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.

Amazon’s Prime Video to Release Ana Maria Orozco’s “Betty la Fea: The Story Continues” In July

Posted on May 8, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Ana María Orozco is back in ‘Betty-ful’ action….

Amazon’s Prime Video has revealed the premiere date for Betty la Fea: The Story Continues, the sequel to the Colombian telenovela starring the 50-year-old Colombian actress that inspired ABC’s, Ugly Betty.

The new series will premiere on July 19 in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Betty la Fea: The Story Continues, will see Orozco reprise her role of Betty alongside Jorge Enrique Abello. Returning cast members include Julián Arango, Natalia Ramírez, Lorna Cepeda, Luces Velásquez, Marcela Posada, Mario Duarte, Julio Cesar Herrera, Ricardo Vélez, Alberto León Jaramillo and Estefanía Gómez.

Rodrigo Candamil, Juanita Molin, Zharick León and Sebastián Osorio join the cast.

Betty, la fea: The Story Continues is an RCN Estudios production for Prime Video and tells the story of Beatriz Pinzón Solano 20 years after the conclusion of the original show. While an empowered and wiser Betty works hard on rebuilding her relationship with her teenage daughter Mila, her relationship with Armando begins to deteriorate, making her question if she made the right decision 20 years ago.

Yo soy Betty, la Fea, created by Fernando Gaitán, has aired in 180 countries, dubbed into 15 languages, and has been adapted in up to 28 territories, including India, South Africa, and the U.S.

After the telenovela’s original run, Colombia’s RCN produced a sequel series in 2001 which ran for one season.

Ugly Betty, starring America Ferrera, was inspired by the Colombian telenovela and ran for four seasons on ABC.

Telemundo most recently produced its own version in 2019, titled Betty in NY and starred Elyfer Torres.

Elena Crevello Penning & Producing Gato Grande’s First English-Language Comedy Series “Climax”

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Elena Crevello is bringing her talents to a new English language project.

Gato Grande—an Amazon MGM Studios company–has set their first English-language comedy series titled Climax, with the Mexican American writer penning the project.

Climax, currently being shopped, follows former party girl Alma who, after surviving a near-fatal car accident, finds herself with an unexpected ability: every time she sleeps with someone, she sees a vision of how and when that person is going to die. When she realizes that a one-night stand has only a few days left to live, Alma must decide how far she will go to save his life and how to handle her new, life-changing ability.

Now that she can glimpse the future, what responsibility does she have to change it? Is this her chance to make a difference… or a curse on all future relationships?

“Elena Crevello is one of the brightest voices in comedy television right now and is doing a tremendous job bringing this edgy, hilarious series to life. With a Spanish origin, Climax is another great example of the multicultural approach we have at Gato Grande,” shared Gonzalez Vargas.

The company develops and produces premium content that amplifies Latino voices for mainstream audiences. Founded and led by Emmy-nominated producer, Carla Gonzalez Vargas, Gato Grande is a bi-cultural company based in Los Angeles and Mexico City, producing content in both English and Spanish.

Prior projects include the Latin-American hit Luis Miguel: The Series for Netflix, which starred Diego Boneta in the titular role, and Libre de Reír from Prime Video.

Climax is the latest project from its English-language division launched in February. It is written and produced by Crevello with co-executive producer Sergio Sancho (Itxaso and the Sea, Una vida una cena), who originally developed the concept in Spain.

Executive producers include Gato Grande CEO Carla Gonzalez Vargas (Wednesday, Luis Miguel: The Series), and is under the creative leadership of Gato Grande VP of Film and TV Development, Megan Espinoza.

Crevello’s previous credits include Grace and Frankie, American Auto and Vida.

Desmin Borges to Appear on New Season of Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building”

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Desmin Borges has entered the building…

The half-Puerto Rican actor has joined the cast of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.

Borges is among a roster of recurring cast additions that includes Siena Werber and newcomer Lilian Rebelo.

They join stars/executive producers Steve Martin, who also co-created the critically acclaimed series, Martin Short and Selena Gomez as well as new recurring players Zach Galifianakis, Molly Shannon, Eva Longoria and Eugene Levy and returning Meryl Streep in the upcoming fourth season.

