Bufoni to Appear at the 2016 Kids’ Choice Sports Awards

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Leticia Bufoni is ready to Kid around…

The 23-year-old Brazilian professional street skateboarder is among several top athletes who’ve signed on to take part in the 2016 Kids’ Choice Sports Awards.

Bufoni, who became the only female athlete to win three X Games gold medals in the same year back in 2013, is nominated in the Queen of Swag category.

In addition to Bufoni, other top athletes set to participate include Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

In addition, Nickelodeon has lined up Nick Cannon, along with several other top athletes, to hit the stage at UCLA‘s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Also taking part are Curry’s Warriors teammate Klay Thompson and fellow NBA pro Iman Shumper (Cleveland Cavaliers); NFL players Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Von Miller (Denver Broncos); MLB player Prince Fielder (Texas Rangers); NHL player Tyler Toffoli (Los Angeles Kings); Triple Crown-winning jockey Victor Espinoza (American Pharoah); professional snowboarder Jamie Anderson; and professional skateboarder Tony Hawk.

The awards show is set to tape Thursday and will air from 8:00-9:30 pm ET/PT on July 17.

Seattle Seahawks two-time Super Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson will return as host, and retired NBA star Kobe Bryant is set to receive the Legend Award.

Alexa PenaVega & Carlos PenaVega to Compete on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega are ready to pasodoble their way into the television history books.

The 27-year-old half-Colombian American actress and her 26-year-old actor/singer husband will compete on Season 21 of Dancing with the Stars.

The PenaVega’s are the first-ever married contestants to face-off against each other on ABC’s celebrity ballroom dancing competition.

Alexa will be partnered with professional dancer Mark Ballas, while has been matched up with Witney Carson.

But they’re not the only Latinos breaking out their dancing shoes this upcoming season…

ESPY Award winner Victor Espinoza is jockeying into position in his own quest to claim the show’s highly coveted mirrorball trophy.

The 43-year-old Mexican jockey, who rode American Pharoah to Triple Crown greatness earlier this year, has been paired up with Karina Smirnoff.

Other contestants on this season of Dancing with the Stars include Paula Deen, Tamar Braxton, Chaka Khan and Nick Carter.

Here’s the full list of the contestants and their pro dancer partners:

Alexa PenaVega partnered with Mark Ballas
Andy Grammer partnered with Allison Holker
Bindi Irwin partnered with Derek Hough
Carlos PenaVega partnered with Witney Carson
Chaka Khan partnered with Keo Motsepe
Gary Busey partnered with Anna Trebunskaya
Hayes Grier partnered with Emma Slater
Kim Zolciak Biermann partnered with Tony Dovolani
Nick Carter partnered with Sharna Burgess
Paula Deen partnered with Louis van Amstel
Tamar Braxton partnered with Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Victor Espinoza partnered with Karina Smirnoff
Alek Skarlatos partnered with Lindsay Arnold

Espinoza Leads American Pharoah to Victory in First Post-Triple Crown Race

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Victor Espinoza continues his winning ways…

The 43-year-old Mexican jockey, who was named Best Jockey at this year’s ESPY Awards, gave American Pharoah a slight nudge to take control and lead the majestic colt to victory at the Haskell Invitational, delivering an encore performance in his first race since winning the Triple Crown.

“This horse, he just keeps bringing it,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “He’s just a great horse.”

With a record crowd of 60,983 cheering him on Sunday at Monmouth Park, American Pharoah came out of the final turn with a clear lead and cruised to a 2¼-length victory while Espinoza barely moved a muscle.

“He ran like a champ,” Espinoza said.

After winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes to become the 12th Triple Crown winner and first in 37 years, American Pharoah’s return was greatly anticipated.

Fifty-seven days after the Belmont, the 3-year-old son of Pioneer of the Nile looked better than ever in his eighth consecutive victory.

“That was nerve-racking,” Baffert said after his eighth win in the Haskell, five more than any other trainer. “I was getting pretty nervous.”

“No clue,” owner Ahmed Zayat said when asked about his colt’s next race. “We’re going to enjoy this moment.”

If all goes according to plan, American Pharoah will run his final race in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, on October 31. Then he’s headed down the road to the breeding shed at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud.

A few minutes after Bruce Springsteen‘s “Born to Run” blared over the speakers as the horses walked onto the track, American Pharoah broke well from post No. 4. But it was Competitive Edge who took the lead. Espinoza kept his horse in second until the far turn. And then, American Pharoah took off and was all alone in the stretch.

The final margin was deceptive because Espinoza never asked American Pharoah to run any harder than necessary.

