Arjona Lands Lead Role in NBC’s “Wizard of Oz” Drama “Emerald City”

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no place like home for Adria Arjona…

The 23-year-old Puerto Rican/Guatemalan has landed her first series lead.

She’s been cast as Dorothy in Emerald City, NBC’s 10-episode straight-to-series Wizard of Oz drama.

The casting follows Arjona’s previous television credits. She recently scored her first series regular role in TNT’s untitled Miami drama and her first recurring stints on CBS’ Person of Interest and the upcoming season of HBO’s True Detective.

Emerald City, originally developed during the 2013-14 season, was recently resurrected with a new writer/executive producer, David Schulner. He is now joined by Shaun Cassidy, who also will serve as executive producer.

In Emerald City, in the blink of a tornado’s eye, 20-year-old Dorothy Gale (Arjona) and her K9 police dog are transported to another world, one far removed from our own — a mystical land of competing kingdoms, lethal warriors, dark magic and a bloody battle for supremacy. This is the fabled Land of Oz in a way you’ve never seen before, where wicked witches don’t stay dead for long and a young girl becomes a headstrong warrior who holds the fate of kingdoms in her hands.

Described as a modern and dark reimagining of the classic tale of Oz in the vein of Game Of Thrones, drawing upon stories from Baum’s original 14 books, Emerald City hails from Universal Television.

Sanz Releases Romantic Video for New Pop Ballad “Un Zombie a la Intemperie”

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s all about romance and zombies for Alejandro Sanz…

The 46-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter, who announced his world tour last month, has released his brand new single “Un Zombie a la Intemperie.”

Sanz, who doesn’t disappoint with the beautiful pop ballad, gave his fans a little extra special bonus… a romantic video shot in a medieval monastery in Galicia, Spain.

“Un Zombie a la Intemperie” is the clumsy title of an upbeat, easily singable love song typical of Sanz’s laid back style, backed by lightly arranged piano, drums, violin and cello.

“Sin ti solo soy un zombie,” (“Without you I’m just a zombie”), Sanz sings at the chorus, taking on a deep, zombie-ish voice. But the silliness actually adds to the song’s appeal and shows that at 46, Sanz has not lost his boyish charm.

The video is a more dramatic romantic affair, in which Sanz appears with Spanish actresses Inma Cuesta and Marta Etura. There’s an air of romantic fantasy and period alchemy, with misty landscapes and scenes of Sanz appearing to levitate books and papers. The aesthetic suggests that Sanz and the clip’s director, Rubén Martin, are fans of Game of Thrones.

Louis C.K. Earns SAG Award Nomination for His Work on FX’s “Louie”

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Louis C.K. is a multi-talented man…

The 47-year-old Mexican American actor/stand-up comedian, who recently earned two Writers Guild Award nominations for penning his critically acclaimed FX comedy series Louie, has earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

Louis C.K., a multi-Emmy winner, received the SAG Award nomination in the Best Actor, Comedy Series for his performance on Louie, a series he created and loosely based on his own life. He’s up against Modern Family’s Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet, as well as Shameless’ William H. Macy and The Big Band Theory’s Jim Parsons.

Sofia Vergara and her television son Rico Rodriguez, who picked up their record-breaking fourth consecutive SAG Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a comedy series for starring on ABC’s Modern Family, have a chance to extend their streak.

The Colombian actress, Rodriguez and the rest of the Modern Family team are once again nominated for Best Ensemble Cast, Comedy Series.

They’ll face off against the cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which stars Latina actresses Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero. It’s the first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for the two.

Other nominees in the category include The Big Band Theory, Veep and Orange Is the New Black, which stars several Latina actresses, including Dascha Polanco and Selenis Leyva.

Another first-time nominee is Pedro Pascal. The 39-year-old Chilean actor received a SAG Award nod in the Best Ensemble Cast, Drama Series category. Pedro, who portrayed Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, is nominated in the Best Ensemble Cast, Drama Series category alongside his GOT co-stars.

More than 100,000 actors vote on the SAG Awards, which will be handed out on January 25 in Los Angeles. They’re one of the most closely watched honors during awards season because actors make up the largest voting bloc for February’s Academy Awards.

