Cardi B Launches New Reality Series “Cardi Tries ___” for Facebook Watch

Cardi B isn’t afraid to try new things…

The 28-year-old half-Dominican American Grammy-winning rap superstar is inviting the world to experience new things alongside her with the new series Cardi Tries ___, which launched late last week.

Cardi B, ELLE, September Issue

From Facebook’s Messenger and Jesse Collins EntertainmentCardi Tries ___ is part of Messenger’s new “Watch Together” feature, which allows audiences to enjoy Facebook Watch videos with friends and family in real-time. The new series has the “WAP” rapper trying new things outside of her repertoire including becoming an expert stunt car racer, ballerina, firefighter, teacher — just to name a few.

Throughout the series, she’ll be joined by actors, athletes and other professionals like Michelle Rodriguez of Fast & Furious fame, Debbie Allen of Grey’s Anatomy, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers and country music singer and songwriter, Mickey Guyton, among others.

New episodes will drop Thursdays through February 4. Cardi B fans will be able to enjoy the show in real-time over video calls with friends on Instagram, Messenger and Messenger Rooms via Watch Together.

Executive producers are Cardi B, Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Patientce Foster.

J Balvin to Receive Collaborator of the Year Prize at Variety’s Hitmakers Awards Program

J Balvin is a real Hitmaker

The 35-year-old Colombian singer/songwriter, who won a Latin Grammy earlier this week, will be honored at Variety’s Hitmakers awards program on Thursday, December 3rd at 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET.

J Balvin

The program will highlight the award recipients featured in Variety’s annual Hitmakers issue on December 2nd. The program will simulcast on Variety’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube pages.

J Balvin will be honored with the Collaborator of the Year prize.

Harry Styles will be receiving Hitmaker of the Year. Benee, Jenna Andrews and Josh Fountain will receive the Isolation Salvation Song of the Year prize, Charli XCX and A. G. Cook for Innovator of the Year, Roddy Ricch for Breakthrough Artist of the YearBlackpink for Group of the Year, Lewis Capaldi for Songwriter of the YearInterscope Geffen A&M for Label of the YearMaren Morris for Crossover Artist of the Year, Mustard for Producer of the Year, Ron Perry for Executive of the Year and Wassim “Sal” Slaiby for Manager of the Year.

Presenters include 100 gecsJustin BieberSheryl CrowNiall Horan, Zane Lowe, Lil Nas XTyga, and Ty Dolla $ign.

Gloria Estefan to Perform at ‘Nurse Heroes Live’ Benefit Virtual Concert on Thanksgiving

Gloria Estefan is giving special thanks to some of our frontliners…

The 63-year-old Cuban singer will be among the entertainers honoring nurses in a star-studded benefit virtual concert on Thanksgiving.

Gloria Estefanria

Nurse Heroes has announced that the concert called Nurse Heroes Live will stream on the organization’s YouTube and Facebook pages along with LiveXLive on November 26 at 7:00 pm EST.

The benefit will provide money for a variety of programs including scholarships for nurses and their children.

Estefan joins a lineup of performers that include Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull, The Wailers, Carole King, Maluma and Andrea Bocelli.

Whoopi Goldberg will host the concert with special appearances by Oprah Winfrey and Billy Crystal.

Taylor Swift will donate a signed collectible edition “Folklore” guitar, which will be auctioned for the benefit of the Nurses Heroes Foundation.

The nurses of New York’s Northwell Health will be the first beneficiaries of the concert. The event will also showcase 50 nurses from the hospital in an ensemble performance with several celebrities.

The concert will be produced by Emilio Estefan and Times Square Live Media.

Lunay Named to Billboard’s 21 Under 21 List

Lunay isn’t old enough to drink in the United States, but he’s already making his mark in the music world.

The 20-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer has been named to Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list.

Lunay

Billboard‘s annual ranking of powerful young voices includes arena headliners and promising new talent, familiar names and new musicians quickly rising toward the mainstream. For groups, if most members are under 21, they were considered eligible.

Lunay is recognized for having total streams of 524.5 million.

