Shakira Barrera Signs with Innovative Artists for Representation

Shakira Barrera is ready to innovate…

The 34-year-old Nicaraguan American actress has signed with Innovative Artists for representation.

Shakira BarreraThe actress, dancer, producer and humanitarian is best known for her breakout role in Netflix’s G.L.O.W. as Yolanda Rivas, a lady wrestler.

Most recently, she starred as First Officer Jensen Corbyt in Star Wars: Ahsoka opposite Rosario Dawson and in the series regular role of Gloria, a college-educated scam artist who discovered her love for conning people at a young age, in Greg Garcia’s Sprung from Prime Video alongside Garret Dillahunt and Martha Plimpton.

Her upcoming projects include a guest-starring role on HBO’s Hacks and a series regular role on Marvel’s Ironheart starring Dominique Thorne and Anthony Ramos.

Her additional TV credits include Showtime’s Shameless, TNT’s Animal Kingdom, Netflix’s It’s Bruno! and OWN’s All Rise for Season 3.

Most recently, Barrera has been producing and creating projects of her own.

In addition to acting and producing, she is a global ambassador for the Nicaraguan Human Rights Alliance, helping immigrants coming from Central America and is also an ambassador for the non-profit, “Project SchoolHouse,” building permanent water structures in Nicaragua.

Taylor Zakhar Perez Signs with Paradigm

Taylor Zakhar Perez has new representation…

The 32-year-old part-Mexican American actor and breakout star of Amazon’s hit rom-com Red, White & Royal Blue, has signed with Paradigm for representation.

Taylor Zakhar PerezIn the film from director Matthew Lopez, which adapts the New York Times bestselling novel from Casey McQuiston, Perez plays Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of the American President (Uma Thurman), whose feud with a British prince (Nicholas Galitzine) threatens to drive a wedge in U.S./British relations. Subsequently, the pair are forced into a staged truce that sparks something deeper.

Produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schecter, the film premiered in August 2023 and became the No. 1 movie globally on Prime Video in its premiere weekend, remaining the platform’s most-watched film worldwide for the first three weeks after its release.

Touted by Amazon as spurring “a huge surge in new Prime membership signups,” the film is also now among Prime Video’s top three most-watched romantic comedies of all time.

Previously, Perez caught attention when he joined Netflix’s hugely popular YA film series The Kissing Booth, based on the novels by Beth Reekles, for its second and third installments. Additionally, he was featured in the first season of Max’s critically acclaimed series Minx, opposite Ophelia Lovibond, as well as Buzzfeed Studios’ 1UP, available on Prime Video.

He was recently named a SAG Awards Ambassador for the 30th annual SAG Awards, an appointment given to actors exemplifying the utmost values of the profession,

Brandon Larracuente Returning to ABC’s Medical Drama “The Good Doctor”

Brandon Larracuente is heading back to the hospital…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican actor is returning to ABC’s medical drama The Good Doctor.

Brandon LarracuenteLarracuente will be back to reprise his Season 6 character of Dr. Daniel Perez in one episode.

Meanwhile, Scandal alum Guillermo Diaz will appear in a guest spot.

Larracuente was introduced in Episode 2 of Season 6. Initially set to recur, he was quickly promoted to a series regular, with Daniel, a first-year surgical resident at St. Bonaventure Hospital, getting a major storyline involving a drug overdose that put him on probation.

Larracuente departed at the end of Season 6 after Daniel was put on pain medications following a car crash and headed back to his family in Texas for recovery treatment.

Diaz will guest star as Man/Carl/Jesus. A mysterious man shows up to the hospital to donate his kidney to a complete stranger, but his reasoning causes Jordan to question his ability to give informed consent.

Starring Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy and Richard Schiff as Shaun’s mentor Dr. Glassman, main cast also includes Fiona Gubelmann as Dr. Morgan Reznick, Will Yun Lee as Dr. Alex Park, Christina Chang as Dr. Audrey Lim, Spara as Lea Dilallo, Bria Samoné Henderson as Dr. Jordan Allen, Noah Galvin as Dr. Asher Wolke and Modu as Dr. Jared Kalu.

The Good Doctor is produced by Sony Pictures Television and ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios. David Shore and Liz Friedman are executive producers and co-showrunners.

Known for his roles in Bloodline, 13 Reasons Why and Party of Five, Larracuente will next star in the Prime Video drama series On Call from Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television.

