Jenni Rivera’s Family to Release New, Never-Released Music by the Late Banda Queen

There’s new music by Jenni Rivera headed your way…

As the 10-year anniversary of the late Mexican American singer’s death in a plane crash over Mexico (in December, 2012) approaches, her family is planning to share new music with the world.

Jenni RiveraNever-released music she left recorded before her death will see the light of day, according to daughter Jacqie Rivera, who in January took over from her aunt Rosie Rivera as head of the Jenni Rivera estate.

“It’s definitely music in Spanish, it’s more than one song, and it’s regional Mexican,” Jacqie Rivera tells Billboard in her first interview since she took over her mother’s estate. “I think it’s very important that we tie in how she started, what [music] put her up there, and share that.”

The new tracks will be part of a full-fledged album of brand-new Rivera songs set for release before the end of the year. The set will include at least some of the 11 other unreleased songs that the Rivera estate found after Jenni Rivera’s passing, and will be released by Sony Music U.S. Latin. Several of the tracks will be produced by Sergio Lizárraga, the head of Banda MS and owner of Lizos Music.

Music in English is also on the way, although plans for those releases have yet to be finalized.

The music releases are the core of a series of actions that the estate is spearheading this year. Among them is a concert commemorating Rivera’s death — which will feature performances by her children, and which Jacqie Rivera describes as “a la Coachella” — and a long-planned biopic, which has long been discussed but is now firmly in the planning stages.

The moves signal a change of direction in the management of Jenni Rivera’s estate, which had been helmed by her sister, Rosie, since her death. Now, the reins have amicably passed to Jacqie, the second of Rivera’s five children. (The five are recording star Chiquis Rivera, Jacqie Rivera and Michael Marín from Rivera’s first marriage, and Jenicka and Johnny Angel, from her second marriage.)

All five siblings are now part of the estate’s advisory board and are actively involved in major decision-making, says Jacqie.

“The little decisions, I make them. For the big decisions, we all get together and we all vote,” she explains. “My little brother Johnny is working alongside with me, especially for the music. He’s always been involved in producing, and we’re working closely together. But we definitely need each other, all of us together, to really do it. There’s always meetings, phone calls, zooms. We’re all busy but we make it happen.”

When Rivera died in 2012, at 43 years old, she was the single most successful woman in regional Mexican on the Billboard charts — with over 26 entries on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart — and at the pinnacle of her career. But she was also on the verge of much more.

She was on the verge of a major crossover, having become the first Latina ever to sign a production deal to star in her own TV series on a major U.S. network and about to have her own residency in Las Vegas. On the verge of a cinematic career, Rivera played her first role in a major film, Filly Brown. On the verge of fulfilling her dream of becoming the “Latina Oprah,” with the continued success of her weekly radio show, Contacto Directo con Jenni Rivera. And on the verge of massive stardom in Mexico, following her stint as the most popular coach on season 2 of La Voz.

Perhaps most importantly to her, after years of being the sole provider for her family, she was finally finding the time to truly enjoy her children and her grandchildren. But her death left her children reeling. Only now, says Jacqie, does she feel ready to take control of her mother’s estate.

“My mom was such a big part…she was our everything,” says Rivera. “I don’t think any of us kids would have been ready to do this job because it’s a lot of work. For sure, I’m ready now.”

As part of the changes implemented since she took over, Rivera tapped Izabel Nicholas as general manager for Jenni Rivera Enterprises and Oswaldo Rossi has remained as the estate’s lawyer. Entotal Agency, the management firm headed by Jorge Sánchez and Tom Muzquiz with Pitbull as a partner is handling artist management.

“Being part of the Jenni Rivera team is an honor and a privilege,” says Sánchez, whose company started working with the estate in March, at the recommendation of BMI CCO Alex Flores. “Working with Jacqie and Jenni Rivera Enterprises represents a great experience due to her vision, respect and the enthusiasm. Jenni Rivera died in the prime of her life, and the music she left behind reflects this vitality. We have a great task ahead, with many and amazing releases plus other projects from one of the most important names and legacies in Latin music.”

