Author Archives: Tom Castaneda

Xochitl Gomez Lands Recurring Role on CBS’ “Boston Blue”

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Xochitl Gomez is feelin’ Blue…

The 19-year-old Mexican American actress has been cast in CBS‘ freshman police procedural Boston Blue in a recurring role.

Xochitl Gomez Gomez will join the Blue Bloods spinoff starring Donnie Wahlberg as Penny, a quick-witted, charming young woman with a mysterious past who crashes into Sean’s life, a role played by Mika Amonsen.

Gomez will make her debut in the drama on the episode airing Friday, November 21, at 10:00 pm ET/PT.

Gomez made her acting debut on Disney Channel’s Raven’s Home (2018) and broke out when she starred in the first season of the Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club in 2020.

In 2022, she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Latina superhero América Chávez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

She also competed in ABC’s Dancing with the Stars Season 32, winning the Mirror Ball Trophy alongside dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy.

Boston Blue premiered in October of this year on CBS, expanding the Blue Bloods universe following its 14-season run.

The series follows Wahlberg reprising his role as NYPD Officer Danny Reagan as he takes a position with the Boston PD. Once in Boston, he is paired with Detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green), the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family.

The series also stars Maggie Lawson as Sarah Silver, Marcus Scribner as Jonah Silver, Gloria Reuben as Mae Silver and Ernie Hudson as Reverend Peters.

Boston Blue is produced by CBS Studios in association with JBTV. Brandon Sonnier & Brandon Margolis showrun and executive produce. Jerry Bruckheimer, KristieAnne Reed and Wahlberg will also serve as executive producers.

Alex de Minaur Defeats Nuno Borges at Shanghai Masters for his 50th ATP Tour-Level Victory This Season

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Alex de Minaur is celebrating a milestone victory…

The 26-year-old Spanish-Uruguayan Australian professional tennis player became the third player this season to win 50 ATP Tour-level games by defeating Nuno Borges 7-5, 6-2 at the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday.

Alex de Minaurde Minaur, the tournament’s seventh seed, hit 19 winners on the way to reach his seventh Masters 1000 quarterfinal in one hour and 47 minutes.

Only top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz with 67 wins and Taylor Fritz with 50 have already reached the 50-win mark in 2025.

In his previous best season, de Minaur had 47 wins in 2024, and two titles.

He will next face 16th-seeded Daniil Medvedev who defeated Learner Tien 7-6 (6), 6-7 (1), 6-4.

Karol G to Perform at the 2025 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

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Karol G is sharing a special secret…

The 34-year-old Colombian Grammy-winning singer will form part of an all-female musical lineup at the 2025 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Karol GKarol G will be joined by Madison Beer, Missy Elliott and TWICE for Victoria’s Secret’s iconic event.

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show will take place October 15 in New York City, where performers will join supermodels on the runway to celebrate the intersection of music, fashion and empowerment.

“Performing at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show has been a dream of mine since I can remember,” KAROL G tells Billboard. “I can’t wait to share the stage with such strong and empowered women, and to celebrate femininity while uplifting each other through two of my favorite things: music and fashion.”

Fresh off announcing KAROL G Radio on SiriusXM and launching her Cristalino tequila, Karol G continues her stellar ascent.

Her latest album Tropicoqueta reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and KAROL is set to become the first Latina artist to headline Coachella in 2026.

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show will stream live on October 15 at 7:00 pm ET across Victoria’s Secret’s Instagram, YouTube and TikTok pages.

Fans can also tune in at 6:30 pm ET for the pink carpet pre-show on Prime Video and Amazon Live, where the full event will later be available for on-demand viewing.

Bad Bunny Tops Billboard’s Top Latin Albums of the 21st Century Chart with “YHLQMDLG”

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Bad Bunny has the top album of the century…

The 31-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning superstar’s YHLQMDLG rules as the No. 1 Latin album on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums of the 21st Century chart.

Bad BunnyThe retrospective is based on performance on the Top Latin Albums chart from the start of 2000 through the end of 2024.

The collection, released via Rimas Entertainment, is the longest-running No. 1 in the survey’s 32-year history, with 70 weeks at the summit in 2021-22.

“Thank you all who believed and who continue to believe in me,” Bad Bunny told Billboard in 2020 upon the album’s chart arrival. Echoing the meaning of its title, he said, “I do what I want, and it’s based on feelings. I don’t think about it. I do it for you and for the faith you have in me.”

At the time, Benito’s groundbreaking album became the all-genre Billboard 200’s highest charting all-Spanish-language album and scored the biggest streaming week ever for a Latin album and the largest week for a Latin title since Billboard began tracking albums by equivalent album units in December 2014.

It’s one of four Bad Bunny albums in the Top 10.

Bad Bunny’s debut album, X 100PRE, comes in at No. 3.

The release marked a significant moment in reggaetón and Latin trap music. One of its standout tracks, “MIA,” featuring Drake and produced by DJ Luian, La Paciencia, Mambo Kingz and Tainy, not only ruled Hot Latin Songs for 16 weeks in 2018-19 but also hit No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti comes in at No. 6.

