Wilmer Valderrama to Host This Year’s ALMA Awards

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Wilmer Valderrama is steppin’ up to the podium…

The 38-year-old Colombian and Venezuelan American actor will host next month’s ALMA Awards, which celebrate Latino achievements in American entertainment and media.

In a statement, Valderrama said Latino achievements and contributions need to be spotlighted more than ever at what he called a “critical” time.

The ALMAs — American Latino Media Arts Awards— are back after a three-year hiatus in time for the 50th anniversary of UnidosUS, previously known as the National Council of La Raza.

UnidosUS is the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. In 1995 it created the ALMAsas a way to promote fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry.

Eva Longoriaand Gina Rodriguezwill be among the honorees at the awards show. Rodriguez, star of the CW’s Jane the Virgin, will share the awards spotlight with the show’s cast.

Activists Samantha Fuentesand Jamie Margolinwill also be honored. Fuentes survived the Parkland, Florida, school shooting, and Margolin founded the Zero Hourmovement to address climate change.

The November 4 ALMA ceremony is airing live at 8:00 pm ET on sibling TV channels Fuseand FM.

Former Fifth Harmonymember Ally Brooke Hernandezand singer Amara La Negrawill perform.

Fuse Mediamade a multi-year agreement to become the exclusive multiplatform media home of the ALMAs.

Norberto Barba to Direct Reshoot of FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” Spinoff Pilot “Mayans MC”

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Norberto Barba is stepping into a world of Anarchy…

The 53-year-old Latino television and film director, a three-time Alma Award-nominee, will direct and executive produce the redo of Kurt Sutter’s FX Sons of Anarchy spinoff pilot Mayans MC.

The pilot is undergoing a reshoot and a recasting of some key roles, according to Deadline.

Sutter, who initially was planning to direct the pilot, will focus on writing and hand reshoot duties to Barba.

Recasting is underway, with production expected to begin in late summer.

Set in the aftermath of Jax Teller’s death at the end of SOA’s seven-season run in 2014, Mayans MC will focus on the struggles of EZ Reyes, a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the California/Mexico border.

Barba served as executive producer/director on all six seasons of Grimm and most recently directed episodes of Preacher and The Strain.

His other television directing credits include Designated Survivor, Chicago Justice, Pure Genius, Ice and The Bridge.

Ortiz to Star in ABC’s Comedy Pilot “Charlie Foxtrot”

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Ana Ortiz is all about that base…

The 46-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress has been cast as the female lead in ABC’s comedy pilot Charlie Foxtrot.

Hailing from writer Sam Sklaver, Kapital Entertainment and ABC Studios, the project is set at Fort Bragg, an Army base in North Carolina.

It centers on Angelina Torres (Ortiz) and her two children, who live on the base. But, when Angelina loses her fiancé, Joe Taylor, killed in action in Iraq, it looks as though she’ll have to move. But Joe’s brother, Charlie Taylor (Jason Biggs), a dentist at the base, and usually a pushover, isn’t about to let that happen.

Torres’ Angelina is a well-meaning, fierce single mother-lion who believes in putting her kids first, even if that means crossing a few lines.

The casting of Ortiz, who starred in Devious Maids and Ugly Betty, stems from a talent deal ABC and ABC Studios signed with Ortiz immediately after Ortiz’s previous series, ABC Studios’ dramedy Devious Maids, ended its four-season run on Lifetime last summer. She decided on Charlie Foxtrot after being presented with several scripts.

This is Ortiz’s third consecutive pilot for ABC and ABC Studios, following the hourlong Ugly Betty and Devious Maids, both of which went to series, with the latter moving from ABC to Lifetime. Ortiz earned an ALMA Award and Imagen Award for her performance as Hilda on Ugly Betty.

Her television credits include appearances on How to Get Away with Murder, Revenge and Black-ish.

Saldaña to Star in the Action Thriller “Hummingbird”

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Zoë Saldaña’s career is humming along…

The 38-year-old half-Dominican/half-Puerto Rican American actress will star in Hummingbird, the action thriller to be directed by Marcus Kryler and Fredrik Akerström from a Black List script by John McClain.

The story centers on a female black-ops assassin (Saldaña) whose latest mark forces her to confront her true identity.

Kryler and Akerström teamed to helm the cinematic content for Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 1 video game, and their trailer has 58 million views on YouTube.

Fundamental Films picked up rights to Hummingbird in October. The company will finance and produce with Broken Road Productions.

Saldaña previously starred in the action thriller Colombiana, which earned her an Alma Award nomination. She most recently starred in Live By Night, and will next appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

NBC Gives Pilot Order with Green Light to Horta’s “The Curse Of The Fuentes Women”

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Silvio Horta is returning to the small screen with a new Latino-themed project…

NBC has given a pilot order with a green light to the 40-year-old Cuban American writer-producer and Ugly Betty creator’s drama The Curse Of The Fuentes Women.

Written/executive produced by Horta, The Curse Of The Fuentes Women comes from his Silent H Prods. and Warner Bros. Television.

When a magical and mysterious young man inexplicably emerges from the ocean, he breathes new passion into the lives of the Fuentes women – the beautiful but lonely Lola, her ailing mother Esperanza and her troubled daughter Soledad.

Horta received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series for Ugly Betty in 2007. He also won an ALMA Award for Outstanding Writing – Television Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie for the series, which was based on the hit Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea.

Ronstadt Receives the National Medal of Arts

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s turning out to be an extra special year for Linda Ronstadt…

President Barack Obama awarded the 68-year-old Mexican American singer-songwriter the National Medal of Arts at a special ceremony on Monday at the White House.

During the ceremony, Obama, who hung the medal around Ronstadt’s neck, revealed, “I had a little crush on her back in the day.”

