From Prada to Nada Slated to Premiere January 2011

Alexa Vega, Wilmer Valderrama and Adriana Barraza Star

Coming in January the debut film of Pantelion, the new venture between Televisa and Lionsgate, From Prada to Nada a Latina twist to the classic Jane Austen novel, Sense and Sensibility. The cast includes, Academy Award nominee Adriana Barraza (Babel, Drag Me to Hell, Amores Perros), Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Wilmer Valderrama (That 70’s Show), Kuno Becker (Goal, and Camilla Belle (When A Stranger Calls . The film is directed by Angel Gracia, by a script penned by Fina Torres,Luis Alfaro and Craig Fernandez.

From Prada to Nada follows two spoiled sisters when they are left penniless after the sudden death of their father. Forced to move in with their estranged aunt in East Los Angeles, this is a fish-out-of-water story where the girls ultimately find romance, as well as a love for their culture. 

Nilo Cruz’s “Anna In the Tropics” to be Developed by "Precious" Director Lee Daniels

Anna in the Tropics the Pulitzer - and Steinberg Prize-winning play by playwright Nilo Cruz is being developed and set to be directed by Precious director Lee Daniels.

Anna In the Tropics the story about a Cuban cigar factory in Florida and a family of cigar rollers who, in the tradition of Cuba, work as a lector reads to them from the classics.

The play premiered on Broadway in 2004 with Jimmy Smits in the lead. It went on to be nominated for two Tonys that same year. It has has been translated and produced for audiences from Australia and China to Spain, Germany and France.

“I always saw it as a film,” says Cruz. “Even though I wrote is as a play, I just think it has endless possibilities as a film”. The possibility of having Daniels as a director appeals to Cruz. “I loved his use of fantasy and quotidian life in Precious. I think my piece also deals with similar level of reality,” he commented to Indiewire.

As for Daniels, who has a slate full of projects including, Selma, The Butler, The Scottsboro Boys and Frederico Fellinis Nights Of Cabiria, it is unsure whether Anna will be his next project or if it will have to wait its turn.

William Morris Entertainment packaged the deal and the collaboration between Cruz and Daniels begins this coming January.

Anna will be produced by the Austin, TX based Mankind Entertainment which is headed by Joe Lamy and John Torres Martinez, who are also developing Castro’s Daughter, written by Bobby Moresco.

2010 TV Networks "Report Cards" Show Decline in Latino Diversity

 

National Latino Media Council Releases "Report Cards"

Pasadena, CA.- Today the National Latino Media Council (NLMC) held a press conference to release the annual Television Network Report Cards. NLMC is disappointed that this annual diversity report card reflects a decline in Latino diversity at the four major television networks - ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. The report card summarizes progress and shortfalls of the networks diversity efforts during the 2009-2010 television season. Networks earn overall diversity performance grades, as well as specific grades based on their employment of Latino actors in primetime scripted and reality programming, Latino writers, producers and directors in primetime programming, and Latino entertainment executives. Specific grades are also assigned for program development, procurement and network commitment to diversity and transparency.


Last year NLMC celebrated the tenth anniversary of a national movement to change the face of television: the historic signing of Memoranda of Understanding between the Multi-Ethnic Media Coalition and the four networks. "A year ago we lauded the networks for incremental progress in diversifying their workforces in front and behind the camera," said Congressman Esteban Torres, Board Chair of the National Latino Media Council, "this year the networks, while more representative of our multicultural nation than they were a decade ago, are in need of reaffirming their commitments to including Latinos in creative positions and procurement opportunities."

"This was a terrible year for Latinos at the networks," said Alex Nogales, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, "African Americans and Asian Pacific Americans posted impressive gains in most categories, but when it came to Latinos, the networks failed us." He added, "Dont misunderstand, we dont want what African Americans and Asian Pacific Americans received, the pie is much larger than that, we only want what we deserve as the largest minority consumer population in the nation."

Retired U.S. Congressman also went on to report the diversity grades earned by the four networks. Fox has a number of areas in which it needs improvement. It has done well with recruiting Latino reality actors, Latino writers and producers, and has three Latino entertainment executives. Yet, Latinos are underrepresented at Fox in several areas, including scripted actors, directors, and procurement. It should be noted that Foxs numbers are very difficult to verify because it does not produce the names of the employees for which it takes credit. Lack of transparency has been an ongoing problem with Fox, and NLMC urges Fox to improve upon this next year. Because of its failings, Fox's overall grade is a "C+". ABC has been a model network in its commitment to diversity. However, this year ABC earned an overall grade of "B-" because it slipped in several key areas, to include recurring and reality actors, directors and entertainment executives. NBC Universal also declined in several categories and earned an overall "B-" grade. Although there is substantial room for improvement at NBCU, it did slightly better than last year, and NLMC expects this momentum will continue if and when Comcast acquires NBCU. NBCU is struggling in several areas to include a very low number of Latino actors on its scripted programming, and disappointing numbers of Latino writers, producers and directors. CBS earned the best overall grade of all the networks for Latino diversity with a "B+". Nonetheless, CBS certainly has room for improvement. In particular, it must increase its number of Latino scripted regulars and Latino reality actors, as well as its Latino writers, producers and directors.

Although the NLMC does not track the cable shows, nonetheless Latin Heat Publisher gave a report on the cable shows and the track record for Latino talent hiring and showrunners.

Press conference speakers included Congressman Esteban Torres (Ret.), Board Chair of the National Latino Media Council, Alex Nogales, National Latino Media Council Secretariat and President & CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), and Bel Hernandez, Publisher of Latin Heat Entertainment, among others.

