Tag Archives: LL Cool J

Selena Gomez Encourages People to Register to Vote on ‘Register a Friend Day’

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Selena Gomez is encouraging people to register to vote…

The 28-year-old Mexican American singer/actress took to social media over the weekend to remind Americans to make sure they’re registered to vote for the November 3 election, which is less than 100 days away.

Selena Gomez

Gomez shared information about how to register to vote as part of Register a Friend Day. Other celebrities who took part in the initiative included Ariana Grande, Lin-Manuel Miranda, former President Barack Obamaand former First Lady Michelle Obama,LL Cool Jand Cher.

President Donald Trump has continued to spread false theories about voting by mail – even though he’s done so himself – leading election experts to worry that a nation gripped by the coronavirus pandemic could face a chaotic election that may put even more Americans’ health at risk with a push for in-person voting in the midst of both a health and financial crisis.

Currently, presumptive Democratic candidate Joe Biden has a commanding 50-36 lead over Trump, whose mishandled response to COVID-19 has put the U.S. atop the list of countries with the most cases and deaths.

Click here for more information on how to register to vote.

Guillermo del Toro Taking Part in Tribeca Enterprises & YouTube’s ‘We Are One: A Global Film Festival’

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Guillermo del Toro is taking his talk global…

The 55-year-old Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker, author, actor, and former special effects makeup artist will take part in Tribeca Enterprises and YouTube’s We Are One: A Global Film Festival. 

Guillermo del Toro

The fest will stream exclusively on YouTubefor free and feature more than 100 films co-curated by 21 of the most renowned festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival.

The 10-day fest kicked off on Friday, May 29 and will not only provide entertainment but also offer relief to the COVID-19 pandemic via supporting organizations.

The truly global event will feature programming from different cultures all over the world, with films representing more than 35 countries and include 23 narrative and 8 documentary features, 57 narrative and 15 documentary short films, 15 archived talks along with 4 festival exclusives and 5 VR programming pieces. 

The fest will include 13 world premieres, 31 online premieres and 5 international online premieres. Each selection was handpicked to give shine and highlight each participating festival.

“We are so excited to share the combined efforts of our festival partners and YouTube with the world this week,” said Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival Co-Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal. “Together, we were able to curate a compelling slate of programming that succinctly reflects the subtle variations in style that make each festival so special. We Are One: A Global Film Festival will offer audiences an opportunity to not only celebrate the art of film, but the unique qualities that make each story we watch so memorable.”

The fest will include the world premiere of Ricky Powell: The Individualist, which spotlights the titular legendary street photographer featuring interviews with Natasha Lyonne and LL Cool J. 

Eeb Allay Ooo! will make its online debut and introduce a whole new audience to New Delhi’s professional “monkey repellers”. The satirical film won Mumbai Film Festival’s Golden Gateway Award. 

The iconic Joan Chen will present the world premiere of Iron Hammer, a documentary about legendary, trailblazing Chinese Olympic volleyball star Jenny Lang Ping.

There will also be a lineup of specially-curated talks from past festivals as well as new discussions. Talks will feature del Toro, Francis Ford Coppola with Steven Soderbergh, Song Kang-ho and Bong Joon-ho, Jane Campion and Claire Denis.

In addition to features, audiences will be able to access over 50 narrative and documentary shorts such as the world premiere of Japanese narrative short Yalta Conference Online (wt), which was created exclusively for the fest by director Koji Fukada. The fest will also include the global premiere of the Third Eye Blind documentary short Motorcycle Drive By, as well as shorts from Dreamworks Animation, Bilby, Marooned and Bird Karma.

360 VR selections will feature Emmy-nominated documentary Traveling While Black and Alteration, a sci-fi narrative starring Bill Skarsgard, as well as titles featuring John Legend, Oprah Winfrey and Lupita Nyong’o. On top of the film goodness, Questlove from the legendary Roots crew will perform a DJ set for your listening and dancing pleasure.

On the episodic side, We Are One will host the world premiere of Losing Alice, an Israeli female-fronted neo-noir psychological TV thriller as well as the two-part docuseries She Could Be Next which chronicles the experiences of women of color running for office, including Stacey Abrams and  Rashida Tlaib.

In addition to Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca, participating festival also include Annecy International Animation Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival,International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM), International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), Jerusalem Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival,Marrakech International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival.