Known for his starring role as Scarface in the cult classic film Half-Baked, Diaz played Huck on ABC’s Scandal. He also appeared on Showtime’s Weeds, Chappelle’s Show for Comedy Central, and he recently was a series regular on ABC’s United We Fall

Tommy Martinez to Star in Peacock’s New Comedy Series “Laid”

Tommy Martinez is laying down a new path…

The 31-year-old Venezuelan actor will star in Peacock’s upcoming comedy series Laid as a series regular.

Tommy MartinezMartinez will star opposite Zosia Mamet and Michael Angarano in the series.

Martinez will play Isaac, Mamet will play AJ and Angarano will play Richie.

They join previously announced lead Stephanie Hsu in the series written and executive produced by Nahnatchka Khan and Sally Bradford McKenna.

Laid is based on the Australian series created by Marieke Hardy and Kirsty Fisher, and produced by Liz Watts.

It follows a woman who finds out her former lovers are dying in unusual ways and must go back through her sex timeline to confront her past to move forward. It’s described as a f*cked-up rom-com where the answer to “Why can’t I find love, is there something wrong with me?” is a resounding: “Yes, there is. The problem is definitely you.”

The series comes from Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Martinez was most recently a series regular on Freeform’s Good Trouble, which wrapped up its run after 5 seasons earlier this month. He played Gael Martinez since the show’s inception.

His additional television credits include Netflix’s Not Dead Yet, Prime Video’s Hunters, Mosquito Coast for Apple+, Showtime’s Shameless and the CW’s Riverdale.

Canelo Alvarez to Fight Jaime Munguia in Las Vegas in May

May the Fourth be wih Canelo Alvarez.

The 33-year-old Mexican boxing superstar has finalized a deal to fight Jaime Munguia on May 4 fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight championship.

Canelo AlvarezIt’s a one-fight deal for Alvarez and Premier Boxing Champions, sources said, after the sides parted ways last week with two bouts remaining on a three-fight agreement signed last June.

It’s a coup for PBC to welcome Alvarez, boxing’s top star, back into the fold for its second pay-per-view offering as part of its new partnership with Amazon‘s Prime Video.

DAZN, the streaming service that has an exclusive deal with Golden Boy Promotions, will also carry the event.

Munguia’s past 12 fights were streamed by DAZN. The 27-year-old Mexican fighter has been co-promoted by Zanfer and Golden Boy.

“On May 4, I’ll be fighting Jaime Munguia at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas,” Alvarez posted on social media. “Mexico vs. Mexico!”

Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) is coming off a career-best win, a ninth-round TKO of John Ryder in January. He has steadily improved under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

Now, Munguia will represent Alvarez’s first Mexican opponent since Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2017. Munguia is rated No. 4 by ESPN at 168 pounds.

Alvarez, ESPN’s No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer, was lined up for a championship defense against Jermall Charlo in May. However, Alvarez and PBC couldn’t agree to terms for the matchup, which contractually allowed him to explore other options.

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) discussed a return to DAZN for bouts with Munguia and Edgar Berlanga this year, but when those talks stalled the champion returned to the table with PBC, sources said.

Alvarez plans to fight on Mexican Independence Day weekend in September as well.

Alvarez defeated Jermall’s twin brother, Jermell Charlo, via unanimous decision in September to retain his undisputed super middleweight championship as he kicked off the PBC partnership.

When the deal was signed in June, Jermall Charlo was lined up as the first opponent before he ultimately withdrew because of personal matters. Jermell stepped in, while Jermall and Errol Spence Jr. loomed as possibilities for the second and third bouts of the deal. That was before Spence was TKO’d by Terence Crawford in a one-sided beatdown in July, eliminating one viable opponent for Alvarez.

Then in November, Jermall failed to impress in a decision win against Jose Benavidez Jr. The bout was Charlo’s first in 29 months. It’s a big event any time Alvarez fights, but there was little commercial demand for a matchup with another Charlo after Jermell’s listless performance in September.

With an Alvarez-Charlo fight less appealing for May, the door opened for what promises to be a far more lucrative matchup with Munguia. Alvarez has been the sport’s top attraction since Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired in 2017.

The all-time great’s résumé includes a pair of wins over Gennadiy Golovkin and titles in four weight classes. His win over Charlo was preceded by a decision victory over Ryder in May in Mexico. Alvarez scored knockdowns in both fights.

