Author Archives: Tom Castaneda

A24 Releases Trailer for Henrique Zaga’s New Film “Warfare”

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Henrique (Henry) Zaga is preparing for war(fare)…

A24 has released the first trailer for Warfare, starring the 31-year-old Brazilian actor and Noah Centineo.

Henrique ZagaThe film is described as an immersive step into the reality of the Iraq War from the Navy SEAL’s perspective, which hits theaters in 2025.

Written and directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland, Warfare embeds audiences with a platoon of U.S. Navy SEALs in the home of an Iraqi family, overwatching the movement of U.S. forces through insurgent territory.

A visceral, boots-on-the-ground story of modern warfare, told like never before: in real time and based on the memory of the people who lived it.

The ensemble film’s cast includes D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Taylor John Smith, Michael Gandolfini, Adain Bradley, Noah Centineo, Evan Holtzman, Henrique Zaga, Joseph Quinn and Charles Melton.

An Iraq War veteran, Mendoza came to partner with Garland on Warfare after serving as his military supervisor on Civil War, his dystopian drama, starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny, which released this spring., grossing over $126 million worldwide.

Netflix to Globally Premiere Felipe Esparza’s “Raging Fool” Comedy Special in February

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Felipe Esparza is preparing for a rager…

The 48-year-old Mexican stand-up comedian and actor is set to release his next Netflix special, Raging Fool, globally on February 11.

Felipe Esparza,In Raging Fool, Esparza explores the trials and tribulations of navigating complicated family dynamics, marriage, cultural divides, infidelity, and more.

The special is his second for Netflix, on the heels of 2020’s Bad Decisions, which has two versions available to stream, in English and Spanish.

Taped in front of a sold-out crowd at the Crest Theatre in Sacramento, the special is written and performed by Esparza, who executive-produced alongside his wife and long-time producing partner, Lesa ODaniel-Esparza, as well as Judi Marmel and Jordan Levy, in conjunction with 800 Pound Gorilla Productions.

ODaniel-Esparza also directed Esparza’s new hour.

Also known for specials including They’re Not Gonna Laugh at You (currently streaming on Prime Video) and Translate This (HBO), Esparza recently announced the extension of his At My Leisure tour with spring dates, which will see him hitting major cities across North America beginning in January.

Rising to fame as the 2010 winner of Last Comic Standing, he’s also appeared in recurring roles on series including Superstore, The Eric Andre Show, Gentefied, Victor and Valentino, and Universal Basic Guys. 

His film credits include Guest House with Pauly Shore, Daddy Daughter Trip with Rob Schneider, Blue Beetle with Xolo Maridueña and George Lopez and You People with Eddie Murphy.

Currently working on material for his fifth special, Esparza is also the host of What’s Up Fool?, which has held steady of late as one of the top comedy podcasts of the last 10 years.

Netflix to Premiere Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias’ New Comedy Special “Legend of Fluffy” in January

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Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is opening up about his Legend(ary) status…

Netflix has announced plans to globally premiere the 48-year-old Mexican-American stand-up comedian and actor’s new stand-up special, Legend of Fluffy on January 7, 2025.

Gabriel IglesiasIt’s Iglesias’ first special to emerge from a two-special deal with the streamer, which was announced earlier this year .

The special finds Iglesias in his 27th year in comedy, reminiscing on the perils of life: from dating, to home break-ins, to turbulent plane rides.

Shot at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, it’s his fourth for the streamer on the heels of Gabriel Iglesias: Stadium Fluffy (2022), where he made history as the first comedian to perform at and sell out Dodger Stadium, the largest MLB stadium in the U.S., as part of Netflix Is a Joke Fest.

His other specials there include Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias: One Show Fits All (2019) and Gabriel Iglesias: I’m Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry (2016).

Manny Rodriguez directed, with Iglesias executive producing alongside John Bravakis and Joe Meloche. Fluffy Shop Studios and Triage Entertainment produced.

One of the world’s highest grossing comedians, Iglesias is also one of the most watched on YouTube with over 2 billion views, and boasts over 34.6 million fans across social media. One of the few to headline and sell-out Madison Square Garden in New York, Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and The Sydney Opera House in Australia, he was previously in business with Netflix as the executive producer and star of its multi-cam Mr. Iglesias, which ran for two seasons.

