This is the official blog of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA). www.hellohola.org
HOLA has been funded, in part, through the New York State Council on the Arts, The City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, Friends of HOLA and the dues-paying members of HOLA.
Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members who are getting acting and performance gigs.
Tom Schubert just finished up performing a long run (October 2010 through February 2011) in the Westchester Broadway Theatre (WBT) production of the Frank Wildhorn/Leslie Bricusse musical Jekyll and Hyde. Directed by Robert Cuccioli, who received a Tony nomination as the title characters in the original production, with music direction by Leo Carusone and musical staging by Jean-Paul Richard, the musical took place at WBT, located in Elmsford, New York. In addition, he appeared in a 1 (800) OK-CABLE commercial.
Ydaiber Orozco also appeared in a 1 (800) OK-CABLE commercial.
Lucio Fernández will appear in the upcoming production of Vegas Vegas Vegas alongside Leonid The Magnificent and his showgirls for a March run at the Union City Performing Arts Center in Union City, New Jersey.
IsraelHernández can be seen in the production of La vida es sueño in Repertorio Español, located in the Rose Hill section of Manhattan.
Also at Repertorio Español is the play for children, Mi bebé es un héroe. A co-production with Teatro Scaramouches, the play is written and directed by Eduardo Navas, scheduled for a run between March and June and features Navas and Gredivel Vásquez in the cast.
If you are an HOLA member and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail at holagram@hellohola.org. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join?
Below is a list of new (and returning) HOLA members who joined between January 1, 2011 and February 28, 2011. (Note that "returning members" refer those members who have returned to HOLA after having their memberships expire for some time and do not include renewing members.)
(Top row, left to right): Irene Aguilar, Dennis Brito; (second row, left to right): Ginger Leilani Chapin, Marcos Cohen; (third row, left to right): J.W. Cortés, Sarah Elizondo; (fourth row, left to right):Fernando Gamarra, Gabriel García;(fifth row, left to right):Daniel Martínez Castro, Masha Mendieta; (sixth row, left to right): Phil Miler, Josean Ortiz; (seventh row, left to right): Diana Pou, Eduardo Ramos; (eighth row, left to right) Emma Ramos, Antonio Rodríguez; (ninth row, left to right)José Roldan, Jr., Andre Roman; (tenth row, left to right) Israel Ruiz, Bill Santiago; (bottom row, left to right) Estela Straus, Eddie Valdés.
The off-Broadway musical La Barbería (written by David Maldonado and Arí Maniel Cruz, directed by Waddys Jáquez, featuring Manny Pérez, Mateo Gómez, Ruperto Vanderpool, Modesto Lacén, Iván Camilo, Sunilda Caraballo, Graciany Miranda, Juan Carlos Díaz and Emme Bonilla in the cast and being presented at New York's New World Stages) gets a rave review in The New York Times.
Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members who are getting acting and performance gigs.
Yanelba Ferreira will act in the play Here I Stand and Face the Rain, written by Richard Thomas Henle and directed by Bethany Briggs. The show will be presented in March and April as part of Manhattan Repertory Theatre's Winterfest 2011 at the MRT, located in the theater district in midtown Manhattan.
Andre Roman will appear in the workshop production of Stageplays' Theatre Company's Thunder and Lightning. Written by Ivan Comer, Taylor Hallman and Thomas Ferriter and directed by Ferriter, the play about the Negro Baseball League will be presented at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in the Gramercy district of Manhattan.
East 3rd Productions' short film Tapeworm (which stars Madeleine Lodge and is produced by Ricardo Riethmuller and Lorraine Rodríguez) won the Best Short Film Award from the Gotham Screen International Film Festival in New York City. It is making the film festival circuit with scheduled appearances at the Cinequest Film Festival (San Jose, California), Vail Film Festival (Vail, Colorado), SoHo Film Festival (New York, New York).
Jenniffer Díaz can be seen in a new IKEA commercial.
Jean-Marc Berne e-mailed us to let us know that he booked voiceovers for Solmetric and the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools, a print campaign for Nuvigil and an on-camera commercial for 1-800-OK-CABLE.
If you are an HOLA member and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail at holagram@hellohola.org. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join?
Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members who are getting acting and performance gigs.
Bring It On: The Musical, the Center Theater Group production based on the 200 film of the same name, is wrapping up its run at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia and will kick off its national tour in November 2011 at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles, California. Directed and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler, the musical features a book by Jeff Whitty and music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Kitt and Amanda Green.
