Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” Cast Album Added to Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway musical has earned a place in the Registry.

The 45-year-old Puerto Rican award-winning actor, composer, lyricist, producer, director and playwright’s cast album for his Tony Award-winning Broadway sensation Hamilton: An American Musical is among this year’s 25 additions to the National Recording Registry, which is administered by the Library of Congress.

HamiltonThis year’s selections span 102 years, from 1913 (a recording of “Aloha ‘Oe” by Hawaiian Quintette) to 2015 (Miranda’s Hamilton cast album).

Hamilton (2015) is the first Broadway cast album that was released since Sweeney Todd in 1979 to be selected.

The album, like the musical, has been a best-selling phenomenon, receiving Diamond certification (meaning 10 million copies sold) from the RIAA in 2023.

Produced by The Roots members Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, the album preserves the musical’s original Broadway cast, and released September 25, 2015, via Atlantic Records.

Freddy Fender’s country/pop smash “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (1975) has also been added to the Registry.

The late Mexican American singer’s song is one of three songs on the Registry to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Before the Next Teardrop Falls” topped that chart for two weeks.

The single — which features verses sung in both English and Spanish — broke boundaries in the music industry by becoming a crossover hit, reaching No. 1 on both the Hot Country Songs chart and the Billboard Hot 100.

Fender’s emotive performance and heartfelt delivery turned the song into a classic, showcasing the power of Latin voices in country music — a genre that initially had limited representation from Hispanic artists.

Vicente Fernández’s enduring ranchera classic “El Rey” (1973), one of the most recognizable songs in Regional Mexican music, joined the roster of Latin recordings in the Registry.

The late Mexican singer and actor’s iconic song appears on his 1973 album, El Ídolo de México, and it was written by José Alfredo Jiménez in 1971.

With its kingly themes of resilience and pride, “El Rey” has become emblematic of Chente’s enduring legacy, even inspiring a 2022 Netflix bioseries of the same name that celebrates his life and career. The mariachi singer — who died in 2021 — remains one of Mexico’s most celebrated musical figures, and his induction into the Registry further solidifies his enduring legacy.

More than 2,600 nominations were made by the public this year.

Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects 25 titles each year that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Recordings become eligible for the Registry 10 years after release, compared to 25 years for the Grammy Hall of Fame. (Which means the Hamilton cast album won’t be eligible there for another 15 years.)

“These are the sounds of America – our wide-ranging history and culture,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “The Library of Congress is proud and honored to select these audio treasures worthy of preservation.”

Industry veteran Robbin Ahrold serves as chair of the National Recording Preservation Board. “This year’s National Recording Registry list is an honor roll of superb American popular music from the wide-ranging repertoire of our great nation,” he said in a statement.

These 25 recordings bring the number of titles on the Registry to 675. This represents just a tiny fraction of the Library’s vast recorded sound collection of nearly four million items.

Here’s the complete list of 2025 additions to the National Recording Registry. They are listed in chronological order by release date.

  • “Aloha ‘Oe” – Hawaiian Quintette (1913, Victor)
  • “Sweet Georgia Brown” – Brother Bones & His Shadows (1949, Tempo)
  • “Happy Trails” – Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (1952, RCA Victor)
  • Radio Broadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series – Chuck Thompson (1960)
  • Harry Urata Field Recordings (1960-1980)
  • Hello Dummy! – Don Rickles (1968, Warner Bros.)
  • Chicago Transit Authority – Chicago (1969, Columbia)
  • Bitches Brew – Miles Davis (1970, Columbia)
  • “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” – Charley Pride (1971, RCA Victor)
  • “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy (1972, Capitol)
  • “El Rey” – Vicente Fernández (1973, CBS)
  • Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John (1973, MCA)
  • “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” – Freddy Fender (1975, ABC/Dot)
  • I’ve Got the Music in Me – Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker (1975, Sheffield Lab)
  • The Kӧln Concert – Keith Jarrett (1975, ECM)
  • Fly Like an Eagle – Steve Miller Band (1976, Capitol)
  • Nimrod Workman Collection (1973-1994)
  • Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman (1988, Elektra)
  • My Life – Mary J. Blige (1994, Uptown/MCA)
  • Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime – Brian Eno (1995)
  • “My Heart Will Go On” – Celine Dion (1997, 550 Music/Epic)
  • Our American Journey – Chanticleer (2002) (album, Warner Classics International)
  • Back to Black – Amy Winehouse (2006 album, Republic/Universal Music)
  • Minecraft: Volume Alpha – Daniel Rosenfeld (2011 album, self-released)
  • Hamilton: An American Musical – Original Broadway Cast Album (2015 album, Atlantic)

The Gersh Agency Signs Jaime Camil

Jaime Camil has new representation…

The Gersh Agency has signed the 50-year-old Mexican actor, singer and producer for representation in all areas.

