Tag Archives: Carlos Pena

Mario Lopez to Appear During This Year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

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Mario Lopez has firmed up his Thanksgiving plans…

The 49-year-old Mexican American actor and television personality will appear during this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Mario LopezLopez, who currently serves as the host of Access Hollywood, will appear alongside his family during the parade.

The parade will also include the traditional line-up of Broadway performances, with Lea Michele and the cast of Funny Girl scheduled to participate, Macy’s has announced.

The Broadway productions listed in the performance line-up this year, in addition to Funny Girl, are Disney’s long-running The Lion King, as well as new Broadway arrivals A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond musical, and Some Like It Hot, the musical adaptation of the 1959 classic film comedy.

Other entertainers included in this year’s parade are Paula Abdul; Carlos PenaVega and his Big Time Rush mates; Cam; Jordan Davis; Blue’s Clues & You! host Josh Dela Cruz; Gloria, Sasha and Emily Estefan; Jimmy Fallon & The Roots; Fitz and the Tantrums; Kirk Franklin; Ziggy Marley; Miss America 2022 Emma Broyles; the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street; Sean Paul; the cast of Peacock’s Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin (Adam Devine, Sarah Hyland and Flula Borg); the Radio City Rockettes; Joss Stone; Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue; Jordin Sparks; Dionne Warwick; and Betty Who.

The annual New York event airs live on NBC and Peacock Thanksgiving Thursday, November 24 at 9:00 am in all time zones.

Anitta Among Performers for This Year’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour

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Anitta is preparing to jingle all the way to Miami…

iHeartMedia has revealed the star-studded lineup for its annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball tour, with the 29-year-old Brazilian singer/songwriter making the list.

Anitta

Anitta will perform at Jingle Ball in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, Florida market on Sunday, December 18, at 7:00 pm EST.

But Anitta isn’t the only Latinx artist set to take the stage…

Pitbull is scheduled to perform at the concerts in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC and Atlanta.

Howie Dorough and his fellow Backstreet Boys will perfrom in Detroit, New York City, Boston and Ft. Lauderdale/Miami.

Demi Lovato will perform in Boston, while Carlos PenaVega and his Big Time Rush band mates will perform at Ft. Lauderdale/Miami.

The 2022 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour will stop in Dallas/Ft. Worth; Los Angeles; Chicago; Detroit; New York; Boston; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Tampa and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale.

“Every year our iHeartRadio Jingle Ball lineup is one of the most anticipated announcements,” Tom Poleman, chief programming officer for iHeartMedia, said in a press statement. “We’re particularly excited about who’s playing this year. This is the show that represents the best pop music of the year, all brought together on one stage. We look forward to celebrating the holiday season with music fans across the country.”

“This the time of the year when the biggest artists in music come together to celebrate the holidays with their fans from coast to coast, culminating with a two hour broadcast television event on The CW Network,” added John Sykes, president of entertainment enterprises for iHeartMedia.

Ticket pre-sale for Capital One cardholders begins on Tuesday, October 4 at 10:00 am local time and runs through Thursday, October 6 at 10:00 am local time. Pre-sale info and tickets will be available at iHeartRadio.com/CapitalOne.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, October 7 at 12:00 pm local time here.

For those who can’t make the shows in person, Z100’s Jingle Ball 2022 in New York City will air as a television special on The CW Network on Saturday, December 17 at 8:00 pm EST/PST. The CW Network will also video stream the concert live on CWTV.com and The CW App.

Here’s the full list of Jingle Ball dates and lineups:

Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas – Tuesday, November 29, at 7:30 p.m. CST
Performers: Jack Harlow, Black Eyed Peas, Khalid, Lauv, Ava Max, Lewis Capaldi, Lauren Spencer-Smith, Jax and Nicky Youre.

Los Angeles, Calif. – Friday, December 2, at 7:30 p.m. PST
Performers: Dua Lipa, Jack Harlow, Pitbull, Khalid, Bebe Rexha, Lewis Capaldi, Ava Max, Dove Cameron, Jax and Nicky Youre.

Chicago, Ill. – Monday, December 5, at 7 p.m. CST
Performers: Jack Harlow, Pitbull, Khalid, Macklemore, Lauv, Tate McRae, Ava Max, Jax and Nicky Youre.

Detroit, Mich. – Tuesday, December 6, at 7:30 p.m. EST
Performers: The Kid LAROI, AJR, Backstreet Boys, Khalid, Macklemore, Tate McRae, Ava Max, Nicky Youre, Jax and Armani White

New York, N.Y. – Friday, December 9, at 7 p.m. EST
Performers: Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Charlie Puth, Backstreet Boys, The Kid LAROI, AJR, Demi Lovato, Lauv, Ava Max, Dove Cameron and Jax.

Boston, Mass. – Sunday, December 11, at 6 p.m. EST
Performers: Jack Harlow, Backstreet Boys, Demi Lovato, The Kid LAROI, Lauv, Tate McRae, Dove Cameron, Jax and Nicky Youre.