Click HERE to read the complete 2010 NLMC Network Diversity Report Card Narrative

Bieber & Gomez: A Match Made in Hollywood?

Teen heartthrob Justin Biber and Disney star Selena Gomez were spotted at an International House Of Pancakes holding hands this week. That is all anyone needed to ascertain that they are an item. According to the IHOP service staff they were awfully cuddly and held hands throughout while having breakfast before they were scheduled to perform at the Q102 Jingle Ball.

This past September Justin was photographed kissing Jasmine Villegas, a 17 year old perfomer/singer recently signed with Sony Music who had just joined the second leg of Justin Biebers My World Tour as an opening act. Justin denied that they were anything more than friends stating “It was just a kiss, thats all”.

It seems Justin has a thing for beautiful Latinas, but Selena Gomez seems to have won his heart, for the time being anyway having recently told MTV "Girlfriends are trouble at this age. You cant really have one girl. I dont really have any crushes at the moment.”

Meanwhile, Selena recently on the Ellen DeGeneres, when asked if she was romantically involved with him, "Oh brother! Hes little. No, hes like my little brother. Its weird to me."

Time (and paparazzi) will tell.

Eva Longoria Parker Adds Director to her Many Talents

Her documentary “Latinos Living the American Dream” Premiered October 21 in L.A.

The documentary Latinos Living the American Dream produced and directed by Eva Longoria Parker in partnership with the Pepsi YO SUMO initiative will premiere today at the Graumans Chinese Theater in Los Angeles. The documentary highlights the accomplishments and impact that Hispanics have in shaping the landscape of the United States. The feature is a culmination of Pepsis YO SUMO (I Add Up/I Count) movement which encourages Latinos to go beyond being counted and show how they add value to this country, in the year of the Census.

Eva Longoria Parker and Pepsi partnered to develop a documentary to present the Latino identity from a fresh point of view. To create I>Latinos Living the American Dream, Longoria Parker selected stories from a pool of over 600 submissions to www.pepsiyosumo.com, shared by Latinos from all parts of the country. Working with Cevallos Brothers Productions, Longoria Parker combined the entries to show a fresh perspective of the Latino community. "Every story entered was so inspiring, that identifying only a few to highlight was a difficult and intense process," said Longoria Parker.

Read full story at http://latinheat.com/news/2668/eva-longoria-parker-s-latinos-living-the-american-dream-documentary

"The Glades"Looks Promising With Standout Roles for Carlos Gomez and Kiele Sanchez

Fort Lauderdale, FL -- Executive producer Clifton Campbell gets it right in A&E’s new dramatic series The Glades; he cast two Latinos in his new series which is set in Florida, the state with the fourth largest Latino population in the country. Carlos Gomez, plays a medical examiner and Kiele Sanchez a medical student and love interest to the series hunky detective played by Australian actor Matt Passmore. Having grown up in Orlando, Florida, Campbell was just keeping it “Real”.


Jeff Longworth (Passmore), is an attractive, brilliant, yet hard to get along with homicide detective from Chicago who gets shot by his captain after being wrongfully accused of sleeping with his wife. He relocates to Palm Glade, Florida where the sunshine and golf are plentiful and crime is seemingly at a minimum. Only to finds people keep turning up murdered, each case pulling him off the golf course and into his element as one of the sharpest homicide detectives.

Between practicing his short game, trying to get a date with Callie Cargill (Kiele Sanchez) – a devoted working nurse, mother, and medical student - and trying to solve countless homicide cases, Longworth’s transition to his new surroundings is a bit more difficult than he expected.

Carlos Sanchez, played by Gomez, is Longworth's golf partner, friend and colleague. He's a forensic medical examiner who works the crime lab. A family man with a high-maintenance wife and kids, He isn't easily amused by Longworth's persistence and intuition when it comes to crime-solving skills, since he is often forced into compromising positions.

For Gomez, who was born in Manhattan to Cuban parents and raised in Miami, working on The Glades is a sort of coming home. For over ...

Read rest of the article http://www.latinheat.com/news/2561/1/0/the-glades-looks-promising-with-standout-roles-for-carlos-gomez-and-kiele-sanchez'

Dennis Leoni Sells New Series to Showtime

Dennis Leoni creator and executive producer of the ground breaking drama Resurrection Blvd. which aired on Showtime from 2000 - 2002 , has sold a new series concept to the same network and is currently working on the pilot script. "It's a family drama", is all Leoni would comment. However, he did tell us that it is nothing like Resurrection Blvd., and that is all he would tell us...on this project. He has also joined forces with producer/writer/performer Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) to create, write and direct eight episodes of a new webseries. Keeping "family" as the centerpiece on this project as well, Leoni tells us that this one is about "a contemporary family that is quintessentially American... who happens to be Latino."

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Leoni attended the University of Arizona. He left to become an actor/stuntman at Old Tucson Studios and subsequently moved to Hawaii where he made the transition into assistant director on the CBS series Hawaii Five-O, and eventually as a writer. He worked on some of television's highest profile shows such as The Commish and McKenna for ABC.

Its obvious from his career trajectory that Leoni can choose any subject matter to write about and be successful, but choosing to continue to write Latino characters is a choice we applaud.Leoni is repped by the Rothman Brecher Agency.
http://www.latinheat.com/news/2537/dennis-leoni-sells-new-series-to-showtime-and-townsend%20Its