The Culture Project has announced that Daphne Rubin-Vega will be presenting her piece FUQs: Frequently Unanswered Questions as part of the 2011 Women Center Stage Festival. The piece, a rock and roll-infused odyssey, is written by Rubin-Vega with Winter Miller and will directed by John Gould Rubin. The festival will take place in March and April at The Living Theater, located in Manhattan's Loísaida neighborhood. For more information, click here.
Bill Santiago's new comedy CD, I Could Care Less, recorded live at ACME Comedy Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is now available! For more information or to buy it, click here.
Sarah Elizondo is set to open in the Playing With M.E.D.'s production of Compasses Pointing Past the Past and Present. A series of one-act plays written by Matthew Ethan Davis and directed by Javier Pérez-Karam, Leonard Zelig, Shannon Lower, Keri Seymour, Adyana de la Torre, Bran Nieboer, Ángela Rodríguez and Davis himself, the show is scheduled for a March run in the Richmond Shepard Theatre in the Turtle Bay area of Manhattan. For more information, go to their website.
If you are an HOLA member and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail at holagram@hellohola.org. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join?
Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members who are getting acting and performance gigs.
Eduardo Ramos, shown at right, e-mailed us to say that he booked a role in the short film Extraordinary Day. In his words, "First audition through HOLA, first movie booked, first of many to come. HOORAY!!" As a model, he can also be seen on the Elle magazine website as the ELLE Homme of the Day (with accompanying interview and article) here.
Gilbert Cruz is hosting the Open Salon Night at INTAR Theater in the Hell's Kitchen/Clinton section of Manhattan. It occurs every Monday night. Signup starts at 6:30pm for the first ten participant which enables them to perform ten minutes of material (be it a monologue, scene, song or poem). For more information, click here.
Bill Santiago is currently touring his standup act, with stops in Sunnyvale, California (at Rooster T. Feathers); Mill Valley, California (at Throckmorton Theater); San Francisco, California (at The Garage Arts Space); San Antonio, Texas (at River Center Comedy Club); and Hermosa Beach, California (Hermosa Comedy and Magic Club), now through April 2011. He can also be seen tonight, Friday and Saturday night on the Showtime networks performing standup comedy in his "LOL-Laugh Out Loud" comedy special (check local listings for times and channels). A sneak preview can be seen here.
Antonio García, Jr. most recently produced and acted in the short film Tolero. Written by, co-produced and costarring Ricardo Cisneros, the film directed by Daniel Hilsinger is currently in post-production. For more information, go here.
William J. Vila is set to open as Egyptian pharaoh Amunhotep III in the Clarinda Karpov play Ankhst. Directed by Ted Mornel, the show is scheduled for a February and March run in the Beckmann Theater at the American Theater of Actors near Columbus Circle in Manhattan.
If you are an HOLA member and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail at holagram@hellohola.org. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join?
Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members who are getting acting and performance gigs.
Ziad Tayeh contacted the HOLA office to say that he has been quite busy as of late. He booked roles in the web series "Back To Basics" (directed by Niro Mahé) and the films The Girl Is In Trouble (directed by Julius Onah and also starring Columbus Short, Wilmer Valderrama, Miriam Colón-Valle, Paz de la Huerta, Kareem Saviñón and Dominic Colón), Underground (dir. Daisuke Kasagawa), The Politics of Conflict (directed by Minos Papas) and Last Chance (directed by Franco Cardiello).
Manny Alfaro, Vidal Silva Gil andOscar A. Colón , shown above from left to right, will start shooting the feature film Be a Real Man. Scheduled to shoot in March and April 2011, the film will be helmed by Ricardo Bacallao. The director cast the talent after seeing the actors' profiles on the HOLA online talent directory.
Rodney Roldán most recently was seen acting in an episode of "The FBI Files" on the Discovery Channel. A.B. Lugo is soon to be a published author. Some of his poetry is included in the poetry anthology Me No Habla With Acento: Contemporary Latino Poetry. Edited by Emanuel Xavier, the anthology includes work by Edwin Torres, Bonafide Rojas, Luzma Umpierre, Caridad de la Luz "La Bruja," Urayoán Noel, Roberto "Simply Rob" Vassilarakis, Nancy Mercado and Carlos Andrés Gómez, and is published by Rebel Satori Press and El Museo Del Barrio. Available for pre-sale now, the anthology will be officially released on April 12, 2011.
If you are an HOLA member and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail at holagram@hellohola.org. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join?
Desi Arnaz (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), born Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III, was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the classic American TV series "I Love Lucy," starring with Lucille Ball, to whom he was married at the time.
