3BallMTY: This Year’s Billboard Mexican Music Awards MVP

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

The members of 3BallMTY proved to be the beaus of the ball at this year’s Billboard Mexican Music Awards.

The Mexican tribal music troupe – comprised of Erick Rincon, Sergio Zavala (Dj Sheeqo Beat) and Alberto Presenda (Dj Otto) – earned the most awards of any artist/act during Thursday night’s nationally televised awards show, which honors regional Mexican music.

This year’s 12-time nominee 3BallMTY picked up nine awards, including New Artist of the Year, Artist of the Year, Duo or Group; Song Artist of the Year and Digital Download Artist of the Year.

The awards show was broadcast live on Telemundo from Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium and featured genre-breaking performances from 3BallMTY together with reggaetón duo J King & Maximán, as well as more traditional fare from Conjunto Primavera and Los Huracanes del Norte.

3BallMTY’s wins helped to shine a spotlight on the dynamic nature of regional Mexican music, the top-selling Latin sub-genre in the United States. The trio of DJs, who only released their debut album last year – and who had their network performance premiere on the first Billboard Mexican Music Awards – also won Songs Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for the single “Inténtalo,” featuring El Bebeto and América Sierra.

“In Mexico there have always been new waves,” said 3Ball MTY’s Zavala on the red carpet outside of Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium. “We brought something fresh with the electronic sound [and] tribal is really growing.”

Meanwhile, last year’s big winner, norteño star Gerardo Ortiz, picked up seven awards, including Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year, Male. Ortiz’s album Entre Dios y el Diablo also won the Album of the Year Award.

A special award for the evening was given to ranchera singer/songwriter Pepe Aguilar, who received Billboard‘s Legacy Award in recognition of his lengthy and rich musical trajectory that has influenced the genre and its artists.

Legendary ranchera singer Vicente Fernández, currently on a farewell tour, swept the ranchero/mariachi category, winning Ranchero/Mariachi Album of the Year for Otra Vez, Song of the Year with “El Vestido Blanco” and overall Ranchero/Mariachi Artist of the Year.

Jenni Rivera won Artist of the Year, Female and Banda Album of the Year for her album Joyas Prestadas.

Billboard Mexican Music Awards finalists and winners are determined by chart performance as chronicled in Billboard Magazine and on Billboard.com during the eligibility period of August 27, 2011 through August 18, 2012. Award categories are based on album and digital track sales data provided by Nielsen SoundScan and radio airplay monitored by Nielsen BDS.

For a full list of winners, click here.

3Ball MTY Receives 12 Billboard Mexican Music Award Nominations

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

The three members of 3Ball MTY are probably blowing Besos al Aire to their fans after earning the most Billboard Mexican Music Award nominations.

The Mexican DJ collective, which is comprised of Erick Rincon, Sergio Zavala (Dj Sheeqo Beat) and Alberto Presenda (Dj Otto), earned nods in 12 categories. 3Ball MTY’s mix of cumbia and electronica is currently at the forefront of the new tribal music movement.

3BallMTY, who had its national television debut at last year’s Mexican Music Awards, broke ground with their infectious single “Inténtalo,” a finalist in the Song of the Year, Song of the Year-Vocal Event and Duranguense/Grupero/Cumbia Song of the Year categories.

Following right behind 3Ball MTY: hard-hitting corrido singer/songwriter Gerardo Ortiz, a finalist in 11 categories, and eclectic singer/songwriter Espinoza Paz, with 11 nods in 10 categories (he competes against himself in the Banda Album of the Year category).

Other leading finalists include perennial hitmakers La Arrolladora Banda el Limón de René Camacho, competing for nine awards, including Artist of the Year and Songs Artist of the Year. La Arrolladora’s hit “Llamada de mi Ex” is also a finalist for Song of the Year and Banda Song of the Year. La Arrolladora’s director, Fernando Camacho Tirado is also a finalist in the Producer of the year category, an award he won in 2011.

Meanwhile, Julión Alvarez y Su Norteño Banda received six nods-including Artist of the year-Duo or Troup and Airplay Artist of the Year– and América Sierra, the featured vocalist in 3BallMTY’s hit “Inténtalo” with five. Alvarez is also a finalist for Producer of the Year.

