Tag Archives: Peabody Awards

Tony Plana to Appear on Season Two of OWN’s Drama Series “David Makes Man”

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Tony Plana is the new Man on the block…

The 68-year-old Cuban actor and director has joined the cast of OWN’s Peabody Award-winning drama David Makes Man for the upcoming season season.

Tony Plana

The Ugly Betty alum will be one of 10 actors set to appear in recurring roles on the series from Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney and Warner Bros. Television.

Plana joins a roster of newcomers that includes Brittany S. Hall, Erica Luttrell, Zsané Jhé, Bobbi Baker, Patrice Arenas, Trinity Cidel, Brandi Huzzie, Rodney Gardiner and Janmarco Santiago.

David Makes Man  returned to Orlando, Florida and continued production in October.

On the directing side, Kiel Adrian Scott is set to return to direct five episodes of the new season while Erica Watson (has been tapped to helm the remaining five episodes in the 10-episode sophomore season, which is set to debut in the early summer of 2021.

Season 2 finds David in his 30s (Kwame Patterson, Snowfall, The Wire), a rising businessman facing an opportunity that will change him and his community forever; the mounting pressure forces David to choose between the instincts that helped him survive or finding a new way to truly live.

Here are the details about the recurring characters for Season 2:

Tony Plana (Ugly Betty, The Affair) plays Joe Padilla, a billionaire real estate developer who brings David an ambitious opportunity, under the guise of redevelopment.

Brittany S. Hall (Ballers) plays Nicole, a sophisticated and honest architect who has been dating David but loves her freedom as well.

Erica Lutrell (Westworld, Salvation) plays adult Marissa, a Miami-based marine biologist, activist, and protector of the land and sea. When her former middle school friend-turned-nemesis further threatens the ecological balance of South Florida, Marissa sets out to prove that corporate greed is toxic for everyone.

Zsané Jhé (Good Trouble, Black Lightning) adult Shella, an entrepreneur extraordinaire. She leads the charge for the residents of The Ville in the fight against the real estate redevelopment company trying to gentrify their homes.

Bobbi Baker (House of Payne) plays Robin, Gloria’s loyal and level partner. Together they run Robin’s Nest in Little Havana, a foster home for LGBTQ+ youth.

Patrice Arenas (Celestial) plays Denise, an office assistant at the Edwards Firm (where David works). She keeps things moving at the office while also learning the moods and tempo of her boss.

Trinity Cidel plays Trenise, the gifted daughter of David’s brother, JG. She is calm, introspective, and more like her uncle David than her own father.

Brandi Huzzie (The Demon in the Dark) is cast as Trisha, the long-time girlfriend of JG and mother of his child. Together they raise their daughter Trenise.

Rodney Gardiner (The Warriors) plays Corey Roberts, a Miami district commissioner and politician. Corey offers to work with David and Joe to help push their Ville redevelopment project, but they will have to do it his way.

Janmarco Santiago (The Fate of the Furious) plays Elan, Joe Padilla’s entitled nephew and David’s unrequested assistant.

The new recurring cast members join the previously announced new series regulars Kwame Patterson (Snowfall, The Wire) as adult David and Arlen Escarpeta (The Oath) as adult JG alongside returning series regulars Akili McDowell (young David), Alana Arenas (David’s mom Gloria), Travis Coles (Mx. Elijah) and Cayden K. Williams (young JG) for Season 2.

Liza Colón-Zayas Lands Recurring Role on the Fourth Season on HBO’s Drama Series “In Treatment”

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Liza Colón-Zayas is heading to treatment…

The 48-year-old Puerto Rican actress has landed a recurring role opposite Uzo Aduba in the upcoming fourth season of HBO’s Emmy-winning drama series In Treatment.

Liza Colón-Zayas

In Treatment, which ended a three-season run in 2010, is returning for a fourth season as a reimagined half-hour series. The series is in pre-production under COVID-19 guidelines, with a 2021 debut planned to air on HBO and stream on HBO Max.

