Lindsay Mendez Starring in Ryan Murphy’s FX Anthology Series “American Sports Story”

Posted on November 4, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Lindsay Mendez is getting in the game…

The 40-year-old Mexican American Broadway singer/actress has been cast as a series regular alongside Josh Andrés Rivera and Patrick Schwarzenegger in Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology American Sports Story.

American Sports Story, a new extension of Murphy’s “American Story” franchise, is a scripted anthological limited series focusing on a prominent event involving a sports figure and re-examines it through the prism of today’s world, telling that story from multiple perspectives.

The first installment, written by Stu Zicherman, is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. from the Boston Globe and Wondery.

It charts the rise and fall of NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez, played by Rivera, and explores the connections of the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide, and their legacy in sports and American culture. Schwarzenegger portrays Hernandez’s friend, former college teammate and fellow former NFL star Tim Tebow.

Mendez plays Tanya Singleton, Aaron’s cousin and favorite relative who becomes his de-facto mother.

Mendez, a Tony Award winner for Carousel, is currently back on Broadway top-lining the praised revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll along opposite Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff.

She most recently was a series regular on the Warner Bros. series All Rise for CBS and then OWN.

Josh Andrés Rivera to Star as the Late Aaron Hernandez in FX’s “American Sports Story” Anthology Series

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Josh Andrés Rivera is hitting the football field…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican actor will star in the first installment of Ryan Murphy’s American Sports Story anthology series for FX.

Rivera will portray the late former NFL star Aaron Hernandez in the season that’s based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. from the Boston Globe and Wondery.

Rivera’s co-star will be Patrick Schwarzenegger as fellow former NFL star Tim Tebow.

The first installment charts the rise and fall of NFL superstar Hernandez and explores the connections of the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide, and their legacy in sports and American culture.

Tebow and Hernandez were longtime friends going back before their time in the National Football League. They were onetime teammates at the University of Florida, where they won the 2008 SEC Championship and went on to beat Oklahoma for the BCS Championship title. Tebow was known for looking out for Hernandez while on the team, including protecting Hernandez from being kicked off over marijuana use and helping to diffuse a situation in a bar when Hernandez got into an altercation with the bar manager. The two first met when Tebow hosted Hernandez on a recruiting trip to UF before he graduated high school.

Both castings were completed in early 2023, prior to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, but were never confirmed by FX.

“We have a fairly complete set of scripts for American Sports Story by Stu Zicherman,” FX chairman John Landgraf said back on January 12, noting at the time that the series is “heading toward production.”

That was delayed by the WGA strike, which started in May, and the SAG-AFTRA strike, which has been going on since July.

American Sports Story, one of two new offshoots in Murphy’s “American Story” franchise alongside American Love Story, is a scripted anthological limited series focusing on a prominent event involving a sports figure and re-examines it through the prism of today’s world, telling that story from multiple perspectives.

Rivera next stars in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. He recently played Chino in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story. He notably performed in the original company on the first national tour of Hamilton.

Dany Garcia’s XFL to Merge with USFL

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Dany Garcia is preparing for a merger…

The XFL, whose latest revival as a springtime alternative to the NFL has been steered by the 54-year-old Cuban American film producer and businesswoman and her ex-husband Dwayne Johnson , is merging with the USFL.

A brief announcement on Thursday indicated the plan, but offered no details, saying more would be announced “at a later date.”

Both leagues have been operating under the shadow of not only the NFL, which occupies vast real estate in terms of player talent and the public’s attention, but also their own back stories.

Prior to being acquired in 2020 by Johnson, Garcia and RedBird Capital for $15 million, the XFL had been the passion project of Vince McMahon, the longtime head of the WWE. Reprising a previous venture with NBC, which sought to draft off the WWE’s edgy showmanship but wound up one of primetime television’s most notorious turkeys, the XFL 2.0 was a more buttoned-down affair. Even so, the upstart league was aiming to stir things up with an array of newer rules and a looser approach than the NFL.

The USFL, meanwhile, had similarly looked to challenge the NFL but a bit more head-on. In its first incarnation in the 1980s, the league self-destructed when it attempted to move into the fall and go head-to-head with the NFL. That first iteration ended in a legal mess. Decades later, it was revived with an unusual joint broadcast deal with both NBC and Fox, with Fox also taking a minority stake in the league.

