Steven Michael Quezada to Tape Special Stand-Up Comedy Special During Tribeca Film Festival

Steven Michael Quezada is bringin’ the funny to the Big Apple…

Tribeca and Comedy Dynamics are teaming up again for a slate of 10 stand-up comedy specials to be filmed at the Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9-20 in New York City, including a special by the 58-year-old Latino actor/comedian.

Steven Michael Quezada

Quezada, best known for his role as DEA agent Steven Gomez in the hit series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, will be performing on June 15 at 10:30 pm. In addition to his acting work, Steven performs stand-up comedy across the country and also performs regularly on Carnival Cruise Lines.

Tribeca and Comedy Dynamics partnered in early 2020 to produce original stand-up comedy specials that were slated to be filmed at the annual fest. But after COVID-19 restrictions took hold nationwide, they pivoted and evolved the indoor festival into an outdoor comedy drive-in set across the country at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Tribeca x Comedy Dynamics Drive-In featured hourlong comedy sets — the first set of drive-in comedy specials filmed in the midst of the pandemic.

Produced by Tribeca and Comedy Dynamics and directed by the latter’s founder and CEO, Brian Volk-Weiss, this month’s slate of specials is part of Tribeca’s expansion into new storytelling platforms and its 12-day celebration to reopen New York and bring live entertainment back to the city.

“We had a blast working with the amazing team at Tribeca for our 2020 Comedy Drive-In at the Rose Bowl, and we’re excited to be taking the show back to New York City in 2021 to give fans a bigger, better and more interactive experience,” Volk-Weiss said.

Cisco Henson serves as executive producer for the specials, which are produced by Michael Epstein and will be filmed at Spring Studios.

Here’s a rundown of the performances with times, dates and artist bios:

Bill Bellamy
June 12, 8:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
Bill Bellamy is a comedian and actor who has been featured on Insecure, Self-Made, Def Comedy Jam, MTV Jamz, MTV Beach House, Last Comic Standing, Hot in Cleveland and more. Bill has several acclaimed stand-up specials under his belt, including Booty Call, Ladies Night Out and Crazy, Sexy, Dirty. Bill is also the host and EP of Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes, which has featured rising comedians in their early days, including Tiffany Haddish, Lil Rel Howery and Karlous Miller.

Cocoa Brown
June 17, 8:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
Cocoa Brown is a comedian and actress who has appeared on Showtime at the Apollo, One Mic Stand and BET’s ComicView. She’s also appeared in Tyler Perry’s series, For Better or Worse and comedy films such as Ted 2 and The Single Moms Club. In addition to her comedic roles, Cocoa has showcased her acting talents on dramatic series such as Fox’s 9-1-1 and FX’s The People Vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

Helen Hong
June 16, 10:30 p.m.
A fan favorite on the hit NPR podcast Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Helen Hong was a recurring character on HBO’s Silicon Valley, CBS’ The Unicorn and Netflix’s Huge in France. She’s performed stand-up comedy on The Arsenio Hall Show, Last Call with Carson Daly, Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen and the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. Helen was featured in the Coen Brothers’ film Inside Llewyn Davis, and has guest-starred on Jane the Virgin, Parks and Recreation and Pretty Little Liars.

Maija DiGiorgio
June 16, 8:30 p.m.
Maija DiGiorgio is recognized by New York’s Time Out magazine as one of “the freshest, funniest, unique voices to grace the microphone”. Maija has been featured on HBO Def Comedy Jam, Hot 97, Comics Unleashed, Sex and the City, Uncontrolled Comedy Hour and more. Maija received a standing ovation on her first television appearance on NBC’s Live from the Apollo and never stopped touring since, including several tours to serve our troops stationed overseas in Korea and Japan.