“It was pretty easy,” said Espinoza, who is unbeaten in eight races as American Pharoah’s jockey. “For me the key was just coming out of there running. I knew that other horse would want to take the lead, so I sat back just a little bit. I never like to go head and head with another horse, so I sat back maybe half a length behind. He did everything by himself. It was pretty easy, pretty impressive.”

American Pharoah followed many of his Triple Crown colleagues by winning his first start after three grueling races in five weeks. Of the 11 others, seven won in their return and one, Count Fleet, was retired after the 1943 Belmont with an injury.

American Pharoah opened his career with a loss before reeling off eight in a row — seven of them Grade 1 races. With the $1.1 million payday in the Haskell, his career earnings soared to $5.6 million.

Messi Named Best International Athlete at This Year’s ESPY Awards

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Lionel Messi is the best of the best…

The 28-year-old Argentine soccer star picked up the Best International Athlete prize at this year’s ESPY Awards.

Messi, a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team, beat Real Madrid‘s Cristiano Ronaldo, tennis player Novak Djokovic, golfer Lydia Ko and F1 driver Lewis Hamilton.

Messi became the all-time leading scorer in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. He helped Barcelona claim the 2014-15 Champions League title as the joint top scorer (10) and the assists leader (6).

It’s Messi’s second Best International Athlete win. He previously took home the award in 2012.

But the soccer star wasn’t the only Latino athlete honored at this year’s awards show…

Victor Espinoza took home the award for Best Jockey…

The 43-year-old Mexican jockey won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah. Espinoza helped end the longest streak without a Triple Crown winner in the history of American horse racing, with 13 horses losing in the Belmont Stakes after winning the first two races in the series.

Here’s a look at this year’s ESPY Award winners:

Best Team: U.S. Women’s Soccer – FIFA
Best Male Athlete: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Best Play (bracket-style): Odell Beckham catch vs. 16. Albany goalie lacrosse goal
Best Comeback Athlete: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Best Female Athlete: Ronda Rousey, MMA
Best Moment: Lauren Hill
Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Devon and Leah Still
Pat Tillman Award for Service: Danielle Green
Icon Award: Derek Jeter
Arthur Ashe Award for Courage: Caitlyn Jenner
Best Championship Performance: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Best Male College Athlete: Marcus Mariota, Oregon Football
Best Breakthrough Athlete: Mo’ne Davis, Little League Baseball
Best NBA Player: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Best Record-Breaking Performance: Peyton Manning throws record-509th touchdown pass
Best Upset: Mississippi over Alabama, FBS
Best Fighter: Ronda Rousey, MMA
Best Jockey: Victor Espinoza
Best Game: Patriots vs. Seahawks, Super Bowl
Best Coach/Manager: Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
Best Comeback Athlete: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Best International Athlete: Lionel Messi, Barcelona/Argentina
Best NFL Player: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Best MLB Player: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Best NHL Player: Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
Best Driver: Kevin Harvick, NASCAR
Best WNBA Player: Skylar Diggins, Tulsa
Best Male Golfer: Jordan Spieth
Best Female Golfer: Lydia Ko
Best Male Tennis Player: Novak Djokovic
Best Female Tennis Player: Serena Williams
Best Female College Athlete: Missy Franklin, Cal Swimming
Best Male Action Sports Athlete: Ryan Dungey, Motocross
Best Female Action Sports Athlete: Kelly Clark, Snowboarding
Best Male Athlete with a Disability: Krige Schabort, Triathlon
Best Female Athlete with a Disability: Becca Meyers, Swimming
Best Bowler: Jason Belmonte
Best MLS Player: Robbie Keane, Los Angeles Galaxy

Gomez Receives Four Teen Choice Award Nods in Second Wave of Nominations

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is still the teen choice…

The second wave of Teen Choice Awards nominations have been revealed, with the 22-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actress leading the pack of Latino nominees with four nods.

Gomez, who took home the Ultimate Choice award at last year’s show, is nominated in the Choice Summer Music Star category. She’s up against Demi Lovato, a two-time nominee this round, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and Taylor Swift.

Additionally, Gomez is nominated for Choice Break-Up Song for her Justin Bieber-inspired single “The Heart Wants What It Wants,” Choice Party Song for “I Want You to Know,” her collaboration with Zedd, Choice Summer Song for her latest single “Good For You,” featuring A$AP Rocky.