It all amounts to an outpouring of material that would have made Jenni Rivera proud, says Jacqie, whose eyes brighten when asked what she thinks her mother would tell her if she could see her now.

“I think she would remind me of what my name means: Jacqueline is a form of Jacob, and Jacob is a go-getter,” she responds. “She would always remind me of what my name meant. [So I think she would say] ‘You got this, you can do this.’ And as a mom, she’d also tell me I’m doing a good job — because sometimes, you really don’t know.”

Ryan Guzman to Star in the 9/11-Themed Drama “Windows on the World”

Ryan Guzman is opening a window on th world…

The 29-year-old half-Mexican American actor will star opposite Edward James Olmos in the feature film Windows on the World, a father-son drama about the aftermath of 9/11, according to Variety.

Ryan Guzman

Shooting will begin on July 10 in Mexico and New York City.

Olmos’ son Michael D. Olmos will direct from a script by Robert Mailer Anderson and Zack Anderson.

“Windows on the World” will start in Mexico, where a man watches the news on September 11, 2001, with his family and travels to New York City to find his father, who was working on the top floor of the Twin Towers. The Windows on the World venues were on the top floors of the North Tower.

Guzman rose to fame in Step Up: Revolution and Step Up All In, then starred in The Boy Next Door with Jennifer Lopez, Jem and the Holograms, and in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some.

Olmos broke out in 1981’s Zoot Suit and 1982’s Blade Runner. He was nominated for a best actor Academy Award for Stand and Deliver and starred in the series Battlestar Galactica and Miami Vice. He is reprising his role as Gaff in the upcoming Blade Runner 2049.

Michael D. Olmos has directing credits on Filly Brown, The Green Ghost, and Bedrooms.

Rodriguez Being Courted to Star in Catherine Hardwicke’s “Miss Bala” Remake

Gina Rodriguez may have found her next crowning project…

Catherine Hardwicke is in talks to direct Miss Bala, the remake of the Mexican film co-written and directed by Gerardo Naranjo, with the 32-year-old Puerto Rican actress and Jane the Virgin star being courted for the leading role.

Gina Rodriguez

Miss Bala, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film, centers on a beauty pageant contestant who witnesses the brutality of a drug gang and is dragged into their dangerous business.

Kevin Misher and Pablo Cruz are producing, Andy Berman is executive producer. Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer is adapting the script by Naranjo and Mauricio Katz.

Rodriguez, who earned a Golden Globe for her performance in Jane the Virgin, rose to acclaim after starring the indie film Filly Brown. Her other film roles include Deepwater Horizon and Enter the Dangerous Mind.

Rodriguez in Negotiations to Star in “Deepwater Horizon”

Gina Rodriguez may soon find herself in deepwater

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican actress, who won a Golden Globe this year for her starring role in the CW’s Jane the Virgin, is in talks to star opposite Mark Walhberg in Deepwater Horizon, the oil rig disaster drama to be directed by Peter Berg for Lionsgate.

Gina Rodriguez

The story unfolds on Deepwater Horizon, the infamous British Petroleum oil rig that caught fire and exploded on April 22, 2010 while drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 crew members and resulting in the largest offshore oil spill in United States history.

Walhberg is starring as an electrician on the rig, and Rodriguez would play the movie’s female lead, the communications officer for the company.

Deepwater will mark Rodriguez’s biggest feature to date, following her Golden Globe win for best performance in a television series in the comedy/musical category for her work on Jane the Virgin.

Rodriguez previously earned rave reviews and an Imagen Award for her performance in the indie feature Filly Brown.

The CW Orders Extra Scripts of Rodriguez’s New Series “Jane the Virgin”

It appears there’ll be more of Gina Rodriguez on The CW

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican actress’ new series Jane the Virgin hasn’t premiered yet, but that hasn’t stopped the network from ordering three additional scripts from the freshman series.

Gina Rodriguez in Jane the Virgin

The announcement comes on the heels of the positive response Jane The Virgin has received. It’s already garnered some of the best reviews for new series this fall, with Rodriguez touted to be one of this season’s breakout stars.