“Subject to customary regulatory approvals and if the transaction is consummated, the new league will establish best-in-class operations based on the most recent seasons of both leagues,” today’s announcement said. “This historic combination will anchor professional spring football with substantial capabilities and resources to ensure future growth and continue to enhance the development of the collective players, coaches, and staff that are coming together.”

Hope springs eternal for a challenger to come along and gain enough momentum to survive as a legitimate “other” pro football league, but history is littered with failed attempts like the WFL and the AAF. As gargantuan as the TV audience for the NFL remains, it is far from clear whether viewers will turn out in anywhere near the same numbers for players and teams populated by far lower-profile names. The USFL Championship last July drew about 1.16 million viewers on NBC, about double the regular-season average. The XFL title game a few weeks later pulled in 1.43 million viewers on ABC.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day. This league isn’t going to be built in a day,” Johnson told USA Today last summer. “It’s day-by-day, year over year.”

Xochitl Gomez to Compete on Season 32 of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

Posted on September 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Xochitl Gomez is heading to the ballroom…

The 17-year-old Mexican American actress and Marvel star will compete on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars.

But Gomez won’t be the only Latinx competitor.

Venezuelan YouTuber, actress and singer Lele Pons, 27, and Mexican real estate mogul and television star Mauricio Umansky, 53, will also compete this season.

Other competitors include Mira Sorvino, Ariana Madix, Charity Lawson, Jamie Lynn Spears, Alyson Hannigan and NFL star Adrian Peterson.

“There’s something for everyone in this cast,” says executive producer Conrad Green. “What’s interesting with a lot of our contestants this year is this real drive and excitement about doing it. There’s a real passion for it. It’s been a tough number of years, one way or another with the strikes going on and all these things. So what I’m hoping we can bring to people is bringing Dancing back and giving audiences a blast of sunshine early in the week.”

After Tyra Banks‘ exit, Alfonso Ribeiro will return as a host, stepping onto the main stage, while former Dancing pro Julianne Hough joins to take over Ribeiro’s former cohost slot in the Sky Box.

The show is also back in its original home, airing live on ABC, after being solely available on Disney+ last season (where it will now stream concurrently).

Here’s the full cast for season 32 of Dancing with the Stars:

Supermodel Tyson Beckford with partner Jenna Johnson
Marvel star Xochitl Gomez with partner Val Chmerkovskiy
How I Met Your Motherstar Alyson Hannigan with partner Sasha Farber
Social media and reality TV star Harry Jowsey with partner Rylee Arnold
Bachelorette Charity Lawson with partner Artem Chigvintsev
Vanderpump Rules‘ Ariana Madix with partner Pasha Pashkov
Grammy-winning singer Jason Mraz with partner Daniella Karagach
NFL All-Star Adrian Peterson with partner Britt Stewart
Singer and social media star Lele Pons with partner Brandon Armstrong
Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino with partner Gleb Savchenko
Actress Jamie Lynn Spears with partner Alan Bersten
Real estate mogul and TV star Mauricio Umansky with partner Emma Slater
Comedian and actor Matt Walsh with partner Koko Iwasaki
The Brady Bunch star Barry Williams with partner Peta Murgatroyd

Dancing With the Stars premieres on Tuesday, September 26, at 8:00 pm ET/PT on ABC.

RMAND Among Emerging Latin Artists Taking Part in NFL, Neon16 & Ntertain Content Series

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

RMAND is getting in the game…

The Dominican singer from Netflix’s reality music competition show La Firma is among the emerging Latin artists will join NFL Latino players in an upcoming content series as part of a special partnership between the National Football League, Neon16 and Ntertain Studios for the 2023 season.

The deal also includes new music releases that will comprise of a new volume for the next Por La Cultura mixtape.

NFL’s season-long campaign Por La Cultura will continue to spotlight Latin players, coaches and staff members to celebrate Latin excellence while telling their own stories of the community.

“Music is a leading passion point for Latinos, and we feel this partnership is an ideal platform for celebrating our Latino players and connecting more deeply with our fans,” said Javier Farfan, cultural strategist at the NFL, in a press release. “This content series brings together the commonalities of artists and athletes and their inspirational stories from humble beginnings, as they reach the top of their careers and their goal of stardom. Working with Ntertain and Neon16 allows us to authentically tell these stories with the creative vision of tastemakers at the forefront of Latino culture, music and entertainment.”

By showcasing current NFL Latino players and emerging Neon 16 music artists, the series aims to highlight the diversity and inclusivity of the NFL while celebrating the shared passion for music and football.