The honor was a particularly special moment for Ronstadt, who didn’t make it to her induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April since Parkinson’s disease limits her ability to travel. The same month her album Heart Like a Wheel was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

A military aide brought her into the East Room by wheelchair, but she walked to the stage to receive her award as a citation was read honoring her “one-of-a-kind voice” that paved the way for generations of women artists.

Eleven other recipients were awarded the 2013 National Medal of Arts, as the nation’s highest award given to artists and their patrons, including DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg and Dominican-American writer Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of the Butterflies.

Ten were awarded the National Humanities Medal, which honors those in fields including history, literature, languages and philosophy.

During her illustrious career, Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, and an ALMA Award. She’s also earned nominations for a Tony Award and a Golden Globe award.

Posey to Host This Year’s Teen Choice Awards

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Tyler Posey is the host with the most…

The 22-year-old half-Mexican actor and star of MTV’s Teen Wolf has been named as the host of this year’s Teen Choice Awards by Fox.

Posey is familiar with the Teen Choice Awards. In 2012, he took home one of the award show’s trademark surfboards in the Choice Male Summer TV Star category, while Teen Wolf won Choice Summer TV Show.

Last year, the series received a Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer TV Show, and Posey received the award for Choice Male Summer TV Star, as well as an ALMA Award for Favorite TV Actor.

Most recently, he was named one of Variety‘s Power of Youth honorees. He received the award earlier this year in recognition of the work he has done with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Last year, Posey appeared on the big screen in Scary Movie 5. He also starred in the indie film White Frog and in the upcoming feature comedy Taco Shop, scheduled for release in 2015.

Previously announced stars scheduled to appear are Jake T. Austin, Bella Thorne, Lucy Hale, Jamie Blackley, Ian Harding, Kellan Lutz, Cody Simpson, Hailee Steinfeld, Gregg Sulkin and Zendaya.

The annual event will air live on Sunday, August 10 at 8:00 pm ET.

Voting for this year’s awards is currently open, and fans ages 13 to 19 can vote once each day per category at teenchoiceawards.com through Saturday, Aug. 9.

Gomez Cast in NBC’s Comedy Pilot “Ellen More or Less”

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

There may be more or less of Joshua Gomez on television in the near future…

The 38-year-old Latino actor, who earned three ALMA Award nominations for his performance on NBC’s long-running spy series Chuck, has been cast in the NBC pilot Ellen More or Less.

Written by JJ Philbin and directed by Peyton Reed, the comedy project centers on Ellen (portrayed by Stacey McGunnigle), an average-size woman who, after losing 100 pounds, begins reinventing herself in life and love.

Gomez will portray Craig, a co-worker of Ellen’s in the Billing Department.

Along with his role on Chuck, Gomez’s previous television credits include appearances on Castle, Without a Trace, Invasion and Law & Order.

Ronstadt to be Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Linda Ronstadt’s name will forever be etched in the annals of music history…

The 67-year-old Mexican American singer, who released her autobiography, Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir, in September 2013, will be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year, the organization has announced.

Ronstadt, who was once declared the “First Lady of Rock,” joins Nirvana, KISS, Cat Stevens, Hall and Oates and Peter Gabriel as 2014 inductees.

Earlier in the fall, Ronstadt was modest in assessing her level of achievement during her career: “I always thought I couldn’t sing very well. I was always very frustrated by it, and I was always sorta disappointed by it, y’know? Everything I did always fell short of my expectations. I wasn’t very good when I started, but the good news is I got better. I didn’t become the greatest singer in all of pop music, but I became, at least for my time, the most diverse. I wish it had all been better, but it wasn’t. It’s what it was, and I got to make it better later. I wish the records had been better, but they were as good as I could do at the time.”

Ronstadt’s records were much better than she’d imagined… In her career, the highest paid woman of rock in the 70s has earned 11 Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award and an ALMA Award.

In addition, Ronstadt was instrumental in the Latin cultural renaissance in North America.

In 1987, she released Canciones de Mi Padre, an album of traditional Mexican folk songs. The album’s dramatic, bold, and colorful cover art featured Ronstadt in full Mexican regalia.

The album won Ronstadt a Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Performance; and the disc was certified double-platinum in the U.S., making it one of the biggest-selling non-English-language albums in U.S. music history.

The 2014 ceremony will be the Rock Hall’s first in Brooklyn after previous inductions were held at the Waldorf Astoria hotel and also the first in the New York area to be open to the public. Tickets will go on sale to the public in January, with a pre-sale for members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum starting at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31. Details are available at www.rockhall.com.

The ceremony will be filmed by HBO for broadcast in May. Additionally, the museum in Cleveland will be opening a special exhibit dedicated to the 2014 inductees early in the new year.

This Year’s ALMA Awards to be Broadcast Live on MSNBC

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and NBCUniveral have announced a partnership to air the 2013 ALMA Awards live on MSNBC with programming on MSNBC, mun2 and digital platforms including mun2.tv and Telemundo.com.

The ALMA Awards will be live for the first time since its inception in 1995.

The awards show, held during National Hispanic Heritage Month, will celebrate the contributions of Latinos in the entertainment industry with a look back at this year’s outstanding achievements; tributes to career excellence, outstanding causes and philanthropy; and inspiring music performances and acts.

The barrier-breaking awards show, which stands for the American Latino Media Arts, is the only nationally televised primetime English-language program celebrating Latino contributions to entertainment and media.

In addition to the live special, MSNBC will also present a one-hour news special discussing issues impacting the Latino community. The special will draw on the most important issues that the Latino community and the country are facing, such as immigration reform and education, as well as the causes featured by the honorees of the awards tributes.

The ALMA Awards will be broadcast live on Friday, September 27 at 10:00 pm ET on MSNBC.

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