All new characters will be integral to the twists and turns of the investigation into the murder of Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), Charles-Haden Savage’s (Martin) stunt double from his years on the series Brazzos and its 2020 revival.

Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich revealed in a recent interview that the Only Murders In the Building trio, Charles, Oliver (Short) and Mabel (Gomez), will kick off the new season with a trip to Los Angeles before returning to The Arconia in their search of Sazz’s killer.

The Season 3 finale saw Loretta (Streep), Oliver and Mabel all contemplating a move to LA.

Produced by 20th Television, Only Murders in the Building, Hulu’s most watched original comedy series, is co-created and co-written by Martin and John Hoffman who also executive produce alongside Short, Gomez, Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal.

Borges is best known for his role as Edgar in five seasons of FX’s comedy You’re the Worst. He can currently be seen opposite Jennifer Lopez in the film Shotgun Wedding, as well as in a series regular role in HBO’s The Time Traveler’s Wife.

His other recent credits include a season-long arc on Fox comedy Welcome To Flatch, Amazon’s Utopia, Netflix dramedy series Living with Yourself and the film Private Life.

He’ll next be seen in the film Hangdog, which premiered at the Provincetown Film Festival.

Newcomer Rebelo is a 2021 graduate of the drama program at Fordham University. She recently starred in Our Dear Drug Lord at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

John Leguizamo to Star in Apple‘s Upcoming Drama Series “Firebug”

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

John Leguizamo is buggin’…

The 63-year-old Colombian Emmy– & Tony Award-winning actor will star alongside Taron Egerton in Apple‘s upcoming drama series Firebug.

Hailing from Apple Studios and creator Dennis Lehane, the series will be directed and executive-produced by Kari Skogland.

Written by Lehane and loosely inspired by true events, Firebug will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.

Leguizamo with play Esposito, a former policeman with a lot of bad habits and a lot of good instincts.

Jurnee Smollett will also star in the series.

In addition to starring, Egerton will serve as executive producer alongside Richard Plepler through Eden Productions, Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas through Imperative Entertainment and Kary Antholis.

Leguizamo is host and executive producer of MSNBC’s hit travel show, Leguizamo Does America, which is currently in production on its second season.

He recently starred in Amazon series The Power, alongside Toni Collette, in Showtime’s five-part drama series Waco: The Aftermath, and in Mark Mylod’s horror comedy The Menu.

Leguizamo stars in the independent film Bob Trevino Likes It, which recently premiered at SXSW, winning the SXSW Grand Jury Award and the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature category.

He also stars as federal agent Gordon Rogers in The Green Veil drama series, which he produced alongside director Aram Rappaport.

Upcoming, he hosts the PBS documentary series American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos, a project he co-created with director Ben De Jesus. He’ll also be seen in the upcoming thriller feature Tin Soldier, opposite Robert Di Niro, Jamie Foxx and Rita Ora.

Taylor Zakhar Perez Signs with Paradigm

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Taylor Zakhar Perez has new representation…

The 32-year-old part-Mexican American actor and breakout star of Amazon’s hit rom-com Red, White & Royal Blue, has signed with Paradigm for representation.

In the film from director Matthew Lopez, which adapts the New York Times bestselling novel from Casey McQuiston, Perez plays Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of the American President (Uma Thurman), whose feud with a British prince (Nicholas Galitzine) threatens to drive a wedge in U.S./British relations. Subsequently, the pair are forced into a staged truce that sparks something deeper.

Produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schecter, the film premiered in August 2023 and became the No. 1 movie globally on Prime Video in its premiere weekend, remaining the platform’s most-watched film worldwide for the first three weeks after its release.

Touted by Amazon as spurring “a huge surge in new Prime membership signups,” the film is also now among Prime Video’s top three most-watched romantic comedies of all time.

Previously, Perez caught attention when he joined Netflix’s hugely popular YA film series The Kissing Booth, based on the novels by Beth Reekles, for its second and third installments. Additionally, he was featured in the first season of Max’s critically acclaimed series Minx, opposite Ophelia Lovibond, as well as Buzzfeed Studios’ 1UP, available on Prime Video.

