Jenna Ortega To Serve as Presenter at This Week’s Golden Globes Awards Show

Posted on January 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jenna Ortega is preparing for an extra golden night…

The 20-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress will serve as a presenter at this year’s Golden Globes awards ceremony.

Ortega, who is a first-time nominee this year for her starring role in Netflix’s Wednesday, was among the latest list of presenters announced today.

But she isn’t the only Latinx talent to be added to the presenter’s list.

Harvey Guillén, who rose to acclaim in What We Do in The Shadows, and former Golden Globe-nominee Salma Hayek Pinault will also take the stage.

Other newly announced presenters include Jennifer Hudson, Claire Danes, Cole Hauser, Henry Golding, Hilary Swank, Glen Powell, Jay Ellis, Jennifer Coolidge, Letitia Wright, Mo Brings Plenty and Regina Hall.

Also participating on the telecast will be Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy, offering a special message of peace which will be introduced by actor Sean Penn.

They join the previously announced presenters, which include Ana De Armas, Ana Gasteyer, Colman Domingo, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Natasha Lyonne, Niecy Nash-Betts, Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tracy Morgan and Nicole Byer.

The Golden Globes are set to air live coast-to-coast on January. 10 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. PT/8:00-11:00 pm ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock.

Jerrod Carmichael will host the ceremony, which will held at the Globes’ usual home, the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Calif.

Eddie Murphy will be the recipient of the 2023 Cecil B. DeMille Award. Ryan Murphy will receive the Carol Burnett Award.

Carlos Valdes to Appear in Starz’s Watergate Drama “Gaslit”

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Valdes’ latest project is (gas)lit!

The 32-year-old Colombian actor and singer is set to appear opposite Julia Roberts and Sean Penn in Starz’s Watergate drama Gaslit.

Valdes will appear in a heavily recurring role alongside Patton Oswalt, Nat Faxon, Erinn Hayes, Patrick Walker and Raphael Sbarge.

Also joining in recurring roles are Anne Dudek, Chris Conner, Brian Geraghty, Nelson Franklin, Reed Diamond, Johnny Berchtold, Adam Ray and Billy Smith.

Based on the first season of the Slate podcast Slow Burn, Gaslit is a modern take on Watergate that focuses on the untold stories and forgotten characters of the scandal – from Richard Nixon’s bumbling, opportunistic subordinates to the deranged zealots aiding and abetting their crimes to the tragic whistleblowers who would eventually bring the whole rotten enterprise crashing down.

The story will center on Martha Mitchell (Roberts). A big personality with an even bigger mouth, Martha is a celebrity Arkansan socialite and wife to Nixon’s loyal Attorney General, John Mitchell (Penn). Despite her party affiliation, she’s the first person to publicly sound the alarm on Nixon’s involvement in Watergate, causing both the presidency and her personal life to unravel. As attorney general, Mitchell is Nixon’s most trusted adviser and best friend. Temperamental, foulmouthed and ruthless – yet hopelessly in love with his famously outspoken wife – he’ll be forced to choose between Martha and the president.

Valdes will portray Paul Magallanes, one of the FBI Agents assigned to the Watergate case. He and his partner, Angelo Lano (Chris Messina), come up against the full force of the White House as they investigate the events of June 1972.

The series is created and executive produced by Robbie Pickering. Matt Ross will direct and executive produce.

Valdez best known for his role as Cisco Ramon / Vibe on The CW television series The Flash and other Arrowverse-related projects.

Camila Cabello Among Celebrities Calling on Corporate America to Urge Congress to Support President Joe Biden’s Climate Plan

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Camila Cabello is urging the U.S. Congress to support President Joe Biden’s climate change plan…

While Democratic leadership tries to unite its progressive and moderate wings, a group of 80-plus artists, celebrities and activists, including the 24-year-old Cuban/Mexican singer, are calling on the leaders of Google, Disney, Amazon, Fox, Facebook to join them in urging Congress to support Biden’s Build Back Better plan.

The effort was spearheaded by the National Resources Defense Council Action Fund and Cabello, who convinced the sizable group of A-listers to speak out, specifically about the need to address climate change.

