America Ferrara to Receive Groundbreaker Award at Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements

Posted on November 13, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

America Ferrara is receiving a special Critics Choice honor…

The 39-year-old Honduran American Golden Globe– and Emmy-winning actress is among the honorees for the Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements.

Hosted by Nicco Annan, the event is slated for December 4 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.

Unlike last year, when the CCA held separate ceremonies for Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements, this year, because of the strikes, the CCA is presenting a one-time-only combination show, featuring more than 20 honorees who created some of this year’s most acclaimed films and television shows.

“For the last few years, the CCA has hosted individual Celebrations of Black, Latino and AAPI Cinema & Television. CCA will return to individual shows in 2024, but doing this special celebration allows us to continue the CCA’s tradition of supporting inclusion and creativity in our industry,” said CCA CEO Joey Berlin. “I am extremely proud to recognize this diverse group of honorees together on this one special night.”

This year’s honorees include:

Emmy Award-winning actor and producer Edward James Olmos who will receive the Icon Award for his incredible career including Zoot Suit, Selena, Stand and Deliver, Blade Runner, Miami Vice and most recently FX’s Mayans M.C.

Emmy Award-winning actress, producer and advocate Sheryl Lee Ralph will receive the Career Achievement Award for her extensive work in film & television with over 100 credits including ABC’s Abbott Elementary as well as Instant Mom, Ray Donovan, Moesha, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Mistress, The Distinguished Gentlemen and To Sleep with Anger.

The Comedy Trailblazer Award will be bestowed upon comedian and actor Ken Jeong, whose notable credits include The Masked Singer, The Afterparty, Community, Crazy Rich Asians, I Can See Your Voice and The Hangover franchise.

Emmy Award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright will be honored with the Visionary Award for his performance in Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios’ American Fiction.

Emmy- and SAG Award-winning actress America Ferrara will accept the Groundbreaker Award for her performances in Warner Bros.’ Barbie and Sony Pictures/Black Bear Pictures’ Dumb Money.

Oscar-nominated Charles D. King will receive the Producer Award for his most recent work on Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone.

Award-winning director, producer, actress and advocate Eva Longoria will be recognized with the Breakthrough Director Award (Film) for her feature directorial debut, Searchlight Pictures’ Flamin’ Hot.

Greta Lee will receive the Actress Award (Film) for her performance in A24’s film Past Lives, while Colman Domingo will be recognized with the Actor Award (Film) for his performance in Netflix’s Rustin.

The Ensemble Award will be awarded to Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Fantasia Barrino, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Domingo and Corey Hawkins for their performances in Warner Bros.’ The Color Purple.

Actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph will be honored with the Supporting Actress Award (Film) for her performance in Focus Features’ The Holdovers.

Emmy-nominated narrative filmmaker and documentarian Allen Hughes will be celebrated with the Documentary Series Award for his work directing FX’s Dear Mama.

Oscar-nominated filmmaker and playwright Kemp Powers will be honored with the Animation Award for his directorial work on Sony Pictures’ film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Animator and filmmaker Makoto Shinkai will accept the International Animation Award for Crunchyroll/Sony Pictures’ film Suzume.

Actor and producer Damson Idris will receive the Actor Award (TV) for his performance in FX’s Snowfall.

Current Emmy-nominated actress and comedian Jessica Williams will be recognized with the Supporting Actress Award (TV) for her performance in Apple TV+’s Shrinking.

Actor Oscar Montoya will be honored with the Supporting Actor Award (TV) for his performance in Starz’s Minx.

Breakthrough Performance Awards will be bestowed upon Teyana Taylor for her performance in Focus Features’ A Thousand and One, Emmy-nominee Camila Morrone for her performance in Prime Video’s Daisy Jones & The Six, and Charles Melton for his performance in Netflix’s May December.

Current multiple Emmy-nominated director and writer Lee Sung Jin will be honored with the Breakthrough Director Award (TV) for his work on Netflix’s series Beef.

Receiving the Rising Star Awards will be Xolo Mariduena for his performance in Warner Bros.’ The Blue Beetle, and current Emmy nominee Keivonn Woodard for his performance in HBO’s The Last of Us.

Paul Calderón to Star on the Marvel Studios Disney+ Series “Ironheart”

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Paul Calderón has ironed out details on his next project…

The 63-year-old Puerto Rican actor has joined the cast of the Marvel Studios Disney+ series Ironheart in an undisclosed role.

The 6-episode series, created by Chinaka Hodge, will star Dominique Thorne as Marvel character Riri Williams, a genius inventor and creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.