The fest will provide COVID-19 relief through donations to the World Health Organization( WHO), UNICEF, UNHCR, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Leket Israel, GO Foundation and Give2Asia, among others. Audiences will be able to donate via a link on every film page.

Click herefor the full festival schedule.

Alana De La Garza Appears in CBS’ New Video Tribute to America’s COVID-19 Frontline Health Workers & First Responders

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Alana De La Garza is helping honor the country’s coronavirus pandemic frontliners…

The 43-year-old half-Mexican American actress appears in a special CBS video tribute to America’s frontline health workers and first responders.

Alana de la Garza

The “Better Days” tribute, which features a new OneRepublic track, kicks off a new campaign the network has dubbed “CBS Salutes.” 

It premiered between 10:00 and 11:00 pm ET/PT during the season finale of Survivor on CBS and across social media. 

OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder introduces the tribute, which appears over a live acoustic quarantine version of the song.

“There aren’t enough thank-yous in the world for all the amazing people working on the front lines saving lives right now,” Tedder says. “I, along with everyone at CBS, salute you.”

In addition to de la Garza, who appears on CBS’ FBI series, appears alongside othe CBS stars, including Walton Goggins (The Unicorn), LL Cool J (NCIS: Los Angeles) and Sonequa Martin-Green (CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery), among others.

But the real stars of the video are the doctors, nurses, hospital staffers, police, firefighters, EMTs and others who’ve worked to keep the rest of us healthy and safe, with plenty of them spotlighted in the video.

This is the first salvo in the “CBS Salutes” initiative that’ll use popular music artists along with CBS talent saluting special causes. 

Howie Dorough & the Backstreet Boys to Perform on Fox’s ‘New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey’ Special

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Howie Dorough is ready to ring in the New Year with a bangin’ performance…

The 46-year-old half-Puerto Rican singer and his Backstreet Boys mates will take the stage for Fox’s third annual Fox’s New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey: Live from Times Square special.

Backstreet Boys

Dorough and the Backstreet Boys join a lineup that includes LL Cool J, DJ Z-Trip, the Chainsmokers, the Lumineers, Florida Georgia Line, Tygaand The Killers, along with celebrity appearances by Gordon Ramsay, Will Arnettand Jenna Dewan.

Maria Menounos and NFL ex-player Rob Gronkowskiwill co-host the evening, which will feature a performance by Angel Moralesand his fellow Village Peoplemembers as the group tries to set a world record for the largest YMCAdance.

The evening also will feature a WWE match with Roman Reigns.

The Fox party starts at 8:00 pm live from Manhattan, with a tape-delayed edition for the Mountain and Pacific time zones.

Jennifer Lopez Partnering with Coach on New Campaign

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“Put me in Coach,” says Jennifer Lopez…

The 50-year-old Puerto Rican superstar and fashion icon has announced a hot new partnership with the fashion branch Coach.

Lopez announced the campaign on her Instagram, sharing her excitement for what’s to come with her 105 million followers. 

“I’m so excited for this collaboration with Coach” she said. “It is a timeless brand that I’ve always been a fan of and the upcoming collection really speaks to my personal style –– an uptown downtown mix.”

Starting in spring 2020, Lopez will appear in ad campaigns for the leather goods, ready-to-wear and footwear company. The relationship builds on the long-time relationship between the two — Lopez carried Coach bags as early as her 2002 video “All I Have” with LL Cool J.

In the upcoming campaign, she’ll be shot by Juergen Teller, who’s captured the likes of Yara Shahidiand Jemima Kirkein iconic locations for previous Coach campaigns.

One year ago, Michael B. Jordanbecame the first global face of menswear for the Tapestrybrand and later designed a Coach unisex clothing line, which he told The Hollywood Reporter is “nostalgic, fresh, utilitarian and functional.”

A Bronx-born mother-of-two, Lopez has always stayed true to her New York roots, from her In Living Color days to her role as executive producer on films like Hustlers and 2020’s The Godmother. 

Like Lopez, Coach is New York through-and-through, founded in Manhattan 78 years ago. Coach says it selected Lopez to embody its value for self-expression. 

“Jennifer is so authentic. She’s determined and she’s an original who has followed her own path to do things her own way — she really embodies the attitude of Coach and our new campaign,” Coach creative director Stuart Veverssaid in a statement. “She’s from New York like Coach, which creates another authentic connection with our heritage, and I’m particularly excited about bringing Jennifer and Juergen Teller together.”

