John Leguizamo to Star in Apple‘s Upcoming Drama Series “Firebug”

John Leguizamo is buggin’…

The 63-year-old Colombian Emmy– & Tony Award-winning actor will star alongside Taron Egerton in Apple‘s upcoming drama series Firebug.

John LeguizamoHailing from Apple Studios and creator Dennis Lehane, the series will be directed and executive-produced by Kari Skogland.

Written by Lehane and loosely inspired by true events, Firebug will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.

Leguizamo with play Esposito, a former policeman with a lot of bad habits and a lot of good instincts.

Jurnee Smollett will also star in the series.

In addition to starring, Egerton will serve as executive producer alongside Richard Plepler through Eden Productions, Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas through Imperative Entertainment and Kary Antholis.

Leguizamo is host and executive producer of MSNBC’s hit travel show, Leguizamo Does America, which is currently in production on its second season.

He recently starred in Amazon series The Power, alongside Toni Collette, in Showtime’s five-part drama series Waco: The Aftermath, and in Mark Mylod’s horror comedy The Menu.

Leguizamo stars in the independent film Bob Trevino Likes It, which recently premiered at SXSW, winning the SXSW Grand Jury Award and the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature category.

He also stars as federal agent Gordon Rogers in The Green Veil drama series, which he produced alongside director Aram Rappaport.

Upcoming, he hosts the PBS documentary series American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos, a project he co-created with director Ben De Jesus. He’ll also be seen in the upcoming thriller feature Tin Soldier, opposite Robert Di Niro, Jamie Foxx and Rita Ora.

David Noriega Joins NBC News & MSNBC as Los Angeles-Based Correspondent

David Noriega has a new base…

The Colombian American journalist and broadcast news correspondent has joined NBC News and MSNBC as a correspondent based in Los Angeles.

David NoriegaNoriega previously worked at Vice News, where he covered criminal justice, organized extremism and labor issues, as well as migration across North and South America, North Africa and Europe.

Betsy Korona, senior vice president of editorial newsgathering, wrote in a memo to staffers that Noriega “has reported nationally and internationally on a wide-range of stories including asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, mass shootings in America, the fentanyl crisis, teachers’ strikes in Los Angeles and Denver, Brazil’s election upheaval, and the demobilization of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.”

Noriega also hosted and was co-director of the digital series Border to Border, which looked at the international borders on three continents.

He previously was a national reporter at BuzzFeed News.

He received Emmy nominations for his coverage of Central American migration, the Venezuelan political crisis and the assassination of environmentalists in Colombia.

His work has won awards from The New York Press Club, The National Association of Hispanic Journalists and The French-American Foundation.

 

MSNBC Renews John Leguizamo’s Docuseries “Leguizamo Does America” for Second Season

John Leguizamo’s documented travels will continue…

The 62-year-old actor, comedian and producer’s docuseries Leguizamo Does America has been renewed for a second season on MSNBC.

John LeguizamoSeason 2 of the travelogue-style show, produced by NBC News Studios, will take Leguizamo to a new selection of cities (exact locations will be revealed later).

Season 1 of the series created and hosted by Leguizamo followed the Emmy and Tony winner as he visited “five major U.S. cities and one territory – New York City, Miami, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and Puerto Rico – to showcase and explore each of their thriving Latino communities first hand.”

The format, featuring the host’s “characteristic edge, energy and wit,” captures Leguizamo interacting with celebrity guests (season 1 included comedian George Lopez and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez), along with “fascinating local heroes, young actors, community leaders, and more.”

The series is built around Leguizamo’s longstanding advocacy and celebration of Latin culture.

“I’m so excited for the opportunity to go deeper into America and keep exploring Latin excellence and go to the source of our happiness!” said Leguizamo, whose roots are in Puerto Rico and Colombia. “More Latin legends dinners, more eating and laughter!”

Rashida Jones, president of MSNBC, said in a statement, “The team behind Leguizamo Does America created an illuminating series that is as savvy and clever as it is savory and colorful – told through the lens of one of the most iconic voices of the Latino community. This show proves once again that there is an audience for diverse stories, and we are so excited MSNBC is its home for another season.”

