Rivera to Compete on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars”

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Geraldo Rivera is ready to shake his bon bon…

ABC has announced the full cast of Dancing With The Stars Season 22 ahead of its March 21 premiere, with the 72-year-old half-Puerto Rican attorney, reporter, author, and talk show host making the lineup.

Rivera, the host of the newsmagazine program Geraldo at Large and regular guest/contributor on the Fox News Channel, is partnered with professional dancer Edyta Śliwińska.

He will also have the distinction of being the oldest contestant this season.

This isn’t Rivera’s first foray into reality television…

He competed on the 14th season of The Celebrity Apprentice, where he ultimately placed second to fellow TV personality Leeza Gibbons.

In addition to Rivera, the list of celebrity dancers includes Mischa Barton (Notting Hill), Good Morning America meteorologist Ginger Zee, Living Single’s Kim Fields, NFL star Antonio Brown and Jodie Sweetin (Fuller House).

Here’s the complete list of celeb dancers and their professional partners:

Mischa Barton with Artem Chigvintsev
Antonio Brown with Sharna Burgess
Nyle DiMarco with Peta Murgatroyd
Kim Fields with Sasha Farber
Doug Flutie with Karina Smirnoff
Marla Maples with Tony Dovolani
Von Miller with Witney Carson
Wanya Morris with Lindsay Arnold
Geraldo Rivera with Edyta Sliwinska
Jodie Sweetin with Keo Motsepe
Paige VanZant with Mark Ballas
Ginger Zee with Valentin Chmerkovskiy

Levy to Star Opposite Milla Jovovich in Screen Gems’ Next “Resident Evil” Film

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

William Levy has a new residency in Hollywood…

The 35-year-old Cuban actor and telenovela star has joined the cast of the closing chapter of Screen Gems’ Resident Evil franchise.

The film stars Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter, with Paul W.S. Anderson directing his script.

The film picks up where 2012’s Resident Evil: Retribution left off, as Project Alice races against time to stop the villainous Red Queen from destroying the final remnants of humanity.

In addition to Levy, Jovovich and Larter, the film will also star Iain Glen, Shawn Roberts, Ruby Rose and Eoin Macken.

Shooting starts this month in South Africa.

Levy, who came in in third place on season 14 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, previously starred in Planet 51, The Single Moms Club and Addicted.

He next appears in Term Life and The Veil.

Alexa PenaVega & Carlos PenaVega to Compete on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega are ready to pasodoble their way into the television history books.

The 27-year-old half-Colombian American actress and her 26-year-old actor/singer husband will compete on Season 21 of Dancing with the Stars.

The PenaVega’s are the first-ever married contestants to face-off against each other on ABC’s celebrity ballroom dancing competition.

Alexa will be partnered with professional dancer Mark Ballas, while has been matched up with Witney Carson.

But they’re not the only Latinos breaking out their dancing shoes this upcoming season…

ESPY Award winner Victor Espinoza is jockeying into position in his own quest to claim the show’s highly coveted mirrorball trophy.

The 43-year-old Mexican jockey, who rode American Pharoah to Triple Crown greatness earlier this year, has been paired up with Karina Smirnoff.

Other contestants on this season of Dancing with the Stars include Paula Deen, Tamar Braxton, Chaka Khan and Nick Carter.

Here’s the full list of the contestants and their pro dancer partners:

Alexa PenaVega partnered with Mark Ballas
Andy Grammer partnered with Allison Holker
Bindi Irwin partnered with Derek Hough
Carlos PenaVega partnered with Witney Carson
Chaka Khan partnered with Keo Motsepe
Gary Busey partnered with Anna Trebunskaya
Hayes Grier partnered with Emma Slater
Kim Zolciak Biermann partnered with Tony Dovolani
Nick Carter partnered with Sharna Burgess
Paula Deen partnered with Louis van Amstel
Tamar Braxton partnered with Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Victor Espinoza partnered with Karina Smirnoff
Alek Skarlatos partnered with Lindsay Arnold

Ortiz Joins the Cast of Voltage Pictures’ Untitled Detective Comedy Starring Bruce Willis

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Victor Ortiz has landed his next movie role…

The 28-year-old Mexican American actor and former boxer has joined the cast of Voltage Pictures’ untitled detective comedy starring Bruce Willis.

Ortize rounds out a cast that includes Tyga, Ken Davitian, David Arquette, John Goodman, Jason Momoa, Famke Janssen, Stephanie Sigman, Thomas Middleditch, Adrian Martinez, Kal Penn and Adam Goldberg.

Production began last month in Venice Beach on the film, which stars Willis as a down but not out L.A. private investigator whose professional and personal worlds collide after his loving pet Buddy is stolen by a notorious gang. A series of bizarre circumstances find him doing the gang’s bidding, while being chased by two vengeful Samoan brothers, a loan shark’s goons, and a few other shady characters.

Mark and Robb Cullen, who also wrote the Willis-starring movie Cop Out, are directing the film.