The reimagining brings a diverse trio of patients in session with the observant, empathetic Dr. Brooke Taylor (Aduba), who is wrestling with her own issues.

Colón-Zayas will play Rita, Brooke’s longtime confidant and friend who supports Brooke as she contends with her own demons after a life-altering loss.

In addition to Aduba, Colon-Reyes joins Anthony Ramos, who also recurs.

The HBO Entertainment production is produced in association with Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions and Sheleg.

Colón-Zayas, an original member of The LAByrinth Theater Company, earned the 2020 Obie, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards.

On television, she recurred as Principal Fallow on the Peabody-winning series David Makes Man.

Soledad O’Brien to Talk About The Media on This Week’s Episode of Peacock’s Late-Night Comedy “Wilmore”

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Soledad O’Brien is ready to talk ship with Larry Wilmore.

The 54-year-old half-Afro-Cuban American broadcast journalist and executive producer will appear on this week’s episode of Wilmore, the Peacock late-night comedy fronted by Wilmore.

Soledad O’Brien

The episode, which will focus on the media, will also feature The West Wing star Bradley Whitford and Saturday Night Live’s Chris Redd.

O’Brien is the host of Matter of Fact, a nationally syndicated talk show produced by Hearst Television. She is chairwoman of Starfish Media Group, a multi-platform media production company and distributor that she founded in 2013. She’s also a member of the Peabody Awards board of directors, which is presented by the University of Georgia‘s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

 

She previously worked as an anchor for CNN, and has worked as a correspondent for Al Jazeera America and HBO‘s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.

Wilmore is going into his sixth show since launching on the streamer. Other topics he has tackled include protests, voter suppression, police, class, and comparing where we are to the 2016 presidential election.

Guests have included U.S. women’s soccer co-captain Megan Rapinoe, Charlamagne Tha God, Andrew Yang, Roy Wood Jr. and Chloé Hilliard as well as his Peacock peer Amber Ruffin.

AFI to Honor Rita Moreno During This Year’s Virtual AFI Fest

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Rita Moreno is ready to talk shop as part of a special night…

The 88-year-old Puerto Rican Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress will be honored during this year’s virtual AFI Fest, which will take place from October 15-22.

Rita Moreno

Moreno, who currently stars on PopTV’s One Day at a Time, will be honored alongside Sofia Coppola, Kirby Dick and Mira Nair, with each taking par t in an evening of conversation celebrating their careers.

“Artists of this caliber are essential players in our global culture,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. “To honor each of them – and all of them – at AFI FEST will prove a symphony of talent at a time the world needs it most.”

Moreno’s career began with a Broadway debut at 13 years old. Since then she has won all four of the most prestigious awards in show business – an Oscar, a Tony, two Emmys, and a Grammy – as well as a Peabody Award and a Kennedy Center Honor. Moreno has also been recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush and the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.

Moreno received an Honorary Degree from the AFI Conservatory in 2016.

Moreno is starring in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story, which will debut in theaters in December of 2021. She currently stars on the remake of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom, One Day at a Time. 

Steven Canals Developing Drama Series “In The End” for ABC

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It’s the beginning of The End for Steven Canals…

ABC has put in development In The End, a drama from the 39-year-old Afro-Puerto Rican screenwriter, producer and Pose co-creator and his Story Ave. Productions, and 20th Century Fox Television, where Canals is under a deal.

Written and executive produced by Canals, the project centers on Kiona Brown, who, incapable of living life to the fullest, makes the only logical choice – to embrace death as an end-of-life doula. With an eclectic list of patients – including cancer survivor Mariana Cortez – Kiona soon discovers the secret to a new beginning is to embrace what happens…in the end.

Steven-Canals


In The End is among the first projects for Canals under his overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television.

