Danny Trejo Joins Voice Cast of The Daily Wire’s Animated Scripted Series “Mr. Birchum”

Danny Trejo is getting animated…

The 79-year-old Mexican American actor has joined the voice cast of conservative media outlet The Daily Wire’s first animated scripted series, Mr. Birchum.

Danny TrejoCreated by comedian and radio host Adam Carolla,  the series follows Carolla’s junior high woodshop teacher popularized on KROQ radio and brought to life in puppet form on Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers.

In the animated update, according to producers, “Mr. Birchum attempts to navigate a world he doesn’t understand or approve of. He’s befuddled by his gaming streamer son, Eddie (Kyle Dunnigan), annoyed at his selfie-taking, snowflake students and is constantly at war with the school district’s appointed “J.E.D.I.” (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion officer) Mr. Karponzi (Tyler Fischer).”

The synopsis continues: “But his best buddy, auto-shop teacher Don Gage (Alonzo Bodden), his wife Wendi (Megyn Kelly), and step-daughter Jeanie (Brett Cooper) have his back, along with some fantasy mentors – the ghost of his gym teacher, Coach Murphy (Jay Mohr) and childhood frozen dinner icon Burly Man (Patrick Warburton). He’ll even get an assist from sick-and-tired, wishes she were retired, Principal Bortles (Roseanne Barr) when competing with Navy buddies against his Army nemesis Gunderson (Rob Riggle), and reformed gang member Switchblade (Trejo) lends a tattooed hand building a house for charity.”

The series will mark talk show host Kelly’s first role in a scripted series or movie, and the first scripted project for Barr since her exit from the Roseanne reboot in 2018 after she posted controversial tweets.

DailyWire+’s first animated comedy is produced by David Coleman for Daily Wire and Dallas Sonnier for Bonfire Legend, with Daily Wire’s co-founders Jeremy Boreing and Ben Shapiro and CEO Caleb Robinson are executive producing.

Chassy Media is the physical production company for the show. Mike Lynch is the head writer for the show with additional episodes written by Byron Kavanagh and Mark Hoffmeier.

“I am super excited to be working with my friends Ben Shapiro, Jeremy Boreing, and our terrific cast of talent to bring Mr Birchum to life on the Daily Wire!” said Carolla.

“We teamed up with Adam and some of the funniest people we know – Roseanne, Rob Riggle, Patrick Warburton, Tyler Fischer and so many more – to bring back the irreverent patriarch in a truly hilarious comedy that doesn’t care who it offends,” added The Daily Wire‘s Jeremy Boreing.

Ralph Barbosa Launching “Super Cool Ass Tour” in 2024

Ralph Barbosa is preparing for a super cool trek…

Following a game-changing year that has seen him sell out venues across North America, make his debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and premiere his first Netflix special, the 27-year-old Latino stand-up comedian is expanding his comic presence.

Ralph BarbosaBarbosa has unveiled dates for the first leg of his 2024 Super Cool Ass Tour, which will see him graduate to performing in theaters, after making a name for himself in clubs.

Over the course of the tour’s first leg, Barbosa will visit 18 cities across the U.S. Tickets are on sale now.

Barbosa’s special Ralph Barbosa: Cowabunga, released October 31st, has spent two weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 television chart, debuting at #3. In it, we gain a glimpse into the world of this Latino gamer as he shares stories of growing up with his grandparents, running a hair cutting business out of his bedroom as a 13-year-old, why he asked his dad if he needed to go to the moon to return moon rocks, and his fantasy of being passenger prince to his street-racing dream girl.

His new hour was shot at The Kessler Theater in his hometown of Dallas in August.

Known for his disarming and laid-back style of stand-up, Barbosa’s set for the digital series Comedy Central Stand-Up Featuring has topped 3.7 million views on YouTube.

The comic currently selling out venues across North America also last November teamed with Gwen La Roka on the HBO Max comedy special, Entre Nos: The Winners 3, after winning the Latino Stand-Up! Comedy Competition presented by The New York Latino Film Festival and HBO Latino in 2021.

