Miguel Pinzon to Appear on Second Season of Hulu’s Comedy Series “Woke”

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Miguel Pinzon is officially woke…

The Latino actor has landed a recurring role on the second season of Hulu’s comedy series Woke.

Co-created by Keith Knight and Marshall Todd, Woke centers on Keef Knight (Lamorne Morris), an African-American cartoonist who finds himself on the verge of mainstream success when an unexpected incident changes his life. With a newfound consciousness, Keef must navigate the new voices and ideas challenging him, all without setting fire to everything he’s already built.

Pinzon will play Tommy, a blunt and inscrutable un-housed artist with a sharp wit who challenges Keef and his view of activism.

Knight and Todd executive produce Woke, alongside Anthony King, Maurice “Mo” Marable, Richie Schwartz, John Will, Will Gluck and Eric Christian Olsen. Woke is a co-production between Sony Pictures Television and ABC Signature.

Pinzon’s recent credits include guest starring on 9-1-1: Lone Star, recurring on YouTube Red’s Swipe Right, Freeform’s Mystery Girls, and the Melissa McCarthy/Ben Falcone pilot Amy’s Brother.

ABC Picks Up Nadine Velazquez’s Drama “Queens” to Series

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a royal moment for Nadine Velazquez…

ABC has picked up the music-themed drama Queens, starring the 42-year-old Puerto Rican actress, to series for the 2021-22 season.

The series is headlined by Brandy, Eve, Naturi Naughton, Velazquez and Pepi Sonuga.

Estranged and out-of-touch, four women in their 40s reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger they had as the Nasty Bitches—their ‘90s group that made them legends in the hip-hop world.

Queens stars Eve as Brianna aka Professor Sex, Naturi Naughton as Jill aka Da Thrill, Velazquez as Valeria aka Butter Pecan, Taylor Selé as Eric Jones, Pepi Sonuga as Lil Muffin and Brandy as Naomi aka Xplicit Lyrics.

Zahir McGhee, Sabrina Wind and Tim Story are executive producers.

The series is produced by ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios. The pilot episode is written by McGhee and directed by Tim Story.

Zack Calderon to Star on Season 2 of Amazon’s YA Drama “The Wilds”

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Zack Calderon is heading into the Wild(s)…

The Latino actor has joined the cast for Season 2 of Amazon’s YA drama The Wilds.

In addition to Calderon, those set to appear in the sophomore season are Aidan Laprete, Nicholas Coombe, Charles Alexander, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Reed Shannon, Tanner Ray Rook and Alex Fitzalan.

They will join returning cast Rachel Griffiths, David Sullivan, Troy Winbush, Sophia Ali, Sarah Pidgeon, Jenna Clause, Erana James, Mia Healey, Helena Howard, Reign Edwards and Shannon Berry.

The Wilds in Season 2 will continue to follow the harrowing ordeal of eight teenage girls stranded on a deserted island under mysterious circumstances. The new season will also focus on a new group of survivors, all boys, who find themselves in the same perilous situation. Both groups will be forced to navigate emotional and physical obstacles in the face of their extreme circumstances.

The Wilds is created and executive produced by Sarah Streicher. It is co-produced by Amazon Studios and ABC Signature, part of Disney Television Studios.

Calderon will play Rafael Garcia, a quiet, sensitive teenager who lives in Tijuana but attends high school in San Diego. Straddling two worlds has made it difficult to get a clear and certain sense of himself, so he gravitates toward people with stronger, more charismatic personalities than his own.

Calderon has appeared in CBS’ FBI.

Gutierrez-Riley will play Ivan Taylor, an activist and aspiring playwright with an impeccable fashion sense and a razor-sharp wit. But his words can be cutting, sometimes too deeply, which has cost him friends along the way.

The actor will appear in Leah Bleich’s The Moon and Back. The Wilds marks his television debut.

https://twitter.com/PrimeVideo/status/1389287119554678785

Annie Gonzalez to Star in ABC Comedy Pilot “Bucktown”

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Annie Gonzalez is buck-ed up!

The Latina actress has been cast as a series regular in the ABC comedy pilot Bucktown, from Emily Wilson, Tom Werner and Sara Gilbert and ABC Signature.

Gonzalez will star opposite Sofia Capanna, Shannon Woodward, Jane Lynch and Nicole Richie.

