J Balvin Signs Management Deal with Roc Nation

J Balvin has new management…

The 38-year-old Colombian singer has officially joined Roc Nation as a management client, where he will be overseen directly by Jay Brown and Chris Knight.

J BalvinBalvin was previously managed by Fabio Acosta and Scooter Braun’s SB Projects. He parted ways with the latter on June 30, 2022, after nearly three years together.

He continued working with Acosta and his company, Akela Family Music, through March. Acosta had managed or co-managed Balvin in some capacity for the past decade. Sources say the two parted on amicable terms.

Balvin, one of the biggest Latin stars in the world, has had a series of management shifts over the past five years. In 2019, he parted ways with manager Rebeca León, who had managed him since the onset of his career in the United States, and signed with Braun.

Throughout both deals, Acosta remained part of his management team and worked in partnership with SB Projects, helping bring in groundbreaking deals and partnerships. These included his celebrity menu collaboration with McDonald’s — a first for a Latin act.
7/14 – Tenerife, Spain – Ritmo del Mundo
7/15 – Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal – Meo Mares Vivas Festival
7/21 – Byron Bay, Australia – Splendour in the Grass
7/23 – Melbourne – Margaret Court
7/25 – Sydney – Hordern Pavillion

Kid Cudi to Headline McDonald’s’ Camp McDonald’s Virtual Experience

Kid Cudi is camping it up…

McDonald’s has revealed the line-up for its 2022 Camp McDonald’s virtual experience, led by the 38-year-old Mexican American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor.

Kid CudiKid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, will serve as the headlining act.

But he won’t be the only Latino artist on the roster…

Omar Apollo, the 25-year-old Mexican American rising talent, is also set to perform.

South Korean singer-songwriter BIBI will also take the stage.

The virtual camp will take place over four weeks only available through the McDonald’s app. Each week will bring exclusive merch, menu items and promotions, like a $2 Big Mac (July 9 and July 30) and free McFlurry (July 13) with a $1 purchase.

Musical performances were pre-recorded and will be available to watch each Sunday exclusively on the McDonald’s app after spending $1 via Mobile Order & Pay.

The series of virtual concerts will begin with blackbear on July 10, followed by Apollo, BIBI and ending with Cudi on July 31.

Merch collaborations will include Korean skincare brand innisfree, offering a Summer Skincare Starter Kit, L.A. clothing brand Free & Easy, streetwear label Ma®ket and Kid Cudi.

The first drop, a “Don’t Trip” t-short featuring the iconic golden arches from Free & Easy, arrives at midnight. All merch will be available in adult, unisex sizes small through XXL.

The camp also includes app-only “menu hacks,” putting a delectable spin on dessert favorites, like a McFlurry ice cream sandwich (available July 6) and “Apple Pie McFlurry” featuring the fast food giant’s fan-favorite gooey stuffed pastries (available July 20).

Headliner Cudi, who will embark on a world tour beginning on August 16 in Vancouver, announced his greatest hits compilation album earlier this week.

The Boy Who Flew To The Moon Vol. 1 will include tracks spanning over a decade, like cult-favorite single “Pursuit of Happiness” and 2014’s “Too Bad I Have To Destroy You Now.”

Edwin Castro Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Edwin Castro has new representation…

The 30-year-old Mexican American Twitch streamer has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for representation in all areas.

Edwin CastroCastro is best known for his soccer-themed content including FIFA.

He averages 30,000 concurrent live viewers on the Amazon-owned platform and has over 3.5 million followers.

Castro is also active on YouTube and social media channels.

A sports enthusiast, Castro attends major sporting events annually such as WWE, F1, NFL, NBA and MLB.

Among his work with brands, Castro has collaborated with 7-Eleven, Gillette, Electronic Arts and Turtle Beach. Earlier this year, he was seen in a McDonald’s Super Bowl commercial.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” Reaches 1 Billion Streams on Spotify

Mariah Carey continues making history this holiday season..

The 52-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer hit yet another extra-festive milestone Wednesday as she celebrated “All I Want for Christmas is You” reaching 1 billion streams on Spotify.

Mariah Carey“Thank you @spotify, the #lambily, and everyone who streams this song to add a little bit of festivity to the season! I truly appreciate each and every one of these 1 billion streams!” the icon captioned the photo of herself posing with the commemorative plaque marking the achievement dressed in a glam metallic puffer coat, sparkling beanie, sheer black leggings and matching boots.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Carey’s modern Christmas classic made a historic return to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for a third consecutive year.

Ever the trailblazer, the unprecedented achievement officially makes Carey the first artist in history to land the same song at No. 1 on the chart three separate times.

She’s also been spreading holiday cheer around the country for the last couple of weeks thanks to the McDonald’s Mariah Menu, which gives fans a free daily treat with a $1 purchase when they order on the McDonald’s app through Christmas Eve (Dec. 25).