With his fourth solo studio album, Bad Bunny set a new record for the biggest streaming week ever for a Latin album — surpassing the debut of his own YHLQMDLG.

On Hot Latin Songs, all 23 of the LP’s tracks charted upon its debut. The latter half of the album embraces Latin alternative sounds, punctuated by guests Bomba Estéreo, Buscabulla and the Marías.

And coming in at No. 10… Bad Bunny’s El Último Tour del Mundo.

It made history as the first all-Spanish-language release to claim the No. 1 spot on the overall Billboard 200 since its inception in 1956. The concept album that sees Benito experimenting with alternative sounds arrived as a surprise drop on November 26, 2020, at 11 p.m. ET (marking the end of Thanksgiving Day in the United States). The set houses the enduring “Dakiti,” with Jhayco, a 27-week No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs.

Maxwell Among Artists Set to Appear at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 40th Annual Induction Ceremony

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Maxwell has a date with Fame…

The 52-year-old half-Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and record producer has been revealed as one of the artists set to appear at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 40th annual induction ceremony in November.

MaxwellMaxwell forms part of an initial lineup of presenters and special guests that includes Doja Cat, Elton John, David Letterman and Olivia Rodrigo.

Taking place on November 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the induction ceremony will also feature presenters and performers Beck, Brandi Carlile, Flea, Iggy Pop, JID, Killer Mike, Missy Elliott, Questlove, Raye, Sleepy Brown, Taylor Momsen, Teddy Swims and Twenty One Pilots.

Additional special guests will be announced later.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees this year are Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden and The White Stripes in the Performer category, along with Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon for Musical Influence, Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye for Musical Excellence, and Lenny Waronker for the Ahmet Ertegun Award. 

Disney+ will stream the induction ceremony live coast to coast on Saturday, November 8, at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm. ET, and will be available to stream following the ceremony.

ABC will also air a primetime special with performance highlights and standout moments on Thursday, January 1, available next day on Hulu.

Aubrey Plaza Writing, Executive Producing & Starring in the Animated Series “Kevin”

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Aubrey Plaza is getting animated…

The 41-year-old half-Puerto Rican Emmy-nominated actress will write, executive produce and star in Prime Video’s upcoming adult animated series Kevin.

Aubrey PlazaPlaza will star opposite Joe Wengert. Jason Schwartzman, Whoopi Goldberg, John Waters, Aparna Nancherla, Gil Ozeri and Amy Sedaris in the animated comedy.

Per the logline, loosely inspired by a real life break-up and the cat who was caught in the middle, Kevin is a hilarious and heart-warming story about finding where you belong in the world. After the unexpected break-up of his human “owners,”

Kevin moves into a local pet rescue in Astoria, Queens where a chaotic band of misfit animals will help him to figure out what he really wants out of life.

Plaza is Dana, a confident and career-driven young woman, Dana makes the grown up decision to end things with her boyfriend… but is blindsided by Kevin’s choice to venture out and live on his own.

Kevin is created and executive produced by Plaza and Joe Wengert, the latter also serving as showrunner.

The series is produced by Titmouse, Evil Hag Productions and Amazon MGM Studios.

Bad Bunny Rules Billboard’s List of Top Latin Artists of the 21st Century

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Bad Bunny is the man of the quarter-century… 

The 31-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning artist reigns as the No. 1 Latin act on Billboard’s recap of the first 25 years of the quarter-century, ruling Billboard’s Top Latin Artists of the 21st Century chart.

Bad Bunny,The retrospective is based on performance on the Top Latin Albums and Hot Latin Songs charts from January 2000 through December 2024.

Bad Bunny’s placement atop the Top Latin Artists of the 21st Century chart is all the more impressive in that he didn’t appear on Billboard’s rankings until 2016.

His tallies over 2000-24: 14 No. 1s on Hot Latin Songs and eight on Top Latin Albums.

He has since extended his respective counts to 16 and nine leaders, as well as a record 89 Hot Latin Songs top 10s — more than twice the totals of runners-up Enrique Iglesias and Luis Miguel (39 each) — dating to the chart’s 1986 start.

Benito was also Billboard‘s all-genre top artist of 2022 and is the reigning top Latin artist for five straight years, from 2020 to 2024.

Reflecting the biggest names in Latin from Y2K to today, check out the top 10 acts on Billboard’s Top Latin Artists of the 21st Century chart below and the entire 100-position ranking in Billboard’s Greatest of All Time charts menu.

Jamie Delgado Named to Jack Draper’s Coaching Team

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Jamie Delgado has a new client…

The 48-year-old Spanish-British tennis coach and former professional player, Andy Murray’s former coach, will work with Jack Draper as part of a major change to the British player’s team.

Jamie Delgado, Andy MurrayDraper, The British number one, had previously had a long-standing partnership with James Trotman and, while he’ll continue to be heavily involved, Delgado takes over as lead coach and will travel with Draper to the majority of tournaments.