Josh Gondelman
June 13, 8:30 p.m.
Josh Gondelman is a writer and comedian who incubated inBoston before moving to New York City, where he currently lives and works as a writer and producer for Desus & Mero on Showtime. Previously, he spent five years at Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, where he earned two Peabody Awards, four Emmy awards, and three WGA Awards for his work. Josh’s debut essay collection, Nice Try, was released in fall 2019 through Harper Perennial. In the past, Josh has written for Fuse TV’s Billy on the Street. Onstage, Joshcharms audiences using his good-natured storytelling and cracks them up with his sharp, pointy wit. He takes topics from surprise parties to his experience teaching preschool and makes them all equally hilarious. In 2016, he made his late-night stand-up debut on Conan (TBS), and made his network TV debut on Late Night With Seth Meyers (NBC) in 2018. He has also appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Josh’s album Dancing on a Weeknight was released April 2019 on Blonde Medicine Records and hit No. 7on the Billboard comedy chart. His previous comedy album Physical Whisper debuted in March 2016 at No. 1 on the iTunes comedy chart (as well as No. 4 on the Billboard comedy chart) and stayed there for…well…longer than he expected, honestly.

Miz Cracker
June 13, 10:30 p.m.
Miz Cracker is a New York City drag queen, writer and comedienne. She launched her drag career in 2011 while participating in marches for marriage equality in Times Square. She went on to compete in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10, landing a spot in the top five and becoming a fan favorite. She now tours the world with her one woman shows; delights fans on her YouTube channel; lectures on drag at top universities; cooks with Bon Appetit; writes for publications like Slate, ArtForum, Vice and GQ; and engages over a million followers on Instagram and Twitter. Cracker describes herself as a “woman’s lifestyle brand,” and is a vocal advocate for women’s rights. Her forthcoming solo show, American Woman, discusses how drag queens and gay men can become better allies to women in an age when Feminism is more important than ever.

Kellen Erskine
June 14, 8:30 p.m.
Comedian Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, America’s Got Talent and the Amazon Original series, Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 30 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the coveted “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. Kellen was named one of TBS’s Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2017, and he performed at the Bridgetown, Big Sky, and Boston Comedy Festivals. In February 2018, Kellen made his late night TV stand-up debut on TBS’ Conan.

Katrina Davis
June 14, 10:30 p.m.
Katrina Davis is a stand-up from Jacksonville, Florida who sprang onto the Los Angeles comedy scene with a few 60-second sets on Kill Tony. She took on enough contenders in Roast Battle at The Comedy Store to be ranked amongst the top 50 battlers in 2018 and can been seen on America’s Got Talent as well as the Seed & Spark comedy special Everything Is Fine. Katrina performs at shows regularly all-around LA and was honored to be named one of Time Out LA’s Comics to Watch for 2019. During the pandemic, Katrina has been featured on many online comedy shows and even hosts her own monthly Zoom show called Valley Girl. Most recently Katrina can be seen on Amazon Prime’s Fact Check digital series and heard as a voice of a couple characters on YouTube’s Swipeothesis.

Jackie Fabulous
June 15, 8:30 p.m.
Comedian Jackie Fabulous captured America’s heart as a semi-finalist on the 2019 season of America’s Got Talent. She’s a hilarious and affable stand-up comedian, writer, actor, producer, motivational speaker, and headliner who uses her jokes and sparkling nature to simultaneously entertain, encourage, and empower audiences while keeping them laughing, and easily navigating the comedy gamut from family friendly to naughty. Jackie’s stand-up has been featured on The Arsenio Hall Show, Gotham Comedy Live, Fox, BET, Last Comic Standing, Kevin Harts LOL Network and more. In addition to her television appearances, Jackie Fabulous is a paid regular and headliner at several top comedy clubs such as The Comedy Cellar, The Hollywood Improv, The Laugh Factory and Funny Bone clubs.

Steven Michael Quezada
June 15, 10:30 p.m.
Steven is best known for his role as DEA agent Steven Gomez in the hit series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, while also appearing in films such as Kites, Beerfest, First Snow and 3 From Hell over his career. In addition to his acting work, Steven performs stand-up comedy across the country and also performs regularly on Carnival Cruise Lines.

Leto Wins First-Ever SAG Award for His Performance in “Dallas Buyers Club”

It’s turning out to be a rewarding week for Jared Leto

The 42-year-old part-Spanish American actor/singer took home his first-ever SAG Award on Saturday night at the 20th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Jared Leto

Leto, a first-time SAG Award nominee, earned “The Actor” statuette for best supporting actor for his performance as male-to-female transgender character Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club.