Previously announced cast also includes Anthony Ramos, Shakira Barrera, Manny Montana, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola, Shea Couleé, and Zoe Terakes.

Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes are directing, with Ryan Coogler’s Proximity among the production entities.

Coogler, Ironheart head writer Chinaka Hodge, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian serve as executive producers alongside Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum and Zoie Nagelhout.

Calderón is a writer, actor, and director who most recently appeared in one of the final episodes of NBC’s This Is Us titled “Miguel,” which focused on the character of Miguel Rivas (Jon Huertas).

Additionally, Calderón starred in multiple seasons of Amazon’s Bosch in the role of Detective Jimmy Robertson.

His other notable TV credits include AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Hostages for CBS, NBC’s Law & Order, and Miami Vice.

On the big screen, he served as co-writer of Abel Ferrera’s Bad Lieutenant starring Harvey Keitel. Calderón also played a cop in the 1992 film. Film credits also include Sydney Pollack’s The Firm, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Cop Land by James Mangold, Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s 21 Grams.

The U.S. Army veteran who studied acting under the G.I. Bill went on to become a founding member of the LAByrinth Theater Company where he mentored Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Rockwell and Lauren Luna Velez, among others.

Maluma Teams Up with Quay for Full Collection of Sunglasses & Glasses

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

The future’s so bright for Maluma that he’s gotta wear shades…

The 27-year-old Colombian singer and songwriter is expanding his empire with a special collaboration with Quay.

Maluma has teamed up with the eyewear brand for a full collection of sunglasses and optical lenses, designed to bring he good vibes and energy this summer.

The Maluma So Much Sol campaign features a variety of styles and colors for everyone.

“I always liked Quay,” the singer, born Juan Luis Londoño Arias, tells Billboard of the new collaboration. “I saw a couple of years ago when Jennifer Lopez was part of a big campaign with Quay and when I saw it, I wanted to be there. I always wear Quay. So one day, some guy from the office called me and said he wanted to work with me, so I was like, ‘What?’ That was a big, big dream for me and now it’s happening so I’m excited to release this big campaign. There’s going to be, hopefully, around the world, fans who are excited too. They know that I love shades, I love sunglasses.”

The summery theme of the campaign, of course, was inspired partly by his 2020 album, Papi Juancho, which peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on November 20, 2020.

“[The album] had those tropical colors, that Miami Vice vibe, so I wanted to match it with the campaign,” Maluma explains. “That’s how I was feeling at the time when we started working on it. It matched perfectly. We did the photoshoot in Miami and it looked very vintage and modern at the same time.”

While it’s “hard to choose” a favorite pair, the global superstar gushes over the multi-colored Yada Yada pair. “They look like a rainbow and they’re big and are a statement,” he says. “Those are the kind of shades I love, because I’m not afraid to wear different kinds of things. When I saw those shades, I knew they were my favorite.”

Maluma is also ready to rock his new Quay collaboration at his Papi Juancho 2021 World Tour, which kicks off in the U.S. on September 2 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.

“Finally, finally, finally, we’re going on tour,” the singer says, bursting at the seams with excitement. “I miss it so bad. The last time I was one stage was a year and a half ago, and it feels like an eternity.”

“We’re preparing new music, because the last year was one of the most important years of my career,” he continues. “I released Papi Juancho, ‘Hawái’ was the biggest song of my career, so now we’re preparing for the musicians and the band and the team. We’re going to make a show that’s another level. That’s the goal – we’re talking about fashion, dancers, lights, music. We’re very excited about it.”

Shop the full Quay x Maluma collection here.

Blake Jenner to Star in “Paradise City”

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Blake Jenner is heading to Paradise City…

The 28-year-old half-Cuban American actor has joined the cast of the Hawaiian production of Paradise City, which represents John Travolta and Bruce Willis’ first reteaming in a film since 1994’s Pulp Fiction.

Jenner is joined by Stephen Dorff as new additions to the cast.

Willis plays renegade bounty hunter, Ryan Swan, who must carve his way through the Hawaiian crime world to wreak vengeance on the kingpin, played by Travolta, who murdered his father. I’m told the project is billed as being similar to Miami Vice but with bounty hunters instead of cops. Thai actress and model Praya Lundberg also stars.

Paradise City is produced by Corey Large, who also stars in the movie and co-wrote with Ed John Drake. BondIt Media Capital is financing with Large’s 308 Enterprises producing. Saban is handling domestic distribution with The Exchange overseeing foreign sales.

