February 4, 2014, 1:02 pm
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.
![]()
Rafael Bello, shown at right, was nominated for three New York Emmys in the categories On-Camera Talent: Anchor-Sports and Entertainment: Program Feature/Segment, the latter for "Pa' la calle con Rafa"; and as part of a team for Best Evening Newscast Under 35 Minutes, for his reporting of the preparation of Superstorm Sandy (all for Telemundo's New York metropolitan area affiliate WNJU). The local Emmy Awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and will take place in New York on March 30, 2014 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan's Times Square. And while NATAS recently added nine categories to recognize Spanish-language television, Bello is nominated (for his individual nominations) not in those categories but in categories opposite English-language nominees. (WNJU received a total of 18 New York Local Emmy nominations.) For more information, click here.
![]()
J.W. Cortés, shown at left, nabbed a role on "Believe" (created by Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Friedman and airing in the USA on NBC).
Susana Pérez booked a voiceover for Publix and an on-camera medical industrial for HCCS.
Dinorah Coronado will be starring in La peluquería de Aurora. Produced by Teatro Coronado, the play is written and directed by Héctor Palacios (based on the book Cuentos y viviencias en Nueva York by Carmen Lazala) and also stars Digna Carvajal, Yunior Ventura, Beneranda Cruz and Raúl Rivera and be presented in March as part of the IV Festival de Teatro Hispano Del Comisionado at the Comisionado Domincano de Cultura en EEUU, located in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood.
If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?
↧
February 5, 2014, 10:54 am
First NBC shuts down NBC Latino. Now CNNE (the parent company for Cable News Network, or CNN) will shut down CNN Latino, a little more than a year after it debuted in January 2013. CNN Latino is an eight-hour block of news and entertainment programming that was syndicated to several cities in the United States. CNN Latino was billed as a new service that would produce Spanish-language "relevant content" for what it considers an underserved audience in the United States: U.S. Latinos.
CNNE said in its official statement:CNN Latino was a bold effort to continue CNN’s commitment to the U.S. Hispanic marketplace. Unfortunately, despite the great efforts of many talented people, CNN Latino was not able to fulfill our business expectations and we are discontinuing the programming this month. Over the course of the past year we learned a lot and we will use what we learned to continue to innovate and evolve our presence in the Hispanic community.
CNN Latino staff will be affected by the cancellation of CNN Latino, but not the staff of CNNE, acoording to CNNE spokesperson Isabel Bucaram. CNNE would not elaborate on how many employees of CNN Latino would lose their jobs. CNN Latino was seen in Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Tampa and Miami. For more information, click here, here or here.
↧
↧
February 6, 2014, 3:35 pm
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.Edvin Ortega, shown at right, just nabbed a role in the film The Jersey Devil (written by Joseph and Billy Pepitone and directed by Joseph Pepitone). For more information on the film, click here. For more information on the actor-singer, to know about all things Edvin, click here or here.
Yolanny Rodríguez is directing Julio Hernán Correal Triana's play El plagio. Presented by Teatro Las Tablas, the production will star Héctor Palacios and Daya Robles and be produced in March as part of the IV Festival de Teatro Hispano del Comisionado at the Comisionado Dominicano de Cultura en EEUU, located in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. For more information, click here.
![]()
Cedric Leiba, Jr., shown at left, in character, is starring in the production Facing Our Truth. A series of ten-minute plays about the late Trayvon Martin, race and privilege written by Dominique Morisseau, Winter Miller, Dan O'Brien, Quetzal Flores, Marcus Gardley, Mona Mansour, Tala Manassah and A. Rey Pamatmat, respectively, the production is directed by Ebony Golden and Axel Avin, Jr., and presented by Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre in association with New Black Fest. Performances run in February (around what would have been Martin's 19th birthday) at the National Black Theatre, located in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood. Also starring in the production are Maechi Aharanwa, Paris Campbell, Khadim Diop, Marisa Duchowny, Chinaza Uche, Renée Rises and C. Kelly Wright. For more information, click here.
Marco Antonio Rodríguez reports that due to the success of his play La Luz de un cigarrillo being produced in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (where it is nominated for three Soberano Awards), Teatro Las Máscaras will be remounting the play with the original director (Germana Quintana) and the original cast (Aleja Johnson, Hanely Del Rosario and Brain Payano). Performances start in late February and run through the end of March. For more information, click here or here.