Leto’s SAG Award marked his third prize in a week for the role — he also won his first-ever Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Movie Award. Additionally, he earned his first-ever Academy Award nomination this week, an award Hollywood insiders believe he’ll take home on March 2.

Leto dedicated his supporting actor SAG award to “the Rayons of the world, the people who made a choice to live their lives not as others would have them live it but as they have chosen to dream it.”

But Leto wasn’t the only Latino actor to pick up the first SAG Award of his career…

Mexican American comedian Louis C.K., a previous nominee for Male Actor in a Comedy Series for his starring role on FX’s Louie, and first-time nominee Michael C. Peña each earned “The Actor” for forming part of the cast of David O. Russell’s drama American Hustle, which took outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.

Breaking Bad star Steven Michael Quezada also picked up his first SAG Award. The 50-year-old Mexican American actor and two-time nominee, who portrays DEA Agent Steven Gomez on the series, and his cast mates took home the award for took outstanding performance by a cast in a drama series.

From first to fourth…

Sofia Vergara and Rico Rodriguez made history when they picked up their fourth consecutive SAG Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a comedy series for starring on Modern Family.

With the victory, the hit ABC sitcom broke a tie with Seinfeld for most ensemble cast in a comedy series wins in the history of the SAG Awards, cementing the show’s status as one of the best television comedies of all time.

The SAG Awards were handed out during a live simulcast on TNT and TBS on Saturday night from the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles.

Here’s a complete look at this year’s SAG Award winners:

Female actor in a supporting role:
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave

Male actor in a supporting role:
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Female actor in a comedy series:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Male actor in a comedy series:
Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Ensemble in a comedy series:
Modern Family
Julie Bowen / Claire Dunphy
Ty Burrell / Phil Dunphy
Aubrey Anderson Emmons / Lily Tucker-Pritchett
Jesse Tyler Ferguson / Mitchell Pritchett
Nolan Gould / Luke Dunphy
Sarah Hyland / Haley Dunphy
Ed O’Neill / Jay Pritchett
Rico Rodriguez / Manny Delgado
Eric Stonestreet / Cameron Tucker
Sofia Vergara / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
Ariel Winter / Alex Dunphy

Female actor in a TV movie or miniseries:
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector

Male actor in a TV movie or miniseries:
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra

Female actor in a drama series:
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Male actor in a drama series:
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Ensemble in a drama series:
Breaking Bad
Michael Bowen / Uncle Jack
Betsy Brandt / Marie Schrader
Bryan Cranston/ Walter White
Lavell Crawford / Huell
Tait Fletcher / Lester
Laura Fraser/ Lydia Rodarte-Quale
Anna Gunn / Skyler White
Matthew T. Metzler / Matt
RJ Mitte / Walter White Jr.
Dean Norris / Hank Schrader
Bob Odenkirk/ Saul Goodman
Aaron Paul / Jesse Pinkman
Jesse Plemons / Todd
Steven Michael Quezada / Gomez
Kevin Rankin / Kenny
Patrick Sane / Frankie

Male actor in a leading role:
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Female actor in a leading role:
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Cast in a Motion Picture:

American Hustle
Amy Adams / Sydney Prosser
Christian Bale/ Irving Rosenfeld
Louis C.K. / Stoddard Thorsen
Bradley Cooper / Richie DiMaso
Paul Herman/ Alfonse Simone
Jack Huston/ Pete Musane
Jennifer Lawrence / Rosalyn Rosenfeld
Alessandro Nivola / Federal Prosecutor
Michael C. Peña/ Sheik (Agent Hernandez)
Jeremy Renner/ Mayor Carmine Polito
Elisabeth Rohm/ Dolly Polito
Shea Whigham/ Carl Elway

Lopez Producing & Starring in Inspirational Tale “La Vida Robot”

George Lopez will be livin’ La Vida Robot

George Lopez

The 52-year-old Mexican American actor/comedian will star opposite Marisa Tomei in La Vida Robot, the true story adapted from a WIRED article about four undocumented Mexican-American teenagers who form a robotics team in Phoenix. They go up against the best from M.I.T. in the national robotics championship with an entry made from $800 and used car parts.

Lionsgate and Televisa’s Pantelion will co-produce the film with Lopez’s Travieso Productions.

