HBO Latino Acquires TV/SVOD Rights to Adal Ramones’ Spanish Rom-Com “Love Can’t Wait”

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Adal Ramones is bringing the Love to HBO Latino…

HBO Latino has acquired the U.S. pay television/SVOD rights to the Spanish language rom-com Love Can’t Wait (El Amor No Puede Esperar), starring the 58-year-old Mexican comedian, actor and television personality.

The film will be available on HBO beginning in January 2021 after the deal between the premium network and FilmSharks.

Ramones stars with 38-year-old Mexican actress Monica Huarte in the film by Juan Carlos Carrasco about two people who bond while locked in a video store.

The film, which was released in Mexico at the end of last year, was shot after two weeks of rehearsals in a single tracking shot.

Ramones, who was the host of the popular Mexican television show Otro Rollo, previously starred in Maikol Yordan de viaje perdido and Martin al Amanecer.

Huarte’s previous credits include Un Mundo Raro, Without Rhyme or Reason and Busco novio para mi mujer.

Gilberto Santa Rosa Celebrating His Long Career in Music with HBO Latino Special “40…Y Contando”

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Gilberto Santa Rosa is celebrating his long musical career with a bang…

The 56-year-old Puerto Rican singer, known as “El Caballero de la Salsa,” has partnered with HBO Latino to celebrate 40 years in music with the premiere of his special 40…Y Contando, chronicling the last concert he performed in Puerto Rico.

Gilberto Santa Rosa: 40… Y Contando will premiere on Friday, September 15 at 8:00 pm ET across all the channel’s platforms, including HBO GO, HBO NOW and free On Demand channels.

“I’m extremely honored with this invitation,” Santa Rosa tells Billboard. “When I started my career it was in an orchestra, I spent 10 years with them and the other 30 years as soloist.”

During all these years, he says has not finished learning, but the most thing he has enjoyed is having collaborated with many of his idols.

The concert, taped live at the Coliseo José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a few months after Hurricane Maria, will feature many of his greatest hits, like “Conciencia,” “Que Alguien Me Diga” and “Déjate Querer,” as well as many musical guests, including Luis Enrique, Victor Manuelle, Vico C, Tito Nieves and Pirulo Y La Tribu, among others.

In addition to the concert, HBO Latino will also air a 15-minute special during which Santa Rosa shares the greatest moments of his career from the biggest salsa landmark in New York City, the Copacabana.

Gilberto Santa Rosa’s HBO Latino special will also celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which starts Friday. “The best thing about being Latino is that we have the ability to connect with various cultures and interpret art more easily,” said Santa Rosa.

Thalia Directing the HBO Documentary Series “15: A Quinceañera Story”

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Thalia is shining a spotlight on a special rite of passage four young Latinas…

The 46-year-old Mexican Latin Grammy-winning singer and actress is directing the HBO special, 15: A Quinceañera Story, alongside Emmy winner Matthew O’Neill.

The collection of four short documentary films will debut on the premium cable channel on December 19-22.

Thalia’s husband, music industry veteran Tommy Mottola, is executive producing the project.

The films follow five Latina girls from different cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds as they transition to adulthood, all observing the traditional rite of passage of the quinceañera, a celebration of their 15th birthdays.

The short films will premiere on four consecutive nights, airing simultaneously on HBO and HBO Latino. O’Neill and Xochitl Dorsey also produced, along with HBO’s senior producer Sara Bernstein and executive producer Sheila Nevins.

“As a Latina, I’m proud to share our culture and shine a spotlight on these dynamic, talented and beautiful young women featured in these four films,” Thalia Sodi said in a statement. “These young women are fierce and determined and represent the rising generation of American Latinas who are helping define the future of our country,” added Mottola.

“The featured young women are examples of the breadth and diversity of the Latina experience in America,” commented O’Neill. “We’re proud to celebrate them and their communities as they contend with the complicated realities of growing up in America today.”

The quinceañera girls profiled include Zoey, a young Mexican-American living south of Los Angeles who was assigned male gender at birth and celebrates with her trans-madrinas (godmothers) who never had quinceañeras of their own; and Rosi, an American growing up in Florida with a mother from Guatemala and a father from Cuba, who combines all three of her cultures for a quinceañera in Havana, where she chooses to celebrate because her beloved grandfather cannot get a visa to the U.S.

Also profiled is Ashley, an amateur East L.A. boxer whose mother is a “Dreamer” and whose father has been deported. Nervous about her quinceañera and her first official fight, she also struggles with the reality that her coach is undergoing deportation procedures. The final film centers on Jackie and Nina, two best friends from San Antonio, who decide to honor their multi-generational Mexican American heritage by mixing their joint quince with their love of escaramuza, a traditional Mexican horse-dancing display.

HBO Latino Acquires U.S. Rights to Gael Garcia Bernal’s “You’re Killing Me, Susana”

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Gael Garcia Bernal will be killing it on HBO Latino…

HBO Latino has acquired the U.S. pay TV and SVOD rights to “You’re Killing Me, Susana,” a romantic comedy-then-drama starring the 38-year-old Mexican actor, director and producer.

