Guillermo Diaz to Star in Universal Pictures’ Historic LGBTQ+ Film “Bros”

Guillermo Diaz is ready for Bros time…

The 46-year-old will star in Universal Pictures’ in Bros, which will make history as the first romantic comedy from a major studio about two gay men, and the first studio film featuring an entirely LGBTQ+ principal cast, with queer actors taking on queer roles, as well as all heterosexual characters.

Guillermo Diaz

Diaz will star opposite Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, TS Madison, Miss Lawrence, Symone and Guy Branum in the project.

Nicholas Stoller is directing the film, which he co-wrote with Eichner. The latter will make history of his own as the first openly gay man to co-write and star in his own studio film.

Bros is billed as a smart, swoony and heartfelt comedy about two gay men—played by Eichber and Macfarlane—maybe, possibly, probably, stumbling towards love. Maybe. They’re both very busy.

The film is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 12, 2022.

Judd Apatow is producing the project alongside Stoller and Josh Church, with Eichner executive producing. The film is a co-production of Stoller’s Global Solutions and Apatow’s Apatow Productions.

“I could not be more proud or excited about the historic nature of the all openly LGBTQ+ cast of Bros. After queer actors have spent decades watching straight actors capitalize both artistically and professionally by playing LGBTQ+ characters, it is a long overdue dream come true to be able to assemble this remarkable, hilarious cast,” said Eichner. “And while Bros may be the first of its kind in several ways, my real hope is that it is only the first of many opportunities for openly LGBTQ+ ensembles to shine and show the world all we are capable of as actors, beyond just being the wacky sidekick, token queer or a straight movie star’s ‘gay best friend.’ And beyond all of that, this cast is f*cking hysterical and you’re going to love them.”

Diaz is best known for portraying Diego “Huck” Muñoz in the drama series Scandal. Díaz has made guest appearances on Chappelle’s ShowLaw & OrderWeedsERBroad City, and Girls.

Victoria Cartagena to Portray Renee Montoya on the CW’s “Batwoman”

It’s a case of déjà vu for Victoria Cartagena.

The 36-year-old Latina actress has joined the upcoming third season of Batwoman as a new series regular, portraying DC hero Renee Montoya on the CW drama.

Victoria Cartagena

Cartagena’s character, Montoya, is a former GCPD officer who left the force when she could no longer stomach the corruption inside the department. She now runs the “freaks division,” which hasn’t seen a lot of action… until now. Righteous and pragmatic, and LGBTQ+, she’s a woman with a very personal (and mysterious) mission to help clean the streets of Gotham in the right way, by whatever means necessary.

Cartagena previously played Renee Montoya on Fox’s Gotham, though the universes are not connected.

In the June 27 Season 2 finale, Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) has fully taken up the mantle of Batwoman with Kate Kane leaving Gotham in a search for her long-missing cousin Bruce Wayne (aka Batman). It also was revealed that Ryan’s biological mother, who was believed to have died in childbirth, is actually alive.

In addition to Leslie, Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang and Camrus Johnson also star; original cast member Dougray Scott recently left the series. 

Batwoman is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros Television.

Cartagena’s other recent credits include a series regular role on Fox’s Almost Family, and recurring on M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV+ series Servant. She also recurred on the first season of NBC’s Manifest.

Mark Indelicato to Star in Gloria Calderón Kellett’s Amazon Series “With Love”

There’s a new Love in Mark Indelicato’s life…

The 26-year-old part-Puerto Rican actor and Ugly Betty alum will star opposite Emeraude Toubia in With LoveAmazon’s one-hour romantic comedy series from Gloria Calderón Kellett, GloNation Studios and Amazon Studios.

Mark Indelicato

Created and written by Calderón Kellett, With Love follows the Diaz siblings, Lily (Toubia) and Jorge (Indelicato), who are on a mission to find love and purpose. The Diaz siblings cross paths with seemingly unrelated residents during some of the most heightened days of the year — the holidays.

Indelicato’s Jorge is the pinnacle of style, the life of the party, and he is fiercely protective of his sister Lily and his Mexican-American family. After years of dating, he finally has found a man good enough to bring home, but he’s nervous about it.

The series, which falls under One Day at a Time creator Calderón Kellett’s overall deal with Amazon, had been fast-tracked since the pitch stage with the goal to launch it during the 2021 holiday season.

All episodes will be written and executive produced by Calderón Kellet. The pilot will be directed and executive produced by Meera MenonWith Love is produced by Kellett’s production company, GloNation and Amazon Studios.

