Tania León Among This Year’s Kennedy Center Honors Recipients

Posted on November 17, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Tania León has earned a prestigious honor…

The 79-year-old Cuban composer, conductor and educator will be among this year’s Kennedy Center Honors recipients.

Leon is part of a roster of honorees that includes U2, Gladys Knight, Amy Grant and George Clooney.

The Honors recipients are recognized for their contributions to American culture through the performing arts—whether in music, dance, theater, opera, motion pictures, or television—and are confirmed by the executive committee of the Center’s board of trustees.

Deborah F. Rutter, Kennedy Center president, noted: “For nearly a half-century, the Kennedy Center Honors has represented the very best of America’s creative culture. The Honors is often referred to by past recipients as the pinnacle of awards because it recognizes not just one performance, album, or film, but esteems an artist’s cumulative body of work and influence over many decades…”

León received a 2012 Grammy nomination for best contemporary classical composition for Inura for Voices, Strings and Percussion. She is also renowned as a conductor, educator and advisor to arts organizations

León was a founding member and the first musical director of Arthur Mitchell‘s Dance Theater of Harlem, establishing its music department, music school, and orchestra.

She won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Stride.

The 45th Kennedy Center Honors Gala concludes with a dinner in the Grand Foyer.

“Little did I imagine when studying in La Habana that life was going to grace me with such a distinction! My first thoughts went to my ancestors: they believed in my dreams, and what we lacked in material wealth, they made up for in spirit, encouragement, and support,” says Leon of the honor. “My heartfelt thanks go to the many people who have blessed my path by helping my talent to blossom and by giving me the chance to be heard. I am incredibly humbled to join such a prestigious family of artists, and deeply grateful to the Kennedy Center for bestowing me with this incredible honor.”

The 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors will air on Wednesday, December 28 (8:00 – 10:00 pm ET/PT) on CBS. Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service as well as on demand. Essential-tier subscribers will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.

The special show will be taped on Sunday, December 4 in Washington, D.C. Presented for lifetime artistic achievements, the program will be held on Sunday, December 4, on the Opera House stage at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

CBS to Air Kevin Alejandro’s “Fire Country” Following January’s AFC Championship Game

Posted on November 13, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Kevin Alejandro will be bringing the fire this NFL season…

CBS will air a special episode of its hit drama series Fire Country, starring the 46-year-old Mexican American, in January after the eye network airs the AFC Championship game.

The football game is set to take place on Sunday, January 29 at 6:40 p.m. ET with the Max Thieriot-led show airing right after.

Fire Country has been a hit with viewers ranking as the No. 1 new series this season averaging 8.26 million viewers to date. The premiere of the series on October 7 gave CBS their best seven-day audience for a series in the time period since May 8, 2020. The seven-day streaming on Paramount+, CBS.com and the CBS app, meanwhile, is up 245% from Magnum P.I. last year based on average minute audience.

Due to its initial success, Fire Country, alongside East New York and So Help Me Todd have been given full season orders.

“CBS is off to a tremendous start this season,” Kelly Kahl, President, CBS Entertainment, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have the three most watched new series, each with their own unique settings, characters and storylines. These dramas are elevating our already successful lineup, resonating with diverse audiences both on-air and on streaming, and continuing to grow each week. We thank the talented casts, executive producers and their incredible writing and production teams for bringing these shows to life. Additional kudos to our CBS programming teams for shepherding these series to success. We are delighted to give them well deserved full season orders.”

Thieriot stars in Fire Country as Bode Donovan, a young convict seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining a prison release firefighting program in Northern California, where he and other inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. It’s a high-risk, high-reward assignment, and the heat is turned up when Bode is assigned to the program in his rural hometown, where he was once a golden all-American son – until his troubles began. Five years ago, Bode burned down everything in his life, leaving town with a big secret. Now he’s back, with the rap sheet of a criminal and the audacity to believe in a chance for redemption with Cal Fire.

Alejandro portrays Manny on the series.

CBS to Present Mariah Carey’s Primetime Holiday Concert Special Next Month

Posted on November 12, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is ready to spread a little holiday cheer…

The 52-year-old half-Venezuelan American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer, also known as the Queen of Christmas, is returning with a two-hour primetime holiday concert special next month.

