Tag Archives: Ruben Blades

Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Win Four Latin Grammys for “Despacito”

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Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee proved to be the night’s brightest stars at this year’s Latin Grammy Awards.

The 39-year-old Puerto Rican singer and the 40-year-old reggaeton star, the artists behind this year’s global smash single “Despacito,” picked up four awards from the Latin Recording Academy, including two of the biggest prizes.

Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee

Fonsi and Daddy Yankee won Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Despacito,” while their remix of the song featuring Justin Bieber was named Best Urban Fusion/Performance.

Not far behind, Vicente Garcia.

The 34-year-old Dominican singer, songwriter and composer picked up three awards, including Best New Artist. He also received the Best Tropical Song prize for his single “Bachata en Kingston,” as well as Best Singer-Songwriter Album for A La Mar.

Latin music veteran Ruben Blades, who won two awards, took home the night’s biggest honor Album of the Year for his album, Salsa Big Band, with Roberto Delgado & Orquesta.

It’s the second Album of the Year trophy for the 69-year-old Panamanian singer-songwriter. He previously took home the award in 2014 for his album Tangos.

Natalia Lafourcade, a Latin Grammy darling, added two more awards to her collection.

The 33-year-old Mexican singer-songwriter won the Best Folk Album award for her album Musas, which was produced in collaboration with the acoustic guitar duo Los Macorinos. The album is a homage to Latin American folk music, coand contains original songs as well as cover versions of other artists’ songs.

Shakira, who is currently on vocal rest and absent from the ceremony, won Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album for her latest record, El Dorado.

The 2017 Latin Grammy Awards were held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday night. The three-hour show, hosted by Roselyn Sanchez and Jaime Camil, included performances by Fonsi, Steve Aoki, Alessia Cara, J Balvin, Maluma and Person of the Year Alejandro Sanz, among others.

Lin-Manuel Miranda was also honored with the President’s Merit Award for his outstanding and numerous contributions to the Latin community, including his relief efforts for Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Upon taking the stage, the Hamilton creator thanked his team and his wife, Vanessa Nadal.

“My people! Thank you, it’s an honor to be here,” Miranda began his Spanglish speech. “No one gets here alone,” he added before expressing how proud he was of the Latino community and dedicating the award to Puerto Rico.

“I know I’m a weird theater kid here, with a weird accent,” he continued. “But let’s keep collaborating and show the world that Latinos can change the world when we collaborate.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