Actor and LGBTQ+ activist Indelicato is best known for his pivotal role as Justin Suarez on all four seasons of the ABC comedy Ugly Betty. He can currently be seen in HBO Max series Hacks opposite Jean Smart.

On the film side, he co-starred in Gregg Araki’s Sundance feature White Bird in a Blizzard.

Demi Lovato to Take Part in iHeartMedia & P&G’s “Can’t Cancel Pride” Virtual Benefit Concert

Demi Lovato is celebrating Pride in a big way…

The 28-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actor will be taking part in iHeartMedia and P&G’s second annual “Can’t Cancel Pride,” a virtual benefit concert featuring some of the biggest LGBTQ names in music appearing to offer special performances, while also raising funds for nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping LGBTQ people around the world.

Demi Lovato

Hosted by Elvis Duran and Bebe Rexha, the event will take place on June 4, and will feature appearances and performances from Lovato, Lil Nas X, Troye Sivan, Rexha, Brothers Osborne, Busy Phillips, Hayley Kiyoko, Jennifer Hudson, JoJo Siwa, Marshmello, MJ Rodriguez, Nina West, P!nk, Ricky Martin, Regard and Tate McRae.

Along with putting on a good show, iHeartMedia and P&G are also partnering with Greater Cincinatti Foundation to help distribute the funds raised from the event to six organizations supporting the LGBTQ community in 2021, including GLAAD, SAGE, The Trevor Project, the National Black Justice Coalition, CenterLink, and OutRight Action International.

“As the country is returning back to normal and we are slowly starting to gather again, LGBTQ+ communities around the world are still feeling the devastating effects of COVID-19,”  iHeartMedia’s chief  marketing officer Gayle Troberman said in a statement. “We look forward to once again celebrating the incredible voices and allies of the LGBTQ+ community with an amazing night of music that will honor Pride and the communities’ fight for equal rights, all while benefiting six remarkable nonprofits that make an everyday positive impact.”

“Can’t Cancel Pride” will take place on June 4th at 9:00 p.m. ET on iHeartRadio’s TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram TV pages, PrideRadio.com and Revry, while also being broadcast on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio App.

Learn more about the upcoming event here.

Sara Ramírez to Star in HBO Max’s “Sex and the City” Sequel Series, “And Just Like That …”

Sara Ramírez is heading to the City

The 45-year-old Mexican actor and Grey’s Anatomy alum will appear alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis in And Just Like That …, HBO Max’s upcoming Sex and the City sequel series, from executive producer Michael Patrick King.

Sara Ramirez

And Just Like That…
 follows Carrie (Parker), Miranda (Nixon) and Charlotte (Davis) navigating the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s.

The 10-episode, half-hour series is scheduled to begin production this summer in New York.

Ramírez will play new character Che Diaz (they/them), a non-binary, queer stand-up comedian who hosts a podcast on which Carrie Bradshaw is regularly featured. Che is a big presence with a big heart whose outrageous sense of humor and progressive, human overview of gender roles has made them and their podcast very popular.

“Everyone at And Just Like That … is beyond thrilled that a dynamically talented actor such as Sara Ramírez has joined the Sex and the City family,” said King. “Sara is a one-of-a-kind talent, equally at home with comedy and drama – and we feel excited and inspired to create this new character for the show.”

The HBO series Sex and the City was created by Darren Star based on Candace Bushnell’s book. Parker, Davis and Nixon executive produce with Julie Rottenberg, Elisa Zuritsky, John Melfi and King. Writers include King, Samantha Irby, Rachna Fruchbom, Keli Goff, Rottenberg and Zuritsky.

Tony Award winner and Emmy nominee Ramírez made history playing the longest-running LGBTQ+ character on TV, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Callie Torres, for over a decade on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Ramírez also played the series regular role of Kat Sandoval on CBS’ Madam Secretary.

Ramírez was the voice of Queen Miranda on Disney’s animated series Sofia the First and Mamá Calaca in Vampirina. They also have executive produced three films, Loserville, Out of Exile: Daniel’s Story and Netflix’s The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson.

Ramírez was awarded the Ally For Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in 2015, and the Trailblazers Award by the New York LGBT Center in 2017. They have also been acknowledged by the City of Los Angeles as a queer bisexual Mexican-American activist and artist working across intersections to advance liberation.

In June of 2019, Ramírez performed “Over the Rainbow” at the NYC opening ceremony of World Pride.

Javier Ambrossi & Javier Calvo, aka Los Javis, Sign with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo have new representation…

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has signed the 36-year-old Spanish actor, stage, film and television director and writer and the 30-year-old Spanish actor, stage, film and television director and writer, the duo known as Los Javis, for representation in all areas.

