Lopez Among the Actresses in the Running to Portray Jenni Rivera

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It looks like it’s a three-way race to find the actress to portray the late Jenni Rivera in a film about her life, with Jennifer Lopez in the hunt.

The 43-year-old Puerto Rican actress is reportedly being considered to play la Diva de la Banda, as well as Angélica Vale and Alicia Machado.

Rosie Rivera, sister of the banda/ranchera singer who died in an plane crash in Mexico last December, told Univision that plans to shoot the film about the I Love Jenni star are going forward as part of the family’s wish to make all her dreams come true.

Even though Rivera’s family hasn’t confirmed who’ll play her on screen, the press these days has tossed around a number of names, including Vale. The 37-year-old Mexican actress is best known for her starring role in the telenovela La Fea Mas Bella.

Also mentioned repeatedly is Machado, the singer and actress who was the fourth Venezuelan woman in history to win Miss Universe.

Both she and Vale have publicly expressed their admiration for Rivera, but have also said that neither has been formally offered a role in the film.

It’s also been speculated that Lopez’s company, Nuyorican Productions, could produce the film, although no news has been forthcoming about whether J.Lo intends to portray Rivera.

Lopez previously starred in the 1997 biopic about another Latina legend, the late Selena Quintanilla, who was murdered by the former president of her fan club.

For his part, film director Francisco Joel Mendoza also told Univision that he already has the permits to begin production on the film, saying shooting could begin in April.

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.

Rubio to Serve as a Coach on Telemundo’s “La Voz Kids”

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Paulina Rubio will be coaching the next generation of singing superstars…

The 41-year-old Mexican singer, who began her own singing career at the age of 10 as a member of the popular children’s pop group Timbiriche, will serve as a coach for Telemundo’s Spanish-language, pint-sized version of The Voice, La Voz Kids.

In the competition, children ranging in age from 7 to 14 will compete to win the prize for best voice under the direction of three music coaches.

Rubio, who has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, is the first artist to join the program’s lineup. The network says two other celebrities will be announced as coaches soon.

Telemundo’s vice president of development and content, Daniel Cubillo, recalled Rubio’s early beginnings Timbiriche, saying it puts her “in a very special position to share with kids what she experienced on her way to making her dreams come true.”

For her part, La Chica Dorada who coached Mexico’s edition La Voz with the late Jenni Rivera and Spanish singer Miguel Bosé, said she’s “very excited” about the project that will open the doors to a new generation of singers.

La Voz Kids, which is part of NBC’s successful The Voice franchise, will premiere next spring.

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 Memoir, “Unbreakable,” to be Released in July

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

The late Jenni Rivera’s last words or wisdom will be revealed this summer…

A memoir from the late Mexican American singer, which she completed before her untimely death in a plane crash in Northern Mexico in December, will be published in July.

Entitled Unbreakable, the memoir will be published in English and Spanish by Simon & Schuster‘s Atria Books imprint, according to the Associated Press.

Rosie Rivera, the sister of la Diva de la Banda, said the memoir captures her sister’s determined spirit.

“I miss my sister every moment, but on days that I want to feel her close, I open her book written in her own words, and feel her right next to me,” she said in a statement from Atria.

Unbreakable will allow fans to “enjoy her as we have,” she added.

Atria said the book provides “an intimate look into the heart and soul of this self-made woman, who ascended to the top of the charts against all odds, becoming a legend in a completely male dominated music category.”

News of the book’s release comes on the heels of mun2’s announcement that the third season of Rivera’s highly popular I Love Jenni reality series will premiere in April.

Lopez Reportedly Looking to Produce Jenni Rivera Biopic

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

“Jenny from the Block” could be bringing another Jenni’s story to the big screen…

Jennifer Lopez is reportedly looking to produce a biopic about the late Jenni Rivera through her production company Nuyorican Productions, according to TV y Novelas.

The 43-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actress is looking to buy the rights to move forward to developing the biopic on la Diva de la Banda, who passed away in a plane crash in Northern Mexico last December.

Lopez has even taken the initiative and reached out to Rivera’s sister, Rosie, whom Rivera left in charge of her estate, finances and children, according to the publication.

“I didn’t know her personally but I knew of her,” said Lopez after news of Rivera’s death broke. “For me, just being on tour right now, you live the same type of life. You know what I mean? It’s traveling, it’s doing shows.”

“…I’m sure she was rushing to get home to her kids at that time so she took the flight at 3 in the morning. So you go like, wow, it’s just like a wake-up call for everybody. It’s tragic. She was so young, so young, and she had five kids. It just wasn’t her time, it feels like.”

