Lopez Producing & Starring in Inspirational Tale “La Vida Robot”

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

George Lopez will be livin’ La Vida Robot…

The 52-year-old Mexican American actor/comedian will star opposite Marisa Tomei in La Vida Robot, the true story adapted from a WIRED article about four undocumented Mexican-American teenagers who form a robotics team in Phoenix. They go up against the best from M.I.T. in the national robotics championship with an entry made from $800 and used car parts.

Lionsgate and Televisa’s Pantelion will co-produce the film with Lopez’s Travieso Productions.

In addition to Lopez and Tomei, the film stars Breaking Bad’s Steven Michael Quezada and Big Time Rush’s Carlos Pena Jr.

La Vida Robot is currently filming on location in New Mexico under helmer Sean McNamara.

Cannavale Wins Emmy for His Supporting Role on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Bobby Cannavale has a matching pair of golden bookends…

The 43-year-old half-Cuban American actor claimed the second Primetime Emmy award of his career Sunday night for his critically acclaimed performance on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.

Cannavale, who portrayed bloodthirsty, but insecure Gyp Rosetti on the hit drama series, pulled off an upset by beating the pre-show pick Homeland’s Mandy Patinkin and sentimental favorite Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul for the Supporting Actor in a Drama award. The other nominees included Breaking Bad’s Jonathan Banks, Downton Abbey’s Jim Carter and Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage.

Even Cannavale seemed shocked to hear his name called and he marveled that Patinkin was the first person he ever saw on stage, before remembering to give a proper acceptance speech and thank his family.

Cannavale earned his first Primetime Emmy Award in 2005 for portraying Will’s police officer boyfriend on Will and Grace.

Along with earning a nod for his work on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Cannavale also earned his second consecutive nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Dr. Mike Cruz on Showtime‘s Nurse Jackie.

It was also recently announced that Cannavale has joined Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz in the big screen remake of Annie.

Martinez Cast in CBS’ “Intelligence” Pilot

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

James Martinez is preparing to show that he’s got the brains and the brawn…

The Latino actor has been cast as Gonzo Sanchez in CBS’ drama pilot Intelligence, a character described as a “muscular federal investigator.”

Based at U.S. Cyber Command, the project centers on a unit that’s been created around one agent with a very special gift — a microchip has been implanted in his brain that allows him to access the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

Martinez’s television credits include guest-starring roles in Breaking Bad, Fairly Legal, Law & Order and Leverage, as well as a starring role in Starz’s series Gravity.

Quezada Running for School Board in Albuquerque

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

He’s been Breaking Bad on television for five seasons… But now Steven Michael Quezada will bebreaking down barriers to education in New Mexico.

The 49-year-old actor, who stars as DEA agent Steven Gomez on AMC’s Emmy-winning series Breaking Bad, is running unopposed for the school board in Albuquerque.

“My concern for education in New Mexico has always been there,” said Quezada during an appearance on CNN on Monday. “I’m one of those kids that struggled through school, and I feel like I fell through the cracks.”

Quezada has three children in charter schools and said he feels the need to help them and other kids in the state. He doesn’t think he’ll seek a higher title anytime soon; the actor says his political ambitions are limited to school board and that he’ll continue to act.

“The good news about New Mexico is we bring a lot of movies, a lot of television series out here, so I’m hoping I continue to work out here in New Mexico along with being part of my community,” he said.

Quezada said some of his Breaking Bad co-stars have even gotten involved in the Albuquerque community as well. Bryan Cranston has helped Quezada start programs that train children for work in the film and TV industry.

“They care about what’s happening in New Mexico,” Quezada said of his co-stars, who have shot much of Breaking Bad in the city. “Bryan and the rest of the cast are awesome, great people, and they’ve invested in New Mexico.”

Breaking Bad returns this summer on AMC with the second half of its fifth and final season.

Kid Cudi to Star in “Need for Speed” Film

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi has landed his next acting project…

The 28-year-old part-Mexican American singer/music producer-turned-actor has been cast in DreamWorks’ Need for Speed, the film adaptation of the EA video game to be directed by Scott Waugh.