Album of the Year: Salsa Big Band — Rubén Blades con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta
Record of the Year: “Despacito” — Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee
Song of the Year (A Songwriter’s Award): “Despacito” — Daddy Yankee, Erika Ender and Luis Fonsi, songwriters (Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee)
Best New Artist: Vicente García
Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album: El Dorado, Shakira
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Salón, Lágrimas Y Deseo, Lila Downs
Best Urban Fusion/Performance: Despacito (Remix) Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
Best Urban Music Album: Residente, Residente
Best Urban Song: Somos Anormales, Rafael Arcaute, Igor Koshkendey & Residente, Songwriters (Residente)
Best Rock Album: La Gran Oscilación, Diamante Eléctrico
Best Pop/Rock Album: Mis Planes Son Amarte, Juanes
Best Rock Song: Déjala Rodar, Juan Galeano, Songwriter (Diamante Eléctrico) & La Noche, Andrés Calamaro, Songwriter (Andrés Calamaro) [Tie]
Best Alternative Music Album: Jei Beibi, Café Tacvba
Best Alternative Song: Amárrame, Mon Laferte, Songwriter (Mon Laferte featuring Juanes)
Best Salsa Album: Salsa Big Band, Rubén Blades Con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta
Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album: Ni Un Paso Atrás, Jorge Celedón y Sergio Luis Rodríguez
Best Contemporary Tropical Album: Bidimensional, Guaco
Best Traditional Tropical Album: To Beny Moré With Love, Jon Secada Featuring The Charlie Sepúlveda Big Band
Best Tropical Fusion Album: Olga Tañón Y Punto., Olga Tañón
Best Tropical Song: Bachata En Kingston, Vicente García, Songwriter (Vicente García)
Best Singer-Songwriter Album: A La Mar, Vicente García
Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album: Las Caras Lindas, Flor De Toloache
Best Banda Album: Ayer Y Hoy, Banda El Recodo De Cruz Lizárraga
Best Norteño Album: Piénsalo, Los Palominos
Best Regional Song: Siempre Es Así, Juan Treviño, Songwriter (Juan Treviño Featuring Aj Castillo)
Best Instrumental Album: Spain Forever, Michel Camilo & Tomatito
Best Folk Album: Musas (Un Homenaje Al Folclore Latinoamericano En Manos De Los Macorinos, Vol. 1), Natalia Lafourcade
Best Tango Album: Solo Buenos Aires, Fernando Otero
Best Flamenco Album: Memoria De Los Sentidos, Vicente Amigo
Best Latin Jazz/Jazz Album: Dance Of Time, Eliane Elias
Best Christian Album (Spanish Language): Momentos, Alex Campos
Best Portuguese Language Christian Album: Acenda A Sua Luz, Aline Barros
Best Portuguese Language Contemporary Pop Album: Troco Likes Ao Vivo: Um Filme De Tiago Iorc, Tiago Iorc
Best Portuguese Language Rock Or Alternative Album: Jardim – Pomar, Nando Reis
Best Samba/Pagode Album: + Misturado, Mart’nália
Best Mpb (Musica Popular Brasileira) Album: Dos Navegantes, Edu Lobo, Romero Lubambo, Mauro Senise
Best Sertaneja Music Album: Daniel, Daniel
Best Brazilian Roots Album: Ao Vivo – Melodias Do Sertão, Bruna Viola
Best Portuguese Language Song: Trevo (Tu), Ana Caetano & Tiago Iorc, Songwriters (Anavitória Featuring Tiago Iorc)
Best Latin Children’s Album: Marc Anthony For Babies, Varios artistas
Best Classical Album: Música De Compositores Costarricenses Vol. 2, Eddie Mora, Directing The Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional De Costa Rica; Winnie Camila Berg, Solista; Carlos Chaves, Album Producer
Best Classical Contemporary Composition: Sonata Del Decamerón Negro, Leo Brouwer, Composer (Mabel Millán)
Best Recording Package: El Orisha De La Rosa, Carlos Dussán, Juliana Jaramillo, Juan Felipe Martínez & Claudio Roncoli, Art Directors (Magín Díaz)
Best Engineered Album: Mis Planes Son Amarte, Josh Gudwin, Mixer; Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer (Juanes)
Producer Of The Year: Eduardo Cabra [A La Mar (Vicente García) (A), La Fortuna (Diana Fuentes Featuring Tommy Torres) (S), La Lucha (La Vida Bohème) (A), Sofá (Silvina Moreno) (A), Somos (Swing Original Monks) (A)]
Best Short Form Music Video: Despacito, Luis Fonsi Featuring Daddy Yankee, Carlos R. Perez, Video Director; Joanna Egozcue & Roxy Quiñones, Video Producers
Best Long Form Music Video: Musas, El Documental, Natalia Lafourcade, Bruno Bancalari, Video Director; Juan Pablo López Fonseca, Video Producer

Lin-Manuel Miranda Organizing All-Star Charity Disaster Relief Single for Puerto Rico

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Lin-Manuel Miranda is making music for a cause close to his heart…

The 37-year-old composer, lyricist, playwright, and actor, best known for creating and starring in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals Hamilton and In the Heights, has organized what could be an all-star charity single to raise money for disaster relief in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Miranda hasn’t revealed the song’s title yet, but it will be available on October 6, according to CNN.

Miranda, whose parents came to the United States from Puerto Rico, said he “called every Puerto Rican I know” to contribute to the song. Two of the people participating are singer Ruben Blades and Hamilton castmate Anthony Ramos, who each belt out “Puerto Rico” in brief previews Miranda posted to Twitter.

