Beatriz and Her “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Team to Serve as Celebrity Judges on Bravo’s “Top Chef Duels”

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Stephanie Beatriz is about to get served…

The Argentinean actress and her Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-stars are slated to appear on Top Chef Duels, another Top Chefseries from Bravo.

Top Chef Duels pits 18 of the best and most talked-about personalities frompast seasons of Top Chef and Top Chef Masters for a “battle royale” in the kitchen.

The 10-episode Top Chef Duels, hosted by celebrity chef Curtis Stone, will premiere on Wednesday, August 6, at 10:00 pm ET, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Stone will serve on the judges’ table withGail Simmons, with chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Hugh Acheson rounding out the panel on a rotating basis.

Beatriz and her Brooklyn Nine-Nine team (Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Chelsea Peretti and co-creator Dan Goor) will serve as celebrity guests for one episode.

Other celebrity guests this season include Shailene Woodley, Pink, Scott Ian Rosenfeld, Gary Holt, Rob Zombie and the Grey’s Anatomy gang (James Pickens Jr., Sarah Drew, Camilla Luddington, Jerrika Hinton and Kevin McKidd).

As the title suggests, Top Chef Duels will have two chefs facing off in three rounds of head-to-head battles, with the competitors picking “mini duels,” targeting the other’s perceived weaknesses. The third challenge then decides who moves on to compete in the season finale, which will crown the sole winner of the $100,000 grand prize and a Food and Winefeature.

Bravo is also borrowing from its Top Chef online companion series Last Chance Kitchen, which pits eliminated contestants against each other for a chance to compete in the finale, with the Top Chef Duel equivalent: The Knockout, hosted by Puck.The same essential rules apply, though there is one twist. Unlike Last Chance Kitchen, a chef only needs one battle win to quality for a place in The Knockout online finals, though the more wins a chef has, the better their chances are in earning the sole return spot on the show.

ABC Sends Souza’s Legal Thriller “How to Get Away with Murder” to Series

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Karla Souza is about to get away with murder…

ABC has given a series pickup to the legal thriller How to Get Away with Murder, featuring the 29-year-old Mexican actress in a series regular role.

Executive produced by Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes, the series Viola Davis as the brilliant, charismatic and seductive Professor Annalise Keating, who gets entangled with four law students from her class “How to Get Away with Murder.” Little do they know that they’ll have to apply what they’ve learned to real life, in this masterful, sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller.

In addition to Davis and Souza, who portrays Laurel, How to Get Away with Murder also stars Billy Brown, Alfred Enoch, Jack Falahee, Katie Findlay, Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry, Charlie Weber and Liza Weil.

Written by executive producer Peter Nowalk, the pilot was directed by Michael Offer and produced by ABC Studios.

Ramirez Renews Her “Grey’s Anatomy” Contract for Two More Years

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Sara Ramirez will be on call for a little longer…

The 38-year-old half-Mexican actress/singer has signed a new two-year deal to continue portraying Dr. Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy.

Ramirez joins the ABC medical drama’s lead actors Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo, who inked new deals in January.

Ramirez joined the cast of Grey’s Anatomy as a recurring star for the show’s second season in 2006. She was then promoted to series regular in the third season.

Ramirez provided a cappella vocals in the song “Silent Night” for the soundtrack of the show’s sixth season episode “Holidaze,” which airied November 19, 2009. On December 21, 2009, that version of the song was released as a single on iTunes. Ramirez’s voice was also showcased in the musical episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Ep. 718 “Song Beneath the Song“, which aired March 31, 2011.

In addition to Ramirez, Dempsey and Pompeo, James Pickens Jr., Chandra Wilson and Justin Chambers renewed their contracts as well.

Now that the majority of t show’s stars have signed new deals, an 11th season renewal for the series from Shonda Rhimes is considered a formality.

Ferrer to Star on CBS’ Summer Drama “Extant”

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Tessa Ferrer will be defying gravity in her next project…

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress, the granddaughter of the late José Ferrer, the first Hispanic actor, to win an Academy Award, has landed a recurring role on CBS’ upcoming summer drama series Extant.

From Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television and CBS Television Studios, the serialized mystery thriller centers on Molly (portrayed by Halle Berry), an astronaut trying to reconnect with her family when she returns after a year in outer space. Her experiences lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history.

Ferrer will portray Katie Sparks, the athletic, intelligent astronaut who is the daughter of ISEA Director Alvin Sparks (Michael O’Neill). Known for being a problem-solver and over-achiever, she is forced to make a terrifying decision when faced with unimaginable terror.

The series also stars Goran Visnjic and Grace Gummer.

Ferrer’s previous credits include Grey’s Anatomy, Abducted and Go for Sisters.

NBC Acquires U.S. broadcast rights to EuropaCorp Television‘s “Taxi Brooklyn,” Starring José Zúñiga

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

José Zúñiga is Brooklyn bound…

NBC has acquired the U.S. broadcast rights to EuropaCorp Television‘s action/comedy series Taxi Brooklyn, starring the Honduran-born American actor.

The 12-episode series, based on Luc Besson‘s Taxi feature film franchise, stars Grey’s Anatomy alumna Chyler Leigh and Inglourious Basterds’ Jacky Ido.

Leigh portrays Detective Caitlyn “Cat” Sullivan, who is determined to find out the truth about the death of her father, an New York PD detective who was killed in the line of duty. When her stubborn character and recklessness behind the wheel see her demoted to foot patrol, she teams with the highly skilled and charming Marseille-born cabbie Leo Romba. Realizing Leo lied on his immigration form, Cat offers him a deal: in exchange for his driving prowess and taxi, she will help Leo with his papers situation. He becomes her personal driver and police consultant as they race through the streets of New York City solving cases.

Formerly known as Taxi: Brooklyn South, Taxi Brooklyn was shot in English in the titular borough along with Manhattan and Queens.

No word on Zúñiga’s character in the series, which NBC plans to debut the series this summer.

Former Blue Bloods co-star Jennifer Esposito, Ally Walker, James Colby, Bill Heck and Raul Casso round out the cast.

The series hails from EuropaCorp Television with the participation of France’s TF1 which starts airing the series April 14.

Zúñiga’s previous television credits include 24, Prison Break, CSI: Miami, The Event, Scandal, Person of Interest and Dexter.

Ramirez’s “Sofia the First” Returning for Second Season

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It looks like Sara Ramirez’s reign on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior will continue…

The network’s animated television series Sofia the First, which features the 37-year-old Mexican & Irish-American actress/singer’s voice, has been renewed for a second season.

The Tony-winning Grey’s Anatomy star voices the character of Queen Miranda on the smash-hit series, which continues to hit series highs week after week.

Sofia the First, which airs on the Disney Channel’s daily programming block for preschoolers Disney Junior as well as the 24-hour channel Disney Junior, is the top cable television series among Kids 2-5, Girls 2-5 and Boys 2-5.

The series stars Modern Family’s Ariel Winter as the titular character, a young 7-year old girl on the verge of becoming a princess.

It launched with the ratings records-breaking TV movie Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess and has spawned a successful soundtrack album. Sofia The First toy and apparel lines and theme park attractions are currently in the works.

Ganalon Cast in ABC’s John Leguizamo Comedy Pilot

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Luke Ganalon will soon be sharing screen time with a noted Latino comedian…

The Latino child actor has landed a role on ABC’s still-untitled semi-autobiographical comedy pilot starring John Leguizamo.

Co-created by the Colombian-American actor/comedian and written by Jeff Astrof, the project is based on Leguizamo’s life as a husband, father and fish out of water on New York’s upper West Side as reflected in his one-man shows.

Woven into this world are his privileged wife, his friends from his life back in the Bronx, his mother and grandfather who try to keep him grounded in his Latin roots, and his own kids who he worries are getting a little too spoiled and are losing touch with reality..

Ganalon, who most recently starred as the lead in the movie Bless Me, Ultima, will portray Toby.