In addition to Lopez and Tomei, the film stars Breaking Bad’s Steven Michael Quezada and Big Time Rush’s Carlos Pena Jr.

La Vida Robot is currently filming on location in New Mexico under helmer Sean McNamara.

Quezada Running for School Board in Albuquerque

He’s been Breaking Bad on television for five seasons… But now Steven Michael Quezada will bebreaking down barriers to education in New Mexico.

The 49-year-old actor, who stars as DEA agent Steven Gomez on AMC’s Emmy-winning series Breaking Bad, is running unopposed for the school board in Albuquerque.

Steven Michael Quezada

“My concern for education in New Mexico has always been there,” said Quezada during an appearance on CNN on Monday. “I’m one of those kids that struggled through school, and I feel like I fell through the cracks.”

Quezada has three children in charter schools and said he feels the need to help them and other kids in the state. He doesn’t think he’ll seek a higher title anytime soon; the actor says his political ambitions are limited to school board and that he’ll continue to act.

“The good news about New Mexico is we bring a lot of movies, a lot of television series out here, so I’m hoping I continue to work out here in New Mexico along with being part of my community,” he said.

Quezada said some of his Breaking Bad co-stars have even gotten involved in the Albuquerque community as well. Bryan Cranston has helped Quezada start programs that train children for work in the film and TV industry.

“They care about what’s happening in New Mexico,” Quezada said of his co-stars, who have shot much of Breaking Bad in the city. “Bryan and the rest of the cast are awesome, great people, and they’ve invested in New Mexico.”

Breaking Bad returns this summer on AMC with the second half of its fifth and final season.

Cannavale Recives Two SAG Award Nominations

Bobby Cannavale excels at comedy and drama… And, he’s got two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations to prove it.

During the announcement of nominees for the 19th SAG Awards, the 42-year-old half-Cuban American actor was recognized as part of the ensembles of two cable shows.

Bobby Cannavale
Cannavale, a Primetime Emmy nominee this year for his guest-starring role on Modern Family, is nominated in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for his role as Gyp Rosetti on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.

He’s also nominated in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for his role as Dr. Mike Cruz on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie.

But Cannavele isn’t the only Hispanic nominee…

Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara, AskMen.com’s most desirable Latina in the world, has been nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series category, as well as in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, along with her television son Rico Rodriguez.

Vergara, Rodriguez and the rest of the Modern Family cast have won the award for the last two years.

Louis C.K. has earned a SAG Award nod for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for his starring role on FX’s Louie, the latest in a long string of nominations for his work on the series.

Like Louis C.K., Skyfall’s Javier Bardem has also picked up yet another nod for this outstanding work this year. The 43-year-old Spanish actor is nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his villainous role in the latest Bond film.

Other Latino nominees include Nurse Jackie’s Jake Cannavale; Breaking Bad’s Steven Michael Quezada; Glee’s Samuel Larsen, Naya Rivera and Lea Michele; Homeland’s Morena Baccarin; and The Office’s Oscar Nuñez.

The Screen Actors Guild Award — The Actor — is presented for outstanding performances in motion pictures and primetime television in 2012, including the distinctive ensemble awards and the stunt ensemble honors.

Recipients of the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be announced at ceremonies on Sunday, January 27, simulcast live on TNT and TBS at 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
JAVIER BARDEM / Silva – “SKYFALL”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
LOUIS C.K. / Louie – “LOUIE” (FX)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)

 

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

BOARDWALK EMPIRE
(HBO)
BOBBY CANNAVALE / Gyp Rosetti

BREAKING BAD
(AMC)
STEVEN MICHAEL QUEZADA / Gomez

HOMELAND (Showtime)
MORENA BACCARIN / Jessica Brody

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

GLEE (FOX)
SAMUEL LARSEN / Joe Hart
LEA MICHELE / Rachel Berry
NAYA RIVERA / Santana Lopez

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny Delgado
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett

NURSE JACKIE
(Showtime)
BOBBY CANNAVALE / Dr. Mike Cruz
JAKE CANNAVALE / Charlie Cruz

THE OFFICE (NBC)
OSCAR NUÑEZ / Oscar Martinez