He won the Funniest Comic in Texas competition in 2019 and has garnered over 4.8M YouTube views with a performance for secret pop-up comedy show organizer Don’t Tell Comedy.

Tour dates:
January 12, 2024, San Diego, CA, Balboa Theatre
January 18, 2024, Boston, MA, The Wilbur
January 19, 2024, New York, NY, Town Hall
February 2, 2024, Chicago, IL, The Vic Theatre
February 16, 2024, Atlanta, GA, Buckhead Theatre
February 17, 2024, Tampa, FL, Tampa Theatre
March 15, 2024, El Paso, TX, The Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Center
March 16, 2024, Albuquerque, NM, Revel Entertainment Center
March 30, 2024, Dallas, TX, Majestic Theatre
April 18, 2024, Nashville, TN, James K. Polk Theater
April 26, 2024, Seattle, WA, Neptune Theatre
April 27, 2024, Portland, OR, Aladdin Theater
May 4, 2024, Bakersfield, CA, Fox Theater
May 5, 2024, Las Vegas, NV, The Venetian Theatre
May 17, 2024, Phoenix, AZ, Celebrity Theatre
May 18, 2024, Tucson, AZ, Rialto Theatre
May 24, 2024, Milwaukee, WI, Pabst Theater
May 25, 2024, Minneapolis, MN, Fillmore Minneapolis

Melissa Fumero to Appear on Upcoming Episode of NBC’s “Lopez vs. Lopez”

Melissa Fumero has landed a special guest-starring role…

The 40-year-old Cuban American actress and former Brooklyn Nine-Nine will appear on the May 2 episode of George Lopez and Mayan Lopez’s NBC’s Lopez vs. Lopez.

Melissa FumeroFumero will play Natalia, a Latina mother who mistakes Mayan for white.

But Fumero isn’t the only guest star on the episode.

Danny Trejo will play Danny Martinez of Martin-E.Z. Movers, who is George’s rival and biggest competitor.

Additionally, Judge Marilyn Milian and Erik Griffin will appear in the episode, with character details not yet revealed.

Fumero is best known for starring as Amy Santiago opposite Andy Samberg in NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Recently, she voice acted in Samberg’s adult animated Comedy Central series Digman! and HBO Max’s adult animated series Velma. In 2022, she appeared in the IFC comedy film Barfight! and the Netflix comedy Blockbuster.

Her other prominent credits include One Life to Live, Gossip Girl, Royal Pains, CSI: NY and The Mentalist.

As a director, she has worked on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Grand Crew, Gordita Chronicles and the upcoming Freevee comedy Primo.

Trejo is a prolific charcter actor with film credits including Desperado, Heat, the From Dusk Till Dawn series, Con Air and Spy Kids.

In television, he’s appeared in Sons of Anarchy, King of the Hill, Breaking Bad, The Flash, American Gods and The Book of Boba Fett.

Milian has been the judge presiding over the syndicated arbitration reality series The People’s Court since 2001 and in the fall will launch “Justice for the People With Judge Milian.”

Lopez vs Lopez is produced by Universal Television in association with Mohawk Productions, Travieso Productions, Mi Vida Loba and 3 Arts.

John Leguizamo to Fill In as Host on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”

John Leguizamo is filling in…

Comedy Central has set dates for the next five guest hosts who will fill in at the desk of The Daily Show, including the 62-year-old Colombian actor/comedian.

John LeguizamoLeguizamo will fill in the week of March 27.

Prior to his stint, Hasan Minhaj will step in for the week Febuary 27, followed by Marlon Wayans the week of March 6; Kal Penn the week of March 13 and Al Franken the week of March 20.

Dates for additional guest hosts, including TDS correspondents and contributors, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Guest hosts have been filling in since Trevor Noah exited the show on December 8.

Chelsea Handler is hosting this week’s shows, marking her latest late-night guest hosting spot after she filled in for Jimmy Kimmel during his summer holidays. Sarah Silverman is set to take the reins next week, beginning February 13.

In terms of Noah’s permanent replacement, Comedy Central is keeping an open mind in terms of who will succeed him. As Deadline’s Peter White previously reported, the network also is considering hosting duos and trios. A permanent host is expected to start in fall 2023.

