Jack Assadourian Jr.’s Debut Special, “Mexican Armenian” to Premiere on YouTube

Jack Assadourian Jr. is preparing to bring the laughs…

The 41-year-old half-Mexican American stand-up comedian, actor and podcast host has announced that his debut special, Mexican Armenian, will premiere on YouTube at 12 p.m. PT on Thursday, September 17.

Jack Assadourian Jr.In the special, Assadourian explores the unexpected similarities between his Mexican and Armenian cultures.

Through stories about his multicultural upbringing, family and raising Mexican-Armenian children of his own, he affectionately — and relentlessly — roasts both sides of his heritage.

Directed by comedian Jeremiah Watkins, who produced alongside Miles Williams, the special was filmed at The Alex Theater in Assadourian’s hometown of Glendale, CA.

An up-and-coming stand-up with over 400K followers across social platforms, Assadourian Jhas appeared at Netflix Is a Joke Fest and on platforms including Netflix, Prime Video and Hulu.

He has also been featured on podcasts including About Last Night with Adam Ray and The Church of What’s Happening Now with Joey Diaz.

Mileiah Vega Starring in the Music-Driven Indie Drama “The Let Go”

Mileiah Vega is letting go

The 11-year-old Latina up-and-coming actress has wrapped a lead role alongside Samira Wiley in The Let Go, a Colorado-shot, music-driven indie drama from writer-director Kristen Wolf.

Mileiah Vega

The Let Go follows Chick (Wiley), a resilient single mother determined to help her musically gifted 11-year-old daughter, Lyric (Vega), pursue her big dream. When an unexpected obstacle threatens everything they’ve worked toward, Chick must confront the secret of her own long-buried gift.

Others in the cast include Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill), Daytime Emmy nominee Midori Francis (Grey’s Anatomy), Brandon Flynn (13 Reasons Why), Galen J. Williams (One of Them Days), Nicco Annan (P-Valley), and multiple Emmy and Tony Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh (Nobody Wants This).

Rachel Gould and Adriana Rotaru produced under the recently launched Soto Productions.

Vega previously starred in 20th’s remake of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle for Hulu, as well as American Horror Stories.

Liza Colón-Zayas to Star in Upcoming Hulu Drama Series “Conviction”

Liza Colón-Zayas is readying for her next role with some extra conviction

The 54-year-old Puerto Rican-American actress and playwright, who is coming off her Emmy-winning role on FX’The Bear, has joined the cast of David Shore’s upcoming Hulu drama series Conviction.

Liza Colón-Zayas,Colon-Zayas joins the previously announced Elisabeth Moss, who leads the series and executive produces, as well as Jimmi Simpson, William Jackson Harper, Kevin McKidd, Sebastian De Souza, Adam Godley, Linda Emond and Ella Anderson.

Based on the 2023 book of the same name by Jack JordanConviction follows criminal defense attorney Neve Harper (Moss), a confident lawyer who finally has her shot at a career-making case: a high-profile murder where the husband is accused of killing his wife by setting their home on fire. But when a mysterious stranger begins blackmailing Neve, she is forced to compromise every legal, moral and ethical obligation to gain an acquittal — or else risk her dark secrets being exposed.

Details regarding who Colón-Zayas, a recurring guest star, will play are still under wraps.

Colón-Zayas most recently starred as Tina Marrero across all five seasons of the acclaimed series The Bear. For her portrayal, she received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She won her first statuette in 2024 (for Season 2), making history as the first Latina to be awarded an Emmy in the category.

Her other television credits also include HBO’s In Treatment and NBC’s Law & Order: SVU.

Colón-Zayas will next be seen in the blockbuster Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31), playing Detective Jean DeWolff.

She recently wrapped production on the indie drama Fleur alongside Halle Berry, directed by Ellie Foumbi.

Her additional credits include John Krasinski’s live-action animated fantasy comedy IF, as well as starring in and producing Allswell in New York, a dramedy that won the award for Best Screenplay in a U.S. Narrative Feature at the 2022 Tribeca Festival.

Juanpa Zurita’s Docu-Reality Series “The Worst Trip Around the World” Renewed by Hulu & Disney+ for Second Season

Juanpa Zurita is preparing for his next worst trip

Hulu and Disney+ (internationally) have renewed their comedy docu-reality series The Worst Trip Around the World for a second season, with the 29-year-old Mexican internet personality, actor and model returning to host.

Juanpa Zurita

The 8-episode series follows Zurita as he attempts to circumnavigate the globe in a single-engine plane (with no bathroom) alongside record-breaking pilot Matt Guthmiller, inviting his influencer friends to join him in crazy and extreme adventures in each country he lands in.

His guests included Chinguamiga, Facundo, Lele Pons, Esen Alva, Daniela Rodrice, Jair Sánchez, Harold Azuara and Daniel Sosa.