Need for Speed, which stars Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper and Imogen Poots on ’70s-style fast-paced high-octane cars. Paul plays Tobey Marshall, who races cross country at impossible speeds from New York to Los Angeles to get revenge on the man who killed his best friend.

Mescudi will play Paul’s best friend in the film.

Kid Cudi, as he’s known in the music world, made his acting debut in HBO’s How To Make It In America and most recently appeared in the indie film Two Night Stand. He’s also had a guest-starring roles on The Cleveland Show and One Tree Hill.

Mescudi, who has worked with Kanye West, David Guetta and most recently Jaden Smith, has contributed to soundtracks for DreamWorks’ Fright Night and The Hunger Games, which earned him an MTV Movie Award nod.

Cannavale Recives Two SAG Award Nominations

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Bobby Cannavale excels at comedy and drama… And, he’s got two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations to prove it.

During the announcement of nominees for the 19th SAG Awards, the 42-year-old half-Cuban American actor was recognized as part of the ensembles of two cable shows.

Cannavale, a Primetime Emmy nominee this year for his guest-starring role on Modern Family, is nominated in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for his role as Gyp Rosetti on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.

He’s also nominated in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for his role as Dr. Mike Cruz on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie.

But Cannavele isn’t the only Hispanic nominee…

Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara, AskMen.com’s most desirable Latina in the world, has been nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series category, as well as in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, along with her television son Rico Rodriguez.

Vergara, Rodriguez and the rest of the Modern Family cast have won the award for the last two years.

Louis C.K. has earned a SAG Award nod for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for his starring role on FX’s Louie, the latest in a long string of nominations for his work on the series.

Like Louis C.K., Skyfall’s Javier Bardem has also picked up yet another nod for this outstanding work this year. The 43-year-old Spanish actor is nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his villainous role in the latest Bond film.

Other Latino nominees include Nurse Jackie’s Jake Cannavale; Breaking Bad’s Steven Michael Quezada; Glee’s Samuel Larsen, Naya Rivera and Lea Michele; Homeland’s Morena Baccarin; and The Office’s Oscar Nuñez.

The Screen Actors Guild Award — The Actor — is presented for outstanding performances in motion pictures and primetime television in 2012, including the distinctive ensemble awards and the stunt ensemble honors.

Recipients of the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be announced at ceremonies on Sunday, January 27, simulcast live on TNT and TBS at 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
JAVIER BARDEM / Silva – “SKYFALL”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
LOUIS C.K. / Louie – “LOUIE” (FX)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
BOBBY CANNAVALE / Gyp Rosetti

BREAKING BAD (AMC)
STEVEN MICHAEL QUEZADA / Gomez

HOMELAND (Showtime)
MORENA BACCARIN / Jessica Brody

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

GLEE (FOX)
SAMUEL LARSEN / Joe Hart
LEA MICHELE / Rachel Berry
NAYA RIVERA / Santana Lopez

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny Delgado
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett

NURSE JACKIE (Showtime)
BOBBY CANNAVALE / Dr. Mike Cruz
JAKE CANNAVALE / Charlie Cruz

THE OFFICE (NBC)
OSCAR NUÑEZ / Oscar Martinez

Rios to Appear in FX’s “The Bridge” Pilot

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Emily Rios is making a run for the border…

The 23-year-old Mexican American actress has been cast in FX’s drama pilot The Bridge.

The Bridge pilot, to be directed by Mexican filmmaker Gerardo Naranjo, will star Oscar-nominated actor Demián Bichir.

The project, an adaptation of the Scandinavian series Bron, centers on two detectives from the U.S. and Mexico – El Paso Police Homicide Detective Sonya North (Kruger) and Marco Ruiz (Bichir) — who must work together to hunt down a serial killer operating on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Rios, who most recently appeared in a recurring role on Breaking Bad, will play the recurring role of Adrianna Perez, a young, diligent reporter who works at the El Paso Times.

Rios’ television credits include Men of a Certain Age, Friday Night Lights, House and The Closer. She also appeared in the films Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son and Quinceañera.