Arnaz's family fled to the U.S., following the 1933 Cuban revolution, led by Fulgencio Batista, which overthrew President Gerardo Machado. Soon thereafter, he turned to show business to support himself. In 1939, he starred on Broadway in the musical Too Many Girls. He went to Hollywood the next year to appear in the show's movie version, which starred Lucille Ball. They married on November 30, 1940.
He appeared in several movies in the 1940s, notably Bataan (1943). Following his discharge from the Army, he formed another orchestra, which was successful in live appearances and recordings. He hired his childhood friend Marco Rizo to play piano and arrange for the orchestra. When he became successful in television, he kept the orchestra on his payroll, and Rizo arranged and orchestrated the music for "I Love Lucy."
On October 15, 1951, he produced and starred in the premiere of "I Love Lucy," in which he played a fictitious version of himself, Cuban orchestra leader Enrique "Ricky" Ricardo. His co-star was his real-life wife, Lucille Ball, who played Ricky's wife, Lucy. Initially, the idea of having Ball and the distinctly Latino Arnaz portray a married couple encountered resistance as they were told that his Cuban accent and Latin style would not be agreeable to American viewers. The couple overcame these objections, however, by touring together, during the summer of 1950, in a live vaudeville act they developed.
With Ball, he founded Desilu Productions. At that time, most television programs were broadcast live. His cameraman, Karl Freund, developed the multiple-camera setup production style using adjacent sets that became the standard for all subsequent situation comedies to this day. The use of film enabled every station around the country to broadcast high-quality images of the show. Arnaz was told that it would be impossible to allow an audience onto a sound stage, but he worked with Freund to design a set that would accommodate an audience, allow filming, and also adhere to fire and safety codes. He also convinced network executives to allow Desilu to cover all additional costs associated with the filming process, under the stipulation that Desilu owned and controlled all rights to the film. This unprecedented arrangement is widely considered to be one of the shrewdest deals in television history. As a result of his foresight, Desilu reaped the profits from all reruns of the series.
He also pushed the network to allow them to show Lucille Ball while she was pregnant. According to Arnaz, the CBS network told him, "You cannot show a pregnant woman on television." He consulted a priest, a rabbi and a minister, all of whom told him that there would be nothing wrong with showing a pregnant Lucy or with using the word pregnant. The network finally relented and let Arnaz and Ball weave the pregnancy into the story line, but remained adamant about eschewing use of pregnant, so Arnaz substituted expecting, pronouncing it 'spectin' in his Cuban accent.
After "I Love Lucy" ended and his marriage to Lucille Ball ended, he continued to act, play music and produce. He produced the TV series "The Mothers-in-Law," "The Untouchables," "The Ann Sothern Show" and "The Untouchables." He appeared on "Saturday Night Live" where he was host and musical guest, performing the songs "Babalú" and "Cuban Pete." He contributed to charitable and non-profit organizations.
He passed away due to lung cancer in 1986. He left behind the two children he had with Lucill Ball: Desi Arnaz, Jr. and Lucie Arnaz. The last person to speak to him was Lucille Ball, who phoned him on what would have been their 46th wedding anniversary. While both had remarried, they had become close friends in the following years. His death came just five days before Lucille Ball received the Kennedy Center Honors. In a speech read at the Kennedy Center Honors, he wrote that for him, "'I Love Lucy' was never just a title." He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for his contributions to motion pictures and one for his contributions to television.
Sheila E., born Sheila Escovedo, born December 12, 1957, is an American-born singer, drummer and percussionist of Mexican and African American descent, perhaps best known for her work with Prince and Ringo Starr.
The daughter of percussionist Pete Escovedo, with whom she frequently performs, music runs deeply in her family. She made her recording debut with jazz bassist Alphonso Johnson on "Yesterday's Dream" in 1976. By her early twenties she had already played with George Duke, Lionel Richie, Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock and Diana Ross. She also plays violin and guitar.
Prince met her at a concert in 1978, when she was performing with her father. After the show, he met her and told her prophetically that one day she would join his band. The two would eventually join forces during the Purple Rain recording sessions. She later served as his drummer and musical director in Prince's backup band. Though taken under Prince's wing, she proved to be a successful artist in her own right, with several albums and American Music Award and Grammy nominations. She appeared in the films Krush Groove, Sign 'O' The Times, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and Chasing Papi.
She has performed three stints with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, in 2001, 2003, and 2006. Her drum "duets" with Starr are a moment of comic relief in the show, where they play the same parts but he quickly falls behind, shrugs and smiles as she takes off on an extended percussion solo. She has also performed with Phil Collins, Cyndi Lauper and Gloria Estefan.
She is the business partner of singer and former member of The Brides of Funkenstein, Lynn Mabry. Together they formed a foundation for abused children called the Elevate Hope Foundation.