If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?
↧
February 10, 2014, 10:16 am
By A.B. Lugo.
This is the first part of a two-part series studying the current batch of television networks being marketed to U.S.-born and/or -raised Latinos (usually English-dominant people aged 18-34, the younger portion of which have been called "millennials" for coming of age around the year 2000).
In a perfect world, Latinos/Hispanics would be accurately represented in numbers and images in all of television regardless of whether it is "ethnically oriented". But that day is not today. In the meantime, this blog examines the current state of content creation (television/online) and the current options for English-language and/or -dominant television marketed to U.S. Latinos.
![]()
With the termination of the online outpost NBC Latino by its parent company NBC and the cancellation of CNN Latino by its parent company CNNE, both happening a little more than a year after their respective debuts, it had me thinking about the future of content created specifically for U.S. Latinos.
I can imagine the conundrum of content creators and what they are asking themselves. What exactly is a U.S. Latino (as opposed to a Latin American) and how do we market to him/her? What if our content or programming is too Mexican-heavy– will we lose the East Coast? What if our content is too Caribbean-based– will we lose the entire Southwest? Should we do all Spanish language programming? All English language programming? Do we dare try using both languages... sometimes even at the same time?
Currently, African Americans have BET Networks (which includes Black Entertainment Television, Centric, BET Gospel, BET Hip-Hop and BET International), plus TV One, Aspire, Bounce TV and Revolt (I know, I haven't heard of some of them either). People in the LGBTQ community in the United States have Logo and Here TV. And with the rise in population of U.S. Latinos, it makes sense from a business standpoint to create a network to cater to U.S. Latinos.
So what is out there currently for (English-speaking, English-dominant, or bilingual) U.S. Latinos to watch on TV? (Note that the below list does not refer to networks that do all of their programming in Spanish, such as Telemundo, Univision, Galavisión, uniMÁS, MundoFox, HITN, V-me, Azteca América, Estrella TV, etc.)
mun2• Founded as GEMS Television by Columbia Pictures Television in 1993![]()
• Became mun2 in 2001 after being bought by Telemundo• Owned by NBCUniversal/Comcast • Programming consists of music and sports programming with (sometime subtitled) content from NBC cable networks• Content originally in English and Spanish (sometimes at the same time); recently converted to all-Spanish programming• Currently airing in about 40 million homes
nuvoTV![]()
• Founded as Sí TV in 2004• Arose out of the Sí TV production company created by Jeff Valdez and Bruce Barshop, who created the Nickelodeon series "The Brothers García" (the first English-language sitcom with an all-Latino cast and creative team)• Became NuvoTV in 2011 (the name came from "NUevo VOice" as a way to represent the bicultural, often bilingual audience it aims to reach)• Entered into a partnership with Latina superstar Jennifer López in 2012, whereupon in 2013 she became the network's Chief Creative Officer• Content is mostly (if not all) in English• Currently airing in about 33 million homes
![]()
Fusion• Founded in 2013• Created by Disney/ABC and Univision• Content features news, lifestyle, pop culture, satire and entertainment aimed at English-speaking U.S. viewers, including those of a Hispanic background• Originally marketed to U.S. Latinos, it later expanded its breadth to younger U.S. viewers known as "millennials" • Content is in English• Currently airing in about 20 million homes, with plans to expand to 50 million homes by 2018
El Rey![]()
• Founded in 2013• Run by filmmaker Robert Rodríguez and FactoryMade Ventures (John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa)• Created after Comcast agreed to create a number of minority-owned networks as a condition of becoming a minority owner of NBCUniversal (Aspire and Revolt are two other networks created as a result of this deal)• Univision later made an investment with the network• Content features reality and scripted programming, animated series, movies, documentaries, news, music, comedy and sports• Content is in English and targeted toward second- and third-generation Latinos who are often bilingual but speak English as their primary language• Currently airing in about 40 million homes
Important to note above is the number of households. More than 30 million households is key; that is the threshold figure that would make a network eligible to be rated by Nielsen and would therefore be of more interest to advertisers.
In the second part of this blog, suggestions on how to successful market your network to U.S. Latinos.
↧
February 11, 2014, 10:49 am
By A.B. Lugo.