Written by Wilson and directed by Betsy Thomas, Bucktown centers on Amy (Woodward), who, after being dumped by her boyfriend and kicked out of her apartment on the eve of a big promotion, finds refuge at her mom’s house in the blue-collar neighborhood where she grew up.

Gonzalez will play Jessie, Amy’s opinionated best friend who works beside her as an assistant at the ad agency.

Gonzalez can currently be seen as Lidia on the hit Netflix series Gentefied. Other recent credits include Starz’s Vida, Showtime’s Shameless and Amazon’s Good Girls Revolt.

Mariel Molino to Star in ABC’s Drama Pilot “Promised Land”

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Mariel Molino is headed to the Promised Land…

The Mexican American actress has been cast as a lead alongside Christina Ochoa in ABC’s drama pilot Promised Land.

Written by Matt Lopez, the project is an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.

Molino will play Camila Sandoval, the youngest daughter of the Sandoval family, a wealthy vineyard-owning family in the Sonoma Valley. Her flirtatious, party-girl attitude masks a deeply flawed young woman who craves the achievements of her other siblings but has no idea how to attain them. No one expects anything from Camila. That makes her dangerous.

Ochoa plays her sister, Veronica Sandoval, the eldest daughter of the Sandovals.

Lopez executive produces with Adam Kolbrenner of Lit Entertainment Group. ABC Signature is the studio.

This marks the first major English-language role for Molino, who was born to Mexican parents in San Diego. She starred in Amazon’s Spanish-language original movie Locas por el Cambio, which was released on Amazon Prime in November. Her television credits include recurring roles in NBC Universo’s El Vato and Amazon’s Juego de las Llaves.

Christina Ochoa to Star in Matt Lopez’s Latinx Family Drama Pilot “Promised Land”

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

There’s plenty of promise in Christina Ochoa’s future…

The 36-year-old Spanish actress and Animal Kingdom star is set as a lead in ABC’s Promised Land, Matt Lopez’s Latinx family drama pilot.

Formerly titled American Heritage, the project is an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.

Ochoa will play Veronica Sandoval, the eldest daughter of the Sandovals, a wealthy vineyard-owning family in the Sonoma Valley. Veronica is the highly capable heir to the Heritage Wines empire and her father Joe’s trusted Number Two. But her drive and ambition have left her with some glaring personal blindspots, and Veronica’s seemingly perfect life soon starts to unravel.

Lopez writes and executive produces. Adam Kolbrenner of Lit Entertainment Group also exec produces. ABC Signature is the studio.

Up next for Ochoa is Boon, the western sequel film from Yellowstone’s Neal McDonough. She stars as Renn Randall in TNT’s Animal Kingdom, which was recently renewed for a sixth and final season, and as Ashley Morales in ABC’s A Million Little Things. She has also appeared in Valor, Blood Drive, Matador and I Hate My Teenage Daughter.

Frankie Quinones to Star in Hulu’s Comedy Pilot “Punk Ass Bitch”

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Frankie Quinones is in a real punk…

The Mexican actor/comedian has been cast alongside Michelle Ortiz as series regulars in Punk Ass Bitch, Hulu’s half-hour comedy pilot starring up-and-coming comedian Chris Estrada and produced by ABC Signature.

Written by Estrada and Jake Weisman, Matt Ingebretson and Pat Bishop, with Jonathan Groff supervising, Punk Ass Bitch is based on Estrada’s comedy and reflects his Latino identity.

It’s inspired by Estrada’s life in South Central Los Angeles and nearby Inglewood, where, by his own recollection, he spent his formative years running from loose pit bulls, getting robbed, and geeking out over comic books and punk rock.

The series centers on Julio Lopez (Estrada), a punk-ass bitch with a heart of gold who goes out of his way to help everyone but himself. Inspired by the life and stand-up comedy of star, co-creator and real-life punk ass bitch Estrada, the cinematic half-hour comedy explores Julio’s attempts to better his community, overcome his codependency issues with his family and navigate working class life in South Central.

Quinones plays Luis, a tatted up gangster who’s just finished eight years in prison, tough, aggressive, macho, yet immature. He’s not just a hard ex-gangster, he’s someone who also has not grown up yet emotionally.

Ortiz portrays Maggie. Feisty, strong-willed and fierce, Maggie is Julio’s ex, and it’s clear that they still have a spark and hang out together even though they both drive each other crazy.