After posting videos of himself freestyling on Facebook in 2017, Lunay got a call from producers Chris Jedi and Gaby Music. Two years later, Lunay was collaborating with reggaetón superstars Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny on “Soltera (Remix),” his first top 10 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, peaking at No. 3 and raking in 343.2 million U.S. streams, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.

Signed to indie label Star Island, the rising artist, who has since scored collaborations with Ozuna and Anuel AA, credits his success to two things: “humility and hard work.”

But Lunay isn’t the only Latino artist to make the list…

Manuel Turizo earned a spot for having total streams of 328.1 million.

Back in 2017, the 20-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer, then only 16, scored a viral hit with debut single “Una Lady Como Tú.” Since then, he has topped the Mexico Airplay chart with “Quiéreme Mientras Se Pueda” and the Latin Airplay list with his Sebastián YatraRauw Alejandro collaboration “TBT.”

Turizo says his second album, Dopamina, will “dominate” 2021. “I hope that by the time I’m 60, people will still be consuming my music and going to my concerts,” he says. “It’s not about being at the top. It’s about acquiring an audience [that will be] by your side throughout your career.”

Natanael Cano has also made the grade…

The 19-year-old Mexican singer-songwriter has earned a total of 905.3 million streams in his short career.

Six months into 2020, Cano — who only launched his career in 2019 — became the third-most-consumed Latin artist in the United States, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data’s midyear report, ranking just behind Bad Bunny and Ozuna.

Since partnering with Bad Bunny on “Soy El Diablo (Remix)” in October 2019, Cano has released four projects, including Trap Tumbado in June, cementing his place as a leading force in trap corridos. And as his career continues to grow in the United States, by 2021, he says, “I’d love to reach every corner of Mexico.”

A committee of Billboard editors and reporters weighed a variety of factors in determining the 2020 21 Under 21 list, including, but not limited to, impact on consumer behavior, as measured by such metrics as album and track sales, streaming volume, social media impressions, and radio and TV audiences reached; career trajectory; reputation among peers; and overall impact in the industry, specifically during the past 12 months. Where required, record-label market share was consulted using Nielsen Music/MRC Data market share for album plus track-equivalent and stream-equivalent album consumption units. Unless otherwise noted, Billboard Boxscore and Nielsen Music/MRC Data are the sources for tour grosses and sales/streaming data, respectively.

Mario Lopez to Host iHeartMedia’s Virtual Holiday Concert “iHeartRadio Holiday Special”

Mario Lopez is helping you get into the holiday spirit…

The 47-year-old Mexican American actor and television personality is set to host iHeartMedia’s virtual holiday concert iHeartRadio Holiday Special.

Mario Lopez

The 30-minute event will feature festive performances by Carrie Underwood, who recently released her first Christmas album, My Gift, and Josh Groban.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band will also perform three holiday classics from the Preservation Hall in New Orleans.

“The anticipation and excitement surrounding our stations’ flip to Christmas music is a staple of the holiday season for our listeners across the country, and we are thrilled to celebrate this festive occasion with our first ‘iHeartRadio Holiday Special,’” said Tom Poleman, chief programming officer for iHeartMedia. “Given all the country is going through, we know everyone needs the uplifting spirit of holiday music. I can’t think of a better way to kick off the sounds of the holiday season for our music fans than with an intimate performance from Carrie Underwood and Josh Groban across our stations and on Oculus and iHeartRadio’s Facebook and YouTube pages.”

The show will broadcast on November 25 at 7:00 pm local time across iHeartMedia’s AC, HOT AC and Classic Hits stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app. A video stream will be available iHeartRadio’s YouTube and Facebook pages, plus in VR on the Venues app for Oculus Quest.

Thalia Releases Catchy “Tick Tock” Single, Featuring Farina & Sofia Reyes

The clock is tickin’ for Thalia..

The 49-year-old Mexican singer/actress has joined voices with Farina and Sofia Reyes for the catchy new single “Tick Tock.”

Thalia, Farina, Sofia Reyes

The collaboration between Thalía, Reyes and Farina is a well-strategized culmination of their Facebook reality show Latin Music Queens, which came to an end this week.