The vote of confidence comes three weeks ahead of the series premiere of Jane The Virgin. Based on the Venezuelan telenovela Juana la Virgen, the series stars Rodriguez as Jane, a hardworking religious girl who, due to a series of outrageous events, is accidentally artificially inseminated.

In addition to the Filly Brown star, Jane the Virgin also starsJaime Camil, Yael Grobglas, Brett Dier, Andrea Navedo, Justin Baldoni, Ivonne Coll and Ryan Devlin.

The series premieres on Monday, October 13 at 9:00pm ET on The CW.

Rodriguez to Star Opposite Ray Liotta in the Indie Film “Sticky Notes”

Gina Rodriguez has found herself in a sticky situation…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican actress has joined the cast of the indie film Sticky Notes, the directorial debut of screenwriter Amanda Harlib.

Gina Rodriguez

The film, currently shooting in New Orleans, centers on a backup dancer (portrayed by Game of Thrones actress Rose Leslie) who returns home to Florida to help care for her estranged father, Jack (Ray Liotta), after he’s diagnosed with cancer.

Harlib most recently adapted the novel Sorta Like a Rockstar by Silver Linings Playbookwriter Matthew Quick for Gotham Group. She’s also the creator of the Web series Haute and Bothered, which ran on Teen.com for two years.

Rodriguez rose to acclaim in the 2012 Sundance hit Filly Brown, which earned her an Imagen Award, as well ason The Bold and the Beautful. She’ll nextstar in the upcoming TV series Jane the Virgin.

Coll to Star in the CW’s Telenovela Adaptation “Jane the Virgin”

Ivonne Coll has landed another abuelita role…

The 66-year-old Puerto Rican actress, who has portrayed the grandmother to Naya Rivera’s character on Glee and Katie Leclerc’s abuelita on Switched at Birth, has landed a series regular role on the CW’s drama pilot Jane the Virgin.

Ivonne Coll

Based on the successful Venezuelan telenovela Juana la virgen, Jane the Virgin centers on Jane (portrayed by Filly Brown sensation Gina Rodriguez), a hardworking religious girl who, due to a series of outrageous events, is accidentally artificially inseminated.

Coll will portray Alba, Jane’s 60ish doting grandmother who teaches her at an early age the importance of staying pure until marriage. It’s later learned that Alba has actually been harboring a lifelong secret.

Early in her career, Coll, a former Miss Puerto Rico, starred in the films The Godfather, Part II and the Lean on Me.

Coll has appeared on television in shows like Teen Wolf, L.A. Law, Malibu Shores and Chicago Hope.

Rodriguez Wins Cine Latino Pride in Hollywood Award at Premios Tu Mundo

Michelle Rodriguez is the pride of Latino Hollywood…

The 34-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress earned the Fandango Cine Latino Pride in Hollywood award this week at the Premios Tu Mundo, held at Miami’s American Airlines Arena.

Michelle Rodriguez

Rodriguez, who won the award for her role in Fast & Furious 6, beat out Filly Brown’s Jenni RiveraEpic’s Pitbull and Star Trek Into Darkness’ Zoe Saldaña.

Meanwhile, La Patrona was named Novela of the Year, while acting awards were given to cast members Aracely Arambula, Christian Bach, Gonzalo Garcia Vivanco and Jorge Luis Pila. The telenovela even won the award for Best Bad Luck Moment.

Other novela winners included one award each for El Rostro de la VenganzaPasion Prohibida and El Señor de los Cielos.

In music, Prince Royce’s “Incondicional” won “Most Popular Song of the Year,” and Invencible by Alerta Zero received the mun2 presents Best Music Video prize.

TV personalities Maria Celeste Arraras and Ana Maria Polo were also honored, for Best Social Fan Club and Best Reality Moment for Caso Cerrado respectively. Gaby Espino just host the event; she also earned the I’m Sexy and I Know It award.

Best Athlete of the Year went to Argentine soccer star Leo Messi.