In addition to Cabello, signatories to the group letter included J.J. Abrams, Greg Berlanti, Cate Blanchett, Jack Antonoff, Don Cheadle, Ellen DeGeneres, Selena Gomez, Shakira, Chris Evans, Jimmy Kimmel, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Chuck Lorre, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sean Penn, Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Porter, Robert Redford, Ryan Reynolds, Shakira, Barbra Streisand, Wes Studi, Justin Timberlake, Kerry Washington and many more.

On Monday, a group of 17 Nobel Prize-winning economists also came out in support of Biden’s plan.

Manish Bapna, President and CEO of the NRDC Action Fund said, “These are the tastemakers of our time—and in moments like these they have an opportunity to be the changemakers, too. What started as an idea by Camila Cabello has exploded into a clarion call from entertainers overnight to take action. Congress holds in its hands our best chance at combating our biggest environmental challenge yet. We need all hands on deck to make sure they seize it, and these industry leaders can play a critical role in making sure that they do.”

In today’s initiative, the artists call out the following execs by name: Lincoln Benet at Access Industries (Warner Music Group), Sundar Pichai at Alphabet (Google, YouTube), Andy Jassy at Amazon, Tim Cook at Apple, John Stankey at AT&T (WarnerMedia), Brian Roberts at Comcast, David Zaslav at Discovery (and soon Warner Bros. Discovery), Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook, Lachlan Murdoch at Fox, Reed Hastings at Netflix, Kenichiro Yoshida at Sony, Robert Bakish at ViacomCBS, Arnaud de Puyfontaine at Vivendi (Universal Music Group) and Bob Chapek at Walt Disney.

“It’s no secret that climate change is here and is already affecting people’s lives across the globe,” wrote Cabello in her post on Instagram about the effort. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to act boldly to fight the climate crisis, so I am honored to join over 60 fellow artists to call on leaders of the entertainment industry to use their power and demand that Congress pass @potus’s #BuildBackBetter agenda this fall.”

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Here’s the full text of the letter and a list of its signatories:

Dear Entertainment Industry Executives:

Climate change has arrived on our doorstep: California is on fire, record-breaking and deadly storms are flooding New York City, hurricanes are devastating the Gulf. This summer alone, nearly one in every three people in the United States experienced an extreme weather event.

Scientists warn that if we fail to act now, every single one of us will feel the impacts, a billion people will be displaced, and low-income people and communities of color will continue to be hit first and worst. Right now, we have a critical window of opportunity to do something about it. And we need all hands on deck to demand that our leaders protect the people we love and the places they live before it’s too late.

Congress has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in a clean, just, and equitable future for all by passing the robust climate action that President Biden called for in his Build Back Better agenda. This legislation will create healthier communities, put millions to work in clean energy jobs, and free us from the fossil fuels that are driving climate change.

As the top leaders of the entertainment industry—one of the nation’s most powerful and influential business sectors—you are needed to lead our community’s call for action and embrace this vision for a better world. The entertainment community has a long, proud tradition of driving societal change. Our industry is already leading the charge toward more sustainable practices within our own businesses and productions. Now is the time to use your influence to shape our future.

Congress needs to hear you demand, unequivocally, that it put forward and pass the most ambitious climate change agenda in U.S. history.

The plan currently before Congress will protect people’s health and clean up our drinking water. It will create a just transition away from dirty fossil fuels and create millions of new jobs. It will protect communities from climate change through investments in clean energy, clean transportation, and infrastructure upgrades. And it will make sure we finally prioritize and invest in the low-income communities and communities of color that are hit hardest by both fossil fuel pollution and climate impacts.

This plan will create a stronger, brighter, and more just America—and we need you to help make this vision a reality.

At this pivotal moment, please lead the call. Demand publicly and loudly that our senators and representatives in Congress pass this critical legislation.

And we pledge to do our part as well. We will use our platforms to remind all Americans: Tell your senators and representatives in Congress that you demand climate action now. Advocate for Congress to take up the president’s climate agenda. And don’t stop there. Tweet. Post. E-mail. Call. Whatever it takes.