Meanwhile, Empire star Jussie Smollett has earned three nominations. The 32-year-old Brazilian American actor/singer is up for Choice TV: Breakout Star, facing off against Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez, a two-time nominee, as well as Empire co-star Bryshere “Yazz” Gray, The Flash’s Grant Gustin and Candice Patton, and Black-ish’s Yara Shahidi.

Other nominees include Fifth Harmony (3), Bruno Mars (2), Sofia Vergara (2), Tyler Posey (1), Bella Thorne (1), Michelle Rodriguez (1), Victor Espinoza (1) and Bella Twins (1).

The show will air live Aug. 16 at 8 p.m. on Fox. Voting for Wave Two is open via Facebook, Instagram, TeenChoice.com and Twitter.

From now through July 24 at 12 p.m. PT, fans can vote once each day per category, per platform user ID, for the Wave Two nominees. Teen Choice Awards host(s), performers, presenters and additional nominees will be announced at a later date.

Here are the Wave Two nominees:

Movies

Choice Movie Villain (#ChoiceMovieVillain)
Rose Byrne, Spy
Vincent D’Onofrio, Jurassic World
Jason Statham, Furious 7
Donald Sutherland, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Bella Thorne, The DUFF
Kate Winslet, Insurgent

Choice Movie Scene Stealer (#ChoiceMovieSceneStealer)
Adam DeVine, Pitch Perfect 2
Chris Evans, Avengers: Age of Ultron
Green Bay Packers, Pitch Perfect 2
Nicholas Hoult, Mad Max: Fury Road
Hailee Steinfeld, Pitch Perfect 2
Miles Teller, Insurgent

Choice Movie Breakout Star (#ChoiceMovieBreakoutStar)
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, The Maze Runner
Cara Delevingne, Paper Towns
Scott Eastwood, The Longest Ride
Taron Egerton, Kingsman: The Secret Service
Thomas Mann, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Elizabeth Olsen, Avengers: Age of Ultron

Choice Movie Chemistry (#ChoiceMovieChemistry)
Jim Carrey & Jeff Daniels, Dumb and Dumber To
Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Dwayne Johnson, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez & Paul Walker, Furious 7
Anna Kendrick & Brittany Snow, Pitch Perfect 2
Thomas Mann & RJ Cyler, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Dylan O’Brien & Thomas Brodie-Sangster, The Maze Runner
Sofia Vergara & Reese Witherspoon, Hot Pursuit

Choice Movie Liplock (#ChoiceMovieLiplock)
Jennifer Lawrence & Liam Hemsworth, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Blake Lively & Michiel Huisman, The Age of Adaline
Mae Whitman & Robbie Amell, The Duff
Rebel Wilson & Adam DeVine, Pitch Perfect 2
Reese Witherspoon & Sofia Vergara, Hot Pursuit
Shailene Woodley & Theo James, Insurgent

Choice Movie Hissy Fit (#ChoiceMovieHissyFit)
Lewis Black as “Anger,” Inside Out
Bryce Dallas Howard, Jurassic World
Anna Kendrick, Pitch Perfect 2
Melissa McCarthy, Spy
Reese Witherspoon, Hot Pursuit

Choice Summer Movie (#ChoiceSummerMovie)
Inside Out
Jurassic World
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Paper Towns
Spy
Terminator Genisys

Choice Summer Movie Star: Male (#ChoiceSummerMovieStarMale)
Dwayne Johnson, San Andreas
Chris Pratt, Jurassic World
Paul Rudd, Ant-Man
Adam Sandler, Pixels
Channing Tatum, Magic Mike XXL
Nat Wolff, Paper Towns

Choice Summer Movie Star: Female (#ChoiceSummerMovieStarFemale)
Emilia Clarke, Terminator Genisys
Cara Delevingne, Paper Towns
Bryce Dallas Howard, Jurassic World
Evangeline Lilly, Ant-Man
Melissa McCarthy, Spy
Amy Poehler as “Joy,” Inside Out

TELEVISION

Choice TV Villain (#ChoiceTVVillain)
“A,” Pretty Little Liars
Tom Cavanagh, The Flash
The Dread Doctors, Teen Wolf
Terrence Howard, Empire
Matt Nable, Arrow
Chris Wood, The Vampire Diaries

Choice TV: Scene Stealer (#ChoiceTVSceneStealer)
Trai Byers, Empire
Kat Graham, The Vampire Diaries
Dylan O’Brien, Teen Wolf
Sasha Pieterse, Pretty Little Liars
Bella Thorne, Scream
Ashley Tisdale, Young & Hungry

