Carlo Mendez to Star in Emmett Loverde’s “The Maginot Line”

Posted on June 24, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Carlo Mendez has lined up a new project…

The 44-year-old Cuban American actor will star in writer-director Emmett Loverde’s The Maginot Line.

Mendez, the brother of actress Eva Mendes, joins a roster of new cast additions that includes Mara Marini, Diana Angelina, Alex Keener, Janna Bossier, Samantha Elizabeth Johnson Esq. and Mindy Montavon.

Based on Loverde’s play, the film tells of a young woman who is dismayed to find herself behaving like her own mother, with whom she has an extremely combative relationship.

The production companies are Kevin’s Entertainment and Emmett Loverde Sound and Picture. Hayato Mitsuishi produces.

Filming takes place this month in Los Angeles.

Mendez’s previous credits include Parks and Recreation, The Rich and the Ruthless and The Bay.

Carlo Mendez Taking Over Alvaro Orlando’s Role in Indie Film “The Legend of Jack and Diane”

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Carlo Mendez is taking on a Legend(ary) role…

The 44-year-old Cuban American actor is set to take over Alvaro Orlando’s role in the indie The Legend of Jack and Diane, following Orlando’s departure due to a scheduling conflict.

Mendez, whose credits include Parks and Recreation and 90210, joins a cast led by Tom Sizemore, which also includes Robert LaSardo, David Timlinson and newcomer Lydia Zelmac, with production currently underway in and around the Los Angeles area.

Directed by Bruce Bellochi, the film is a revenge thriller, which takes its name from John Mellencamp’s classic song “Jack & Diane.” It centers, of course, on Jack (Tomlinson) and Diane (Zelmac), who decide to leave Indiana for a new life in Los Angeles. When the pair discover secrets about the death of Diane’s mother, their worst fears are confirmed, and they are forced to run. On the way to Los Angeles to confront evil, they create a hit list to exact revenge on everyone involved.

Mendez will play Detective Stanley Montana, the son of LaSardo’s reputed drug lord Cesar. Never accepted by his father, Montana has since fallen from his family’s good graces after choosing to become a cop.

Bellochi, Zelmac and Rick Geller scripted the project, which was originally set up as an episodic series for HBO but lost its footing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with Bellochi and Geller reworking it as a feature. Bellochi and Geller are exec producing it with Jackie Kallen.

The younger brother of actress Eva Mendes, Mendez has garnered 64 screen credits over the course of his career, finding most within the last 15 years. He’s primarily known for his work in television, on series like NBC’s Parks and Recreation and The CW’s 90210.

Ferrera Among 683 Stars Invited to Become Members of The Academy

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

America Ferrera is joining the Academy…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited a record 683 people to joins its ranks, including the 32-year-old Honduran American actress, more than double last year’s 322 invitees.

Best known for her Golden Globe-, Screen Actors Guild Award and Emmy-winning role on ABC’s Ugly Betty, Ferrera has also starred in several acclaimed films including Real Women Have Curves, Under the Same Moon, End of Watch, Cesar Chavez and Lords of Dogtown.

The Academy was careful to include a breakdown by gender and race, with the new list comprising of 46% women, including Girl in Progess star Eva Mendes and Fast & Furious star Michelle Rodriguez, and 41% people of color, including Luis Guzman, Oscar Isaac and Spanish director J.A. Bayona.

“We’re proud to welcome these new members to the Academy and know they view this as an opportunity and not just an invitation — a mission and not just a membership,” Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement. “This class continues our long-term commitment to welcoming extraordinary talent reflective of those working in film today. We encourage the larger creative community to open its doors wider and create opportunities for anyone interested in working in this incredible and storied industry.”

The new invitees include 28 Oscar winners, range in age from 24 to 91 and represent 59 countries.

Other Latinos invited to join AMPAS include Enrique Castillo, Sal Lopez, Marisa Paredes, Jacob Vargas, Daphne Zuniga, Ciro Guerra and Nicole Garcia.

Check out the complete list here.

Rodriguez’s “Fast 8” Filming in Cuba

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

It’s fast times for Michelle Rodriguez in the Pearl of the Antilles.

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican-American actress and her fellow Fast & Furious co-stars are filming in Cuba.

Fast 8 has the distinction of being only the second film and the first big budget movie given the green light to shoot on the island since the start of improved relations between the island nation and the United States.

The next installment of Universal Pictures’ successful franchise is currently filming in Havana, and to commemorate the milestone, the production released a new set video paying tribute to the city and its people.

The first in what star Vin Diesel has described as a trilogy that will bring the series to close, Fast 8 is keeping the series tradition of sending the franchise’s globetrotting street racing enthusiasts to various exotic locals, including Iceland in addition to Cuba.

#F8 is making history in Cuba. #FastFridays https://t.co/vljANLtPuh

— Fast & Furious (@FastFurious) May 6, 2016

Written by Chris Morgan and directed by F. Gary Gray, Fast 8 sees core cast members Diesel, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges returning along with 2Fast 2Furious co-star Eva Mendes, Tokyo Drift‘s Lucas Black, and Furious 7‘s Kurt Russell and Jason Statham. They’re joined this time out by Charlize Theron, Kristofer Hivju and Scott Eastwood in yet-revealed roles.

Fast 8 is set to hit theaters on April 14, 2017.

Gomez Named Pantene’s Newest Spokesperson

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is tressed to impress…

The 22-year-old half-Mexican American actress/singer has been named the newest spokesperson for Pantene.

The new role, which the former Disney Channel star announced on Monday morning via her social media platforms, is her latest endorsement deal.

In the past, Gomez has also worked with brands like Adidas Neo and Kmart, as well as served as a UNICEF ambassador.