Here’s a look at this year’s Screen Actors Guild awards nominations:

FILM

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Birdman (Fox Searchlight Pictures )
Boyhood (IFC Films )
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
The Imitation Game (Weinstein Co)
The Theory of Everything (Focus Features )

BEST ACTOR
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher (Sony Pictures Classics )
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler (Open Road Films )
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS
Jennifer Aniston, Cake (Cinelou Films)
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice (Sony Pictures Classics)
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl (20th Century Fox )
Reese Witherspoon, Wild (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall, The Judge (Warner Bros Pictures )
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
JK Simmons, Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures )
Naomi Watts, St Vincent (Weinstein Co)

TELEVISION

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST, DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire (HBO )
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime )
House of Cards (Netflix)

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST, COMEDY SERIES
The Big Bang Theory (CBS )
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox )
Modern Family (ABC )
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Veep (HBO)

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Woody Harrelson, True Detective (HBO)
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective (HBO)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Louis CK, Louie (FX )
William H. Macy, Shameles (Showtime)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family (ABC)

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC )

BEST ACTOR, TV MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Adrien Brody, Houdini (History)
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart (HBO)
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo (FX)

BEST ACTRESS, TV MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Ellen Burstyn, Flowers in the Attic (Lifetime)
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman (Sundance TV )
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
Julia Roberts, The Normal Heart (HBO)

Rodriguez’s “Jane the Virgin” Named to the American Film Institute’s List of Best TV Shows of 2014

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

The kudos keep coming in for Gina Rodriguez’s latest project…

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican actress’ critically acclaimed CW series Jane the Virgin has been named to the American Film Institute’s list of the best television shows of the year, which it calls “culturally and artistically representative of the year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image.”

Rodriguez’s Jane the Virgin is among five freshman series named to the AFI’s 10 choices, along with ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder, Cinemax’s The Knick, HBO’s Silicon Valley and Amazon’s Transparent.

Also making the list are FX’s The Americans and Fargo, HBO’s Game Of Thrones, Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black and AMC’s Mad Men.

“We celebrate these… television programs as more than just milestones in a year of excellence.” AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said. “They are a part of our American cultural heritage – collectively, a new chapter in the story of the art form and of our nation.”

In October, Jane the Virgin received a full-season order after garnering overwhelming support from critics and viewers alike. Additionally, it turned Rodriguez into one of these season’s breakout stars.

Jane The Virgin, based on a Venezuelan telenovela, is produced by CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television, in association with Electus.

Dawson Reportedly in the Running to Join HBO’s “True Detective”

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It seems Rosario Dawson may be headed to pay cable television…

The 35-year-old Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban American actress is reportedly among the actresses in the running to join HBO’s True Detective season 2.

According to The Wrap Dawson is among the list of at least seven more actresses being considered for the role after Elisabeth Moss and Rachel McAdams were previously eying the part.

In addition to Dawson, who appears in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, the site says Jessica Biel (“Total Recall“), Malin Akerman (“Watchmen“), Jaimie Alexander (“Thor“), Kelly Reilly (“Eden Lake“), Brit Marling (“The Keeping Room“) and Oona Chaplin (“Game of Thrones“).

Insiders say Moss and McAdams should not be ruled out of contention yet. At some point, Jessica Chastain was linked to the part too, but reps for the Zero Dark Thirty (2012) actress quickly denied it.

In addition to a female lead, the upcoming new season of the Nic Pizzolatto-created anthology series will feature three male leads. Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch and Vince Vaughn are said vying for the roles.

Pascal Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Pascal’s stock is on the rise in Hollywood…

The 39-year-old Chilean actor, who recently portrayed Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones, has signed with talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME).

Pascal will next star on Netflix’s upcoming drama series Narcosas a DEA agent on the hunt for notorious Colombian cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar.

He also recently recurred on USA’s Graceland and CBS’ The Mentalist.

Pascal will continue to be repped by Jason Weinberg at Untitled Entertainment and Kim Jaime at Jackoway Tyerman.

