Lana Parrilla to Direct an Episode of Her ABC Series “Once Upon a Time”

Lana Parrilla is pulling double duty…

The 40-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and Once Upon a Time star will assume another role on the forthcoming season of the ABC series.

Lana Parrilla

Parrilla, who stars as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills, will step behind the camera and make her directorial debut.

Once Upon a Time co-creator Adam Horowitz took to Twitter to share the news, teasing fans with an image of a script page from season seven’s 17th episode titled “Chosen.”

Under the title it says “Written by Paul Karp & Brian Ridings” and below that it says “Directed by Lana Parrilla.”

Usually seen in front of the camera, this will mark Parrilla’s first time as a director. Horowitz calls the episode a “#titlespoiler.”

ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said last week that although ratings have dropped, she is  “cautiously optimistic.” She added, “It’s always hard at this point in January to know because some of it’s also dependent on your new development and how you feel about some of those things, so that’s part of why it’s really hard at the top of the year to really know what’s going to happen.”

Once Upon a Time is currently on a hiatus and is set to return to resume season seven on March 2.

Maximiliano Hernandez Cast In AT&T Audience Network’s Hit Series “Mr. Mercedes”

Maximiliano Hernandez is ready to prosecute…

The 44-year-old Latino actor has joined the cast of AT&T Audience Network’s breakout series Mr. Mercedes.

Maximiliano Hernandez

Production begins next month in Charleston, South Carolina on the Sonar Entertainment-produced Stephen King adaptation for premiere this summer on DirecTV, AT&T U-verse and DirecTV Now.

The second season will be based on King’s best-selling Bill Hodges Trilogy, which includes, Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers and End of Watch.

Season 1 followed a demented killer Brady Hartsfield (Harry Treadaway) who taunts a retired police detective Bill Hodges (Brendan Gleeson) with a series of lurid letters and emails, forcing the ex-cop to undertake a private, and potentially felonious, crusade to bring the killer to justice before he is able to strike again.

Hernandez will portray Assistant DA Antonio Montez.

Hernandez joins returning cast members Jharrel Jerome as Jerome Robinson, Scott Lawrence as Detective Peter Dixon, Breeda Wool as Lou Linklatter, Justine Lupe as Holly Gibney and Holland Taylor as Ida Silver.

David E. Kelley and Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, The Drop, Live by Night) will be leading the season 2 writers room. Jack Bender will return to direct 8 of 10 episodes.

Hernandez is best known for his roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and in the first season of The Americans.

Meagan Good’s “A Boy. A Girl. A Dream.” to Have Its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival

Meagan Good has her NEXT project all set for viewing…

Qasim Basir’s third feature film A Boy. A Girl. A Dream., starring the 36-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress, will have its world premiere this month at the Sundance Film Festival’s NEXT section.

Meagan Good

In addition to Good, the drama also stars Power‘s Omari Hardwick.

It’s the story of two people who meet in Los Angeles on the night Donald Trump is elected President of the United States.

Hardwick is Cass, a USC grad stalled in his career, and Good is Frida, a visitor in town who is in the middle of a tough breakup. Their meeting is set with Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton as a backdrop, and they soon discover nothing will ever be the same.

The film also stars Jay Ellis, Kenya Barris, Dijon Talton and Wesley Jonathan. Basir co-wrote the script with Samantha Tanner, and Gook‘s Datari Turner is producer.

Bad Bunny to Release New Single “Solita” Next Week

Bad Bunny isn’t leaving you “Solita”…

The 23-year-old Puerto Rican Latin trap and reggaeton singer, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has announced plans to release his latest single “Solita.”

Bad Bunny

Featuring Wisin, Ozuna and Almighty, the track will be released on January 19.

“Solita” is the follow-up single to his hit track “Krippy Kush,” featuring Farruko, Nicki Minaj 21 Savage and Rvssian.

Cardi B Collaborating with Yo Gotti on New Single

It appears Cardi B isn’t slowing down her workload…

After beginning 2018 with a massive feature on Bruno Mars‘ “Finesse (Remix),” the 25-year-old half-Dominican American rapper has already completed her next collaboration.

Cardi B

This time Cardi B joins voices with the king of club bangers, Yo Gotti.

