“Glee” Cast to Reunite for Special Tribute to Naya Rivera’s Character Santana Lopez at GLAAD Media Awards

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Naya Rivera will be the focus of a special tribute at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards…

Glee cast members Jacob Artist, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Vanessa Lengies, Jane Lynch, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Alex Newell, Amber Riley, Harry Shum Jr., Becca Tobin, and Jenna Ushkowitz will reunite at the virtual edition of the awards show on April 8 for a special tribute to the legacy of the Santana Lopez, the character portrayed by the late half-Puerto Rican actress/singer and Glee star, who drowned last July while on an outing with her son on California’s Lake Piru.

The tribute will honor the 10-year anniversary of Santana’s coming out as lesbian in the musical comedy. Glee is a GLAAD Media Award winning series and the reunion will spotlight Santana’s impact on LGBTQ teens and Latinx LGBTQ representation on television. Demi Lovato, who played Santana’s girlfriend on Glee, will introduce the special tribute.

The GLAAD Media Awards will be hosted by Niecy Nash and stream on YouTube on April 8 at 8:00 pm ET. The event will also stream on Hulu on April 8 starting at 10:00 pm ET, and will be available to stream on-demand on the streamer until the end of June.

Laurie Hernandez Joins Voice Cast of Nickelodeon’s Specials “Middle School Moguls”

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Laurie Hernandez is headed back to middle school…

Nickelodeon has ordered Middle School Moguls, four CG-animated half-hour specials featuring the 18-year-old Puerto Rican Olympic gold medal gymnast and Dancing with the Stars champion as part of the voice cast.

Middle School Moguls is inspired by the concept created by Gina and Jenae Heitkamp, who also serve as co-executive producers.

The specials chronicle the ambitions of four new friends striving to create their own companies while attending Mogul Academy, an entrepreneurial school where kid-business dreams come true. They follow students Valeria (Hernandez), Winnie (Daniella Perkins), Celeste (Jade Pettyjohn) and Yuna (Haley Tju), who are empowered by Mogul Academy to test their business creativity, innovation and grit, but being a kid boss comes with grown-up challenges so they’ll have to think outside of the box and “mogulize” if they want to make their big dreams a reality.

Additional voice cast includes Tim Gunn as Wren, a non-binary teacher in the Mogul Academy Fashion Branch, and Jane Lynch as Victoria Steele, the Headmaster of Mogul Academy. Additional casting news to come.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Gina and Jenae Heitkamp to bring Middle School Moguls to life on screen and to showcase authentic stories that speak to today’s generation of ambitious kids,” said Chris Viscardi, Nickelodeon’s Senior Vice President, Production and Development, Animation. “Kids today are learning about entrepreneurial opportunities at a much younger age. They want to start their own business and make business playful and empowering. They believe nothing is unattainable. Middle School Moguls taps into this entrepreneurial movement – building businesses based on kids’ unique skills, boundless inventiveness and taking action to pursue their passions.”

Hernandez’s previous television credits include co-hosting American Ninja Warrior Junior, and a cameo on Stuck in the Middle.

Morales to Compete on NBC’s “Hollywood Game Night”

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

It’s game on for Natalie Morales…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Brazilian American broadcast journalist, the Today Show West Coast anchor and an NBC News correspondent, will appear on this season of NBC’s Hollywood Game Night.

Hosted by Glee star Jane Lynch, this game night show brings regular people face-to-face with celebrities.

In addition to Morales, this season’s famous contestants include Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley from This Is Us, Ben Feldman from Superstore, plus Michael Bolton, NE-YO, Mike Colter, Margaret Cho, Gabby Douglas, Taye Diggs, and RuPaul.

Hollywood Game Night will premiere on Monday, August 7 at 10 pm ET.

Moto to Serve as a Presenter at the Creative Arts Emmys

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Bethany Mota is about to get creative…

The 20-year-old YouTube sensation will serve as a presented at this weekend’s two-night Creative Arts Emmys.

The Television Academy has revealed news that Mota, a former contestant on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, will be a presenter on Sunday night. She joins a roster that includes Lori Greiner, Erinn Hayes, Marilu Henner, Jane Lynch, Tyler Oakley, Chris Parnell, Ryan Seacrest and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

FXX will air the 2016 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 17.

Mota to Serve as a Presenter at This Weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Bethany Mota is about to get creative…

The 20-year-old YouTube sensation will serve as a presented at this weekend’s two-night Creative Arts Emmys.

FXX will air the 2016 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 17.

Trejo to Participate in This Year’s Red Nose Day Special on NBC

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Rudolph-like moment for Danny Trejo…

The 72-year-old Mexican American actor, best known for portraying villains and anti-heroes, has signed on for NBC’s Red Nose Day Special.

The fundraiser, which aims to help lift kids out of poverty, will be broadcast live on May 26 from 9:00 – 11:oo pm ET on NBC.

The special, hosted by Craig Ferguson, features comedy, musical performances and short films that shed light on children in need here at home and around the world.

Also scheduled to make an appearance on the special are Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tony Hale, Iwan Rheon, Sterling K. Brown, Yvette Nicole Brown, Margot Robbie, Jane Lynch, Connie Britton, Jay Pharaoh, Mayim Bialik, Ellen DeGeneres, Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Sarah Silverman, Tracy Morgan, Key & Peele, Anna Kendrick, Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Ellie Kemper, along with Kristen Bell, Emma Watson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Rose Byrne, Blake Griffin, Emma Thompson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Steve Buscemi, Adam Devine and Ron Funches. Additional talent will be announced at a later date.

