Mota to Reportedly Compete on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

Posted on August 30, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Bethany Mota may have reason to dance in the near future…

The 18-year-old half-Mexican YouTube vlogger and fashionista has reportedly been cast for season 19 of ABC’s celebrity ballroom dance competition Dancing with the Stars, according to TMZ.

If Mota’s casting news holds true, the decision seems to recognize that there’s more to a “star” than someone who appears on a television or film screen. There’s another screen that counts these days… the computer screen.

Not only does the charming and charismatic Mota have more than nine million subscribers across her two YouTube channels (Macbarbie07 and BethanysLife), she also has 3.6 million Instagram followers, 1.9 million on Twitter, and even a line at Aeropostale.

Mota recentlt judged an episode of Project Runway alongside Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Zac Posen earlier this year, and even scored a winning surfboard at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Female Web Star.

Mota would reportedly dance alongside other reported celebrities: Back to the Future’s Lea Thompson, Pretty Little Liars’ Janel Parrish, Olympian Lolo Jones and soap star Antonio Sabato Jr., among others.

Lopez to Pen His Memoir

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Extra! Extra! Read all about Mario Lopez…

The 40-year-old Mexican American actor and Extra host is writing his memoir, entitled Just Between Us.

The book’s publisher Penguin will release Lopez’s book on September 30.

Lopez is best known for playing athletic hunk A.C. Slater on NBC’s Saturday morning teen sitcom Saved by the Bell, which aired from 1989 to 1993. Saved by the Bell: The College Years, a primetime spin-off, lasted one season (1993-94). Other members of the cast included Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Dustin Diamond, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley and Lark Voorhies.

Specific details about what Lopez will cover in the book haven’t been released but Penguin is touting the book as “a behind-the-scenes look into his successes and disappointments in the entertainment industry” and the “most intimate never-before-told stories, including the details of his often tumultuous and largely public love life—giving readers a look at the ups and downs of his romantic past leading up to a happily-ever-after with his beautiful wife and their two children.”

Added Lopez in the statement, “I share my most intimate stories and pivotal moments, some of the best and most important times of my life and the heartbreaking mistakes that still haunt me. There are no do-overs in life, so I had to learn to pick myself up and move forward, never forgetting the hard-won lessons.”

Post-Bell, Lopez has been the host of the entertainment news show Extra since 2008. He was also a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2006, finishing second to former NFL great Emmitt Smith. He was also the subject of the VH1 unscripted series Mario Lopez: Saved by the Baby about the arrival of his first child with wife Courtney Mazza. He was also briefly married to Ali Landry in 2004.

Just Between Us will be published via Penguin’s Hispanic celebrity imprint Celebra, which has done books by Ricky Martin, Pele, George Lopez and Soledad O’Brien among others.

Lopez has previously published two health and fitness books with Celebra. Both were New York Times bestsellers.

Castroneves Wins the Detroit Grand Prix

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a case of déjà vu for Helio Castroneves…

The 39-year-old Brazilian auto racer and former Dancing with the Stars champion easily won the second Detroit Grand Prix race of the weekend on Sunday, finishing 1.6836 seconds ahead of Penske Racing teammate Will Power.

Castroneves celebrated in his signature style, climbing a fence, in the same place where he did it for the first time many years ago.

It was in Detroit where Castroneves raced to the first of his 29 victories in 2000 and scaled the safety fence.

And he’s still winning and climbing with more composure.

“I was able to hold my emotions better,” he said. “I guess I’m getting older.”

Castroneves’ lead was so large that when he made his final pit stop on Lap 49 he still was ahead when he got back on the track.

The competition got closer after cautions led to restarts with seven and three laps left, but Castroneves could not be caught in part because Power did not want to risk ruining his teammate’s path to victory by possibly hitting him.

“Because of Roger, I definitely wasn’t going to race him hard,” Power said.

Castroneves has 29 IndyCar victories, tying Rick Mears for 11th on the career.

“Oh, really?” Castroneves asked. “Wow. What an honor.”

Castroneves finished 0.060 seconds behind Ryan Hunter-Reay last week in the Indianapolis 500 in his bid to join Mears as a four-time winner in open-wheel racing’s signature event.

Garcia’s Australian Six-Part Mini-Series “The Code” Going Global

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Adam Garcia will be code-sharing throughout the world…

The 40-year-old half-Colombian actor’s six-part thriller The Code has landed distribution deals in the United Kingdom, the United States, Latin America and Denmark.