In the first part of this two-part series, we examined the current state of television marketed to U.S. Latinos (specifically the English-speaking and/or -dominant Latinos, including the younger generations known as "millennials") in the wake of the termination of both NBC Latino and CNN Latino, respectively. In the second part of this two-part series blog, we present suggestions for the networks currently marketed to U.S. Latinos, mun2, nuvoTV, Fusion and El Rey.
So now there are a few networks that are making an effort to reach out to U.S. Latinos. What now? (Note that some of these suggestions are already being utilized by the some of the above networks.)
![]()
• Give the network a chance– Both the online NBC Latino and the on-air CNN Latino were cancelled after little more than a year of existence. The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) was allowed to weather a bumpy start until it found its voice and its footing. Investing in a network means allowing it to survive the "growing pains" any new venture experiences.
• Attach a big name to your network (one that attracts Latinos and non-Latinos alike)– Attaching the names of Jennifer López and Robert Rodríguez to nuvoTV and El Rey networks, respectively, have helped raised the profile of each. Adding Tyler Perry to OWN's programming helped attract a large number of viewers to its network. Imagine work produced by Salma Hayek, Zoë Saldaña and Edward James Olmos (each of whom have production companies) on the air. Those names would attract people from all walks of life to a network (including Latino millennials). The latter two names alone would appeal to sci-fi fans (who make quite loyal fans).
• Don't be afraid of using both languages (English and Spanish) or switching back and forth– U.S. Latinos tend to speak English. Sometimes they also speak Spanish almost as or just as equally (sometimes they don't speak Spanish at all). Oftentimes, they speak the lovely combination of the two... Spanglish. Don't worry about making your network all-English; if some Spanish words or phrases slip out, it's not the end of the world. Spanish-language television (specifically the morning shows) have recently invited English-speaking guests on their show and done live translation. It doesn't necessarily turn off your audience if done correctly.
![]()
• Make a point of reaching out to all Latino cultures– The main complaint of networks and agencies trying to market to Latinos is that there is no one type of Latino. Latinos/Hispanics come in an array of hair colors, eye colors and skin colors. We can look like pretty much anybody. Add to that different national origins plus other factors (the African, Middle Eastern and East Asian influences present in certain Latino populations) can make trying to pin down "what a Latino is" difficult. So don't pin it down. Try to appeal to numerous Latino cultures, but do it in an organic way and not in a way so as to fulfill a quota. On the one hand, if all your Latino on-camera talent have blond hair, blue or green eyes and look vaguely European, we will notice. On the other hand, if your on-camera talent seems to have a European-looking Latino, an Afro-Latina, an Asian Latino and an American indigenous Latina and it looks or feels disingenuous, we will notice that too. (Go for the best person for the job, but remember to acknowledge the variety of Latinos/Hispanics when doing a talent search.)
![]()
![]()
• Look to webseries/online content as development of potential future on-air content– With the rise and success of webseries such as "Justice Woman", "Reasons Y I'm Single", "Pushing Dreams", "Becoming Ricardo", "East WillyB" and Hulu's own "East Los High", there is a whole new frontier (a "Wild West" of the entertainment landscape, if you will) of content being created. With the Fox network now planning to eschew pilot season altogether, it makes even more sense to look to the internet for fresh ideas and talent.
• Use Latinos/Hispanics behind the scenes as well– Don't just limit your Latino talent to the on-air variety. There are many extremely talented writers, directors, editors cinematographers, camera operators, etc., who just happen to be Latino/Hispanic. Getting these people behind the scenes can help create varied, more accurate, not stereotypical, more interesting characters and stories to show to the general public (Latinos as well as non-Latinos) and that would be beneficial to this country as a whole.
![]()
• Create a marketing campaign with some meat on it– When it comes to marketing your network, invest in the network and its future. Marketing (on all levels) is vital. The more the network is on the tongue of the average viewer the better it is for the network. This seems obvious, but I wonder how many people knew of NBC Latino and CNN Latino during the roughly 15 months each were in existence?
But beyond what a network has to do in order to reach its target audience, there is work that a target audience needs to do. Viewers need to be active, educated consumers. If a network is not available in your region, contact your cable carrier and ask it why it is not available. Check out a network's website to see if you can watch content there. Once you can see the network in your area, check out the offerings. Hit up social media (Facebook, Twitter) and comment on the show.
A successful network (whether marketed to Latinos or otherwise) depends on the symbiotic relationship between the content creators and the content consumers. We are becoming the future of this country. It is time we take our place at the table. So if you like a network's offerings, support it. Support Latino Work.