Sincerely,

J.J. Abrams
Anitta
Jack Antonoff
Troian Bellisario
Greg Berlanti
Cate Blanchett
Benny Blanco
Dave Burd aka “Lil Dicky”
Camila Cabello
Dove Cameron
Alessia Cara
Don Cheadle
Glenn Close
Coldplay
Jacob Collier
Lily Collins
James Corden
Ellen DeGeneres
Cara Delevingne
Leonardo DiCaprio
Zac Efron
Billie Eilish
Chris Evans
Jimmy Fallon
Finneas
Selena Gomez
Conan Gray
Grimes
Todrick Hall
Hugh Jackman
Jimmy Kimmel
Joey King
Liza Koshy
Lady Gaga
Cyndi Lauper
John Legend
Adam Levine
Kevin Liles
Dua Lipa
Lorde
Chuck Lorre
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Demi Lovato
Ziggy Marley
Shawn Mendes
Idina Menzel
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Sean Penn
Joaquin Phoenix
Billy Porter
Zachary Quinto
Addison Rae
Robert Redford
Ryan Reynolds
Mark Ronson
Kyra Sedgwick
Shakira
Lilly Singh
Troye Sivan
Barbra Streisand
Wes Studi
Ryan Tedder
Justin Timberlake
Kerry Washington
Sigourney Weaver
Shailene Woodley
Calum Worthy

Rita Moreno Dons ‘Vote’ Mask as Part of When We All Vote’s New ‘Get Out The Vote’ Campaign

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Rita Moreno isn’t masking her feelings about the importance of voting this year…

With the November election right around the corner, the 88-year-old Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actress and Latina icon is encouraging people to do their civic duty without uttering a single word.

Moreno is taking part in When We All Vote’s new campaign.

Director and producer Allen Hughes has brought together a wide range of artists, athletes, industry leaders, and notable community members wearing a “VOTE” face covering to inspire maximum voter participation.

Those taking part in this year’s mask campaign include Tony Bennett, Dr. Dre, Robert De Niro, Larry David, Megan Rapinoe, Sean Penn, David Crosby, Snoop Dogg, Diane von Furstenberg, Padma Lakshmi, Sterling K Brown, Tyler Oakley, Kevin Love, Ron Howard, Judd Apatow, Lindsey Vonn, Michael Keaton, Bryan Cranston, Sandra Oh, Steve Buscemi, Pamela Adlon, Christopher Poindexter, Rita Moreno, Iliza Shlesinger, and Deepak Chopra, along with healthcare worker Cady Chaplin.

“This is clearly an existential election year, and it’s critical that every eligible voter in every community engage in this election,” Hughes says. “The very soul of our nation is on the ballot November 3rd, 2020.”

Launched in 2018 by co-chairs Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monae, Chris Paul, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, When We All Vote uses a data-driven approach to increase participation in elections. The group focuseson increasing participation in every election while closing the race and age voting gap. The goal is to change the culture around voting, harnessing grassroots energy, and through strategic partnerships to reach every American.

In addition, Michelle Obama has added Selena Gomez, Liza Koshy, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda Rhimes, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kerry Washington, and Rita Wilson to this year’s co-chair list.

For more information on the organization and its new campaign, visit whenweallvote.org.

Telemundo Renews Kate del Castillo’s “La Reina del Sur” for Third Season

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Kate del Castillo’s reign will continue…

Telemundo has renewed La Reina del Sur for a third season with the 47-year-old Mexican actress set to reprise her iconic role as Teresa Mendoza.

“I love playing Teresa Mendoza and am proud of the success of La Reina del Sur, the series that unleashed a new genre in Spanish language television,” del Castillo said. “Each season, Teresa Mendoza’s character evolves and gets more interesting. She is a very human character with her own flaws and imperfections. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of fun playing her, and I’m curious to see what will happen in this new season. She’s a woman I learn from in every season and every episode, who continues to surprise me.”

The first season of the series, based on Arturo Perez-Reverte’s novel, launched in 2011 and returned for a second season in 2019.

The second season picked up eight years after the events of the season one finale with Mendoza pregnant and unsure of her future. When La Reina returns, it emerged that she’s disappeared into the U.S. Federal Witness Protection Program and is currently living in Italy under the name of Maria Dantes with her daughter Sofia.

Last year, del Castillo said she “hated” the fact that she had to have a double for Mexico-set scenes of the narco drama after she became a major player in the El Chapo saga, helping to set up a meeting between Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán and Sean Penn in 2015.

But she’ll now be able to return to Mexico if the series films there.