Produced by Australia’s Playmaker, the drama will have its premiere Down Under on ABC1 later this year.

The Code will also be broadcast in the UK by DCD, DirecTV in the U.S., Sundance Channel Latin America in Latin America and Denmark’s DR.

Set in the Australian outback, The Code centers on two very different brothers — one a journalist, the other a hacker — who unearth information that those at the highest levels of political power will kill to keep secret.

Lucy Lawless stars with Garcia, David Wenham and Aden Young.

DirecTV acquired the series for Audience Network.

The Code was created by Shelley Birse and written by Birse, Blake Ayshford and Justin Monjo.

Garcia, who rose to acclaim in the U.S. after his role in Coyote Ugly, most recently appeared on CBS’ The Crazy Ones and NBC’s Camp. He also served as the fourth judge on the 2013 Australian version of Dancing With The Stars.

Martin to Serve as Guest Judge on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Life’s a ball(room) for Ricky Martin…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican singer and actor will serve as a guest judge on Season 18 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

Martin will be one of a handful of guest judges on the network’s celebrity dance competition throughout the season, including Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts and former DWTS professional dancer, singer and actress Julianne Hough.

During his stint, Martin will appear alongside regular panelists Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.

There’s no word yet on when Martin will make his guest appearance on the show.

Martin most recently served as a coach on The Voice Australia and debuted in the first episode of season two, on April 7, 2013.

Lamas to Compete on the New Season of Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice”

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Lorenzo Lamas is getting trumped…

The 56-year-old half-Argentine American actor will reportedly be among the contestants on the upcoming seventh season of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice, according to Us Weekly.

It’s not the first reality television show appearance for Lamas, best known for portraying Lance Cumson on the popular 1980s primetime sudser Falcon Crest. He previously starred in his own reality show, Leave it to Lamas, a series that centered on his real-life family.

His most recent credits include a recurring role on Nickelodeon’s Big Time Rush and appearances on The Joe Schmo Show and The Eric Andre Show.

Other reported contestants on the Donald Trump-hosted reality competition include Real Housewives of Beverly Hills‘ Brandi Glanville, Real Housewives of Atlanta‘s Kenya Moore, Dancing with the Stars alum and mother of eight Kate Gosselin, Olympian Shawn Johnson, rapper Ludacris, volleyball star Gabrielle Reece, and actors Ian Ziering and Vivica A. Fox.

Journalist Geraldo Rivera and Cosby Show star Keshia Knight Pulliam will also compete, according to TMZ.

The cast will be officially announced on Thursday.

The new season of Celebrity Apprentice will begin filming this spring.

Blacc to Perform at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Aloe Blacc is set to make his first appearance at the 2014 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

The 35-year-old Panamanian-American singer will perform at the March 29 fan-voted awards ceremony, which will be hosted by Mark Wahlberg.

Blacc, best known for his single “I Need a Dollar,” will perform a medley of his recent hit songs “Wake Me Up,” which he co-wrote with Avicii, and “The Man.”

“Wake Me Up” has charted at No. 1 in 22 countries.

“Looking forward to my very first Kids Choice Awards performance. Can’t wait to sing ‘Wake Me Up’ and ‘The Man’ with all my fans,” said Blacc.

Blacc’s most recent television appearances include The Voice, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Dancing with the Stars.

Levy to Star as Jordi Molla’s Son in the Crime Thriller “Term Life”

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s William Levy’s term to impress American audiences once again…

The 33-year-old Cuban actor, telenovela star and former Dancing with the Stars competitor has joined the cast of the Vince Vaughn– and Hailee Steinfeld-starring crime thriller Term Life.

The film follows Nick Barrow (portrayed by Vaughn), who takes his estranged daughter (Steinfeld) on the lam when a heist goes south and he’s forced to take out a life insurance policy on himself that doesn’t take effect for 21 days.

In addition to Levy, the film will also star Bad Boys II alum Jordi Molla has been cast in the Peter Billingsley-helmed film as a ruthless Mexican cartel leader Victor Fuentes, who’s after Barrow.

Levy, meantime, will bring to life the role of Molla’s character’s son Alejandro.

