Harvey Guillén to Serve as a Guest Judge on MTV’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race”

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Life’s a drag (race) for Harvey Guillén…

The 32-year-old Mexican American actor will appear on Season 15 of MTV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Guillen will join the judging panel during one of the episodes this season in the quest to find “America’s Next Drag Superstar.”

Mainstage judges Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley and Ross Mathews will be back on the panel. Ts Madison has been upped to a rotating member of the judges’ panel as they decide who will lip-sync for their life or “sashay away.”

Ariana Grande is set to be the guest judge for the two-episode season premiere. The Grammy Award-winning star will see the queens bringing their gifts to a talent show where she will be the judge.

In addition to Grande and Guillen, this season’s guest judges also include music, television, comedy and film icons Ali Wong, Amandla Stenberg, Hayley Kiyoko, Julia Garner, Janelle Monáe, Maren Morris, Megan Stalter and Orville Peck.

The 16 queens will compete for the title and a cash prize of $200,000 – the highest in the herstory of the main franchise.

Previously announced queens include Amethyst (West Hartford, CT), Anetra (Las Vegas, NV), Aura Mayari (Nashville, TN), Irene Dubois (Seattle, WA), Jax (Queens, NY), Loosey LaDuca (Ansonia, CT), Luxx Noir London (East Orange, NJ), Malaysia Babydoll Foxx (Miami, FL), Marcia Marcia Marcia (New York, NY), Mistress Isabelle Brooks (Houston, TX), Princess Poppy (San Francisco, CA), Robin Fierce (Hartford, CT), Salina EsTitties (Los Angeles, CA), Sasha Colby (Los Angeles, CA), Sugar (Los Angeles, CA), and Spice (Los Angeles, CA).

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 premieres on MTV on Friday, January 6 at 8:00 pm ET with a commercial-free premiere episode and a limited-commercial part two.

Bad Bunny to Make Grammy Performance Debut on Sunday’s Awards Show

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny is ready for his Grammy close-up…

The 26-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap star is set to make his Grammy performance debut at Sunday’s 63rd annual Grammy Awards.

Bad Bunny joins a roster of performers that includes Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift.

The music ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah, will feature a handful of performances by music’s top artists including BTS, Haim, Harry Styles, Roddy Ricch, Cardi B, Dua Lipa and Post Malone.

Cardi B first performed at the Grammys in 2018, singing “Finesse” alongside Bruno Mars, and then returned in 2019 to perform her track “Money” the following year.

Additional performers include this year’s 3-time nominee Adrian Quesada and his Black Pumas, performing on the Grammy stage for the first time, Brandi Carlile, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Mickey Guyton, Brittany Howard, Miranda Lambert, Lil Baby, Chris Martin, John Mayer and Maren Morris.

Additionally, the annual awards show will pay tribute to independent venues that have been greatly impacted by the pandemic. From bartenders to box office managers, the people who work day-to-day at Los Angeles’ Troubadour and Hotel Café, in New York City’s the Apollo Theater and Nashville’s The Station Inn will present awards for various categories throughout the night.

The 63rd annual Grammy Awards will air on CBS live Sunday, March 14 starting at 8:00 pm ET.

Fulwell 73 Productions produces the show for the Recording Academy.

J Balvin to Receive Collaborator of the Year Prize at Variety’s Hitmakers Awards Program

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

J Balvin is a real Hitmaker…

The 35-year-old Colombian singer/songwriter, who won a Latin Grammy earlier this week, will be honored at Variety’s Hitmakers awards program on Thursday, December 3rd at 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET.

The program will highlight the award recipients featured in Variety’s annual Hitmakers issue on December 2nd. The program will simulcast on Variety’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube pages.

J Balvin will be honored with the Collaborator of the Year prize.

Harry Styles will be receiving Hitmaker of the Year. Benee, Jenna Andrews and Josh Fountain will receive the Isolation Salvation Song of the Year prize, Charli XCX and A. G. Cook for Innovator of the Year, Roddy Ricch for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Blackpink for Group of the Year, Lewis Capaldi for Songwriter of the Year, Interscope Geffen A&M for Label of the Year, Maren Morris for Crossover Artist of the Year, Mustard for Producer of the Year, Ron Perry for Executive of the Year and Wassim “Sal” Slaiby for Manager of the Year.

Presenters include 100 gecs, Justin Bieber, Sheryl Crow, Niall Horan, Zane Lowe, Lil Nas X, Tyga, and Ty Dolla $ign.

Kirstin Maldonado & Her Pentatonix Mates Release Inspirational “Amazing Grace” Cover

Posted on November 7, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Kirstin Maldonado is bringin’ a little grace to the holiday season…

The 28-year-old Mexican & Spanish American singer and her Pentatonix group mates have surprised the world with the release of the music video for their new cover of “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).”

