Lopez: The World’s Most Powerful Latina Celebrity

She may not be sitting at the top of the perch of ForbesCelebrity 100 list this year, but Jennifer Lopez is still the world’s most powerful Latina celebrity.

This year, the 43-year-old Puerto Rican actress/singer ranks No. 12 on the magazine’s official list of the world’s most powerful celebrities.

Jennifer Lopez

Lopez, who ranked No. 1 on last year’s list, earned $52 million in 2012. But after quitting her gig as a judge on American Idol, she lost the hefty $12 million salary that came with it.

Lopez, who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this month, is earning at nearly the same rate though, thanks to her lucrative world tour that grossed over $1 million per night and a starring role in the Latin talent competition Q’Viva. Lopez continues to give back through her foundation and is the first female spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in its century-and-a-half history.

But Lopez isn’t the only Hispanic celebrity list…

Lionel Messi is next on the list, coming in at No. 39. The 26-year-old Argentinean soccer star won FIFA’s world player of the year award for a record fourth year in a row after scoring 91 goals in all competitions last year to break a 40-year-old world record held by Gerd Muller.

His team, Futbol Club Barcelona, rewarded him with a record contract extension through 2018 that will pay him more than $20 million annually. In addition, Adidas launched his icon signature line in 2013. It is only the second time they have done so for one of their brand ambassadors.

Other Hispanic celebrities include:

Rafael Nadal, Spanish tennis star, No. 51
Sofia Vergara, Colombian actress, No. 54
Charlie Sheen, part-Spanish American actor, No. 67
Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian supermodel, No. 81
George Lopez, Mexican American actor/comedian, No. 93
Louis C.K., Mexican American comedian/actor, No. 97

The Release Date of Rodriguez’s “Machete Kills” Moved to October

If you’re anxious to see Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills, you’ll have to wait a tad longer.

Open Road has shifted the release of the 44-year-old Mexican American filmmaker’s sequel to the Danny Trejo-starrer Machete to October 4 from its earlier September 13 date.

Machete Kills

Along with Trejo, Machete Kills stars Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Demián Bichir, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens and Mel Gibson.

Trejo returns as the blade-wielding ex-Federale agent, who this time is recruited by the President of the United States for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man – he must take down a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war and anarchy across the planet

The script, by Kyle Ward, is based on a story by Rodriguez and his brother Marcel.

Vergara to be Immortalized in Wax at Madame Tussauds

It’s true… Sofia Vergara has one heckuva (wax) figure…

The 40-year-old Colombian actress will be immortalized with lifelike wax figures at New York City’s Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York and Las Vegas beginning June 4.

Sofia Vergara

“We are very excited about Sofia Vergara’s arrival at Madame Tussauds. She has become one of the most recognized and popular talents in the world and we know her fans and our visitors will love her figures,” said museum representative Janine DiGioacchino in a statement.

The three-time SAG Award-winning Modern Family star was an “enthusiastic participant” in the figure creation process, which took four months.

The museum’s artists had to take thousands of photos and measurements of Vergara to get her image just right.

In New York, the wax figure of Vergara will show off her curvas with the same Marchesa dress that she wore last year to New York City’s Met Gala.

For her Las Vegas waxwork, Vergara gave the museum the form-fitting black dress accented with leopard-print sleeves originally worn to promote the third season of Modern Family.

Vergara joins the list of celebrities who in recent years have seen their immortalized in wax, including Penelope Cruz, Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga.

Rodriguez Releases First Trailer for “Machete Kills”

Robert Rodriguez is offering a first glimpse at Machete Kills

The 44-year-old Mexican American director has released the first trailer to his sequel to the 2010 grindhouse-inspired film Machete.

Machete Kills

By the looks of things, Rodriguez has amped up the camp, as well as carnage, in the Danny Trejo-starrer.

In the sequel, Trejo portrays blade-savvy former Mexican Federale Machete, who is recruited by the President of the United States for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man – he must take down a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer (Mel Gibson) who has hatched a plan to spread war across the planet.

In addition to Trejo and Gibson, the film also stars Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Demian Bichir, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Charlie Sheen, who is using his birth name in the film credits.

There are reportedly plans to make Machete a trilogy, especially if the sequel does anywhere near the first film, which earned $44M worldwide on an approximately $10M production budget.

Machete Kills will be released on September 13.

Rousseff: The Highest-Ranking Latina on Forbes’ Most Powerful Women List

Dilma Rousseff is not only the most powerful Latina in the world… But, she’s inching her way to being the most powerful woman on the planet.