The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11:00 pm ET/PT on Comedy Central and is available the following morning on Paramount+.

Harvey Guillén to Star in Comedy Central’s Original Movie “Cursed Friends”

Harvey Guillén is cursed…

The 32-year-old Mexican American actor will star in the cast of Comedy Central’s original movie Cursed Friends from Propagate and Will Arnett’s Electric Avenue.

The film premieres on October 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Harvey GuillenThe film will also feature Nicole Byer, Jessica Lowe and Andrew Lewis Caldwell (Danger Force) will lead the ensemble cast of Comedy Central’s original movie Cursed Friends from Propagate and Will Arnett’s Electric Avenue. The film premieres October 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. 

The supernatural comedy also stars Joey Fatone, James Austin JohnsonNikki GlaserKathy Griffin and Nicole Richie, along with Ken Marino and Rob Riggle, with an appearance by Arnett.

Written by Aaron Eisenberg and Will EisenbergCursed Friends follows four thirtysomething childhood friends who wake up on Halloween following a drunken reunion to realize that a predict-your-future game of M.A.S.H. (Mansion Apartment Shack House) that they played in 2002 is starting to come true for them in hilarious and disturbing ways.

They must band together to help each other escape the wild fates that have turned their lives upside down— from having 100 kids with the hometown loser to leading a cult to marrying NSYNC’s Fatone.

The project is directed by Laura Murphy and produced by Luke Kelly-Clyne.

Zachary Halley is co-executive producer, Kristyn Deignan is supervising producer and Harold Berón III is executive in charge of production. MTV Entertainment Studios produced.

Mon Laferte to Perform at Pre-Grammy Awards Show “Premiere Ceremony”

Mon Laferte is preparing for the Grammys pre-show…

The 38-year-old Chilean singer, songwriter and musician will perform during the Premiere Ceremony prior to the 64th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, April 3.

Mon LaferteShe joins a roster of performers that includes Jimmie AllenLedisiAllison Russell and Curtis Stewart.

LeVar Burton will host the event, at which the vast majority of Grammys are presented. Only about 10 are actually presented during the live telecast.

The show will open with a multi-artist performance by Madison Cunningham, Falu, Nnenna Freelon, Kalani Pe’a, John Popper and The Isaacs.

Presenters include current nominees Allen, Arlo Parks, Nate Bargatze, Freelon, Pierce Freelon, and Sylvan Esso, as well as Jimmy Jam, a five-time Grammy winner and former chair of the Recording Academy’s board of trustees.

The Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will stream live from the MGM Grand Conference Marquee Ballroom in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3 at 3:30 pm ET/12:30 pm PT on the Grammy’s YouTube page and on live.grammy.com.

The Premiere Ceremony is produced by Chantel Sausedo, a long-time member of the Grammy production team, along with three Recording Academy executives — Branden Chapman, chief operating officer; Ruby Marchand, chief awards and industry officer; and Rex Supa, vice president, production and event operations, all on behalf of the Recording Academy.

Greg Fera is executive producer. Cheche Alara is music producer and musical director.

The 64th Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live following the Premiere Ceremony on CBS and Paramount+ from 8:00 to 11:30 pm ET/5:00 to 8:30 pm PT.

Trevor Noah, star of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, is hosting the Grammys for the second year in a row.

Chrissie Fit to Star in Indie Comedy “The List”

Chrissie Fit is makin’ The List

The 37-year-old Cuban American actress has joined the cast of The List, the indie comedy from director Melissa Miller Costanzo.

Chrissie Fit

Fit forms part of a list of new cast additions that includes Jonah Platt, Will Peltz and Zach Reino.

They join previously announced leads Halston Sage, Christian Navarro and Gregg Sulkin.

The film written by Rob Lederer and Steve Vitolo centers on Abby (Sage), a woman who is about to get married, for whom everything is perfect. Until she finds out her fiancé Matt (Platt) has slept with a celebrity from his “free pass” list. To get her mind off things, Abby and her best friend Chloe (Fit) come up with a crazy idea: Abby should pursue a celebrity from her own list. But things become complicated when she meets Jake (Navarro), a sweet and charming waiter at a neighborhood cafe, who gives her a fresh perspective.