The biggest potential fight out there for Alvarez remains a matchup against rising star David Benavidez.

“The reason why this fight is not happening is because Alvarez doesn’t want it to happen, plain and simple,” David Benavidez told ESPN last week.

PBC’s stable also includes star boxer Gervonta Davis, who is set to return vs. Frank Martin this summer. PBC’s first event with Prime Video will take place March 30 in Las Vegas, a pay-per-view headlined by Keith Thurman vs. Tim Tszyu.

Tony Gonzalez Signs with United Talent Agency

Tony Gonzalez has new representation…

The 48-year-old part-Mexican American former American football tight end and Pro Football Hall of Famer has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA).

Tony GonzalezGonzalez will continue to represented by SMAC Entertainment and Jill Fritzo PR.

Gonzalez is considered one of the greatest tight ends in National Football League (NFL) history. He played in the league for 17 seasons, primarily for the Kansas City Chiefs and then for the Atlanta Falcons for his final five seasons in the league. He’s the NFL’s all-time-leader in touchdowns and yards by a tight end as well as consecutive starts and Pro Bowl appearances by a tight end.

After retiring in 2013, he began working as an analyst for The NFL Today and other NFL programming at CBS. He currently co-hosts Thursday Night Football for Amazon Prime Video.

Gonzalez has branched out into acting in recent years. He’ll guest star in the seventh episode of Season 6 of the CBS comedy series The Neighborhood. He will appear in the episode as Derrick, Calvin’s (Cedric the Entertainer) new physical therapist. Season 6 of the series launched on February 12 after being delayed due to the double writers’ and actors’ strikes.

He also appeared in the Amazon film The Underdoggs opposite Snoop Dogg and Tika Sumpter, the Paramount+ film Fantasy Football, and the Spectrum Originals drama series Long Slow Exhale.

His other credits include XXX: The Return of Xander Cage and multiple episodes of NCIS.

Gonzalez is active in philanthropy as well, working with organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Shadow Buddies, Scholars’ Hope and Give Power.

Diego Boneta to Star in “El Gato,” Based on Richard Dominguez’s Comic Book Series “El Gato Negro”

Diego Boneta has landed a purr-fect role…

The 33-year-old will lead the newly greenlit bilingual series El Gato (working title), based on the comic book series El Gato Negro by Richard Dominguez.

Diego BonetaProduction is expected to begin this spring in Mexico.

Boneta was previously attached to a project based on the same comic book titled El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior from MGM Television and Mark Burnett in 2019 that stalled.

In El Gato, Boneta will play Frank Guerrero, the black sheep of his family, who finds himself at the center of a vast conspiracy when he discovers his father was the titular ‘70s vigilante. Frank, who returns home to Mexico after the death of his father and finds himself neck-deep in a nest of vipers – his estranged family – who are vying for control of his father’s business empire.

But Frank’s grief is interrupted when he learns his only inheritance, a seemingly worthless parcel of land on the border, sits atop the lair of a famous costumed vigilante. His father was “El Gato.” Now, Frank is in the crosshairs. To survive, he’ll have to solve mysteries decades in the making and unravel the truth about his father’s connections to a modern-day terror plot.

Eric Carrasco created the series and will showrun and executive produce along with co-showrunners Turi Meyer and Alfredo Septién.

“This is a pulp thriller,” Carrasco said in a statement. “It’s a family drama, it’s everything I love about spies and masks and secret identities. A lot of us on this team – Diego, Andrew Mittman, Steve Stark and Carla Gonzalez Vargas, and I – have been at this for a long time now, and it’s a genuine thrill to finally make the show with MGM Television and Prime Video.”

“Sharing El Gato with audiences around the world is a dream come true,” Boneta shared. “This has been a passion of mine since I started Three Amigos. Eric Carrasco and the entire team have built a character and universe that honors the superhero genre and still feels completely epic and original. It is an absolute honor to play Frank and produce this with my amazing partners at Amazon, MGM, and all other producers on this epic story. Get ready for a wild ride.”

In addition to Carrasco, the series is executive produced by Boneta, Meyer, Septién, Steve Stark of Toluca Pictures, Mittman of 1.21, and Gonzalez Vargas; and co-executive produced by Kai Dolbashian, Marilu G. Carranza and Joel NovoaSchneider. The series is being produced by MGM Television, a division of Amazon MGM Studios.

