Aubrey Plaza to Appear in NBC’s Star-Studded Special “Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute”

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Aubrey Plaza is preparing to help honor a late comedy legend…

The 40-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and comedian will take part in an NBC special commemorating Joan Rivers, whose influence is still strong in the comedy world and pop culture at large more than a decade after her death

The star-studded special Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute will be broadcast on May 13 at 10:00 pm ET/PT, with an extended and uncensored version available the next day on Peacock, featuring today’s comedians putting their own topical spin on Rivers’ legendary cabinet of jokes.

The comedian passed away at the age 81 in 2014.

Filmed in November during the opening night of the 2024 New York Comedy Festival at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, the special features appearances, musical bits and stand-up comedy from the likes of Rachel Brosnahan, Margaret Cho, Nikki Glaser, Tiffany Haddish, Chelsea Handler, Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Maher, Howie Mandel, Joel McHale, Tracy Morgan, Patton Oswalt, Plaza, Sarah Silverman, Melissa Rivers, Jean Smart and Rita Wilson.

“Given that I’m dead, I assume someone will finally decide to honor me. Well, it’s about time,” said the late Joan in a letter she left for daughter Melissa Rivers.

“This tribute is everything my mother would have wanted — hilarious, unfiltered and filled with people she respected (and roasted). And as usual, she was still the funniest person in the room,” added Melissa in her own statement. “It’s incredibly moving to see so many iconic comedians come together to celebrate her legacy, especially the women whose careers she helped make possible by breaking down so many doors. I know she’d be thrilled to see how far things have come, and she’d still have notes. This is more than a tribute. It’s a reminder of the trail she blazed and the joy she brought to so many.”

Benefitting the charity God’s Love We Deliver, for which Rivers served on the Board of Directors, the special is executive produced by Melissa Rivers, Chris Convy, Erich Bergen and David Jammy on behalf of Done + Dusted. Michael Matuza is co-executive producer.

Demi Lovato’s Clean-Bandit Collaboration “Solo” Joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Demi Lovato has a billion reasons to celebrate…

The 31-year-old half-Mexican American actress/singer and Clean Bandit’s five-year-old duet “Solo” has become the newest member of YouTube’s Billion Views Club.

The electronic dance track’s music video has been watched more than one billion times on the video platform since it was uploaded in May 2018.

The wide-lens project finds Lovato, whose vocals are featured on the song, singing to the camera in between shots of Clean Bandit’s Jack and Luke Patterson cooking up a mysterious drug in a basement lab underneath a laundromat.

At the end, a patron played by Clean Bandit’s Grace Chatto tests out the drug on her boyfriend — who promptly turns into a rainbow-colored dog.

“Since you been gone/ I’ve been dancing on my own,” Lovato sings. “There’s boys up in my zone/ But they can’t turn me on.”

“Solo” bowed at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 about a month after it first debuted on the chart in July 2018. It was also that year’s most searched song on Shazam, with Nicky Jam and J Balvin’s “X” and Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa’s “One Kiss” following close behind in second and third place.

The song soared to No. 48 on the Streaming Songs chart in August 2018, showing 14 percent streaming gains that month. Shortly prior to the spike, Lovato was hospitalized due to a near-fatal overdose.

The “Cool for the Summer” singer is currently gearing up to release A Very Demi Holiday Special on Roku. The December 8 program will feature live performances from Lovato as well as guest appearances from Paris Hilton, Tiffany Haddish and Trixie Mattell.

New Trailer Released for Demi Lovato’s “A Very Demi Holiday Special” Featuring Trixie Mattel, Paris Hilton & More

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’ll be an eclectic holiday season for Demi Lovato.

The latest trailer has been released for the 31-year-old half-Mexican American singer and actress’ upcoming Roku special titled A Very Demi Holiday Special.

As seen in the clip, Lovato is bringing together some of her celebrity friends for a jolly ol’ time.

The one-minute clip shows Lovato baking with Paris Hilton, learning The Nutcracker ballet with Trixie Mattel, making ugly sweaters with Tiffany Haddish and singing with JoJo.

The special will air on the Roku Channel on Dec. 8.

During the OBB Pictures-produced special, you can expect to hear songs such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Jingle Bell Rock” and a surprise duet, as well as a some of Lovato’s original hits.

Later in the month, Lovato is welcoming 2024 with a New Year’s Eve concert at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on Sunday (Dec. 31) at 10:30 pm PT. She is fresh off the release of her Revamped album, which featured rock reimaginings of some of her greatest hits including “Skyscraper,” “Give Your Heart a Break,” “La La Land,” “Sorry Not Sorry” and more.

Demi Lovato to Welcome A-List Celebrities on Roku’s “A Very Demi Holiday Special”

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Demi Lovato is preparing to get people into the holiday spirit… And, she’s invited some A-list celebrities to help.