“It’s been such an honor and pleasure to create, develop and produce this series with a partner as talented, brilliant and passionate as John Leguizamo,” said Liz Cole, president of NBC News Studios. “We’re especially proud to help put a spotlight on the Latino community’s rich culture and significant contributions to this country, working with a predominantly Latino editorial and production staff. We had an exciting first season with MSNBC Films, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with them again on season 2.”

The announcement comes during a busy week for Leguizamo. He is a featured speaker at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado this week, where he is set to participate in a panel discussion today titled Investing in Next-Gen Innovators. Tomorrow, he participates in two more panels — Flipping the Script on the Digital Divide and Leaders Inspiring America.

Ana Cabrera Joining MSNBC’s Daytime Lineup with Launch of “Ana Cabrera Reports”

Ana Cabrera is officially heading to MSNBC

The 40-year-old Mexican-American broadcast journalist is joining the network’s daytime lineup, with the launch of Ana Cabrera Reports on April 10.

Ana CabreraHer move to MSNBC had been expected since she announced in December that she was departing CNN.

The hourlong show will air at 10:00 am ET. Kerrie Wudyka is the executive producer.

Cabrera had been with CNN since 2013, based in Denver, before anchoring CNN Newsroom. At the network, she hosted two presidential town halls, and she has reported on major stories including the protests in Ferguson, Mo. and North Korea prisoner Kenneth Bae’s return to the U.S. She previously was an anchor for WGMH-TV, the ABC affiliate in Denver, and was an anchor and reporter at NBC and Fox affiliates in Spokane, WA.

Cabrera won a regional Emmy for her anchoring of Colorado’s High Park fire in 2012.

Cabrera is filling a slot previously occupied by Jose Diaz-Balart. His show moved back an hour to 11:00 am ET, and a rotating series of hosts filled in the 10:00 am slot under the banner MSNBC Reports.

MSNBC has made additional changes to its schedule in recent months. Hallie Jackson’s afternoon show was ended, as she expanded her presence on the NBC News Now platform. Chris Jansing added an hour to her anchoring duties, now from 1:00 pm ET to 3:00 pm ET, and Katy Tur’s show moved to the 3:00 pm slot.

John Leguizamo to Receive Impact Award at This Year’s Miami Film Festival

John Leguizamo is being honored for his impact

The 62-year-old Colombian actor, comedian and film producer will receive the Miami Film Festival‘s Impact Award on March 11.

John LeguizamoLeguizamo’s new MSNBC series Leguizamo Does America will screen ahead of the award presentation. The festival’s upcoming 40th edition runs from March 3-12.

Leguizamo has more than 75 film, theater and television credits, including Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, Summer of Sam and as the voice of Bruno on Encanto. Most recently, he co-starred in Mark Mylod’s film The Menu.

The Emmy winner is next set to star alongside Toni Collette in Prime Video’s The Power.

Following his MFF Impact award, Leguizamo will premiere his directorial debut, Critical Thinking, at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival. In addition to his Emmy award, Leguizamo has received a Drama Desk award and a special Tony award for his one-man show, Latin History for Morons.

Leguizamo Does America follows the actor as he travels from San Juan, Puerto Rico to East Los Angeles while making a few surprising stops along the way. In addition to celebrating and honoring Latino history, culture and food, Leguizamo will speak with Latino actors, the Latino immigrants who transformed the city of Chicago, as well as the indigenous people of Puerto Rico. Leguizamo Does America will premiere on MSNBC on April 16 at 10 p.m.

In addition to Leguizamo, the Miami Film Festival will honor Nicolas Cage with the Variety Legend & Groundbreaker Award, Diego Luna with the Variety Virtuoso Award and Nicholas Britell with Art of Light Composer Award, presented by Alacran Group.

The complete Miami Film Festival program is available at miamifilmfestival.com.

Chef José Andrés Partnering with ThinkFoodGroup to Launch Food-Focused Content Media Company

José Andrés is becoming a content creator…

The owner of ThinkFoodGroup, who has gained notice for his restaurants as well as recent efforts to help feed people caught in global disasters, has partnered with the 52-year-old Spanish chef, author and humanitarian to launch José Andrés Media.

Jose Andres

The new company will produce unscripted and scripted television series, books, podcasts, and digital short- and mid-form content with a focus on food-related stories and characters, and the culture of food.