Jenner’s previous credits include What/If, Glee and The Edge of Seventeen.

Edward James Olmos Developing Several Projects on the Life & Work of Tito Puente

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Edward James Olmos is celebrating a Latin music legend.

The 73-year-old Mexican American actor, director, producer, and activist has teamed up with Tito Puente’s familia to bring the story of the legendary Puerto Rican musician to the world in a series of projects, including film, television and VR content.

Known as the “King of Mambo,” Puente was a six-time Grammy winner, and received many other accolades before he died in 2000.

Olmos is working with Puente’s son, Tito Puente Jr., producer/writer Damon Whitaker, music artist/producer David Guzman, and his own son, director/producer Michael D. Olmos, to bring the projects to life.

The Olmos team will be producing the project alongside Whitaker and Guzman, with Tito Jr. advising throughout the process.

The team is developing a docuseries featuring never-before-seen images and footage from the family’s estate to create a feature film that focuses on Puente’s struggle to bring Latin music to the mainstream.

A VR musical experience and a tribute album with contemporary artists covering classic Tito Puente songs are also on the pipeline.

“We are thrilled to finally have the story of Tito Puente come to life, thanks to the vision of Mr. Olmos and his team. The history of Tito Puente through his extensive career and timeless music will be told and shared with fans of all generations young and old,” said Tito Puente Jr. “We hope to inspire audiences around the world with his story and his rich musical legacy. Eddie is a huge fan of my dad’s music and was the one who gave the eulogy at my dad’s funeral.”

Born in the barrios of New York City, Puente served in the military and went to Juilliard on the G.I. Bill, and fought for the rights of his fellow Afro Latin and African American musicians to play alongside him in segregated clubs.

“This will be the greatest Tito Puente experience ever. I want this story to celebrate life and hope, especially in these dark times,” said Olmos. “Tito’s story is timeless because it shows the entire world that you can start from humble beginnings, but through your passion, discipline and hard work — and a great sense of humor — you can still change the world.”

Olmos is best known for his television roles on Miami Vice, Battlestar Galactica and Mayans MC, and his film roles in Stand and Deliver, American Me and Selena.

Esai Morales to Star in DC’s “Titans” Series

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Esai Morales has landed a Titan-ic role…

The 56-year-old Puerto Rican actor has been cast in the series Titans.

He’ll portray Deathstroke, the fan-favorite assassin and archenemy of Teen Titans leader Dick Grayson.

The Titans, the first original programming franchise for the DC Universe subscription steaming site, launched in September and finished its first season in December. The weekly show follows the superhero squad that’s led by Batman’s former sidekick, Robin, aka Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), and includes the hot-tempered alien princess Starfire (Anna Diop), the mysterious empath Raven (Teagan Croft), and the green-skinned shape-shifter Beast Boy (Ryan Potter).

That Titans line-up of characters was introduced with much fanfare in the pages of DC Comicsback in 1980. The team, created by Marv Wolfmanand George Perez, didn’t have to wait long to find their signature antagonist: Deathstroke the Terminatorwas introduced in issue No. 2 of The New Teen Titans in December 1980.

The character bio from the show’s producers: “Slade Wilson is known for being DC’s deadliest assassin. While serving his country, Slade became an elite soldier before government testing enhanced his physiology to near superhuman levels, putting him on a path of darkness and revenge. To his family, Slade is a father and husband, but to the rest of the world, he is feared by many as the infamous Deathstroke; selling his services to the highest bidder as the ruthless assassin that never gives up and never misses.”

The character is well known to fans of the popular Teen Titans animated series from Cartoon Network as well as the show’s 2018 tie-in feature film Teen Titans Go! to the Movies. Deathstrokehas also been portrayed by Manu Bennett in 36 episodes of The CWseries Arrow while Joe Manganiello (True Blood) appeared as the assassin in the 2017 feature film Justice League but only with an uncredited cameo.

The DC Comics character represents an interesting footnote in Marvel Comicshistory. The character Deadpool, portrayed by Ryan Reynoldsin the popular R-rated Foxfilm franchise, was created by Fabian Niciezaand Rob Liefeldin 1990 as a thinly disguised version of the DC villain. Not only do the characters share similar costumes, Deadpool’s alias is Wade Wilson, which in fact rhymes with Slade Wilson.

Adding a bit more confusion, both Deadpool and Deathstroke have similar attributes to Deadshot, a DC Comics villain introduced in the 1970s and portrayed by Will Smithon the big screen in Suicide Squad in 2016.