“I had the idea at 3 in the morning. … The initial demo was me singing in a bathroom,” Miranda told CNN. “To every artist, I’ve said, ‘Can you help out on this song?’ And they said yes. Without even hearing the song, everyone’s joined in.”

“Puerto Ricans, that’s 3.5 million American citizens, just like Texas, just like Florida. I know there’s a tendency for fatigue because we’ve just been through two hurricanes. And we can’t be fatigued when it comes to our fellow Americans,” Miranda told CNN of the crisis in Puerto Rico, where many people are still without power and running short on basic supplies.

Miranda said his family in Puerto Rico is “all right,” but “there were a few terrifying days where nobody heard from anyone.”

Santa Rosa Becomes Guinness World Records Record-Holder

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Gilberto Santa Rosa has entered the record books…

The 54-year-old Puerto Rican singer, known as El Caballero de la Salsa, has become a Guinness World Records record-holder.

Gilberto Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa has been recognized for having the most No. 1s on Billboard’s Tropical Albums chart.

He’s earned 12 No. 1s since the chart launched in 1985, more than any other act (Victor Manuelle follows with 11).

Guinness World Records presented him with the award at La Salsa Vive, The Concert at Madison Square Garden, where Santa Rosa and other tropical artists, like El Gran Combo, Ruben Blades and Jose Alberto “El Canario” all performed.

Santa Rosa, who began his singing career during the 1980s, earned his first No. 1 in 1992 with Perspectiva — which, with 10 crowning weeks, is his longest-running chart-topper to date. Most recently, Necesito Un Bolero topped the tally on the Feb. 28, 2015 dated list.

Here’s a look at Santa Rosa’s 12 No. 1s on the Tropical Albums chart:

Title, Peak date (weeks at No. 1)

Perspectiva, Jan. 11, 1992 (10 weeks)
Esencia, Dec. 7, 1996 (four weeks)
Intenso, May 19, 2001 (two weeks)
Viceversa, Sept. 21, 2002 (eight weeks)
Autentico, Sept. 11, 2004 (one week)
Asi Es Nuestra Navidad (with El Gran Combo), Dec. 17, 2005 (two weeks)
Dos Soneros, Una Historia (with Victor Manulle), Dec. 31, 2005 (three weeks)
Directo Al Corazon, April 1, 2006 (two weeks)
Una Navidad Con Gilberto, Dec. 20, 2008 (three weeks)
El Caballero De La Salsa: La Historia Tropical, May 30, 2009 (one week)
Irrepetible, July 17, 2010 (one week)
Necesito Un Bolero, Feb. 28, 2015 (one week)

Guinness World Records adjudicator Raquel Assis bestowed the award to Santa Rosa at the concert. She stated “as the global authority in record-breaking, it is an honor to present Gilberto with this achievement and to be part of a night filled with some of the biggest stars of tropical music.”

In addition to his album achievements, Santa Rosa has also notched several hit songs on the Billboard charts. He holds 10 top 10s on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including a No. 1 with “Que Alguien Me Diga,” which spent three weeks atop the chart in 2000. Over on the Tropical Songs chart, he has notched 14 No. 1s, where he is tied (with Elvis Crespo) for third place among acts with the most chart-toppers.

Nieves Starring in the Latino-Themed Off-Broadway Musical “I Like It Like That”

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Tito Nieves likes it like that…

The 58-year-old Puerto Rican salsa singer is starring in the new off-Broadway musical I Like It Like That.

Tito Nieves

“We didn’t have politicians or other idols to look up to [in those days],” explains David Maldonado, producer and co-writer of the new musical. “There were not many Latino athletes around. The idols became Eddie Palmieri and Hector Lavoe…. Music artists were the most important figures. Music became like the religion of the masses.”

The show, now playing at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in New York, includes songs from the repertoire of Palmieri and Lavoe, Ruben Blades, Willie Colon, Joe Cuba, Tito Puente, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, La Lupe and more.

I Like It Like That takes its title from the song that was a Billboard chart hit for Pete Rodriguez in 1967. Thirty years later, the bugalú cornerstone was revived in a hit cover by Nieves, who stars as family patriarch Roberto Rodriguez in the new musical.