The 65-year-old Brazilian politician, who has served as her nation’s president – the first woman to hold the office – since January 2011, comes in at No. 2 on Forbes magazine’s annual list of World’s Most Powerful Women.

Dilma Rousseff

Rousseff, who ranked No. 3 on last year’s list, comes in behind only German Chancellor Angela Merkel, this year.

Currently at the midpoint of her first term as president, Rousseff heads the world’s seventh-largest national economy (GDP $2.4 trillion). Despite Brazil’s size, she has been tasked with helping pull the country out of its slowest two years of growth in more than a decade. Her emphasis on entrepreneurship has inspired a new generation of startups.

This year, Rousseff has a new ally in the first-ever Brazilian director-general of the World Trade Organization, Roberto Azevedo, who was confirmed in Geneva in early May.

Maria das Graças Silva Foster

Maria das Graças Silva Foster, another Brasilenia on the list, ranks at No. 18 this year, two spots higher than last year.

The 59-year-old Brazilian business executive and chemical engineer serves as the CEO of Petrobras-Petróleo Brasil, Brazil’s state-controlled oil company.

das Graças Silva Foster last year took over the largest company in the Southern Hemisphere by sales ($144 billion) and market value ($120 billion). In 2012 Petrobras produced about 2 million barrels of crude oil daily, and she expects similar levels this year as it develops oil trapped in the Campos Basin in the Atlantic, one of the world’s most promising oil frontiers.

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

The third Latina on the list is Argentina’s lady in charge, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

The 60-year-old Argentinean president comes in at No. 26 on the list, a drop of 10 spots from last year.

Fernandez de Kirchner, halfway through her second term, is facing some headaches, including massive street demonstrations and accusations that Argentina has been covering up runaway inflation by underreporting the country’s annual rate.

Sofia Vergara

Meanwhile, the first Latina celebrity to make the cut is Sofia Vergara.

The 40-year-old Colombian actress and entrepreneur registers one of the biggest leaps on the list, moving up 37 spots to No. 38.

Vergara, who ranked No. 75 last year, is the top-earning actress on television and the face of a sweeping trend to capture the $1 trillion Hispanic market.

As a member of the cast of ABC’s Modern Family, Vergara is at the top of her game.

In addition to the show, her line of clothing and home goods sold at Kmart is thriving and endorsement deals with Diet Pepsi, CoverGirl, Rooms to Go and thyroid medicine Synthroid make her one of the most in-demand spokespeople.

Behind the scenes Vergara is a cofounder of a 17-year-old talent management and new media company, LatinWE, which pulled in an estimated $27 million last year and which recently launched a social network, NuevoWorld, to connect Latino celebs with their fans.

In May ABC announced that a new series executive produced by Vergara, Killer Women, an adaptation of an Argentine soap opera, will be in its Fall 2013 lineup.

Here’s a look at the other Latinas on the list…

No. 35 Mary Barra, SVP, Global Product Development, General Motors

No. 52 Shakira Mebarak, Actress and Philanthropist

No. 66 Rosalía Mera, Businesswoman, Entrepreneur and Billionaire

No. 95 Gisele Bündchen, Model and Philanthropist

Full list of the 100 women who represent agents of change in the world can be obtained on Forbes.com.

Sheen Using His Birth Name in “Machete Kills” Credits

Charlie Sheen is embracing his Latino roots…

The 47-year-old part-Spanish actor is using his real name in the credits for Robert Rodriguez’ upcoming film Machete Kills.

Charlie Sheen

Sheen, born Carlos Irwin Estévez to actor Martin Sheen, stars as the President of the United States in the sequel to Rodriguez’s cult classic Machete.

His brother Emilio Estevez decided to keep the family name and dad Martin Sheen, born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estevez, regrets changing his name, which he did to get more acting gigs.

“I thought, I got enough problems trying to get an acting job, so I invented Martin Sheen,” said the West Wing star during a 2003 appearance on Inside the Actors Studio.

“It’s still Estevez officially. I never changed it officially. I never will. It’s on my driver’s license and passport and everything. I started using Sheen, I thought I’d give it a try, and before I knew it, I started making a living with it and then it was too late. In fact, one of my great regrets is that I didn’t keep my name as it was given to me. I knew it bothered my dad.”

In the film, Trejo returns as ex-Federal agent Machete, who is recruited by the President of the United States (Sheen) for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man – he must take down a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer (Mel Gibson) who has hatched a plan to spread war across the planet.

