Rodriguez to Appear on Discovery Channel’s “Shark After Dark”

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Robert Rodriguez is shark bait…

The 46-year-old Mexican American filmmaker has been added to the list of guest for this year’s Shark After Dark, Discovery Channel’s live Shark Week late-night talk show.

Rodriguez joins a list of guests that includes Ashley Tisdale, Matt Walsh, Chelsea Handler, Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Danny Trejo and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

This year’s crop of guests aren’t necessarily names with obvious shark connections, but some of the guests, including Tisdale, are rabid Shark Week fans, according to producers who trolled Twitter to find obsessive fans.

Tom Green is reprising his character, Blurb, the alien shark cousin of Bob The Shark, who once again will be played by Craig Ferguson’s CBS late night warm-up act, Bob Oschack. Bob The Shark was introduced during last year’s Shark Week and gained 33.7K Twitter followers.

Returning host Josh Wolf will lead viewers through an hour-long celebration of all things shark-related. The late-night show plays an important role in Discovery Channel’s Shark Week interactivity campaign. During the program viewers can ask questions of/make comments about guests, including the shark experts who’ll be the first guest each night, commenting on that night’s shark-show lead-in.

Researcher/shark ecologist Paul Clerkin for instance, who’s a post grad at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, which runs the Pacific Shark Research Center and participates in a program run through the center to help save deep sea sharks brought up as catch by-product.

Shark Week launches on August 10.

Trailer Released for “Reach Me,” Starring Trejo, Sylvester Stallone and Kelsey Grammer

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Danny Trejo’s latest project will have a different kind of reach…

The 70-year-old Mexican American actor, who often stars in action films as hypermasculine characters, villains and anti-heroes, is starring opposite Sylvester Stallone and Kelsey Grammer in the dramedy Reach Me.

Trejo portrays Vic in the film, which centers on a group of people who all have a connection to a self-help book authored by a reclusive former football coach.

Directed by John Herzfeld, the indie film also stars Lauren Cohan, Terry Crews, Nelly, Kevin Connoly, Tom Sizemore, Ryan Kwanten, Kyra Sedgwick, Danny Trejo, Tom Berenger and Danny Aiello.

“It’s a feel-good movie with an upbeat, inspirational story. It’s about a dozen broken characters who get a second chance in life by coming into contact with this book,” says Herzfeld.

The project initially launched a Kickstarter campaign, but later switched to a similar yet more flexible platform, Indiegogo, which allows international contributions and pledges beyond $10k.

Rodriguez to Host Democratic National Committee Fundraiser with President Barack Obama

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Robert Rodriguez is preparing for a presidential experience…

The award-winning Mexican-American filmmaker will host President Barack Obama at his home in Austin, Texas, on July 17 to raise money for the Democratic National Committee‘s midterm election efforts, according to The Hollywood Reporter .

Rodriguez, whose cult classic El Mariachi was selected in 2011 for preservation in the National Film Registry, is the latest in a growing number of Hollywood Latinos throwing their money and influence behind the Democratic Party.

Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Demi Lovato and Danny Trejo are among those who’ve signed on to support the event. Tickets for the Austin fundraiser range from $5,000 to $32,400.

Obama and Rodriguez – the founder of the El Rey Network – first met in 2012, when the filmmaker traveled to Washington to speak with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute about the importance of diversifying the distribution networks.

While there, Obama invited Rodriguez to participate in a roundtable discussion about the importance of Hispanics in the U.S.

Since then, Rodriguez has emerged as a strong advocate of Latino issues in the country

Following his film debut with El Mariachi, Rodriguez has helped launch the film careers of several prominent Latino actors and actresses, including Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek andAlba. His insistence on casting a Latino family for the popular Spy Kids series built the first major theatrical family franchise featuring Latinos in heroic roles.

Trailer Released for Saldaña’s CGI Romantic Comedy “The Book of Life”

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s the Day of (the Dead) reckoningfor Zoe Saldaña…

The first trailer for 20th Century Fox and Reel FX’s The Book of Life, featuring the voice of the 35-year-old half-Dominican/half-Puerto Rican American actress, has been released.

Saldaña voice the character of Maria in the Guillermo del Toro-produced film, which isdescribed as the journey of Manolo (voiced by Diego Luna), a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds, where he must face his greatest fears.

In addition to Saldaña and Luna, the voice cast also includesKate del Castillo as La Muerte, Cheech Marin, Héctor Elizondo, Plácido Domingo, Ana de la Reguera, Eugenio Derbez and Danny Trejo.

The CGI romantic comedy, which is set during the Mexican holiday of the Day of the Dead, is directed by El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera creator Jorge Gutierrez. It was co-written by Gutierrez and Disney veteran Doug Langdale.

The Book of Life is scheduled to hit theaters on October 17.

Trejo’s Ensemble Dramedy “Reach Me” to Hit Theaters in October

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Danny Trejo’s latest project is headed to theaters in October…

Millennium Entertainment has acquired the U.S. rights to John Herzfeld’s dramedy Reach Me, which features the 70-year-old Mexican American actor as part of the all-star ensemble cast.

The film centers on a group of strangers whose lives collide as a result of a self-published motivational book by a reclusive author in hiding (portrayed by Tom Berenger). When the book’s positive message goes viral a tabloid journalist (Kevin Connolly), his editor (Sylveter Stallone), an arsonist ex-con (Kyra Sedgwick), a gunfighter cop (Thomas Jane), an alcoholic priest (Danny Aiello) and a dimwitted gangster all plow into each other and irrevocably impact each other’s lives. Trejo portrays Vic in the film.

