Miguel to Perform at “Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom” Concert

Miguel is celebrating Freedom Day in a special way…

The 37-year-old half-Mexican American R&B singer/songwriter is set to perform at this year’s Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom, set to take place at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre.

MiguelIn addition to Miguel, the event – produced by Live Nation Urban and Jesse Collins Entertainment – will feature Kirk FranklinSWV, DavidoCoi Leray and Jodeci.

Other performers and presenters will be announced in the near future.

The show will air live worldwide across all CNN platforms & nationally on the OWN network in a dual simulcast on Monday, June 19 at 8:00 pm EST.

“We are proud to once again partner with Live Nation Urban to broadcast this powerful Juneteenth event on our platforms,” says Chris Licht, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide. “We want to be a destination for people to both understand and celebrate a holiday of this magnitude.”

The shows musical directors will include Grammy and Emmywinner Adam Blackstone and The Roots co-founder Questlove, who both also contributed to the Grammys’ Hip-Hop 50 dedication.

“OWN is honored to simulcast this year’s concert. Juneteenth continues to be deeply important to our audience and it’s this deep significance that makes this simulcast really feel like an opportunity to be of service,” said Tina Perry, president, OWN TV Network & OWN OTT Streaming. “We are taking this day to celebrate alongside American families and reflect on this historic turning point for our nation.”

Throughout the concert, CNN and OWN will air programming to “uplift and educate viewers about Juneteenth on its 158th anniversary.”

Last year’s celebration included an array of artists across genres, like Yolanda Adams, Billy Porter, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jhené Aiko, Lucky Daye, Robert Glasper, and The Roots.

George Lopez to Help Reveal Nominees for 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards

George Lopez is preparing for his Golden (Globes) hour….

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association will reveal nominations for its 80th annual Golden Globe Awards at 5:35 am PT/8:35 am ET on Monday, December 12, with the 61-year-old Mexican American comedian/actor and his daughter Mayan Lopez locked in to reach the nominations live.

George Lopez & Mayan LopezNBC, the home of this year’s Golden Globes as well as Today and the Lopez’s new sitcom Lopez vs. Lopez, will air the Golden Globes ceremony live on January 10, after a year’s hiatus.

Last year’s show was scrapped amid an HFPA overhaul due to questionable practices surrounding its governing and membership.

No host has been set yet for the Beverly Hilton-set live show, which is being produced by dick clark productions and Jesse Collins Entertainment in association with the HFPA.

In all, there are 27 categories for the 2023 Golden Globes, with four added to the television side: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Comedy or Drama Television Series; Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Comedy or Drama Television Series; Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television; and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.

They replace the more blanket Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress categories that had spanned all TV categories.

Jhené Aiko to Perform at CNN’s “Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom” Concert

Jhené Aiko is helping celebrate Juneteenth

The 34-year-old part-Spanish and Dominican American Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter will perform as part of CNN’s first-ever Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom programming, featuring a Hollywood Bowl concert with a lineup of artists.

Jhene AikoThe goal of the program: to inform and educate viewers on the meaning of the new federal holiday.

CNN obtained the rights to the event, from Live Nation Urban and Jesse Collins Entertainment, and the lineup includes Chaka Khan, Khalid, Yolanda Adams, Anthony Hamilton, Billy Porter, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Earth, Wind & Fire, Killer Mike, Lucky Daye, Mary Mary, Aiko, Ne-Yo, Michelle Williams, Mickey Guyton, Robert Glasper and The Roots, among others.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver taped remarks.

Johnita P. Due, senior vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for CNN Worldwide, said in an interview this week that event  “is really one of the most meaningful things that I have been involved in” at the network.

“The thing that makes it special, of course, is that it was only a year ago that the federal government made Juneteenth a national holiday,” she said. “So how many times in history will we have that opportunity to really shape for the country, and for the world, how a holiday is celebrated, and the meaning of a holiday and the importance of a holiday.”

This is the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. June 19, 1865 was the date that federal troops arrived in Galveston, TX and informed citizens that slavery had been abolished in the state. The anniversary was commemorated the following year with prayers and singing, and it endured as an annual tradition.

“We really feel that with this event, we are able to not only commemorate the holiday, but we’re able to educate people around the meaning behind it, and also to uplift and inspire people to continue to make a difference and continue in the pursuit if freedom for all,” Due said.

The event also will include The Re-Collective Orchestra, a 68-piece all Black symphony orchestra that will be the first time that an all-Black symphony has performed at the bowl. Adam Blackstone and Questlove will serve as the evening’s musical directors.

Earlier in the evening, Don Lemon will anchor a pre-show highlighting African American advocates and creators.

On Thursday, CNN Business hosted a streamed conversation on advancing Black leadership, with correspondent Stephanie Elam sitting down with Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Rosalind Brewer. Also appearing were Operations Hope Founder and CEO John Hope Bryant and Collab Capital co-founder Barry Givens.

Due said that CNN staff had been brainstorming ideas for coverage of Juneteenth, and went on a tour with curators at the National Museum of African American History and Culture before they connected with Live Nation Urban. She said that artists will give music and spoken word performances that share their experiences of Black America. Interstitial packages will be woven in with the live performances.

The goal also was to have a diversity of music genres, including rap, R&B, country, soul, hip hop and gospel. Viewers also will be directed to ways they can get engaged in organizations and volunteer activities.

Due said that they “want people to be uplifted and we want people to be motivated.”

“We want people to walk away with a renewed commitment to make a difference in society as it relates to racial and social justice and equity,” she said.

Bad Bunny to Perform at This Year’s American Music Awards

Bad Bunny is coming to the American Music Awards.

Show organizers have announced that the 27-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar will perform on the awards show.

Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny joins a roster of performers that includes BTS and Megan Thee Stallion, and Olivia Rodrigo.

Bad Bunny, a two-time AMA winner, will undoubtedly get the place bouncing with the world premiere television performance of “Lo Siento BB:/.

Nominated for five awards this year, the rapper and singer last graced the AMAs stage in 2018 alongside J Balvin and 2021 AMAs host Cardi B for a performance of “I Like It.”

As previously reportedCardi B will make her hosting debut at the 2021 AMAs, set for Sunday, November 21, at 8:00 pm ET/PT on ABC and streaming the following day on Hulu.

The show will air globally across a footprint of linear and digital platforms in more than 120 countries and territories. MRC Live & Alternative and Jesse Collins Entertainment are producing.

Cardi B Launches New Reality Series “Cardi Tries ___” for Facebook Watch

Cardi B isn’t afraid to try new things…

The 28-year-old half-Dominican American Grammy-winning rap superstar is inviting the world to experience new things alongside her with the new series Cardi Tries ___, which launched late last week.

Cardi B, ELLE, September Issue

From Facebook’s Messenger and Jesse Collins EntertainmentCardi Tries ___ is part of Messenger’s new “Watch Together” feature, which allows audiences to enjoy Facebook Watch videos with friends and family in real-time. The new series has the “WAP” rapper trying new things outside of her repertoire including becoming an expert stunt car racer, ballerina, firefighter, teacher — just to name a few.

Throughout the series, she’ll be joined by actors, athletes and other professionals like Michelle Rodriguez of Fast & Furious fame, Debbie Allen of Grey’s Anatomy, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers and country music singer and songwriter, Mickey Guyton, among others.

New episodes will drop Thursdays through February 4. Cardi B fans will be able to enjoy the show in real-time over video calls with friends on Instagram, Messenger and Messenger Rooms via Watch Together.

Executive producers are Cardi B, Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Patientce Foster.