↧
↧
February 11, 2014, 11:40 pm
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.
Edvin Ortega, shown at right, was profiled in The Examiner, where his recent appearances on episodics "The Following" (Fox) and "Orange is the New Black" (Netflix), as well as his upcoming projects, were highlighted. To read the article, click here.
Luis Antonio Ramos (see below) will be making a cameo in an upcoming webisode of Elaine Del Valle's webseries "Reasons Y I'm Single". To see webisodes, click here.
Jeannie Sol, shown at left, was crowned Ms. Empire City Female Entertainer Brooklyn. The chanteuse-comedienne received the honor from the Ali Forney Center on the occasion of its gala. She will compete for the Ms. Empire City Female Entertainer crown in July.
Vanessa Verduga's webseries "Justice Woman" was selected as an official selection of the 2014 L.A. WebFest, scheduled to take place March 26-30, 2014 at the Radisson LAX Hotel in Los Angeles, California. In addition, the webseries is a nominee for an Indie Series Award (ISA), scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 5, 2014 at El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, California. For more information or to see webisodes, click here, here or here.
Iván L. Argudo was profiled in the newspaper Orgullo Ecuatoriano NY, where his production of Repercusiones en torno a un asesinato con final orgiástico (which he adapted, directed and produced through his theater company Teatro Vanguardia USA) was profiled. To read the article, which is in Spanish, about the production which also stars Claudio Weisz and is slated for a February run at The Producers Club (located at the theater district of midtown Manhattan), click on the photo of the article at right.
Daphne Rubin-Vega is a 2014 Indie Series Award (ISA) nominee for Best Actress in a Drama for her work in the webseries "Hustling" (created, written, directed and starring Sebastian LaCause, who is also up for three ISAs himself, including Best Drama). For more information, click here.
The year 2014 marks the centenary of the birth of Julia de Burgos, considered the greatest poet born in Puerto Rico and one of the greatest female poets of Latin America. As such, there are a pair of theatrical offerings taking place all over the U.S. and Puerto Rico to commemorate her.
• Four cities (New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Buffalo, New York; San Juan, Puerto Rico) will have readings of Carmen Rivera's play Julia de Burgos: Child of Water/Julia de Burgos: criatura de agua on Sunday, February 16, 2014 and Monday, February 17, 2014 (the latter is the exact centennial date of the birth of Julia de Burgos). The readings will feature talent including Belange Rodríguez, Amneris Morales, Luis Antonio Ramos (see above), Rénoly Santiago, José Antonio Melián, Edna Lee Figueroa and Josean Ortiz, among others. For more information, click here, here, here, here, or here.
• Las rutas de Julia de Burgos (The Paths of a Poet). Written by Oscar Montero. Directed by Marco Antonio Rodríguez. Starring Sol Marina Crespo, Carlos A. Valencia, Dalia Davi, Sandie Luna, Juan Carlos Díaz and Yaraní Del Valle Piñero. Performances February 28-March 2, 2014 at the Lehman Stages Studio Theatre in the Bedford Park neighborhood of The Bronx. Co-produced by IATI Theater and Lehman College/CUNY. For more information, click here.
If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?
↧
February 12, 2014, 10:41 am
Mónica Boyar (née Argentina Mercedes María González Morel Valerio Ureña) was an actress, singer, dancer, painter and fashion designer. Born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago, Dominican Republic in 1920, she emigrated with her family to New York at the age of 9 (although some sources say 6).
By the time she was 12, she was selected out of thousands of schoolchildren to join the children's chorus of New York's Metropolitan Opera. She won a singing contest at the age of 15 (wearing a dress made by her mother) which launched her career as a soloist. She debuted at La Conga club singing with a big band led by Desi Arnaz.
In 1939, she represented the Dominican Republic in that country's pavilion in the World's Fair that took place in New York. At the Fair, she sang, dressed in typical Dominican clothing, introducing merengue to the American audience for the first time. A student of many folklores of the West Indies, she also introduced calypso to American audiences. By the mid-1950s, both dance styles were among the most popular in the U.S.
![]()
![]()
She was married to the Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen from 1950-1956. He later became famous for his roles in the Airplane and Naked Gun franchises. She was also briefly married to comedian Lee Tully in 1958. She was called the "Satin Latin Song Stylist". Famed journalist Walter Winchell referred to her as the finest Latin talent in the entertainment field in 1960.
