Tag Archives: Afro-Latina

Celia Cruz Officially Depicted on U.S. Quarter

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Celia Cruz’s legacy has been ceminted…

The late legendary Cuban singer is now depicted on a U.S. quarter.

Celia CruzWidely known as the Queen of Salsa, Cruz was chosen along with four other exemplary women from history to be featured on the U.S. quarter as part of the American Women Quarters Program this year.

She also makes history as the first Afro-Latina to appear on the coin.

“Celia received so many accolades during her lifetime that it was hard to expect a greater honor than what she had already accumulated during her legendary career,” said Omer Pardillo-Cid, Cruz’s last artistic representative and the executor of her estate, in a press release. “But to have been honored by the U.S. Mint in this way is something that would have surprised her greatly since she was a simple and humble woman.”

Celebrated for her iconic shout “¡Azúcar!” — a phrase also inscribed on the coin — Cruz is acknowledged as a cultural symbol and an influential vocalist in history, boasting nearly 40 albums.

On the U.S. quarter, she is depicted in her customary Cuban attire, captured with her characteristic vivacity.0

The U.S. Mint’s other 2024 honorees are Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color to serve in Congress; Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a women’s rights advocate and Civil War era surgeon; poet, activist, and lawyer Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray; and Native American writer, composer, educator and political activist Zitkala-Ša.

The four-year American Women Quarters Program “celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States,” states the official website, which also sells the coins individually and as a set.

“All of the women honored have unique accomplishments that have significantly impacted the history of our nation,” said Ventris C. Gibson, director of the Mint, in a press release.

Kassandra Lee Diaz to Star in Hulu’s Comedy Pilot “1266”

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Kassandra Lee Diaz is phoning it in…

The Cuban, Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress will star in the Hulu comedy pilot 1266.

Kassandra Lee DiazDiaz will star as a lead opposite Gabourey Sidibe, Karim Diané and Kristin Dodson in the pilot from 20th Television.

1266 follows Gabby Brixton (Sidibe), who’s living with her mom and making half-hearted attempts to become a singer/model and overnight millionaire. When she’s fired from her job, she stumbles upon the gig of a lifetime ― phone sex. What initially seems like a quick way to make money turns into a life-changing experience when she meets the women who become her chosen family and learns how powerful, profitable and prolific her voice can be.

Diaz will play Fi, an Afro-Latina queer 20-something, who doesn’t suffer fools and loves lavishing designer threads on her girlfriends. Cynical, mysterious and introverted, she’s a quiet yet fiery woman who keeps her cards close to the chest.

Additionally, Anna Maria Horsford, Tisha Campbell and Judy Reyes (Claws) will recur if the pilot is picked up to series.

The series is inspired by the true-life story of Sidibe, who is executive producing with Thembi Banks, Steven Canals and Julie Bean. Banks and Bean will be co-showrunners. Banks is writing the teleplay and directing the pilot.

Celia Cruz to Become First Afro-Latina Depicted on U.S. Quarter

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The late Celia Cruz is still making money moves…

The face of the legendary Cuban singer will be depicted on a U.S. quarter, according to the United States Mint.

Celia CruzWidely known as the Queen of Salsa, Cruz was chosen along with four other exemplary women from history to be featured on the U.S. quarter as part of the American Women Quarters Program in 2024. She’ll also make history as the first Afro-Latina to appear on the coin.

Cruz, who is considered one of the most influential Latin singers of all time and a cultural icon, is remembered for her lively expression of “¡Azúcar!,” and for her highly influential body of work consisting of 37 albums.

The other honorees include Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first women of color to serve in the U.S. Congress; Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, women’s rights advocate and Civil War era surgeon; poet, activist, and lawyer Pauli Murray; and Native American writer, composer, educator Zitkala-Ša.

The four-year program “celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States,” states the official website.

From joining La Sonora Matancera in the early ’50s up until her death in 2003 due to cancer, Cruz was unquestionably one of the most exuberant performers of Latin music. Her larger-than-life onstage presence coupled with her captivating charisma made her a legend in Latin America and beyond.

In the 1970s, she became a leading force in salsa music and joined Fania All Stars alongside Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Tito Puente and other icons of the genre, a cultural phenomenon that took place in New York City and beyond.

She later explored other tropical genres such as merengue and reggaetón. Some of her most memorable hits in history include “La Vida Es Un Carnaval,” “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” and “Químbara” also featuring Johnny Pacheco.

She never lip-synched, and when asked to do it for TV performances, she refused. Cruz was also incredibly influential for many of today’s Latin stars. Her last 2003 album, Regalo del Alma, remained at No. 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart for three weeks.

“I’ve never thought of retiring. I’m healthy, I’m rolling, I’m rolling. I remember Celia Cruz,” reggaetón pioneer Ivy Queen previously told Billboard, who has long idolized and emulated Cruz. “Her last Premios Lo Nuestro performance, she had cancer. She walked from her chair to the stage, she sang, and … she sang. That’s what I’m doing. F–k it. She did it, I’m gonna do it.”