“We loved the concept of having our artists collaborate with Latino NFL players to create something as unique as an original song,” added Lex Borrero, co-founder and CEO of Ntertain and Neon16. “While both share Latino heritage, we know that artists and athletes also share a common drive to succeed, the talent to shine and the work ethic to thrive in their respective careers. Unifying these traits and the mutual love and respect for music has led to some incredible art that we can’t wait to share with fans this season.”

This season, the team-up will create original songs and music videos that reflects Latino NFL players and the artist’s shared passion for music, football, and community.

The first one “#0B,” an energetic electronic banger by RMAND, draws inspiration from the artist’s experience working with Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who is of Puerto Rican descent and wears the number zero.

“0B” is slated to release on the third week of the NFL regular season, leading up to the Miami Dolphins Latino Heritage Month game and home opener on September 24th.

Another player and artist collaboration will drop later in the season, joining the RMAND and Berrios song as this season’s Por La Cultura mixtape.

Furthermore, the NFL Shop commercial for this year will also feature RMAND as well as Neon16’s Alex Ponce and Nashy-Nashai; the commercial’s score will be done by the label. Neon16 will also produce four exclusive tracks for the NFL and its 32 clubs to use as part of their soundtrack for the upcoming season.

“With more than 31 million NFL fans in the United States, there is no doubt that Latinos continue to fall in love with the sport of football every day,” said Marissa Solis, NFL SVP global brand and consumer marketing. “We want to inspire Latinos with the lyrics and melodies created by these talented NEON16 artists in the same way they get excited for a perfectly executed pass and catch for a touchdown. This partnership unifies the heroes of stage and sport through their common bond as Latinos representing ‘por la cultura.’”

Last year, the NFL and Neon16 announced their 10-track debut Por La Cultura Mixtape: Vol. 1, featuring El Alfa, Will.I.Am., Yandel, Snow Tha Product, Anthony Ramos, Trueno and more, and beats by producers Albert Hype, Jodosky and Chael.

The NFL, Ntertain, and Neon16 partnership kicked off in 2021, when Latin artists Jodosky, Kris Floyd and Álvaro Díaz were invited guests of the NFL League.

This collaboration is one of the NFL’s ambitious plan to go all in on Latin music and its growing fanbase.

Last year, J Balvin became the first Latin headliner to perform for the league’s yearly free Kickoff Concert. Last November, the NFL also recruited Tijuana superstars Grupo Firme to perform at the halftime show for its annual Mexico City game, featuring the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.

https://twitter.com/rmandofficial/status/1692599481785540957

Elly De La Cruz Appears in New Ad for Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”

Posted on July 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Elly De La Cruz is on a mission…

The 21-year-old Dominican professional baseball player, a Cincinnati Reds rookie, shows off his acting skills in a new advertisement for the upcoming movie “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, starring Tom Cruise.

De La Cruz, who has been a breakout star on the field this season, appears alongside soccer star Alex Morgan and NFL standout Odell Beckham Jr.

The three athletes show off their speed in homage to Cruise’s signature sprint in the long-running action franchise.

De La Cruz, a third baseman, filmed his portion of the ad — in which he swings a bat and runs — about two weeks ago.

He fielded questions from reporters on Friday night before the NL Central-leading Reds took on the second-place Milwaukee Brewers in the opener of a three-game series before the MLB All-Star break. The teams will meet again immediately after the break, with a three-game set in Cincinnati.

Asked if he had acted before, De La Cruz laughed and responded, “Just by myself, yeah, I’ve been an actor.”

De La Cruz is batting .325 in 27 games with four homers, 14 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 25 runs scored.

The Reds were 27-33 when De La Cruz was promoted from Triple-A Chattanooga on June 6. Since then, the club has rocketed into first place, going 22-6 and carrying a two-game lead over Milwaukee into this weekend’s series. He has started 27 of the Reds’ 28 games since his debut.

De La Cruz touched on why he wears No. 44 — made famous by Hall of Famer Hank Aaron.

“It’s just an honor to have that number and to wear this same number that a lot of legends in this game have worn in the past,” De La Cruz said. “It’s just an honor.”

On the Mission: Impossible grind. Run don’t walk to see #MissionImpossible – Dead Reckoning Part One in theatres Wednesday. https://t.co/Qowms0U3Pv pic.twitter.com/ROHp3GXkWn

— Mission: Impossible (@MissionFilm) July 7, 2023

NFL Rookie Isiah Pacheco Helps Lead Kansas City Chiefs to Super Bowl Win Over Philadelphia Eagles

Posted on February 13, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s an unforgettable end to an unbelievable NFL rookie season for Isiah Pacheco.