CBS will present Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! on Tuesday, December 20 from 8:00-10:00 pm, ET/PT. The show will also be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Filmed in New York City at Madison Square Garden, the concert special will feature the singer-songwriter performing a repertoire of her festive holiday hits, including the perennial favorite, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

MTV will offer additional opportunities to view the special after the CBS broadcast.

Carey is the best-selling female artist of all-time, with more than 200 million albums sold to-date and 19 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles. She is also an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has been recognized with multiple Grammy Awards, numerous American Music Awards, three Guinness World Record titles, both Billboard’s Artist of the Decade and Icon awards, the World Music Award for World’s Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium, the Ivor Novello Award for PRS for Music Special International Award and BMI’s Icon Award for her outstanding achievements in songwriting.

Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas To All! is a coproduction of Sony Music Entertainment and Supply & Demand. Carey, Joseph Kahn, Charleen Manca and Nicola Doring are executive producers. Sony Music Entertainment is distributing the special.

Cristela Alonzo Partnering with Dan Bucatinsky to Develop “She Gets It From Me” for CBS

Posted on October 28, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Cristela Alonzo gets it…

The 43-year-old Mexican American comedian, actress, writer and producer will partner with Dan Bucatinsky to develop the series She Gets It From Me for CBS.

The semi-autobiographical single-camera comedy is inspired by Bucatinsky’s journey as an adoptive parent.

Alonzo, the first Latina woman to create, produce, write and star in her own US primetime comedy, will star in, co-write and executive produce the project.

The intention is for Bucatinsky to also star, but there isn’t an acting deal for him at this time, according to Deadline. Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican and Ryan Seacrest Prods. are producing for ABC Signature.

She Gets It From Me centers on what happens when the teenaged, adopted daughter of two hyper-devoted, straight-laced, suburban gay dads seeks out a relationship with her uniquely bold, take-no-prisoners, Latin birth mom (Alonzo). The series examines a contemporary blended family, a poignant and hilarious exploration of the shotgun marriage of not only the birth mom and the adoptive parents, but also the complications and joys of blending both of their big, noisy, multiethnic and multigenerational families.

She Gets It From Me draws on parenthood experiences Bucatinsky chronicled in his 2012 bestselling comedic memoir Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight?: Confessions of a Gay Dad. He’s reuniting with Lopez on the CBS comedy after appearing opposite her in the romantic comedy film Second Act.

Alonzo broke ground in 2014 with her ABC comedy Cristela. Her other television credits include HBO’s His Dark Materials, and Nickelodeon’s The Casagrandes and Legends of the Hidden Temple.

Alonzo has done two stand-up comedy specials for Netflix: 2017’s Lower Classy and 2022’s Middle Classy.

Television Academy Names Rita Moreno to This Year’s Hall of Fame Class

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rita Moreno is entering a special hall…

The Television Academy has announced its 26th Hall of Fame class, with the 90-year-old Puerto Rican entertainer among the honorees.

Moreno will be joined by choreographer and actress Debbie Allen, documentarian Ken Burns, BET founder Robert L. Johnson, CBS executive Bob Daly and cinematographer Donald A. Morgan.

Moreno, an EGOT winner (Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, Tony Awards), is a two-time Emmy winner for The Muppet Show and The Rockford Files.

She has starred in series including The Electric Company, Sesame Street, Nine to Five, Oz, Cane, Happily Divorced, Jane the Virgin, and the Latinx reimagining of Norman Lear’s One Day at a Time.

Moreno’s many accolades also include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Arts, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honors and the Peabody Award.

Moreno is among two of the honorees who’ve already received honorary awards from the Television Academy. She was awarded a “Televisionary Award” in 2008. Allen received a Governors Award last year.

The Hall of Fame event will take place on Wednesday, November 16, at the Television Academy’s Saban Media Center in North Hollywood, California.

In addition to the induction of the 2022 Hall of Fame recipients, the event will include the presentation of the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award to actor/director/activist Sean Penn and the unveiling of new busts of four previous inductees.

“These legendary performers, creators, craftspeople and television executives are luminaries in our industry,” Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy, said in a statement. “Their work has influenced and immeasurably elevated the current television landscape and culture. We are proud to induct these trailblazers into the Hall of Fame and honored to celebrate their extraordinary contributions to our industry.”

“This year’s honorees have told the American story through television in ways that will forever shape our history and culture,” said Rick Rosen, Hall of Fame selection committee chair (who is also WME co-founder and head of television). “Whether they reshaped the industry itself through visionary leadership or created pieces of work that have had a lasting legacy, these individuals will forever be remembered for the impact they’ve had on the medium.”

