Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias to Lend Voice to Comedy Central’s Animated Series “Everybody Still Hates Chris”

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias still hates Chris…

The 48-year-old Mexican American stand-up comedian and actor will guest star on Chris Rock’s animated series Everybody Still Hates Chris. which will premiere on Comedy Central on September 25.

Iglesias is among a roster of guest voice actors that includes Ayo Edebiri, Sally Jessy Raphael, Busta Rhymes, Tisha Campbell, Sam Richardson and Bell Biv DeVoe members Ricky Bell, Michael L. Bivins, Ronald Boyd DeVoe Jr.

Other guest actors include Jaylen Barron, Todd Bridges, Nicole Byer, Monét X Change, Eugene Cordero, Andy Daly, Loretta Devine, Earthquake, Ron Funches, Jaida Essence Hall, Jackée Harry, Phil Hendrie, Dave Herman, Thirstin’ Howl III, Rob Huebel, Phil Lamarr, Rack-Lo, Jessica Lowe, Vincent Martella, Laraine Newman, Gabrielle Nevaeh, Kevin Michael Richardson, Natasha Rothwell, Latrice Royale, Lindsey Stoddart, Cree Summer, Vanessa Vanjie and Jenny Yang.

Elsewhere, Paul Ben-Victor, Mike Estime, Antonio Fargas, Kevontay Jackson, Mikey Kelley, Jacqueline Mazarella, Paulina Singer and Ernest Thomas will be reprising their roles from the original, live-action series.

Everybody Still Hates Chris features Rock as Adult Chris, narrating stories inspired by his experience growing up as a skinny nerd in a large working-class family in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, during the late 1980s.

Terry Crews will voice his father Julius, a gentle giant with a relentless work ethic, and tightwad approach to life. He grew up dirt poor, so he knows the cost of everything down to the penny. He works two jobs to support the family, and on his days off, he takes on a third job.

Tichina Arnold will voice his mother Rochelle, who is smart, strong-willed, and has a nurturing spirit, but she can also be hot-headed, especially when it comes to her kids. She tolerates zero nonsense, so she quits more jobs in a month than most people do in a lifetime.

Tim Johnson Jr. voices Young Chris, Ozioma Akagha voices his baby sister Tonya, Terrence Little Gardenhigh voices his brother Drew and Gunnar Sizemore voices his friend Greg.

The series, which is based on Everybody Hates Chris, which ran for four seasons on UPN and The CW between 2005 and 2009, is produced by CBS Studios’ animation arm Eye Animation Productions and Chris Rock Enterprises.

Sanjay Shah is showrunner and executive produces alongside Rock, Everybody Hates Chris co-creator Ali LeRoi, Michael Rotenberg and Dave Becky of 3 Arts Entertainment, and Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio and Ben Kalina from Titmouse, which serves as the animation studio.

Colman Domingo Among Voice Cast of DreamWorks Animation’s Animated Feature “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Colman Domingo is getting animated…

The 53-year-old Belizean-Guatemalan American actor and social justice activist, an Emmy and Tony Award winner, will form part of the voice cast of DreamWorks Animation’s animated feature, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.

The film is set for wide release via Universal on June 30th.

Domingo joins a voice cast that includes Lana Condor in the title role, Toni Collette, Jane Fonda, Annie Murphy, Sam Richardson, Blue Chapman and Jaboukie Young-White.

Directed by Kirk De Micco, with Faryn Pearl as co-director, the film is an action-comedy about a shy teenager who discovers that she’s part of a legendary royal lineage of mythical sea krakens and that her destiny, in the depths of the oceans, is bigger than she ever dreamed.

Sweet, awkward 16-year-old Ruby Gillman (Condor) is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High, but she mostly just feels invisible. She’s math-tutoring her skater-boy crush (Young-White), who only seems to admire her for her fractals, and she’s prevented from hanging out with the cool kids at the beach because her over-protective supermom (Collette) has forbade her from ever getting in the water. But when she breaks her mom’s #1 rule, Ruby will discover that she is a direct descendant of the warrior Kraken queens and is destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother (Fonda), the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas.

The Kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids who have been battling with the Kraken for eons. But there’s one major, and immediate, problem with that: The school’s beautiful, popular new girl, Chelsea (Murphy) just happens to be a mermaid. Ruby will ultimately need to embrace who she is and go big to protect those she loves most.

Rounding out the cast of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken are Will Forte and Nicole Byer, Liza Koshy, Ramona Young, Eduardo Franco and Echo Kellum. While it’s not yet clear who wrote the script, Kelly Cooney Cilella served as the film’s producer, with Grammy-winning composer and Universal Composers Initiative alum Stephanie Economou penning the score.

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Serve as Presenter at This Year’s PGA Awards

Posted on February 24, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes is headed to the PGA Awards…

The Producers Guild of America has revealed the presenters lineup for the 34th annual PGA Awards, to be held on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, with the 40-year-old half-Mexican American actress/comedian making the list.

In addition to Johnson-Reyes, other notable celebrities set to take the stage to present throughout the evening include Angela Bassett, Austin Butler, Billy Eichner, Bob Odenkirk, Brendan Fraser, Cate Blanchett, Danielle Deadwyler, Dave Burd, Diego Luna, Eugenio Derbez, Hannah Einbinder, Hong Chau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jay Ellis, Kate Hudson, Ke Huy Quan, Kerry Condon, Leslie Odom, Jr., Michelle Williams, Michelle Yeoh, Mo Amer, Monica Barbaro, Nicole Byer, Paul Dano, Robert Rodriguez, Ron Howard, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sandra Oh, Sherry Lansing and Stephanie Hsu.

The PGA Awards celebrate the producers behind the best films, television series, and new media projects of the year.

Widely known as a reliable bellwether for the Best Picture category at the Oscars, the PGA has nominated Avatar: The Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion: Knives Out Mystery, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick and The Whale for its Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures Award.

The 2023 Producers Guild of America Awards is produced by Anchor Street Collective for the Producers Guild of America.

Jenna Ortega To Serve as Presenter at This Week’s Golden Globes Awards Show

Posted on January 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jenna Ortega is preparing for an extra golden night…

The 20-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress will serve as a presenter at this year’s Golden Globes awards ceremony.

Ortega, who is a first-time nominee this year for her starring role in Netflix’s Wednesday, was among the latest list of presenters announced today.

But she isn’t the only Latinx talent to be added to the presenter’s list.

Harvey Guillén, who rose to acclaim in What We Do in The Shadows, and former Golden Globe-nominee Salma Hayek Pinault will also take the stage.

Other newly announced presenters include Jennifer Hudson, Claire Danes, Cole Hauser, Henry Golding, Hilary Swank, Glen Powell, Jay Ellis, Jennifer Coolidge, Letitia Wright, Mo Brings Plenty and Regina Hall.

Also participating on the telecast will be Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy, offering a special message of peace which will be introduced by actor Sean Penn.

They join the previously announced presenters, which include Ana De Armas, Ana Gasteyer, Colman Domingo, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Natasha Lyonne, Niecy Nash-Betts, Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tracy Morgan and Nicole Byer.

The Golden Globes are set to air live coast-to-coast on January. 10 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. PT/8:00-11:00 pm ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock.

Jerrod Carmichael will host the ceremony, which will held at the Globes’ usual home, the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Calif.

Eddie Murphy will be the recipient of the 2023 Cecil B. DeMille Award. Ryan Murphy will receive the Carol Burnett Award.

Ana de Armas Among First Presenters Announced for Upcoming Golden Globe Awards

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ana de Armas is pretty for her golden hour…

The first string of presenters for the 80th Golden Globe Awards have been announced, with the 34-year-old Cuban and Spanish actress among those set to take the stage.

de Armas, who previously earned a Golden Globe nod for her breakout role in Knives Out, is up for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama this year for her performance as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde.