“La Reina del Suris a high-level production that has taken us to shoot all over the world season after season. But yes, if the story takes us to Mexico next season, I will be there. I’m so excited,” she added.

Showrunner Marco Santana, who’s also president of Telemundo Global Studios, said that the company was currently in the script and overall development phase of the new season.

“We are working with an incredible group of writers to bring to life the continuation of a thrilling and involved story that we are all very excited for,” he told Deadline. “We have filmed La Reina del Suraround the world. It’s a story that travels through different locations, and season three won’t be an exception. We are planning for, and are hopeful that, by the time we begin production in 2021, restrictions due to the coronavirus will have eased.”

The third season will start production early next year, as long as production can resume as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The third season will be a co-production between Telemundo Global Studios and Netflix; Telemundo holds rights in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, while the streamer airs the series globally.

La Reina del Suris Telemundo’s most successful ‘Super Series’, used to differentiate it from its traditional long-running telenovelas.

“It is the show that propelled the network to the top of the charts and kicked off Telemundo’s Super Series franchise as the most successful Super Series in the network’s history,” said Ronald Day, EVP, Entertainment, Telemundo Networks. “It was the show that redefined Hispanic media and set a new standard in our content offering. There is a tremendous fan base for the first two seasons and for Teresa Mendoza, the iconic character played by Kate del Castillo, so we knew we had to bring her back. This is a series that resonates with the new Latino of today who craves for contemporary cutting-edge narratives coupled with strong characters in a premium-level production. The first two seasons were wildly successful on linear and across all platforms, so as we continue to look at all new IP through an omnichannel lens, it made a lot of sense to bring La Reina back.”

“The return of La Reina del Surcomes at a great time when we continue to shape a new era in Hispanic media with content exclusively made for Latinos living in the US looking for culture-centric stories that are both American and Latino,” Day added.

Netflix to Premiere del Castillo’s “Ingobernable” in March

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Kate del Castillo is ungovernable…

Netflix will premiere the first season of its Mexican original series Ingobernable, starring the 44-year-old Mexican actress, on March 24.

del Castillo and Erik Hayser star as the First Lady and President of Mexico in the 15-episode fictional series set in the present-day.

del Castillo, a key player in the real-life saga of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, portrays First Lady Emilia Urquiza, a woman who has big plans to improve conditions for the country through her commitment to fighting for peace. She’s a woman with a strong personality, conviction and clear ideas that make her capable of doing anything. As Emilia starts to lose faith in her husband, President Diego Nava, she finds herself at a crossroads where she’ll need to find a way to deal with a great challenge and uncover the truth.

The presidential couple will be joined by their two children Maria Nava Urquiza (Alicia Jaziz) and Emiliano Nava Urquiza (Alessio Valentini).

Other cast members include Erendira Ibarra (Las Aparicio, Sense8, La Vida Inmoral de la Pareja Ideal), Luis Roberto Guzmán (El Pantera, Ladies Night), Fernando Luján (Mirada de Mujer, Todo por Amor), Marina de Tavira (El Señor de los Cielos, Capadocia), Marco Antonio Treviño (The 33, Las Aparicio), María del Carmen Farías (Hostile Border, Las Aparicio), Aida López (Frida, Capadocia), Alberto Guerra Ramos (Hasta que te Conocí, Siempre Tuya Acapulco), Harold Torres (Crónica de Castas, Sin Nombre), Maxi Iglesias (Dueños del paraíso, Velvet), Alvaro Guerrero (Amores Perros, The Mission), Diego Cadavid (The Snitch Cartel, Blind Alley), Tamara Mazarrasa Lopez (Camelia la Texana, Everybody’s Got Somebody…Not Me), Marianna Burelli (Paramédicos, El Torito), Hernan del Riego (Cantinflas, Fantasma), Jeirmarie Osorio Rivera (Celia, Fast Five), Mitzi Mabel Cadena (Capadocia, El Señor de los Cielos), and Pablo Astiazarán (La Última Mirada, Goes And Runs).

The series was originally set to shoot in Mexico, but plans changed and production was moved to the U.S. del Castillo had told ABC News last year she was afraid to go to Mexico for fear of being arrested and prosecuted after she had come under scrutiny from the Mexican government over her connection to the notorious Mexican drug lord Guzman, which led to her and actor Sean Penn’s infamous secret meeting with El Chapo while he was on the run following his escape from a Mexican prison. El Chapo was eventually re-captured and extradited to the U.S. last month to face charges connected to leading one of the world’s largest narcotics organizations.

del Castillo’s Netflix Series “Ingobernable” to Film in the U.S.