Choice TV: Breakout Star (#ChoiceTVBreakoutStar)
Bryshere “Yazz” Gray, Empire
Grant Gustin, The Flash
Candice Patton, The Flash
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Yara Shahidi, Black-ish
Jussie Smollett, Empire

Choice TV: Breakout Show (#ChoiceTVBreakoutShow)
Becoming Us
Black-ish
Empire
iZombie
Jane the Virgin
Younger

Choice TV: Chemistry (#ChoiceTVChemistry)
Jensen Ackles & Misha Collins, Supernatural
Trai Byers, Bryshere “Yazz” Gray, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard and Jussie Smollett, Empire
Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Simon Helberg & Kunal Nayyar, The Big Bang Theory
Kat Graham & Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries
Grant Gustin & Candice Patton, The Flash
Ross Lynch & Laura Marano, Austin & Ally

Choice TV: Liplock (#ChoiceTVLiplock)
Candice Accola & Paul Wesley, The Vampire Diaries
Nina Dobrev & Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries
Jennifer Morrison & Colin O’Donoghue, Once Upon a Time
Candice Patton & Grant Gustin, The Flash
Emily Bett Rickards & Stephen Amell, Arrow
Gina Rodriguez & Justin Baldoni, Jane the Virgin

Choice Summer TV Show (#ChoiceSummerTVShow)
Baby Daddy
Chasing Life
Faking It
Scream
So You Think You Can Dance
Teen Wolf

Choice Summer TV Star: Male (#ChoiceSummerTVStarMale)
Tyler Blackburn, Pretty Little Liars
David Lambert, The Fosters
Ross Lynch, Teen Beach 2
Tyler Posey, Teen Wolf
Gregg Sulkin, Faking It
Mike Vogel, Under The Dome

Choice Summer TV Star: Female (#ChoiceSummerTVStarFemale)
Troian Bellisario, Pretty Little Liars
Ashley Benson, Pretty Little Liars
Willa Fitzgerald, Scream
Laura Marano, Austin & Ally
Maia Mitchell, Teen Beach 2
Italia Ricci, Chasing Life

Music

Choice International Artist (#ChoiceInternationalArtist)
2NE1
5 Seconds of Summer
Girls Generation
Little Mix
One Direction
Super Junior

Choice Country Song (#ChoiceCountrySong)
Luke Bryan, “Kick the Dust Up”
Florida Georgia Line, “Sippin’ On Fire”
Hunter Hayes, “21”
Sam Hunt, “Take Your Time”
Megan & Liz, “That Ghost”
Carrie Underwood, “Little Toy Guns”

Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Song (#ChoiceRBHipHopSong)
Flo Rida featuring Robin Thicke & Verdine White, “I Don’t Like It, I Love It”
Rihanna, “Bitch Better Have My Money”
Rihanna & Kanye West & Paul McCartney, “FourFiveSeconds”
Silento, “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)”
The Weeknd, “Earned It”
Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, “See You Again”

Choice Rock Song (#ChoiceRockSong)
George Ezra, “Budapest”
Fall Out Boy, “Uma Thurman”
Hozier, “Take Me To Church”
Imagine Dragons , “I Bet My Life”
Twenty One Pilots, “Tear In My Heart”
X Ambassadors, “Renegades”

Choice Love Song (#ChoiceLoveSong)
Fifth Harmony, “Sledgehammer”
Little Mix, “Black Magic”
Maroon 5, “Sugar”
One Direction, “Night Changes”
Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”
The Weeknd, “Earned It”

Choice Break-Up Song (#ChoiceBreakupSong)
Selena Gomez, “The Heart Wants What It Wants”
Elle King, “Ex’s & Oh’s
Ed Sheeran, “Don’t”
Skrillex & Diplo with Justin Bieber, “Where Are You Now?”
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”
Meghan Trainor, “Lips Are Movin”

Choice Party Song (#ChoicePartySong)
One Direction, “No Control”
Rihanna, “B**** Better Have My Money”
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk”
Taylor Swift, “Blank Space”
Walk The Moon, “Shut Up and Dance”
Zedd featuring Selena Gomez, “I Want You to Know”

Choice Music Breakout Artist (#ChoiceMusicBreakoutArtist)
Andy Grammer
Little Mix
Tove Lo
Rachel Patten
Meghan Trainor
The Weeknd

Choice Music: Next Big Thing (#ChoiceMusicNextBigThing)
Clark Beckham
Kalin and Miles
Skate Maloley
Bea Miller
Neon Jungle
Spring King

Choice Music: Collaboration (#ChoiceMusicCollaboration)
David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack, “Hey Mama”
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk”
Skrillex & Diplo with Justin Bieber, “Where Are You Now”
Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea, “Pretty Girls”
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”
Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, “See You Again”