Her godfather was Juan Rafael Estrella Ureña, the last acting president of the Dominican Republic before Rafael Leonidas Trujillo took over the nation (he was briefly Vice-President under Trujillo). Due to the contentious relationship between Estrella and Trujillo, she was unable to set foot on the island of her birth for over three decades. As a result, she is more known in the United States than her native Dominican Republic.
A former art student, she later studied painting and fashion design and became known for her lines of hats and purses, where she designed for some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including her compatriot María Montez.
She was a member and supporter of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) during the organization's early days. She moved from New York and lived in Las Vegas with her third and final husband Frank Effrece. She passed away at the age of 92 on October 2, 2013, due to complications from a stroke.
RIP / QEPD MÓNICA BOYAR
"Gracias, Mónica"
↧
February 12, 2014, 12:47 pm
![]()
The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) is proud to present our latest HOLA After the Curtain event. On Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 8pm, Second Stage Theatre (2ST) invites HOLA members and Friends of HOLA to attend a performance of the play The Happiest Song Plays Last, by the Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, directed by Tony Award winner Rubén Santiago Hudson and featuring the music of Grammy nominee Nelson González.
HOLA members and Friends of HOLA will receive a special discounted price of $45 (regular ticket price is $75). That is a savings of 40%. Also, if you are 30 years of age or younger, you can get a ticket for $30 (with proper ID, one ticket limit per person).
There will be a post-performance discussion after the February 27, 2014 performance with members of the company (actors, director, etc.) after the show moderated by Louis Perego Moreno (Tío Louie). Note that a $4 processing fee is allotted for each purchase.
![]() |
L-R: Quiara Alegría Hudes, Rubén Santiago-Hudson, Anthony Chisholm, Dariush Kashani,
Tony Plana, Armando Riesco, Annapurna Sriram, Lauren Vélez, Nelson González. |
![]()
The Happiest Song Plays Last stars Anthony Chisholm, Dariush Kashani, HOLA Award winner Tony Plana, Armando Riesco, Annapurna Sriram and HOLA Award winner Lauren Vélez.
Second Stage Theatre is located at 305 West 43rd Street, just off Eighth Avenue, a short distance from Times Square in the heart of Manhattan, NYC. To buy your ticket, call Second Stage at (212) 246-4422 or go to www.2st.com and mention or use the code HOLA. (The discount code is valid for available seats now through the March 23, 2014 performance.)
↧
February 13, 2014, 3:43 pm
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.
José Roldán, Jr., shown at right, recently performed his self-penned solo show Father ForgiveMe For I Have Sinned at the Paul Michael One-Act Festival, for which it won three awards— Best Solo Show, Best Actor and Best Director (for Dante Albertie). For more information, click here.
Juan Villarreal booked a print ad for Amtrak and reported work on "Person of Interest" (CBS).
Darío Gómez will be singing with his group, Darío & Vic, on Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at Fontana's in Manhattan's Loísaida neighborhood.
![]()
J.W. Cortés, shown at left, was profiled in the popular blog Humans of New York, while working at his day job. About two hours after it was posted on HONY's Facebook page, the photo and profile went viral, receiving over 72,000 likes, over 1400 shares and over 1000 comments. For more information, click here or here. For more information about the actor-singer-filmmaker-activist-veteran, click here or here.
Teatro Experimental Blue Amigos (TEBA) will present Las galas del difunto. Written by Ramón Del Valle Inclán and adapted and directed by Héctor Luis Rivera and performing in March at the Broadway Black Box Theater in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood.
Emmanuelle Bordas, shown at right, booked an industrial for Burlington Coat Factory after a casting director saw her profile in the online HOLA directory of talent and called her in to audition.
Mo Zapata and My Final Shot Productions are presenting a series of film screenings throughout the city. Each screening will be followed by a question and answer session. For more information, click here.
• On Saturday, February 18, 2013, the film Caja de galletas (written and directed by Mauricio Bustamante and starring Laura Patalano and Ernesto De Villa Bejjani) will be screened at Neirs's Tavern in the Woodhaven section of Queens.