He was recently named a SAG Awards Ambassador for the 30th annual SAG Awards, an appointment given to actors exemplifying the utmost values of the profession,

Mariel Molino to Star in CBS‘ Young Gibbs Drama “NCIS: Origins”

Posted on March 17, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Mariel Molino is celebrating her origins…

The Mexican American actress will star as the female lead opposite Austin Stowell in CBS‘ Young Gibbs drama NCIS: Origins, a prequel to the venerable procedural, which has a straight-to-series order for the 2024-2025 broadcast season.

Narrated by Harmon, the CBS Studios-produced show begins in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and chronicles Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ younger years.

In the prequel, Gibbs (Stowell) starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks.

Molino will play Special Agent Lala Dominguez, a former Marine who navigates her 1990s male-dominated field with a steely resolve and a dark sense of humor. When a tormented Leroy Jethro Gibbs joins her team, the ensuing story between these two enigmatic outsiders is filled with sparks and turns that will keep the audience guessing.

This is a new character to the NCIS universe who has not been featured on the mothership series. In the NCIS timeline, the prequel takes place in the aftermath of the murder of Gibbs’ first wife and their daughter.

Mark Harmon and his son Sean Harmon, who portrayed Gibbs in flashbacks on NCIS and was a driving force behind the prequel, executive produce alongside David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal who are co-writing the premiere episode and serving as co-showrunners.

Origins is one of two newly greenlighted extensions of CBS Studios’ ever-growing NCIS franchise, along with an Europe-set Tony & Ziva spinoff starring Michael Weatherly and Cote De Pablo for Paramount+. They join the mothership series, now in its 21st season, NCIS: Hawai’i, now in Season 3 and the franchise’s first international installment, NCIS: Sydney.

Molino, who was born in California, splits time between Los Angeles and Mexico City.

She started her career acting in Spanish-language projects, including the telenovela Papis Muy Padres, Amazon’s comedy series El Juego De Las Llaves and thriller drama series La Negociadora. She has also appeared on Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico and Luis Miguel: The Series.

Molino most recently starred in the Freeform thriller series The Watchful Eye and in the ABC family drama Promised Land. On the film side, Molino was be seen in upcoming features The Shade and Dead Man’s Switch.

Canelo Alvarez to Fight Jaime Munguia in Las Vegas in May

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

May the Fourth be wih Canelo Alvarez.

The 33-year-old Mexican boxing superstar has finalized a deal to fight Jaime Munguia on May 4 fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight championship.

It’s a one-fight deal for Alvarez and Premier Boxing Champions, sources said, after the sides parted ways last week with two bouts remaining on a three-fight agreement signed last June.

It’s a coup for PBC to welcome Alvarez, boxing’s top star, back into the fold for its second pay-per-view offering as part of its new partnership with Amazon‘s Prime Video.

DAZN, the streaming service that has an exclusive deal with Golden Boy Promotions, will also carry the event.

Munguia’s past 12 fights were streamed by DAZN. The 27-year-old Mexican fighter has been co-promoted by Zanfer and Golden Boy.

“On May 4, I’ll be fighting Jaime Munguia at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas,” Alvarez posted on social media. “Mexico vs. Mexico!”

Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) is coming off a career-best win, a ninth-round TKO of John Ryder in January. He has steadily improved under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

Now, Munguia will represent Alvarez’s first Mexican opponent since Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2017. Munguia is rated No. 4 by ESPN at 168 pounds.

Alvarez, ESPN’s No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer, was lined up for a championship defense against Jermall Charlo in May. However, Alvarez and PBC couldn’t agree to terms for the matchup, which contractually allowed him to explore other options.

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) discussed a return to DAZN for bouts with Munguia and Edgar Berlanga this year, but when those talks stalled the champion returned to the table with PBC, sources said.

Alvarez plans to fight on Mexican Independence Day weekend in September as well.

Alvarez defeated Jermall’s twin brother, Jermell Charlo, via unanimous decision in September to retain his undisputed super middleweight championship as he kicked off the PBC partnership.

