Prime Video Releasing George Lopez’s Final Comedy Special, “Muy Católico,” in February

Posted on January 22, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

George Lopez is preparing for his last (stand-up) hurrah…

The 63-year-old Mexican American comedian and actor is retiring from stand-up comedy, but not before giving fans one last show.

From Prime Video, George Lopez: Muy Católico, recorded last September at the famed Los Angeles venue, the Dolby Theater, will premiere on February 18.

Across one hour, Lopez will share his reflections on aging, Latino family dynamics, and cultural quirks.

He also embraces the challenges of getting older and touches on generational clashes and Latino superstitions.

“It is the last one. I’ve subjected the American people to enough of my crap. It seems like the right time; it’s been the one thing that has just never left me my whole life and it’s a wonderful place to leave it at this particular point,” Lopez told Tamron Hall about his decision to retire.

Viewers can continue to watch Lopez and his real-life daughter Mayan Lopez, who you can see on the right-hand side of the photo above, in the NBC comedy Lopez Vs. Lopez, which is currently in its third season. The duo plays father and daughter in the multi-cam series that explores a fictionalized version of their relationship which they co-created alongside Debby Wolfe.

George Lopez previously released four HBO comedy specials including The Wall (2017), It’s Not Me, It’s You (2012), Tall, Dark and Chicano (2009), which was nominated for a Best Comedy Album Grammy Award, and America’s Mexican (2007).

His comedy concert, Why You Crying? from Showtime was released in 2004.

His most recent special, We’ll Do It for Half, was released on Netflix in 2020.

The special is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Travieso Productions.

Jennifer Lopez to Star Opposite Brett Goldstein in Netflix Rom-Com “Office Romance”

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez is having an office romance…

The 55-year-old Puerto Rican superstar will star opposite Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein in Netflix’s irreverent romantic comedy Office Romance.

Lopez has previously delivered two hit movies for the streamer… The Mother and Atlas.

There was a hot bidding war for the forthcoming feature, which Netflix won.

Goldstein and Joe Kelly are co-writing the rom-com.

The producers on Office Romance are Aaron Ryder and Andrew Swett for Ryder Picture Company; Goldstein and Kelly; as well as Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina for Nuyorican Films.

Nuyorican Productions has a multiyear first-look deal with Netflix spanning feature films, TV series and unscripted content, with an emphasis on projects that support diverse female actors, writers and filmmakers.

Lopez and Goldstein recently had films at the Toronto Film Festival. Lopez was at TIFF with the Amazon MGM Studios sports drama Unstoppable, about championship wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg; the movie has 74% fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Goldstein world premiered the MRC feature drama All of You, which he co-wrote and starred in with Imogen Poots. That film stands at 85% fresh reviews on RT.

Lopez’s top two movies on Netflix, The Mother and Atlas, clocked 136.4 million global views and 73 million global views, respectively. The Mother is among the streamer’s 10 most-watched movies of all time and was Netflix’s most-watched movie of 2023. Atlas also hit the top 10 in 93 countries.

George Lopez Preparing New Hour-Long Comedy Special for Prime Video

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

George Lopez is preparing to bring the laughs…

The 63-year-old Mexican American stand-up comedian and actor is preparing a new hour-long comedy special to premiere on Prime Video.

Amazon MGM Studios and Travieso Productions are producing Lopez’s new hour, which is his first since We’ll Do It for Half for Netflix in 2020.

Taping at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on September 27 and 28, as part of Lopez’s “ALLLRIIIIGHHTTT! Comedy” tour, its premiere date will be announced down the road.

Breaking ground for Latino comics in a decades-long career spanning television, film, stand-up, and late-night, Lopez has previously put out four comedy specials with HBO — The Wall (2017), It’s Not Me, It’s You (2012), Tall, Dark and Chicano (2009), and America’s Mexican (2007) — earning Grammy nominations for the latter two. His stand-up output also includes Why You Crying?, an acclaimed comedy concert for Showtime, and a number of other comedy albums.

Coming to the attention of many with the groundbreaking hit sitcom George Lopez, which he co-created, wrote, produced and starred on for ABC, he’s most recently exec produced and starred opposite his daughter Mayan Lopez on NBC’s sitcom Lopez vs Lopez, a fictionalized look at their real-life relationship, which returns for its third season on October 18.

He also exec produced and starred in TV Land’s semi-autobiographical sitcom Lopez, which ran for two seasons, and co-created and starred on FX’s Saint George.

At one point hosting his own TBS late-night talker, Lopez Tonight, Lopez last summer joined the DC Extended Universe with Angel Manuel Soto’s Blue Beetle.

Other recent feature projects include Snoop Dogg’s Amazon MGM sports comedy, The Underdoggs, as well as the indie holiday comedy How the Gringo Stole Christmas.