• On Monday, February 24, 2014, among the films to be screened at Teatro LATEA (located in the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center, also home to HOLA, in Manhattan's Loísaida neighborhood) will be Sex, Love and Salsa (written and directed by Adrián Manzano and starring Manzano, Marisol Carrere, Carlos A. González, Sofía Rodríguez, Gabrielle Ruiz, Susan Rice and Juan Diego Cano Gil) and Truth Will Out (written by Ed Trucco and Armando Riesco and directed by Trucco and Anthony Ruiz and starring Trucco, Riesco, Mateo Gómez, Susanna Guzmán, Laura Gómez and A.B. Lugo). [This particular event will be the first in a series of monthly "Film Talk" events to be held at Teatro LATEA.]
If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?
↧
↧
February 13, 2014, 5:19 pm
CALL TO ARMS, GENTE
By Louis Perego Moreno (Tío Louie).
For many, Comcast acquiring Time Warner Cable is not a welcome prospect–– and no reason for a pity-fest since its reputation is well-deserved. This just reinforces the conglomeration of media companies in the U.S. and its monopolization, which counter a diversity of perspectives that is crucial to an ever-evolving democracy. Latinos per se, have never had a lovefest with Comcast. And this has not been enhanced with their content acquisition of NBCUniversal, despite owning Telemundo and mun2. For more information on the merger, click here.
It should be no surprise that the Comcast-NBCUniversal merger was initially challenged by over 1,100 filings. I know, because at the time Kathryn Galán as Executive Director filed an official one from the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), as well as I representing the NALIP-NY chapter as President.
Though the merger went through a year ago, the affinity towards Comcast-NBCUniversal has not endeared themselves to the Latino community with the recent cancellation of NBC Latino and dropping the NCLR's ALMA Awards for 2014. Ironically, not only have they gained the disdain of Latinos but to a broader market in which both Comcast and Time Warner are considered the most unfavorable companies in the most unfavorable industry.
Good luck to consumers and we can only hope that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be looking out for us... for a change.
Guest blogger Louis Perego Moreno (Tío Louie) is an interactive content producer and educator who for 32 years has owned Skyline Features, a bilingual multimedia and educational production company developing documentaries, television programming and advertising commercials featuring Latinos, Blacks, Women, Urban Youth and LGBT. He has trained 1,500 Latino and African American youth over 10 years to produce 70 documentary shorts. For documentary features he was the producer and director of Latina Confessions (2010) and co-producer of American Dreams Deferred (2013) on PBS.
↧
February 13, 2014, 5:43 pm
El Blog de HOLA's two-part series of blogs highlighting the number of television networks marketed toward U.S. Latinos (plus the challenges in doing so and how to avoid some of those challenges) were republished in the Los Angeles-based industry publication Latin Heat Entertainment.
To read the blogs in Latin Heat, click on the links below.
↧
February 13, 2014, 6:23 pm
It's a vicious cycle. The industry likes to present itself as this bastion of liberal thought. But when it comes to diversity, it's one of the worst industries in this country. The idea that [the underrepresentation of minorities and women] is all about economics has been taken off the table. –Darnell Hunt of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA
![]() |
Cast of the Netflix series
"Orange is the New Black" |
Check out this blog by Alanna Bennett in Bustle regarding the new study from the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at University of California-Los Angeles which states that television programs with a high degree of nonwhite characters in its cast have the highest ratings (and analogously, the films with a high degree of diversity in its cast earn the most revenue) by clicking here.
↧
February 17, 2014, 9:16 pm
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.
Academy Award-nominated actress Rosie Pérez, shown at right, has just published a memoir. Titled Handbook for an Unpredictable Life: How I Survived Sister Renata and My Crazy Mother and Still Came Out Smiling (And With Great Hair), it is published by Random House and recounts her turbulent childhood and how she became a dancer, then choreographer, then actress. She was profiled in the New York Daily News regarding the memoir. To read the article, click here.
Ángelo Mercado, Jr. booked a role on an episode of a new, as yet untitled program on the Investigation Discovery (ID) network.
J.F. Seary will be returning to the stage with Soledad Speaks. Written and performed by Peggy Robles-Alvarado, Meriam Rodríguez, María Rodríguez and Seary, the spoken word piece was created and directed by Linda Nieves-Powell and curated by Robles-Alvarado and Seary. It will be presented at the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!), located in the Bronx's Westchester Square area in March as part of its BAAD! Ass Women Festival. For more information, click here or here.