Lopez will join fellow A-list ambassador and pop star Selena Gomez as part of the Coach family. Earlier this year, Lopez, together with her fiancé Alex Rodriguez, launched a collection of sunglasses with the brand Quay Australia, as well as her 25th fragrance called Promise.

Esai Morales Lands Recurring Role on CBS’ “NCIS: Los Angeles”

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Esai Morales is getting deputized…

The 55-year-old Puerto Rican actor has landed a recurring role on the upcoming tenth season of CBS’NCIS: Los Angeles.

Esai Morales

Morales will play Deputy Director Gaines. Smart, authoritative, polished and trustworthy, Gaines accompanies a special prosecutor from the Department of Defense who is investigating the NCIS office and its employees. He is there to protect his people and advise them on how to navigate the prosecutor’s interviews. The character will be introduced in a late October episode.

“Following the rescue mission in Mexico from last season’s finale and this season’s premiere, our NCIS: Los Angelesteam will face challenging repercussions but they will have a new ally in the Deputy Director,” said executive producer R. Scott Gemmill. “We are thrilled that the talented Esai Morales has signed on to this recurring role.”

Starring Chris O’Donnell, LL Cool J, Linda Hunt, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, Barrett Foa, Renée Felice Smith and Nia Long, NCIS: Los Angelesis produced by CBS Television Studios and executive produced by Gemmill, John P. Kousakis and Frank Military.

Morales, who rose to acclaim in the 1987 biopic La Bamba,was most recently seen in a major arc on Netflix’s Ozark and as a recurring on Nat Geo’s Mars. On the big screen, Morales’ credits include Sony Pictures’ Superfly.

Season 10 of NCIS: Los Angelespremieres Sunday, September 30 at 9 PM on CBS.

Martin Reenacts Tom Cruise’s Infamous “Risky Business” Underwear Scene on Spike TV’s “Lip Sync Battle”

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Ricky Martin isn’t afraid of a little risky business…

The 45-year-old Puerto Rican superstar got down to his skivvies in an all-out effort to beat Kate Upton on Lip Sync Battle.

Ricky Martin Lip Sync Battle

In a preview clip of the episode airing Thursday (April 20), Martin takes on Bob Seger‘s “Old Time Rock n Roll,” and recreates Tom Cruise‘s famous Risky Business scene featuring the song — underwear and all.

Sliding onto the stage in socks, boxer briefs and an Oxford shirt, Martin nails every move, as well as every lyric in his lip-syncing. He even uses a candlestick like the one Cruise used as a microphone in the scene.

Martin’s opponent Upton also recreates an iconic vid for her performance, lip-syncing to Britney Spears‘ “…Baby One More Time.” Dressed as schoolgirl Spears, Upton dances just like the pop singer did in her video, and puts up quite the fight against Martin’s Risky Business reenactment.

The full episode, hosted by Chrissy Teigen and LL Cool J, airs Thursday (Apr. 20) at 10:00 pm ET on Spike.

Sigman to Star in CBS’ “S.W.A.T.” Pilot, Based on the 2011 Crime Drama

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Stephanie Sigman is about to get tactical…

The Mexican-American actress, who rose to acclaim in the 2011 crime drama film Miss Bala, will star in CBS’ S.W.A.T. reboot.

Stephanie Sigman

Sigman is the first cast member to sign onto the reboot, which is based on the movie of the same name.

The pilot follows a locally born and bred S.W.A.T. lieutenant who is torn between loyalty to the streets and duty to his fellow officers when he’s tasked to run a highly-trained unit that’s the last stop for solving crimes in Los Angeles. Sources say CBS is nearing a deal with an actor for the lead lieutenant role.

Sigman will play Jessica, who’s described as ambitious and fastidious, and has earned her high rank at S.W.A.T. headquarters.

The “S.W.A.T.” pilot was written by Aaron Thomas and will be directed by Justin Lin.

Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television Studios are behind the hourlong drama.

The series is based on the 2003 film, which starred Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jeremy Renner. That movie was based on the 1970s series, produced by Aaron Spelling, which ran for two seasons on ABC.