Across the show’s first season, Zurita traveled to Las Vegas, Cuba, Costa Rica, Iceland, Morocco, Romania, Vietnam, and Japan.

Some of his adventures included exploring underground caves, handling crocodiles, being a part of a Viking battle re-enactment, and practicing Sumo wrestling.00:024:53

“Disney+ renewing a creator-produced show for season 2 confirms that we aren’t limited to just vertical videos. Our ideas can adapt to any shape, and it is Disney who’s betting on us now. Thanks for supporting every dream, even if it’s the worst ones,” Zurita said.

Destinations for Season 2: Alaska, Ireland, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Colombia, Riviera Maya, and Korea. Disney+ teases that a Season 1 guest returns to bring the adventure to a full-circle moment.

All episodes from the first season are available to stream on Disney+.

The Worst Trip Around the World is produced by Non Stop and Zurita’s ARCO Entertainment Media, with Zurita serving as executive producer.

Zurita is a content creator, host and producer whose career began on Vine, where he first gained international recognition before migrating to YouTube and later expanding his presence across all major social platforms, where he reaches more than 89 million followers worldwide.

His early success in short-form comedy and digital storytelling laid the foundation for an evolution into a multi-hyphenate career spanning long-form, premium content developed for streaming services.

He is the co-founder of ARCO Entertainment, a production company focused on unscripted, documentary, and narrative storytelling, with projects developed in collaboration with platforms including Disney+, Roku, Spotify and Prime Video.

Zurita is based in Mexico.

Fred Armisen to Star on Hulu’s “Deli Boys” for Season Two

Fred Armisen has landed a deli-ghtful role…

The 58-year-old half-Venezuelan American actor, comedian and former Saturday Night Live star, has joined the cast of Hulu’s Deli Boys for the show’s second season.

Fred ArmisenArmisen will join the series regular cast alongside Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh and Poorna Jagannathan.

Deli Boys follows Mir and Raj Dar (Ali and Shaikh), a pair of pampered Pakistani American brothers who lose everything and are forced to reckon with their Baba’s (Iqbal Theba) secret life of crime as they attempt to take up his mantle in the underworld.

Jagannathan stars as Naveeda “Lucky,” Baba’s confidant and a crime boss auntie.

Armisen will play a legendary gambling savant with an uncanny ability to read people like cards in the half-hour series. His casino empire is global, but his crown jewel is in Philly. He is uniquely brilliant and deeply unhinged — a deadly combo if you cross him.

Deli Boys was created by Abdullah Saeed and developed by Jenni Konner and Nora Silver under Jenni Konner Productions.

Michelle Nader will return as showrunner and executive producer of Season 2. She will EP alongside Saeed, Konner, and Silver. Nisha Ganatra served as executive producer and director of the pilot.

20th Television produces the comedy series.

Armisen most recently reprised the role of Uncle Fester in Season 2 of Netflix’s Wednesday, starring opposite Jenna Ortega. In May, he concluded his time voicing Elliot Birch in the eighth and final season of Netflix’s Big Mouth.

Armisen is perhaps best known for his 11 seasons on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, as co-creator and co-star of IFC’s Portlandia, and co-writer, co-star, and EP of HBO’s Spanish-Language series Los Espookys.

On the film side, he recently voiced a character in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and starred in Judd Apatow’s The Bubble.

He’s currently touring “Comedy For Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome” and just wrapped his Broadway debut in All In: Comedy About Love.

Adrienne Bailon-Houghton to Compete on Season 5 of “Celebrity Name That Tune”

Adrienne Bailon-Houghton is ready to test her music skills.

Fox has unveiled the complete list of stars taking part in Celebrity Name That Tune Season 5, with the 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian American actress, singer and television personality among the competitors.

Adrienne HoughtonThe competition show premieres on Monday, September 15, at 8 p.m. ET and is available to stream the next day on Hulu.

The hour-long game show tests contestants’ music knowledge as they battle it out in an assortment of challenging musical games for a chance to win over $100,000.

Jane Krakowski hosts the game show with former American Idol judge Randy Jackson serving as band leader. Each episode of Celebrity Name That Tune is comprised of two stand-alone half-hour contests, each pitting two players—either celebrity or civilian pairings—against each other as they test their knowledge of songs, performed by the live band.

Each contest features a rotating variety of games from the original format, before the iconic Bid-a-Note round. The player with the most money at the end of Bid-a-Note wins the game and takes his or her bank into the Golden Medley bonus round, for a chance to win additional cash and potentially the life-changing $100,000 grand prize. The celebrity contestants compete for their chosen charities in each episode.