A former British Davis Cup player who holds the men’s record for consecutive Wimbledon appearances with 23, Delgado began working with Murray in 2016, initially alongside Ivan Lendl, when the Scot enjoyed the most successful period of his career.

Delgado remained in Murray’s team until the end of the 2021 season and has since coached Denis Shapovalov and Grigor Dimitrov.

Both players praised the impact of Delgado, and, with Trotman keen to spend more time at home, Draper has moved to secure his services after his long-time partnership with Dimitrov ended last month.

The arrangement will begin in preseason, with Draper currently battling to recover from the left arm problem that has restricted him to only one match since Wimbledon.

Following his second-round exit at the All England Club, Draper was diagnosed with bone bruising, and an attempt to return at the US Open ended with him pulling out ahead of the second round before calling an early end to his season.

That ended the 23-year-old’s hopes of appearing at the ATP Finals for the first time, with Draper slipping to eighth in the rankings during his absence.

He is set to make his return to the court in December’s Ultimate Tennis Showdown Grand Final in London.

Cinema Audio Society Awards 2026 Filmmaker Award to Guillermo del Toro

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Guillermo del Toro has earned a new honor…

The 60-year-old Mexican Oscar-winning filmmaker, author and artist will receive the Cinema Audio Society‘s 2026 Filmmaker Award during the group’s awards show in March.

Guillermo del ToroThe Frankenstein filmmaker and three-time Oscar winner will be feted during the 62nd annual CAS Awards on March 7 at a venue to be announced.

CAS says its annual career award is presented to a filmmaker who truly understands what the sound crafts can bring to their projects and have provided the world with brilliant works of art and storytelling.

That certainly makes del Toro a worthy recipient.

“Audiovisual entertainment — telling stories with images and sound — well, it requires the most careful composition and exacting standards to deliver a memorable experience in every theatre and every home,”  said del Toro, who won Best Picture and Director Academy Awards for 2017’s The Shape of Water and Best Animated Feature for his 2022 take on Pinocchio. “It is an honor to be recognized by those whom I consider and value as my peers and my admired colleagues.”

The Mexico-born multi-hyphenate also has three other career Oscar nominations along with multiple PGA, BAFTA and Daytime Emmys, a DGA Award, a Golden Globe and countless guild and film festival nods.

He studied under Oscar-winning special effects artist Dick Smith and made his first feature, Cronos, in 1993. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Critics Prize.

He followed with Mimic (1997), The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay and won for Art Direction, Cinematography and Makeup.

His directing credits also include Nightmare Alley, Crimson Peak, Pacific Rim and the Hellboy films in 2004 and 2008.

His latest film is Frankenstein, which he directed and wrote based on Mary Shelley’s timeless novel and stars Oscar Isaac, Christoph Waltz and Jacob Elordi as the Monster. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August, drawing a 15-minute ovation, and hits theaters, including Imax, on November 7 via Netflix.

“The CAS Filmmaker Award recognizes directors who understand the critical role that sound plays in film and television, and Guillermo embodies that appreciation at the highest level,” CAS President Peter Kurland said. “His films are defined not only by their stunning visuals and deeply human themes but also by their masterful use of sound to build atmosphere, suspense and wonder. Guillermo’s collaboration with sound artists has elevated every story he’s told.”

The 2026 CAS Awards nominations in seven categories will be revealed on January 20, two days before we get the Oscar noms. Its CAS Career Achievement Award recipient will be revealed later.

Carlos Vives to Perform Telemundo’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Anthem at Billboard Latin Music Awards Alongside Emilia, Wisin & Xavi

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Carlos Vives is preparing to get in the game earlier than planned…

The 64-year-old Colombian singer, songwriter and actor will join voices with Emilia, Wisin and Xavi to premiere Telemundo’s official song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the upcoming Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will be presented live on Telemundo on Thursday, Oct. 23.

Carlos VivesTitled “Somos Más,” the track’s lyrics will “deliver a powerful message of unity, pride and global connection through fútbol, inviting fans to wear their team colors, raise their voices and celebrate together,” according to a press release.

“Telemundo’s World Cup anthem is more than a song – it’s a celebration,” said Telemundo’s EVP of primetime unscripted & specials Francisco Suarez in a statement. “By bringing together these artists from four vibrant Latin American countries, we’re showcasing the richness and diversity of Latino culture while delivering a powerful message of unity, peace, and joy.”

Telemundo will broadcast all 104 matches of next year’s World Cup live – 92 of them on Telemundo and 12 on Universo. Every match will stream live on Peacock and the Telemundo App.

“This anthem is a tribute to the global spirit of fútbol and the communities we serve,” said Joaquin Duro, EVP of sports at Telemundo. “As the exclusive Spanish-language home of the World Cup, we are committed to delivering the most authentic and relevant coverage of this historic tournament. ‘Somos Más’ is one of many efforts that will elevate the fan experience and bring audiences even closer to the game.”

Vives, Emilia, Wisin and Xavi will also, for the first time, speak about the making of the song and the importance of the World Cup during a conversation at Billboard’s Latin Music Week on October 22.