Alex Meneses to Appear on The CW’s “Jane the Virgin”

Alex Meneses is heading to Virgin territory…

The 52-year-old half-Mexican American actress and former Telenovela star has landed a recurring role on the upcoming fourth season of The CW’s hit dramedy Jane the Virgin.

Alex Meneses

Meneses will play Katherine, owner of the Cortes Hotel Conglomerate, who is a possible investor of Rafael (Justin Baldoni) and Petra’s (Yael Grobglas) hotel.

There are few details about the Season 4 storyline, but Jane the Virgin creator/executive producer Jennie Snyder Urman told Deadline after the Season 3 finale that the fourth season would be about “recapturing the joy.”

“I want to see Jane fight for her joy,” she said. “I want to see her go after her happiness. I want to see her open herself up to a new, evolved version of ‘happily ever after.’”

In addition to Telenovela, for which she was nominated for an Imagen Award, Meneses is known for her recurring role as Stefania, Brad Garrett’s Italian girlfriend on Everybody Loves Raymond.

Additional credits include The Goldbergs, CSI and Prison Break.

Casciani to Star in the Vinnie Pazienza Biopic “Bleed For This”

Tina Casciani is ready to bleed

The half-Brazilian actress has landed a role in director Ben Younger’s Vinnie Pazienza biopic Bleed For This.

Tina Casciani

Casciani will portray Heather, a love interest for boxing champ Pazienza (played by Miles Teller).

The cast also includes Katey Sagal, Aaron Eckhart and Ciaran Hands.

She has a recurring role on the CW’s Jane The Virgin, starring Gina Rodriguez.

Her credits include television appearances on Reckless, Murder In The First, CSI and Revenge.

Thorne Joins the Voice Cast of the Animated Film “Underdogs”

It’s okay to call Bella Thorne an underdog

The 17-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer and former Disney Channel star has joined the voice cast of the animated film Underdogs.

Bella Thorne

From The Weinstein Co., the Argentine-Spanish family flick from director Juan J. Campanella tracks a shy but talented foosball player who defends his town and his girl from a nefarious soccer player with the help of his foosball table figurines, who come magically to life.

The film is undergoing a Hollywood revision and Ariana Grande, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Morrison, Katie Holmes, John Leguizamo, Eugenio Derbez, Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan, and Chazz Palminteri are currently recording English-language dialogue with some script retooling for the domestic audience.

Thorne will voice the younger version of love interest Laura, also played by Grande and Holmes.

Thorne is known for Disney Channel’s Shake It Up and her recurring roles on Dirty Sexy Money and Big Love and was recently seen in theaters in Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. She also guest-starred on CBSCSI.

She joins Underdogs after starring in another Weinstein Co. release, the Blumhouse/Dimension-produced Amityville: The Awakening.

Underdogs is set to open in theaters on April 10, 2015.

Ramos to Star in ABC’s “Lucky 7” Drama Pilot

Luis Antonio Ramos will be green with envy in the near future…

The Puerto Rican actor and ALMA Award-nominee has been cast in ABC’s drama pilot Lucky 7.

Luis Antonio Ramos

The project centers on seven employees at a service station in Queens whose lives are changed in many unexpected ways when they win the lottery.

Ramos will portray Antonio Clemente, the cheerful, charming gas station mechanic who’d pulled out of the lottery pool to save a little cash.

Ramos’ credits include Martin, Early Edition, Friends, The Shield, CSI and CSI: Miami.

CBS Orders “Second Sight” Pilot from Cuesta

It may turn out to be love at first sight for Michael Cuesta’s latest project for the Eye Network.

CBS has given the pilot greenlight for the 49-year-old Latino filmmaker’s Second Sight, which he and CSI executive producer/showrunner Carol Mendelsohn adapted from a 2000 British television series of the same name starring Clive Owen.

Michael Cuesta

Second Sight is described as a gothic psychological thriller about a detective who is suddenly afflicted with an autoimmune virus that causes hallucinations reflective of his subconscious. He discovers that catching the killer depends as much on insight as eyesight.

Cuesta, who recently picked up a Producers Guild Award for Showtime’s Homeland, wrote the adaptation with his brother Gerald Cuesta. The two previously joined forces for another CBS drama project, the cult 2007 zombie pilot Babylon Fields, which Gerald co-wrote and Michael directed.

Cuesta is set to direct Second Sight, which he’s executive producing with Mendelsohn, Julie Weitz, Paula Milne, who created the original series, and Nick Reed.

There are four series currently on the air whose pilots Cuesta directed: Showtime’s Homeland and Dexter and CBS’ Blue Bloods and Elementary.

Riva Cast in NBC’s Comedy Pilot “The Gates”

Diana Maria Riva is crashing the gates

The 43-year-old Latina actress, who appeared in Mel Gibson’s What Women Want, has been cast in the NBC comedy pilot The Gates, a project from 20th Century Fox Television and Kapital Entertainment.