Herzfeld wrote the script for the film, which was long in the works and was crowd-funded for finishing funds (initially on Kickstarter, before switching to Indiegogo).

Reach Me will be released in select cities and then be released via video on demand on October 24th.

It also stars Lauren Cohan, Nelly, Omari Hardwick, David O’Hara, Ryan Kwanten, Tom Sizemore, Elizabeth Henstridge and Kelsey Grammer.

“John Herzfeld has crafted an inspirational ensemble piece featuring Sylvester Stallone in a moving return to drama,” said Millennium’s Bill Lee.

“I’ve wanted to bring Reach Me to the screen for over a decade,” said Herzfeld. “To have the opportunity to create the film with such a tremendously talented cast is a filmmaker’s dream.”

Trejo to Star in the Crime Thriller “Hope Lost”

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a case of hope lost for Danny Trejo…

The 69-year-old Mexican American actor, best known for his roles in the Machete films, has signed on to star opposite Mischa Barton in Hope Lost, a new crime thriller being financed and produced by Italian company AMBI Pictures.

B-movie favorites Michael Madsen and Daniel Baldwin have signed on to co-star in the feature film, which is set in the world of sex trafficking.

Italian director David Petrucci will helm Hope Lost, with shooting set to begin later this month in Rome.

Barton will play a young Romanian girl, bored with small town life, who dreams of entering the glamorous world she sees on Italian soap operas. One night at a club she meets Gabriele, who claims to be a TV producer who wants to cast her in a reality TV show he is making in Italy. But when she arrives, she is sold to the pimp Manol (Madsen) and forced to make her living on the street. Things get darker with the arrival of Ettore (Trejo), a sadist who makes snuff movies.

Trejo Filming “The Night Crew” in Palm Springs

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Danny Trejo owns the night in Southern California…

The 69-year-old Mexican American actor, best known for his role as Machete in Robert Rodriguez’s Machete films, has started filming the thriller The Night Crew in Palm Springs.

From Premiere Entertainment Group, the film stars Trejo, Luke Goss, Bokeem Woodbine and Chasty Ballesteros.

The Night Crew centers on a group of hard-up bounty hunters who must survive the night in a desert motel against a horde of savage cartel killers as they realize their fugitive is much more than she lets on.

Directed by Christian Sesma, the film was co-written by Luke Paul Sloan and Sesma.

First Trailer Released for Trejo’s “Bad Asses” Film

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Danny Trejo is back to kickin’ butt…

The 69-year-old Mexican American actor known for his tough guy characters is reprising his role in Bad Ass in the sequel Bad Asses.

The first trailer sees Trejo’s character, old street hero Frank Vega, dodging bullets and blowing up a helicopter as he attempts to bring down a drug lord.

Bad Asses picks up where the first film left off… Frank opens a community center where he coaches young boxers. When his prized student is found dead, he finds himself in one life-threatening predicament after another. But this time, he’s bringing in backup, Bernie Pope (Danny Glover).

Craig Moss returns as the film’s director, while Andrew Divoff has been cast as the main villain.

Other cast members include Jacqueline Obradors, Charlie Carver and Jonathan Lipnicki.

The sequel is set for a DVD release sometime in 2014.

Saldaña Joins the Voice Cast of Guillermo del Toro’s Animated Film “Book of Life”

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Zoë Saldaña will be sharing the Book of Life with moviegoers…

The 35-year-old Dominican and Cuban American actress has joined the voice cast of 20th Century Fox Animation‘s Book of Life, which is being produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Mexican animator and filmmaker Jorge R. Gutierrez.

Originally titled Day of the Dead, after the famous Mexican celebration, the movie’s title is now Book of Life.

Guiterrez’s credits include Nickelodeon‘s award-winning animated television series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera.

Along with Saldaña, the voice cast includes Channing Tatum, Diego Luna, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Kate del Castillo and Ron Perlman, along with Cheech Marin, Hector Elizondo, Placido Domingo, Ana de la Reguera (Nacho Libre, Eastbound and Down), Eugenio Derbez (Instructions Not Included), comedian Gabriel Iglesias (Stand-up Revolution) and Danny Trejo.

Fox will open the film in October 2014.

Zayas Starring in George Lopez’s New FX Series “Saint George”

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

David Zayas is one of the saints…

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican actor, best known for playing Homicide Lieutenant Angel Batista on Showtime‘s serial killer drama Dexter, has joined the cast of FX‘s George Lopez comedy Saint George, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The comedy centers on the chaotic life of a recently divorced working-class Mexican-American man who becomes a successful entrepreneur.

Lopez is set to portray the man who struggles to balance his demanding ex-wife, his 11-year-old son, his overbearing mother who just moved in and his uncle as well as his new role as a philanthropist “giving back” by teaching history once a week at night school.

Zayas will appear in the recurring role of Junior, Tio’s (Danny Trejo) son and George’s cousin. Junior, like Tio, is a bit quirky and off-center. Both admire the other and take advantage of George’s success and are always brainstorming ways to make money — sometimes legally.

Saint George was co-created by Lopez, Matt Williams and David McFadzean, with the trio set to co-write the first episode of the project, which begins production this month.

Lionsgate Television is set to produce the series.

In addition to Dexter, which wraps its run on Sunday, Zayas most recently guest starred on Fox‘s The Following. His credits include Grimm and Person of Interest.

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