In addition to Bailon-Hougho, who will be playing for Birthfund, the other stars of Season 5 include Modern Family alums Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Pronoun” Nick Leung) and Ariel Winter (SOSA).

Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna (St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital) and Comedian Matteo Lane (Doctors Without Borders) will be featured in the same episode.

Other celebrities that will take part in Season 5 include Actress Aisha Tyler (Planned Parenthood), Actress Mira Sorvino (UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons), Lil Jon (Pencils for Promise), Chord Overstreet (A Sense of Home), Omar Epps (The Creative Coalition), Kal Penn (World Central Kitchen), Chris Harrison (Experience Camps), Emily Osment (Project Angel Food), Nia Vardalos (Hope 4 Kids), Jillian Michaels (ASPCA), Ron Funches (Next For Autism).

Former Real Housewives of New York City alum Sonja Morgan (The Trevor Project) and Project Runway mentor Christian Siriano (GLAAD) will also be part of the new season.

Other stars in the game show include Debi Mazar (World Central Kitchen), Reggie Watts (Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund), Rob Riggle (Riggle Foundation), Finesse Mitchell (Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation), Torrey Devitto (SafeBae) and Craig Robinson (Saint Leonard’s Ministries).

Celebrity Name That Tune is produced by Fox Entertainment Studios, Prestige Entertainment and BiggerStage.

Hulu Releases First Trailer for Season 5 of Selena Gomez’s “Only Murders In The Building”

Selena Gomez is feeling mobbed

Hulu‘Only Murders In The Building, starring the 33-year-old Mexican American actress and singer, will premiere its fifth season on September 9, and the comedy’s first official trailer is setting up fans for hilarious chaos.

Selena GomezIn the Season 4 finale, a new dead victim was revealed: doorman Lester Coluca (Teddy Coluca), a character that had been part of the story since day one. Poor Lester was found deceased in a water fountain just outside the Arconia by the unluckiest trio, Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) and Mabel Mora (Gomez), Arconia residents who have a knack for getting caught up in murder mysteries.

In the trailer and back in the present day, a police report says Lester’s death was accidental.

However, Charles, Oliver and Mabel know better, so they question everything. They’ve helped investigate four murders thus far, of course, all of which were covered extensively on their hit podcast “Only Murders in the Building.”

One thing everyone can agree on is that Lester died under suspicious circumstances, and it was definitely not an accident. As their investigation begins, their leads take them into the shadowy corners of New York and beyond. The trio uncovers a dangerous web of secrets that connects powerful billionaires, old-school mobsters, and the mysterious residents of the Arconia, like Howard Morris (Michael Cyril Creighton).

The mobster storyline seems important, as it’s revealed that Lester had a run-in with them the night of his death. Detective Donna Williams (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) steps in and points the trio in the right direction when she discovers a finger someone has left behind. Will the appendage help them nail a killer?

Various previously announced guest stars make their big debut in the trailer including Bobby Cannavale, Renée Zellweger, Christoph Waltz, Beanie Feldstein, Dianne Wiest, Logan Lerman, Jermaine Fowler and Keegan-Michael Key among others.

It also features the return of Téa Leoni, who first appeared in the final moments of the Season 4 finale. She plays Sofia Caccimelio, wife of Nicky “The Neck” Caccimelio, a missing person with ties to the Caputo crime family.

The trailer implies Charles and Sofia may have had an affair, which makes sense because who can resist Brazzos?

Additional actors returning from prior seasons include Nathan Lane as Teddy Dimas, last seen in Season 2; Richard Kind, who played Vince Fish in Season 4; and Meryl Streep as Oliver’s wife Loretta Durkin, from Seasons 3 and 4. It is as yet unknown if clever series co-creator John Hoffman has found a way to bring back Paul Rudd this season, following appearances in seasons 2 to 4.

Three episodes will be released on premiere night, with new episodes to follow weekly on Tuesdays via Hulu.

Chris Estrada to Star in NBC Warehouse-Themed Comedy “Forklift”

Chris Estrada has reached a fork(lift) in the road.

The Mexican American comedian, writer and producer will headline, co-write and executive produce Forklift, a single-camera warehouse comedy in development at NBC.

Chris Estrada

Former top Comedy Central executives Kent Alterman and Sarah Babineau will executive produce for Good Walk, the company they launched after leaving the cable network in the wake of the Viacom-CBS merger.

In Forklift, co-written by Estrada and Rick Cisario, Victor (Estrada), a forklift driver promoted to warehouse supervisor, finds that upward mobility comes with a cost when his friends and co-workers go from viewing him as their brother to now being part of “Big Brother.”

The series is inspired by real-life experiences by Estrada, who was still working at his warehouse job when he got the call that Hulu had taken his comedy series This Fool in for development.

Estrada and Cisario executive produce with Good Walk’s Alterman and Babineau as well as Jordan Tilzer. Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, is the studio.