“S.W.A.T.” is the latest project for Sigman, who’s been in high demand ever since her scene-stealing role in the 2015 Daniel Craig movie Spectre. She also starred in the first season of Netflix’s Narcos, and appeared in a few episodes of ABC’s anthology series American Crime from John Ridley. This is the second consecutive pilot season that Sigman has been cast in a lead role, following Ridley’s ABC detective drama, Presence, which ultimately was not greenlit to series.

Up next for the actress is the sequel to the hit horror movie Annabelle 2.

Fabolous Releases “Summertime Shootout” Mixtape

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Fabolous fans have reason to give thanks this holiday weekend…

The 38-year-old half-Dominican American hip hop artist has delivered his first holiday offering with the Summertime Shootout mixtape.

Fabolous

The Thanksgiving release finds the Brooklyn rapper serving remixes and vivid bars that match the pop art theme of the project’s artwork.

Here, Loso flips recent hits like The Weeknd‘s “Tell Your Friends” and Drake‘s “Hotline Bling” (he remixes the names to “Tell Ya Friends” and “Trapline Bling,” respectively) as well as ’90s classics. On the Nicki Minaj and Trey Songz collaboration “Doin’ It Well,” producers Cardiak and Critical sample the 1995 LL Cool J slow jam “Doin’ It.”

Fabolous' Summertime Shootout

Fab has been on a steady grind the past year since releasing last year’s Young OG Project — the ’90s-inspired, Christmas LP that hosted the tracks “She Wildin’” featuring Chris Brown and “We Good.”

He also rolled out a series of Friday Night Freestyles in May.

In an interview with Billboard in January, the social media whiz said that sales weren’t his priority with Young OG. “With this project, I’m not looking at numbers or thinking that you got to have singles,” he said. “It’s a different time in music. All the conventional ways of doing things are old, and you don’t need to do anything that way again. You need to find new ways to spark people’s interest.”

Loso maintains that same attitude with Summertime Shootout by accompanying the mixtape with a visual trailer. His work is not done, though — he will also roll out the Young OG Project 2, due this Christmas (Dec. 25).

Mars: This Year’s Top Latino Grammy Nominee

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It comes as little surprise that Bruno Mars is this year’s Latino Grammy darling…

Following the release of his critically acclaimed sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox, the 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer has received four Grammy nominations for the 56th annual awards, the most of any Latino artists this year.

Bruno Mars in GQ

Mars, a 19-time nominee who earned a Grammy in 2011 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his first career smash hit “Just The Way You Are,” is nominated in two major categories. He’s up for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for his No. 1 song “Locked Out of Heaven.”

In addition, Mars’ latest studio effort is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and his ballad “When I Was Your Man” is up for Best Pop Solo Performance.

But Mars isn’t the only Latino artist to receive multiple nods this year…

Miguel, who won the award for Best R&B Song during the 2013 Grammys, is nominated for two awards.

The 28-year-old half-Mexican American R&B singer is up for Best R&B Performance for his duet with Kendrick Lamar, “How Many Drinks?,” as well as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his collaboration with J. Cole, “Power Trip.”

Paquito D’Rivera, meantime, is nominated for two awards.

The Cuban Grammy-winning alto saxophonist, clarinetist and soprano saxophonist is nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for the track “Song for Maura,” as well as Best Latin Jazz Album for the album of the same name.

Other Latino nominees include Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Intocable, Frankie J and Carlos Vives.

The nominations were announced during the Grammy Awards’ special on CBS on Friday night.

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that awards the Grammys, used to announce the nominations through an ordinary news conference. But for the last six years, it has tried to stir excitement with a primetime TV special with the rapper and actor LL Cool J as host. Performers on Friday’s show included Lorde, Robin Thicke and, by satellite, Taylor Swift from Sydney, Australia, and Katy Perry from Toronto.

The 65th Grammy Awards, dubbed music’s biggest night, will be held on Sunday, January 26, 2014.

