Josh Segarra Joins Cast of Netflix’s Dark Comedy Series “Sirens”

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Josh Segarra can’t resist the siren call…

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican actor has joined the cast of Netflix’s dark comedy series Sirens.

Segarra is among a roster of new cast additions that includes Felix Solis, Trevor Salter, Britne Oldford, Lauren Weedman, Jenn Lyon, Erin Neufer and Emily Borromeo.

They join the previously announced cast of Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy, Milly Alcock, Glenn Howerton and Kevin Bacon.

Production is currently underway in New York.

From creator and showrunner Molly Smith Metzler and based on her play Elemeno Pea, Sirens follows Devon (Fahy), who thinks her sister Simone (Alcock) has a really creepy relationship with her new boss, the enigmatic socialite Michaela Kell (Moore). Michaela’s cult-ish life of luxury is like a drug to Simone and Devon has decided it’s time for an intervention. When Devon tracks her sister down to say WTF, she has no idea what a formidable opponent Michaela will be. The show is told throughout one explosive weekend at The Kells’ lavish beach estate.

Segarra plays Raymond, the proud manager of a restaurant franchise in Buffalo. He’s been Devon’s long-time, on-and-off, toxic boyfriend.

Solis plays Jose, who plays the role of a humble gardener but he’s actually the overall manager of The Cliff House, the head of security, the puppet master of the estate’s vast surveillance system and Peter Kell’s right-hand man.

Metzler executive produces for Quiet Coyote under her deal with Netflix.

Nicole Kassell is the executive producer and director.

Segarra’s previous credits include Abbott Elementary, Scream 6, The Other Two, AJ and the Queen, Orange Is the New Black and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

Solis’ previous credits include New York Undercover, NYPD Blue, Third Watch and the film Empire.

Jimmy Smits to Take Part in This Year’s Stand Up To Cancer SU2C Fundraising Special

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jimmy Smits is taking a stand (up)…

The 68-year-old half-Puerto Rican actor will take part in this year’s Stand Up To Cancer SU2C fundraising special that’s set to air on Saturday, August 19 at 8:00 pm ET.

In addition to Smits, best known for his roles on L.A. Law, NYPD Blue and The West Wing, other celebrities making a special appearance during the show include Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Biel, Don Cheadle, Katie Couric, Danai Gurira, Tony Hale, Ken Jeong, Maria Menounos, Julianne Moore, Tig Notaro, Eric Stonestreet and Justin Timberlake.

A special montage of comedic skits from past shows will feature Jack Black, Ben Falcone, Zach Galifianakis, Brad Garrett, Bill Hader, Jon Hamm, Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Melissa McCarthy, and Matthew McConaughey.

The televised special will also feature past musical performances from the likes of Brittany Howard, Simone Ledward Boseman, and The Who.

The one-hour televised celebration entitled “How It Started, How It’s Going” will recognize SU2C’s impact and progress over the last 15 years.

“We started this movement in 2008 to save lives and it is remarkable to see that in 15 years our scientists have accomplished this goal through breakthrough research that intercepts and treats cancer in ways we never thought possible,” said Katie Couric, SU2C co-founder. “There is more work to do to cure cancer and every dollar counts; we will not stop until we make every cancer patient a long-term survivor.”

The biennial special will air simultaneously on more than 50 participating media platforms across the United States and Canada, including all four major broadcast networks in the U.S. Broadcasters carrying the show are donating one hour of simultaneous commercial-free prime time. The telecast will also be available on-demand on several streaming platforms.

“Our telecast is a powerful tribute that demonstrates the importance of standing together to save lives,” said Russell Chew, president and CEO of SU2C. “Everyone plays a critical role in this goal, and we are so grateful for the support of the entertainment community, the broadcast networks, our generous donors, and the incredible researchers who work tirelessly to develop new cancer treatments.” Chew added, “100% of public donations to SU2C support innovative cancer research and vital awareness programs.”