TV Y Novelas reported that Lopez admires that the Mexican-American banda and ranchera singer had thick skin and a never-give-up attitude toward the obstacles she faced in life.

“Jennifer (Lopez) knows that she (Rivera) was very strong, a warrior,” said the source. “Just like the movie of Selena Quintanilla was a success for her career, she feels that Jenni deserves a movie with all the Hollywood glitz and glam.”

In the meantime, Rivera’s fans will have the chance to see the last images of their idol on mun2. The cable network has announced that the third season of her hit series I Love Jenni, which includes footage shot a month before her passing, will premiere in April.

The Third Season of Rivera’s “I Love Jenni” to Premiere in April

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a bittersweet day for Jenni Rivera’s fans…

mun2 has announced that the third season of the late Mexican American singer’s hit reality series I Love Jenni will premiere in April.

Rivera’s series, the top-rated Hispanic reality show on cable, comes four months after the superstar banda and ranchera died in a plane crash in Northern Mexico on December 9 after giving her last performance in Monterrey.

The new season’s episodes will include footage shot in the month before her untimely passing, as well as footage shot afterward as Rivera’s family deals with her death. Rivera’s five children Chiquis, Jacqui, Michael, Jenicka and Johnny, as well as Rivera’s sister Rosie will also appear in the new episodes.

Rivera, a major star in the Latin American community and Mexico, was in the midst of preparing to cross-over into the English-language market in the U.S. Rivera’s death came just days after she’d sealed a deal to headline her own sitcom for ABC.

Season three of I Love Jenni will premiere on mun2 on April 14 at 9:00 pm ET.

Don Omar Leads the Pack of Billboard Latin Music Awards Finalists

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It’s no wonder he’s called Don Omar…

The 34-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton singer/actor, born William Omar Landrón Rivera, is the don of this year’s Billboard Latin Music Awards, earning 18 finalist nods, including Artist of the Year; Social Artist of the Year and Streaming Artist of the Year. Last year, Don Omar was the leader of the pack with 16 finalist nods.

In addition, Don Omar is nominated as Songs Artist of the Year, Male; Albums Artist of the Year, Male and Songwriter of the Year. His album Don Omar Presents MT02: New Generation competes for Latin Rhythm Album of the Year and Digital Album of the Year. Three of Don Omar’s hit songs — “Dutty Love,” featuring Natty Natasha, “Hasta Que Salga El Sol” and “Danza Kuduro” — are finalists in various song categories.

Romeo Santos comes in second, with the bachata star earning 12 nods. Wisin & Yandel and the late Jenni Rivera tied with 11 nods each. Prince Royce and Pitbull, major finalists last year, also returned with 10 and nine nods respectively, while newcomers 3BallMTY earned eight.

Meanwhile regional Mexican acts La Arrolladora Banda el Limón de René Camacho and Gerardo Ortiz nabbed seven and six nods, respectively, while rockers Maná with five and pop act Ricardo Arjona with three.

The 2013 Billboard Latin Awards will be broadcast live on Telemundo on April 25 from the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami in Florida.

The Billboard Latin Music Awards honor the most popular albums, songs, and performers in Latin Music, as determined by the actual sales, radio airplay, streaming and social data that informs Billboard’s weekly charts during a one-year period from the issue dated February 4, 2012, through this year’s January 26, 2013, issue.

Click here for the full list of nominees.

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 Reaches No. 1 on Billboard’s Social 50 Chart

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Jenni Rivera has earned yet another posthumous honor…

The Mexican American banda singer, who died in a plane crash earlier this month at the age of 43, has reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Social 50 chart this past week as predicted, due to a peak in online activity surrounding her untimely passing, particularly the including her public memorial on Wednesday.

La Diva de la Banda added a little over a million fans across her various online outlets, accumulating 560,000 to her official Twitter account and 435,000 new followers to her Facebook page, following a 485% rise in weekly conversation on the platform as measured by Facebook’s People Talking About This statistic. Her videos on her VEVO channel saw an increase as well, experiencing a 1,500% rise in plays over the previous week to reach 8.7 million views throughout the week.

The Social 50 chart ranks the most popular artists on YouTube, VEVO, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, Wikipedia, MySpace and Instagram. The chart’s methodology blends weekly additions of friends/fans/followers along with artist page views, song plays and reactions.

Rivera’s No. 1 position on the Social 50 chart follows her No. 1 finish on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.

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