Although Cruz died two decades ago, her legacy continues to appear in various corners of pop culture.

Last year, the estate of the salsa legend partnered with Archetype-IO to release her first NFT collection, which debuted in Art Basel 2022. In 2016, an 80-part series about her life became available for streaming on Netflix, titled Celia, by Telemundo.

For each year commencing in 2022 and running through 2025, the U.S. mint will issue five new reverse designs, and the obverse of the coin will still feature George Washington, but with a slightly different design from the previous quarter program.

This year celebrates Bessie Colemen, Edith Kanaka’ole, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jovita Idar and Maria Tallchief.

Ariana DeBose to Star in Blumhouse Television & Prime Video’s Thriller “House of Spoils”

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Ariana DeBose is embracing the spoils…

The 31-year-old half-Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actress will star in the Prime Video and Blumhouse Television psychological thriller House of Spoils, playing an ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant but has to contend with the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her at very turn.

Ariana DeBose,Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy are directing off their script based on their original idea.

Cameras will roll in the fall. 

The project reunites with Blumhouse with Amazon, which have made the collection of genre movies, Welcome to the Blumhouse, and the recently wrapped slasher horror-comedy film Totally Killer, directed by Nahnathcka Khan starring Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Julie Bowen, and Randall Park.

Prime will stream Blumhouse’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Nanny from first-time feature writer-director Nikyatu Jusu starting December 16.

DeBose took home an Oscar, BAFTA, Critics Choice and SAG Awards prize for her star-making role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story. In winning her Oscar, she became the first openly queer Afro Latina to win an Academy Award.

She is also starring in Sony’s Kraven the Hunter, which will be released on January 13, and Matthew Vaughn’s action film Argylle for Apple. She will also star in Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s space thriller I.S.S. 

DeBose’s other credits include AppleTV+’s Schmigadoon! and Ryan Murphy’s Netflix adaptation of the hit-Broadway musical The Prom. She starred on Broadway as part of the original cast of Hamilton and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, which earned her a 2018 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Said Chris McCumber, president of Blumhouse Television: “We’re excited to see Ariana’s fresh, bold and spirited energy that won her an Oscar in a role that is completely different. And with the gifted filmmaking team of Bridget and Danielle, the talent in front of and behind the camera is exceptional.”

Ariana DeBose Makes SAG Awards History with Best Supporting Actress Win for “West Side Story”

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Life’s a real SAG for Ariana DeBose…

The 31-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer/dancer earned her first-ever SAG Award.

Ariana DeBoseDeBose won the Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture prize from the Screen Actors Guild for her scene-stealing turn in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

With the win, DeBose becomes the first openly queer woman of color to win an individual film SAG Award.

“I think it’s just indicative that the doors are opening,” DeBose said in the SAG Awards press room while talking with the media. “It’s an honor to be seen, it’s an honor to be an Afro-Latina—an openly queer woman of color, a dancer, a singer, and an actor. It’s indicative to me that I will not be the last, and that’s the important part. Whatever firsts are attached to my name, they are immensely special to me, but I’m focused on the fact that if I’m the first of anything that means I won’t be the last.”

DeBose, the latest Latina to portray Anita in West Side Story, also honored her predecessors, Rita Moreno and Chita Rivera for paving the way.

“The legacy of Anita means a great deal to me, for many different reasons,” she shared. “I’m a Broadway girl at heart. We speak so frequently about Rita Moreno, as we should, she’s legendary. But the OG Anita on stage is Chita Rivera, and I have looked up to Chita for such a long time. She [paved the] way for me on the stage for me to be able to do what I do in that facet of the industry. So, to be able to be a part of the legacy of Anita that includes both Chita and Rita—and now Ariana— it’s really special to me. And we’re all very different types of Latinas, that’s beautiful and important too. There’s no one way to be Latina or Hispanic. There are many beautiful ways. I think each one of us is a testament to that.”

Eugenio Derbez has earned his first career SAG Award…

The 60-year-old Mexican actor, comedian, and filmmaker was among the winners in the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for their work in CODA.

The Apple film is the first movie with a predominantly deaf cast to win the top prize at the awards honoring actors. Derbez is not hearing impaired.

In the television categories, Cristo Fernandez picked up his first-ever SAG Award…

The 31-year-old Mexican actor, and former professional footballer for the Estudiantes Tecos Club of the Liga Premier de México and his Ted Lasso cast mates took home the Comedy Ensemble trophy.