Morales, rose to acclaim in his feature film breakthrough role as Bob Morales in Taylor Hackford’s La Bamba, the landmark 1985 biopic about Ritchie Valens.

Morales’ feature film credits include Bad Boys, Mi Familia, Fast Food Nation, The Line, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorcaand Gun Hill Road, a film he executive produced and starred in. Gun Hill Road was a grand Jury Nominee at the Sundance Film Festivalin 2011. Most recently he starred in Sony’s Superfly and the indie film The Wall of Mexico.

Morales’ recent television credits include Ozark (Netflix), Mozart In The Jungle (Amazon Prime), Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO), and Chicago PD (NBC). Morales also had notable credits over the years on shows such as NYPD Blue (ABC), Miami Vice (NBC), Fame (NBC) Law and Order: SVU (NBC), Caprica (Syfy), and Criminal Minds (CBS).

Ryan Guzman to Star in the 9/11-Themed Drama “Windows on the World”

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Ryan Guzman is opening a window on th world…

The 29-year-old half-Mexican American actor will star opposite Edward James Olmos in the feature film Windows on the World, a father-son drama about the aftermath of 9/11, according to Variety.

Shooting will begin on July 10 in Mexico and New York City.

Olmos’ son Michael D. Olmos will direct from a script by Robert Mailer Anderson and Zack Anderson.

“Windows on the World” will start in Mexico, where a man watches the news on September 11, 2001, with his family and travels to New York City to find his father, who was working on the top floor of the Twin Towers. The Windows on the World venues were on the top floors of the North Tower.

Guzman rose to fame in Step Up: Revolution and Step Up All In, then starred in The Boy Next Door with Jennifer Lopez, Jem and the Holograms, and in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some.

Olmos broke out in 1981’s Zoot Suit and 1982’s Blade Runner. He was nominated for a best actor Academy Award for Stand and Deliver and starred in the series Battlestar Galactica and Miami Vice. He is reprising his role as Gaff in the upcoming Blade Runner 2049.

Michael D. Olmos has directing credits on Filly Brown, The Green Ghost, and Bedrooms.

Pitbull Releases Miami-Hot Music Video for His Latest Single “Fun”

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Pitbull is having Fun in the sun…

The 34-year-old Cuban American rap superstar has released the official video for his latest single “Fun,” a non-stop collaboration with Chris Brown.

In the clip, Pitbull and Brown drive expensive sports cars and party on a yacht, all while enjoying the company of some bootylicious babes.

During the Miami Vice-like video, Mr. Worldwide, donning a white suit, and Breezy deliver fist-pumping beats that will make you move.

The video for “Fun,” the latest track from Pitbull’s Globalization album, has already garnered more than 2.7 million views on Vevo.

Ortiz Cast in Disney’s “The Finest Hours”

Posted on September 27, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

John Ortiz’s finest hour has arrived…

The 46-year-old Puerto Rican actor, director and producer has joined the cast of Disney’s The Finest Hours, which chronicles the massive rescue mission that’s launched when a pair of oil tankers split in two off the coast of Cape Cod in 1952.

Directed by Craig Gillespie, the film stars Chris Pine and Casey Affleck, as well as Keiynan Lonsdale, Michael Raymond James and Rachel Brosnahan

Seen recently in Fox Searchlight’s The Drop, Ortiz will play A.B. Seaman Wallace Quirey.

His recent credits also include Michael Mann’s upcoming feature Blackhat as well as a recurring role on HBO’s Togetherness.

His other film credits include Carlito’s Way, Miami Vice and American Gangster.

First Trailer Released for Rodriguez’s “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series”

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Robert Rodriguez is sharing a little Dusk before its dawn…

The 45-year-old Mexican filmmaker has released the first official trailer for From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, which will air on Rodriguez’s Latino-themed El Rey Network.

Based on the cult horror classic of the same name, the 10-episode series centers on bank robber Seth Gecko and his violent, unpredictable brother, Richard “Richie” Gecko, who are wanted by the FBI and Texas Rangers Earl McGraw and Freddie Gonzalez after a bank heist leaves several people dead.

The series stars D.J. Cotrona as Seth Gecko and Zane Holtz as Richie Gecko.

Quinceañera and Sons Of Anarchy star Jesse Garcia plays Gonzalez, a new character created for the series, and former Miami Vice star Don Johnson joins the cast in a recurring role as Sheriff Earl McGraw.

Other cast members include Eiza González and Wilmer Valderrama.

From Dusk Till Dawn premieres March 11 at 9:00 pm.

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