Pitbull to Perform on NBC’s Today Show

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Mr. 305 is heading to 30 Rock…

Pitbull will appear on NBC’s Today on Monday, March 31 as part of the morning show’s spring concert series.

The 33-year-old Cuban American rap superstar, who recently earned a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his Ke$ha collaboration “Timber,” will perform live.

“I fell in love with hip-hop because to me it was therapy,” Pitbull tells The Hollywood Reporter, who recently appeared on the cover of the entertainment magazine. “I could listen to [someone] and go, ‘This is happening in his neighborhood, too?’ It became my way of getting things off my chest without having to do it physically.”

On Twitter, Pitbull announced that he’ll perform “Wild Wild Love” off of his latest album, Global Warming: Meltdown, on Monday.

Mars Perfoms “Welcome Back” on “Rio 2” Soundtrack

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars isn’t just voicing a character in Rio 2… He’s also performing a single on the animated film’s soundtrack.

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer performs the track “Welcome Back” on Rio: Music From the Motion Picture, which will be released by Atlantic Records.

In addition to Mars’ single, the soundtrack to the animated musical comedy will include musical numbers from Grammy winner Janelle Monáe; Barbatuques, Andy Garcia and Rita Moreno; and Carlinhos Brown and Nina De Freitas.

It will also include songs from the voice cast, including Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Kristin Chenoweth and Jesse Eisenberg

Rio: Music From the Motion Picture will be available March 25.

The family-friendly feature returns to Brazil ahead of this summer’s World Cup, with Hathaway, Eisenberg, Foxx and will.i.am reprising their roles as a few of Rio’s colorful feathered inhabitants.

New additions include The X Factor finalist Rachel Crow and NBC Today show news anchor and South American native Natalie Morales.

The story will follow Blu (Eisenberg), a neurotic blue macaw, and Jewel (Hathaway), his free-spirited mate, as well as their three kids. The conflict of the film arises when Jewel expresses her desire to raise the chicks in the Amazon as “real birds” rather than in their current domesticated environment.

Rio 2 hits theaters April 11.

Here’s the complete track listing:

“What Is Love” by Janelle Monae
“Rio Rio” by Ester Dean feat. B.O.B.
“Beautiful Creatures” by Barbatuques, Andy Garcia and Rita Moreno
“Welcome Back” by Bruno Mars
“O Vida” by Carlinhos Brown and Nina De Freitas
“It’s a Jungle Out Here” [Brazilian] by Philip Lawrence feat. Uakti
“Don’t Go Away” by Anne Hathaway and Falvia Maia feat. Uakti
“Batucada Familia” by Carlinhos Brown, Siedah Garrett, Jamie Foxx, Rachel Crow, Amy Heidemann, Andy Garcia and Rita Moreno
“Poisonous Love” by Kristin Chenoweth and Jemaine Clement
“I Will Survive” by Jemaine Clement and Kristin Chenoweth
“Bola Viva” by Carlinhos Brown
“Favo De Mel” by Milton Nascimento
“It’s a Jungle Out Here” by Philip Lawrence
“What is Love” by Janelle Monae, Anne Hathaway, Jessie Eisenberg, Jamie Foxx and Carlinhos Brown

Pope Francis Named Time Magazine’s 2013 Person of the Year

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Despite a strong challenge from Miley Cyrus and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Pope Francis has been named Time magazine’s 2013 Person of the Year.

The 76-year-old Argentinean newly elected pontiff who’s made headlines for his humility, nicknamed “The People’s Pope,” was the individual Time editors decided had the most impact on the world and the news — for better or worse — over the past year.

In explaining the magazine’s choice on Wednesday’s Today, Time managing editor Nancy Gibbs said the pope is “someone who has changed the tone and perception and focus of one of the world’s largest institutions in an extraordinary way.

“So much of what he has done in his brief nine months in office has really changed the tone that is coming out of the Vatican,” Gibbs added. “He is saying, ‘We are about the healing mission of the church, and not about the theological police work that had maybe been preoccupying us.’ ”

Francis is the third pope to be awarded Time‘s Person of the Year honor. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said in a statement read on Today that “the Holy Father is not looking to become famous or to receive honors. But if the choice of Person of Year helps spread the message of the gospel — a message of God’s love for everyone — he will certainly be happy about that.”

NSA leaker Edward Snowden ranked second on Time‘s list, but some are saying that he should have received the top spot. Other runners-up included gay rights activist Edith Windsor, whose Supreme Court victory led to the demise of the Defense of Marriage Act, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Cyrus and Bezos both made Time‘s shortlist, revealed on Monday’s Today, as did 2012 winner President Barack Obama, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Viqueira Named White House Correspondent for Al Jazeera America

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Michael Viqueira is headed to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…

The half-Spanish American journalist has been named the White House correspondent for Al Jazeera America, which is prepares to launch this year.

Working from the news organization’s D.C. bureau, Viqueira will cover White House daily press briefings, all presidential events and trips and other White House news and events.

“Michael Viqueira is a seasoned national correspondent with deep experience covering Washington politics,” said Ehab Al Shihabi, Executive Director of International Operations for Al Jazeera and the senior executive in charge of developing Al Jazeera America.