Armisen to Star in the HBO Original Comedy Film “7 Days in Hell”

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Fred Armisen has landed a Hell of a role…

The 47-year-old half-Venezuelan actor and former Saturday Night Live star has landed a role in HBO’s original comedy movie 7 Days in Hell, starring Armisen’s former SNL cast mate Andy Samberg and Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington.

Based on an original concept by Murray Miller, who wrote the screenplay, and Samberg, the sports mockumentary centers on two fierce tennis rivals in an epic, seven-day match at 2004 Wimbledon.

The location is hardly random — the longest tennis match on record was held on Court 18 at Wimbledon during the 2010 championships when John Isner and Nicolas Mahut battled it out for 11 hours over three days, with the American ultimately clinching a victory, 70-68 in the fifth set.

In addition to Samberg, Harington and Armisen, the all-star cast includes Lena Dunham, Will Forte, Karen Gillan, Howie Mandel, Michael Sheen, Mary Steenburgen and June Squibb. Additionally, broadcast journalist

Soledad O’Brien will appear in the HBO movie as herself.

Based on breakdowns reported by Deadline.com, Samberg’s character, named Aaron Williams, is tennis’ superstar bad boy, while Harington’s character, named Charles Poole, is channeling Andy Murray, a tennis prodigy and certified truck driver.

Adding to their rivalry is Gillan’s supermodel Lily, Charles’ childhood friend who made a sex tape with Aaron. Steenburgen plays Charles’ psychotic and controlling mother, while Forte plays a tennis historian.

Jake Szymanski is set to direct the film.

Pascal to Star in Netflix’s Pablo Escobar-Themed Drama Series “Narcos”

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Pascal is ready to take down a notorious drug lord…

The 39-year-old Chilean actor will star opposite Wagner Moura on Netflix‘s drama series Narcos.

Directed by Jose Padilha and written by Chris Brancato, Narcos is the true-life story of the growth and spread of cocaine drug cartels across the globe and the efforts of law enforcement to meet them head on in brutal, bloody conflict.

It centers on notorious Colombian cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar (Moura) and Javier Pena (Pascal), a Mexican DEA agent sent to Colombia on a U.S. mission to capture and ultimately kill him.

Executive produced by Padilha, Narcos will premiere on Netflix in 2015.

Pascal most recently wrapped a major recurring role on HBO’s blockbuster fantasy series Game Of Thrones. He also recently recurred on USA’s Graceland and CBS’ The Mentalist.

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

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

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.

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.

Baccarin to Star in Lifetime’s Bible-Themed Miniseries “The Red Tent”

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Morena Baccarin is joining the four wives club…

The 34-year-old Brazilian actress and Homeland star, who recently signed on to star in Melissa McCarthy’s Spy, has joined the cast of Lifetime’s Bible-themed miniseries The Red Tent.

The four-hour miniseries, which will be broadcast over the course of two nights, is an adaptation of Anita Diamant’s best-selling novel, published in 1997.

The White Queen star Rebecca Ferguson, About a Boy’s Minnie Driver will star opposite Baccarin in the TV miniseries.

Co-starring in the project, which begins production this month in Morocco, are Game of Thrones’ Iain Glen and Will Tudor, as well as Debra Winger.

The Red Tent tells the story of Dinah (portrayed by Ferguson), the daughter of Leah and Jacob, who is only briefly referenced in the Old Testament. The miniseries begins with Dinah’s happy childhood spent inside the red tent where only the women of her tribe are allowed to gather and share the traditions and turmoil of ancient womanhood.

Told through Dinah’s eyes, the mini recounts the story of her mothers Leah (Driver), Rachel (Baccarin), Zilpah and Bilhah, the four wives of Jacob (Glen), and his courtship of them. Dinah goes on to marry a prince and fall out with her murderous brother Joseph (Tudor). Winger portrays Rebecca, Jacob’s mother.

“The Red Tent brings premium and popular elements to a unique and timeless story,” said Lifetime EVP Rob Sharenow. “It perfectly articulates our vision for Lifetime as the destination for epic movie events.”

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