The 31-year-old half-Mexican American singer, songwriter and actress is hosting a Roku special titled A Very Demi Holiday Special with her star-studded lineup of celebrity friends, including Paris Hilton, Trixie Mattel, Hailey Bieber, Tiffany Haddish and JoJo.

The show will air on the Roku Channel on December 8, with more special guests to be announced in the coming weeks.

During the OBB Pictures-produced special, you can expect to hear songs such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Jingle Bell Rock” and a surprise duet, as well as a some of Lovato’s original hits.

If you have Roku, then you can tune in to the special through the Roku channel.

Later in the month, Lovato is welcoming 2024 with a New Year’s Eve concert at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on Sunday, December 31 at 10:30 pm PT.

Lovato is fresh off the release of her Revamped album, which featured rock reimaginings of some of her greatest hits including “Skyscraper,” “Give Your Heart a Break,” “La La Land,” “Sorry Not Sorry” and more.

Disney+ to Begin Streaming Rosario Dawson’s “Haunted Mansion” in October

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Rosario Dawson’s latest film will be bringing the fright to Disney+ soon.

Haunted Mansion, starring the 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist, will begin streaming on Disney+ on October 4.

The feature, inspired by the famed theme park ride at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland, opened in theaters on July 28.

Directed by Justin Simien and penned by Katie Dippold, the film tells the story of a woman (Dawson) and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help them rid their home of supernatural squatters.

In addition to Dawson, the cast includes LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Chase W. Dillon and Daniel Levy, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto as The Hatbox Ghost.

The film also will be available at digital retailers on October 4, including Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu.

Disney Releases New Trailer for Rosario Dawson’s “Haunted Mansion”

Posted on July 18, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

More Haunted moments from Rosario Dawson…

Disney has released a new trailer for Haunted Manson, starring the 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist.

“When my son and I moved in here, it wasn’t as warm as we’d hoped,” says Dawson’s character Gabbie.

Directed by Justin Simien, the film follows a woman (Dawson) and her son (Chase W. Dillon) who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters. “It’s time to assemble the Dream Team,” we are told.

LaKeith Stanfield plays a paranormal tour guide, Tiffany Haddish is a psychic, Owen Wilson is a priest, and Danny DeVito is a historian. Daniel Levy also stars, along with Jamie Lee Curtis as the disembodied Madame Leota and Jared Leto as the Hatbox Ghost — and all get some screen time in the new trailer.

Fans of the longtime Disney ride — it opened in 1969 at Disneyland and two years later at Walt Disney World — will recognize the eerie hallways, the stretching room, the ghostly ballroom and the creepy house itself.

“You’re all in for a treat.”

Katie Dippold wrote the Haunted Mansion script, Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are the producers, and Nick Reynolds and Tom Peitzman serve as executive producers.

Disney earlier had planned to open the filmon March 10, but now it is set to hit theaters on July 28.

Disney Releases Teaser Trailer for Rosario Dawson’s “Haunted Mansion”

Posted on March 4, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Rosario Dawson is ready to thrill…

Disney has released the teaser trailer for Haunted Mansion, its theme park attraction-turned-creepy comedy adventure film starring the 43-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist.

Justin Simien directs a cast that includes LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Dawson, Chase W. Dillon and Dan Levy, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto. Kate Dippold wrote the script.

The plot centers on a woman (Dawson) and her son (Dillon) who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters.

The opening shot of the trailer and some hat(box)-tips inside the house will be familiar to all who have been to Disneyland, and the comic-fright balance seems right especially thanks to the vibe put out by Stanfield and Wilson, with Roy Orbison’s “House Without Windows” playing in the background.

Simien introduced the film originally last summer at Comic-Con, where fans saw a fuller trailer for the film based on the ride that debuted at Disneyland in 1969 with characters including Madame Leota, the skeletal Bride and the cloaked Hatbox Ghost. Eddie Murphy starred in a 2003 movie version.

“For me, there was something about that ride I felt was there in the [new] script,” said Simien, who worked at Disneyland one summer and said Haunted Mansion was his favorite ride. “It was funny and full of interesting characters, but with a dark edge to it. I just related to it. It felt I knew how to make it. I love New Orleans and I felt I had a responsibility here to make sure all the little Easter eggs are there.”

Haunted Mansion will hit theaters on July 28.

CBS Developing Latinx Family Workplace Comedy “Family Insurance” Co-Written & Starring Al Madrigal

Posted on November 22, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Al Madrigal is lowering his deductible …

Eric Christian Olsen’s Cloud Nine Productions has sold Family Insurance, co-written by and starring the 51-year-old half-Mexican American comedian, writer, actor and producer, to CBS.

The network is developing the single-camera Latinx family workplace comedy into a series.

Co-written and executive produced by Madrigal and Ryan Walls, who also have deals at CBS Studios, as well as Adam Lowitt, Family Insurance is a Latinx family workplace comedy revolving around Al Fuentes (Madrigal) who after separating from his wife reluctantly returns to his childhood home to work at the family insurance business that his loud, tough, first generation immigrant father started.