Finalists up for four awards include Jenni Rivera, Shaila Durcal, Vicente Fernandez and Joan Sebastian. Those up for three awards include Banda el Recodo de Cruz Lizarraga, El Bebeto and Tierra Cali.

The second annual Billboard Mexican Music Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium on Telemundo Oct. 18.

The Billboard Mexican Music Awards are the only nationally televised awards that exclusively honor regional Mexican music. Finalists and winners of the 33 awards are determined by chart performance as chronicled in Billboard Magazine and on Billboard.com. Award categories are based on album and digital track sales data provided by Nielsen SoundScan and radio airplay monitored by Nielsen BDS.

Rodriguez Picks Up Imagen Award for Her Filly Brown Role

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She gained critical acclaim for her role in Filly Brown… And, now Gina Rodriguez is reaping the rewards for her impressive work in the indie film.

The 27-year-old 28-year Puerto Rican actress picked up the best actress in a feature film prize for her starring role as an aspiring hip-hop artist in Filly Brown at this weekend’s 27th annual Imagen Awards, which honor the best and most talented portrayals of Latinos in film.

Rodriguez’s performance won rave reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and led to a talent holding deal with ABC/ABC Studios.

Filly Brown, which co-stars Edward James Olmos, Jenni Rivera and Lou Diamond Phillips, follows Rodriguez’s character’s rise to fame and consciousness as she copes with the incarceration of her mother through her poetry and music.

Phillips picked up the Imagen Award for best actor in a feature film for his role in the film.

Meanwhile, singer-turned-reality-star Rivera, who made her acting debut in Filly Brown, received the 2012 Imagen President’s Award.

In addition to picking up an award, Rodriguez served as the Imagen Foundation-sponsored awards show host. ,

Here’s a look at all of the Imagen Award winners:

Best Primetime Program: Switched at Birth (Prodco, Inc. in association with ABC Family)
Best Variety and Reality: 24/7 Mayweather/Ortiz (HBO Sports)
Best Children’s Programming: El Perro y El Gato (HBO Latino)
Best Young Actress on Television: Bella Thorne, Shake it Up! (Disney Channel)
Best Supporting Actress on TV: Eva La Rue, CSI:Miami (CBS)
Best Supporting Actor on TV: Carlos Gomez, The Glades (A&E)
Best Actor on Television: James Roday, Psych (USA Network)
Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film: Cierra Ramirez, Girl in Progress (Pantelion Films)
Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film: Diego Luna, Casa De Mi Padre (NALA Films/Gary Sanchez Productions/Pantelion Films)
Best Actress in a Feature Film: Gina Rodriguez, Filly Brown (Cima Production/Olmos Production/Silent Giant Entertainment)Best Actor in a Feature Film: Lou Diamond Phillips, Filly Brown (Cima Production/Olmos Production/Silent Giant Entertainment)
Best Primetime Special or Movie: The Pregnancy Project (Barbara Lieberman Productions)
Best Primetime Program: Drama or Comedy Series: Switched at Birth (Prodco Inc. in association with ABC: Family)
Best Theatrical Short or Student Film: INGLES (Ruben Avitia)

Rivera’s “I Love Jenni”: the Top Hispanic Reality Show on Cable

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Talk about a diva on top… It seems there’s plenty of love for Jenni Rivera.

The second season of the 43-year-old Mexican-American singer/songwriter’s series I Love Jenni reigned as the No. 1 reality show on Hispanic cable during its 19-episode run, which ended Sunday.

Rivera, who has released 16 banda and norteña albums, launched her reality show last year on Mun2 and has since became the cable channel’s “most effective weapon in reaching an influential population of bilingual Hispanics,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

Commonly known as “la diva de la banda,” Rivera’s musical success has remained steady throughout her career. She’s been nominated for two Latin Grammys, won the Premios Lo Nuestro female artist of the year several times and scored a No. 1 album on the U.S. Billboard Top Latin Album charts in 2008.

And now she’s moving beyond her musical career, capitalizing on her appealing personality and glamorous lifestyle to gain more acclaim. Rivera, who has five children and a grandchild and is married to Mexican-born former pro-baseball pitcher Esteban Loaiza, recently signed on to become a mentor on La Voz… Mexico.

Rivera’s also a radio host and entrepreneur, with her own fragrance and curvy jeans line.

Rivera says I Love Jenni is about her life and what it’s like to be a Mexican-American woman living in California., even though she says the show can be enjoyed by viewers from any background.

