Armisen to Guest Star on Maya Rudolph’s NBC Variety Special/Pilot

He’s already the bandleader for his former Saturday Night Light cast mate Seth Meyer’s band on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers… And, now Fred Armisen is about to reunite with another SNL alum.

The 45-year-old half-Venezuelan actor will guest star on Maya Rudolph’s upcoming variety special/pilot for NBC.

Fred Armisen

Revisiting the variety-show format, The Maya Rudolph Show special will air at 10:00 pm ET on Monday, May 19.

In addition to Armisen, the project will also feature appearences by Andy Samberg, Kristen Bell, Chris Parnell, Craig Robinson, Sean Hayes and Janelle Monae.

Raphael Saadiq will serve as the bandleader for the project, which is being produced by Rudolph, David Javerbaum, Erin David and Dave Becky, with Lorne Michaels serving as executive producer.

Rudolph and Armisen often collaborated together on SNL, including memorable skits as Beyonce and Prince in the recurring sketch “Prince Show.”

The pair also shared the stage on the SNL sketch “Bossa Nova” as a bossa nova band with host Alec Baldwin appearing as a sleaze bag.

Saldanha’s “Rio 2” Breaks Animated Film Records in Brazil

Carlos Saldanha has plenty of reason to get animated…

The 49-year-old Brazilian animated film director’s latest project Rio 2, the sequel to 2011’s beloved film Rio, has made history in Brazil.

Carlos Saldanha

The film had the biggest opening ever for an animated film in the South American country.

The Blue Sky Studios project from Saldanha, who hails from the titular town, took off with $7.3 million to edge out the prior record-holder, Madagascar 3.

The film’s voice cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, Bruno Mars, George Lopez, will.i.am, Rodrigo Santoro, Jake T. Austin, Bebel Gilberto, Andy Garcia, Rita Moreno, Kristin Chenowith, Natalie Morales and Janelle Monáe.

Rio 2 will be released in the United States on April 11.

Mars Perfoms “Welcome Back” on “Rio 2” Soundtrack

Bruno Mars isn’t just voicing a character in Rio 2… He’s also performing a single on the animated film’s soundtrack.

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer performs the track “Welcome Back” on Rio: Music From the Motion Picture, which will be released by Atlantic Records.

Bruno MarsBruno Mars

In addition to Mars’ single, the soundtrack to the animated musical comedy will include musical numbers from Grammy winner Janelle Monáe; Barbatuques, Andy Garcia and Rita Moreno; and Carlinhos Brown and Nina De Freitas.

It will also include songs from the voice cast, including Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Kristin Chenoweth and Jesse Eisenberg

Rio: Music From the Motion Picture will be available March 25.

Rio 2

The family-friendly feature returns to Brazil ahead of this summer’s World Cup, with Hathaway, Eisenberg, Foxx and will.i.am reprising their roles as a few of Rio’s colorful feathered inhabitants.

New additions include The X Factor finalist Rachel Crow and NBC Today show news anchor and South American native Natalie Morales.

The story will follow Blu (Eisenberg), a neurotic blue macaw, and Jewel (Hathaway), his free-spirited mate, as well as their three kids. The conflict of the film arises when Jewel expresses her desire to raise the chicks in the Amazon as “real birds” rather than in their current domesticated environment.

Rio 2 hits theaters April 11.

Here’s the complete track listing:

