Shakira Barrera to Star in Greg Garcia’s IMDb TV Comedy “Sprung”

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Shakira Barrera has sprung…

The Nicaraguan-American actress/dancer and former GLOW star has joined the cast of Sprung, IMDb TV’s new single-camera comedy from My Name Is Earl, Raising Hope and The Guest Book creator Greg Garcia, 3 Arts and Amazon Studios.

Barrera joins a list of new cast additions that includes James Earl and newcomer Clare Gillies.

Barrera, Earl and Gillies join previous cast Garret Dillahunt, Illeana Douglas and Philip Garcia in the project, which follows an unlikely group of formerly incarcerated people who band together to use their criminal expertise for good,

Sprung follows Jack (Dillahunt), a convicted criminal who is determined to change course and reclaim his lost years after serving more than two decades in prison. With no place to live post-release, and a global pandemic bringing the world to a virtual standstill, Jack moves in with his former cellmate Rooster (Garcia), Rooster’s mom Barb (Douglas) and Jack’s former prison girlfriend Gloria. Bound by their marred past and unusual living circumstances, they decide to start righting some of society’s wrongs, targeting those people selfishly taking advantage of others during the pandemic.

Barrera will play Gloria, a college-educated scam artist who discovered her love for conning people at a young age.

Outside of acting, Barrera serves as a goodwill ambassador for organizations that specialize in humanitarian aid in Nicaragua.

Phillip Garcia to Star in Greg Garcia’s IMDb TV Comedy Series “Sprung”

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Phillip Garcia is getting sprung…

IMDb TV, Amazon’s free ad-supported streaming service, has given a formal series green light to Sprung, starring the Latino actor.

The single-camera comedy hails from My Name Is Earl, Raising Hope and The Guest Book creator Greg Garcia, 3 Arts and Amazon Studios.

Sprung, centered on an unlikely group of formerly incarcerated people who band together to use their criminal expertise for good, will also star Garret Dillahunt and Illeana Douglas.

Sprung follows Jack (Dillahunt), a convicted criminal who is determined to change course and reclaim his lost years after serving more than two decades in prison. With no place to live post-release, and a global pandemic bringing the world to a virtual standstill, Jack moves in with his former cellmate Rooster (Phillip Garcia), Rooster’s mom Barb (Douglas), and Jack’s former prison girlfriend Gloria. Bound by their marred past and unusual living circumstances, they decide to start righting some of society’s wrongs, targeting those people selfishly taking advantage of others during the pandemic.

“I couldn’t be more excited to start working with this talented cast and I’m very grateful to 3 Arts, Amazon Studios and IMDb TV for helping me bring this idea to life,” said Garcia. “The support and creative partnership with the folks at IMDb TV has been amazing and working with Garret Dillahunt again is an absolute treat. With any luck we’ll create something entertaining that gives the audience a few laughs and makes their day a little brighter.”

In conjunction with the pickup of Sprung, Garcia’s Emmy-winning NBC series My Name is Earl will join the IMDb TV library on May 1.

“I’m so proud of this show. Greg Garcia is one of the most talented people I know, and I feel so lucky to be working with him again,” said Dillahunt. “The world really needs a good laugh – and we’ve been working hard to that end.”

Phillip Garcia had notable guest starring roles in Criminal Minds, S.W.A.T. and Station 19.

Frankie Quinones to Star in Hulu’s Comedy Pilot “Punk Ass Bitch”

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Frankie Quinones is in a real punk…

The Mexican actor/comedian has been cast alongside Michelle Ortiz as series regulars in Punk Ass Bitch, Hulu’s half-hour comedy pilot starring up-and-coming comedian Chris Estrada and produced by ABC Signature.

Written by Estrada and Jake Weisman, Matt Ingebretson and Pat Bishop, with Jonathan Groff supervising, Punk Ass Bitch is based on Estrada’s comedy and reflects his Latino identity.

It’s inspired by Estrada’s life in South Central Los Angeles and nearby Inglewood, where, by his own recollection, he spent his formative years running from loose pit bulls, getting robbed, and geeking out over comic books and punk rock.

The series centers on Julio Lopez (Estrada), a punk-ass bitch with a heart of gold who goes out of his way to help everyone but himself. Inspired by the life and stand-up comedy of star, co-creator and real-life punk ass bitch Estrada, the cinematic half-hour comedy explores Julio’s attempts to better his community, overcome his codependency issues with his family and navigate working class life in South Central.

Quinones plays Luis, a tatted up gangster who’s just finished eight years in prison, tough, aggressive, macho, yet immature. He’s not just a hard ex-gangster, he’s someone who also has not grown up yet emotionally.

Ortiz portrays Maggie. Feisty, strong-willed and fierce, Maggie is Julio’s ex, and it’s clear that they still have a spark and hang out together even though they both drive each other crazy.

Estrada executive produces with Fred Armisen, Groff, under his overall deal at ABC Signature, Weisman, Ingebretson and Bishop.