Jaime CamilCamil is best known for starring in all five seasons of The CW’s telenovela satire Jane the Virgin.

He is coming off of Apple TV+’s acclaimed musical comedy Schmigadoon!, which ran for two seasons.

Up next, the actor will be seen recurring on the second season of NBC’s Lopez vs. Lopez, also taking on a guest arc on the upcoming season of Acapulco for Apple TV+.

Additionally, he’s set to narrate and executive produce Desde La Raíz, a Roku series exploring the origins of Mexican products like coffee, chile, corn and mezcal.

Previously, Camil starred in and executive produced the CBS comedy series Broke, starred as the lead villain opposite Zoë Kravitz in Steven Soderbergh’s thriller Kimi, and hosted and executive produced the game show Lotería Loca for CBS.

He also played Mexican musical icon Vicente Fernández on Netflix’s El Rey, Vicente Fernández, which spent five weeks in the streamer’s Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) when it debuted in 2022, peaking at #1 worldwide and #2 in the U.S. in that time period.

Before making a splash in the English-language market, Camil was already a bonafide star in his native Mexico and all across Latin America for his work in Spanish-language projects both in TV and film. Some of his hits include the telenovela La Fea Más Bella (Ugly Betty), Por Ella Soy Eva and Qué Pobres Tan Ricos, to name a few.

The CW Orders Six Additional Scripts of Robert Rodriguez’s Zorro Reboot Project with a Female Lead

Robert Rodriguez’s Zorro television project with a female lead is one step closer to becoming reality.

The CW has ordered an additional six scripts for the long-gestating Zorro reboot from the 53-year-old Mexican American filmmaker/writer, bringing the script total to 7.

Robert RodriguezIn addition to Rodriguez, the CW’s gender-swapped reimagining of the classic masked vigilante character also hails from writer-director Rebecca Rodriguez, Sean Tretta (Mayans M.C.), Ben Silverman and Howard T. OwensPropagate and CBS Studios.

The CW has not specified what the next step would be for Zorro if the network brass are happy with the new scripts, but a straight-to-series order is likely.

This is a variation of the straight-to-series model, which the network has employed with a different degree of success over the past two years.

The CW’s Zorro is a new incarnation of the project, which was in development at NBC during the 2020-21 cycle, with Tretta as a new addition to the brother-and-sister writing team of Robert and Rebecca Rodriguez.

Co-penned by the trio and to be directed by Rebecca Rodriguez, in Zorro, a young Latinx woman seeking vengeance for her father’s murder joins a secret society and adopts the outlaw persona of Zorro. The story by Robert and Rebecca Rodriguez was already in place when Tretta, who has an overall deal at CBS Studios, came on board earlier this cycle to write the script.

Tretta, who also will serve as showrunner, and Robert and Rebecca Rodriguez will executive produce with Silverman, Owens and Rodney Ferrell for Propagate.

Propagate originally set out to develop a Zorro TV series with a female lead in 2019 as one of the company’s first projects under its first-look deal with CBS Studios. The idea’s first incarnation, written by Alfredo Barrios Jr., was set up at NBC, as was the 2020-21 version with Robert and Rebecca Rodriguez, which also had Sofia Vergara attached as an executive producer. She is no longer involved in the project.

Robert Rodriguez was attached to direct The Mask of Zorro and cast Antonio Banderas as the title role before leaving the feature project.

In TV, he currently serves as an executive producer-director on Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett. He previously developed and executive produced the series adaptation of his movie From Dusk Till Dawn for his television network El Rey and also executive produced the Spy Kids animated series offshoot for Netflix. He recently directed an episode of Disney+’s The Mandalorian.

Rebecca Rodriguez’s recent directing credits include episodes of HBO Max’s Doom PatrolNBC’s Debris, TNT’s Snowpiercer and Showtime’s The Chi.

Sony Acquires Rights to Gabino Iglesias’ Novel “The Devil Takes You Home”

Gabino Iglesiasdevilish work will be brought to life…

Sony has reportedly picked up the Latino author/filmmaker’s novel The Devil Takes You Home in a competitive situation, a project that Cuban filmmaker Alejandro Brugués will adapt and direct.

Gabino Iglesias

Brugués is a director on El Rey’s From Dusk Till Dawn series and recently helmed the thriller The Last Will and Testament of Charles Abernathy starring Peyton List, Rachel Nichols and Austin Stowell.

