and Reality: 24/7 Mayweather/Ortiz (HBO Sports)
Best Children’s Programming: El Perro y El Gato (HBO Latino)
Best Young Actress on Television: Bella Thorne, Shake it Up! (Disney Channel)
Best Supporting Actress on TV: Eva La Rue, CSI:Miami (CBS)
Best Supporting Actor on TV: Carlos Gomez, The Glades (A&E)
Best Actor on Television: James Roday, Psych (USA Network)
Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film: Cierra Ramirez, Girl in Progress (Pantelion Films)
Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film: Diego Luna, Casa De Mi Padre (NALA Films/Gary Sanchez Productions/Pantelion Films)
Best Actress in a Feature Film: Gina Rodriguez, Filly Brown (Cima Production/Olmos Production/Silent Giant Entertainment)Best Actor in a Feature Film: Lou Diamond Phillips, Filly Brown (Cima Production/Olmos Production/Silent Giant Entertainment)
Best Primetime Special or Movie: The Pregnancy Project (Barbara Lieberman Productions)
Best Primetime Program: Drama or Comedy Series: Switched at Birth (Prodco Inc. in association with ABC: Family)
Best Theatrical Short or Student Film: INGLES (Ruben Avitia)

Rodriguez Signs Talent Deal with ABC/ABC Studios…

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She’s already earning rave reviews for her starring role in Filly Brown, which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival… And now Gina Rodriguez is preparing for the next chapter of her red-hot career.

Rodriguez, who received an Imagen Award nomination earlier this year for her work in the film Go For It!, has signed a talent holding deal with ABC and ABC Studios to star in a pilot targeted for next season.

She isn’t attached to a specific project yet, but Rodriguez could end up working on Marc Cherry’s Devious Maids, which revolves around four Latina maids in Beverly Hills.

Rodriguez, who has appeared on Army Wives, first gained the attention of network executives last year when she guest starred on ABC’s comedy Happy Endings.

The deal comes just shy of the world premiere of Filly Brown at the Sundance Film Festival this Friday.

The film, which centers on a young hip-hop artist from Los Angeles (Rodriguez) whose budding career comes to a crossroads when she’s offered a crack at stardom by a shady producer, has already been designated a must-see by film buyers.

Rodriguez’s “Filly Brown” Heading to Sundance…

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Next month Gina Rodriguez will be heading to the Sundance Film Festival for the world premiere of her latest film Filly Brown… And she could return from Park City, Utah as the festival’s breakout star.

In the film, the Latina actress plays Maria Jose ‘Majo’ Tonorio, a tough Mexican girl in Los Angeles aspiring to become a hip-hop artist. The film, which co-stars Edward James Olmos, Jenni Rivera and Lou Diamond Phillips, follows her rise to fame and consciousness as she copes with the incarceration of her mother through her poetry and music.

Rodriguez, who received an Imagen Award nomination earlier this year for her work in the film Go For It!, is already receiving major pre-festival attention, with many predicting her show-stopping performance in the film will garner some serious recognition.

Meanwhile, Rivera—the Banda queen who recently signed a new production deal with mun2—will make her acting debut in the film as Rogriguez’s jailed mother.

“I had to dig deep for the role,” explained Rivera to Billboard. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. If I can make Edward James Olmos cry, to me that means it was a success.”

Olmos, who serves as one of the film’s executive producers, says Rivera and Rodriguez will leave you in tears.

“Jenni and Gina eat up the screen, and when they’re together—Oh my God, it’s amazing,” he recently told Billboard.

The Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 19-29, 2012.

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