Ortiz, a former WBC Welterweight champion and Dancing with the Stars competitor, has starred opposite Antonio Banderas in The Expendables 3 and Jake Gyllenhaal in Southpaw.

Lovato Named to DoSomething.org’s “Celebs Gone Good” for Fourth Consecutive Year

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s another (gone) good year for Demi Lovato…

The 22-year-old part-Mexican American actress/singer has made DoSomething.org’s “Celebs Gone Good” list for the fourth year in row.

Lovato is the sole Latina/o celebrity to make the non-profit organization’s list of most charitable stars, coming in at No. 15.

For the last seven years, DoSomething.org, a non-profit for young people and social change, has released an annual list to recognize celebrities who use their star power to help others.

This year Lovato began her “Mental Health Listening & Engagement Tour” to advocate for mental health support and treatment. She has been incredibly vocal about her experiences with mental health, body image, and she even advocated for LGBT rights with her “I Really Don’t Care” music video.

Meanwhile, Bethany Mota tops DoSomething.org’s “Celebs to Watch” list.

From landing on the cover of Fast Company and Seventeen, to appearing on Dancing With the Stars, 2014 was a huge year for the 19-year-old half-Mexican YouTube vlogger and fashionista. Mota inspired audiences when she opened up on an episode of Dancing With the Stars about her own experience being bullied at the age of 12. As a result, #ILoveWhoIamBecause became one of the trending topics on Twitter, and showed young girls how to rise above bullying, and love who are you are no matter what others say.

Also making the list, Becky G.

The 17-year-old Mexican American singer, who comes in at No. 5, had a huge hit with her catchy single “Shower.” But she stood out for raising $3,000 with Becomb for Autism Speaks.

The 2014 “Top 20 Celebs Gone Good” list:

Taylor Swift
Laverne Cox
Beyoncé
Miley Cyrus
Emma Watson
One Direction
John Cena
Shonda Rhimes
Tyler Oakley
Chris Pratt
John Legend
Olivia Wilde
Kerry Washington
Zendaya
Demi Lovato
Lupita Nyong’o
Amy Poehler
LeBron James
Mindy Kaling
Justin Bieber

Mota: 2014’s Most Searched For “Fashion Designer” on Google

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

She may be a teenager, but Bethany Mota is already garnering major attention in the fashion world…

The 19-year-old half-Mexican YouTube vlogger and fashionista, a contestant on the most recent season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, was the most searched for “fashion designer” of 2014, according to Google.

Mota, also known by her username Macbarbie07, rose to fame in just a few short years with beauty tutorials, fashion lookbooks, and “haul” videos, gaining nearly 8 million subscribers in the process.

In December 2013, the teen sensation partnered with tween retailer Aeropostale to launch her own clothing and accessories line for the brand.

The eponymous line consists of teen staples, including graphic tees (some featuring Mota’s face, $16), oversized skull tote bags ($24), and scented body shimmer ($12).

Since the unveiling, the successful collaboration has led to seasonal collections as well as a bedding collection (particularly popular is the “Motavator” bed in bag set, $109).

Mota beat out some big names on Google’s list, including Kate Spade, Alexander Wang and Valentino, as well the late greats Oscar de la Renta, L’Wren Scott and Edith Flagg.

Rivera to Compete on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” This January

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Geraldo Rivera will be reporting for apprentice duty in early 2015…

The long-in-the-can seventh installment of NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice, with the 71-year-old half-Puerto Rican talk show host among the competitors, will premiere on January 4 in the reality series’ previous time slot, Sunday 9:00-11:00 pm.

The Donald Trump-created series will then move into its new time slot, Monday 8-10 pm ET, filling in for The Voice while the singing competition is on winter hiatus.

The network also officially revealed the celebrity cast of Season 7 that will join Donald Trump and his children Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric in the boardroom.

In addition to Rivera, this installment includes two-time World Series champion Johnny Damon; actor/comedian Gilbert Gottfried; Deadliest Catch star Sig Hansen, musician Kevin Jonas; actor Lorenzo Lamas; NFL great Terrell Owens; actor Ian Ziering; Gold Medal Olympic snowboarder Jamie Anderson; actress Vivica A. Fox; TV host Leeza Gibbons; reality star Brandi Glanville; reality star Kate Gosselin; Olympics gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson; reality star Kenya Moore; and actress Keshia Knight Pulliam.

Taking a page from the playbook of ABC, which announces the celebrity casts of Dancing With The Stars on Good Morning America, the cast of The Celebrity Apprentice was unveiled on Today.

Rodriguez Named to Time Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Teens List

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Rico Rodriguez is a teen sensation and inspiration…

The 16-year-old Latino actor and SAG Award winner, best known for his role as Sofia Vergara’s son on ABC’s Modern Family, has been named to Time magazine’s 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014.

The names included in the second annual spotlight were selected after the publication “analyzed social-media followings, cultural accolades, business acumen and more.”

Rodriguez was heralded for his scene-stealing role as Manny Delgado on ABC’s smash-hit comedy, as well as the hefty paycheck he gets. According to reports, he’ll earn a whopping $115,000 per episode if the show continues through season eight.