“Every political activity in the Capitol has an impact on the average American and his knowledge and extensive network of contacts will allow him to dig deeper to bring important news and information to light for the American public.”

Viqueira, a two-time News Emmy winner for his coverage of the financial crisis and 2008 elections, most recently reported from the White House for NBC’s Today, Nightly News, NBC Radio, MSNBC and MSNBC.com.

“This is a great opportunity, both because of Al Jazeera America’s commitment to the kind of straight-forward, hard-nosed journalism that all good reporters value, and because it’s tremendously exciting to be building something that will fill today’s critical need for real, unfiltered and fact-based news,” said Viqueira.

Arrarás to Co-Host Noticiero Telemundo with José Díaz-Balart

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

María Celeste Arrarás will be pulling double duty at Telemundo…

The network has named the 52-year-old Puerto Rican journalist and television host as the co-anchor of Noticiero Telemundo.

Arrarás, an Emmy-winning journalist, will co-anchor the newscast with current host José Díaz-Balart.

The addition of Arrarás is the latest development in a strategy that has consolidated Noticiero Telemundo as the national newscast with the fastest growing audience on both Spanish and English-language television.

Arrarás will also continue hosting the news magazine show Al Rojo Vivo con María Celeste.

“María Celeste will contribute her years of experience and knowledge to Noticiero Telemundo,” said Sylvia Rosabal, Senior Vice President of Network News at Telemundo. “Noticiero Telemundo is known for offering truly relevant information to the Hispanic community. Viewers feel a close connection to María Celeste that will strengthen the special ties we have to our audience.”

Arrarás is considered one of the most respected journalists in Hispanic television. Since beginning her career in her native Puerto Rico, she has reported on some of the most important events in recent history for networks like Telemundo and Univisión. Her career transcends Spanish-language television to include nationwide programming like NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today and Dateline.

“I am very excited to officially join ‘Noticiero Telemundo,’” said Arrarás. “I began my career in journalism reporting on local and international stories and traveling around the world to cover the news. This move marks a return to something I have in my blood: straight and objective reporting of the news.”

Noticiero Telemundo airs Monday through Friday at 6:30 pm EST.

Lovato Leads the Pack of Latino People’s Choice Award Nominees

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Multi-hyphenate Demi Lovato is the people’s Latina pop princess…

The 20-year-old part-Mexican American singer, actress and The X Factor judge has picked up three People’s Choice Awards nominations, the most of any Hispanic artist.

Lovato, who picked up her first MTV Video Music Award earlier this year, is nominated for Favorite Pop Artist. She’ll face off against Adele, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and P!nk.

The former Disney Channel star has also been nominated for Favorite Celebrity Judge for her new role on Fox’s singing competition, along with The Voice’s Christina Aguilera and American Idol’s Jennifer Lopez, as well as The X Factor’s Britney Spears and The Voice’s Adam Levine.

In addition, Lovato will face off against her former Disney Channel co-star Selena Gomez in the Favorite Music Fan Following category. Lovato’s Lovatics and Gomez’s Selenators will compete against Bieber’s Beliebers, One Direction’s Directioners and Katy Perry’s KatyCats.

Other Hispanic nominees include Cameron Diaz, Sofia Vergara, Lea Michele, Today’s Natalie Morales, Pitbull and Bruno Mars.

Voting is currently underway in all 48 categories and will end on December 13.

The show, hosted by The Big Bang Theory‘s Kaley Cuoco for the second year in a row, will be broadcast live by CBS on January 9, 2013.

Here’s a look at the Latinos in the running for this year’s People’s Choice Awards:

FAVORITE COMEDIC MOVIE ACTRESS

Cameron Diaz
Emily Blunt
Jennifer Aniston
Mila Kunis
Reese Witherspoon

FAVORITE COMEDIC TV ACTRESS

Jane Lynch
Kaley Cuoco
Lea Michele
Sofia Vergara
Zooey Deschanel

FAVORITE DAYTIME TV HOST

The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen DeGeneres
Good Morning America, George Stephanopoulos, Josh Elliott, Lara Spencer, Robin Roberts, Sam Champion
Live with Kelly & Michael, Kelly Ripa & Michael Strahan
The Today Show, Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, Matt Lauer, Natalie Morales,
The View, Barbara Walters, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Whoopi Goldberg

FAVORITE CELEBRITY JUDGE

Adam Levine
Britney Spears
Christina Aguilera
Demi Lovato
Jennifer Lopez

FAVORITE POP ARTIST

Adele
Demi Lovato
Justin Bieber
Katy Perry
P!nk

FAVORITE HIP HOP ARTIST

Drake
Flo Rida
Jay-Z
Nicki Minaj
Pitbull

FAVORITE R&B ARTIST

Alicia Keys
Beyoncé
Bruno Mars
Rihanna
Usher

FAVORITE MUSIC FAN FOLLOWING

Beliebers, Justin Bieber
Directioners, One Direction
KatyCats, Katy Perry
Lovatics, Demi Lovato
Selenators, Selena Gomez

Click here for the complete list of nominees and to vote for your favorites.

