Rivera to Appear at The Trevor Project’s TrevorLIVE Gala Event

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Naya Rivera will be taking the stage at the Trevor Project’s annual gala fundraiser.

The 26-year-old half-Puerto Rican singer will join her fellow Glee stars Jane Lynch, Darren Criss, Amber Riley and Chris Colfer, as well as American Idol alum Adam Lambert at TrevorLIVE, on December 8 at the Hollywood Palladium.

Hosted by comedienne Kathy Griffin, the event raises funds for The Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Lynch will be honored by the organization.

Lambert, along with Riley, Smash star Megan Hilty and Glee alum Cheyenne Jackson, will take the stage for special performances.

Others scheduled to make an appearance include Dot-Marie Jones and Harry Shum, Jr., of Glee, Sarah Michelle Gellar of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Crazy Ones; Hannah Simone of New Girl; Andrew Rannells of Girls; Allison Janney of Mom and Masters of Sex; TV host Ricki Lake and Jennifer Coolidge of American Pie.

The show will be produced by So You Think You Can Dance judge Adam Shankman, whose directing and producing credits include Rock of Ages, Hairspray, Glee and the 2010 Academy Awards.

The red carpet and pre-show will be shown via livestream.

Alba Returns as a Guest Blogger on iVillage

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Practice makes perfect… And, Jessica Alba is about to get plenty of writing practice this month.

The 30-year-old half-Mexican American actress—who is planning to release a book about her quest to create a natural, non-toxic life for her family—returns to iVillage as a CelebVillage guest writer this month.

Alba, who previously blogged for the site before the birth of her second daughter, debuted her first new post on Thursday. Alba writes about welcoming new daughter Haven into the growing family, and how she and husband Cash Warren prepared their eldest daughter, 4-year-old Honor, to be a big sister.

Alba also talks about her own style of parenting and how she strives to provide her daughters with a non-toxic environment. Earlier this year, Alba launched The Honest Company with business partner Christopher Gavigan, which aims to provide safe, eco-friendly and affordable products for families.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Jessica Alba as our celebrity blogger-in-residence for April,” says Serena Kappes, iVillage Entertainment Editorial Director. “She joins an impressive group of high-profile women and moms who have penned CelebVillage blogs.”

iVillage began its CelebVillage endeavor in Fall of 2011, focusing on the parallels between Hollywood and everyday moms. It has featured guest writers Denise Richards, Alanis Morissette, Ricki Lake, Katherine Heigl, Felicity Huffman and Elizabeth Banks.

Click here to read Alba’s most recent post.

Martinez Appearing in New Documentary About Burn Victims…

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

During his time on Dancing with the Stars, J.R. Martinez inspired millions with his heroic story… And, now he’s sharing his story with the world in a documentary.

28-year-old wounded-war-vet-turned-actor has partnered with non-profit organization Trial by Fire: Lives Re-Forged to release a documentary this month by the same name. The hope: to educate viewers on why they should be less cruel to burn victims.

In the film’s trailer, the El Salvadorian actor—who beat out Ricki Lake and Rob Kardashian on the 13th season of ABC’s hit dancing competition for the mirror ball trophy—talks about his ordeal and what he calls “his new birthday.”

“April 5th, 2003 is my new birthday, it’s a day that I will never forget just like a birthday,” Martinez says somberly. “But, it’s a day that I won’t get phone calls or presents.”

Martinez was severely burned when the Humvee he was driving in Iraq hit a land mine. More than 40 percent of his body was scarred.

“I drove maybe, 100 yards, then all of a sudden boom!” recalls Martinez before stating his new found mantra: “This is my body, these are my scars.”

Trial By Fire filmmakers tell Fox News Latino that they feel “very lucky to have him in the film.”

“It is a very powerful film with some very inspirational people,” says the film’s executive producer William Harris.

In the documentary, this year’s Rose Parade grand marshall urges everyone to look beyond the wounds.

“Our scars are just a symbol of bravery, of courage, of strength,” Martinez says. “If we step out there in the world and we say ‘This is who I am’ people will get to a point where they don’t even see your scars.”

“This is my uniform,” he adds. “I wear it every single day and there’s nothing you can do, nothing I can do, to take it off.”

The trailer for the documentary ends with the message: “Fire is unforgiving… we don’t have to be.”

Martinez Heading to the Pentagon…

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Now that he’s won Dancing with the Stars, J.R. Martinez won’t be heading to Disneyland.

The 28-year-old Iraq-war-vet-turned-actor will be headed to our nation’s capital for an extra special meet-and-greet with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the Pentagon.

During a 10-minute telephone call Friday, Panetta told Martinez—who was severely burned over more than 40 percent of his body when the Humvee he was driving for the U.S. Army in Iraq struck a land mine in 2003—that he demonstrated the strength and resilience of wounded veterans, according to Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby.

Meanwhile, the El Salvadoran-American dance champion credited his military training for his performance on ABC’s hit reality dance competition. He bested Rob Kardashian and Ricki Lake for the coveted mirror ball trophy on Tuesday.

In a letter to Martinez sent prior to the call, Panetta praised the former Army infantryman, who suffered severe burns when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq in 2003.

“Over the course of this competition, your spirit captivated the nation and your victory sends a powerful message about the strength and resilience of our wounded warriors,” he said.