Previously executive producing and hosting Comedy Central’s Stand-Up Revolution, Iglesias did the same for the docuseries Fluffy’s Food Adventures, which ran for three seasons on Fuse TV. Also previously putting out the Comedy Central special Aloha Fluffy, among others, he’s additionally been seen in series like The Santa Clauses and Lopez vs. Lopez, as well as the Magic Mike franchise and other films.

Jordana Brewster Signs with Anonymous Content 

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Jordana Brewster is expanding her team…

The 44-year-old half-Brazilian Panamanian actress has signed with Anonymous Content for representation.

Jordana BrewsterBrewster is an original cast member of the Fast & Furious franchise at Universal, which is the studio’s biggest of all time at a cumulative gross exceeding $7 billion.

Most recently, she’s been seen reprising her role as Mia Toretto, sister of Dom (Vin Diesel), in Fast X, which debuted in May 2023. Fast X: Part 2 is set to release in 2026.

Up next, Brewster will be seen in Sony’s romance-themed horror film Heart Eyes, which releases February 7.

On the film side, her additional credits include Cellar Door with Laurence Fishburne; Simulant alongside Robbie Amell and Sam Worthington; Who Invited Charlie? with Adam Pally; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning with Matt Bomer; The Integrity of Joseph Chambers with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Clayne Crawford; Hooking Up with Brittany Snow and Sam Richardson; Random Acts of Violence with Jesse Williams; North of Hell with Katherine Heigl and Patrick Wilson; American Heist with Adrien Brody and Hayden Christensen; Annapolis with James Franco; and The Invisible Circus with Cameron Diaz.

On the television side, Brewster played the role of Denise Brown in Ryan Murphy’s Emmy-winning American Crime Story. She has also starred on Fox’s Lethal Weapon alongside Crawford and Damon Wayans, TNT’s Dallas alongside Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe, ABC’s Secrets and Lies opposite Juliette Lewis and Michael Ealy, the NBC miniseries The ’60s, and the Daytime Emmy-winning As the World Turns.

Jonathan Loaisiga Agrees to One-Year Contract with New York Yankees

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Jonathan Loaisiga has a new deal…

The 3-0-year-old Nicaraguan professional baseball layer, a right-handed pitcher, has agreed to a one-year contract with the New York Yankees, with a team option for 2026, per ESPN sources.

Jonathan LoaisigaThe deal is pending a physical for Loaisiga, who has been hampered by elbow and shoulder injuries in recent years. He has appeared in 163 games over the past seven seasons with the Yankees.

In 2022, Loaisiga missed nearly two months because of shoulder inflammation. In 2023, arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow limited him to 17 appearances. Last season, he appeared in three games in 2024 before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery in April. He is expected to be cleared to pitch in late April.

When healthy, however, Loaisiga’s ceiling is high. He boasts electric stuff, highlighted by a 98 mph sinker, which made him an appealing free agent option for several clubs, including the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays.

Loaisiga enjoyed his best season in 2021, when he posted a 2.17 ERA in 57 appearances across 70⅔ innings.

He returns to a Yankees bullpen that lost All-Star Clay Holmes to the Mets last week and could also lose Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill in free agency this winter.

Loaisiga is the second player to agree to a deal with the Yankees since Juan Soto chose to sign with the Mets. He joins two-time MLB All-Star left-hander Max Fried, who reached an agreement on an eight-year, $218 million contract Tuesday.

The Yankees also announced Wednesday they have traded catcher Carlos Narvaez to the Boston Red Sox for minor league right-hander Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international signing bonus pool money.

Kirstin Maldonado & Her Pentatonix Group Mates to Guest Star in “The Simpsons” Holiday Special

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Kirstin Maldonado is getting animated…

The 32-year-old half-Mexican, part-Spanish American singer and her Pentatonix group mates will appear as animated versions of themselves in the upcoming The Simpsons holiday special.

Kirstin Maldonado, PentatonixIn addition Maldonado and her group makes, the episode titled “O C’mon All Ye Faithful,” will also feature another experienced Christmas caroler: Patti LaBelle.

The a cappella group and “On My Own” singer will deliver musical performances in the double episode premiering December 17 on Disney+, exactly 35 years after the original Simpsons holiday special aired in 1989.

The streaming platform also shared a trailer for the project, showing Homer wreaking havoc on Springfield after famed mentalist Derren Brown hypnotizes him into thinking he’s Santa Claus.