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez will also present at this year’s awards show.

The 31-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress made history when she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Television Series Drama, becoming the first transgender actor to win a Golden Globe in the history of the awards.

Colman Domingo has also made the presenters list…

The 52-year-old Belizean-Guatemalan American actor and social justice activist is an Emmy Award winner for his performance on HBO’s Euphoria.

Others set to present Ana Gasteyer, Billy Porter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Natasha Lyonne, Nicole Byer, Niecy Nash-Betts, Quentin Tarantino and Tracy Morgan.

As the Hollywood Foreign Press Association looks to get back on its feet after weathering diversity controversies, it has been buzzed that personal reps wouldn’t allow their clients to get back on stage. However, as the HFPA has expanded its ranks with journalists of color, it appears that the industry is pivoting in its attitude toward the organization.

Jerrod Carmichael will host the ceremony airing live coast-to-coast on January 10 from 5-8 p.m. PT/8-11 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock.

Produced by dick clark productions and Jesse Collins Entertainment in association with the HFPA, the Golden Globe Awards are viewed in more than 210 territories worldwide. Helen Hoehne is president of the HFPA. Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon will serve as executive producers.

NBC Renews Grasie Mercedes’ Sitcom “Grand Crew” for Second Season

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

There’s more crew time in Grasie Mercedes’ future…

NBC has ordered a second season of comedy series Grand Crew, starring the 44-year-old Afro-Latina actress, writer, filmmaker and podcast host.

In addition to Mercedes, the series also stars Echo Kellum, Justin Cunningham, Carl Tart, Aaron Jennings and Nicole Byer.

Grand Crew, which hails from writer-producer Phil Augusta Jackson, revolves around a group of Black friends who unpack the ups and downs of life and love at a wine bar.

The first season of the series, which comes from Universal Television, reached 17 million total viewers, according to the network across all platforms and the premiere episode was NBC’s top digital comedy launch on Peacock.

Mercedes portrays Fay on the series.

Her previous credits include appearances on Good Trouble, The Affair and 9-1-1.

Vertical Entertainment Acquires U.S. Rights to Eva Longoria’s Comedy “Unplugging”

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Longoria will be unplugging next spring…

Vertical Entertainment has acquired the U.S. rights to the comedy Unplugging, starring the 46-year-old Mexican American actress and former Desperate Housewives star, with plans to release it in theaters nationwide next spring.

The film also stars Matt Walsh, Lea Thompson, Keith David and Nicole Byer.

In the feature directorial debut of veteran film editor Debra Neil-Fisher, husband and wife Dan (Walsh) and Jeanine (Longoria) plan a weekend getaway of “digital detox” without kids, phones, or social media. They need—or think they need—only clean fresh air and alone time together to rekindle their romance. But once they forego GPS to guide them and disconnect from the internet, can they reconnect their own internal servers to spark their marriage?

Johnny Pemberton, Al Madrigal, Joel Kim Booster, and Nancy Friedrich round out the cast of the film, scripted by Walsh and Brad Morris.

Longoria executive produced the film.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better time in the director’s chair than with this marvelous cast captained by Eva and Matt, and our dedicated crew,” said Neil-Fisher. “Vertical is the perfect partner to bring Unplugging to audiences next spring.”

“Unplugging unites great talents in front of and behind the camera,” said Vertical Entertainment Partner Rich Goldberg, “and Debra’s storied skills as editor translate to a keen directorial eye for comedy.”

“Having previously partnered on many successful releases (Four Good Days, Buckley’s Chance) we know our friends at Vertical are the perfect distributor to bring the hilarious Unplugging to US audiences,” added Santor, who serves as Productivity Media’s CEO. “Eva and Matt are at the top of their game in this whip-smart, comedic look at relationships in the digital age, and we’re sure audiences will love it just as much as we loved making it.”