The SAG Awards aired live on TNT and TBS from The Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, with a red carpet, a maskless crowd and a full roster of A-listers part of the show.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
CODA
EUGENIO DERBEZ / Bernardo Villalobos
DANIEL DURANT / Leo Rossi
EMILIA JONES / Ruby Rossi
TROY KOTSUR / Frank Rossi
MARLEE MATLIN / Jackie Rossi
FERDIA WALSH-PEELO / Miles

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
WILL SMITH / Richard Williams
KING RICHARD

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Tammy Faye Bakker
THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
MICHAEL KEATON / Dr. Samuel Finnix
DOPESICK

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
KATE WINSLET / Mare Sheehan
MARE OF EASTTOWN

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
SUCCESSION
NICHOLAS BRAUN / Greg Hirsch
JULIANA CANFIELD / Jess Jordan
BRIAN COX / Logan Roy
KIERAN CULKIN / Roman Roy
DAGMARA DOMINCZYK / Karolina Novotney
PETER FRIEDMAN / Frank Vernon
JIHAE / Berry Schneider
JUSTINE LUPE / Willa
MATTHEW MACFADYEN / Tom Wambsgans
DASHA NEKRASOVA / Comfrey Pellits
SCOTT NICHOLSON / Colin
DAVID RASCHE / Karl Muller
ALAN RUCK / Connor Roy
J. SMITH-CAMERON / Gerri Kellman
SARAH SNOOK / Shiv Roy
FISHER STEVENS / Hugo Baker
JEREMY STRONG / Kendall Roy
ZOË WINTERS / Kerry Castellabate

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
JUNG HO-YEON / Kang Sae-byeok
SQUID GAME

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
LEE JUNG-JAE / Seong Gi-hun
SQUID GAME

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
TED LASSO
ANNETTE BADLAND / Mae
KOLA BOKINNI / Isaac McAdoo
PHIL DUNSTER / Jamie Tartt
CRISTO FERNÁNDEZ / Dani Rojas
BRETT GOLDSTEIN / Roy Kent
BRENDAN HUNT / Coach Beard
TOHEEB JIMOH / Sam Obisanya
NICK MOHAMMED / Nathan Shelley
SARAH NILES / Dr. Sharon Fieldstone
JASON SUDEIKIS / Ted Lasso
JEREMY SWIFT / Leslie Higgins
JUNO TEMPLE / Keeley Jones
HANNAH WADDINGHAM / Rebecca Welton

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
JEAN SMART / Deborah Vance
HACKS

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
JASON SUDEIKIS / Ted Lasso
TED LASSO

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
ARIANA DeBOSE / Anita
WEST SIDE STORY

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
TROY KOTSUR / Frank Rossi
CODA

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
NO TIME TO DIE

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
SQUID GAME

SAG Life Achievement Award
HELEN MIRREN

Jimmy Gonzales to Star in George Lopez’s Amazon Drama Pilot “Once Upon a Time in Aztlan”

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Jimmy Gonzales is right on Time…

The Mexican actor has been cast as a lead alongside Arianna Williams on Amazon’s Once Upon a Time in Aztlan, the drama pilot from George Lopez.Jimmy Gonzales

They join previously announced cast Lopez, Jesse Garcia and Annie Gonzalez.

Gonzales stars as the morally compromised Hector, whose pursuit of ‘get rich or die trying’ dreams landed his partner Arturo Duran in prison for thirteen years. Since then, he’s further cemented his influence over the Duran family: He has a son with Lola (Gonzalez) and is the de facto father figure for Angela (Williams). Despite his overtures to legitimize himself, he’s a lifelong hustler who’s baiting the attention of the FBI.

Willians portrays the character of Angela, a Gen-Z Afro Latina, who is described as fiercely independent, confident, and always adapting. The face of our modern Los Angeles. The Duran family have hung their hopes on Angela as their luminary, but she’s in deep debt to her nefarious uncle, who’s co-signed her loans to USC. Her father, Arturo (Garcia) returns to her life after a long absence, presenting a challenging new vision of her future.

Written by Javier Rodriguez, the one-hour drama from STXtelevision and Amazon Studios revolves around a Chicano family in the deep suburbs of Los Angeles as they come to terms with the falsehoods of the American dream, and their ability to defy expectations. The pilot will be directed by Ricardo de Montreuil, who helmed Eva Longoria and Demián Bichir in the Blumhouse/Imagine East L.A.-set drama, Lowriders.

Rodriguez executive produces with de Montreuil, photographer/director Estevan Oriol, LA-based artist Mister Cartoon, and Michael Connolly who put the Latinx package together under his STXtelevision-based Mad Hatter Entertainment banner.

Gonzales can currently be seen as the lead in Netflix/Endeavor Content’s Blue Miracle opposite Dennis Quaid. He can next be seen on Fox Searchlight’s biopic Flamin’ Hot as Hector Morales and currently is a recurring guest star on FX’s Mayans M.C.

Other credits include AMC’s Lodge 49, AMC’s The Walking Dead, and David E. Kelley’s Mr. Mercedes.

Williams played a supporting lead in a 2021 Lifetime Movie opposite Denise Richards. Although a relative newcomer to the small screen, she’s worked with Phylicia Rashad, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Ruben Santiago Hudson at the Billie Holliday Theatre.