Directed by Roberto Sneider, who co-wrote the film with Luis Camara, You’re Killing Me, Susana tracks Eligio, a philandering two-bit Mexican actor who, when his wife unsurprisingly abandons him, pursues her to a writing workshop in the snowy wastes of Iowa.

A study of the challenges of love for two self-driven independently-minded characters – one reason why Garcia Bernal wanted to make the movie so “fervently,” he told Variety – the film also reflects the ambivalence Mexicans feel towards the glories – its gastronomy – and failings – machismo – of their own culture.

“We can laugh out loud at our misfortunes and failures yet at the same time we are incredibly proud at our acceptance of this and how this makes us a much more mixed, chaotic, free definition of a sophisticated culture,” Garcia Bernal told Variety.

HBO Latino to Air Special “The Juanes Effect: De Canciones y Transformaciones” in May

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

There’s plenty of cause and effect for Juanes…

Following the release of the 44-year-old Colombian singer’s visual album Mis Planes Son Amarte on May 12, HBO Latino will air a special feature with the multiple Latin Grammy winner titled The Juanes Effect: De Canciones y Transformaciones on May 19.

The program will include interviews with other artists and producers to “explore the meaning of the Juanes effect, and how his passion for music touches everyone around him.”

The Juanes Effect will be followed by an in-studio concert where the Grammy-winning artist will perform new tracks from the album.

“We are delighted and immensely proud to have Juanes as part of a growing list of top artists featured in our latest HBO Latino Concert event,” HBO’s SVP of Multicultural & International Marketing Lucinda Martinez said in a statement. “This special will truly resonate with Juanes’ extensive fan base, as it sheds an intimate light on his musical journey.”

The special and concert will air on all HBO platforms including HBO Now and HBO Go.

Mis Planes Son Amarte follows Juanes’ Loco de Amor (2014) and focuses on the story of a Colombian astronaut who travels across time in search of true and eternal love. The album’s first single “Fuego” peaked at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Latin Airplay chart earning Juanes’ his 11th No. 1 on the chart.

Sanz’s HBO Latino Concert Special to Offer Rare Career Retrospective

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Sanz is offering fans a career retrospective as part of his HBO Latino special.

The 47-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter and musician has given the cable network exclusive access to his current Sirope Vivo tour, which is named after his 2015 studio album.

“I’ve put together a kind of play that narrates my career from my latest song to my earliest,” Sanz tells Billboard. “I end the show with ‘Pisando fuerte,’ a song I hadn’t performed in years, and which has lyrics I wrote as a teen.”

It’s a rare glimpse into the full arc of Sanz’s career and the first time, he says, that he’s truly provided a career retrospective, spanning over 25 years.

Now, as Sanz prepares to kick off the Latin American leg of his tour Jan. 29 in Mexico, HBO Latino will premiere the “Sirope Vivo” concert special on February 12.

Filmed live at Madrid’s Barclay Center last September, the special will also feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and can also be watched anytime on HBO On Demand, HBO GO and HBO NOW.

“It’s the first time I plan a show as if I were constructing a photo album,” says Sanz “I don’t know about you, but I like to look at albums from the end to the beginning.”

Jennifer Lopez & Shakira Among the Featured Artists in HBO’s Latin Music-Themed Doc “The Latin Explosion: A New America”

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Ready to get a history lesson in Latin music movement in the United States? Then don’t miss a special documentary from HBO.

HBO’s documentary film The Latin Explosion: A New America will debut Monday, November 16 on HBO and HBO Latino and simulcast in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Created and executive produced by music mogul Tommy Mottola, The Latin Explosion: A New America celebrates the artists and visionaries who have exploded onto the U.S. music scene and gone on to become global superstars, from Desi Arnaz to Romeo Santos.

The film shows how those acts have influenced every aspect of American society, from culture to politics to the economy.

The film ranges from the cha-cha and mambo crazes of the ‘50s, with Arnaz and Rita Moreno, and the edgier ‘60s, reflected by Carlos Santana and Jose Feliciano, to the exciting new sound of salsa in the ‘70s and the emergence of superstars Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan in the ‘80s.

The film also spotlights the Latino boom of the late ‘90s, led by Ricky Martin, Shakira, Mark Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, and today’s hottest stars, Pitbull and Santos.

Some of the featured artists discuss how their crossover hits have played a role in defining the American experience, setting the stage for today’s Latin Explosion.

Other artists featured include Eva Longoria, George Lopez, Los Lobos, Cheech Marin, Thalía and Sofía Vergara. John Leguizamo is the narrator.

“We have assembled the largest array of Latino superstars ever in a film telling a powerful story of their history and immigration, politics, and rise from a small minority population to the most critical demographic in the United States,” comments Mottola.

The Latin Explosion: A New America is directed and produced by Matthew O’Neill and Jon Alpert.

Santana to Release Live CD/DVD Package for His Hit Spanish Project “Corazón”

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Santana is bringing his corazón to live…

Following the success of his first-ever all Spanish-language album Corazón, the 67-year-old Mexican musician and 10-time Grammy-winner is set to release a live CD/DVD package titled Corazón, Live From Mexico: Live It to Believe It.