Created by Oscar nominee and Emmy-winning writer-director Richard Curtis, the idea of Red Nose Day was built upon the foundation that mass media and celebrities can help raise money and awareness of poverty to save and change millions of lives.

Red Nose Day has raised more than $1 billion globally in the last 25 years, and in the UK has become a cultural phenomenon where people across the country come together to have fun, raise money and change lives.

Red Nose Day launched in the U.S. in 2015, and raised more than $23 million, with the money now at work in all 50 states and 15 countries internationally through programs to keep children and young people safe, healthy and educated.

Plaza to Voice Grumpy Cat in Lifetime’s Christmas-Themed TV Movie

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Aubrey Plaza has landed a pettish role…

Lifetime has selected the 30-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian and Parks and Recreation star to voice Grumpy Cat.

In Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever, Grumpy Cat stars as a pet store feline who’s never chosen for adoption — which leads to her sour outlook on life. Along comes a 12-year-old girl, who can actually hear Grumpy Cat talk. The two eventually go on adventures together and, yes, discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Grumpy Cat — whose real name is “Tardar Sauce” (really!) — has become a superstar with 6 million Facebook friends, two books in print (including the recently released The Grumpy Guide to Life: Observations by Grumpy Cat) and merchandising deals such as one as the official “spokescat” of Friskies.

Jane Lynch had previously been rumored for the part.

Tim Hill (Garfield 2) wrote the TV movie with Jeff Morris (The Yank), who also directed.

Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever will premiere on November 29 at 8:00pm on Lifetime.

Michele at the Center of the Sixth and Final Season of an Ohio-Based “Glee”

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It looks like Lea Michele’s heading back to the beginning…

The 27-year-old part-Spanish actress and Glee star will be returning to Ohio for the Fox musical dramedy’s sixth and final season.

The truncated season will revolve around Michele’s character Rachel Berry, who returns to Lima after a “humiliating failure” as a television actress.

The former New Directions star will head back home to figure out what she wants to do next and, after discovering that Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) has disbanded the glee club, undertakes the task of reinstating and leading the group that helped launch her career.

Meanwhile, Blaine (Darren Criss), Sam (Chord Overstreet) and Will (Matthew Morrison) have all found new and surprising gigs in Ohio.

Fox notes that other McKinley High alums will also return for Glee‘s final run.

Michele, Criss, Overstreet, Lynch and Morrison will all return as series regulars and be joined by Chris Colfer (Kurt), Dot-Marie Jones (Coach Beiste), Kevin McHale (Artie) and Amber Riley (Mercedes).

Naya Rivera will return with a reduced role. Max Adler has also booked a major recurring role in the final season, reprising his role as Dave Karofsky.

Co-creator Ryan Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter at the Emmys on Monday that he doesn’t currently know what the final scene of the series will be. “I did. I don’t anymore, but I think it will be emotional,” he said.

Murphy told reporters in April that the final season would feature a time jump and focus more on the original castmembers, shifting the focus from its previous relocated home in New York.

“The final season is really its own story and its own location, and while the New York stuff will be alive, the final season is not New York-centric at all,” Murphy said. “It really [will be] a lovely, fitting season that … dwells on the original people that were on the show and what happens to them and how they give back. That really is the last season. … We’ll revisit some of the new kids that came and went. There’s a return of the Jane-Matt characters in a big way. It’s really interesting, a very sweet, satisfying ending to the story.”

Murphy’s original vision for the end of the series featured Rachel and Finn’s (the late Cory Monteith) “star-crossed lovers getting together and having a happy ending and them both getting their dreams.” He added, “The fact that that can’t be is a big pain in all of our hearts.”

Glee‘s final season returns midseason on Fox. An exact premiere date has not yet been determined.

Armisen to Present at This Year’s Creative Arts Emmy Awards

Posted on August 10, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Fred Armisen is about to get creative…

The 47-year-old half-Venezuelan American actor and former Saturday Night Live star, who received his first-ever Emmy nomination in an acting category this year, will be among the presenters at the 2014 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on August 16, according to the show’s executive producer Spike Jones Jr.

Armisen, who earneda best supporting actor in a comedy nod for Portlandia, the IFC series filmed and set in Portland, joins a list of presenters that includes Jane Lynch, Morgan Freeman, Tony Goldwyn, Heidi Klum and much of the nominated cast of Orange Is the New Black.

Other presenters include Patrick Adams (Suits), Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), Tony Goldwyn (Scandal), Judy Greer (Archer), Jonathan Groff (The Normal Heart), Tim Gunn (Project Runway), Tony Hale (Veep), Allison Janney (Mom; Masters of Sex), Keegan Michael Key (Key and Peele), Natasha Lyonne (Orange Is the New Black), Joe Manganiello (True Blood), Joel McHale (The Soup; Community), Aisha Tyler (Archer), Matt Walsh (Veep), Matt Weiner (Mad Men) and Bellamy Young (Scandal).

This year’s awards show will take place a week and a day before the Primetime Emmy Awards. An edited version of the show will be broadcast on the FXM cable network.

The entire show will be streamed on Emmys.com from noon to 3 p.m. on Monday Aug. 25, just before the Primetime Emmy Awards.

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.

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