The outlet’s first project will be a six-episode series produced in association with documentary production company Nutopia  that’s set in Spain and currently being developed for Discovery Plus.

“It’s been my dream to launch José Andrés Media for many years — to tell stories about who we are through the food we eat. Our food content will be as creative, fun, inspiring and authentic as our restaurants. I can’t wait to get started,” Andrés said in a prepared statement. “Food is so much more than just a plate of ingredients. It tells us where we have come from and where we’re going.”

Sam Bakhshandehpour, the president of ThinkFoodGroup, will serve as president of José Andrés Media. Richard Wolffe, a journalist, author and former MSNBC executive who is co-author of Andrés’ cookbooks, will serve as the company’s managing director.

Andrés has long focused on telling stories through preparation and examination of cuisine. He is also the founder of World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. He and his team see the new production company as a bid to reach bigger audiences. José Andrés Media is seeking producers and developing other projects. Additional information on the Discovery Plus series, new projects and new team members will be announced at a later date.

“José Andrés Media will embody the values people love in José: compassion, joy, global thinking and, of course, culinary excellence,” Bakhshandehpour said in a statement. “We are thrilled to launch our exciting new series on Discovery Plus and we look forward to shedding light on delicious food and the fascinating figures who cook it.” The company is expected to pursue strategic brand partnerships, including those having to do with consumer products and e-commerce.

“José Andrés is a one of a kind talent, world renowned and sought after for good reason, as there is no one more qualified to share food-related stories and characters centered on food culture,” Courtney White, president of Food Network and of streaming food content for Discovery Inc., the media outlet’s corporate parent, said in a statement. ”We are so excited to be working with José and his José Andrés Media team on bringing his creative vision to our global audience.”

José Díaz-Balart to Anchor New Morning Program on MSNBC

José Díaz-Balart is switching things up…

The 60-year-old Cuban-American journalist and television anchorman will host a new 10:00 AM ET show on MSNBC, with Hallie Jackson taking over an anchor slot later in the day at 3:00 PM ET.

José Díaz-Balart

Díaz-Balart will end his role as anchor of Telemundo’s nightly newscast Noticias Telemundo at the end of the month, but will still anchor monthly specials and breaking news events.

José Díaz-Balart Reports will premiere on September 27.

Díaz-Balart will continue to anchor NBC Nightly News Saturday

When he began anchoring that newscast, he became the first journalist to anchor two different evening newscasts on separate broadcast networks in English and Spanish.

He’s won four Emmy awards, the George Foster Peabody Award and the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award.

“I look forward to this unique role where I can reach different audiences in English and Spanish across the NBCUniversal News Group,” he said in a statement.

Díaz-Balart previously served as an anchor on MSNBC from 2014 to 2016. He joined Noticias Telemundo in 2000, anchoring programs including Esta Mañana, Cada Día, and Enfoque con José Díaz-BalartHe took over as the main anchor for Noticias Telemundo in 2009.

A priority of MSNBC President Rashida Jones has been to more clearly distinguish between the dayside news programming and the nighttime “perspective” shows.

The network also noted that the addition of Díaz-Balart is part of NBCUniversal News Group efforts to bring in more diverse voices, as the division chairman Cesar Conde has set a goal of 50% of the workforce to people of color and 50% to be women. NBC News and MSNBC have nine Latino anchors across broadcast, cable and streaming.

Julian Castro to Serve as Political Analyst on NBC News & MSNBC

Julian Castro is ready to examine our political landscape…

The 46-year-old Mexican American lawyer and politician, who was the youngest member of President Barack Obama‘s cabinet when he served as the 16th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, has joined NBC News and MSNBC as a political analyst.

Julian Castro

Castro ran for president in the 2020 cycle. Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski announced his new role in an appearance on the show on Monday, as Castro joined to talk about voting rights and the debate over amending the filibuster.

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) has called on President Joe Biden to support changes to the U.S. Senate rule.

“The problem is that we really haven’t seen any activity. We haven’t seen any push from the Oval Office on this issue, and you can see that, you know, that the impatience is growing among Democrats,” Castro said on Morning Joe.