He most recently filmed the feature The Veil. He’s shooting Change Of Heart with Jim Belushi and Virginia Madsen and will be seen in Lionsgate’s Addicted.

Rivera to Perform “Valerie” on the 100th Episode of “Glee”

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Naya Rivera is preparing to reinterpret one of her most memorable Glee performances…

The 27-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer will offer a new take on her acclaimed performance of Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson’s version of “Valerie” for the Fox musical dramedy’s 100th episode.

In the second season episode entitled “Special Education,” Rivera sang lead on the track by The Zutons during the New Directions’ performance at the 2010 Western Ohio Sectional Championship.

Rivera also performed the track in the Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, which was released in 2011.

This time around, she’ll perform the song alongside Heather Morris (Brittany).

In addition, Rivera will also perform Britney Spears’ “Toxic” with Morris and Diana Agron (Quinn), and “Be Okay” with Lea Michele.

The music in the two-part episode was chosen by the show’s fans, who were asked to pick 10 of the show’s 30 most beloved performances to be remixed and featured on the series’ landmark episode.

Set to air on March 18 and 25 at 8 p.m., the 100th episode will center on Jane Lynch‘s principal Sue Sylvester, who after years of disdain for the New Directions and Matthew Morrison‘s Will Schuester, finally succeeds in ending the glee club in Lima.

Many original castmembers — Morris (Brittany), Harry Shum Jr. (Mike), Mark Salling (Puck), Dancing With the Stars winner Amber Riley (Mercedes), Agron (Quinn) as well as Kristin Chenoweth (April) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Holly Holliday) — will return to say their final goodbyes to Will and each other in the emotional episode.

To honor the milestone, Columbia Records will release Glee: The Music Celebrating 100 Episodes, which will include brand-new versions of Glee favorites from the original cast — including Journey‘s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Pink‘s “Raise Your Glass” and the original song “Loser Like Me.”

The album will be released on March 25.

Here’s the complete 100th Glee tracklist:

1. “Keep Holding On”* featuring Mark Salling (Puck)
2. “Valerie”* featuring Naya Rivera (Santana) and Morris (Brittany)
3. “Defying Gravity”* featuring Lea Michele( Rachel), Chris Colfer (Kurt) and Riley (Mercedes)
4. “Raise Your Glass”* featuring Morrison (Will) and Chenoweth (April)
5. “Toxic”* featuring Rivera (Santana), Morris (Brittany) and Agron (Quinn)
6. “Happy” featuring Paltrow (Holly), Chenoweth (April), Morrison (Will), Darren Criss(Blaine) and Riley (Mercedes)
7. “Party All the Time” featuring Paltrow (Holly)
8. “Total Eclipse of the Heart”* featuring Morrison (Will) and Chenoweth (April)
9. “Loser Like Me”* featuring Criss (Blaine), Kevin McHale (Artie), Chord Overstreet(Sam) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina)
10. “Be Okay” featuring Michele (Rachel) and Rivera (Santana)
11. “I Am Changing” featuring Riley (Mercedes) and Colfer (Kurt)
12. “Just Give Me a Reason” featuring Agron (Quinn) and Salling (Puck)
13. “Don’t Stop Believin’”* featuring Michele (Rachel), Criss (Blaine), Colfer (Kurt), Morrison (Will), McHale (Artie) and Ushkowitz (Tina)

* Season-five version

Glee returns from its midseason break on February 25 in its new night and time on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Sanchez Performs a Slowed-Down Version of Pitbull & Aguilera’s “Feel This Moment” on DTWS

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Move over Christina Aguilera… It looks like Jessica Sanchez is slowing it down to really feel this moment…

The 17-year-old half-Mexican American singer and American Idol runner-up made an appearance on Tuesday’s Dancing with the Stars season finale to perform a subdued version of Pitbull and Christina Aguilera’s hit dance single “Feel This Moment.”

Sanchez’s toned down version of the up-tempo track was used as the music for a poignant montage of the DWTS finalists’ best moments on the show this season.

Singing Aguilera’s lyrics, Sanchez went for a more subtle, softer delivery that fit the heart-tugging montage perfectly.

This year’s Mirror Ball trophy on ABC’s reality dancing competition was awarded to another American Idol alum, Kellie Pickler.

“Oh my God! This is amazing! Oh my God,” Exclaimed Pickler as she held onto her pro dancing partner Derek Hough,

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Dancing With The Stars