  1. “What Is Love” by Janelle Monae
  2. “Rio Rio” by Ester Dean feat. B.O.B.
  3. “Beautiful Creatures” by Barbatuques, Andy Garcia and Rita Moreno
  4. “Welcome Back” by Bruno Mars
  5. “O Vida” by Carlinhos Brown and Nina De Freitas
  6. “It’s a Jungle Out Here” [Brazilian] by Philip Lawrence feat. Uakti
  7. “Don’t Go Away” by Anne Hathaway and Falvia Maia feat. Uakti
  8. “Batucada Familia” by Carlinhos Brown, Siedah Garrett, Jamie Foxx, Rachel Crow, Amy Heidemann, Andy Garcia and Rita Moreno
  9. “Poisonous Love” by Kristin Chenoweth and Jemaine Clement
  10. “I Will Survive” by Jemaine Clement and Kristin Chenoweth
  11. “Bola Viva” by Carlinhos Brown
  12.  “Favo De Mel” by Milton Nascimento
  13.  “It’s a Jungle Out Here” by Philip Lawrence
  14. “What is Love” by Janelle Monae, Anne Hathaway, Jessie Eisenberg, Jamie Foxx and Carlinhos Brown

Maxwell Earns Four NAACP Image Award Nominations

Maxwell’s critically acclaimed collaboration with Alicia Keys is paying dividends…

The 40-year-old half-Puerto Rican R&B singer leads the pack of Latinos nominated for prizes at this year’s NAACP Image Awards, earning three of his four nods for his song with Keys “Fire We Make.”

Maxwell

Maxwell will face-off against three-time nominee Bruno Mars in the Outstanding Male Artist
category. They’ll compete against Charlie Wilson, John Legend and Justin Timberlake for the award.

In the Outstanding Music Video category, the official clips for Maxwell’s duet with Keys “Fire We Make” and Mars’ hit song “Treasure” earned Image Awards love. The other nominees include music videos for India.Arie’s “Cocoa Butter,” John Legend’s “Made to Love” and “Q.U.E.E.N.,Janelle Monáe and Erykah Badu’s collaboration.

Lastly, Maxwell’s duet with Keys “Fire We Make” and Mars’ “Treasure” are up for Outstanding Song. The other nominees include John Legend’s “All of Me,” Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”  featuring T.I. & Pharrell and “Q.U.E.E.N.” by Janelle Monáe feat. Erykah Badu.

Maxwell’s final nomination comes in the Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration category, again for his single “Fire We Make” with Keys. The pair are up against fellow Latino nominees Mariah Carey and Miguel for their hit collaboration “#Beautiful.” The other nominees: “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, T.I. & Pharrell, “Hurt You” by Toni Braxton and Babyface and  “Suit & Tie” by Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z.

In the Outstanding World Music Album category, Gloria Estefan earned a nod for her recently released American standards album, The Standards. The Cuban singer is up against Lady Ele’s Coming from a Lady, Emeli Sande’s Live At The Royal Albert Hall, Natalie Cole’s Natalie Cole en Español and Laura Mvula’s Sing To The Moon.

Other Latino/a nominees include Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, The Young and the RestlessTatyana Ali for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series, Scandal’s Guillermo Diaz for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and Alfonso Cuarón and Jonás Cuarón for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture for their blockbuster hit Gravity.

NAACP’s Image Awards will take place on February 22, airing live on the East Coast On TVOne and tape-delayed on the West Coast from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

Here’s a complete look at this year’s nominees:

TELEVISION

Outstanding Comedy Series
“House of Lies” (Showtime)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“Real Husbands of Hollywood” (BET)
“The Game” (BET)
“The Soul Man” (TV Land)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Andre Braugher – “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (FOX)
Cedric The Entertainer – “The Soul Man” (TV Land)
Don Cheadle – “House of Lies” (Showtime)
Dulé Hill – “Psych” (USA Network)
Kevin Hart – “Real Husbands of Hollywood” (BET)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Aisha Tyler – “Archer” (FX Networks)
Mindy Kaling – “The Mindy Project” (FOX)
Niecy Nash – “The Soul Man” (TV Land)
Tasha Smith – “Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse” (OWN)
Wendy Raquel Robinson – “The Game” (BET)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Boris Kodjoe – “Real Husbands of Hollywood” (BET)
Jerry “J B Smoove” Brooks – “Real Husbands of Hollywood” (BET)
Morris Chestnut – “Nurse Jackie” (Showtime)
Nick Cannon – “Real Husbands of Hollywood” (BET)
Tracy Morgan – “30 Rock” (NBC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Anna Deavere Smith – “Nurse Jackie” (Showtime)
Brandy Norwood – “The Game” (BET)
Nia Long – “House of Lies” (Showtime)
Rashida Jones – “Parks and Recreation” (NBC)
Sofia Vergara – “Modern Family” (ABC)