In the Jimmy Bates-directed clip, Maldonado and her Pentatonix mates infuse the enduring gospel classic with their trademark a capella harmonies while wandering through a stunning outdoor church in the misty woods.

“My chains are gone/ I’ve been set free/ My God, my savior has ransomed me/ And like a flood/ His mercy reigns/ Unending love/ Amazing grace,” Mitch Grassi belts, while his bandmates provide crashing percussion and background vocals. Maldonado then takes over lead vocals on the next pitch-perfect stanza.

The track will serve as the lead single for the band’s upcoming sixth holiday album, We Need a Little Christmas, which is slated to drop November 13 via RCA Records.

While Pentatonix has yet to reveal the studio set’s complete track list, it will follow The Best of Pentatonix Christmas, their 2019 holiday compilation which featured collaborations with Tori Kelly (“Winter Wonderland/Don’t Worry, Be Happy“), Kelly Clarkson (“Grown Up Christmas List“), Maren Morris (“When You Believe”) and Jennifer Hudson (“How Great Thou Art“), as well as a posthumous duet with the late Whitney Houston on “Do You Hear What I Hear?”

Previously, the Christmas-loving a capella group has also released 2012’s PTXmas, 2014’s That’s Christmas to Me, 2016’s A Pentatonix Christmas and 2018’s Christmas Is Here!

Their next non-holiday full-length, titled The Lucky Ones, is currently expected to hit shelves, digital retailers and streaming services on February 12, 2021.

Bad Bunny to Take Part in LeBron James’ “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020” Special

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunnyis celebrating the Class of 2020…

The LeBron James Family Foundation announced that it’s paying tribute to the class of 2020 with a one-hour multimedia event called Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020, with the 26-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer joining the roster of participating artists.

James’ virtual graduation party for this year’s graduation class, who’s seen their school year cancelled because of the coronavirus, will take place on Saturday, May 16 at 8:00 pm ET simultaneously on NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox— as well as on the streaming platforms Complex Networks, Facebook app, Instagram, People TV, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

In addition to Bad Bunny, the lineup includes Kane Brown, Lana Condor, David Dobrik, Dolan Twins, Karol G, Liza Koshy, Maren Morris, National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson, Olivia Wilde, Zendaya, Charli D’Amelio, Dixie D’Amelio, Chika, YBN Cordae, Loren Gray, H.E.R., the Jonas Brothers, Brandan Bmike Odums, Ben Platt, Henry Platt, Jonah Platt, Megan Rapinoe, Yara Shahidi, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Malala Yousafzaiand many more.

Working with the XQ Instituteand The Entertainment Industry Foundation, the show will allow the companies to honor the more than three million high school seniors who’ll miss out on the annual rite of passage due to the national shutdown caused by the COVID-19pandemic.

“We learned early on in our work with students and families in Akron that education is so much more than academics,” said James in a statement.

“It’s about a shared experience, a journey we’re all on together—students, parents, educators, community members, and everyone around them. With that not being possible right now, we’ve been working to find ways to help families get through this really difficult time. These students have worked incredibly hard for this and there’s no way we can let that go unrecognized. While this won’t be the graduation experience they were supposed to get, we hope we can still give them something special because they deserve it.”

The commercial-free show will be curated by high school students and educators from across the country, with support from the American Federation of Teachers, highlighted by a collection of commencement addresses, celebrity performances and inspirational vignettes.

Students, educators, and families are encouraged to submit their videos and photos online for consideration to be included in the telecast using #GraduateTogether. Artist JR is also inviting seniors to share their portraits for a national virtual yearbook celebrating the entire Class of 2020.

Local TV stations will feature custom breakaways to celebrate the achievements of high school students in their communities.

Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020will be broadcast commercial-free on May 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC.

Pitbull to Perform at This Year’s CMT Awards

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Pitbull has gone country…

The 35-year-old Cuban American rap superstar will take the stage at this year’s CMT Awards.

Organizers of the fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances are aiming for big collaborative moments this year.

So Pitbull — who appeared on Keith Urban‘s “Sun Don’t Let Me Down” earlier this year — and Leona Lewis will join forces with Cassadee Pope during the show.

Meanwhile, Dierks Bentley will perform with Elle King (the two duet on Bentley’s new album), Fifth Harmony teams up with Cam, Billy Ray Cyrus with Cheap Trick, Blake Shelton with the Oak Ridge Boys, and Keith Urban with both Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris.

Meanwhile, Carrie Underwood will perform “Church Bells,” which she performed at the ACMs and the ACCAs in April.

The CMTs air Wednesday, June 8, at 8:00 pm EST.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Maren Morris