The 2022 Hall of Fame honorees join more than 150 individuals previously inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception in 1984. The honors were presented every year from 1984 to 1993, but the Academy has skipped 13 years since then for various reasons. This is the first induction class since 2019.

In addition to Rosen, this year’s Hall of Fame selection committee included Marcy Carsey, Emmy-winning producer; Pearlena Igbokwe, chairman of Universal Studio Group; Peter Roth, former chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group; Nina Tassler, co-chief executive officer of PatMa Productions; and Dana Walden, chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content.

Adrienne Bailon-Houghton to Co-Host NBCUniversal’s Revived “E! News”

Posted on October 21, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Adrienne Bailon-Houghton is ready to start spreading the news…

NBCUniversal cable network is bringing back its long-running franchise E! News after a two-year break, with the 38-year-old Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian American actress, singer and television personality to serve as a co-host.

Bailon-Houghton, who recently signed a talent deal with NBCUniversal,will be joined by Justin Sylvester, on the show, which will debut on November 14 at 11:30pm.

John Redmann, who was the executive producer of CBS’ The Talk for 10 years, and John Pascarella, who was co-executive producer of Maury, will exec produce the nightly show.

In 2020, E! News became a morning show and after going on an indefinite hiatus in March 2020 as a result of the pandemic, it was canceled in August 2020 with its operation moving online as a web news service.

The show, which covers celebrity news and gossip as well as film and television news, is best known for being hosted by Ryan Seacrest. The new iteration will have an “emphasis on celebrity-friendly, fact-based reporting and serve as a platform for personalities to connect with their fans”.

It’s the latest shift at E!, which recently canceled Daily Pop and Nightly Pop, leading to the departure of production staff on those shows.

“E! News has a long history of entertainment news excellence, and we are excited to bring the show back and continue its legacy,” said Tracie Wilson, EVP, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios and E! News. “John Redmann and John Pascarella are strategic, respected executive producers with stellar reputations and Justin and Adrienne are charismatic, seasoned hosts with a genuine interest in pop culture. This is the perfect team to bring a fresh take to this franchise.”

Bailon-Houghton was the first Latina daytime talk show host on English-language television on the recently canceled daytime series The Real. In addition to hosting The Real, Bailon-Houghton has her own YouTube channel, All Things Adrienne, hosts design show House to Home on CleoTV, and was a contestant on Fox’s The Masked Singer in 2019.

Paul Calderón to Star on the Marvel Studios Disney+ Series “Ironheart”

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Paul Calderón has ironed out details on his next project…

The 63-year-old Puerto Rican actor has joined the cast of the Marvel Studios Disney+ series Ironheart in an undisclosed role.

The 6-episode series, created by Chinaka Hodge, will star Dominique Thorne as Marvel character Riri Williams, a genius inventor and creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.

Previously announced cast also includes Anthony Ramos, Shakira Barrera, Manny Montana, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola, Shea Couleé, and Zoe Terakes.

Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes are directing, with Ryan Coogler’s Proximity among the production entities.

Coogler, Ironheart head writer Chinaka Hodge, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian serve as executive producers alongside Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum and Zoie Nagelhout.

Calderón is a writer, actor, and director who most recently appeared in one of the final episodes of NBC’s This Is Us titled “Miguel,” which focused on the character of Miguel Rivas (Jon Huertas).

Additionally, Calderón starred in multiple seasons of Amazon’s Bosch in the role of Detective Jimmy Robertson.

His other notable TV credits include AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Hostages for CBS, NBC’s Law & Order, and Miami Vice.

On the big screen, he served as co-writer of Abel Ferrera’s Bad Lieutenant starring Harvey Keitel. Calderón also played a cop in the 1992 film. Film credits also include Sydney Pollack’s The Firm, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Cop Land by James Mangold, Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s 21 Grams.

The U.S. Army veteran who studied acting under the G.I. Bill went on to become a founding member of the LAByrinth Theater Company where he mentored Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Rockwell and Lauren Luna Velez, among others.

Natalie Morales Named Correspondent for CBS News, Including “48 Hours” Duties

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Natalie Morales is expanding her role at CBS…

The 50-year-old Brazilian and Puerto Rican journalist and current co-host/moderator of the CBS Daytime talk show The Talk will serve as a correspondent for CBS News, with duties that will include the true crime series 48 Hours.