The 23-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American running back scored a touchdown to help lead the Kansas City Chiefs‘ to victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday.

Pacheco, who was taken in the last round of the 2022 NFL Draft, can boast about something that few others can, being an NFL champion after the Chiefs’ 38-35 victory over the Eagles.

On Sunday, he excelled with a touchdown and ran for 76 yards, with 15 carries and an average of 5.1 in each one.

His season was impressive, as he rushed for 830 yards with five touchdowns and averaged 4.9 yards per carry in the regular season.

Those numbers were highlighted by Patrick Mahomes, the team’s star, who singled him out for praise.

“He’s so physically gifted, it’s hard for defenses to account for how physical he is,” Mahomes said after the Divisional Round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And he proved that on Sunday, as the Eagles defense slowed him down on only a few occasions with hard hits, one in the fourth quarter, but he got up to stay in the game.

That commitment and dedication was rewarded for Pacheco, who keeps his feet on the ground and, as an NFL champion, knows that doing everything with effort and as a team is the best recommendation for all young players.

“Work, listen to your parents, put your best effort into everything you do,” he said when he was interviewed by ESPN during the celebrations.

“Coach always told us that teamwork is the most important thing.

“Today was an example that together we are all capable of achieving whatever we set out to do.”

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1624950707312005121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1624950707312005121%7Ctwgr%5E6a66e852b3fa4650cfaccd41e4b4c598d71f5321%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.marca.com%2Fen%2Fnfl%2Fkansas-city-chiefs%2F2023%2F02%2F13%2F63ea48b4268e3eec138b45d2.html

Brian Flores Hired as New Defensive Coordinator for Minnesota Vikings

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Brian Flores is headed to the Midwest.

The 41-year-old Honduran American football coach has been hired as the new defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, ending a monthlong search to replace the fired Ed Donatell.

Flores spent last season as the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach after being fired as head coach by the Miami Dolphins following the 2021 season.

He’ll take over a defense that finished No. 31 in the NFL in yards allowed and is on the cusp of a significant personnel overhaul. He has a yearslong relationship with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, who was drafted by the New England Patriots as a quarterback in 2008 when Flores was a special teams assistant there.

After firing Donatell on January 19, the Vikings quickly interviewed four candidates for the job: Ryan Nielsen, Sean Desai, Mike Pettine and Flores. Nielsen took the Atlanta Falcons‘ defensive coordinator job and Desai removed his name from consideration, but sources told ESPN all along that then-Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was their top candidate.

Evero and O’Connell spent two years on the Los Angeles Rams‘ coaching staff in 2020 and 2021, and O’Connell hoped to reunite in 2023. But Sunday, one day after the Broncos released Evero from his contract, he agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers to be their defensive coordinator without taking an interview with the Vikings.

On Monday, the Vikings moved on to Flores, who also was a finalist for the Arizona Cardinals‘ open head-coaching job.

Flores joins the Vikings one year after suing the NFL and three teams — the Dolphins, Denver Broncos and New York Giants — alleging discrimination regarding his interview processes with Denver and New York and his firing by Miami.

Longtime NFL assistants Steve Wilks and Ray Horton later joined the suit, which the NFL is attempting to move to arbitration. Flores also alleged the Dolphins tried to incentivize him to lose games and participate in illegal tampering; the league disciplined the Dolphins last summer for tampering violations of “unprecedented scope and severity,” according to commissioner Roger Goodell.

It was not immediately clear how Flores’ arrival would affect the scheme that O’Connell originally hired Donatell to install. Flores’ defense in Miami was known for heavy blitzing — it had the NFL’s fourth-highest blitz rate from 2019 to 2021 — and man-to-man coverage in the secondary, two characteristics the Vikings largely stayed away from under Donatell.

Grupo Firme Performs at Halftime During the NFL’s Monday Night Football Game

Posted on November 22, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Grupo Firme is celebrating a career touchdown…

The Regional Mexican band headlined the halftime show at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City during the Monday Night Football game in which the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 38-10.

The return of the NFL to Mexico featured a week-long celebration of pride that transcends borders, as well as the nexus between Mexican culture and American football with activities focused on art, fashion, music, and youth football.