Ganalon’s other credits include the film The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez and guest-starring roles on Grey’s Anatomy, Don’t Trust the B**** in Apt. 23 and Shake It Up!

Bratt to End His “Private Practice” with Wedding Bells

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Benjamin Bratt will be hearing wedding bells next month…

The 48-year-old half-Peruvian American actor will be at the center of Private Private’s series finale in January as his character, Dr. Jake Reilly, ties the knot with Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) in a dream wedding, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“Shonda [Rimes] had hinted and indicated that that‘s probably where it would go and I knew that she’d deliver and make it an amazing episode,” star Walsh told The Hollywood Reporter of the show creator’s finale plans. “It was clear she wanted to give Addison her happy ending. After all Addison has suffered and struggled with throughout the series — all the heartache and hardship — Shonda really wanted to have her find a meaningful relationship and she got to have her child and find a guy that was her match.”

After beginning the series’ sixth season with the decision to pick Jake over Sam (Taye Diggs), Addison — who adopted son Henry in season five – inched closer towards having the fairy tale life she’s dreamed of for more than eight and a half years, dating back to the character’s origin on Grey’s Anatomy.

“The show is about Addison Montgomery’s life and it’s kind of a fairy tale so it’s certainly an appropriate ending that she gets the baby and the marriage — she gets the guy and she gets the happiness,” Bratt told THR. “Audiences have not only been rooting for that but they’ll be gratified to see that’s finally what she does receive.”

Showrunner Rhimes told The Hollywood Reporter in August ahead of what would become the final season of Private Practice that the character deserved “some semblance of a happy ending.”

“We’re not going to end the show and the 13 episodes with Addison dead; that’s not going to happen,” she said ahead of the season six premiere. “That character has been on such a journey and started out so hated by audiences and became so beloved by audiences that I feel like she’s been on an emotional journey to change who she is from being this woman who cheated on her husband to a different person. You’re just going to see what happens. I don’t think it’s going to be a dark ending.”

The series finale, aptly titled “In Which We Say Goodbye,” airs January 22 at 10:00 pm on ABC.

Ramirez’s “Sofia the First” Premiering This Weekend

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Sara Ramirez is getting ready to step out of her scrubs and step into a gown…

The Mexican/Irish-American actress/singer and Grey’s Anatomy star is lending her voice to the Disney Junior movie Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess, a job she gladly accepted.

“I grew up watching animation [and] this was kind of like a dream come true,” Ramirez told TVGuide.com.

The television movie centers on a young girl named Sofia (voiced by Modern Family‘s Ariel Winter) who suddenly becomes a princess when her mother Miranda (voiced by Ramirez) marries the king. Unlike most fairy tales that feature mean stepsisters and evil stepmothers, Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess is all about learning how to fit in and being kind to others.

“What’s really behind it is that you can have all the material things in the world and can sit on a throne, but what really matters is being kind, compassionate, respectful and honest,” says Ramirez. “The king has two other kids from a previous relationship so there’s a blended family story, which I really love. And for once the stepmother is not an evil woman! She’s actually quite helpful and wants to empower her daughter to do good things and be a kind person in the world.”

Sofia the First premieres on Sunday, November 18 at 7:00 pm ET on the Disney Channel.

Ramirez Gets Hitched on Fourth of July…

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Sara Ramirez is no longer a single lady…

The 36-year-old Mexican American Grey’s Anatomy actress and singer married her longtime partner, Ryan Debolt, on Independence Day.

“On July 4th 2012, after a year long engagement, Sara Ramirez and Ryan Debolt were married in an intimate ceremony in New York. The private event was attended by close family and friends,” confirmed Ramirez’s rep.

The Tony-winning actress got engaged to Debolt, a Los Angeles-based banker, while in Paris last summer.

Ramirez, who is also a singer/songwriter and has appeared in such Broadway musicals/plays as Spamalot, was featured in Grey’s musical episode, “Song Beneath the Song,” in March 2011, and then followed that up with the release of her first EP.

She recently worked with youngsters in narrating Prokofiev‘s Peter & the Wolf in performances by the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.

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