Rubio to Serve as a Mentor on La voz… México

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She’s known as La Chica Dorada… But does Paulina Rubio have the golden touch when it comes to picking top talent?

Following weeks of speculation, Televisa has confirmed that the 41-year-old Mexican singer will serve as a mentor on the television competition La voz… México this coming season.

Rubio will join the brand new team of mentors, which includes Miguel Bose, Jenni Rivera and Beto Cuevas, on the second season of the Mexican version of NBC’s music competition show The Voice.

Rubio and new team replace the mentors—Lucero, Espinoza Paz, Lucero, Alejandro Sanz and Alex Sintec—from La voz… México’s first season, which broke audience records.

Rubio and the mentors will advise and train a group of singers to help them improve and become better artists.

Rubio, whose musical career spans three decades, is currently promoting her most recent album Brava, which features the single “Me gustas tanto.”

The second season of La voz… México will begin airing in September on Televisa.

Rubio to Replace Lucero on Televisa’s La voz… México?

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It’s out with the old and in with the new on Mexico’s version of The Voice… with the arrival of new coaches/mentors, including Paulina Rubio.

The 40-year-old Mexican singer, who recently released a new English-language single, has been added to the roster of coaches/mentors for coaches for the second season of Televisa’s La voz… México.

In addition to Rubio, the new coaches/mentors include Jenni Rivera, Miguel Bosé and Juanes, according to the Mexican newspaper El Universal. They replace last season’s talent, which included Espinoza Paz, Lucero, Alejandro Sanz and Alex Sintec.

Meanwhile telenovela actress Sandra Echeverría will serve as the show’s host in season two. She replaced actor Mark Tacher, who can now be seen in Univision’s telenovela Abismo de Pasión.

The new season of La voz… México is set to premiere September 9 with castings are already underway all over Mexico.

Rodriguez’s “Filly Brown” Heading to Sundance…

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Next month Gina Rodriguez will be heading to the Sundance Film Festival for the world premiere of her latest film Filly Brown… And she could return from Park City, Utah as the festival’s breakout star.

In the film, the Latina actress plays Maria Jose ‘Majo’ Tonorio, a tough Mexican girl in Los Angeles aspiring to become a hip-hop artist. The film, which co-stars Edward James Olmos, Jenni Rivera and Lou Diamond Phillips, follows her rise to fame and consciousness as she copes with the incarceration of her mother through her poetry and music.

Rodriguez, who received an Imagen Award nomination earlier this year for her work in the film Go For It!, is already receiving major pre-festival attention, with many predicting her show-stopping performance in the film will garner some serious recognition.

Meanwhile, Rivera—the Banda queen who recently signed a new production deal with mun2—will make her acting debut in the film as Rogriguez’s jailed mother.

“I had to dig deep for the role,” explained Rivera to Billboard. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. If I can make Edward James Olmos cry, to me that means it was a success.”

Olmos, who serves as one of the film’s executive producers, says Rivera and Rodriguez will leave you in tears.

“Jenni and Gina eat up the screen, and when they’re together—Oh my God, it’s amazing,” he recently told Billboard.

The Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 19-29, 2012.

Gerardo Ortiz Wins Big at the Billboard Mexican Music Awards…

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

“El Rey del Corrido” Gerardo Ortiz is this year’s king of the Billboard Mexican Music Awards—an awards show dedicated entirely to regional Mexican music, the top-selling genre of Latin music in the United States.

During last night’s awards show at Los Angeles’s Orpheum Theater, the 22-year-old corridor singer won six awards, including Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year and Male Artist of the Year.

When he wasn’t picking up awards, the Mexican singer, who calls his tunes “progressive corridos,” took the stage to perform “Ese Amor,” his Spanish cover of Bob Marley‘s “Is This Love” led by accordion.

Other award winners included banda and ranchera diva Jenni Rivera, who won Artist of the Year, Female; Larry Hernández; Vicente Fernández and Julión Alvarez y su Norteño Banda.

Mexican telenovela star Kate del Castillo and singer Pedro Fernandez co-hosted the show, which also featured performances by Shaila Durcal, Larry Hernandez and Jenni Rivera.

The first-ever Billboard Mexican Music Awards show will be broadcast on Telemundo on October 27 at 7:00 pm ET.

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