Aguilera to Perform on NBC’s Hurricane Sandy Benefit Telethon

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast, Christina Aguilera is stepping up to help.

The 31-year-old half-Ecuadorian American singer and The Voice coach, who was born in Staten Island, will perform at Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together, a one-hour live benefit telethon organized by the networks of NBCUniversal — including NBC, Bravo, CNBC, E!, G4, MSNBC, Style, Syfy and USA.

Hosted by Today anchor Matt Lauer, the telethon will be broadcast from NBC’s the New York studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It’ll air live across the East Coast and tape-delayed on the West. Additional networks could join the broadcast of the telethon prior to airtime.

Along with Aguilera, the list of performers includes: Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Sting. Additionally, the telethon will feature appearances by Jimmy Fallon and NBC News’ Brian Williams.

Money collected will be donated to the American Red Cross relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together will be broadcast live on Friday, November 2 at 8:00 pm ET.

To donate, people can visit http://www.redcross.org/, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Lochte to Appear on a Reality TV Show?

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Now that he’s set his sights on competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, is Ryan Lochte preparing to learn the samba in front of a national audience?

The 28-year-old half-Cuban American swimmer, who picked up five medals at the2012 Olympic Games, appeared on Good Morning America this week and was asked if he’d rather appear on ABC’s The Bachelor or Dancing With the Stars?

Lochte’s pick: ballroom or babes!

“It’s a competition, and I have that competitive edge in me,” explained Lochte, who plans to move to Los Angeles now that the Olympics have come and gone.

Teammate Michael Phelps has also said he’d be interested in Dancing with the Stars, according to Us Weekly. So maybe they’ll soon get to face-off on the dance floor.

“Ryan would make the perfect next Bachelor. … He has the ‘it’ factor. Especially after his mother’s one-night-stand comment, everyone wants to know who is the real Ryan and what would it be like to date him,” a media expert told HuffPost. “Forget dancing shows — this guy should be doing dating shows, for sure.”

Meanwhile, according to the The Hollywood Reporter, Lochte’s agent says the Olympian has three offers for a reality show on the table.

If he did one, he promised GMA it would be unusual. “It wouldn’t be your normal reality TV show because I’m definitely not your normal guy.”

Today’s Matt Lauer followed up on the reality question on Friday and Lochte replied, “I’m definitely looking towards Dancing With the Stars and The Bachelor, so we’ll see what happens. I definitely want to move to L.A. That’s been a big goal of mine, getting into fashion because that is my passion. I definitely want to get into fashion and design my own clothing line.”

It’s Official… Lopez Not Returning to American Idol

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It’s the end of an era… Jennifer Lopez won’t be returning to spot at the judges table on American Idol next season.

Just a day after Steven Tyler announced he wouldn’t be returning as a judge, the 42-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actress called into On Air with Ryan Seacrest to confirm that she would not be returning to Fox’s hit reality singing competition.

Lopez hinted at the news on the Today show yesterday, but now her exit appears to be a done deal.

“It’s been a long process…I’ve really been torn,” Lopez told Idol host Ryan Seacrest. “Something has to give.”

Lopez chatted with Seacrest about the decision process for a tad, before finally saying, “The time has come for me to get back to the other things that I do… We had an amazing run.”

Lopez seemed open to returning as a mentor, but said she couldn’t commit to being there full time.

The news comes as People magazine reports that Mariah Carey is in serious talks to join the Idol judges panel. Other names being tossed around include Fergie and Adam Lambert.

Listen to Seacrest and Lopez’s full chat on Ryan Seacrest’s website.

Lopez Not Returning as “American Idol” Judge?

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” must be playing on repeat in Jennifer Lopez’s mind…

After two seasons serving as a beloved judge on American Idol, the 42-year-old Puerto Rican superstar is said to be parting ways with Fox’s hit reality singing competition.

While no official announcement has been made as to season 12’s judging panel, Lopez herself strongly hinted that she wouldn’t be back for a third year.

“Little by little I’m making up my mind,” Lopez told Today’s Natalie Morales during an interview Thursday to discuss her role in Ice Age: Continental Drift. “I love everybody, I love the guys [Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and host Ryan Seacrest], but I am thinking it’s time for me to go and do other things I love to do like films.”

Loopz, currently on tour with Enrique Iglesias, says she’s ready to return to the projects she put off when inking a one-year deal with Idol in 2010.

“It’s a huge decision, but I have to say there are so many things I do that I put on hold for that,” explained Lopez, who was recently nominated for an ALMA Award for her work on Idol. “It’s a heartbreaking decision if I have to go.”

While no official casting announcement has been made, a source tells Us Weekly there is no way Lopez could return to Idol, given her hectic touring calendar, which conflicts with Idol‘s initial filming dates.

“There is just too much going on for her right now,” says a Lopez insider. “She regrets she can’t stay on the show. It’s been an incredible experience and she is forever grateful that she did it.”

Among those said to be in the running to replace Lopez at the judges’ desk: Fergie, Mariah Carey, and season 8’s Idol runner-up Adam Lambert.

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