Madrigal is known for his role as Senior Latino Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He was also a series regular and writer on Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here, and served as a writer, actor, and producer on the CBS show, Broke.

Madrigal’s film credits include The Way Back with co-star Ben Affleck, Night School alongside Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, and Morbius opposite Jared Leto.

Tubi Renews La La Anthony’s Adult Animated Comedy “The Freak Brothers” for Second Season

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

La La Anthony has more Freak moments in her future…

Tubi has given a Season 2 renewal to The Freak Brothers, featuring the 39-year-old television personality, author, businesswoman, producer and actress, for premiere in December.

The streaming service has ordered eight episodes of the adult animated comedy – its first animated original series – based on Gilbert Shelton’s cult classic underground comic.

In addition to Anthony, its all-star voice cast includes Woody Harrelson, John Goodman, Pete Davidson, Tiffany Haddish, Adam Devine, Blake Anderson, Andrea Savage and rapper ScHoolboy Q. They are all returning for the second season.

The series’ renewal follows strong viewership for season 1, which the streamer says delivered nearly twice as many viewers as the No. 2 series on the platform in its first seven weeks (November 14-January 3).

Based on Shelton’s The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, the series chronicles the escapades of a trio of stoner anti-establishment characters and their cat who wake up from a 50-year nap after smoking a magical strain of weed in 1969, and must adjust to life with a new family in present-day San Francisco.

“We’re excited to bring back our favorite trio of Freaks – and their trippy pet Kitty – for another wild season,” said Adam Lewinson, Chief Content Officer, Tubi. “The Freak Brothers has received overwhelming reception since its debut in November and has been a key driver in our growing adult comedy offering, cementing Tubi as a destination for adult animation.”

Produced by WTG Enterprises and distributed by Lionsgate, The Freak Brothers is executive produced by Courtney Solomon and Mark Canton, along with showrunners Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland.

“We’re thrilled to embark on another even more freaky trip with Adam Lewinson, Rachel Koehler and the fantastic teams at Tubi, Fox and Lionsgate. And we’re most excited for our fans to twist one up and enjoy Season Two,” said EP Solomon.

Critiquing the Establishment, while satirizing counterculture at the same time, Shelton’s comics sold more than 45 million copies in 16 languages. Starburns Industries and Pure Imagination Studios, the studios behind Rick & Morty and The Simpsons: Brick Like Me, handled the animation for Season One.

“We’re pleased to continue our ‘trip’ with Fox and Tubi on a hilarious second season of The Freak Brothers,” said Lionsgate President of Domestic Television Distribution Ryan Lowerre. “With a fresh and inventive spin for their second season, Freewheelin’ Franklin, Fat Freddy, Phineas T. Phreakers and Kitty are ready to continue to grow the show’s audience.”

Anuel AA to Compete in NBA All-Star Celebrity Game

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Anuel AA is ready to play ball…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican rapper/singer will compete in next week’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

Anuel AA, who is a sponsor of Women’s National Superior Basketball League in Puerto Rico, will join Machine Gun Kelly, Jack Harlow and Quavo to showcase their ball skills.

Others set to compete include Kane Brown, Jimmie Allen, Tiffany Haddish, Ranveer Singh, Nyjah Huston, and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb.

Quavo, a founding member of rap trio Migos, is a veteran of the run-and-gun “Celebrity” game, with four previous appearances under his belt.

The two teams will line up next Friday (Feb. 18) at Wolstein Center in Cleveland, and are respectively coached by retired NBA superstars Dominique Wilkins and Bill Walton.

The all-celebrity exhibition game has been regular fixture in the annual NBA All-Star Weekend since 2003, and will be televised and streamed by ESPN from 7 p.m. ET.

DJ Khaled and friends will headline the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night performances, with his support crew to be unveiled in the days ahead.

The All-Star Celebrity Game lineups are below:

Team Walton
Jimmie Allen (singer, songwriter)
Noah Carlock (Fanatics All-In Challenge Winner)
Brittney Elena (host, actress, athlete and model)
Machine Gun Kelly (singer, songwriter)
Dearica Hamby (Las Vegas Aces forward)
Nyjah Huston (Olympian, professional skateboarder)
Matt James (ABC’s The Bachelor)
Quavo (rapper, recording artist)
Ranveer Singh (actor)
Alex Toussaint (Peloton instructor)

Team Nique
Anuel AA (rapper)
Mayor Justin Bibb (Mayor of Cleveland)
Kane Brown (singer, songwriter)
Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns defensive end)
Booby Gibson (Cleveland Cavaliers legend)
Tiffany Haddish (comedian, actress and author)
Jack Harlow (rapper, recording artist)
Crissa Jackson (Harlem Globetrotters player)
Anjali Ranadivé (singer, songwriter)
Gianmarco Tamberi (Olympic high jump champion)

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

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