Canals co-created and executive produces the Emmy– and Golden Globe-nominated and Peabody Award-winning drama series Pose, named one of the Best TV Programs of the Year by the American Film Institute in 2018 and 2019. It will return for a third season in 2020.

A 2015 graduate of UCLA’s MFA Screenwriting program, Canals began his journey as a storyteller in high school, producing the documentary short Turf Violence: What’s It All About?co-funded by HBO Family. He went on to earn a BA in Cinema, and a Masters in Student Affairs & Diversity from Binghamton University. While attending UCLA, Canals served as a Research Assistant at Hungry Jackal Productions. In 2016 Canals was a staff writer on Freeform’s Dead of Summer, the same year his short film, Afuera, premiered at the LA Film Festival.

He made his TV directorial debut with the eighth episode of the second season ofPose titled “Revelations.”

Fuse Acquires Rights to Immigration Documentary “Colossus” About Jamil Sunsin & His Family

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Jamil Sunsin’s oh-so-timely immigrant story is heading to the small screen… 

Fuse has acquired the broadcast and streaming rights to Campanario Entertainment’s immigration documentary Colossus, about the Honduran American teenager and his family.

Colossus,

At a time when children are being put in cages, families are being separated at the border and the president of the United States is degrading immigrants, Colossus is more relevant now than ever. 

The documentary, which made its premiere at DOC NYCin 2018, puts America’s treatment of immigrants and separation of families into perspective by following 15-year-old Jamil Sunsin and his struggle after his undocumented parents and older sister are deported to Honduras and they are separated. As the only U.S. citizen in his family, Sunsin finds himself alone in the country. After a visit to see his family, he navigates the personal turmoil caused by immigration policies affecting his parents and sister, the political realities in Honduras, and must decide whether to continue his education in America or return to Honduras to be with his family.

“From the moment that we met Jamil Sunsin, we knew we had to tell his story and that of his sister Mirka who was raised in the U.S. believing she was an American citizen,” said Jaime Dávila, the film’s executive producer and president of Campanario Entertainment. “Family separation and the root causes of the refugee crisis are major issues in our country today, and with Fuse bringing the Sunsin family’s experience to a wider audience we have an opportunity to advance this conversation as a community.”

The documentary, directed by Jonathan Schienberg, is set to make its broadcast premiere on February 26 as part of Fuse’s Peabody and Emmy award-winning Fuse Docs franchise.

Co-founded by Dávila, a former development executive at Bravo, and Jaime Dávila Sr., former TelevisaCOO and Univision President and Chairman, Campanario Entertainment develops and produces broad appeal scripted and unscripted content driven by Latinos and Latinas in front of and behind the camera. They are the company behind the forthcoming Selena: The Series and the Amazon Prime Original, Como Sobrevivir Soltero. They also produced the Bravo reality series Mexican Dynasties.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Among the High-Profile Guests on Apple’s New Biographical Docuseries “Dear….”

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Lin-Manuel Mirandais a realDear…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican composer, lyricist, singer, actor, producer, and playwright will appear on Apple’s new biographical docuseries Dear….

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Dear…takes an inventive and cinematic approach to biographies of the most iconic figures in society today by using letters written by those whose lives have been changed through their work. 

In addition to Miranda, widely known for creating and starring in the the Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton, the 10-episode series will profile internationally recognized leaders including Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem, Spike Lee, Yara Shahidi, Stevie Wonder, Aly Raisman, Misty Copeland, Big Bird and more.

The docuseries, inspired by Apple’s “Dear Apple” spots hails from Emmy and Peabody Award-winner RJ Cutler and Matador Content. The series will premiere globally this spring on Apple TV+.

The “Dear Apple” spots feature a mix of Apple Watch users who personally write a letter to thank the tech giant for the watch technology that has helped them live healthier lives. In one spot, a man notes how the watch’s SOS feature helped him call for help when he was injured in a car crash.