Featuring a seven-piece band, the theater production is a “historical musical journey” that Maldonado describes as a social chronicle of New York in the ’70s, as well as a sing-and-dance-along showcase for the great music of the period that came out of the city’s Latino neighborhoods. The play chronicles life in the barrio in those decadent days in New York.

“We were going bankrupt,” says Maldonado, who grew up in Brooklyn. “Garbage all over the place, potholes, civil unrest…”

Maldonado describes I Like It Like That as being “about social conscience. Some people want to escape, and others want to fight for the hood, which most people called ‘the ghetto.’”

He notes that in addition to the music, the language used in the play accurately reflects the period.

“It is in Spanglish,” he says. “Mostly English. I wasn’t doing that because I was trying to get a wider audience, although I do appreciate that. It was because at that time, there was salsa, but everyone was speaking English. The music was in Spanish, but if you look at those albums, the liner notes were in English.”

Maldonado and co-writer Waddys Jáquez (who also directs the play) tell the story of the Rodriguez family in East Harlem, using salsa, bugalú and bolero classics to advance the story.

Characters were created from those described in songs like Blades’ “Paula C,” and song lyrics were used to set the action and inspire the dialog, says Maldonado. The musical also includes original songs.

I Like It Like That promises to appeal to fans of the Celia Cruz musical Celia, and Quien Mató a Hector Lavoe; both shows also produced by Maldonado, which combined social chronicle with musical tribute.

New Trailer Released for Ramirez’s Roberto Duran Biopic “Hands of Stone”

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Edgar Ramirez’s gloves are on…

The Weinstein Company has released its latest trailer for Hands of Stone, the Roberto Duran boxing biopic starring the 39-year-old Venezuelan actor and Robert De Niro.

 

Hands of Stone

Duran became a hero in his native Panama as he rose through the ranks behind trainer Ray Arcel (De Niro), winning titles in four different weight classes. But it was his three epic bouts with Leonard that mattered most, the first when Duran beat Leonard to steal his welterweight belt in June 1980, and of course the second only five months later, when Duran famously told the referee “No mas” in the eighth round as Leonard was running circles around him. He also lost a close decision in a third fight in 1989. Duran certainly went on to redeem himself, though, and ended his career with 103 wins and securing his place on experts’ lists of the best fighters of all time.

Usher co-stars as Duran’s rival Sugar Ray Leonard, and Ellen Barkin, Ruben Blades and Ana de Armas co-star.

Hands of Stone debuts on August 26.

Ramirez’s “Hands of Stone” Screening at This Year’s Cannes Film Festival

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Edgar Ramirez will be throwing punches at this year’s Cannes Film Festival…

The 39-year-old Venezuelan actor’s latest film, Hands of Stone, will have a special screening at the film festival on Monday, May 16 in homage to fellow star Robert De Niro who will be in attendance.

Edgar Ramirez in Hands of Stone

“I’m excited to be coming back to Cannes especially with this movie, Hands Of Stone, that I’m so proud of,” said De Niro. “This movie is uplifting, triumphant and a good time for audiences, so I’m looking forward to seeing my friends from across the world of cinema in joining us for this fun event.”

The rags-to-riches boxing drama by Venezuelan director Jonathan Jakubowicz tells the story of iconinc Panamanian brawler Roberto Duràn (Ramirez) and manager and trainer Ray Arcel (De Niro).

Duran made his professional debut in 1968 as a 16-year‐old and retired in 2002 at the age of 50. He defeated nemesis Sugar Ray Leonard in June 1980, capturing the WBC welterweight title. However, in the rematch that November, Duran shocked the world. He was being outclassed and pummeled by Leonard when he said “No mas,” turned his back on his opponent and quit in the ring. During the course of his career he saw 103 victories in 119 fights.

The film’s title comes from Duran’s nickname, Los Manos a Piedra. Usher plays Leonard. Ellen Barkin, Ruben Blades and Ana de Armas also star.

The Weinstein Company acquired Hands of Stone at Cannes last year after an all-nighter and will release the film domestically on August 26.