Iglesias’ novel follows Mario who has but no choice, but to be a hitman to cover his family’s bills, especially his daughter’s medical tab. He’s presented with an offer: One last score that will either pull him out of poverty forever or put a bullet in the back of his skull. A man named Juanca needs help stealing $2 million dollars from a drug cartel. Together, they begin a journey to an underworld where unspeakable horrors happen every day.

The project and its storyline are still in early development.

Iglesias is a writer, journalist, professor, and literary critic living in Austin, TX. He wrote the critically-acclaimed and award-winning novels Zero Saints and Coyote Songs, which racked up nominations for the Bram Stoker Award, the Locus Award and the Wonderland Book Award.

Coyote Songs was lauded with the Wonderland Book Award. Iglesias has also served as a juror for the Shirley Jackson Awards twice and the Millions Tournament of Books.

Brugués’ feature directing credits include the segment “The Thing in the Woods” from 2018’s Nightmare Cinema, Juan of the Dead and Personal Belongings.

Alex Rosario is the executive on the project at Sony.

Alicia Sanz Signs with Range Media Partners for Talent Management

Alicia Sanz is expanding her range

The 33-year-old Spanish actress has signed with Range Media Partners for talent management.

Alicia Sanz

The star of the Amazon Prime series El Cid will continue to be repped by CAA, You Rock Talent; and Brecheen, Feldman, Breimer, Silver & Thompson.

Sanz is renowned for her turn as Paloma Iglesias in the second season of El Rey’s From Dusk Till Dawn from Robert Rodriguez.

Sanz is currently shooting Gideon Raff’s bilingual thriller series Now and Then for Apple TV+ opposite Rosie Perez, Maribel Verdú, and Marina de Tavira. Set in Miami with an all-Hispanic cast, the series explores the differences between youthful aspirations and the reality of adulthood, when the lives of a group of college best friends are forever changed after a celebratory weekend ends up with one of them dead. Now, 20 years later, the remaining five are reluctantly reunited by a threat that puts their seemingly perfect worlds at risk. Sanz will play Young Sofia, a younger version of Sofia (played by Maribel Verdú), a strong self-made lawyer whose life took an unexpected turn 20 years ago and is now hiding too many secrets.

Sanz starred opposite William Levy in the feature film En Brazos de un Asesino and in the Bradley Parker directed feature, The Devil Below. Other credits include the Netflix feature #RealityhighFox’s Shots Fired, James Cox’ Billionaire Boys Club and the independent thriller, Better Criminal.

Originally from Ceuta, Spain, Sanz landed her first leading role at the age of eight. She went on to make her TV debut as Lucía Elízondo Cortés on Antena3 Network’s hit drama Gavilanes, and subsequently starred in other popular Spanish series’ including Bandolera, Amar Es Para Siempre and Cuentame.

Jesse Garcia to Star in Michael Bay’s Action Feature “Ambulance”

Jesse Garcia is calling 9-1-1…

The 39-year-old Spanish and Mexican American actor has joined the cast of Michael Bay’s Endeavor ContentUniversal Pictures action feature Ambulance

Jesse Garcia

Garcia joins a growing cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza Gonzalez, Garret DillahuntA Martinez, Keir O’DonnellMoses Ingram, rapper Wale FolarinCedric SandersJackson WhiteColin Woodell and Olivia Stambouliah.

Ambulance is based on the original Danish film Ambulancen and is in the spirit of such 1990s action films as Speed and Bad BoysChris Fedak wrote the original screenplay.

Garcia recently wrapped the new season of Narcos and was attached to the Marvel/Hulu series Ghost Rider before it was stalled. Garcia plays Ranger Freddie Gonzalez in the El Rey Network’s From Dusk Till DawnHe is also known for the award-winning film Quinceañera, written and directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer, executive produced by Todd Haynes. The film won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival in the Dramatic Independent Feature Competition. Garcia won Best Actor at the 2007 ALMA Awards for his role as Carlos, a troubled gay teenager.  In 2012, Garcia played a supporting role in The Avengers, in addition to roles in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Manifest Destiny. His TV work also includes Edward James Olmos’ movie Walkout for HBO, recurring roles on Sons of Anarchy, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and The Shield

Sofia Vergara Teams Up with Robert Rodriguez & Rebecca Rodriguez to Develop Modern Take on “Zorro” with Female Lead

Sofia Vergara isn’t masking her excitement for her latest project…

The 48-year-old Colombian actress has teamed up with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and his writer-director sister Rebecca Rodriguez to develop Zorro, a contemporary take on the classic masked vigilante character with a gender swap, for NBC. 

Sofia Vergara

The project’s creative team includes Vergara’s LatinWe production company, as well as Ben Siverman and Howard T. OwensPropagate. CBS Studios, where Propagate has a deal, will co-produce with Universal Television.

