Carey Releases the Music Video for Latest Single “Infinity”

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s too infinity and beyond for Mariah Carey…

The 45-year-old half-Venezuelan singer has released the official music video for her latest single, “Infinity.”

Carey, a five-time Grammy winner, shared the clip overnight with a tweet to her 15.5 million followers.

Filmed by Brett Ratner, the video showcases Carey in all her diva glory as she drinks champagne and dabs herself in her very own-branded perfume.

Supermodel Tyson Beckford and Empire actor Jussie Smollett make blink-and-you’ll miss cameos.

“Infinity” is the new single from Carey’s latest album release #1 to Infinity, which was timed to coincide with her residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The “Furious 7” Soundtrack, Featuring Prince Royce, Reaches No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Prince Royce is making a Fast and Furious crossover on the Billboard charts…

The Furious 7 soundtrack, featuring the 25-year-old Dominican American singer-songwriter’s single “My Angel,” jumps to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated April 25.

The rise to the summit comes four weeks after the soundtrack’s release.

This week, Furious 7 moved over 111,000 equivalent copies (combining traditional sales and those calculated out by collective streams of all the songs on the album). Last week, that figure was 74,000, so clearly the album is surging forward.

Furious 7 is the fourth soundtrack to top the chart in the past 12 months, according to Billboard, following Frozen, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 and the Empire TV soundtrack.

The official music for Prince Royce’s “My Angel,” featuring scenes from the action film, has been viewed more than 8 million times on YouTube.

Escajeda Signs Two-Year Overall Deal with 20th Century Fox Television Studios

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Ingrid Escajeda has found a new Empire…

The Latina television producer/writer, a former supervising producer on FX’s Justified, has sealed a two-year overall deal at 20th Century Fox Television Studios.

Escajeda will develop and supervise projects for the studio, with her first assignment being a co-executive producer role on Fox’s hit primetime soap Empire.

Escajeda, whose pilot script about the LAPD bomb squad got the attention of Justified executive producer Graham Yost and led to a four-season stint on the FX series, recently sold a drama to CBS/20th Century Fox Television Studios that kick-started her deal with the studio.

Her first network sale is set in a suburban Texas county where the cold-blooded assassination of the district attorney means the ascension of Gaby Ortiz, a formidable young prosecutor. Under assault by the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, narco cartels and rampant corruption, she must resurrect the county’s crumbling law enforcement effort, with little more than her defiant will and the support of her extraordinary extended family. Escajeda is writing the script and executive producing with Jonathan Levin.

“We’re always on the lookout for the boldest, most original voices, and we had a great development experience with Ingrid earlier this year that convinced us we wanted to be in business with her exclusively,” said Jonnie Davis, the studio’s president of creative affairs. “We introduced her to [Empire executive producer/showrunner] Ilene [Chaikin] and they hit it off immediately, so this deal both helps make sure Empire has the best resources to continue to thrive creatively and allows Ingrid to develop her own projects down the road.”

Smollet’s “Empire” Soundtrack Reaches No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Jussie Smollett is a chart-topper…

The 31-year-old Brazilian actor/singer and the stars of Fox‘s Empire have reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as the breakout hit series’ soundtrack debuts atop the list.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

The Empire soundtrack was released March 10 through Columbia Records and bows at the top spot with 130,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending March 15, according to Nielsen Music.

It’s the first television soundtrack to debut at No. 1 since 2010, when three different Glee albums arrived atop the list.

Empire features contributions from its newcomer cast, like Smollett, as well as hitmakers like Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Estelle, Rita Ora, Juicy J and Courtney Love (all of which have guest-starred on the show).

Empire earned 17,000 units from track equivalent albums (thanks to the strong performance of the set’s multiple Billboard Hot 100 hit singles like “You’re So Beautiful” and “Conqueror“), while it tallied another 3,000 units from streaming equivalent albums.

Also helping matters: During release week, Smollett performed on TV’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show (March 9) and on Fox’s American Idol three days later (joined by fellow cast member Yazz).

Smollett Signs Recording Contract with Columbia Records

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Jussie Smollett is ready to create his own music empire…

The 31-year-old Brazilian actor/singer, one of the stars of Fox’s breakout hit series Empire, has reportedly landed a recording contract at Columbia Records.

Smollett revealed the good news to Entertainment Weekly.

“There will be a Jussie Smollett album. I signed to Columbia,” he said when asked about future music plans. “So darling [Laughs] I’m label mates with Beyoncé and Adele and Barbra Streisand.”

Smollett has seen much success with his role on Fox’s smash hit, Empire, which continues to see new additions to its 13.8 million viewers with each episode.

News of the record deal comes as little surprise…

Throughout Empire’s freshman season, Smollett’s character, Jamal Lyon, has showcased some applaudable pipes. And his songs from the show has repeatedly performed well on iTunes.

Smollett and His “Empire” Castmates May Soon Hit the Road

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Jussie Smollett may soon be performing at a concert venue near you…

Fox is “certainly thinking” about sending out the stars of its insta-hit hip-hop drama series Empire out on tour, according to EW.com.

Dana Walden, co-chair and co-CEO of Fox Television Group, tells the site that a live musical tour — much like the one the network did with Glee for two summers — is a definite possibility for the ratings juggernaut.

“There’s no reason not to think of having all sorts of ancillary opportunities with this show,” Walden says.

Empire, which earned an early sophomore season renewal in January, has proven to be a ratings hit. For an unbelievable seventh week in a row, the series — a primetime soap about a family dynasty divided by the fight to control a hip-hop empire — surged in the ratings, netting 13.8 million viewers last Wednesday. That’s up from the previous week’s 13 million viewers, up from the previous week’s 12 million.