Boneta and his company Three Amigos, under an overall deal with Prime Video, are currently in production on the upcoming film Follow, directed by Gonzalo Tobal and starring Boneta and Martha Higareda for Prime Video. This is the first project under Three Amigos’ overall deal with Prime Video.

Last year, Boneta starred in two limited series for Prime Video – Stanley, directed by Beto Hinojosa and La Liberación directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella.

Laz Alonso Signs with Independent Artist Group for Representation

Laz Alonso is going independent

Independent Artist Group has signed the 49-year-old Afro-Cuban American actor for representation.

Laz AlonsoAlonso is best known for starring on the hit Amazon series The Boys, centering on vigilantes’ efforts to take down a group of corrupt superheroes, which returns for its fourth season this year.

On the show developed by Eric Kripke from the same-name comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, Alonso portrays the vigilante Mother’s Milk, sharing the screen with Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty and more.

He’s also currently voicing the title character on Netflix’s animated series My Dad the Bounty Hunter,.

Alonso’s past television credits include A&E’s cult hit Breakout Kings, Starz’s Power Book II: Ghost, TNT’s Southland, NBC’s Deception and The Mysteries Of Laura and Spectrum Originals’ L.A.’s Finest.

On the film side, he’s been seen portraying the villain Fenix opposite Vin Diesel in multiple Fast & Furious titles, also appearing in James Cameron’s Avatar. Other notable big screen credits include the Jason Statham action thriller Wrath of Man, Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit, Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. AnnaStomp the YardJarhead and Constantine.

Additionally, Alonso has executive-produced titles including Alan JacobsTIFF drama Down for Life, in which he starred alongside Danny Glover, and the indie thriller Detained co-starring Abbie Cornish. He heads up the production company Abundancia Pictures as CEO and continues to be represented by Authentic Talent and Literary Management and attorney Rick Genow at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.

José Andrés Launching New Half-Hour Special “Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés”

Chef José Andrés is inviting some special guests for dinner…

The 54-year-old Spanish James Beard Award-winning chef, television personality, humanitarian and philanthropist is launching a new half-hour special, Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés, coming to Prime Video on March 19, 2024.

José AndrésThe Prime Video and Amazon Freevee collaboration celebrates the joy of cooking together and how food is a source of hope, inspired by Andrés’ work with the non-profit he founded in 2010, World Central Kitchen.

Andrés will host Jamie Lee Curtis, Bryan Cranston and O’Shea Jackson Jr. to join him in the kitchen, getting their hands dirty with approachable Spanish-influenced recipes while sharing stories that inspire them. Beyond cooking and conversation, the Chef will give viewers important takeaways to apply in their own homes while embracing imperfection and spontaneity in the kitchen.

Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés is executive produced by José Andrés, Richard Wolffe, Matthew Goldberg, Ellen Rocamora, Max Wagner, Ryan Schiavo, and Michael Antinoro. The series is from Amazon MGM Studios.

Andrés is an internationally recognized humanitarian, culinary innovator, New York Times bestselling author, educator, Emmy award-winning television personality and owner of the award-winning José Andrés Group, which operates nearly 40 restaurants in the US and beyond.

In 2010, Andrés founded World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. His work has earned awards and distinctions including the 2015 National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama, the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the Princess of Asturias Foundation’s 2021 Concordia Prize for his humanitarian work.

In 2023, Andrés founded the Global Food Institute at George Washington University in Washington DC, and he currently serves as the Co-Chair of President Biden’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. As a naturalized citizen originally from Spain, Andrés has been an advocate for immigration reform.

Sarah Shahi to Star in Dan Fogelman’s Yet-Untitled Hulu Drama Series 

Sarah Shahi is embracing the drama…

The 44-year-old part-Spanish actress has joined the cast of Dan Fogelman’s upcoming Hulu series led by Sterling K. Brown.

Sarah ShahiShahi will star as a series regular alongside James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson..

The premise of the drama from the This Is Us creator has been kept a secret but basic information about the characters Marsden, Nicholson and Shahi are playing provides a glimpse into the world it is set in.

Marsden will play the President. Nicholson’s character is a political force/power player behind the scenes, while Shahi plays a therapist to those in power with secrets of her own.

The series, produced by 20th Television, is executive produced by Fogelman, Brown, Jess Rosenthal, John Hoberg, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra and Steve Beers.

Shahi starred in Sex/Life at Netflix. She also was recently seen in the Prime Video film Red, White & Royal Blue