Ten-thousand lucky Lambs also got their hands on a limited-edition Mariah x McDonald’s T-shirt earlier this week as part of the campaign.

Mariah Carey Teams Up with McDonald’s for Special Holiday Menu, The Mariah Menu

Mariah Carey will be mealin’ and dealin’ this holiday season…

The half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer, the self-proclaimed Queen of Christmas, is planning to spread holiday cheer with some help from McDonald’s.

Mariah CareyThe fast food giant and the “All I Want For Christmas Is You” singer revealed a collaboration not in the form of a special meal like J Balvin, Saweetie and BTS have done previously, but an entire menu with goodies for 12 days leading up to Christmas.

“This holiday season at @McDonalds, you’re not getting the Mariah meal… you’re getting a whole menu!” the singer wrote on Twitter. “Introducing The Mariah Menu: get free daily deals w/ $1 min purchase December 13 to 24, only in the app dahhling!”

The free items include a variety of classic sandwiches like the Big Mac, cheeseburger or McChicken as well as popular breakfast items, sweet treats and McNuggets. The promotion is limited to one per day so fans everywhere can experience holiday cheer. The promo is available only at participating McDonald’s nationwide.

“Some of my favorite memories with my kids are our family trips to McDonald’s, and of course, each of us has our go-to order. Mine is the Cheeseburger, and I get it with extra pickles,” Carey said in a press release for the announcement. “Bringing together some of our favorite food from McDonald’s with my all-time favorite season is a holiday wish come true.”

“Mariah goes with the holidays like ketchup and fries, so we couldn’t think of a better partner to help us celebrate the upcoming season,” said Jennifer Healan, vice president, U.S. marketing, brand content and engagement of McDonald’s USA. “Just like McDonald’s brings people around the table with their favorite orders, Mariah’s music connects us all during this time of the year. We’re so excited to team up to bring even more holiday cheer to our fans.”

This is Carey’s most recent effort to get her fans ready for Christmas — she released a new Christmas single, “Fall In Love at Christmas” featuring Khalid and Kirk Franklin, 50 days before Christmas’ arrival last week. Fans voted in a poll published Friday (November 5) on Billboard, and chose the track as their favorite new music release of the past week.

Luis Suarez Buys & Donates 1,000 Big Macs as Part of McDonald’s Uruguay Annual Charity Event

It’s a Mac attack from Luis Suarez

The 33-year-old Uruguayan professional footballer, a forward for Atlético Madrid and the Uruguay national team, has bought and donated 1,000 Big Macs as part of an annual charity event that McDonald’s carries out in his native country.

Luis Suarez

Suarez purchased the hamburgers in Spain, at €4.75 each, spending a total of €4,750, via the McDelivery platform in order to take part in Friday’s event.

All the funds generated from the purchases of those hamburgers are donated by McDonald’s to the Ronald McDonald House Association and the young people from the school Liceo Impulso.

The Ronald McDonald House in Uruguay helps more than 7,000 children and their families each year, working every day to provide accommodation and support to families of hospitalized children, children undergoing medical treatment and pregnant women that are at risk.

The former Liverpool and Barcelona player decided to donate all the Big Macs to the children from a youth league of Pando, a city 32 kilometers from the country’s capital Montevideo.

McDonald’s Uruguay thanked Suarez for his generosity and invited others, saying that distance is no impediment to donate.

“Luis Suarez proved that the Big Day has no frontiers. He bought 1,000 Big Macs from Spain via McDelivery to help the House Ronald, Liceo Impulso and donate to Pando’s BabyLeague,” tweeted McDonald’s Uruguay. “Thank you, Luis, for putting the jersey on the Big Day! Anyone can join in wherever you are.”

Former Uruguay and Inter Milan player Alvaro Recoba also took part in the event.

Last year, Boca Juniors forward Carlos Tevez donated bought and donated 1,000 hamburgers in the same event that McDonald’s carried out in Argentina.

Esparza Launches Pro Career with Multi-Year Golden Boy Promotions Deal

Marlen Esparza is heading to the big leagues…

The 27-year-old Latina boxer, won the bronze medal in the women’s flyweight division at the 2012 London Games, has decided to go pro, signing a multi-year promotional deal with Golden Boy Promotions on Wednesday.

Marlen Esparza

Esparza, one of the world’s top female amateur boxers will make her professional debut in early 2017, Golden Boy president Eric Gomez said.

“I recently told my fans that I was going pro, and I am happy to announce that it will be the world’s best promotional company — Golden Boy Promotions,” Esparza said. “I am excited to get back into the ring as soon as possible and start climbing the ladder towards winning a professional world title.”