Yo Gotti shared a snippet of the new song during a recent Instagram Live session with Cardi B adding her boisterous flow to the track.

Yo Gotti’s new track is a steamy, NSFW club-ready single that begins with a menacing piano and is later beefed up with a booming trap-style beat. Cardi B later bursts onto the track with sultry lines like, “Say where I’m at? K.O.D/ Where I’m at? I’m at LIV/ What I’m doing? Poppin’ pussy/ Where he at? At the crib.”

Yo Gotti also previewed his verse where he raps, “She only VIP ’cause she f–k the promoter (got damn)/ N—as sippin’ Ace Of Spade like it’s soda (got damn).”

Cardi B and Yo Gotti each notched big singles in 2017 as “Bodak Yellow” landed in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 back in September and perched there comfortably for three weeks.

Yo Gotti x Cardi B Snippet 👀🔥

A post shared by OUR GENERATION MUSIC 🔰 (@ourgenerationmusictv) on

Yo Gotti’s Nicki Minaj-assisted “Rake It Up” earned the Southern rhymer his first-ever top ten single.

J Balvin to Release New Single “Machika,” Featuring Anitta, This Month

J Balvin is returning with new music…

The 32-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer is set to release his new single “Machika,” featuring Anitta and Jeon Arvani, on January 19.

J Balvin

After teasing his fans for several weeks, on Monday afternoon J Balvin finally revealed the release date for the new track.

The single follows J Balvin’s smash hit “Mi Gente,” which topped the Hot Latin Songs chart and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

J Balvin is set to perform at Calibash 2018, joining Jennifer LopezWisin y YandelBad Bunny, Ozuna, Becky GNatti Natasha and French Montana, who are also confirmed for the show.

Camila Cabello’s “Havana” Earns Longest Run at No. 1 on Pop Songs Chart for a Lead Female in Five Years

It’s Lucky No. 7 for Camila Cabello

The 20-year-old Cuban and Mexican singer and former Fifth Harmony member’s breakout single “Havana,” featuring Young Thug, tops Billboard‘s Pop Songs radio airplay chart for a seventh week, marking the longest reign for a song by a solo female in a lead role in nearly five years.

Camila Cabello

“Havana” boasts the longest such command since Taylor Swift‘s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” which also led for seven weeks, beginning on the chart dated February 2, 2013.

The last song by a lead female to rule Pop Songs for more than seven weeks? Rihanna‘s “We Found Love,” featuring Calvin Harris: eight weeks in 2011-12.

The Pop Songs chart, dated January 13, measures total weekly plays, as tabulated by Nielsen Music, among its reporting panel of 161 mainstream top 40 stations.

Here’s a look at the longest-leading Pop Songs No. 1s in the 2010s among all acts:

Weeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1

11, “Closer,” The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey, Oct. 8, 2016
10, “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke feat. T.I. + Pharrell, July 20, 2013
9, “Shape of You,” Ed Sheeran, March 4, 2017
8, “One More Night,” Maroon 5, Oct. 13, 2012
8, “We Found Love,” Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris, Dec. 10, 2011
7, “Havana,” Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug, Dec. 9, 2017
7, “I Knew You Were Trouble.,” Taylor Swift, Feb. 2, 2013
7, “California Gurls,” Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg, July 3, 2010
7, “TiK ToK,” Ke$ha, Feb. 6, 2010

The longest command in the Pop Songs chart’s entire 25-year history belongs to Ace of Base‘s “The Sign“: 14 weeks at No. 1 in 1994. Three songs share the mark for the longest rule among lead females: 11 weeks each for Natalie Imbruglia‘s “Torn” (1998), Donna LewisI Love You Always Forever” (1996) and Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men‘s “One Sweet Day” (1995-96).

“Havana” is from Cabello’s debut solo album Camila, due Friday (January 12). The follow-up single, “Never Be the Same,” bullets at No. 32 on Pop Songs.

Sabrina Claudio Appears on the Official Soundtrack for “Fifty Shades Freed”

Prepare for fifty shades of Sabrina Claudio

The 21-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American singer-songwriter appears on the official soundtrack for Fifty Shades Freed, singing in English and Spanish.