Fox Gives Early Renewal to Smollett’s Hip-Hop Musical Drama “Empire”

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Jussie Smollett will be in an Empire state of mind for another year…

Fox has given an early sophomore season renewal for the 31-year-old Brazilian actor/singer’s new drama series Empire.

The order for Empire was a no-brainer, as the show has performed extremely well for the network and made plenty of noise in social media.

The Imagine Television/20th Century Fox Television drama was created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong. Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson lead the ensemble cast in the primetime sudser about a hip-hop music mogul.

Smollet portrays Jamal Lyon on Empire, which also features Rafael de la Fuente in a recurring role as Smollet’s love interest.

Smollet’s previous credits include appearances on Revenge, On Our Own and The Mindy Project.

Fox to Premiere “Empire,” Featuring de la Fuente, in January

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael de la Fuente is expanding his Hollywood empire…

Fox has announced plans to unveil its new drama series Empire, starring the 28-year-old Venezuelan actor and singer, on January 7, with limited commercial interruption, following the season premiere of American Idol.

Empire centers on Lucious Lyon (portrayed by Terrence Howard), a charismatic music superstar who is about to take his company Empire Entertainment public. Taraij P. Henson stars as Lucious’ ex-wife Cookie, and she’s still looking for a share of his success.

de la Fuente portrays Michael Sanchez on the series, which also stars Gabourey Sidibe and guest stars Courtney Love. Timbaland will serve as the song producer and songwriter, creating new tunes for the show and curating old ones.

Idol will air Wednesday, January 7 from 8:00 – 9:00 pm ET and Thursday, January 8 from 8:00 -10:00 pm ET.

Empire will debut that Wednesday from 9:00 – 10:00 pm ET.

The drama hails from Lee Daniels, Danny Strong and Brian Grazer. Empire is from Imagine Television in association with 20th Century Fox Television.

de la Fuente’s other television credits include Every With Way, Grachi, Aurora and Mas sabe el diablo.

Shakira: The Best-Dressed Latina at the Billboard Music Awards

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no reason for Shakira to be blue…

The 37-year-old Colombian singing sensation and The Voice coach rocked the red carpet at Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards, earning best-dressed Latina honors.

Shakira, who performed a sizzling rendition of her latest single “Empire,” wore a tight-fitting and oh-so-sparkly blue dress from Julien Macdonald’s Fall 2014 collection

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer’s long-sleeved dress even showed a little skin with its sheer side panels.

Later, Shakira returned to the stage for her high-octane performance in gorgeous gold dress with intricate details and skin-tight blackboots that came all the way up to her thighs.

But Shakira wasn’t the only Latina to shine on the red carpet…

Jennifer Lopez, this year’s Icon Award recipient, turned heads when she bared plenty of leg in a red-hot sheer Donna Karan number.

The long-sleeved number featured a plunging neckline and high side slits, calling to mind her iconic, revealing Versace gown from the 2000 Grammys.

During the presentation of the Icon Award, Lopez performed “First Love” in a sequined black bodysuit with an illusion panel on the side. To accept the award, Lopez added a metallic gold skirt over the one-shouldered jumpsuit.

Pitbull Kicks Off a Night of Latin Performances at the Billboard Music Awards

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

This year’s Billboard Music Awards had a decidedly Latino feel… Not only did Jennifer Lopez become the first Hispanic artist (and woman) to win the coveted Icon Award, but the show featured several high-octane performances from Latino musicians, including Pitbull.

The 33-year-old Cuban-American rap superstar, joined by la Lopez and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte, kicked off the night with an energetic performance of their new single ‘We Are One (Ole Ola),” the official 2014 FIFA World Cup anthem.

Pitbull kicked off the perforamnce with several scantily clad dancers backing him up, then kicked it over to Lopez, whose gold-fringed outfit sparkled in the lights. Leitte finished out the song.

No surprise, the performance featured strong soccer imagery as this year’s World Cup is right around the corner.

Pitbull, Lopez and Leitte will perform the song at the World Cup opening ceremony in Sao Paulo.

But Pitbull wasn’t the only one to perform a soccer-themed song…

Ricky Martin brought a little life to the BBMAs by performing “Vida,” one of the 2014 FIFA World Cup theme songs.

The upbeat track was written by fellow Puerto Rican singer Elijah King, as part of Sony’s “Supersong” 2014 World Cup song contest.

Looking stylish in all black amongst his team of white-clad dancers, Martin tore through the soccer-themed banger, shouting out its stadium-worthy cries of ole! In between, he showed off some dance moves of his own, leaving little doubt that he’s still livin’ la vida loca.

This isn’t the first time Martin has performed a track for the World Cup. His song for the 1998 competition, “La Copa de La Vida” (The Cup of Life),” propelled him into the global spotlight, taking off after he performed it on the Grammys. It charted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, and reached No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Jennifer Lopez, meantime, proved why she’s a living icon…

The “I Luh Ya Papi” singer returned to the BBMA stage once again, this time to debut her new single “First Love,” the latest track from her upcoming album A.K.A.

JLo not only looked haute in a one-shoulder, sparkly black jumpsuit, but she belted out the tune with gusto and showed the world just how well she can dance.

Last but certainly not least, Shakira performed her latest single “Empire.”

The Colombian singer and The Voice coach lit up the Billboard Music Awards stage with a sizzling rendition of the latest single from her recently released self-titled album.

Dressed in a sheer, sparkling dress and thigh high black boots, Shakira stalked the stage complete with a cathedral-like stage set and flames blasting on stage behind her.

By song’s end she had walked into the audience chanting the song’s luminescent refrain “and the stars made love to the universe,” pausing before a blast of steam with the mic stand held high above her head.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

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