TEBA is presenting Ramón Del Valle Inclán's Las galas del difunto. Adapted and directed by Héctor Luis Rivera, the play will be presented in March at the Broadway Blackbox Theater in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood and feature Telba Cavero, Nicolás Díaz, Hermilo Galicia, Enmanuel García Villavicencio, Alex Manzano, J. Edgar Mozoub, Raúl Rivera, Kathy Tejada and Claudio Weisz in the cast. For more information, click here.
Anthony Ruiz can be seen in a new commercial for the New York State Lottery. The commercial can be seen below.
If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?
↧
↧
February 20, 2014, 2:28 pm
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.
![]()
Luis Salgado, shown at right, was the subject of a profile in Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día, where he was interviewed being in the cast of the Broadway show Rocky: The Musical (written by Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens and Thomas Meehan, based on the screenplay of the Academy Award-winning film by Sylvester Stallone). The musical is directed by Alex Timbers (with choreography by Kelly Devine and boxing choreography by Stephen Hoggett) and is currently in previews at the Winter Garden Theatre. To read the article (which is in Spanish), click here.
![]()
Edna Lee Figueroa was the subject of a profile in the Puerto Rican newspaper La Semana, where she spoke of her career as an award-winning actress in New York. To read the article (which is in Spanish), click on the photo at left. [By the way, HOLA, or La Organización Hispana de Actores Latinos (as it is billed in Spanish) received a mention in the article.] For more information, click here or here.
Barefoot Theatre Company is presenting a workshop presentation of the Mel Nieves play In Da Boogie Down. Featuring the poetry of Craig (muMs) Grant and directed by Paula Pizzi-Black, the presentation is part of that theater company's renowned bareNaked Reading Series and will take place on Tuesday, March 4, 2014 at the WestBeth Community Room in Manhattan's West Village. For more information, click here, here or here.
Joel Pérez booked a voiceover for McDonald's.
If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?
↧
February 22, 2014, 8:20 pm
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.
![]()
Houses on the Moon Theater Company is presenting its second annual benefit. Noted jazz vocalist Patti Austin will perform and an award will be institued in honor of and the memory of company member, the late Mauricio Leyton, shown at right. The Leyton Award will henceforth be awarded annually. The benefit will take place on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at The Cutting Room, located in midtown Manhattan. For more information, click here.
Daniel Anthony Hidalgo will be acting in Mark Schultz's Deathbed. The play is directed by Brent Buell, it will be presented in April at the Theater Row Studio Theater Row in the theater district of midtown Manhattan.
E3Outlaws Productions will be presenting Reyes y Reyes. Based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, the musical is adapted and directed by Enmanuel García Villavicencio and will run in April at the Red Carpet Theater in Manhattan's El Barrio neighborhood. The production stars Paul Montoya, Claudio Weisz, Zulaika Velázquez, Yanet Betances and Diana Pou.
Kiki Meléndez is returning with another evening of the critically acclaimed comedy show Hot Tamales Live. The show, which she produces and hosts, features an evening of comedians (usually female comedians and one male comedian). The next incarnation will take place on Sunday, March 9, 2014 at the TLC Chinese 6 Theatres in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. For more information, click here or here.
Centro Español is presenting Voces de marzo. A celebration of the contribution of Latinas in New York, it will happen on Friday, March 7, 2014 at the Centro's eponymous location in Manhattan's West Village and feature the talents of Laura Riveros, Inma Heredia and Elena Mohedano.
Tony Award winner Priscilla López, shown at left, will star in the new play Somewhere. The dance-filled theater piece written by Matthew López (no relation) will be directed by Giovanna Sardelli, feature original music from Tony Award winner Bill Sherman and choreography by Greg Graham and run in April and May at Hartford Stage in Hartford, Connecticut. To read more about the production, check out this blog in Playbill Online by clicking here, or by going to theater's website by clicking here.
Éric-Dominique Pérez can be seen playing British officer Neil Campbell in the Travel Channel series "Castle: Secrets & Legends" in an episode profiling Napoleon Bonaparte's escape from Elba. To see a clip of the episode, click here.
If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?
↧
February 24, 2014, 1:20 pm
↧
February 24, 2014, 1:29 pm
↧
↧
February 27, 2014, 11:03 am
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.
![]()
Marilyn Mark, shown at right, is currently filming a lead role in the short film Sasquatch (written by Derek D'León and Charles Maye and directed by Alex Kazan) in Los Angeles, California.