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Kate del Castillo’s latest project is heading north of the border…

Ingobernable, Netflix’s new original series toplined by the 43-year-old Mexican actress and telenovela star, is heading to production with a twist.

The series, whose star was a key player in the El Chapo saga, was originally slated to film in Mexico.

It will now shoot in the United States. According to Spanish-language reports citing del Castillo’s personal trainer, Ingobernable is expected to film in San Diego.

del Castillo, who recently became an U.S. citizen, lives in California and told ABC News in March that she is afraid to go to Mexico for fear of being arrested and prosecuted.

del Castillo has been under scrutiny by the Mexican government over her connection to notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, which led to her and actor Sean Penn’s infamous secret meeting with El Chapo while he was on the run following his daring escape from a Mexican prison.

“It’s a telenovela within a telenovela. It’s a strange turn of events for sure,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said at the height of the controversy in January, reaffirming the company’s commitment to film the series this year.

Ingobernable was picked up to series in summer 2015, long before del Castillo’s El Chapo ties were revealed. It was originally slated to begin shooting in early 2016, but production was delayed.

del Castillo to Discuss “El Chapo” Scandal with Geraldo Rivera on Fox News Channel

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Kate del Castillo is headed to Fox News Channel to talk about notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman…

The 43-year-old Mexican actress and telenovela star will sit down with Geraldo Rivera to discuss her relationship with Joaquin Guzman, better known as the head of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel, “El Chapo.”

The one-hour special, entitled Fox News Reporting: Beauty & the Beast – When Kate met Chapo, will air this coming Saturday.

del Castillo goes in-depth on how the two became pen-pals in addition to the secret meeting they later had with Sean Penn.

Also during this special, Rivera reports on Chapo’s pending extradition to the United States, the drug lord’s fascination with Donald Trump, the role the Mexican government has played, as well as the potential impact his incarceration will have on the drug epidemic in the United States.

Rivera also talks with former assistant special agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Special Operations Division for the Americas, Carl Pike.

Saturday’s 8:00 pm ET/PT special will be repeated Sunday at 9:00 pm ET/PT.

González Iñárritu to Receive Director of the Year Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu may have a little extra spring in his step after his latest award…

The 51-year-old Mexican film director will receive this year’s Director of the Year Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival‘s 26th annual Awards Gala on January 3.

Inarritu, who has said that Birdman is a semi-autobiographical project, has already received Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice nominations for his co-writing and direction of the project.

He previously received PSIFF‘s Director of the Year Award in 2007 for his work on Babel (2006).

Other previous recipients of the PSIFF prize include Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave (2013), Robert Zemeckis for Flight (2012), Stephen Daldry for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011), David O. Russell for The Fighter (2010), Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (2009), Sean Penn for Into the Wild (2007) and Alexander Payne for Sideways (2004).

“By creating the illusion that the film was shot in one take and directing award-worthy performances by Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone and a star-studded cast, Inarritu,” PSIFF chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement. “Inarritu has created a brilliant and original dark comedy.”

The film festival will run January 2-12.

First Trailer Released for Bardem & Sean Penn’s Action Thriller “The Gunman”

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Javier Bardem is back to his baddie ways…

The 45-year-old Spanish actor and Oscar winner goes head to head against Sean Penn in The Gunman, as witnessed in the film’s first official trailer.

In the film helmed by Taken director Pierre Morel, Penn stars as a former Special Forces soldier and military contractor suffering from PTSD. He tries to reconnect with his longtime love, but first must go on the run from London to Barcelona and across Europe in order to clear his name.

Bardem, who won an Academy Award for portraying a psychopathic assassin in No Country for Old Men, stars as Penn’s old associate, who isn’t about to let him walk serenely off into the sunset.

The action thriller is based on the Jean-Patrick Manchette novel The Prone Gunman.

In addition to Penn and Bardem, the film also stars Idris Elba, Ray Winstone and Mark Rylance.

Open Road Films will release The Gunman in theaters on March 20, 2015.

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