Louis C.K. to Perform at This Year’s Stand Up for Heroes

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Louis C.K. is taking a stand…

The 49-year-old Mexican American comedian, actor, writer, producer, director and editor will take part in this year’s Stand Up for Heroes on November 1 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival, it will mark the 10th anniversary of the annual event that’s raised more than $33 million for wounded, ill and injured veterans, service members and their families.

Louis C.K. joins an all-star roster that includes Jim Gaffigan, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen and Jon Stewart.

“We look forward to Stand Up for Heroes each year not only because it’s grown into New York’s biggest night of comedy and music, but because a decade of laughter has translated into a lifetime of immeasurable support for our nation’s injured heroes,” said Bob Woodruff, co-founder and ABC News correspondent. “As we commemorate the 15th anniversary of 9/11 and the wars that have followed, it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that a small percentage of our population stood up for us — it’s now our turn to stand up for them.”

Woodruff and wife Lee established the Bob Woodruff Foundation after the then-recently installed co-anchor of ABC News was critically injured in 2006 by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The Woodruffs partnered with the New York Comedy Festival founders Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox to stage the first Stand Up for Heroes event in 2007.

“We could not be more proud to partner with the Bob Woodruff Foundation to celebrate such an incredible milestone as the 10-year anniversary of Stand Up for Heroes,” says Caroline Hirsch, Bob Woodruff Foundation board member and founder of the New York Comedy Festival and Carolines on Broadway. “The organization’s remarkable perseverance, passion and contribution to wounded soldiers and their families is outstanding. Nothing would be possible without the time and dedication from all of the performers and supporters of the organization over the years.”\

After its start at New York’s Town Hall and, later, the Beacon Theatre, the event moved to MSG in 2013.

del Castillo’s Netflix Series “Ingobernable” to Film in the U.S.

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Kate del Castillo’s latest project is heading north of the border…

Ingobernable, Netflix’s new original series toplined by the 43-year-old Mexican actress and telenovela star, is heading to production with a twist.

The series, whose star was a key player in the El Chapo saga, was originally slated to film in Mexico.

It will now shoot in the United States. According to Spanish-language reports citing del Castillo’s personal trainer, Ingobernable is expected to film in San Diego.

del Castillo, who recently became an U.S. citizen, lives in California and told ABC News in March that she is afraid to go to Mexico for fear of being arrested and prosecuted.

del Castillo has been under scrutiny by the Mexican government over her connection to notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, which led to her and actor Sean Penn’s infamous secret meeting with El Chapo while he was on the run following his daring escape from a Mexican prison.

“It’s a telenovela within a telenovela. It’s a strange turn of events for sure,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said at the height of the controversy in January, reaffirming the company’s commitment to film the series this year.

Ingobernable was picked up to series in summer 2015, long before del Castillo’s El Chapo ties were revealed. It was originally slated to begin shooting in early 2016, but production was delayed.

Vega Officially Named as Co-Anchor of ABC World News Tonight‘s Weekend Editions

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Cecilia Vega is making world news…

The Latina broadcast journalist, a correspondent for ABC News, has been officially named as one of the anchors for ABC World News Tonight‘s Saturday and Sunday editions, as well as serve as senior national correspondent.

Vega, who has interviewed everyone from Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto to Sylvester Stallone, will co-anchor the newscasts with Tom Llamas.

“Since joining ABC News in 2011, Cecilia has done fantastic work, deftly covering everything from the Olympics and papal conclave to the Occupy Wall Street protests and the election of President Barack Obama,” said ABC News chief James Goldston in memo to staffers. “Most recently, she has reported on the 2014 midterm elections, Ebola cases in the United States, the Sony computer hacking and fallout, and allegations against Bill Cosby.”

Prior to joining ABC News, Vega was an Emmy Award-winning journalist for KGO in San Francisco and award-winning print reporter. We’re very grateful that she’ll be making the jump from the West Coast to New York City for this new role as anchor and senior national correspondent.

Vega and Llamas will take the reins beginning this weekend, making official the posts they’ve filled with since last fall when David Muir became anchor of World News Tonight.

Benitez to Host Fusion’s “Nightline on Fusion” Program

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Giovani “Gio” Benitez is ready to walk the (night)line…

The 29-year-old Latino television correspondent will host Nightline on Fusion, Fusion’s one-hour weekly edition of ABC News’ Nightline.

Co-hosted by Fusion’s Kimberly Brooks, the network’s edition will feature contributions from additional ABC News and Fusion talent. Nightline on Fusion will include stories from the late-night program — the ones that “resonate with Fusion’s young, diverse millennial audience” — as well as original content produced for Fusion, that network said.

Fusion will begin broadcasting its weekly edition on February 18 at 8:00 pm ET.

Fusion was launched as a joint venture between Univision Communications Inc. and the Disney/ABC Television Network on October 28, 2013.

Benitez serves as a correspondent for ABC News, appearing on Good Morning America, World News Tonight, 20/20 and Nightline.

He has won two television news Emmy awards.

Louis C.K. to Headline the Eighth Edition of “Stand Up for Heroes”

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Louis C.K. is ready to take a stand (up)…

The 47-year-old Mexican American standup comedian/actor and Emmy-winning creator/star of FX’s Louie, will headline the eighth edition of Stand Up for Heroes, which is being held on November 5 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Louis C.K. joins fellow headlining acts Bruce Springsteen, John Mulaney, John Oliver and Brian Williams.

Presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and New York Comedy Festival, the music and comedy event honors returning service members, veterans and their families. Stand Up for Heroes has raised more than $21 million to help post-9/11 injured service members and their families.

Tickets for Stand Up for Heroes are currently on sale. Other performers will be added to the bill.

“Each year the show gets bigger and better, demonstrating the unwavering support of all those involved,” said Bob Woodruff, ABC News journalist and co-founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “We, as well as the show’s talented performers, want to show our appreciation for and give back to the brave men and women who served our country and have come home injured.”

Stand Up for Heroes is one of the centerpiece events of the 11th annual New York Comedy Festival, running November 5-9 at venues throughout New York City with more than 200 comedians performing.

Lovato Supports Same-Sex Marriage in New HRC Video

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Demi Lovato has joined the Human Rights Campaign’s fight for gay rights.

The 21-year-old part-Mexican American singer, who filmed her “Really Don’t Care” music video at L.A. Pride, is voicing her support for same-sex marriage in a new web video.

Lovato is serving as the face of a re-launch of the Human Rights Campaign‘s Americans for Marriage Equality operation. HRC promises more celebrity endorsements to come.

“I believe that love comes in all different shapes, sizes and colors,” says the former Disney Channel star and judge on Fox‘s The X Factor in the 45-second clip. “So whether you’re LGBT or straight, your love is valid, beautiful and an incredible gift. … Please join me in supporting the majority of Americans who support marriage equality.”

Recent polling indicates that a solid majority of Americans now support same-sex marriage—59 percent, according to one recent ABC News/Washington Post survey.

For respondents younger than 30, that number jumps up to 77 percent. Among Republicans, marriage equality is supported by 40 percent, a jump of 16 points from just two years ago.

Lovato’s voice is a powerful one among her young fan base, which boasts 20 million Twitter followers and 30 million Facebook fans.

The singer has made anti-bullying a cornerstone of her public life, most recently having served in June as the grand marshal of the Los Angeles gay pride parade, where she filmed her dancetastic new video.

Ramos & Salinas to Receive Lifetime Achievement Emmy

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas are two of the most important Latino journalists in the United States… And, now the co-anchors of Noticiero Univision are being honored for their influence.

The 54-year-old Mexican-born Ramos and the 57-year-old Mexican American Salinas will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 33rd Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

Ramos and Salinas have co-anchored Univision’s popular evening newscast since 1988. It’s the most-watched newscast among U.S. Hispanics and attracts an audience that’s a generation younger than English-language evening news broadcasts.

“The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is delighted to honor Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas, the co-anchors of Univision’s nightly newscast, with our prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award,” NATAS chairman Malachy Wienges said in a statement. “The majority of the U.S. Hispanic population receives the news of the world first and foremost from these two brilliant reporters who continue to be the voice, the conscience and the heart of Hispanic America across the country. We are happy to honor their work which sits amongst the very best news reporting in any language.”

Meanwhile, Ramos and Salinas’ influence could expand to an even larger audience…

Univision and ABC News will partner on an English-language cable news network aimed at acculturated Hispanics early next year with a digital destination set to roll out in time for the presidential election in November. The partnership will increase the visibility of Univision’s on-air personnel. Ramos recently appeared on ABC‘s World News with Diane Sawyer to discuss the Supreme Court ruling on Arizona’s immigration law.

Ramos and Salinas will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Emmy gala on October 1 at Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City.

O’Brien’s “Starting Point” Launching Next Week

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Starting next week, you’ll have the chance to wake up with Soledad O’Brien.

Starting Point, the 45-year-old half-Cuban journalist’s brand new morning show on CNN, will launch on Monday, January 2. It will air weekdays from 7:00-9:00 am.

CNN had previously confirmed rumors that the network was planning to revamp its morning lineup, with O’Brien and Ashleigh Banfield at the top of the list of anchors predicted to be a part of the new early morning schedule.

Meanwhile, Zoraida Sambolin will co-host Early Start with Banfield. The show will run right before O’Brien’s Starting point from 5:00-7:00 am.

Sambolin is a former early morning news anchor from Chicago, while Banfield is a former ABC News co-anchor.

The news comes as CNN is hoping to break through the morning show clutter dominated by the Today show, Good Morning America as well as Fox & Friends and Morning Joe.

O’Brien Returning to Morning TV?

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

It looks like you could be waking up to Soledad O’Brien in the morning…

CNN is looking to unveil a new morning lineup, according to the New York Times, which could result in the 45-year-old half-Cuban journalist’s return to morning television. The cable network’s plans would mean the end of its current American Morning program, which has performed poorly in the ratings.

The new morning schedule, which could be revealed as early as this week, would see O’Brien, one of CNN’s former morning presenters and the current host of the network’s “In America” documentary unit, anchor from 7:00 am to 9:00 am on weekdays.

Former ABC News correspondent Ashleigh Banfield, would co-anchor with another presenter from 5:00 am to 7:00 am. One possible sidekick:

According to the Times, one co-anchor possibility is Zoraida Sambolin. She’s a Latina journalist who formerly anchored the early morning newscast at Chicago’s NBC station before announcing her move to CNN.

CNN declined to comment on possible changes, the Times said.

American Morning has consistently struggled in the ratings against NBC’s Today show and ABC’s Good Morning America, as well as Fox & Friends and Morning Joe on CNN’s cable news competitors. The morning lineup has also underperformed against Morning Express With Robin Meade on CNN own sister channel HLN.

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