Special awards were given to Eva Longoria, who took homed the ALMA de Tu Mundo Awards, while Musical Powerhouse honors went to Daddy Yankee, who also performed.

Winners were chosen through fan voting on web, mobile and social media platforms; Telemundo viewers chose winners from 20 competing categories.

Click here for the full list of winners.

The Late Rivera Wins Six Trophies at the Billboard Latin Music Awards

She may be gone… But Jenni Rivera has not been forgotten.

The late Mexican American singer, known as la Diva de la Banda, proved to be one of the big winners at the 2013 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

Jenni Rivera

Rivera, whose influence and sales rose in the wake of her tragic death last December in a plane crash in Mexico, won six awards, including Artist of the Year and Regional Mexican Album of the Year for La Gran Señora, which was coincidentally released the week after her death.

Edward James Olmos, Rivera’s Filly Brown co-star, introduced a tribute segment to the singer, pointing out that just a year before, she had herself performed live on the awards stage.

“We want to remember her a little bit differently — as the woman, the friend, the mother, the daughter,” he said, before a video montage focusing mainly on Rivera’s family life and humanitarian work.

Her parents, Pedro Rivera and Rosa Saavedra, and two eldest  daughters, Janney “Chiquis” Marín and Jacqueline Marín, accepted her posthumous awards.

Meanwhile, Don Omar – who performed his current hit, “Zumba” at the show – had garnered 18 finalist nods — a record tied only by Tito El Bambino in 2010 — and took home 10. They include Songs Artist of the Year, Male and Airplay Song of the year for “Dutty Love,” featuring Natty Natasha.  Don Omar also won Streaming Artist of the Year and Streaming Song of the Year for “Danza Kuduro,” featuring Lucenzo.

Prince Royce, the young urban/bachata singer and soon-to-be La Voz Kids coach who has dominated the charts since his debut in 2011, won four awards, including Albums Artist of the Year, Male.

Romeo Santos, Shakira and La Arrolladora Banda el Limón de René Camacho won three awards each, as did Natty Natasha, who is featured in Don Omar’s “Dutty Love.” Teary-eyed, she dedicated her last win to “all Latinos — those who leave their homelands to pursue their dreams.”

This year’s awards featured a series of premiere performances, including Carlos Vives with Michel Teló (who won Song of the Year for his global hit  “Ai Se Eu Te Pego“).

Mexican rockers Maná, who won Albums Artist of the Year, duo or Group and Latin Pop Albums Artist of the Year, Duo or Group, also received the Billboard Spirit of Hope Award for the philanthropic work of their Selva Negra Foundation, which has worked in environmental causes for nearly 20 years.

The Billboard Latin Music Awards honors the most popular albums, songs, and performers in Latin music, as determined by the actual sales, radio airplay, streaming and social data that informs Billboard’s weekly charts.

The awards were broadcast live on Telemundo from the BankUnited Center in Miami.

Click here to see the full list of winners.

Rivera’s “Filly Brown” Earns $1.36 Million In Its Debut Weekend

Jenni Rivera’s first and, sadly, last big screen acting debut is reporting strong numbers…

The late Mexican American singer’s music drama Filly Brown earned a hefty $1.36 million at the box office in only 188 theaters this weekend.

Jenni-Rivera-Filly-Brown

“The Filly fans really came out this weekend,” said Indomina Production exec Rob Williams. “We’re very happy with the per screen average and looking to expand the film into more markets this weekend. Sales were especially strong in Southwestern states.”

The film grossed $673K Friday but dropped to $405K Saturday. Women were far and away the big draw comprising 71% of the audience, and 41% were under 25.

The film’s $7,250 average is the highest PSA of any Pantelion release to date, the distributor pointed out. And the film landed #1 at 20 locations where it outgrossed the weekend’s number one film in the overall box office, Oblivion.

The screenings were followed by a live Q&A with Edward James Olmos and other members of the cast that were streamed to all locations.

Rivera, who died in a plane crash in Mexico last December, portrays the drug-addicted and incarcerated mother of the film’s main character, portrayed by Gina Rodriguez.