Details of Martinez’s meeting with Panetta are being hammered out at the moment.

Martinez Claims Dancing with the Stars Title

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Despite a late perfect-score challenge from Rob Kardashian in the last two nights of performances, J.R. Martinez has become the first Hispanic American to win the coveted mirror ball trophy on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

“Thank you America for believing in us,” the 28-year-old Iraq-war-vet-turned-actor said before turning to his partner Karina Smirnoff, adding: “You are amazing and I’m so grateful that I was able to be a part of your first mirror ball trophy!”

Throughout the 10-week competition, Martinez was one of the show’s frontrunners. The El Salvadoran-American actor continually wowed the judges and overcame an injured ankle in the final weeks to claim the title in the show’s 13th edition. His grit, determination and sheer dancing talent inspired viewers, and even led to a cover story in People magazine.

During the grand finale, Martinez, Kardashian and Ricki Lake had to reprise their favorite dances of the season. Those scores were then combined with Monday night’s totals and all the votes from the viewing audience. Despite earning the highest marks after that round, Lake was knocked out of the running and had to settle for third place.

Then, the final two dancers – Kardashian and Martinez –performed an instant samba to music selected for them during the show. They both earned perfect scores of 30 points, and Kardashian led Martinez by the slimmest of leads — with 113 points to 112 after four rounds of dancing in the two-night finale.

But after combining Monday night’s scores with the scores from Tuesday’s performances and the public voting, Martinez was the competitor with the highest combination of judges’ and viewers’ scores.

Martinez’s Fantastic Freestyle Dance on DWTS…

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

J.R. Martinez may have faltered slightly during his first dance in last night’s Dancing with the Stars finale, but he harnessed his Latino power to reach perfection in his freestyle routine…

The 28-year-old wounded-Iraq-veteran and All My Children star and his dance partner Karina Smirnoff shook their bon bons to a salsafied version of Kat DeLuna‘s hit song “Whine Up.”

“In the freestyle, Karina and I decided to do a salsa-inspired routine because of the fact that I am Latin,” said Martinez.

The routine featured several flashy tricks from the El Salvadoran-American dancing sensation and his partner, including elaborate twists and turns. Their biggest risk: a dangerous neck straddle!

“Karina wanted to do this lift where I hook my leg to her neck. She’s had surgery on her neck before and I just think it’s too dangerous.”

The “go big or go home” mentality paid off, as Martinez and Smirnoff earned a perfect score of 30.

Unfortunately, the dancing duo’s cha-cha to Jennifer Lopez’s “Let’s Get Loud” earned a shockingly low 24, which Martinez blamed on the ankle injury the suffered last week.

”I was too soon in my steps and I think I panicked because I did roll my ankle in my shoe. I just went and took a step too quick,” said Martinez. “The cha-cha was something I was doing well all week. I had it, but I was off and I found myself one step ahead of her. I knew I was going to be penalized for that.”

Martinez and fellow finalist Ricki Lake are tied for second place going into tonight’s show, three points behind leader Rob Kardashian.

Martinez: Dancing’s First Hispanic-American Winner?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Despite a poor showing during this week’s performances due to an ankle injury, J.R. Martinez has made it to finals of Dancing with the Stars in his quest to become the first Hispanic-American to win the show’s coveted mirrorball trophy.

For the first time this season, the 28-year-old wounded-war-vet-turned-actor and his partner Karina Smirnoff saw themselves in the bottom two during Tuesday’s results show after their third place showing on Monday.

But it appears Martinez’s public support is stronger than ever as soccer star Hope Solo was the celebrity sent packing.

Upon learning he was moving on to next week’s finals, the former All My Children star took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

During backstage interviews, Martinez said he was “frustrated” with his hurt ankle.

“The expectation was still high for myself despite the injury,” Martinez told Access Hollywood. “All week when we were rehearsing, it was like ‘oh man if I nail this…it would be an opportunity to show America a different side of J.R. Martinez than what they’ve gotten to know.’”

Martinez could now become the second Latino and first Hispanic-American winner in show’s 13-season history. He’ll compete against Ricki Lake and Rob Kardshian in next week’s finale shows.

Martinez: Dancing Through the Pain…

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Coming off last week’s oh-so-perfect performances, J.R. Martinez experienced a setback in his quest to make it to the finals of Dancing with the Stars.

The wounded-Iraq-veteran-turned-soap-star twisted his ankle at this week’s rehearsals, leading to some serious problems during his paso doble routine with partner Karina Smirnoff. Martinez looked like he was in serious pain throughout the dance…and, hobbled on one foot during his critiques.

Dancing judge Len Goodman didn’t take it easy on the 28-year-old El Salvadoran-American’s dance, despite the injury.

“I know you suffered an injury,” he told Martinez after his precarious performance. “But we can only call it as we see it.”

Martinez managed to score better in his remaining dances, scoring a 27/30 on his Argentine tango performance and 6/10 for his third place finish in the cha cha relay.

Despite ending the night with a disappointing 56 points, Martinez didn’t end up at the bottom of the leaderboard. He ended up in third place, seven points away from last place finisher Hope Solo. Meanwhile, Ricki Lake and Rob Kardashian ended up tied at the top of the leaderboard with a total of 67 points each.

Tune in to tonight’s results show to see which couple won’t be making it to the finals.

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