As part of the League’s “Por la Cultura” campaign, music has been a focal point of the NFL’s marketing strategy, kicking off the season with a J Balvin concert and releasing a Por La Cultura mixtape featuring Yandel, El Alfa, and Snow Tha Product among others. Latino football fans are the fastest-growing demographic for the NFL and an important audience the league is hoping to grow in the coming years.

Grupo Firme, formed in the northern Mexican city of Tijuana, arrived at the so-called “Coloso de Santa Úrsula,” as the Estadio Azteca is also known, after a massively successful touring year, including their concert at the Zócalo of Mexico City last September that garnered an audience of 280,000, a series of presentations at Foro Sol, a major arena also located in the Mexican capital, and their main stage set at Coachella.

“This is an achievement in our career, we are going ‘at a steady pace’ as we say it. The truth is that we were not thinking to be part of an event as important as this beautiful night,” singer Eduin Caz told Billboard Español. “It will be something historic, a different audience will know us. They will listen to us and we will give our best.”

The Latin Grammy and Latin Billboard Music Awards winners performed their hits “Ya supérame”, “El amor no fue para mi” and “Gracias,” for the 78,000 NFL fans in attendance.

This was the first Monday Night Football game played in Mexico City since 2019, after a forced two-year break because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the musicians, the presence of the NFL in Mexico is a good opportunity for two communities to honor sports and music without language barriers.

“Something that we have realized and that we are very grateful for is that the public and the people who listen to Grupo Firme are increasingly bicultural. We have already seen people who do not speak Spanish singing at our concerts. It is a blessing for us that this is growing and that opens the door to be at events like this”, said singer Jhonny Caz.

Mexican singer Sofía Reyes was chosen this year to perform the national anthem of Mexico. She electrified the stadium as soon as she started singing the first verse.

“For me it is an honor to sing the Mexican national anthem and above all to sing it here in my country at an event like this. It’s crazy! I am happy and very grateful,” Reyes told Billboard Español prior to the game.

On the American side, the Mexican-American singer Marisol Hernández “La Marisoul”, from the musical group La Santa Cecilia, performed The Star-Spangled Banner, the United States National Anthem.

“This is my first time at the Estadio Azteca, singing the national anthem of the United States. I feel that my two worlds, my two countries, come together in a beautiful way and I can’t hide my feelings from this experience. For years at La Santa Cecilia we have tried to build musical bridges and I feel that tonight is a great example of this,” said Hernández.

The match in Mexico was the fifth and final of the 2022 International Series, which included three games in London and, for the first time, a game in Munich, Germany. Musical performances from the game at Estadio Azteca on November 21st can be viewed on Mundo NFL’s YouTube channel.

CBS to Air Kevin Alejandro’s “Fire Country” Following January’s AFC Championship Game

Posted on November 13, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Kevin Alejandro will be bringing the fire this NFL season…

CBS will air a special episode of its hit drama series Fire Country, starring the 46-year-old Mexican American, in January after the eye network airs the AFC Championship game.

The football game is set to take place on Sunday, January 29 at 6:40 p.m. ET with the Max Thieriot-led show airing right after.

Fire Country has been a hit with viewers ranking as the No. 1 new series this season averaging 8.26 million viewers to date. The premiere of the series on October 7 gave CBS their best seven-day audience for a series in the time period since May 8, 2020. The seven-day streaming on Paramount+, CBS.com and the CBS app, meanwhile, is up 245% from Magnum P.I. last year based on average minute audience.

Due to its initial success, Fire Country, alongside East New York and So Help Me Todd have been given full season orders.

“CBS is off to a tremendous start this season,” Kelly Kahl, President, CBS Entertainment, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have the three most watched new series, each with their own unique settings, characters and storylines. These dramas are elevating our already successful lineup, resonating with diverse audiences both on-air and on streaming, and continuing to grow each week. We thank the talented casts, executive producers and their incredible writing and production teams for bringing these shows to life. Additional kudos to our CBS programming teams for shepherding these series to success. We are delighted to give them well deserved full season orders.”

Thieriot stars in Fire Country as Bode Donovan, a young convict seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining a prison release firefighting program in Northern California, where he and other inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. It’s a high-risk, high-reward assignment, and the heat is turned up when Bode is assigned to the program in his rural hometown, where he was once a golden all-American son – until his troubles began. Five years ago, Bode burned down everything in his life, leaving town with a big secret. Now he’s back, with the rap sheet of a criminal and the audacity to believe in a chance for redemption with Cal Fire.

Alejandro portrays Manny on the series.

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Celebrating the Latino Influence

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