Outstanding Drama Series
“Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)
“Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC)
“Scandal” (ABC)
“The Good Wife” (CBS)
“Treme” (HBO)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
James Pickens, Jr. – “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC)
LL Cool J – “NCIS: Los Angeles” (CBS)
Michael Ealy – “Almost Human” (FOX)
Shemar Moore – “Criminal Minds” (CBS)
Wendell Pierce – “Treme” (HBO)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Chandra Wilson – “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC)
Kerry Washington – “Scandal” (ABC)
Khandi Alexander – “Treme” (HBO)
Nicole Beharie – “Sleepy Hollow” (FOX)
Regina King – “SouthLAnd” (TNT)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Columbus Short – “Scandal” (ABC)
Guillermo Diaz – “Scandal” (ABC)
Jeffrey Wright – “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)
Joe Morton – “Scandal” (ABC)
Michael Kenneth Williams – “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Archie Panjabi – “The Good Wife” (CBS)
Debbie Allen – “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC)
Diahann Carroll – “White Collar” (USA)
Taraji P. Henson – “Person of Interest” (CBS)
Vanessa L. Williams – “666 Park Avenue” (ABC)

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
“Being Mary Jane” (BET)
“Betty & Coretta” (Lifetime)
“CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story” (VH1)
“Luther” (BBC America)
“Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight” (HBO)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Chiwetel Ejiofor – “Dancing on the Edge” (Starz)
Danny Glover – “Muhammad Ali’s Greatest (HBO)
Idris Elba – “Luther” (BBC America)
Malik Yoba – “Betty & Coretta” (Lifetime)
Omari Hardwick – “Being Mary Jane” (BET)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Angela Bassett – “American Horror Story: Coven” (FX Networks)
Angela Bassett – “Betty & Coretta” (Lifetime)
Gabourey Sidibe – “American Horror Story: Coven” (FX Networks)
Gabrielle Union – “Being Mary Jane” (BET)
Keke Palmer – “CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story” (VH1)

Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Aaron D. Spears – “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS)
Kristoff St. John – “The Young and the Restless” (CBS)
Lawrence Saint Victor – “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS)
Redaric Williams – “The Young and the Restless” (CBS)
Tequan Richmond – “General Hospital” (ABC)

Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Angell Conwell – “The Young and the Restless” (CBS)
Christel Khalil – “The Young and the Restless” (CBS)
Karla Mosley – “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS)
Kristolyn Lloyd – “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS)
Tatyana Ali – “The Young and the Restless” (CBS)

Outstanding News/ Information – (Series or Special)
 “Justice for Trayvon” (BET)
“Mandela: Freedom’s Father” (BET)
“Oprah: Where Are They Now?” (OWN)
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.” (PBS)
“Unsung” (TV One)

Outstanding Talk Series
“Oprah’s Lifeclass” (OWN)
“Oprah’s Next Chapter” (OWN)
“Steve Harvey” (Syndicated)
“The Arsenio Hall Show” (Syndicated)
“The Queen Latifah Show” (Syndicated)

Outstanding Reality Series
“Iyanla: Fix My Life” (OWN)
“Shark Tank” (ABC)
“Sunday Best” (BET)
“The Voice” (NBC)
“Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” (OWN)

Outstanding Variety Series or Special
“12 Years A Slave: A TV One Special with Cathy Hughes” (TV One)
“Black Girls Rock!” (BET)
“Key & Peele” (Comedy Central)
“Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth” (HBO)
“Oprah’s Master Class” (OWN)

