Ramón Rodríguez to Receive Spotlight Award at National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts’s Visibility Awards

Ramón Rodríguez is officially in the Spotlight

The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts is honoring three artists at its annual Visibility Awards in D.C. on Wednesday, including the 43-year-old Puerto Rican actor, at an event designed to advance Latino representation in film and television.

Ramón RodríguezRodríguez will receive the organization’s Spotlight Award for producing and starring in the adaptation of the Karin Slaughter crime novel Will Trent.

“Ramón has been a leading voice in continued efforts to open doors for Latino talent in the industry,” the foundation said.

Ángel Manuel Soto, director-producer of the Latino superhero movie Blue Beetle, is being recognized with the organization’s Raul Julia Award for Excellence.

“Ángel’s work advances the presence of Latinos in film and highlights studies demonstrating that Latino directors are more likely to bring Latino talent to their projects,” the foundation said.

Camila Morrone, honored with the Horizon Award, is starring with Willem Dafoe in Patricia Arquette’s, Gonzo Girl, based on Cheryl Della Pietra’s semi-autobiographical novel, based on her time as Hunter S. Thompson’s personal assistant.

The event and Noche Musical, to be held at the Mayflower Hotel, will follow the foundation’s 2023 Visioning Summit, Advancing Representation in Media, Arts, & Beyond. Felix Sanchez, the foundation’s chair and co-founder, said in a statement that the summit’s intent is to “rethink the landscape with images of the American Latino.”

Among those leading panel discussions at the event, to be held Wednesday morning at the National Press Club, will be CBS News’s Ed O’Keefe, CNN’s Jim Acosta, NBC NewsMonica Alba, and NPR’s Claudia Grisales.

Also scheduled to participate are Soto, Carla Dirlikov, senior advisor and envoy for cultural exchange at the National Endowment for the Arts; Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), actor and comedian Eugenio Derbez and producer Flavio Morales. The summit is free and open to the public.

Organizers said that the event will adhere to any modifications per SAG-AFTRA guidelines.

Mattel Releases Mariachi Barbie to Commemorate Mexican Independence Day

Barbie is ready to celebrate Mexican history…

Mattel has released a brand new Mexican Barbie to commemorate el 16 de Septiembre, Mexican Independence Day.

Mexican Barbie

Mariachi Barbie dons a fitted black bolero jacket, cropped pants trimmed in an intricate golden brocade, and a wide-brimmed sombrero. Barbie completes her look with tall black boots and a pink ribbon bow tie.

The doll celebrates “one of Mexico’s most representative traditions in music and culture” and will be available to the public in September, the company said in a statement. Mariachi Barbie joins the 2014 Barbie Dolls of the World Collection.

Just last year Mattel faced criticism for releasing a Mexican Barbie dressed in a pink, ruffled dress and holding a chihuahua and a passport. ”

It would be nice to see some contemporary images from these countries,” Felix Sanchez, chairman and co-founder of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts told Fox News Latino at the time. “These images seem very dated and seem to have been created for a different time.”

But Sanchez doesn’t have any qualms about the new Mexican Barbie.

“Well, at least she’s not coming off as sexy Latina Barbie, spinning on a pedestal,” Felix Sanchez told Buzzfeed, referring to Sofia Vergara’s largely criticized Emmy’s skit. “This is an image that does exist. It helps us embrace toy making in a way that makes it relevant and authentic.”