So titled because the clock is ticking for a guy who gets an ultimatum from his girl, “Tick Tock” is unpretentious, light, catchy bubblegum pop that’s plain fun (down to the video, where the outfit changes are eye candy). Ostensibly, the twist is the fact that the guy is getting said ultimatum, not as a result of philandering or misbehavior, but because he can’t keep up with the girl.

“I put everything, you put nothing; you gotta pull your weight to get in the Mercedes,” the song’s lyrics go.

But the real value lies in putting together three very different female singers into one song where they all get equal play.

Thalía has led the way as a veteran act willing to champion younger names and the final result is three girls who just wanna have fun.

“The Craft: Legacy” Star Zoey Luna to Take Part in Blumhouse’s Virtual “BlumFest”

Life is Blum a dream for Zoey Luna

The 19-year-old Latina transgender actress will be taking part in Blumhouse’s first-ever BlumFest, a virtual event featuring panels of talent from the studio’s upcoming movies, both big screen and PVOD, and more.

Zoey Luna

The virtual event will take place Thursday, October 29 at 10:00 am PT on Blumhouse’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

“This year has sidelined a lot for all of us, but Halloween is a treasured season at Blumhouse, so we conceived BlumFest to celebrate with our fans via a virtual event that will feature exclusive interviews and never-before-seen footage on an upcoming release or two,” said Jason Blum, Blumhouse’s CEO and founder.

Panels featured include:

Welcome to the Blumhouse – Join Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios and Blum for a lively convo about the collaboration between Amazon and Blumhouse on the recently launched movies The Lie, Nocturne, Evil Eye and Black Box. Mamoudou Athie from the film Black Box will join the duo along with surprise guests. The four films are currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

The Craft: Legacy – Writer-director Zoe Lister Jones and the film’s stars Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone and Luna will chat about the cult hit reboot. The movie will debut Wednesday on PVOD and electronic sell-through domestic, with a big-screen release abroad.

Freaky – Writer-director Chris Landon, stars Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton, and Blum will chat about the body-swap horror comedy which hits theaters November 13 and select offshore markets via Universal.

Halloween Kills – Filmmaker David Gordon Green and the horror franchise’s scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis, producer Malek Akkad from Trancas Films and Miramax producer Bill Block and Blum will converse about the October 2021 release.

The Good Lord BirdEthan Hawke, EP, writer and star of the Showtime series and Blum, who’ve worked together over several projects, will discuss their most recent collaboration.

Fat Joe to Appear on the Upcoming “MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon”

Fat Joe’s got hart… And, he’s ready to share it with the world.

The 50-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American rapper, whose real name Joseph Antonio Cartagena, will take part in the MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon, the upcoming two-hour special hosted by Hart that reimagines the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s annual variety show fundraiser.

Fat-Joe

Fat Joe joins a lineup of talent additions that includes Don Cheadle, Common, Cindy Crawford, Whitney Cummings, Stephen Curry, Zachary Levi and Kelly Rowland.

The special, which will benefit the MDA and Help From the Hart Charity, streams live on Saturday from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET on Hart’s LOL Network and its digital platforms YouTube and Pluto TV, as well as on TikTok, Triller and Twitch.

SiriusXM will air an encore of the show on its Laugh Out Loud Radio channel on October 26 at 4:00 pm ET and again the next day at 10:00 am ET.

The telethon will feature entertainment, comedy, musical performances and MDA’s Let’s Play For a Cure gaming elements, a gaming stream hosted by Zedd running simultaneously. A Telethon Showcase to celebrate the members of the neuromuscular community and hosted by Nancy O’Dell and Jann Carl will follow the two-hour main show. It will stream on the MDA’s Facebook page.

As a warmup, an MDA-hosted online auction on CharityBuzz featuring items from Serena Williams, Curry and others launches Friday at mda.org/telethon.

The latest talent additions to the lineup join previously announced guests including Garcelle Beauvais, Aloe Blacc, Jack Black, Usain Bolt, Bryan Cranston, Adam Devine, Josh Gad, Liz Gillies, Aldis Hodge, Edwin Hodge, Michael B. Jordan, DJ Khaled, Daniel Levy, Loni Love, Leslie Mann, Jillian Mercado, Robin Thicke, Gabrielle Union Wade and John David Washington.