Morales will continue to co-host The Talk.

She joined CBS last year after 22 years at NBC News. She had served as the west coast anchor of Today and correspondent on Dateline. She also had a tenure as host of Access, co-host of Access Live and news anchor of Today, as well as co-hosting the show’s third hour.

She also was anchor of Reelz’s Behind Closed Doors with Natalie Morales.

She joined Today in 2006 as a national correspondent, and reported across the network.

Neeraj Khemlani, the president of CBS News and Stations, said in a statement that Morales “knows how to get to the heart of a tough story with compassion and grace.” Morales noted that 48 Hours “pioneered true crime television and I’m looking forward to working with the great team of producers and correspondents to bring the best stories to CBS viewers on Saturday nights.” The series, now in its 35th season, is executive produced by Judy Tygard.

In a statement, Tygard said, “Natalie is a high-profile reporter with a familiar voice that viewers trust. She’s also known for her exclusive, unsparing interviews of notorious criminals including Clark Rockefeller and Drew Peterson.”

Morales lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons. At NBC News, she also covered events including the mass shooting in 2017 at the Harvest Festival, the Boston Marathon bombing and the rescue of Chilean miners in 2010.

Wilmer Valderrama to Appear in CBS’ “NCIS” and “NCIS: Hawai’i” Crossover Episodes

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Wilmer Valderrama is heading to Hawaii…

The 42-year-old Venezuelan and Colombian American actor will take part in a NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i crossover event.

The two CBS series will kick off their respective new seasons with the crossover event beginning at 9:00 pm ET/PT on September 19.

Across two hours, the hunt for a dangerous suspect unveils a complex network and a larger sinister plan that will take the D.C. team to Hawai’i in a race to thwart the next large-scale attack.

It begins with the Season 20 premiere of NCIS at 9:00 PM. The “A Family Matter” episode picks up following the cliffhanger season 19 finale, with Special Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) still on the run with his ex-wife Vivian (Terri Polo) and the team investigating who from his past might have a personal vendetta against him in hopes of clearing Parker’s name. Enlisting the help of NCIS: Hawai’i’s Special Agent Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and computer specialist Ernie Malick (Jason Antoon), who are in town meeting with director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) in preparation for a global military exercise, the group tracks down their prime suspect, The Raven.

The crossover event concludes with the Season 2 premiere of NCIS: Hawai’i, which follows at 10:00 pm. In the “Prisoners’ Dilemma” episode, Tennant’s team, along with NCIS agents Nick Torres (Valderrama) and Jessica Knight (Katrina Law), track The Raven’s whereabouts to the island of Oahu and learn about his plans to attack RIMPAC (The Rim of the Pacific Exercises), the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise. NCIS stars Gary Cole, Brian Dietzen and Diona Reasonover also guest star in the episode.

The episodes will air on CBS and stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

J. Anthony Pena Upped to Series Regular on ABC’s “Big Sky”

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

There are more big (sky) moments in J. Anthony Pena’s future…

The Latino actor has been promoted to series regular for the upcoming third season of ABC’s Big Sky.

Pena, who portrays Deputy Mo Poppernak, heavily recurred as the character in Season 2.

Additionally, Luke Mitchell, Seth Gabel, Henry Ian Cusick, Anirudh Pisharody and Madalyn Horcher have joined the cast in recurring roles.

Pena’s Poppernak is Jenny Hoyt’s (Katheryn Winnick) chatty, upbeat partner at the Sheriff’s Department and an indispensable right-hand man. He appeared in 16 episodes last season.

In Big Sky Season 3, private detective Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury), under sheriff Jenny Hoyt, and newly appointed sheriff Beau Arlen (Jensen Ackles) maintain order in Helena, Montana. But when a local backcountry trip led by charismatic outfitter Sunny Barnes (fka Sunny Brick) (Reba McEntire) goes awry, the trio face their most formidable mystery yet.

Big Sky is produced by Disney Television Studios’ 20th Television for ABC. David E. Kelley serves as the series creator.

Season 3 premieres on September 21 on ABC.

Pena previously recurred on FX’s Mayans M.C. and Crackle’s The Oath. Recently, he guest starred on CBS’ S.W.A.T., and Apple TV+’s The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey with Samuel L. Jackson.

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