AMC Renews Blades’ “Fear the Walking Dead” for a Third Season

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There’s more fear in Ruben Blades’ future…

Less than a week after its second season premiere, Fear the Walking Dead, starring the 67-year-old Panamanian actor/singer, has been picked up for a third season by AMC.

Ruben Blades

The 16-episode run of the Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson created spinofff of blockbuster The Walking Dead will debut in 2017.

“What Dave Erickson and Robert Kirkman have invented in Fear The Walking Dead is to be applauded,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “Watching Los Angeles crumble through the eyes of our characters and seeing each make decisions and try to figure out the rules of their new world – it’s fresh, eerie and compelling and we’re all in for the ride.”

Now on the high seas, FearTWD returned on April 10 for a 15-episode season two run basically even in Live + Same Day numbers with its October 4 S1 finale of last year.

While down 37% in the key 18-49 demo from the record-breaking cable highs of its August 23, 2015 Season 1 premiere FearTWD S2’s opener also declined 34% in total viewers from its very first show.

Despite those declines, the spinoff is still the second highest rated show on cable this season in the 18-49s – behind only TWD itself. On both broadcast and cable, FearTWD is the seventh highest rated show, including Sunday Night Football, this season so far.

In just released Live + 3 numbers, FearTWD’s S2 opener rose 32% in total viewers from its L+SD results to 8.8 million. Among adults 18-49, the Erickson written ‘Monster” episode was up 36% from L+SD to 5.3 million.

Zovatto to Star on AMC’s “Fear The Walking Dead”

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Daniel Zovatto isn’t afraid of his next project…

The 24-year-old Costa Rican actor has booked a recurring role on the upcoming second season of AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead.

Screen Shot 2016-02-01 at 11.00.30 AM

As usual, details are being kept under wraps.

Set in Los Angeles, The Walking Dead companion series focuses on new characters and storylines.

Zovatto joins a cast that includes Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Frank Dillane, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Lorenzo James Henrie, Ruben Blades, Mercedes Mason and Colman Domingo.

Season 2 premieres on April 10.

Zovatto recently finished shooting the USA Network pilot Brooklyn Animal Control. On the film side, he can next be seen in the Tristar/Ghosthouse pic Man In The Dark.

Smollett & His Empire Castmates to Appear at This Year’s PaleyFest Los Angeles

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Jussie Smollett is bringing his Empire to this year’s PaleyFest…

Fox’s hip-hop drama Empire, starring the 32-year-old Brazilian American actor/singer, will make its debut at the 33rd annual PaleyFest Los Angeles in March, headlining the lineup unveiled by the Paley Center for Media.

Jussie Smollett

Smollet will be joined onstage by the show’s leads Terrence Howard and newly minted Golden Globe winner Taraji P. Henson and other cast members, as well as creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong and executive producer Ilene Chaiken.

Empire will be joined by panels featuring the casts and creators of FX’s anthology  Starz drama Power, which launches it third season in June; and Fox’s freshman Scream Queens.

Also on the schedule this year: Fear The Walking Dead on March 19 and ABC’s Scandal on March 15.

This year’s William S. Paley Television Festival runs March 11-20 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Here’s the list so far of panels with Latino cast and crew making an appearance, along with dates and times:

Friday, March 11

Opening Night Presentation
Empire (7:30 PM)
Moderator: TBA
Terrence Howard, “Lucious Lyon”
Taraji P. Henson, “Cookie Lyon”
Jussie Smollett, “Jamal Lyon”
Bryshere Gray, “Hakeem Lyon”
Trai Byers, “Andre Lyon”
Grace Gealey, “Anika Calhoun”
Kaitlin Doubleday, “Rhonda Lyon”
Gabourey Sidibe, “Becky”
Ta’Rhonda Jones, “Porsha”
Serayah, “Tiana Brown”
Lee Daniels, Co-Creator & Executive Producer
Danny Strong, Co-Creator & Executive Producer
Ilene Chaiken, Executive Producer
Brian Grazer, Executive Producer 