But Rodriguez isn’t the only Latino/a to make the list…

Becky G, named to Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list, earned a spot on the list.

The 17-year-old Mexican American singer/rapper was signed by mega-producer Dr. Luke in 2011 after watching her YouTube covers. The investment paid off: Becky G saw her track, “Shower,” chart in more than a dozen countries and become a top 20 hit in the U.S. this summer. When she’s not writing her own music, she represents CoverGirl as one of its youngest-ever Latina spokeswomen and helps craft tunes for other pop acts, like Cher Lloyd and fellow teen Cody Simpson.

The final Latin artist on the list: Bethany Mota.

The 18-year-old half-Mexican YouTube vlogger and fashionista, a competitor on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars this season, has built her YouTube channel, Macbarbie07, into a massive business—with 7.4 million subscribers, 565 million-plus views, and between $500,000 and $750,000 in annual ad revenue. And now she’s expanding her empire. This year, along with competing on DWTS, Mota served as a guest judge on Project Runway, all while overseeing the clothing line she launched with Aéropostale. She also released her first single, “Need You Right Now.”

Visit Time for the full list, including a Nobel Peace Prize winner, young entrepreneurs, political activists, athletes, chefs and scientists.

Mota Earns Her First-Ever Streamy Award for Fashion Program of the Year

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Bethany Mota is a stream sensation…

The 18-year-old half-Mexican YouTube vlogger and fashionista and soon-to-be contestant on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars has won her first-ever Streamy Award.

During Sunday’s show at the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom, Mota was named the winner in the Fashion Program category at the 4th annual Streamy Awards, which recognize and honor excellence in online video.

The beauty guru’s YouTube channel — macbarbie07 — has seven million subscribers and features Mota’s hair, makeup, fashion and DIY tutorials. It earned her a fashion line at Aéropostale, and she was featured as part of a YouTube ad campaign.

Meanwhile, Enchufe.tv received the Audience Award for Show of the Year. The Ecuadorian web series consists of comedic sketches viewed primarily on its YouTube channels, as well as on Ecuadorian television channel Ecuavisa. Ecuadorian filmmakers Leonardo Robalino, Christian Moya, Martín Domínguez and Jorge Ulloa created the channel.

In all, 14 awards were doled out Sunday night. Some awards were previously announced during a reception at YouTube Space LA on Thursday night, including Kirstie Maldonado and her fellow Pentatonix group mates for Best Cover Song.

Meanwhile, Four YouTubers were also presented with the first ever Streamy ICON Awards, which were handed out Friday night at a private dinner at Santa Monica’s 41 Ocean. The award recipients included vlogger Tyler Oakley for his LGBT activism, musician Pitbull for embracing digital, entrepreneur Shay Carl for building an online media empire and beauty blogger Michelle Phan This year’s awards show was

Here’s a complete look at Sunday’s Streamy Award winners:

Audience Choice — Entertainer of the Year
Tyler Oakley

Audience Choice — Show of the Year
EnchufeTV

Viner of the Year
Brittany Furlan

Gaming
Smosh Games

Beauty Program
Missglamorazzi

Ensemble Cast
Video Game High School

Kids and Family Series
Kids React

Comedy
My Drunk Kitchen

Fashion Program
Bethany Mota

Drama Series
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

News and Current Events Show
SourceFed

Action/Sci-Fi Series
Video Game High School

First Person Channel
Jenna Marbles

Original Song
Whistle While I Work It, Chester See

It’s Official… Mota to Compete on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s official… Bethany Mota will be shaking her tailfeather on television soon.

The 18-year-old half-Mexican YouTube vlogger and fashionista, as previously rumored, has been selected to compete on Season 19 of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.

Mota, who recently won Choice Female Web Star at the Teen Choice Awards, is among the 13 new dancers for the upcoming season of DWTS, which will premiere on Monday, September 15.

The beauty guru’s YouTube channel — macbarbie07 (7 million subscribers) — features hair, makeup, fashion and DIY tutorials. It earned her a fashion line at Aéropostale, and she was featured as part of a YouTube ad campaign.

Paired with professional dancer Derek Hough, Mota will compete for the coveted mirror ball trophy against the likes of Olympian Lolo Jones, Mean Girls‘ Jonathan Bennett, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air‘s Alfonso Ribeiro and NASCAR great Michael Waltrip.

Other competitors include Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson, actress Lea Thompson of Back to the Future, Ultimate Fighting Champion Randy Couture, legendary comedian Tommy Chong, celebrated talk show host Tavis Smiley, as well as famed fashion designer Betsey Johnson, Pretty Little Liars actress Janel Parrish and General Hospital alum Antonio Sabato, Jr.

Co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews announced the celebrity cast live Thursday morning on Good Morning America in Times Square.

The addition of Julianne Hough, named as the fourth judge last month, will add some pizazz this season. Hough won two mirror-ball trophies as a pro during her DWTS run, and will have a permanent spot at the judges’ table next to veterans Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Dancing With The Stars