Esparza is the first female fighter signed by Golden Boy, which plans to become much more involved in women’s boxing.

“We really want to jump into women’s boxing,” Gomez said. “We feel she is someone who can revolutionize women’s boxing in the U.S. and bring awareness and excitement. Women’s boxing has been very successful around the world but we’re a little behind in the U.S. She is a smart young woman and she can fight.”

Esparza, who had around 200 amateur fights and lost about 12, won 12 consecutive U.S. national amateur championships and the flyweight gold medal at the 2014 world amateur championships.

She said she wants a world title as a professional and is very confident she will achieve her goal.

“This is a profession and a career for me but could I win a world title tomorrow? I could,” she told ESPN. “I could win it tomorrow but I want to do things correctly and fight my way to the top and do things the way they are supposed to be done, move my way up. I want to earn what I get. What I see myself doing is winning a world title when the time is right and when my team says it’s OK.

“I’m kind of for the first time feeling I’ve arrived. I’ve done so many things, but this (signing with Golden Boy) is something I feel I deserve. I am so ready for this. I’m not scared, I’m ready.”

She said she plans to get back into training right away and will go to England to train over the holidays with her good friend Nicola Adams, who won flyweight Olympic gold medals for Great Britain in 2012 and 2016.

Beyond her ring success, Esparza will come into the pro ranks already having established herself commercially. She has an endorsement deal with CoverGirl cosmetics and has appeared in Spanish-language television ads for Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, among others.

“Before she ever steps foot into the ring as a professional, Marlen Esparza has already established herself as a rising star,” Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya said. “At Golden Boy Promotions, we pride ourselves on developing fighters and transforming them into the best of the best. We look forward to doing the same with Marlen.”

Gomez Joins The Late Late Show’s James Corden for His Latest Carpool Karaoke Session

Selena Gomez is hitting the carpool lane…

The 23-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actress joined The Late Late Show host James Corden for his latest installment of Carpool Karaoke, and Gomez gave the British comedian/host a commute he’ll never forget.

Selena Gomez Carpool Karaoke

Not satisfied with singing in the car, Gomez decided it was time to shake up Corden’s route to work on The Late Late Show on Monday, June 20, by stopping by one of Los Angeles’ theme parks and taking him for a ride on a roller coaster, singing her hit “Come & Get It” during the ride’s ups and downs.

Proving she’s fearless, Gomez had little problem singing the lyrics to the song as she zoomed around the track, while a terrified Corden spent most of the ride clutching on for dear life.

Later Gomez and Corden talked about her ginger obsession, went through a McDonald’s drive-through and sang their hearts out to Taylor Swift‘s “Shake It Off.”

The highly entertaining clip has already been viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube.

Lopilato & Bublé Expecting Their First Child

Luisana Lopilato should be picking up her copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting soon.

The 25-year-old Argentine actress/model is expecting her first child with husband Michael Bublé.

Luisana Lopilato & Michael Buble

Lopilato and the 37-year-old crooner, who married on March 31, 2011 in Argentina and they had a full ceremony in April, posted a video on Lopilato’s YouTube page to share the news, along with a special surprise pic!

“Mike, Lu and … mini Bublé!!” appeared on the screen over an ultra sound image. “We’re having a baby Bublé!”

Lopilato has appeared in the television series Chiquititas, Rebelde Way, Alma Pirata, Casados con Hijos and Atracción x4. She has modeled for Ultimo, 47 Street, Coca-Cola, Axe, McDonald’s, Gillette, L’Oreal Elviv and BlackBerry.

Velazquez Flying High in “Flight”

Nadine Velazquez’s career is taking flight

The 33-year-old Puerto Rican actress is starring in Flight, a film that not only had her sharing steamy screen time with Denzel Washington, but allowed her to fulfill one of her professional dreams.

Nadine Velazquez

In Flight, the story of a heroic pilot with a devastating secret, Velazquez portrays one of the flight attendants responsible for helping passengers during a plane crash.

“I always wanted to scream and cry and plead for my life in a movie, and this is my chance!” said the Chicago-born beauty.

Velazquez, best known for her role as Catalina Aruca on My Name is Earl, has appeared on The League and Hart of Dixie.

She, who discovered her love for acting as a little girl, began her professional career in a McDonald’s commercial playing a drive-thru lady.

From there her career took flight, with roles in films like War with Jason Statham, and the made-for-TV film Husband for Hire.

In Flight, Velazquez plays Katerina Marquez, the lover of Washington’s character, who works alongside Washington on a doomed flight after a night of sex, alcohol and very little sleep.

“The series My Name Is Earl made me known, but I think this movie will change the way the industry sees me,” said Velazquez, who hopes to use this opportunity to help Latinos break into the Hollywood limelight.