“Celebrate the holidays with a double-episode holiday special,” the teaser reads in between shots of the Simpsons patriarch riding on a parade float with a white beard, getting tased by police on the street and crashing his homemade sleigh into Moe’s Tavern.

The trailer doesn’t show Pentatonix — which is comprised of Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Maldonado, Matt Sallee and Kevin Olusola — or LaBelle, nor has Disney+ revealed details about their performances.

Pentatonix is known for their Christmas music, with the vocal group’s A Pentatonix Christmas spending two weeks atop the Billboard 200 in 2016.

Pentatonix has also dropped two new holiday singles in 2024: “Meet Me Next Christmas,” which arrived in November, and “Christmastime Is Finally Here” with A Great Big World, released Dec. 6.

 

Shakira Adds Three New Dates to Her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour

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Shakira is expanding her highly anticipated tour…

The 47-year-old Colombian superstar has added three new dates to her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, produced by Live Nation.

ShakiraThe unveiling of new dates follows Shakira’s announcement of her new stadium tour dates, confirming that her 2024 North American leg would be rescheduled to spring of next year, going from arenas to stadiums in several key markets.

The North America dates now kick off May 13 in Charlotte, N.C., at Bank of America Stadium, followed by a show at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., along with stops Boston, Miami, Las Vegas and more major cities before wrapping up June 30 in San Francisco at Oracle Park. 

On October 18, Shakira thanked her millions of fans for their continued support in a message posted to social media. “The demand for tickets and more shows has reached the point that our tour now requires stadiums in the USA and more dates so I can see as many of you as possible,” Shakira wrote on her Instagram Stories. “As a result, we’re elevating my North America run from arenas to stadiums and the dates will be shifted to May 2025, right after my Latin American tour.”

Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour is in support of her LP of the same name, which dropped in March.

The set landed at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums chart, a feat that made her the first woman to secure No. 1 albums in four different decades. It also scored a Latin Grammy nomination for album of the year.

Here are the dates for Shakira’s stadium run in North America:

May 13 – Charlotte, N.C. – Bank of America Stadium
May 15 – East Rutherford, N.J. – MetLife Stadium
May 20 – Montreal, Quebec – Bell Centre
May 22 – Detroit – Little Caesars Arena
May 26 – Toronto, Ontario – Scotiabank Arena
May 29 – Boston – Fenway Park
May 31 – Washington, D.C. – Nationals Park
June 2 — Atlanta — State Farm Arena
June 4 – Orlando, Fla. – Camping World Stadium
June 6 – Miami – Hard Rock Stadium
June 11 – Arlington, Texas – Globe Life Field
June 13 – San Antonio – Alamodome
June 15 – Houston – Toyota Center
June 16 – Houston – Toyota Center
June 20 – Inglewood, Calif. – SoFi Stadium
June 22 – Phoenix – Footprint Center
June 23 – Phoenix – Footprint Center
June 26 – San Diego – Snapdragon Stadium
June 28 – Las Vegas – Allegiant Stadium
June 30 – San Francisco – Oracle Park

Toronto Blue Jays Agree to Deal with Cleveland Guardians for MLB All-Star Andrés Giménez

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Andrés Giménez is feelin’ blue (jays)…

The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a deal with the Cleveland Guardians for the 26-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman, an MLB All-Star, per ESPN sources.

Andrés GiménezInfielder Spencer Horwitz, 27, will head to Cleveland as part of the deal, per sources. The other elements of the trade were not immediately known.

The deal comes as Toronto is trying to retool its roster after a disastrous 2024 season and in the aftermath of its unsuccessful attempt to sign superstar Juan Soto.

Gimenez is in the midst of a seven-year, $106.5 million deal that runs through the 2029 season, with a club option for 2030.

He has won three Gold Gloves and is widely regarded as one of the sport’s best middle infielders.

He stole 30 bases for the Guardians last season but batted .252 with a slugging percentage of .340 and was moved down into the lower half of the Cleveland lineup.

In an era in which executives highly value offensive production, other teams had started to view Gimenez as perhaps overpriced for the small-market Guardians, with rival executives speculating earlier in this offseason that he might be on the move.

The Blue Jays went 74-88 last season and are facing a franchise crossroad ahead, which is why they took a shot — a long shot, it appeared from the outset — at signing Soto.