Philadelphia, Pa. – Monday, December 12, at 7:30 p.m. EST
Performers: Sam Smith, Charlie Puth, AJR, Khalid, Tate McRae, Lauv, Ava Max, Jax and Nicky Youre.

Washington, D.C. – Tuesday, December 13, at 7:30 p.m. EST
Performers: Sam Smith, Pitbull, Charlie Puth, Khalid, Tate McRae, Lauv, Ava Max, Nicky Youre and Jax.

Atlanta, Ga. – Thursday, December 15, at 7:30 p.m. EST
Performers: Sam Smith, Pitbull, AJR, Macklemore, Khalid, Tate McRae, Lauv, Ava Max and Nicky Youre.

Tampa, Fla. – Friday, December 16 at 7 p.m. EST
Performers TBA

Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, Fla. – Sunday, December 18, at 7 p.m. EST
Performers: Charlie Puth, Anitta, Backstreet Boys, Tate McRae, Black Eyed Peas, Big Time Rush, Ava Max, Lauren Spencer-Smith and Jax.

 

Rafael Furcal Earns First-Ever Spot on the MLB Hall of Fame Ballot

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It’s a special first for Rafael Furcal…

The 42-year-old Dominican former professional baseball shortstop is among 18 newcomers on the 2020 Hall of Fame ballot.

Rafael Furcal

Furcal, who retired from Major League Baseball in 2014, for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins. With St. Louis, he won the 2011 World Series over the Texas Rangers. He was the National League Rookie of the Yearin 2000 and a three-time MLB All-Star.

Other newcomers announced Monday by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America include Derek Jeter, Cliff Lee, Josh Beckett, Jason Giambi, Paul Konerko, Bobby Abreuand Alfonso Soriano.

Holdovers include Curt Schilling, who received 60.9% last year, Roger Clemens (59.5%), Barry Bonds (59.1%) and Larry Walker(54.6%). Schilling rose from 51.2% in 2018. Walker, on the ballot for the 10th and final time this year, increased from 34.1% in 2018.

Bonds and Clemens, whose candidacies have been tainted by allegations of steroid use, are both on for the eighth time. Clemens rose from 57.3% in 2018 and Bonds from 56.4%.

In all, 10 Latino former ‘ballers made the list… In addition to Furcal, Abreu, and Soriano, former players on the list include Eric Chavez, Raul Ibanez, Manny Ramirez, Carlos Pena, Sammy Sosa, Jose Valverdeand Omar Vizquel.

Ballots are sent to more than 400 BBWAAmembers with at least 10 consecutive years in the organization, and a player must appear on at least 75% to gain election. Ballots must be mailed by December 31, and results will be announced January 21.

Anyone elected will be inducted July 26 along with any selections by the Hall’s modern era committee, which meets and votes in San Diego on December 8.

Players remain on the ballot for up to 10 years, provided they receive at least 5% of the vote annually.

Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez and Mike Mussina were elected along with Mariano Rivera in the 2019 BBWAA vote.

The ballot: Bobby Abreu, Josh Beckett, Heath Bell, Barry Bonds, Eric Chavez, Roger Clemens, Adam Dunn, Chone Figgins, Rafael Furcal, Jason Giambi, Todd Helton, Raul Ibanez, Derek Jeter, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Paul Konerko, Cliff Lee, Carlos Pena, Brad Penny, Andy Pettitte, J.J. Putz, Manny Ramirez, Brian Roberts, Scott Rolen, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Alfonso Soriano, Sammy Sosa, Jose Valverde, Omar Vizquel, Billy Wagner, Larry Walker.

Pena to Host Nickelodeon’s Summer Game Show “Web Heads”

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It’s game on for Carlos Pena…

The 24-year-old Spanish, Venezuelan and Dominican American singer-songwriter/actor and Big Time Rush member, who married actress Alex Vega earlier this year, will serve as the host on Nickelodeon‘s new Ryan Seacrest-backed game show.

Carlos Pena

The Big Time Rush television series alum will lead the competition series, which revolves around child contestants competing in challenges centered on viral videos, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

The 40-episode summer game show, formerly titled Go Viral, will now be called Web Heads.

Production on the half-hour, studio-based show will begin next week.

“I grew up on Nickelodeon game shows and always dreamed of being a contestant,” said Pena in a statement to THR. “I’m excited to be doing something fun and unique that captures the heart and slime of Nick.”

The new job keeps Pena in the Nickelodeon family, where he was a lead in the music comedy series Big Time Rush from 2009 to 2013.

He recently wrapped production on George Lopez’s indie La Vida Robot, based on a Wired article about four undocumented Mexican-American high school students who form a robotics club and compete against MIT in a national robotics competition.

Rays Star Peña Hits Game-Winning RBI Against Yankees

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Earlier this year, the Tampa Bay Rays brought Carlos Peña back to the team with a lucrative one-year contract… Well, it looks like it was money well spent!