Soledad O’Brien Named to Peabody Board of Directors

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Soledad O’Brien is on board…

In an effort to advance the organization’s commitment to storytelling, Peabody has appointed six new members to its bicoastal board of directors, including the 53-year-old half-Afro-Cuban American journalist.

Soledad O'Brien

Joining O’Brien, a presenter on HBO’s Real Sportsand host of Hearst Television’s Matter Of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, on the board are Chris McCarthy, ViacomCBS’ newly appointed president of entertainment and youth brands, and ESPN’s executive vice president of content, Connor Schell.

NPReditorial director Nancy Barnesand UnivisionCommunications’ executive vice president of government and corporate affairs Jessica Herrera-Flaniganhave also joined the board.

The five executives will serve on Peabody’s East Coast board, with the sixth new arrival, CAApartner Steven Lafferty, joining the organization’s West Coast board.

The bicoastal boards are distinct from the traditional board of jurors, which hands out the Peabody Awards. Existing board members include Vicechief Nancy Dubuc, PBS CEO Paula Kergerand Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

Peabody executive director Jeffrey Jonessaid: “The intellectual capital and energy our boards bring is unparalleled, and we are excited to welcome these new members as they help us extend our reach through new partnerships and public engagements.”

Maria Elena Salinas Joins CBS News as a Contributor

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Maria Elena Salinas is headed to The Eye Network…

The 64-year-old Mexican American journalist, a longtime former Univision anchor, is joining CBS News as a contributor.

Maria Elena Salinas

Susan Zirinsky,CBS News President and senior executive producer, said Salinas will deliver reports for multiple broadcasts and platforms and will be a frequent presence in 2020 election coverage.

Salinas, called the “Voice of Hispanic America” by The New York Times, is best known for co-anchoring Univision’s flagship evening news program for more than 30 years. 

She has interviewed world leaders and covered a wide range of national and international events, netting multiple Emmys, a Peabody Awardand many others over the years. 

Since leaving Univision in 2017, she has hosted The Real Story with Maria Elena Salinas on Investigation Discoveryand covered the 2018 presidential election in Mexico for Telemundo.

“It is an honor to welcome Maria Elena Salinas to the CBS News team,” said Zirinsky. “We look forward to sharing her important voice and journalistic credentials with our audience in a critical time for this country.”

In 2016, Salinas reported for CBS Sunday Morningon the role Hispanics would play in that year’s election.

From 2001 to 2011, Salinas wrote a weekly syndicated column in both English and Spanish. She’s also the author of the 2006 autobiography, I Am My Father’s Daughter, Living a Life Without Secrets.

Salinas began her journalism career in 1981 as a reporter, anchor and public affairs host for KMEX-TV, Univision’s LA affiliate.

Soledad O’Brien Signs with ICM Partners

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Soledad O’Brien has new representation…

ICM Partners has signed the 52-year-old half-Cuban American broadcast journalist and her production company Starfish Media Group.

Soledad O’Brien

O’Brien, a former Weekend Today co-anchor, produces and anchors Hearst Television’s weekend political show Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien. She’salso a correspondent on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.

She also hosted and produced this year’s O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession and Who Shot Biggie and Tupac? for Fox along with Oxygen’s Mysteries and Scandals.

O’Brien is President and CEO of Starfish Media Group, a multiplatform media production company dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories on a range of social issues. Starfish Media produces short and feature-length documentaries and journalistic reports, including several projects with HBO, Hearst and Oxygen, among many others.

Her résumé also include working as an anchor, contributor and/or contributor for all of the Big 4 networks, along with PBS News Hourand CNN. She anchored morning news shows for the latter and produced documentaries including the Black in Americaand “Latino in America” series. She has three News and Documentary Emmys to her credit and Peabody Awardsfor covering Hurricane Katrinaand theBPoil spill. She also has authored a pair of books and serves on the board of directors of the Foundation for the National Archivesas well as the board of trustees for the Rand Corporation.