The Closer’s Cruz to Guest Star on White Collar

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

He’s played a beloved detective on TNT’s The Closer for seven seasons… And, now Raymond Cruz will be back behind the badge on another hit show…

The 50-year-old Mexican American actor, best known as The Closer’s Detective Julio Sanchez, will guest star on the upcoming season of White Collar, according to TVGuide.com.

But don’t expect Cruz to be an exemplary lawman… He’ll play Sheriff Enrico Morales, a corrupt local official on a small island town who crosses paths with Neal (Matt Bomer) and Mozzie (Willie Garson). Neal and Mozzie were last seen fleeing from the FBI to an unknown locale in the Season 3 finale.

White Collar started production on Season 4 Monday in Puerto Rico, and is expected to return to the USA lineup this summer.

Cruz joins previously announced upcoming guests Mekhi Phifer, Gregg Henry and Alias‘ Mia Maestro.

Along with appearing on The Closer, which will wrap its seven season-run this summer, Cruz’s credits include My Name is Earl, Nip/Tuck and Breaking Bad.

Telemundo’s La Reina del Sur to be Adapted for English Television

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Telemundo’s La Reina del Sur may be getting an English-language makeover…

Fox Television Studios is developing an adaptation of last year’s blockbuster telenovela.

Based on Arturo Perez-Reverte’s bestselling book of the same La Reina del Sur, the telenovela centers on Teresa Mendoza (Kate del Castillo), an innocent young girl from a small Mexican village, whose desire to avenge a personal tragedy leads her to become the most powerful woman in the dangerous world of drug trafficking in Europe.

La Reina Del Sur was Telemundo’s most expensive telenovela ever with a budget of $10 million and became the highest-rated program in the network’s 19-year history, averaging nearly 4.2 million viewers, and more than 2.8 million viewers in the prized Adults 18-49 demographic. In addition, the telenovela’s series finale on May 30, 2011 was the No.1 broadcast program of the night, of any language. Telemundo even launched its first-ever Primetime Emmys campaign for La Reina Del Sur.

La Reina Del Sur isn’t considered a typical telenovela, with critics noting that is feels more like Breaking Bad than One Life to Live. With that in mind, Fox’s English-language adaptation will be developed as a one-hour largely serialized crime drama, said Fox Television Studios president David Madden. He describes it as being “darker, more violent than ABC’s Missing or Revenge.”

Fox Television Studios, primarily a cable player with series like Burn Notice and The Killing, plans to aim La Reina Del Sur at cable networks. “I could see it run on Showtime or FX, but I can also see an ABC version of the show,” said Madden.

The La Reina Del Sur deal “came out of Fox Television Studios’ efforts to find more material out of Spanish-speaking countries and produce more content for Spanish-speaking audiences,” said Madden. It’s part of a larger strategy of targeting Latino audiences by News Corp., which recently announced that it will be launching a Spanish-language broadcast TV network.

Cuesta Receives Directors Guild Award Nomination…

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

He helped kickoff Showtime’s Homeland with a bang, making it one of this season’s hottest new shows… And, now Michael Cuesta is getting kudos for his exceptional work behind the camera.

The 48-year-old Latino filmmaker has received a DGA Award nomination from the Directors Guild of America in the dramatic series category for helming Homeland’s pilot episode.

Homeland—which stars Claire Daines as a CIA officer who believes an American Marine, who was held captive by Al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war, was turned by the enemy and poses a significant risk to national security—has been renewed for a second season of 12 episodes. Production is scheduled to begin in spring 2012.

“The caliber of work being done on television these days is incredible, and our director nominees in each category are an indispensable element to the success of every project — establishing and enhancing the vision and tone, eliciting outstanding performances and furthering the narrative arc through their creative choices,” said Directors Guild of America president Taylor Hackford. “That they are able to create excellence regardless of obstacles like tighter schedules and in an environment in which audiences have more entertainment options to choose from — is a true testament to the importance of directorial skill in television.”

Cuesta, who has perviously directed television episodes of Dexter, Six Feet Under, Blue Bloods and True Blood, will face off against the directors of episodes of Friday Night Lights, Game of Thrones, The Killing and Breaking Bad.

The winners will be announced at the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012.

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