In an effort to promote the #SelenaXPantene hashtag, Gomez shared a short promo video and a photos of herself getting the Pantene glam treatment via Instagram, touting her “baby hairs.”

Gomez, one of the most bankable stars in music and film, has a combined 120 million followers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, She’s the latest Latina spokesperson hired by a global beauty brand. Pantene previously hired actress Eva Mendes as its spokesperson in 2011.

Gomez’s appeal transcends her Latina roots, making her a perfect global ambassador.

On the music front, Gomez teased her new single “Good For You” over the weekend, announcing that it will arrive on June 22.

Mendes Partners with New York & Company to Design Bridesmaids Line

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Mendes is always a bridesmaid…

The 40-year-old Cuban American actress, model and singer, who gave birth to daughter Esmerelda Amada with Ryan Gosling in September, is launching a collection of bridesmaids dresses and accessories that she designed for New York & Company.

The eight-piece range, which features dresses in pale blue, light yellow and blush pink, will be available on the brand’s website and in stores in January 2015.

Mendes’ dresses are priced between $79 to $119, while her accessories are marked from $22 to $42.

“An important day needs a special dress,” Mendes said in a statement. “I love this collection for weddings and other special events. Feel great and dance the night away!”

Derbez Signs Exclusive First-Look Deal with Pantelion Films

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez is ready to make more crossover films… And, he now has the support to produce them.

The 53-year-old Mexican writer, director and star of the hit Spanish-language comedy Instructions Not Included, has signed an exclusive first-look deal with Lionsgate/Grupo Televisa’s Pantelion Films.

The pact keeps Derbez in business with the label that released his record-setting Spanish-language film last year.

The deal was made via Derbez’s newly launched 3PasStudios, a partnership with former Pantelion president of production Benjamin Odell. 3Pas will focus on Spanish- and English-language films targeted at Latino and crossover audiences in the U.S.

Instructions Not Included became the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S. when it opened last year. Pantelion also is behind biopic Cantinflas which has pulled in $3.6M since it opened last weekend in 382 theaters.

Derbez’s film credits include Under The Same Moon, also among the highest-grossing Spanish language films released in the U.S.

He and Odell first worked together on Sangre de Mi Sangre in 2006, starring Derbez, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and for which Odell was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Odell also produced Pantelion’s 2012 release Girl In Progress, starring Eva Mendes, Cierra Ramirez, Patricia Arquette and Derbez, and he is producing Pantelion’s upcoming drama Spare Parts, starring Marisa Tomei, Jamie Lee Curtis and George Lopez, scheduled for release on January 16, 2015.

Derbez Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez is one step closer to taking over America…

Following the success of his comedy-drama film Instructions Not Included in the United States, the 52-year-old Mexican actor has signed with Creative Artists Agency.

Derbez is hailed as one of the top Latino filmmakers/actors in the business; and he’s one of the most recognizable Latino faces in the world.

He’s the creator and star of one of Mexico’s most popular sitcoms La Familia P. Luche (The Plush Family), which ran for 10 years on Univision. He also created the Televisa produced sketch-show XHDRbZ, which aired for two seasons.

Both programs not only appeared in the U.S. but also ran in Europe and Latin America. He had very recognizeable names in the Latino market on his sketch show, including the Mexican president Vicente Fox.

Derbez also wrote, directed and starred in last year’s Instructions Not Included, which is touted as the highest-grossing Spanish-language film in the U.S., earning $44.4M in the U.S. and $41M internationally for a total of $85.5 million worldwide.

He was also the voice of Donkey in the Spanish-language version of Shrek and lent his voice to one of the characters in Guillermo Del Toro’s animated comedy Book of Life.

U.S. audiences may remember him from Liongate’s Girl in Progress starring opposite Eva Mendes (2012) or in Fox Searchlight’s sleeper hit Under the Same Moon.

Bündchen Named Pantene’s Newest Brand Ambassador

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Gisele Bündchen is making waves with her latest endorsement deal…

The 33-year-old Brazilian bombshell, the world’s highest-paid model and former Victoria’s Secret angel, is Pantene’s newest spokeswoman.

Bündchen, already an ambassador for the hair product line in Brazil, will now appear in the brand’s North American ads.

“I feel my hair has been through it all — from being styled more than 10 times in one day to enjoying the sun and surf with my children — and Pantene has helped to keep it healthy with every wash, no matter what the day may bring,” said Bundchen. “I love that Pantene not only stands for healthy, strong hair, but also encourages women to give back specifically through a program like Pantene Beautiful Lengths.”

Bundchen, who appeared in several campaigns this year, including H&M and Louis Vuitton, joins previous Pantene ambassadors Queen Latifah, Eva Mendes and Zooey Deschanel.

Merediz to Star as George Lopez’s Mom in the FX Series “Saint George”

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Olga Merediz is reuniting with her one-time co-star George Lopez…

The 57-year-old Cuba-born Broadway, television and film actress, who appeared on ABC’s The George Lopez Show, has been cast in a series regular role on Lopez’s FX series Saint George, the 10-90 family sitcom from Lionsgate Television.

Merediz will play Lopez’s mother Alma, a feisty, combative and domineering woman with an acerbic wit.

Merediz, who originated the role of Abuela Claudia in the Broadway musical In the Heights and earned a Tony nomination for her inspired performance, recently appeared opposite Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling in the feature Place Beyond The Pines.

Merediz’s other film credits include Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Evita, Marvin’s Room and Music of the Heart, while her television credits include Netflix‘s big hit Orange is the New Black, Royal Pains, Blue Bloods, Pan Am and Law & Order SVU.

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