When the deal was signed in June, Jermall Charlo was lined up as the first opponent before he ultimately withdrew because of personal matters. Jermell stepped in, while Jermall and Errol Spence Jr. loomed as possibilities for the second and third bouts of the deal. That was before Spence was TKO’d by Terence Crawford in a one-sided beatdown in July, eliminating one viable opponent for Alvarez.

Then in November, Jermall failed to impress in a decision win against Jose Benavidez Jr. The bout was Charlo’s first in 29 months. It’s a big event any time Alvarez fights, but there was little commercial demand for a matchup with another Charlo after Jermell’s listless performance in September.

With an Alvarez-Charlo fight less appealing for May, the door opened for what promises to be a far more lucrative matchup with Munguia. Alvarez has been the sport’s top attraction since Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired in 2017.

The all-time great’s résumé includes a pair of wins over Gennadiy Golovkin and titles in four weight classes. His win over Charlo was preceded by a decision victory over Ryder in May in Mexico. Alvarez scored knockdowns in both fights.

The biggest potential fight out there for Alvarez remains a matchup against rising star David Benavidez.

“The reason why this fight is not happening is because Alvarez doesn’t want it to happen, plain and simple,” David Benavidez told ESPN last week.

PBC’s stable also includes star boxer Gervonta Davis, who is set to return vs. Frank Martin this summer. PBC’s first event with Prime Video will take place March 30 in Las Vegas, a pay-per-view headlined by Keith Thurman vs. Tim Tszyu.

Tony Gonzalez Signs with United Talent Agency

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Tony Gonzalez has new representation…

The 48-year-old part-Mexican American former American football tight end and Pro Football Hall of Famer has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA).

Gonzalez will continue to represented by SMAC Entertainment and Jill Fritzo PR.

Gonzalez is considered one of the greatest tight ends in National Football League (NFL) history. He played in the league for 17 seasons, primarily for the Kansas City Chiefs and then for the Atlanta Falcons for his final five seasons in the league. He’s the NFL’s all-time-leader in touchdowns and yards by a tight end as well as consecutive starts and Pro Bowl appearances by a tight end.

After retiring in 2013, he began working as an analyst for The NFL Today and other NFL programming at CBS. He currently co-hosts Thursday Night Football for Amazon Prime Video.

Gonzalez has branched out into acting in recent years. He’ll guest star in the seventh episode of Season 6 of the CBS comedy series The Neighborhood. He will appear in the episode as Derrick, Calvin’s (Cedric the Entertainer) new physical therapist. Season 6 of the series launched on February 12 after being delayed due to the double writers’ and actors’ strikes.

He also appeared in the Amazon film The Underdoggs opposite Snoop Dogg and Tika Sumpter, the Paramount+ film Fantasy Football, and the Spectrum Originals drama series Long Slow Exhale.

His other credits include XXX: The Return of Xander Cage and multiple episodes of NCIS.

Gonzalez is active in philanthropy as well, working with organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Shadow Buddies, Scholars’ Hope and Give Power.

Justina Machado to Star in Netflix’s First Original Medical Procedural “Pulse”

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Justina Machado’s pulse is on the rise…

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican actress has been cast as the first series regular on Pulse, Netflix’s first medical procedural original.

Hailing from first-time creator Zoe Robyn, who serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside veteran.

The show’s first two episodes will be directed and executive produced by Kate Dennis.

Pulse will feature a mix of medical cases and office romances. In it, while the staff of Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center navigate medical emergencies, young ER doc Dani Simms is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident amidst the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship.

Machado plays Natalie Cruz, a brilliant and politically-savvy doctor, who oversees both administration and medicine in her role as the Chair of Surgery and Emergency Medicine.

Bradley Gardner, Emma Forman and Michael Klick also executive produce the series, which is slated to begin production in March in Albuquerque.

The greenlight for Pulse comes after Robyn and Cuse worked with a writers room last year to craft scripts.

Machado recently starred in the Amazon/Blumhouse series The Horror Of Dolores Roach based on the popular Spotify podcast of the same name.

She previously headlined Netflix/Pop’s acclaimed One Day At a Time reboot and recently guest starred on NBC’s Lopez vs. Lopez.

Machado will next star in the independent feature The Throwback from director Mario Garcia.

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