Marianly Tejada to Star in YA Mystery Drama Pilot “One of Us is Lying”

Marianly Tejada won’t be Lying low for long…

The Dominican-American actress has been cast in One of Us is Lying, the YA mystery drama pilot fo PeacockNBCUniversal’s upcoming streaming service.

Marianly Tejada

In addition to Tejada, the ensemble cast includes Cooper van Grootel, Annalisa Cochrane, newcomer Chibuikem Uche, Jessica McLeod, Barrett Carnahan and Puerto Rican/Spanish actress Melissa Collazo. 

The project hails from NBCU’s UCP and John Sacchi’s 5 More Minutes Productions banner.

Written by Erica Saleh and based on Karen M. McManus’ bestselling novel, One of Us is Lying is the story of what happens when five high schoolers walk into detention and only four make it out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Tejada will play Brownyn. Top of her class, Bronwyn is so focused on the future she rarely thinks about the present. Most classmates admire her more than they like her, and a few rivals wonder how far she’d go to get ahead.

van Grootel will portray Nate, the school’s most notorious drug dealer, a delinquent who lives alone with his alcoholic father. But that’s not the only reason he’s the police’s prime suspect.

Cochrane will play Addy. Addy makes high school look easy, but you don’t become the school’s most popular cheerleader without hiding secrets. If people really knew her, she fears, her whole world might fall apart.

Uche will portray Cooper. A dominant high school baseball pitcher, scouted by the major leagues, Cooper is on the verge of signing a life-changing professional deal – unless something (or someone) gets in his way.

McLeod is Janae. A punk outsider who hates her fake classmates, Janae is left angry and alone when her only friend is murdered. Rather than simply grieve his death, she promises to honor his bitter legacy.

Carnahan will play Jake, the captain of the football team and the boyfriend of Addy (Cochrane). Jake seems to have it all, but it’s never enough.

Collazo will portray Maeve, Bronwyn’s little sister, who developed a tough demeanor while losing years to a childhood fight with Leukemia. In remission now, she’s hungry to make up for lost time.

Jennifer Morrisonwill direct the pilot and also executive produce.

Tejada’s television credits include recurring roles on Orange Is The New Black and The Purge

Collazo recently recurred in Swamp Thing and plays the lead role in the upcoming feature film Lena and Snowball. 

One of Us is Lying is one of three pilot orders from Peacock, joining Punky Brewster, also from UCP, and Straight Talk.

Sanchez Believes Latinos Can Stop Donald Trump From Being Elected President

Roselyn Sanchez is speaking out against presidential hopeful Donald Trump

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actress, who will serve as a co-host at Sunday’s Miss Universe pageant, says Hispanics have the power to prevent Trump from being elected president.

Roselyn Sanchez

“I refuse to believe it. I don’t think it’s possible,” said Sanchez when asked by EFE whether the business mogul and Republican candidate could win the 2016 election.

“Hispanics have the power to prevent it,” she said.

Sanchez, an advocate for the Latino community, bowed out as co-host of the 2015 Miss USA pageant, of which Trump had been part owner, saying that incendiary remarks by Trump about Mexican immigrants were degrading.

“He said what he said and never apologized,” Sanchez recalled, adding that hearing Trump’s views on Latinos was “devastating” and “sad.”

Trump, a former reality television star who has performed well in early polling ahead of the first Republican primaries, generated controversy when he said most Mexican immigrants crossing the border were a scourge on U.S. society.

“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,” Trump said in launching his candidacy in June.

The magnate sold the Miss Universe Organization to the WME/IMG agency in September after a legal spat with NBC Universal, which along with Univision refused to broadcast the Miss USA pageant, held in July, due to Trump’s remarks.

The Miss Universe Organization runs both the Miss USA and Miss Universe competitions.

Sanchez, known for her roles in the film Rush Hour 2 and the television series Without a Trace and Devious Maids, said Hispanics were doing “incredible things” in fields as diverse as entertainment, science, politics and business.

In that regard, she said she hoped Latinos would “be able to make their voice heard” in the future no matter who is elected as the next U.S. president.

The actress said she agreed to co-host this year’s edition along with comedian Steve Harvey because there were new owners and new people behind this event, which will be held Sunday at the AXIS Theater in Las Vegas and televised by Fox.

Lopez to Appear as the First Guest on “The Meredith Vieira Show”

Jennifer Lopez is about to be Meredith Vieira’s first….

An exclusive interview with the45-year-old Puerto Rican singer, actress and American Idol judge will be featured on the first edition of The Meredith Vieira Show when it premieres on Monday, September 8 in national syndication.

Jennifer Lopez

Lopez will talk “openly and candidly,” according to an announcement Wednesday, about her family, life and relationships.

Later, Vieira will speak with actor Seth Rogen and his actress wife Lauren Miller. They will talk about why Alzheimer’s awareness is a cause that is important to them.

On that Tuesday, British singer and former Spice Girls member Mel B, a judge on America’s Got Talent, will also be on the show “to dish on the other AGT judges,” according to the announcement. Vieira will also ask her how fearless Scary Spice is in a game called “What Scares Scary Spice?”

Later in the week, Vieira will be joined by actress Jessica Alba, who will talk about how her daughters were the driving force in building her business empire.

In the second half of her first week, Vieira also helps three brides-to-be who complain their father “is the worst dad on the dance floor.” Vieira enlists an expert to teach him how to dance in time for the weddings.

The new one-hour weekday show hosted by Vieira is being produced and syndicated by NBC Universal. Anchored on the NBC stations in the biggest U.S. cities, it is the highest profile new syndicated talk show of the fall season.