Lana Parrilla to Appear on Season 2 of Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer”

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Lana Parrilla is lawyering up…

The 45-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress has joined the cast of Netflix’s hit series The Lincoln Lawyer for Season 2 in a recurring role.

She will play Lisa Trammell, a beloved chef and community advocate struggling to keep her restaurant afloat as a predatory real estate developer threatens the neighborhood around her.

Based on the series of bestselling novels by Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer follows the redemption of Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a Los Angeles attorney who regains much of what he lost due to addiction with hard work and hustle. His success is also thanks to his devoted supporters: his ex-wives Maggie (Neve Campbell) and Lorna (Becki Newton), his driver and unofficial sponsor Izzy (Jazz Raycole), and the best investigator in town—and Lorna’s newly minted fiancé—Cisco (Angus Sampson).

The 10-episode second season will be based on the fourth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series by Connelly, The Fifth Witness.

Season 2 will be executive-produced by co-showrunners Ted Humphrey and Dailyn Rodriguez; as well as Connelly, David E. Kelley, Ross Fineman, Barry Jossen and Tana Jamieson. The series is produced by A+E Studios for Netflix.

Parrilla is best known for her portrayal of the Evil Queen/Regina Mills in ABC’s Once Upon a Time across the show’s seven seasons. Most recently she starred as Rita Castillo in Marc Cherry’s dark dramedy Why Women Kill. She’s also appeared in various hit shows including Spin City, NYPD Blue, Six Feet Under, 24, Lost and The Shield.

Her film credits include 2000’s Very Mean Men alongside Matthew Modine and Ben Gazzara, as well as 2020’s The Tax Collector opposite Jimmy Smits and George Lopez.

Jimmy Smits to Star in CBS’ Cop Series Pilot “East New York”

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Jimmy Smits is officially on the beat…

The 66-year-old half-Puerto Rican actor and NYPD Blue alum has been cast as the male lead opposite Amanda Warren in CBS’ hourlong cop-series pilot East New York.

Co-written by William Finkelstein and Mike Flynn and directed by Mike Robin, the project centers on Regina Haywood (Warren), the newly promoted deputy inspector of East New York, an impoverished, working-class neighborhood at the eastern edge of Brooklyn. She leads a diverse group of officers and detectives, some of whom are reluctant to deploy her creative methods of serving and protecting during the midst of social upheaval and the early seeds of gentrification.

Smits will play three-star Chief John Suarez, whose experience, commanding presence and strong moral center helps oversee the melding of communities and the precincts that serve them.

The Emmy-winning actor has a personal connection to the project. Born in Brooklyn, Smits grew up around the East New York section of the borough and went to school there. Additionally, East New York reunites Smits with Finkelstein, with whom he worked on NYPD Blue, and with Robin, who was a director-producer on the Smits-starring series, NYPD Blue and L.A. Law.

Warner Bros. Television is the studio.

Smits, who won an Emmy for L.A. Law, recently was recently seen in the feature adaptation of In the Heights. His series credits also include Sons of Anarchy and Dexter.

Esai Morales to Star in Paul Schrader’s Film “Master Gardener”

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Esai Morales is taking up gardening…

The 59-year-old old Puerto Rican actor will star in Paul Schrader’s film Master Gardener.

Led by Joel Edgerton and Sigourney Weaver, the film is now shooting in Louisiana.

In addition to Morales, recently added cast members include Quintessa Swindell, who will play Maya, the wayward and troubled great-niece of Mrs Haverhill (Weaver), who is taken on as a new apprentice by the titular gardener Narvel Roth (Edgerton).

Morales will play Roth’s Witness Protection Officer.

Amanda Crittenden of KOJO Studios and Scott LaStaiti are producing together with David Gonzales, Schrader’s manager. Luisa Law, KOJO Studios’ Linda Ujuk and Dale Roberts are executive producers.