Diana Maria Riva II

The Gates, written by Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith, is based on the British series. It’s an adult ensemble comedy set at the front gates of an elementary school drop-off and revolves around the parents, school staff and 15-minute social minefield they have to navigate at the beginning and end of each school day.

The show centers on the type-A Helen, who just moved to town with her husband Mark and their eight year-old daughter for Helen’s big new job – the VP of Product Development at Williams-Sonoma.

Riva, who most recently starred in CBS’ short-lived series iRob!, will play Lindsay, the head of the PTA who is very easily pissed off.

Riva’s television credits include appearances on The Drew Carey Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, CSI, Less Than Perfect and Castle.

Mason to Appear on ABC Family’s “Bunheads”

Jeanine Mason is about to plié her way onto the small screen…

The 21-year-old first-generation Cuban-American dancer has landed a recurring role on ABC Family’s ballet drama Bunheads, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jeanine Mason

Mason and newcomer Niko Pepaj will play close-knit siblings, a well-traveled, educated and artistic duo new to the town of Paradise.

Mason, the season five winner of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, was the youngest winner in the show’s history. She next stars in Default with David Oyelowo and The Muddy, due next year. Her past credits include CSI, Big Time Rush and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Bunheads returns 9 p.m. Monday, January 7 on ABC Family.

Mason’s first episode will air on January 14.

Pascal Cast in USA’s Law Enforcement Drama “Graceland”

It’s a case of Amazing Grace(land) for Pedro Pascal

The Latino actor has been cast in USA‘s upcoming law enforcement drama Graceland in a significant multi-episode arc as a rule-bending FBI agent, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Pedro Pascal

Graceland centers on a group of diverse law-enforcement agents from the DEA, FBI and Customs whose worlds collide when they’re forced to live together in an undercover beach house in Southern California. Newcomer FBI agent Mike Warren (Aaron Tveit) gets thrown into the mix, led by seasoned pro Paul Briggs (Daniel Sunjata).

Pascal, who played Nathan Landry on CBSThe Good Wife, will play Juan Barcelo, a tough but charming FBI agent with a rocky experience at the Bureau. Several years in as a case officer, he runs point on FBI missions, working closely as a contact with specific agents. But past failures haunt him and he approaches new missions with greater levels of intensity. Though he has suspicions, Juan stops at nothing to find the truth, even if it means bending the rules and putting agents at risk. As Juan pushes Mike to investigate his own training officer, he is forthright and direct but, when it serves him, he’s warm and encouraging.

Production on the series has already begun in Florida, with the Graceland slated for a summer 2013 launch.

Graceland co-stars Manny Montana, Brandon Jay McLaren and Vanessa Ferlito.

Pascal’s television credits include FX’s Lights Out, CSI, Body of Proof and USA’s Burn Notice telepic The Fall of Sam Axe as Comandante Veracruz.

Cuesta to Adapt British Cop Drama “Second Sight” for CBS

Michael Cuesta has some serious blind ambition that he’s bringing to the small screen…

The 49-year-old Latino filmmaker, who served as a director/executive producer of the Emmy-winning Homeland, has partnered with CSI executive producer/showrunner Carol Mendelsohn to develop and create Second Sight, a drama series based on the 2000 British television series of the same name starring Clive Owen.

Michael Cuesta

Cuesta’s project—which has been set up at CBS through CBS Television Studios, where Cuesta signed an overall deal early this year—centers on a homicide detective going blind who turns his affliction into an advantage – using his heightened senses and intuition to solve crimes.

Cuesta is set to pen the adaptation with his brother Gerald Cuesta. The two previously teamed for another CBS drama project, the cult zombie pilot Babylon Fields, which Gerald co-wrote and Michael directed.

Cuesta is slated to direct Second Sight, which he is executive producing with Mendelsohn.

Cuesta recently picked up an Emmy for Homeland‘s best drama series win. He was also nominated for directing the pilot of the psychological thriller.

Cuesta has directed six episodes of Homeland so far, including the pilot, the second episode, the two-part first-season finale and the second season opener, which premiered on Sunday.

 

There are four series currently on the air whose pilots he directed: Showtime’s Homeland and Dexter and CBSBlue Bloods and Elementary.

Martinez to Star in Web Drama “Cybergeddon”

Olivier Martinez is having a Yahoo moment!

The 46-year-old half Spanish actor—who rose to fame opposite Diane Lane in Unfaithful—is top-lining the long-form online thriller Cybergeddon for Yahoo alongside Rookie Blue star Missy Peregrym.

Olivier Martinez

Developed by CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, the scripted web drama centers on the growing threat of cyber crime.

Bringing A-list talent to the digital space, Martinez—who recently opened a French/Italian restaurant in Miami—will star as the elusive cybercriminal Gustove Dobreff, while Peregrym will portray FBI agent Chloe Jocelyn.

The online project, which is currently shooting in Hamilton, Ontario, will launch first as a series of installments on Yahoo, before reaching other digital platforms.

Diego Velasco, director of the Venezuelan box office hit The Zero Hour, will helm the scripted drama.

The Cybergeddon cast includes Breakout Kings‘ Manny Montana and Kick Gurry.