Outstanding Children’s Program
“2013 HALO Awards” (Nickelodeon/TeenNick)
“A.N.T. Farm” (Disney Channel)
“Dora the Explorer” (Nickelodeon)
“Postcards: Mandela” (The Africa Channel)
“Wynton Marsalis: A YoungArts MasterClass” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance in a Youth/ Children’s Program – (Series or Special)
China Anne McClain – “A.N.T. Farm” (Disney Channel)
Eric I. Keyes, III – “Live Life and Win!” (Syndicated)
Fatima Ptacek “Dora the Explorer” (Nickelodeon)
Karan Brar – “Jessie” (Disney Channel)
Zendaya – “Shake It Up” (Disney Channel)

RECORDING

Outstanding New Artist
Ariana Grande
Candice Glover
K. Michelle
RaVaughn Brown
Zendaya

Outstanding Male Artist
Bruno Mars
Charlie Wilson
John Legend
Justin Timberlake
Robin Thicke

Outstanding Female Artist
Beyoncé
India.Arie
Janelle Monáe
Ledisi
Mary J Blige

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration
“#Beautiful” – Mariah Carey feat. Miguel
“Blurred Lines” – Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell
“Fire We Make” – Alicia Keys feat. Maxwell
“Hurt You” – Toni Braxton feat. Babyface
“Suit & Tie” – Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z

Outstanding Jazz Album
“Summer Horns” – Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair, Richard Elliot
“The Beat” – Boney James
“The Messenger” – Kevin Eubanks
“The Morning After: A Musical Love Journey” – Najee
“The Songs of Stevie Wonder” – SFJAZZ Collective

Outstanding Gospel Album – (Traditional or Contemporary)
“20 Year Celebration Volume 1 – Best For Last” – Donald Lawrence “Best Days Deluxe Edition” – Tamela Mann
“Good God” – Shirley Caesar
“Music From the Motion Picture Black Nativity” – Various

Outstanding World Music Album
“Coming from a Lady” – Lady Ele
“Live At The Royal Albert Hall” – Emeli Sande
“Natalie Cole en Español” – Natalie Cole
“Sing To The Moon” – Laura Mvula
“The Standards” – Gloria Estefan

Outstanding Music Video
“Cocoa Butter” – India.Arie
“Fire We Make” – Alicia Keys feat. Maxwell
“Made To Love” – John Legend
“Q.U.E.E.N.” – Janelle Monáe feat. Erykah Badu
“Treasure” – Bruno Mars

Outstanding Song
“All Of Me” – John Legend
“Blurred Lines ” – Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell
“Fire We Make” – Alicia Keys feat. Maxwell
“Q.U.E.E.N.” – Janelle Monáe feat. Erykah Badu
“Treasure” – Bruno Mars (Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Album
“20/20 Experience – The Complete Experience” – Justin Timberlake “Blurred Lines” – Robin Thicke
“Love In The Future” – John Legend
“Love, Charlie” – Charlie Wilson
“The Electric Lady” – Janelle Monáe (Bad Boy/Atlantic)

LITERATURE

Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction
“A Deeper Love Inside: The Porscha Santiaga Story” – Sister Souljah “Anybody’s Daughter” – Pamela Samuels Young
“Little Green: An Easy Rawlins Mystery” – Walter Mosley
“Never Say Never: A Novel” – Victoria Christopher Murray
“Who Asked You?” – Terry McMillan

Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction
“Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations: 5,000 Years of Literature, Lyrics, Poems, Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs from
Voices Around the World” – Retha Powers
“Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slavery” – Deborah Willis, Barbara Krauthamer
“High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and
Society” – Carl Hart
“Letters to an Incarcerated Brother: Encouragement, Hope, and Healing for Inmates and Their Loved Ones” – Hill
Harper
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” – Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Donald Yacovone

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author
“Better Than Good Hair – The Curly Girl Guide to Healthy Gorgeous Natural Hair!” – Nikki Walton with Ernessa T.
Carter
“Ghana Must Go” – Taiye Selasi
“Nine Years Under” – Sheri Booker
“On The Come Up” – Hannah Weyer
“The Returned” – Jason Mott