Castro served as HUD secretary from 2014 to 2017, after serving as mayor of San Antonio. He launched his presidential campaign in January, 2019, one of the first candidates to get in the race, but dropped out almost a year later. He went on to endorse Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Castro is one of the few 2020 presidential contenders to go on to cable news gigs, given the sheer number of candidates who still hold elective office. After he dropped out of the presidential race, Andrew Yang joined CNN as a political commentator, but he then went on to run for mayor of New York.

Rita Moreno to Take Part in Paley Center’s International Women’s Day Panel Discussion “Choosing to Challenge”

Rita Moreno is leading the way…

To commemorate International Women’s DayThe Paley Center for Media will host a quarterly series of conversations exploring the media’s role in providing a diverse and inclusive platform for women, with the 89-year-old Puerto Rican legendary actress among the women set to take part.

Rita Moreno

The series will kick off with its inaugural event on International Women’s Day, Monday, March 8 at 10:00 am ET/7:00 am PT on the Paley Center’s dedicated channel on Verizon Media’s Yahoo Entertainment.

Choosing to Challenge: How Women Are Leading the Way, will focus on women’s roles as leaders in our society and address some of the most significant issues facing all women, according to the organization.

In addition to Moreno, the panel will include Misty Copeland, ballerina, author, and philanthropist; Hon. Val Demings, U.S. Representative (FL-10); Cynthia Erivo, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actress, singer, and producer; Julie Foudy, espnW writer and soccer commentator, ESPN; Rita Moreno, actor and activist; Norah O’Donnell, anchor and managing editor, CBS Evening News; Phylicia Rashad, actor and director; and moderator Alicia Menendez, anchor, MSNBC’s American Voices with Alicia Menendez.

The series is made possible by support from John H. Josephson and Carolina F. Zapf.

“The Paley Center for Media is thrilled to present the first of a series of programs with influential women, who will share their experiences and raise awareness about the significant role the media can play in equality, opportunity, and representation to help create a more inclusive world,” said Maureen J. Reidy, the Paley Center’s President & CEO. “We are grateful to John H. Josephson and Carolina F. Zapf for their most generous support of this in-depth series, as well as Verizon’s continued commitment to providing a platform for diverse voices.”

“This PaleyImpact series will convene prominent women to discuss the media’s influence in amplifying women’s voices and the role it plays in helping to create a more gender equal world,” said Josephson and Zapf. “We are proud to support the Paley Center and we look forward to hearing the perspectives of the many distinguished women joining for this important series and to celebrate their numerous achievements and contributions to society.”

The quarterly series is part of The Paley Center for Media’s commitment to promoting diverse voices in media and entertainment. Similar programs have included the Paley Center’s series addressing antisemitism, racial justice and social equality, COVID-19, and celebrations of Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month.

Rachel Campos-Duffy to Serve as One of the Rotating Hosts of “Fox News Primetime”

Rachel Campos-Duffy will be pulling hosting duties in the near future.

The 49-year-old Mexican American television personality, a former cast member on MTV’s reality television series The Real World: San Francisco, has been added to the list of rotating hosts who’ll anchor Fox News Primetime, which is set for its debut in the 7:00 pm ET hour as part of a plan to fill the slot with opinion programming.

Rachel Campos-Duffy

Campos-Duffy, who has been a regular contributor to Fox News, joins a roster of rotating hosts that includes Maria Bartiromo, Brian Kilmeade, Trey Gowdy, Katie Pavlich and Mark Steyn.

Back in October, Fox News said that they were planning new formats “as appropriate after the election.” But since election day, much has been made of the growth of Newsmax’s viewership, particularly in the 7:00 pm hour, as Greg Kelly Reports was a platform for pro-Donald Trump guests to advance unfounded claims of election fraud.

Fox News topped other cable networks in viewership last year, but CNN has seen gains post election. In the first week of January, CNN topped primetime with an average of 4.18 million viewers, to 3.78 million for MSNBC and 3.19 million for Fox News.

Campos-Duffy was a guest host on the ABC talk show The View, before moving onto Fox News, where she has guest-hosted the show Outnumbered.

Campos-Duffy has served as the national spokesperson for the LIBRE initiative, a non-profit organization that promotes ideas about constitutionally limited government, property rights, rule of law, economic stability, and free market capitalism to the Hispanic community.