Lío Mehiel to Star in Amazon MGM Studios’ Upcoming Feature “After the Hunt”

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Lío Mehiel is on the hunt…

The Puerto Rican and Greek actor, artist and filmmaker has joined the cast of Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming feature After the Hunt.

Lio, who made their feature film debut starring in Mutt, is part of a list of new cast additions that includes Thaddea Graham, Will Price, Christine Dye and Burgess Byrd.

The joined the previously announced cast members Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny.

The film is produced by Imagine Entertainment will be released in theaters next year.

Luca Guadagnino is directing the film from a script penned by Nora Garrett.

The film follows a college professor who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star pupil levels an accusation against one of her colleagues, and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come to light.

Mehiel made their feature film debut starring in Sundance 2023’s Mutt, which won the festival’s top honor of Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and will be distributed theatrically this fall via Music Box.

Benjamin Bratt Starring in Amazon MGM Studios’ Action Comedy “Balls Up”

Posted on July 18, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Benjamin Bratt is having a ball…

The 60-year-old half-Peruvian American Emmy-nominated actor has joined the cast of Balls Up, Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming action comedy from director Peter Farrelly and Skydance.

He joins previously announced cast members Mark Wahlberg, Paul Walter Hauser, Molly Shannon and Eva De Dominici.

Balls Up follows two American marketing executives who are fired for blowing a client sponsorship opportunity and decide to use their free tickets to a major soccer match. Their drunken debauchery leads them to be hunted by every person across the country.

Details surrounding Bratt’s role are under wraps.

Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese wrote the script.

Previously seen in films like Piñero, Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, Miss Congeniality and Curtis Hanson’s The River Wild opposite Meryl Streep, Bratt has most recently appeared in Netflix’s Mother of the Bride, as well as the hit Peacock series Poker Face and Apple TV+’s Loot on and respectively.

He’ll next appear alongside Julianna Margulies, Minnie Driver, Brian d’Arcy James and Patrick Wilson in Edward Burns’ film Millers in Marriage.

Amazon Renews Laz Alonso’s “The Boys” for Fifth Season

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Laz Alonso will be spending more time with his Boys…

Amazon has renewed The Boys, starring the 50-year-old Afro-Cuban American actor, for a fifth season.

The announcement comes about a month before the fourth installment is set to hit Prime Video.

“The Boys is an unabashed and bold series that continues captivating our customers all over the world by piercing the cultural fabric season after season,” Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios said in a statement. “We are proud of this series that has grown into a global franchise, and we are thrilled that Eric Kripke and the creative team have more engaging stories to tell for all the loyal fans.”

The eight-episode Season 4 premieres on June 13 with three episodes, followed by a new episode each week, ending with the season finale on July 18.

In Season 4, the world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the muscly thumb of Homelander, who is consolidating his power. Butcher, with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son and his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team are fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late.

Of the renewal, showrunner Eric Kripke said: “The Boys could be the best job I’ll ever have. What other show allows me to write about politics, capitalism, family, and exploding genitalia, though not in that order. The cast and crew are deeply grateful to Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios for the opportunity to tell this story for another season. My only problem is that since this year promises to be free of any conflict or misinformation, we’re not sure what to write about.”

The Boys is based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, who also serve as executive producers. Kripke developed the series for TV and serves as showrunner and executive producer.

The Boys is produced by Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios with Kripke Enterprises, Original Film and Point Grey Pictures.

In addition to Alonso, season 4 also stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and Cameron Crovetti. Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan will also join the cast.

Ismael Cruz Cordova to Star in Amazon MGM Studios’ Forthcoming Film “The Bluff”

Posted on May 4, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Ismael Cruz Cordova is bluffing…

The 37-year-old Afro-Puerto Rican actor will star in Amazon MGM Studios’ forthcoming film The Bluff from director Frank E. Flowers.

Cruz Cordova, who starred in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, is part of a roster of new cast additions that includes Safia Oakley-Green and Vedanten Naidoo.

The trio joins an ensemble led by Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban.

The parts they’ll be playing are under wraps.

Written by Flowers and Joe Ballarini, the film set in the 19th century Caribbean follows a former female pirate (Chopra Jonas) who must protect her family when the mysterious sins of her past catch up to her.

Recently landing a Critics’ Choice Award nomination for his performance as Arondir on Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which is heading into its second season, Cordova has also previously been seen in Paramount+’s Finestkind, HBO’s miniseries The Undoing, Focus Features’ Mary Queen of Scots and Sony’s remake of Miss Bala.

Auli’i Cravalho to Participate in Special Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti Panel Discussion

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Auli’i Cravalho will discussing her PEAK performance levels next month…

The Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti (PEAK) has announced their PEAK Conversations panel, sponsored by Amazon MGM Studios, with the 23-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer among the panelists.

Taking place in Los Angeles on May 1, the first celebration of Pasifika women in Hollywood will feature and highlight the achievements of the Moana and Mean Girls, RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Sasha Colby, and Great Scott Productions founder Naomi Scott with moderation by Moana 2 and Thai Cave Rescue screenwriter Dana Ledoux Miller.