Jonathan Krisel is directing.

 

Chita Rivera Among the Stars Taking Part in Fundraising Concert for Joe Biden, “In Our America: A Concert for the Soul of the Nation”

Chita Rivera is Biden her time before the upcoming presidential election…

The 87-year-old half-Puerto Rican Broadway star will be among the stars of the Great White Way who’ll stage a fundraising concert for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, with plans to stream the event on October 21.

Chita Rivera

The event, which starts at 8:00 pm ET, is organized by the group Broadway for Biden and is called In Our America: A Concert for the Soul of the Nationwith donations going to the Biden Victory Fund.

In addition to Rivera, the lineup of the concert includes Derrick Baskin, Laura Benanti, Victoria Clark, Glenn Close, Chuck Cooper, Darren Criss, André De Shields, Renée Elise Goldsberry, John Goodman, Jayne Houdyshell, Jennifer Hudson, James Monroe Iglehart, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Norman Lear, Norm Lewis, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Rita Moreno, Karen Olivo, Ashley Park, Steven Pasquale, Carrie Preston, Kelani Queypo, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Phillipa Soo, Ephraim Sykes, BD Wong, the Broadway Dreams Foundation Choir, and the casts of Six and KPOP.

Liesl Tommy, director of the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic Respect (with Hudson in the lead role), will direct the show. Tommy is the executive producer along with Julie Boardman, Nolan Doran, Halle Morse, and Jennifer Mudge.

The concert will stream on YouTube via news publisher NowThis, on Facebook via Broadway for Biden and NowThis, and on Broadway Unlocked.

In a statement, Tommy said, “It is a tremendous honor to direct this incredible collective of performers and artists, who are coming together to amplify the promise of Broadway and a nation that are future-looking, accessible, and deeply inclusive.”

The evening will include original material, stagings of musical numbers that have never been seen, and previews of productions bound for Broadway. Among those contributing are Chad Beguelin, Tony Kushner, Lynn Nottage, Robert O’Hara, Stacey Rose, Aurin Squire, DeLanna Studi, Paula Vogel and John Waters.

Christopher Gattelli, Lorin Latarro, Ray Mercer, and Abbey O’Brien will provide original choreography, with music direction by Jason Michael Webb. Chris Boardman and Charlie Rosen will provide orchestrations. Sean McLaughlin will serve as director of photography and Grady Bowman will be associate choreographer.

The event is in the vein of a fundraiser in 2012 for Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, called Barack on Broadway, that was produced by Margo Lion and others.

Robert Trujillo & Metallica Top Billboard’s Top Facebook Live Videos Chart for August

Robert Trujillo is celebrating a social media feat…

The 55-year-old half-Mexican American bassist and his Metallica band mates’ final installment of its Metallica Mondays on Facebook Live has ended with a bang, as the rockers rule Billboard’s Top Facebook Live Videos chart for August 2020.

Metallica

The chart, the latest of which recaps August 2020 activity, is a monthly look at the widest-reaching and most-reacted-to videos posted by musicians on Facebook Live, as tracked by media analytics company Shareablee. Rankings are determined by a formula that blends reactions, comments, shares and first-seven-days views.

Posted on August 25, Metallica’s final (at least for now) Metallica Mondays video featured the band’s March 3, 2017, concert from Mexico City.

Metallica’s upload paced the field for August 2020 in first-seven-days views (1.5 million), comments (23,000) and shares (20,000), according to Shareablee. It was also reacted to 52,000 times.

The week’s victor in reactions, meanwhile, was Larry Hernandez, whose August 26 post racked up 78,000 reactions. Hernandez’s video prominently featured his new daughter, Dalett, who was born earlier this year.

Here’s the full top 10 list:

10. Garth Brooks
9. Grupo5
8. Larry Hernandez
7. Garth Brooks
6. Garth Brooks
5. Luke Bryan
4. La Sonora Dinamita
3. Prince Royce
2. Larry Hernandez
1. Metallica