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/ Auto-Biography
“Buck: A Memoir” – MK Asante
“Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington” – Terry Teachout
“Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker” – Stanley Crouch
“Mom & Me & Mom” – Maya Angelou
“The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” – Jeanne Theoharis

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional
“Do I Look Like An ATM? A Parent’s Guide to Raising Financially Responsible African American Children” – Sabrina
Lamb
“Plan D: How to Lose Weight and Beat Diabetes (Even If You Don’t Have It)” – Sherri Shepherd with Billie Fitzpatrick
“Recruiting and Retaining Culturally Different Students in Gifted Education” – Donna Y. Ford, Ph.D.
The Entrepreneur Mind: 100 Essential Beliefs, Characteristics, and Habits of Elite Entrepreneurs” – Kevin D. Johnson
“The Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life” – Robin Quivers

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry
“Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid” – Nikki Giovanni
“Hum” – Jamaal May
“The Cineaste: Poems” – A. Van Jordan
“The Collected Poems of Ai” – Ai
“Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers” – Frank X Walker

Outstanding Literary Work – Children
“I’m A Pretty Little Black Girl!” – Betty K. Bynum (Author), Claire Armstrong-Parod (Illustrator)
“Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me” – Daniel Beaty (Author), Bryan Collier (Illustrator)
“Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song” – Andrea Davis Pinkney (Author), Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)
“Nelson Mandela” – Kadir Nelson
“You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!” – Jonah Winter (Author), Terry Widener (Illustrator)

Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens
“Courage Has No Color, The True Story of the Triple Nickles: America’s First Black Paratroopers” – Tanya Lee
Stone
“God’s Graffiti: Inspiring Stories for Teens” – Romal Tune
“Invasion” – Walter Dean Myers
“Raising the Bar” – Gabrielle Douglas
“Serafina’s Promise: A Novel In Verse” – Ann E. Burg

MOTION PICTURE

Outstanding Motion Picture
“12 Years A Slave”
“Fruitvale Station”
“Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
“The Best Man Holiday”

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Chadwick Boseman – “42″
Chiwetel Ejiofor – “12 Years A Slave”
Forest Whitaker – “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
Idris Elba – “Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom”
Michael B. Jordan – “Fruitvale Station”

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Angela Bassett – “Black Nativity”
Halle Berry – “The Call”
Jennifer Hudson – “Winnie Mandela”
Kerry Washington – “Tyler Perry Presents Peeples”
Nicole Beharie – “42″

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Cuba Gooding Jr. – “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
David Oyelowo – “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
Morris Chestnut – “The Best Man Holiday”
Terrence Howard – “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
Terrence Howard – “The Best Man Holiday”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Alfre Woodard – “12 Years A Slave”
Lupita Nyong’o – “12 Years A Slave ”
Naomie Harris – “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Octavia Spencer – “Fruitvale Station”
Oprah Winfrey – “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
“Blue Caprice”
“Dallas Buyers Club” (
“Fruitvale Station”
“The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete”
“The Trials of Muhammad Ali”

Outstanding International Motion Picture
“Call Me Kuchu”
“High Tech, Low Life”
“La Playa D.C.”
“Lion Ark”
“War Witch”

DOCUMENTARY

Outstanding Documentary – (Theatrical)
“20 Feet from Stardom”
“Call Me Kuchu”
“Free Angela and All Political Prisoners”
“Girl Rising”
“The New Black”

Outstanding Documentary – (Television)
“Beyoncé: Life Is But a Dream”
“Dark Girls”
“Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic ”
“Venus Vs.”
“Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley”

WRITING

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

Erica Montolfo-Bura – “The Game” – In Treatment
Karin Gist – “House of Lies” – Sincerity is an Easy Disguise in This Business
Mara Brock Akil – “The Game” – The Blueprint I & II
Ralph Farquhar, Chris Spencer – “Real Husbands of Hollywood” – Rock, Paper, Stealers (
Vincent Brown – “A.N.T. Farm” – influANTces

Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series
Aaron Rahsaan Thomas – “SouthLAnd” – Babel
Chitra Elizabeth Sampath, Damian Kindler – “Sleepy Hollow” – Sanctuary
Janine Sherman Barrois – “Criminal Minds” – Strange Fruit
Karin Gist – “Revenge” – Mercy
Sara Hess – “Orange is the New Black” – Blood Donut

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture – (Theatrical or Television)

Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón – “Gravity”
Brian Helgeland – “42″
Danny Strong – “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
John Ridley – “12 Years A Slave”
Ryan Coogler – “Fruitvale Station”

DIRECTING

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
Anton Cropper – “House of Lies” – Sincerity Is an Easy Disguise in This Business
Eric Dean Seaton – “Mighty Med” – Saving The People Who Save People
Millicent Shelton – “The Hustle” – Rule 4080
Paris Barclay – “Glee” – Diva
Stan Lathan – “Real Husbands of Hollywood” – Rock, Paper, Stealers

Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series
Carl Franklin – “House of Cards” – Chapter 11
Ernest Dickerson – “Treme” – Dippermouth Blues
Millicent Shelton – “The Fosters” – Clean
Regina King – “SouthLAnd” – Off Duty
Rob Hardy – “Criminal Minds” – Carbon Copy

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture – (Theatrical or Television)
Jono Oliver – “Home”
Justin Chadwick – “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Lee Daniels – “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
Malcolm D. Lee – “The Best Man Holiday”
Steve McQueen – “12 Years A Slave”

New Teaser Trailer Released for Bruno Mars’ “Rio 2”

He may hail from Hawaii, but Bruno Mars will be heading to a different paradise locale in the near future…

The 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer will be making his big screen debut, voicing a character in the highly anticipated sequel to the hit animated film Rio.

Rio 2

Rio 2, which saw its new teaser trailer released on the Yahoo! Movies site recently, centers on Blu, Jewel and their three kids living the perfect domesticated life in the magical city of Rio de Janeiro. When Jewel decides the kids need to learn to live like real birds, she insists the family venture into the Amazon. As Blu tries to fit in with his new neighbors, he worries he may lose Jewel and the kids to the call of the wild.

The new teaser clip isn’t so plot-revealing as it is entertaining, featuring a performance by a cute capybara named Clara. The little creature is featured delivering a rendition of “Memory” from the 1981 musical Cats in front of other characters until a surprise predator shows up.

The sequel is still supported by Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann and Jamie Foxx among others.

Along with Mars, newcomers in the cast ensemble include The X Factor season one finalist Rachel Crow, Andy Garcia and Kristin Chenoweth.

Original music by Janelle Monae, one of the voice cast members, will be featured in the film from director Carlos Saldanha.

Rio 2 is set for release on April 14, 2014 in the United States.

Pitbull Receives Two MTV EMA Award Nominations

It’s no wonder he’s the self-proclaimed Mr. Worldwide

Pitbull has picked up two MTV Europe Music Awards nominations—the only Latino artist to earn any nods this year.

Pitbull

The 31-year-old Cuban American rap superstar is nominated in the Best Male category, where he’s competing against Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Jay Z and Flo Rida.

Meanwhile, Pitbull’s dancetastic collaboration with Chris BrownInternational Love” is up for Best Song. The other contenders include Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” Rihanna’s “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris, Goyte’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” and fun.’s “We Are Young” featuring Janelle Monáe.

The nominations bring Pitbull’s MTV EMA nod count to three. He was previously nominated for Best Hip Hop Artist last year, the same year that saw Selena Gomez serve as the show’s hostess.

MTV has yet to announce this year’s MTV EMA Awards host, performers and presenters.

The MTV EMAs will take place on Sunday, November 11 at the historic Festhalle Frankfurt arena in Germany, and will be broadcast on MTV channels around the world at 9 p.m. central European time.