Estrada executive produces with Fred Armisen, Groff, under his overall deal at ABC Signature, Weisman, Ingebretson and Bishop.

The pilot will be directed by Bishop, who directed all episodes of the Comedy Central series Corporate. Bishop and his Corporate collaborators Weisman and Ingebretson will serve as showrunners.

Quinones was a series regular in TBS comedy series The Dress Up Gang. He also was a member of the voice cast in Victor & Valentino and guest-starred on The Guest Book, among other credits.

Ortiz was a series regular on MADtv. She was most recently seen in recurring roles in Gentefied and Tacoma F.D., and she previously guest-starred on Mom.

Nicole Richie to Star in ABC Family Comedy Pilot “Bucktown”

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Nicole Richie is comin’ to (buck)town…

The 39-year-old half-Mexican American actress, television personality and designer will star in ABC family comedy pilot Bucktown.

Richie will star opposite Shannon Woodward in the project from a trio behind ABC’s The Conners, Emily Wilson, Sara Gilbert and Tom Werner.

Written by Wilson, Bucktown centers on Amy (Woodward), who, after being dumped by her boyfriend and kicked out of her apartment on the eve of a big promotion, finds refuge at her mom’s house in the blue-collar neighborhood where she grew up. Amy reconnects with her teenage niece living there due to her sister’s latest rehab stint and resolves to stay when she realizes that her mom and niece aren’t quite equipped to go it alone.

Richie plays Jan, Amy’s boss. A self-centered force who tends to suck up all the energy in a room, Jan is very professional — except in the extremely unprofessional partnership with her husband, Finn.

ABC Signature is the studio.

Richie recently appeared on ABC’s Bless This Mess. She previously co-starred in the NBC comedy Great News and guest-starred on Grace and Frankie and Camping.

Nadine Velazquez to Star in ABC’s Pilot “Queens”

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Nadine Velazquez is hoping to become television royalty…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actress will star opposite Brandy, Eve and Naturi Naughton in ABC’s hour-long pilot Queens, from Zahir McGhee, Sabrina Wind and ABC Signature.

In Queens, written by McGhee and directed by Tim Story, four estranged and out-of-touch women in their 40s — Naomi (Brandy), Jill (Naughton), Brianna (Eve) and Valeria (Velazquez) — reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger they had as the Nasty Bitches – their ’90s group that made them legends in the hip-hop world.

Velazquez plays Valeria, aka Butter Pecan. Better known in the 90s as Puerto Rican rapper, Butter Pecan, Valeria is the fourth member of the hip-hop group, the Nasty Bitches. Valeria wasn’t an original member, added by the groups’ manager, Eric, for her effortless star quality. It worked. The ladies catapulted into superstardom with a number-one record and iconic video. Valeria quickly became the face of the group, ruffling the other members’ feathers along the way. But she could care less. She’s not here for friends, she’s here to win. Valeria is an ambitious and ruthless hustler with cunning charm born out of a difficult childhood. When we catch up with her twenty years later, she’s the only member of the group still in the limelight. Valeria hosts The Shade — America’s top-rated morning talk show. So, Valeria has no reason to reunite with the group when the opportunity arises. However, when her blind ambition trips her up, Valeria considers turning back to the only family she’s ever had: the Nasty Bitches.

Pepi Sonuga co-stars in the pilot. ABC Signature, part of Disney Television Studios, is the studio.

Velazquez wrote and is set to star/produce La’Tina, a series in the works at Showtime from Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Frankie Shaw’s Our Lady Productions.

She’s best known for her breakout lead role as Catalina on NBC’s My Name Is Earl. She co-starred in the History series Six and in Universal’s Ride Along 2.

Her series credits also include major roles on FX’s The League, the CW’s Hart of Dixie and TNT’s Major Crimes.

ABC Orders Pilot for Matt Lopez’s Latinx Family Drama “Promised Land”

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Matt Lopez’s promise continues…

The Latino screenwriter’s hourlong Latinx family drama Promised Land has secured a pilot order at ABC.

Previously known as American Heritage, the project is an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.

ABC bought the project pre-emptively with a put-pilot commitment last year.

Lopez, who has written feature films including Bedtime Stories, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Race to Witch Mountain, writes and executive produces.