She currently performs with her family in a band named appropriately enough The E Family Band. They have just worked on a CD named Now & Forever.
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Music video for her big hit "The Glamorous Life"
Music video for "Sex Cymbal"
Singing "Lady Marmalade" live on "The Arsenio Hall Show"
Performing "Descarga" with her father Pete Escovedo and godfather Tito Puente
Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members who are getting acting and performance gigs.
Dominic Colón wrapped up the role of Tito, in the film Mr. Popper's Penguins (directed by Mark Waters), where he had scenes opposite Jim Carrey and Angela Lansbury. In January, he wrote and directed Hiro's Wings, a children's play that deals with the topic of bullying at Teatro El Puente in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. His play Crush just got accepted and will be seen April 14, 2011 at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival. He can also be seen as Manny Spamboni in "The Electric Company" (PBS), which is currently in its third season. Finally, he just booked a supporting role in in the feature film, I Want To Dance, which begins production in March!!
Cristina Rodríguez, at left, booked a role in a staged play reading after reading about it in one of HOLA's daily e-mail announcements. She writes, "I always submit myself to everything I may be fit for and to be quite honest, the majority of the time, I get to go in and audition and even get a callback. I appreciate the announcements especially when I don't have an agent to represent me. But I've been able to go about. So I keep it up."
Javier E. Gómez did some dubbing for an internet-only commercial for Hewlett-Packard Total Care.
The film The Imperialists Are Still Alive!, written and directed by Zeina Durra and starring Élodie Bouchez, José María de Tavira, Karen Lee Gorney, Ricky García, R.N. Rao, Reza Salazar, Israel Hernández, Coati Mundi and Laura Patalano, is scheduled for worldwide release in March 2011 after a successful showing at numerous film festival, including the renowned Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
If you are an HOLA member and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail at holagram@hellohola.org. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join?
Your HOLA member card entitles you to discounts at the following stores. You must present your HOLA member card in order to receive the discount. If you are a current HOLA member and have misplaced your member card, please call the office at (212) 253-1015 or e-mail us at info@hellohola.org so that we can get you a new one.
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Hair Salons & Spas
Marie Lacomme
269 West 23rd Street (off Eighth Avenue)
New York, NY 10011 ~ (212) 243-3860 ~ 20% discount
Luba Salon
811 Lexington Avenue (bet. East 62nd and East 63rd Streets)
New York, NY 10065 ~ (212) 752-0087 ~ 15% discount
Sam Brocato Salon
2 Wooster Street (off Canal Street)
New York, NY 10013 ~ (212) 334-3777
10% off select haircuts with select stylist and afree travel size product
Restaurants
Amor Cubano
2018 Third Avenue (bet. East 110th and East 111th Streets)
New York, NY 10029 ~ (212) 996-1220 ~10% discount
Cucina Con Amore
1429 Fifth Avenue (near East 116th Street)
New York, NY 10016 ~ (212) 722-2244 ~ 10% discount
FB Lounge
175 East 106th Street (bet. Third and Lexington Avenues)
New York, NY 10029 ~ (212) 348-3929 ~ 10% discount
Fortunato Brothers Pasticceria
289 Manhattan Avenue
(at Devoe Street, near Metropolitan Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY 11211 ~ (718) 387-2281 ~ 10% discount
Guantanamera
939 Eighth Avenue (bet. West 55th and 56th Streets)
New York, NY 10019 ~ (212) 262-5354 ~ 10% discount
La Fonda Boricua
169 East 106 Street (bet. Third and Lexington Avenues)
New York, NY 10029 ~ (212) 410-7292 ~ 10% discount
Photographers
A Ruiz Photography
(917) 363-0450
25% discount on any headshot package
Luis Carle Photography
107 Suffolk Street, Suite 309 (bet. Rivington & Delancey Streets)
New York, NY 10002 ~ (917) 279-2212
inquire with photographer for discount
Also, don't forget that HOLA members can be a part of the Actors Federal Credit Union (ActorsFCU) without having to be a member of a performing union. Credit unions offer the same services as banks and are federally insured. A minimum of $100 is required to open up an ActorsFCU account. ActorsFCU offers savings and checking accounts, certificates of deposit, debit and credit cards and loans, all at rates that are highly competitive to commercial bank rates and just as safe. ActorsFCU, 165 West 46th Street (between Avenue of the Americas and Broadway), 14th Floor, New York, NY 10036 (212) 869-8926 ext. 315.
Filmmaker and HOLA Board Member Edwin Pagán was recently profiled in the syndicated television series "LatiNation" regarding his work and with Latin Horror. The clip can be seen by clicking here.