Javier Ambrossi & Javier Calvo

The LGBTQ+ advocates are known best for writing, producing and directing the critically acclaimed Veneno which was released on HBO Max last year in November during Transgender Awareness Week.

Veneno follows the life of transgender icon of the ’90s, Cristina Ortiz. It features the largest transgender cast in the history of Spanish cinema. The series marked an important milestone for the LGBTQ+ community and is currently nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Scripted Television Series in the Spanish Language category.

Prior to Veneno, Los Javis created the Netflix series, Paquita Salas, the story of one of Spain’s best talent agents in the ’90s, who now finds herself searching desperately for new stars after suddenly losing her biggest client.

The series, which won a Premio Ondas and Premio Feroz, peaked at #1 on the platform in Spain and became a huge hit in Latin America. The series was renewed for two more seasons after its premiere, with a fourth confirmed.

Los Javis are also playwrights who wrote and directed the musical play, La Llamada, which is set at a bible camp and continues to play in Spain almost eight years after its premiere and international run. The duo later wrote and directed the film adaptation of the play, which earned them five Goya Award nominations. It hit No. 1 at the Spanish box office and was acquired by Netflix.

Los Javis often makes appearances on local versions of shows like The Masked Singer, and this month, the duo will join the local version of RuPaul’s Drag Race as regular judges.

Jesse & Joy Sign Worldwide Deal with Warner Chappell Music Mexico for Catalog Rights

Jesse & Joy are going global…

The Mexican brother sister duo, comprised of Jesse Huerta and Joy Huerta, have signed an exclusive worldwide deal for catalog rights with Warner Chappell Music Mexico, according to Billboard.

Jesse & Joy

From grief and heartbreak to happiness and triumph, Jesse & Joy are “storytellers at their core, making music that speaks to the experiences we’ve all gone through,” says Carlos Ruiz, managing director, Warner Chappell Music Mexico.

“Aside from their musical talent, I’m inspired by how they use their voices to make a difference in the world and support their fellow Latinos, immigrants, and the LGBTQ+ community. All of us at Warner Chappell are thrilled they’ve entrusted us with their music and look forward to a wonderful journey ahead,” he adds.

Last year, Jesse & Joy initiated Pride Month with the release of their single “Love (Es Nuestro Idioma),” which spotlights love being a universal language. Both the song and video celebrated Pride Month and was a previous presentation for LGBTI organization Yaaj Mexico.

“The Warner Chappell team has done an impressive job amplifying Latin music on a global scale. They’re a publisher we trust and we look forward to our partnership together,” notes Jesse & Joy.

Calling their 15-year trajectory “impressive” and “at the top of their game,” Gustavo Menendez, president, Latin America, Warner Chappell Music, adds: “Their bicultural sound and style have earned them No. 1 hits, but more importantly, connected them with fans across the world who find comfort and joy in their music.”

The Latin Grammy and Grammy-award winning duo, known for hits such as “¡Corre!,” ”Dueles,” and “Espacio Sideral,” are currently nominated for four Premio Lo Nuestro awards including pop group or duo of the year and album of the year for Aire.

Rosie Casals & Women’s Tennis’ Original 9 to be Subject of Docu-Series About Their Fight for Equality

Rosie Casals’ fight for equal pay (and more) is getting told…

Tennis legend Billie Jean King will narrate a docu-series, featuring her then doubles partner, the 72-year-old Salvadoran American former tennis player, and the other members of the Original 9, that’ll tell the stories of pay inequities, motherhood, LGBTQ+ rights, and intersectionality and diversity in women’s sports.

Billie Jean King & Rosie Casals

Glamour and Condé Nast Entertainment, along with King and Little Monster Films, are producing the series to show the trailblazers who tried to bridge the appalling disparity of pay and standing that female athletes past and present have endured.

The jumping off point was a Glamour cover that focused on how a fed-up King and a group of top female tennis players called the Original 9 tried to bridge the pay gap between the scraps they were getting, and the big paydays limited to their male counterparts.

Rosie Casals

The 27-year old King was the top player in her sport where the entire women’s prize pool was $5,000. King led a group that included Casals, Nancy Richey, Julie Heldman, Valerie Ziegenfuss, Judy Tegart Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Peaches Bartkowicz and Kristy Pigeon. They announced their own tour—it became the forerunner of the Women’s Tennis Association– and found enough sponsors and financial support to launch a 23-match tour with an unprecedented $100,000 in prize money.

The series will focus on that and other struggles that led to course corrections, and areas that need to improve. Anyone who watched the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team win the World Cup again in 2019 likely knows of their struggle to be paid comparable to their male counterparts.