Sabrina Claudio

Claudio, who was named Apple Music’s Up Next artist in October, performs the single “Cross Your Mind” and its Spanish version.

But Claudio isn’t the only Latina appearing on the official soundtrack, a 22-song compilation.

Jessie Reyez joins voices with Black Atlass on the single “Sacrifice.”

Claudio and Reyez join an all-star roster that includes Sia, Ellie Goulding, Hailee Steinfeld and Miike Snow.

The soundtrack is kicked off by Liam Payne and Rita Ora’s lead number “For You,” which arrived last Friday.

The Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack will be released on February 9.

Its predecessor, the soundtrack to Fifty Shades Darker, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last February.

The forthcoming film, the final in the Fifty Shades trilogy, also hits theaters on February 9.

Here’s the full track list:

‘Fifty Shades Freed Official Soundtrack’ Tracklisting:

  1. Capital Letters – Hailee Steinfeld x BloodPop®
  2. For You (Fifty Shades Freed) – Liam Payne & Rita Ora
  3. Sacrifice – Black Atlass featuring Jessie Reyez
  4. High – Whethan & Dua Lipa
  5. Heaven – Julia Michaels
  6. Big Spender – Kiana Ledé featuring Prince Charlez
  7. Never Tear Us Apart – Bishop Briggs
  8. The Wolf – The Spencer Lee Band
  9. Are You – Julia Michaels
  10. Cross Your Mind – Sabrina Claudio
  11. Change Your Mind – Miike Snow
  12. Come On Back – Shungudzo
  13. I Got You (I Feel Good) – Jessie J
  14. Ta Meilleure Ennemie (Pearls) – Samantha Gongol (of Marian Hill) featuring Juliette Armanet
  15. Deer in Headlights – Sia
  16. Diddy Bop – Jacob Banks & Louis the Child
  17. Love Me Like You Do (Fifty Shades Freed Version) – Ellie Goulding
  18. Freed – Danny Elfman
  19. Seeing Red – Danny Elfman
  20. Maybe I’m Amazed – Jamie Dornan [Bonus Track]
  21. Cross Your Mind (Spanish Version – Sabrina Claudio [Bonus Track]
  22. Pearls – Samantha Gongol (of Marian Hill) [Bonus Track]

Rosario Dawson Lands Recurring Role on The CW’s “Jane the Virgin”

Rosario Dawson is heading to Virgin territory…

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist has landed a recurring role on The CW’s Jane the Virgin.

Rosario Dawson

Dawson will appear in multiple episodes of the Gina Rodriguez-starrer in the latter part of Season 4, CW officials announced while kicking off the network’s day at TCA.

CW rep Paul Hewitt said no further details on Dawson’s role are available at this time.

Dawson, most recently seen on Netflix’s The Defenders, in November signed on as an executive producer and narrator of the environment-conscious documentary The Need to Grow, about the importance of healthy soil.

FX Gives Series Order to Kurt Sutter’s “Sons of Anarchy” spinoff “Mayans MC,” Starring JD Pardo

JD Pardo is revving his engine…

FX has given a series order to Kurt Sutter’s Sons of Anarchy spinoff Mayans MC, starring the 37-year-old Argentine and Salvadoran American actor.

JD Pardo

The network has given the series a 10-episode order and slated it for a 2018 premiere.

The series order comes after the pilot underwent a reshoot and recasting of some key roles. FX CEO John Landgraf expressed optimism for the future of the spinoff at last summer’s TCA, saying that he expected a pickup in about three months.

This is the latest FX drama to land a series order after retooling the pilot, joining such shows as Sons of Anarchy and Snowfall.

Co-created by Sutter and Elgin James and hailing from Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions, Mayans MC is the next chapter in Sutter’s Sons of Anarchy saga that was the highest-rated ongoing drama series in FX history. The Mayans were recurring and pivotal players in Sons of Anarchy throughout the show’s seven-year run.

Mayans MC is set in a post-Jax Teller world, where EZ Reyes (JD Pardo), fresh out of prison, is a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the Cali/Mexi border. Now EZ must carve out his new outlaw identity in a town where he once was the golden boy who had the American Dream within his grasp.

The series also stars Edward James Olmos, Antonio Jaramillo, Richard Cabral and Emilio Rivera.