Morales previous credits include La Bamba, American Family, Resurrection Blvd., NYPD Blue and Ozark.

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).

Jacqueline Obradors to Recur on Amazon’s Series “Bosch”

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Jacqueline Obradors is joining the force…

The 51-year-old Argentine American actress has been cast in a key recurring role on the upcoming fifth season of Amazon’s Bosch.

Based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling novels, Bosch stars Titus Welliver as homicide Detective Harry Bosch, Jamie Hector as Jerry Edgar, Amy Aquino as Lt. Grace Billets, Madison Lintz as Maddie Bosch and Lance Reddick as Deputy Chief Irvin Irving.

Obradors will play the fast learning and good at hiding her nerves, Detective Christina Vega, who’s been brought up to work in homicide. She feels the promotion has been a long time coming and is determined to prove her worth as quickly as possible.

Bosch is produced by Fabrik Entertainment, a Red Arrow Studios company. The series was developed for television by Eric Overmyer.

Obradors is known for her lead role as Detective Rita Ortiz on the ABC crime drama series NYPD Blue. Other credits include major roles in Franklin and Bash, Lopez, Six Days and Seven Nights, Atlantis: The Lost Empire and A Man Apart.

Esai Morales to Star in Sony Pictures’ “Superfly” Remake

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Esai Morales’ career is soaring to new heights…

The 55-year-old Puerto Rican actor will star in the Director X-helmed Superfly remake from Sony Pictures, which will debut in theaters June 15.

Morales will portray play Adalberto.

The Alex Tse-penned script is based on the 1972 original blaxploitation crime drama, which followed an African American cocaine dealer who tries to secure one more deal before getting out of the business.

Morales joins a cast that includes Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Lex Scott Davis, Andrea Londo, Jacob Ming-Trent, Omar Chapparo, and Allen Maldonado.

Joel Silver is producing the film with rap star Future, who is also putting together the film’s soundtrack.

Morales, who currently stars on ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder, rose to acclaim in the Richie Valens biopic La Bamba. He’s also appeared in PBS’ American Family, Showtime’s Resurrection Blvd., NYPD Blue and Caprica.

Obradors to Star in FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” Spinoff Pilot “Mayans MC”

Posted on March 19, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Jacqueline Obradors has landed a mother of a role…

The 50-year-old Argentine American actress has been cast opposite JD Pardo in Mayans MC, Kurt Sutter’s Sons of Anarchy spinoff pilot for FX.

Set in the aftermath of Jax Teller’s death at the end of SOA’s seven-season run in 2014, Mayans MC will focus on the struggles of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (Pardo), a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the California-Mexico border.

Obradors will play Marisol Reyes, the soulful matriarch of the Reyes family and EZ’s mother. Her rosary may be worn, but her righteous sense of justice remains vibrant. Edward James Olmos plays the Reyes clan’s patriarch.

Mayans MC was co-created by Sutter and Elgin James. Sutter is set to executive produce and direct the pilot; James is co-executive producer for Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions.

Known for her role as Detective Rita Ortiz on ABC’s NYPD Blue, Obradors most recently did an arc on George Lopez’s TV Land comedy series Lopez.

Morales to Star in Robert Rodriguez’s “From Dusk To Dawn: The Series”

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a new dawn for Esai Morales…

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican actor has landed a recurring role on the upcoming second season of Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk To Dawn: The Series.

Morales will portray Lord Amancio Malvado, a figure of terrifying cruelty and power who has a complicated and obsessive relationship with Santánico Pandemonium (portrayed by Eiza González).

He joins previously announced new cast members Danny Trejo and Briana Evigan.

El Rey Network’s first original scripted series, From Dusk Till Dawn is based on the cult classic film of the same name by El Rey co-founder Rodriguez, who created the series and directed four of the first season’s episodes.

Morales, currently a series regular on HBO’s The Brink, has previously appeared in Criminal Minds and NYPD Blue.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: NYPD Blue