Choice Song from a Movie or TV Show (#ChoiceMovieTVSong)
Ellie Goulding, “Love Me Like You Do” from Fifty Shades of Grey
Empire Cast featuring Jussie Smollett & Yazz, “You’re So Beautiful”
Jessie J, “Flashlight” from Pitch Perfect 2
Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell, Garrett Clayton, Grace Phipps, John Deluca & Jordan Fisher, “Gotta Be Me” from Teen Beach Movie 2
Shawn Mendes, “Believe” from Descendants
Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, “See You Again” from Furious 7

Choice Summer Song (#ChoiceSummerSong)
Fifth Harmony featuring Kid Ink, “Worth It”
Selena Gomez featuring A$AP Rocky, “Good For You”
Demi Lovato, “Cool for the Summer”
Omi, “Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix Radio Edit)”
Rachel Platten, “Fight Song”
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”

Choice Summer Music Star: Female (#ChoiceSummerMusicStarFemale)
Selena Gomez
Ariana Grande
Demi Lovato
Nicki Minaj
Rihanna
Taylor Swift

Choice Summer Music Star: Male (#ChoiceSummerMusicStarMale)
Justin Bieber
Jason Derulo
Andy Grammer
Shawn Mendes
Ed Sheeran
The Weeknd

Choice Summer Music Star: Group (#ChoiceSummerMusicStarGroup)
5 Seconds of Summer
Echosmith
Fifth Harmony
Little Mix
Maroon 5
One Direction

Choice Summer Tour (#ChoiceSummerTour)
5 Seconds of Summer, Rock Out With Your Socks Out
Fall Out Boy & Wiz Khalifa, The Boys of Zummer Tour
Ariana Grande, The Honeymoon Tour
One Direction, On the Road Again Tour
Ed Sheeran, X World Tour
Taylor Swift, The 1989 World Tour

Sports

Choice Male Athlete (#ChoiceMaleAthlete)
American Pharoah & Victor Espinoza
Tom Brady
Stephen Curry
LeBron James
Cristiano Ronaldo
Jordan Spieth

Choice Female Athlete (#ChoiceFemaleAthlete)
The Bella Twins
Simone Biles
Danica Patrick
Ronda Rousey
Serena Williams
The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team

OTHER

Choice Selfie Taker (#ChoiceSelfieTaker)
Justin Bieber
Kylie Jenner
Kim Kardashian
One Direction
Rihanna
Nicole Scherzinger

Choice Dancer (#ChoiceDancer)
Stephen “tWitch” Boss
Allison Holker
Derek Hough
Les Twins
Chloe Lukasiak
Maddie Ziegler

Choice Model (#ChoiceModel)
Hailey Baldwin
Cara Delevingne
Gigi Hadid
Kendall Jenner
Karlie Kloss
Robyn Lawley

Espinoza Rides American Pharoah to Triple Crown Greatness

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Victor Espinoza has jockeyed his way into the history books…

American Pharoah, with the 43-year-old Mexican jockey at the reins, won the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years.

Affirmed had been the last horse to win the Triple Crown, taking the most coveted prize in horse racing in 1978.

American Pharoah lived up to expectations on Saturday, pulling away from its challengers in the last stretch of the 147th Belmont Stakes and becoming just the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown.

“It’s very emotional,” American Pharoah’s trainer, Bob Baffert, said. “What a feeling. It’s probably going to take a few days to sink in.”

The horse, which is owned by Zayat Stables, won the Kentucky Derby on May 2 and the Preakness Stakes two weeks later, taking the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

Baffert and Espinoza had come up short in five previous bids between them to win the Triple Crown.

“He walked into the gate amazing,” Espinoza said. “He was ready today. As soon as I sat in the saddle, there was so much power and so much energy this horse had. He trained perfect, just unbelievable coming into the race.”

American Pharoah ended the longest streak without a Triple Crown winner in the history of American horse racing, with 13 horses losing in the Belmont Stakes after winning the first two races in the series.

The previous longest stretch without a Triple Crown winner was 25 years, spanning the time from Citation’s victory in 1948 to Secretariat’s win in 1973.

“It’s just an amazing thing. It’s just unbelievable how things work out. It’s just an amazing horse like American Pharoah. I was coming to this race with so much confidence the last two times. It’s just unbelievable,” Espinoza said.

Espinoza won the first two legs of the Triple Crown with War Emblem in 2002 and California Chrome last year, but he came up short each time at Belmont.

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