Machete Kills also stars Sofia Vergara, Demián Bichir, Jessica Alba, Antonio Banderas, Vanessa Hudgens and Lady Gaga.

Machete Kills is scheduled for release in the U.S. on September 13, 2013.

Vergara Starring in Special Latin American Telenovela

Sofia Vergara is returning to her Spanish-language roots for her next project…

The 40-year-old Colombian actress has just completed a five-episode telenovela that will air throughout Latin America beginning in July.

Sofia Vergara

Vergara, one of the highest paid actress on U.S. television for her critically acclaimed role on Modern Family, wrapped up production on the miniseries several days ago in Long Island, New York, in a telenovela house where the Barranquilla native worked with more than 10 Latin actors

“I had a lot of fun doing this special project and I hope the public enjoys it all over Latin America. For now I can’t give you any more details – it’s a little surprise I’m saving for you,” the actress said during the shoot.

Vergara kept secret the plot and the title of the series, her first project entirely in Spanish in several years.

The SAG Award-winning actress has been a hit in the ABC series Modern Family that is broadcast in 16 countries, and she’s serving as the executive producer of the series Killer Women, among other projects.

Romero Hard at Work on English and Spanish Projects

Fernanda Romero is setting out to be a crossover queen…

The 30-year-old Mexican actress and singer, who just finished starring in the highly acclaimed film El Fantastico Mundo de Juan Oro by Sebastian del Amo, has a number of projects to premiere in Spanish and English, as she hopes to make her mark in the entertainment world on both sides of the border.

Fernanda Romero

Romero is currently appearing in Chamacas, a comedy show on the Hispanic online entertainment channel Nuevon, which is broadcast on YouTube and is the property of actress Sofia Vergara.

She’s also just wrapped production of the English-language films Ghost Team One, a supernatural adventure, and Mission Park, the story of four close friends who head off in very different directions. Addtionally, Romero’s romantic comedy Pendejo, in which she stars opposite Raja Fenske, Danny Trejo, Laksh Singh and others was recently released on DVD.

“I feel blessed by all the projects coming my way. I believe you start sowing and suddenly all those little seeds start to flower. But you can’t sit back and rest – you have to keep giving your all and opening new doors,” Romero, born and raised in Mexico City, told Efe.

Romero’s credits include El alma herida, La ley del silencio, The Eye and a guest-starring role on Entourage.

Jason Statham’s “Heat” Reboot with Vergara Earning International Sales

Sofia Vergara’s latest film is packin’ serious heat…

The Simon West-directed Heat reboot, which stars Jason Statham and the 40-year-old Colombian actress, has been selling quite well for Sierra/Affinity Films.

Sofia Vergara

The remake of the 1986 film of the same name starring Burt Reynolds was penned by William Goldman. Currently in-production, Heat is expected to be released in 2014.

Since introducing the action film in Berlin and a day into the Cannes Market, Sierra/Affinity’s film has more than 20 territories finalized including the UK (Lionsgate), Germany, Latin America, South Africa and Turkey.

Along with Statham and Vergara, the film also stars Michael Angarano, Stanley Tucci, Milo Ventimiglia, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Hope Davis, Jason Alexander, Max Casella and Anne Heche.

Vergara Named Spokeswoman for “Follow the Script” Hypothyroidism Campaign

Sofia Vergara is encouraging women to Follow the Script when it comes to their health.

The 40-year-old Colombian actress and Modern Family star has been named the spokeswoman for Follow the Script, a campaign to raise awareness of hypothyroidism.

Sofia Vergara

Vergara, who has spoken out about her own bout with thyroid cancer, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 28 and had to have her thyroid removed.

“I was very young, and when they tell you that word (cancer), it’s like, ‘What are you talking about?’ You always think, ‘death.’ You don’t – that’s all you think when they tell you that. So it was – it was pretty scary,” Vergara said on ABC’s Nightline.

She first learned of the problem when she took her son Manolo to his endocrinologist and the doctor noticed an inflammation in her thyroid gland.

The removal of her thyroid left Vergara with hypothyroidism, a condition that requires daily medication.

“In my career, I’m known to ad lib and go off-script-but not when it comes to my health. I make sure to ‘Follow the Script’ so I get exactly what my doctor prescribed,” the actress said.

Roughly one in eight women will suffer from a thyroid condition during the course of their lives, Vergara’s endocrinologist, Dr. Jordan L. Geller, said during the campaign launch at the Trump SoHo in New York.

An estimated 30 million people in the United States suffer from hypothyroidism.