The multi-part series will be produced by Oscar winners Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.

“We’ve made progress in pay equality in and out of sports, but there’s still so much more to do for future generations,” said King. “People have to invest in women—and I don’t mean just women investing in women, I mean everyone. I’m excited to partner with Glamour to bring these vital issues to a wider audience.”

Glamour editor Samantha Barry said that after the magazine exhibited “long history of championing our female sporting heroes and demanding their equal remuneration, we are committing to our first ever long-form docu-series chronicling this historic fight. These are sportswomen, but they are also all women—and this incredible piece of storytelling has the power to reshape all our futures.”

“Jimmy and I have a long history of telling athletes’ stories, digging in to both their sport and a larger narrative of ambition, motivation, and risk,” says Little Monster Films’ Chai Vasarhelyi. “We are passionate about spotlighting new and unheard voices among women athletes, and this series with Glamour and the legendary Billie Jean will capture those character-driven stories. On the court, we’re seeing more and more teams standing united in their activism. Now is the time for this project, as the relationship between our sports and our wider political conversations is at an all-time high.”

 

 

Jennifer Lopez to Take Part in Revry’s QueerX Live! Special

Jennifer Lopez is bringing the star power to this year’s QueerX Live! special.

Revry and Pride Media will kick off the fifth annual music, film, and industry festival QueerX! with a special awards show, featuring the 51-year-old Puerto Rican superstar, on Sunday, October 11.

This year, the LGBTQ+ virtual cable TV network is celebrating National Coming Out Day with a star-studded award show that will include screenings of the category winners from the competition, musical performances, celebrity coming out stories, and the presentation of the 5th Annual Revery Visibility Awards, which honors public figures on the front lines of queer advocacy this year.

In addition to J.Lo, QueerX Live! will feature Angelica Ross, Carmen Carrera, Isiah Thomas, and more. It will premiere across 250+ millions households & devices on the Revry apps, which are available in all major app stores, and on its 11 live TV channels on mainstream platforms like Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, Comcast, and more.

The show will also screen at a pandemic-safe, drive-in screening event, QueerX @ the Drive-In, a pop-up Drive-In in Downtown Los Angeles benefiting the community-focused non-profit, DTLA Proud, and featuring DJs, food and drink, as well as surprise guest performances.

QueerX Live! will also screen the three winners of the QueerX short film festival and will showcase performances by VINCINTROB.B., and the House of Balmain (the winners of season one of HBO Max‘s Legendary).

Other events include QueerX’s annual Powerhouse Industry Pitchfest, presented by Final Draft. On October 17, Revry is giving any creator the rare opportunity to pitch a project face-to-face with top industry producers and decision makers. Only 20 pitch slots are available with top pitches receiving the Final Draft product as prizes.

Then, on October 15, 22, and 29, each Thursday evening from 5pm to 7pm PST / 8pm to 10pm EST, enjoy a free Virtual Happy Hour and connect with fellow festival attendees, filmmakers, and industry professionals.

Stream the event tomorrow night, October 11, by clicking here.

Vanessa Zamora to Perform at the First-Ever Edition of OutMusik Festival on National Coming Out Day

Vanessa Zamora’s ready to express her Pride

The 29-year-old Mexican singer, songwriter and composer will celebrate National Coming Out Day by taking part in the first-ever edition of OutMusik Festival.

Vanessa Zamora

In addition to Zamora, the list of performers set to take the stage on October 11 include Georgel, Javiera Mena, Zemmoa, Mabiland and Christian Chavez, among others.

The virtual festival will feature artists who form part of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as allies who’ll be sending motivational messages to the community.

Georgel, Raymix and Esteman will serve as hosts of the first OutMusik Fest.

“I didn’t grow up with openly and well represented LGBTQ+ icons to identify with in mainstream media, which a lot of times led me to feel like I didn’t exist or this life wasn’t  worth living,” Georgel tells Billboard. “OutMusik represents an evolved world as I perceive it, a platform where LGBTQ+ artists express their truth through performance and audiences feel represented.”

“Music is a powerful medium to tell stories and send messages that tell our reality,” adds Esteman. “The more visible our stories, we won’t have to put labels and instead celebrate who we are.”

Presenters and allies who will be of the celebration include Karol G, Chiquis, Maite Perroni, Lila Downs, Francisca Valenzuela and Gepe.

The festival will be streamed on the website OutMusik.Com, which will remain post-festival and will serve as a resource center for the LGBTQ+ community. Access to the live stream will be free but viewers will have the option of donating.

Proceeds will go toward to organizations It Gets Better and The Trevor Project.