Peltz is portraying Avon, an LA-based rapper/pop star who is on a lot of free pass lists, including Abby’s, with Reino as Matt’s best friend and consistent bad influence, Connor.

Fit is best known for turns in Universal’s Pitch Perfect franchise and Disney Channel’s Teen Beach films. She can currently be seen in Amazon’s series reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer, and will next be seen in Showtime comedy series I Love This for You, as well as Starz’ horror comedy, Shining Vale.

Fit has also recurred on Comedy Central’s Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens and Disney Channel’s Elena of Avalor, among other series. Additional film credits include Universal’s All My Life and HBO Max’s Women Is Losers.

Reino is a comedian and actor who has appeared on the TV side in HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, Netflix’s Brews BrothersA.P. BioSofia the FirstSpeechlessCrazy Ex-Girlfriend and more. He recently wrote on Peacock’s new series Baking It with Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg and co-hosts Off Book, a popular podcast, which originally debuted on Earwolf. Reino also co-wrote the script for Elizabeth Banks’ upcoming Amazon film Where the Fore Are We? with David Wain and Jess McKenna.

Ricky Velez Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME) 

Ricky Velez is ready for new endeavors

William Morris Endeavor (WME) has signed the Latino comedian for representation in all areas.

Ricky Velez

Velez has an upcoming one-hour comedy special titled Ricky Velez: Here’s Everythingexecutive produced by himself, Judd Apatow, and Pete Davidson—debuting on October 23 via HBO.

On the acting front, the Queens native starred in (and co-produced) the 2020 film, The King of Staten Island. He’s also appeared in Netflix’s Master of None.

Velez was a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore and has appeared on Comedy Central’s This Week at the Comedy Cellar.

Arturo Castro to Star in the Gourmet Dark Satire “The Menu”

Arturo Castro is ordering off The Menu

The 35-year-old Guatemalan actor has been cast in Searchlight Pictures’ gourmet dark satire The Menuwhich is currently filming in Savannah, GA.

Arturo Castro

Castro joins a roster of new cast additions that includes Paul Adelstein, Rob YangMark St. CyrRebecca KoonPeter Grosz and Christina Brucato.

They join the previously announced line-up of the Mark Mylod-directed feature: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau (Elsa), Janet McTeer (Lillian Bloom), John Leguizamo (as Movie Star), Aimee Carrero (Felicity), Reed Birney (Richard) and Judith Light (Anne).

Based on an original screenplay by Seth Reiss and Will TracyThe Menu follows a young couple, Margot and Tyler (Taylor-Joy and Hoult), who travel to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where Chef Slowik (Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.

Castro will portray Soren.

He previously appeared on the Comedy Central series Broad City and the Netflix series Narcos.

Guillermo Diaz to Appear on Season 2 of NBC’s “Law & Order: Organized Crime”

Guillermo Diaz is getting organized

The 46-year-old Cuban American actor will appear on Season 2 of NBC’s Law & Order: Organized Crime.

Guillermo Diaz

Diaz will appear in a recurring role on the upcoming season of Dick Wolf’s Special Victims Unit (SVU) spinoff series.

Diaz will play Sgt. Bill Brewster. His character description is being kept under wraps.

Law & Order: Organized Crime brought Christopher Meloni’s Elliot Stabler character back to the venerable franchise for the first time in 10 years, and revolves around the NYPD organized crime unit led by Stabler.

Danielle Moné Truitt, Tamara Taylor, Ainsley Seiger and Dylan McDermott also star.

Law & Order: Organized Crime was created by Wolf, who executive produces along with showrunner Ilene Chaiken, Terry Miller, Fred Berner, Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski.

Known for his many seasons on Showtime’s Weeds and Chapelle’s Show for Comedy Central, Diaz starred as Huck on the ABC hit series Scandal and most recently co-starred in the ABC comedy United We Fall.

He was also a series regular on the NBC drama Mercy and guest-starred opposite Lena Dunham in HBO’s Girls, Comedy Central’s Broad City and HBO’s High Maintenance.