First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the team’s best hitter, will be eligible for free agency next fall, and to date, the Blue Jays haven’t been able to work out a contract extension. Associates of Guerrero say that as the player weighs his options, he’s not sure about the direction of the franchise.

Shortstop Bo Bichette is also eligible for free agency after next season.

The Blue Jays appear to be foregoing a significant rebuild and, according to agents and rival executives, have indicated they will do everything they can to rebound in the very competitive AL East in 2025. The Jays made a significant offer to Soto before being outbid by the New York Mets, and they have had talks with other free agents and teams about possible deals.

They were among the teams involved in the bidding for pitcher Max Fried before Fried, according to sources, agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal with the New York Yankees.

Grupo Frontera Extends Record for Most No. 1s in a Calendar Year on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay Chart with “Hecha Pa’ Mi”

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Grupo Frontera is celebrating another chart-topper…

It only took four months for the Regional Mexican band from South Texas to regain its No. 1 slot on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart as “Hecha Pa’ Mi” jumps 2-1 on the December 14-dated ranking.

Grupo FronteraBefore the song rose to No. 1, Grupo Frotera previously ruled with their Maluma collaboration, “Por Qué Será?” for one week in August.

“Hecha Pa’ Mi,” released on the group’s label (Grupo Frontera) on October 3, traces its gain to 7.8 million audience impressions earned in the U.S. during the November 29-December 5 tracking week, according to Luminate, a 16% increase from the previous week.

The song trades places with “Amor Bonito” by Luis Angel “El Flaco,” as the latter dips 1-2 with a 7% decline in audience for the week.

While Grupo Frontera earns its 11th No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay, the second-most in the 2020s decade (behind Calibre 50’s 12 rulers), with the new arrival, the group achieves its fifth champ in 2024 and extends its record for the most leaders in the calendar year.

Here’s a look at the artists with the most No. 1s on the radio tally in 2024:

5, Grupo Frontera
3, Alejandro Fernández
3, Eden Muñoz
3, Xavi

With its 16% surge in audience, “Hecha Pa’ Mi” takes home the Greatest Gainer trophy, awarded weekly to the song with the biggest increase in impressions on the 40-deep chart.

Plus, it becomes the group’s first No. 1 song unaccompanied by any other collaborator among its collection of 11 leaders.

Further, continued progress among Regional Mexican stations pushes “Hecha Pa’ Mi” 5-3 on the overall Latin Airplay chart, for the song’s new peak there.

The song also advances 13-12 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart despite decreases in the two other metrics that inform the chart. It generated 2.5 million official U.S. streams, that’s a 15 dip in clicks during the tracking period, while declined 33% in digital sales.

“Hecha P’a Mi” went viral in October after the band crashed a wedding to perform the song, surprising the bride, groom and guests.

“You won’t believe me,” leading singer Payo said on social media. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but that gig was more difficult than a concert. I swear, I was more nervous than in a concert.”

Fuerza Regida to Perform at This Year’s Billboard Music Awards

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Fuerza Regida is preparing for a high-profile performance…

The Regional Mexican band will perform at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards, which will air on Thursday, December 12, at 8:00 pm ET/PT on FOX.

Fuerza RegidaHe will join Shaboozey, SEVENTEEN, Teddy Swims, Tyla, Coldplay, Jelly Roll, Megan Moroney and Stray Kids as performers for this year’s awards show. 

Fuerza Regida’s seventh studio album Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada entered the Billboard 200 at No. 14 in November 2023 and has been a fixture on the chart for 58 weeks.

Its follow-up, Pero No Te Enamores, debuted and peaked at No. 25 in August.

The group has amassed 11 Hot 100 hits, including three that have made the top 30 – “Bebe Dame,” a collab with Grupo Frontera, “Sabor Fresa” and “Tu Boda,” a collab with Óscar Maydon.

Hosted by actress and comedian Michelle Buteau, the 2024 BBMAs will be broadcast live on Thursday, December 12, at 8:00 pm ET/PT on FOX and Fire TV Channels, and on-demand on Paramount+, with performances also rolling out across Billboard.com and via @BBMAs and @Billboard social channels.

The BBMAs will celebrate music’s greatest achievements with exclusive original performances, artist interviews, and award celebrations taking place from global locations and in the midst of sold-out tours.