El Grupo is presenting Los borrachos. The play by Franklin Domínguez will be directed by Fermín Suárez as part of the IV Festival de Teatro Hispano del Comisionado. The play stars Teresa Yenque, Suárez and George Bass and will take place in March at the Comisionado de Cultura Dominicana en EEUU, located in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood.
Also being presented at the IV Festival de Teatro Hispano del Comisionado will be the Jorge Dávila Vásquez-penned solo show Penélope. Directed by Iván L. Argudo, the play stars Yolanny Rodríguez and will be performed in March at the Comisionado de Cultura Dominicana en EEUU, located in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood.
Juan Carlos Díaz booked a gig working a live entertainment/theater gig in Japan, which commences in April.
![]()
John Leguizamo, shown at left, will have his fifth comedy special aired on Home Box Office (HBO). Based on his smash self-penned solo show Ghetto Klown (directed by Fisher Stevens), which performed on Broadway and on tour (including in Colombia). It will premiere in March on HBO. In addition, he can be seen in Jon Favreau's upcoming film Chef and in the Ice Cube-Kevin Hart vehicle Ride Along, currently in theaters. For more information, click on the article in Latin Heat by clicking here.
Luis Carlos de La Lombana can be seen starring in the upcoming film Monstruos de la electricidad (written and directed by Alberto Macasoli). The trailer for the Spaniard film can be seen below.
Michael Díaz (also known by his nom de comédieJuan Bago) is starring in the webseries "Studio Heads". Created by Díaz, Jaime Fernández and Anthony Palmini, the webseries follows self-proclaimed "internet sensation" Juan Bago and his associates as they create a production company. The first season of the webseries will air on Remezcla TV. (Lin-Manuel Miranda makes a guest starring appearance in one of the episodes.) For more information, click here or here or click on the teaser video below. (Note: slight adult language.)
If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?
↧
February 28, 2014, 12:11 pm
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.
![]()
![]()
Alberto Bonilla, shown at right, was featured in an article in AM New York, where it spoke of his helming a production of William Shakespeare's Richard III (produced by The Queens Players and running February and March at the Secret Theatre in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens) and the production's costume designer, Sue Waller. To read the article, click on the photo of the article at above left. For more information on the production, click here.
![]()
José Antonio Melián can soon be seen in Marla and Her Prayers. Written by Kim Merrill and directed by Elysa Marden, the New Perspectives Theatre Company (NPTC) production will be presented in March at NPTC's eponymous space in the Fashion District of midtown Manhattan. For more information, click here. He will follow this up with a role in Raquel Almazán's play Café. He booked the role after seeing the casting in the daily announcements HOLA sends to its members and self-submitting. Directed by Elena Araoz, the production will be presented in April at Columbia Stages as part of its Columbia MFA Theatre program at Columbia University's Schapiro Theatre, located in the West Harlem/Manhattanville section of Manhattan. For more information on the production, click here or here.
Lisann Valentín is currently directing the short film One Quiet Night (which she also wrote).
Milena Dávila is part of the video cast of the production Philosophy for Gangsters. Written and directed by Liz and Barry Peak, the play started in February and runs through March at the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row in the midtown Manhattan. For more information, click here.
If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?
↧
February 28, 2014, 12:38 pm
The door is open, but the door is not sufficiently open. We still have to push it. –Rita Moreno
![]() |
| The incomparable Rita Moreno. |
Check out this blog in The Huffington Post on why icon Rita Moreno (one of 11 people to win the EGOT-- the Emmy, the Grammy, the Oscar and the Tony awards) says we should support Hispanic artists by clicking here.
↧
Rafael Bello, shown at right, was nominated for three New York Emmys in the categories On-Camera Talent: Anchor-Sports and Entertainment: Program Feature/Segment, the latter for "Pa' la calle con Rafa"; and as part of a team for Best Evening Newscast Under 35 Minutes, for his reporting of the preparation of Superstorm Sandy (all for Telemundo's New York metropolitan area affiliate WNJU). The local Emmy Awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and will take place in New York on March 30, 2014 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan's Times Square. And while NATAS recently added nine categories to recognize Spanish-language television, Bello is nominated (for his individual nominations) not in those categories but in categories opposite English-language nominees. (WNJU received a total of 18 New York Local Emmy nominations.) For more information, click here.
J.W. Cortés, shown at left, nabbed a role on "Believe" (created by Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Friedman and airing in the USA on NBC).