The sale of Forklift comes amidst a major comeback for comedy series built around standup comedians.

Touring comedian Estrada, who has appeared on Comedy Central standup specials during Alterman and Babineau’s tenure there, previously co-created, executive produced and starred in the 2022 Hulu comedy series This Fool, which ran for two seasons.

He recently guest starred on the NBC/Universal TV sitcom Lopez vs. Lopez; co-wrote and starred in 5th of July; and will be seen in the upcoming Neon feature Wrong Girls opposite Kristen Stewart, Seth Rogen and Lakeith Stanfield.

Cisario is the writer of the upcoming feature Old Pals with Brian Cox, Henry Winkler, Emma Roberts and Evan Rachel Wood. His screenplay Supported is on the 2024 Blacklist’s Disability list.

Eva Longoria to Direct Film Adaptation of Xochitl Gonzalez’s Novel “Anita de Monte Laughs Last”

Eva Longoria is laughin’ last

The 50-year-old Mexican American actress, director and producer will re-team with Searchlight Pictures to helm author Xochitl Gonzalez’s film adaptation of her novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last.

Eva LongoriaLongoria also will produce the film through Hyphenate Media Group, her production company with Cris Abrego, along with Jada Miranda.

The New York Times bestseller tells the story of a first-generation Ivy League student who uncovers the genius work of a female artist decades after her suspicious death. Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive examination of power, love, and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite.

The book was on Reese’s Book Club Pick and listed as Best Book of 2024 by Kirkus, Time, NPR, Goodreads, Electric Lit and more.

Longoria and Searchlight last teamed on the 2023 feature Flamin’ Hot, which served as the multi-

hyphenate’s feature directorial debut. Based on the novel A Boy, a Burrito and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive by Richard Montañez, the feature stars Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez and Tony Shalhoub. The dramedy received written by Yvette Chávez and Lewis Colick earned multiple awards and nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

SVP Production’s Taylor Friedman and creative executive Daniel Yu will be overseeing Anita de Monte Laughs Last for Searchlight Pictures, reporting to co-heads of production and development DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas.

Gonzalez published her debut novel Olga Dies Dreaming in 2022, which became a New York Times bestseller and was ordered to pilot by Hulu, which Gonzalez adapted.

She is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her work there

Longoria’s recent work also includes Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain, an eight-part CNN Original series chronicling her immersive gastronomic journey across Spain, following the success of her previous Searching for Mexico.

It was also recently announced that Longoria will expand the “Searching For” franchise with Searching for France, which is in production.

Through her Hyphenate Media Group, Longoria champions creator-led stories for global audiences.

She has a history of directing over the last decade, with past credits including the boxing documentary La Guerra Civil for DAZN.

Up next, she will also direct the Paula Pell-penned Netflix comedy The Fifth Wheel with Gloria Sanchez producing.

Liza Colón-Zayas to Star in Onyx Collective’s Untitled Real Estate Drama for Hulu

Liza Colón-Zayas is ready to bring the drama…

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican Emmy-winning actress has landed a recurring role in the as-yet-untitled real estate drama pilot ordered by the Onyx Collective for Hulu.

Liza Colón-Zayas,Colon-Zayas, the first Latina to win the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Tina Marrero in the comedy-drama series The Bear, is among a roster of new cast additions that includes William Fichtner, Alfredo Castro and Jared Paul Abrahamson.

Production begins in Toronto on July 14.

They join the previously announced leads Edgar Ramirez and Jacob Scipio, as well as series regulars Leslie Grace, Mariana di Girolamo, Liz Caribel Sierra and Armando Rivera.

From Roberto Patino and Cassius Corrigan, the drama follows a cutthroat battle to dominate the Manhattan skyline, where two rival real estate developers (Ramirez and Scipio) risk everything — wealth, family and their souls — as their ambition turns into obsession, and their partnership turns into war.

Colón-Zayas will play Rosie, as the beloved and socially minded head of a community board in her Lower East Side city district. Rosie finds herself at the center of an explosive real estate development project that inspires as much rage as it does admiration and threatens to destroy the heavily Puerto Rican community she calls home.

Castro will play Jacobo Saladín, the imposing patriarch of the Saladín corporation. Jacobo is a legendary, self-made billionaire and real estate mogul who has built vast communities that house millions of people throughout Latin America, and who suddenly finds his empire at risk of collapse.

Patino, who serves as showrunner, Corrigan, Ramírez and pilot director Alonso Ruizpalacios executive produce alongside Oly Obst and Luke Maxwell of 3 Arts, Ramirez, Liz Tigelaar and Stacey Silverman of Best Day Ever, as well as real estate developer Donahue Peebles III, who will serve as technical consultant.