The pilot will be directed by Bishop, who directed all episodes of the Comedy Central series Corporate. Bishop and his Corporate collaborators Weisman and Ingebretson will serve as showrunners.

Quinones was a series regular in TBS comedy series The Dress Up Gang. He also was a member of the voice cast in Victor & Valentino and guest-starred on The Guest Book, among other credits.

Ortiz was a series regular on MADtv. She was most recently seen in recurring roles in Gentefied and Tacoma F.D., and she previously guest-starred on Mom.

Netflix Releases Trailer for John Ortiz’s Geo-Political Thriller Series “Messiah”

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

John Ortizis ready to preach…

Netflix has set January 1 for the premiere of Messiah, starring the 51-year-old Puerto Rican actor.

The suspense geo-political thriller series, which has teased with the release of a new trailer, also stars Michelle Monaghan, Mehdi Dehbi, Tomer Sisley, Melinda Page Hamilton, Stefania LaVie Owen, Sayyid El Alami, Jane Adams, Wil Traval, Fares Landoulsi,Dermot Mulroneyand Beau Bridges.

“He’s come out of nowhere and we don’t know who he is.” So begins the trailer for Messiah, which lays out CIA officer Eva Geller’s (Monaghan) quest to determine the identity of this mysterious man, whose followers believe he’s performing miracles. Geller must race to determine whether he really is a divine entity or a deceptive con artist capable of dismantling the world’s geopolitical order. As the story unfolds, multiple perspectives are interwoven including that of an Israeli intelligence officer (Sisley), a Texas preacher (Ortiz) and his daughter (Owen), a Palestinian refugee (El Alami) and the journalist (Adams) who covers the story.

Messiah is created by Michael Petroni, directed by James McTeigueand Kate Woods, and executive produced by Petroni, McTeigue, Andrew Deane, Mark Burnettand Roma Downey.Ortiz’s recent credits include the films Ad Astra, Bumblebee and Peppermint, as well as television appearances on Mayans MC, The Guest

YouTube Star Johanna Colón to Star in Amazon Studios’ “Troupe Zero”

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Johanna Colón is zeroing in on a Hollywood career…

The 9-year-old Latina dancer and YouTube sensation has joined the cast of Amazon Studios’ Troupe Zero, which also stars Viola Davis, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Mike Epps and Mckenna Grace.

A tutu-wearing Colon stole the show at her school’s dance recital at the age of 6, while performing to Aretha Franklin’s Respect, in a YouTube video that went viral.

The film is being directed by Bert & Bertie from a script by Beasts of the Southern Wild scribe Lucy Alibar. While no details have been released about the story, Todd Black, who produced Fences, the film which earned Davis the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, is producing the project for Amazon.

Colón previously had a small, guest-starring role in TBS’ The Guest Book.

This time around, she plays a girls who never speaks but is a character known as Smash, a sidekick to another character named Hell-No. Smash is Hell No’s muscle, the lunch-stealing, bullying girl who joins a misfit Brownie troupe and then finds a sense of belonging.

Ortiz to Guest Star on TBS’ “The Guest Book”

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

John Ortiz has signed in…

The 48-year-old Puerto Rican actor will guest star on TBS’ The Guest Book, the new 10-episode comedy series from My Name Is Earl’s Greg Garcia.

The Guest Book emerged from Garcia’s habit of writing fictitious stories in the guest books of various rental cabins in an effort to freak out the next renters. Now he is bringing some of those stories to life on screen centering on the vacation home Froggy Cottage and its visitors. While the house and cast of characters living in this small mountain town remain the same, each episode will feature a different set of vacationing guests.

The anthology-style show, written by Garcia and executive produced by him and Alix Jaffe, will premiere in August.

It will star Kellie Martin (Army Wives), Charlie Robinson (Hart of Dixie), Aloma Wright (Suits), Carly Jibson (Broadway’s Hairspray), Lou Wilson (Tween Fest), Garret Dillahunt (The Mindy Project), Laura Bell Bundy (Scream Queens) and Eddie Steeples (My Name Is Earl).

Martin will play Officer Kimberly Leahy, who serves on the police force in the small mountain town of Mount Trace. Robinson is Wilfrid, an easygoing, friendly gentleman who manages a group of mountain rental cottages with his wife, Emma, played by recurring guest star Wright. Jibson is Vivian, a tough, strong-willed woman who runs a bikini bar called Chubbys with her stepson Frank, played by Wilson.

In addition to Ortiz, other guest stars include Danny Pudi (Community), Jenna Fischer (The Office), Tommy Dewey (The Mindy Project), Lauren Lapkus (Orange Is the new Black), Michaela Watkins (Casual), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Michael Rapaport (Sully), Kate Micucci (Raising Hope), Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl), Stockard Channing (The Good Wife), Andrew J. West (The Walking Dead), David Zayas (Gotham), Shannon Woodward (Westworld), Margo Martindale (The Good Wife) and Stephnie Weir (The Comedians).

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