From RCA Records/Sony Latin Iberia, the package will be released on September 9 and include a live CD and DVD, plus a documentary film shot in different Mexican locales.

The track listing for Corazón Live From Mexico includes many of the artists featured in Santana’s original Corazón, including Juanes, Gloria Estefan, Miguel, Romeo Santos, Lila Downs, Diego Torres and Niña Pastori.

But it has also been expanded considerably to include new versions of his standards like “Black Magic Woman” and “Smooth” and collabs like “Corazón Espinado,” featuring Fher Olvera (lead singer of Maná) and Cindy Blackman Santana.

The set will be available for digital download and in three different physical packages: DVD, DVD/CD and Blu-Ray/CD.

Corazón debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in April and spent six weeks at the top of the chart. It’s currently No. 6 on the chart and was the third top-selling Latin album for the first six months of the year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

But the upcoming live version was conceived from the onset as part of the overall Corazón project. The album, with all its featured artists, was recorded in the studio and released last April, but a live component was always part of the proposal.

With sponsorship from Mexico’s Tourism Board, the live show was taped in December 2013 in Santana’s home state of Gaudalajara, a documentary was filmed in different locales and a special aired on HBO Latino both in the U.S. and Latin America in the spring.

Corazón was a seminal project on many fronts. The HBO airing marked the first time ever that HBO Latino (which operates in the U.S.) and HBO Latin America joined forces to premiere a concert event.

HBO Latino to Air Two Specials Dedicated to Santana’s ‘Corazon’

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Santana is preparing to celebrate his Mexican heritage on television…

HBO Latino will celebrate the legendary career of the 66-year-old Mexican American musician and guitar legend, a 10-time Grammy award winner, and his forthcoming first-ever Latin music album entitled Corazon, through a two-part event: a special called Santana: De Corazon and the airing of his mega concert and documentary Santana-Corazon: Live From Mexico, Live It To Believe It.

The Santana: De Corazon special will be broadcast in Spanish with English subtitles on Monday, April 21 at 9:30 pm ET, exclusively on HBO Latino.

The Santana-Corazon: Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It concert and documentary will air exclusively in the U.S. on HBO Latino on Saturday, May 3, at 8:00 pm ET. It will also be simulcast in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Cited by Rolling Stone as #15 on the magazine’s list of “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” Santana will entertain Hispanic and mainstream audiences in HBO Latino’s airing of the once-in-a-lifetime tribute concert that took place at a sold out Arena VFG in Guadalajara, Mexico this past December.

Santana-Corazon: Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It presented a star-studded concert to music lovers who enjoyed Santana’s electrifying sound, along with performances by musicians and friends.

Lila Downs, Gloria Estefan, Juanes, Nina Pastori, Romeo Santos, Soledad and Diego Torres were among the Latin music stars who accompanied Santana during his performance, most of whose collaborations have been recorded on Santana’s first ever Latin Music album entitled Corazon, set for release May 6 via RCA/Sony Latin Iberia.

The Santana: De Corazon half-hour special spotlights the iconic music legend through a collection of interviews by his musical peers, fellow Santana-Corazon: Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It concert performers, mixed with touching insights from members of his most intimate circles.

Corazon, the concert and album project brings Carlos back to Guadalajara near his birthplace, and celebrates Carlos’ love of his musical heritage, as well as showcases Carlos’ own personal influence on Latin music and on today’s generation of Latin superstars. Many genres of Latin music are represented in these collaborations including pop, rock, salsa, hip-hop, R&B, reggae, and more.

Turlington Featured in HBO’s “The Latino List : Volume Two” Documentary

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

This Hispanic Heritage Month, Christy Turlington is opening up about her Latin American roots…

The 43-year-old half-Salvadoran American is one of an impressive group of Hispanic artists, celebrities and leaders who’ve recorded special video portraits aimed at offering a glimpse into the vibrant culture of Hispanic America.

It’s a follow-up to HBO’s original documentary The Latino List, which served as an oral-history book of exclusive profiles of some of the Latino community’s power players.

Entitled The Latino List : Volume Two, the sequel will feature interviews with an extraordinary cross-section of Hispanic Americans who represent a variety of professions, disciplines and backgrounds, each speaking to the unique struggles and triumphs he or she has faced.

The film consists of intimate first-person vignettes, with each subject speaking into the camera about a number of topics – from immigration to childhood inspirations that powered their ambitions, to the evolving American cultural landscape they helped mold, to the importance of preserving a distinct cultural identity for future generations.

Along with Turlington, the film will feature video portraits of NFL star Victor Cruz, comedian George Lopez, former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros, media tycoon Nely Galan, newswoman Soledad O’Brien and civil rights activist Raul Yzaguirre, among others.

Hailing from a variety of backgrounds, including Cuban, Dominican, El Salvadorian, Mexican, Peruvian, Puerto Rican and more, each interviewee has a unique perspective on the American success story.

The Latino List: Volume Two Trailer

The Latino List : Volume Two is set to premiere on September 24 at 9:00 pm ET on HBO and HBO Latino in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

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