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

Record of the Year
GET LUCKY
 Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
RADIOACTIVE 
Imagine Dragons
ROYALS Lorde
LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN Bruno Mars
BLURRED LINES
 Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell

Song Of The Year
JUST GIVE ME A REASON 
Jeff Bhasker, Pink & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Pink Featuring Nate Ruess)
LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN 
Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
ROAR 
Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry & Henry Walter, songwriters (Katy Perry)
ROYALS 
Joel Little & Ella Yelich O’Connor, songwriters (Lorde)
SAME LOVE
 Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert & Ryan Lewis, 
songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert)

Best Pop Solo Performance
BRAVE Sara Bareilles
ROYALS Lorde
WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN Bruno Mars
ROAR Katy Perry
MIRRORS 
Justin Timberlake

Best Pop Vocal Album
PARADISE Lana Del Rey  
PURE HEROINE Lorde  
UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX Bruno Mars  
BLURRED LINES Robin Thicke  
THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE – THE COMPLETE EXPERIENCE
 Justin Timberlake


Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
VIVA DUETS
 Tony Bennett & Various Artists [Featured artists include Chayanne, Thalia, Christina Aguilera, Franco De Vita, Gloria Estefan, Juan Luis Guerra, Ricardo Arjona, Romeo Santos, Vicentico and Dani Martín)
TO BE LOVED Michael Bublé
THE STANDARDS Gloria Estefan
CEE LO’S MAGIC MOMENT Cee Lo Green
NOW
 Dionne Warwick

Best R&B Performance
LOVE AND WAR 
Tamar Braxton
BEST OF ME Anthony Hamilton
NAKAMARRA
 Hiatus Kaiyote Featuring Q-Tip
HOW MANY DRINKS? 
Miguel Featuring Kendrick Lamar
SOMETHING 
Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
POWER TRIP 
J. Cole Featuring Miguel
PART II (ON THE RUN) Jay Z Featuring Beyoncé
HOLY GRAIL
Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake
NOW OR NEVER 
Kendrick Lamar Featuring Mary J.
REMEMBER YOU 
Wiz Khalifa Featuring The Weeknd

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
DON’T RUN
 Terence Blanchard, soloist  
SONG FOR MAURA Paquito D’Rivera, soloist  
SONG WITHOUT WORDS #4: DUET Fred Hersch, soloist
STADIUM JAZZ Donny McCaslin, soloist
ORBITS
Wayne Shorter, soloist

Best Latin Jazz Album
LA NOCHE MÁS LARGA Buika  
SONG FOR MAURA 
Paquito D’Rivera And Trio Corrente
YO
 Roberto Fonseca
EGGŪN Omar Sosa
LATIN JAZZ-JAZZ LATIN Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet

Best Latin Pop Album
FAITH, HOPE Y AMOR Frankie J
VIAJERO FRECUENTE Ricardo Montaner
VIDA Draco Rosa
SYNTEK Aleks Syntek
12 HISTORIAS Tommy Torres

Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album
L OBJETO ANTES LLAMADO DISCO Café Tacvba 

OJO POR OJO El Tri  
CHANCES 
Illya Kuryaki And The Valderramas
TREINTA DÍAS 
La Santa Cecilia
REPEAT AFTER ME Los Amigos Invisibles

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
EL FREE
Banda Los Recoditos
EN PELIGRO DE EXTINCIÓN Intocable 

A MI MANERA
 Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea
ROMEO Y SU NIETA Paquita La Del Barrio
13 CELEBRANDO EL 13 Joan Sebastian

Best Tropical Latin Album
3.0
 Marc Anthony
COMO TE VOY A OLVIDAR Los Angeles Azules

PACIFIC MAMBO ORCHESTRA Pacific Mambo Orchestra
SERGIO GEORGE PRESENTS SALSA GIANTS Various Artists
 (Featuring
CORAZÓN PROFUNDO Carlos Vives

Best World Music Album

SAVOR FLAMENCO Gipsy Kings
NO PLACE FOR MY DREAM Femi Kuti
LIVE: SINGING FOR PEACE AROUND THE WORLD 
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
THE LIVING ROOM SESSIONS PART 2 Ravi Shankar

 

Best Instrumental Composition
BOUND AWAY
 Chuck Owen, composer (Chuck Owen & The Jazz Surge)
CALIFORNIA PICTURES FOR STRING QUARTET Gordon Goodwin, composer (Quartet San Francisco)
KOKO ON THE BOULEVARD 
Scott Healy, composer (Scott Healy Ensemble)
PENSAMIENTOS FOR SOLO ALTO SAXOPHONE AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Clare Fischer, composer (The Clare Fischer Orchestra)
STRING QUARTET NO. 1: FUNKY DIVERSION IN THREE PARTS
 Vince Mendoza, composer (Quartet San Francisco)