Scream Queens (7 PM)
Moderator: TBA
Emma Roberts, “Chanel Oberlin”
Jamie Lee Curtis, “Dean Cathy Munsch”
Lea Michele, “Hester Ulrich”
Abigail Breslin, “Chanel #5”
Skyler Samuels, “Grace Gardner”
Keke Palmer, “Zayday Williams”
Billie Lourd, “Chanel #3”
Niecy Nash, “Officer Denise Hemphill” 

Tuesday, March 15

Scandal (7:30 PM)
Moderator: TBA
Kerry Washington, “Olivia Pope”
Guillermo Diaz, “Huck”
Darby Stanchfield, “Abby Whelan”
Katie Lowes, “Quinn Perkins”
Tony Goldwyn, “President Fitzgerald ‘Fitz’Grant”
Jeff Perry, “Cyrus Beene”
Bellamy Young, “Mellie Grant”
Joshua Malina, “David Rosen”
Scott Foley, “Jake Ballard”
Portia de Rossi, “Elizabeth North”
Cornelius Smith Jr., “Marcus Walker”
Joe Morton, “Rowan Pope”
Shonda Rhimes, Creator & Executive Producer
Betsy Beers, Executive Producer 

Saturday, March 19

Fear the Walking Dead (2 PM)
Moderator: TBA
Kim Dickens, “Madison Clark”
Cliff Curtis, “Travis Manawa”
Frank Dillane, “Nick Clark”
Alycia Debnam-Carey, “Alicia Clark”
Lorenzo James Henrie, “Christopher Manawa”
Ruben Blades, “Daniel Salazar”
Mercedes Mason, “Ofelia Salazar”
Colman Domingo, “Victor Strand”
Dave Erickson, Showrunner/Executive Producer/Co-Creator/Writer
Gale Anne Hurd, Executive Producer 

Sunday, March 20

Power (2 PM)
Moderator: TBA
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, “Kanan” & Executive Producer
Omari Hardwick, “James ‘Ghost’ St. Patrick”
Lela Loren, “Angela Valdes”
Naturi Naughton, “Tasha St. Patrick”
Joseph Sikora, “Tommy Egan”
Courtney Kemp Agboh, Creator, Showrunner, and Executive Producer

Juanes Developing Autobiographical TV Series “Persiguiendo el Sol”

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Juanes is looking to break into the television…

The 43-year-old Colombian musician and his manager, Rebeca Leon, have partnered with Golden Globe-winning producer Ben Silverman for an Empire-like television drama.

Juanes

The three have joined to develop and produce a television show titled Persiguiendo el Sol that will chronicle Juanes’ rise to stardom, from his beginnings in Colombia through his arrival in Miami, according to Billboard.

“It’s a mix of Entourage and Narcos,” Silverman told Billboard, referencing the Netflix drug drama not for its content, but as an example of a show shot in Latin America for mainstream audiences.

Producer Eric Newman, the showrunner for Narcos, will also be executive producer and showrunner for Persiguiendo el Sol.

“He’s the first American producer to bring American show running to American production,” said Silverman, who has worked several Latin-themed projects in recent years, including Jane the Virgin and Killer Women.

Silverman, who is the founder and chairman of entertainment production company Electus, arrived in Miami on January 18 in time for the NATPE global television market. He’ll be shopping the show concept to potential production partners in both Latin and mainstream media with plans to start shooting as early as spring or summer.

Persiguiendo el Sol, which is named after Juanes’ memoir, will be a bilingual show and will feature cameos from multiple artists in both mainstream and Latin worlds.

The notion of the show began to brew after Silverman met Juanes through Leon in 2014 and enlisted him to perform in an episode of Jane the Virgin. Silverman was already heavily vested in Latin themed productions. Among other projects, he was putting the finishing touches on bilingual film Hands of Stone, which is due out in April and tells the story of boxer Roberto “Mano de Piedra” Durán. Its cast includes Edgar Ramirez, Ruben Blades, Usher and Robert de Niro.

Juanes has also been dabbling further in mainstream film and television. Last year, his song “Juntos,” co-written with fellow Colombian Fonseca, was used for the ending credits of Disney film McFarland USA.