In the team’s season-opening game against the New York Yankees, the 33-year-old Dominican baseball star not only hit a grand slam against Yankees ace CC Sabathia, but he hit a game-winning RBI against closer Mariano Rivera.

Carlos Pena

“Your heart starts racing in that moment and you try to control yourself as much as possible,” Peña said. “I tried to slow myself down and breathe and take it one pitch at a time, as easy as you can possibly make it. Instead of building the situation up you try to bring it down.”

Peña’s spectacular hitting lifted the Rays to a thrilling 7-6 victory over the Yankees on Friday. In all, he finished 3 for 5 with five RBIs in his return to the Rays after a year with the Chicago Cubs. All that after a spring in which he hit .107 and struggled so much that manager Joe Maddon initially penciled him into the No. 7 spot in the batting order for the opener before shifting the slugger into the sixth spot.

Peña, who was 0 for 11 lifetime against Rivera, won it by driving a 1-2 pitch off the base of the wall in left-center field for his fifth RBI of the game.

“He’s the greatest closer in the history of the game and we all know that,” Pena said of Rivera. “He has that illusion in his ball. You swing where the ball is at and it’s not there anymore. He has perplexed hitters throughout his career. He’s the best closer in baseball, and that’s for a reason.”

Earlier in the game, Peña brought the sellout crowd of 34,078 to its feet in the bottom of the first inning when he sent a 3-2 pitch into the right-field stands for his eighth career grand slam.

Gomez Leads the Latino Pack of Kids’ Choice Award Nominees…

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So what do Selena Gomez, Sofia Vergara and Victoria Justice have in common? They all run the risk of being slimed this spring!

Nickelodeon has announced the nominees for 25th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards with some of today’s biggest Latino and Latina stars gettin’ some serious love from the tween set.

Selena Gomez

Gomez leads the Latino pack with two nods. The 19-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actress is nominated for Favorite TV Actress for her work on Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place, as well as in the Favorite Female Singer category.

Here’s a look at this year’s Latino/a nominees:

Favorite TV Actress
Selena Gomez
Victoria Justice

Favorite Movie Actress
Sofia Vergara (The Smurfs)

Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots)

Favorite Music Group
Big Time Rush (with Carlos Peña)
Black Eyed Peas (with Fergie)

Favorite Male Singer
Bruno Mars

Favorite Female Singer
Selena Gomez

Favorite Buttkicker
Jessica Alba

Fans will have the chance to vote for their favorite stars beginning March 1 on Nick.com, as well as via Facebook and Twitter.

The 2012 Kids’ Choice Awards will be handed out on March 31 in Los Angeles.

Peña Returning to Tampa Bay Rays…

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It appears Carlos Peña will be making his triumphant return to Tampa Bay next season…

The 33-year-old Dominican baseball star has reportedly agreed to terms on a one-year contract with a Tampa Bay Rays valued at $7.25 million, according to CBS Sports.

Carlos Pena

“Soooo excited …. !!!!!” Pena said in a text message sent to the Tampa Bay Times.

The All-Star first baseman—who claimed the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2007—played arguably some of his best baseball during his previous four-year stint with Tampa.

In 2007 he hit .282/.411/.627 with 46 home runs and 121 RBI. In 2009 he hit .227/.356/.537 while leading the American League in home runs with 39 and earning his first All-Star appearance.

Peña left Tampa Bay after the 2010 season and signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. He has also played for the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics.

Pena hit .225/.357/.463 with 28 home runs and 80 RBI last season in his first year with the Cubs.

Over the course of his 11-year career he has averaged 34 home runs and 96 RBI per 162 games.

The deal, which has not been officially announced, is pending a physical.

Pena’s Big-Time Cowboys Performance…

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Enrique Iglesias isn’t the only Latino celebrity performing live at the Dallas Cowboys game this holiday. Nickelodeon star Carlos Pena and his fellow Big Time Rush band members made a special appearance at the big Thanksgiving Day game.

Before the start of the Cowboys’ game against the Miami Dolphins, Big Time Rush’s Pena, James Maslow, Logan Henderson and Kendall Schmidt performed the national anthem to perfection at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

Big Time Rush Carlos Pena

“It’s American’s team,” said Schmidt to MTV.com, while Maslow added, “Every American is a Cowboys fan.”

But the 22-year-old  half-Dominican, half-Venezuelan Pena isn’t so sure who to root for…

“I like Miami and the Dolphins; they’re my home team,” explained Pena. “But the Cowboys gave me this job to sing the National Anthem, so, who do you go with?”

Its part of a big-time month for the stars of the hit Nickelodeon show. Not only did they recently wrap shooting their feature film Big Time Movie, they also just released their sophomore album, Elevated, this Monday.

Meantime, the group plans to take their act on the road for their “Better With U” Tour—the band’s first United States tour—in February.