Paramount+ Renews Natalie Morales’ “Rugrats” Revival for Second Season

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Natalie Morales is staying animated…

Paramount+ has renewed the revival of the classic Nickelodeon series Rugrats, featuring the 36-year-old Cuban American actress among the voice cast, for a second season.

The revival, which follows the titular tots and their imaginative shenanigans, features original cast members E.G. Daily, Nancy Cartwright, Cheryl Chase, Cree Summer and Kath Soucie as Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, Susie, Phil and Lil, respectively.

In addition to Morales, the voice cast also features Nicole Byer, Ashley Rae Spillers, Tommy Dewey, Anna Chlumsky, Natalie Morales, Michael McKean and Omar Miller.

Paramount+ also revealed the premiere date for the second batch of Season 1 episodes, including the upcoming Halloween special.

The second batch of episodes, which will drop on October 7, will continue to see the Rugrats using their wild imaginations to defeat an outer-space villain, travel through Chuckie’s dad’s body, embark upon a daring mission to break Angelica out of preschool and more. The half-hour Halloween-themed special sees Tommy work with his friends’ help to save Angelica after she turns into a werewolf at a scary Halloween party as their parents seem to disappear one by one.

The original Rugrats series launched August 11, 1991, and became a phenomenon, spawning consumer products and three hit theatrical releases, cementing its place in pop culture history through its characters, storytelling and unique visual style. Rugrats was in production for nine seasons over the course of 13 years. The series earned four Daytime Emmy Awards, six Kids’ Choice Awards and its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Grasie Mercedes to Star on NBC’s “Grand Crew”

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Grand opportunity for Grasie Mercedes.

The 43-year-old Afro-Latina actress has joined the cast of NBC’s Grand Crew as a series regular.

The comedy, from Phil Augusta Jackson and Dan Goor, follows a group of young L.A. professionals navigating the ups and downs of life and love. When they’re ready to unpack it all, they meet at their favorite local bar for a “wine down.”

Mercedes will portray Fay, a recently divorced transplant to Los Angeles who becomes fast friends with the regulars at Eastside Cru.

Jackson will write and executive produce. Mo Marable will direct and co-executive produce the pilot. Goor will executive produce.

Previously announced cast members include Nicole Byer, Justin Cunningham, Aaron Jennings, Echo Kellum and Carl Tart.

Mercedes most recently served as a staff writer on NBC’s Perfect Harmony. Her acting credits include roles in Fox’s 9-1-1, Freeform’s Good Trouble, TNT’s Southland, HBO’s The Affair and CBS’ Criminal Minds.

Paramount+ Releases Trailer for Natalie Morales’ Revival of Nickelodeon’s Original “Rugrats” Series

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Natalie Morales is cutting a rug(rat)…

Paramount+ has released the trailer for its revival of the Nickelodeon original animated series Rugrats, featuring the 36-year-old Cuban American actress.

The original series was created by Arlene Klasky, Gabor Csupo and Paul Germain.

In the reboot, the series’ tiny tots embark on an Indiana Jones-inspired treasure hunt, a battle against a giant green dog and a high-speed car chase in the colorful, wild worlds of their imagination.

Cast members from the original series return to reprise their roles in the Paramount+ series, which will premiere on May 27. Returning to voice the iconic cartoon toddlers are E.G. Daily (Tommy Pickles), Nancy Cartwright (Chuckie Finster), Cheryl Chase (Angelica Pickles), Cree Summer (Susie Carmichael) and Kath Soucie (Phil and Lil DeVille).

Also joining the cast for the revival are Nicole Byer, Tony Hale and Morales, who will take on the adult roles in Paramount+’s revival.

Hale will play Chuckie’s father, Morales as Phil and Lil’s mother and Byer, with Omar Miller, as Susie’s parents. Ashley Rae Spillers (Vice Principals) and Tommy Dewey, as Tommy’s parents; Anna Chlumsky and Timothy Simons, as Angelica’s parents; and Michael McKean, as Grandpa Lou Pickles round out the voice cast.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Nicole Byer