Co-written by the Rodriguezes and to be directed by Rebecca, Zorro centers on Sola Dominguez, an underground artist who fights for social injustice as contemporary version of the mythical Zorro. Her life is threatened by several criminal organizations after she exposes them.

Propagate set out to develop a television series re-imagining of Zorro with a female protagonist last season as one of the company’s first projects under its first-look deal with CBS Studios. The idea’s first incarnation, written by Alfredo Barrios Jr., also was set up at NBC.

Vergara and Silverman are frequent collaborators; they have teamed to produce together several projects over the past decade while Silverman was at Electus and after he joined Propagate, including the ABC drama series Killer Women.

Vergara received Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for her starring role on ABC’s Modern Family. Her feature credits include the Warner Bros. buddy comedy Hot Pursuit, which she also produced. Additionally, she executive produced the Spanish version of Desperate Housewives.

Robert Rodriguez was attached to direct The Mask of Zorro and cast Antonio Banderas as the title role before leaving the feature project. In television, he developed and executive produced the series adaptation of his movie From Dusk Till Dawn for his television network El Rey and also executive produced the Spy Kids animated series offshoot for Netflix. He recently directed an episode of Disney+’s The Mandalorian

Rebecca Rodriguez’s recent directing credits include episodes of TNT’s Snowpiercer and Showtime’s The Chi.

Eiza González Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Eiza González has new representation…

The 30-year-old Mexican actress/singer has signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for representation in all areas.

Eiza González

González rose to acclaim after her roles in El Rey’s series From Dusk till Dawn, in which she collaborated with Robert Rodriguez. She further increased her star power in the United States after appearing in Edgar Wright’s 2017 summer blockbuster Baby Driveras Darling, the heist girlfriend to Jon Hamm’s Buddy, in the $227M grossing movie.

González has scored roles in notable movies, including Nyssiana in the Rodriguez-directed 20th Century Fox sci-fi movie Alita: Battle Angel($404.8M WW), Madame M opposite Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson in Hobbs & Shaw($759M WW), and the upcoming Legendary/Warner Bros. sequel Godzilla vs. Kongdue out on May 21, 2021.

She most recently starred in Sony PicturesBloodshotopposite Vin Diesel and Guy Pearce, which earned her an Imagen Award nomination for Best Actress in a Feature Film.

González will next be seen opposite Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage in I Care A Lot, which will premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.

The Mexico City native studied at the American School Foundation, the Edron Academy, M&M Studio and Televisa’s Centro de Educación Artística.’

Her breakthrough came in the teenage telenovela Lola: Érase una vezin 2007. González also starred in numerous additional series in Mexico. She signed with Universal Music, and recorded five albums.

Her other feature credits include Robert ZemeckisWelcome to Marwen, and voiceover credits in DreamWorksThe Croods and 20th Century Fox’s Alvin and the Chipmunks and Horton Hears A Who!

Don Omar Announces Retirement Tour, Forever King… The Last Tour

Don Omar is taking his final bow…

The 39-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton singer and actor, known as El Rey, has announced his retirement through his Forever King… The Last Tour.

Don Omar

Don Omar made the official announcement this week, posting a black and white photo on his social media accounts, while announcing that the tickets for his home country shows at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan will start at 99 cents each.

The tour-launching shows will take place Dec. 15-17.

The specially priced tickets go on sale Sept. 9 at the arena ticket office from 7:00 -10:00 am. Regular tickets will be available the same day.

“It will be a great opportunity to thank everyone on my island and return what I received,” said Omar.

The final tour will be produced by SBS Entertainment.

No dates have been announced for the U.S. leg.

“It is an honor to be part of a historic moment for Don Omar and Puerto Rico, and we thank him and the Puerto Ricans for allowing us to create and bring the best entertainment,” said Lucas Piña, SBS Entertainment senior vice president.

Fernandez Endorses Hillary Clinton with a Special “Corrido”

Vicente Fernández isn’t rocking the vote, he’s ranchera-ing it…

The 76-year-old Mexican singer, known as “El Rey de la Música Ranchera,” is endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton with a personal corrido.

Vicente Fernández

Titled “El Corrido de Hillary Clinton,” Fernandez’s special announcement begins with a message to the Latino community: “Dear brothers, your voice is your vote. Together, we can.”

He explains why it’s important for Latinos to vote for Clinton in the upcoming November elections, and takes a few jabs at Donald Trump, singing, “It hurt my pueblo that someone offended us… With Hillary there is respect, and with her as president, we’ll always have a bridge.”

He adds: “Mrs. Clinton, I am here to ask you that when you become president, don’t forget about all my Mexican brothers and Latinos.”

The “El Rey” singer partnered with the Latino Victory Project organization to make the video and song.