The talanoa (or discussion) will focus on issues specific to Pasifika women and their journeys in the entertainment industry.

“May is AAPI Heritage Month yet you’ll find Pasifika (or Pacific Islander) people are rarely prioritized and often erased in celebrations despite us being named in them. Most AAPI organizations have no Pasifika staff or even board members so it’s why PEAK exists. We’re the only Pasifika-led organization doing this work who will advocate for us the way we do. We’re all about uplifting our most marginalized voices so for this event, it made perfect sense to highlight our women who are the backbone of our communities, yet they experience the most disparity when it comes to opportunities and pay,” said Kristian Fanene Schmidt, Co-Founder and Executive Director of PEAK.

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) reports that on average, for every dollar white non-Hispanic men make, Fijian women earn $0.73, Chamorro women earn $0.66, Samoan women earn $0.63, Native Hawaiian women earn $0.62, and Tongan women earn $0.59.

“I’ve been working a really long time to try to get into positions where I can help other Pasifika writers and creators tell stories and get into rooms. It feels like I finally have that opportunity and have more influence in what gets out there. So I hope to use this moment to show people what we’re capable of and how we can really do anything,” says Ledoux Miller, who is also a Co-Founder of PEAK.

PEAK’s mission is to redefine and expand Pasifika entertainment so that our creatives can thrive, evolve, and drive innovative storytelling that honors the richness and diversity across Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

José Andrés Launching New Half-Hour Special “Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés”

Posted on February 10, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Chef José Andrés is inviting some special guests for dinner…

The 54-year-old Spanish James Beard Award-winning chef, television personality, humanitarian and philanthropist is launching a new half-hour special, Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés, coming to Prime Video on March 19, 2024.

The Prime Video and Amazon Freevee collaboration celebrates the joy of cooking together and how food is a source of hope, inspired by Andrés’ work with the non-profit he founded in 2010, World Central Kitchen.

Andrés will host Jamie Lee Curtis, Bryan Cranston and O’Shea Jackson Jr. to join him in the kitchen, getting their hands dirty with approachable Spanish-influenced recipes while sharing stories that inspire them. Beyond cooking and conversation, the Chef will give viewers important takeaways to apply in their own homes while embracing imperfection and spontaneity in the kitchen.

Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés is executive produced by José Andrés, Richard Wolffe, Matthew Goldberg, Ellen Rocamora, Max Wagner, Ryan Schiavo, and Michael Antinoro. The series is from Amazon MGM Studios.

Andrés is an internationally recognized humanitarian, culinary innovator, New York Times bestselling author, educator, Emmy award-winning television personality and owner of the award-winning José Andrés Group, which operates nearly 40 restaurants in the US and beyond.

In 2010, Andrés founded World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. His work has earned awards and distinctions including the 2015 National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama, the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the Princess of Asturias Foundation’s 2021 Concordia Prize for his humanitarian work.

In 2023, Andrés founded the Global Food Institute at George Washington University in Washington DC, and he currently serves as the Co-Chair of President Biden’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. As a naturalized citizen originally from Spain, Andrés has been an advocate for immigration reform.

Rosa Salazar to Star in Amazon MGM Studios Crime Thriller “Play Dirty”

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Rosa Salazar is ready to play.

The 38-year-old half-Peruvian American actress will star as the female lead in Play Dirty, Shane Black’s crime thriller for Amazon MGM Studios.

Salazar will star opposite Mark Wahlberg and LaKeith Stanfield in the project.

Details about her role are being kept under wraps.

In Play Dirty, Wahlberg plays professional thief Parker, who after being double-crossed and left for dead, sees his hunt for revenge bring with it a shot at the biggest heist of his career. But even with the help of his partner, actor-slash-con artist Grofield (Stanfield), he’ll still need to outsmart a South American dictator, the New York mob and the world’s richest man if he hopes to stay alive.

Based on Donald E. Westlake’s Parker crime fiction novels, written under the pseudonym Richard Stark, the film is the first project in a forthcoming Amazon MGM slate based on Westlake’s work, following a pact between the studio and Team Downey in 2022, which will also see titles adapted for television.

Black is directing from his script written with Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi.

Best known for starring in Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel, as well as Undone, an acclaimed rotoscoped series from Amazon, which she also produced, Salazar will next be seen in Captain America: Brave New World, which is due for release in theaters on February 14, 2025.

Previously, she has also been seen in Amazon MGM’s true-life astronaut drama A Million Miles Away, Netflix’s The Kindergarten Teacher, 20th’s Maze Runner franchise, and A24’s Oscar-nominated animated feature Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.

The actress co-produced and starred in Brand New Cherry Flavor for Netflix and will additionally be seen coming up in horror comedy Vampires of the Velvet Lounge.

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