HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting and performance gigs. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Ismael Cruz Córdova, shown at right, was the subject of a profile in the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día. To read the article (which is in Spanish), click here.

José A. Esquea was highlighted in the textbook Shakespeare in America (in the chapter titled "Multicultural Shakespeare") written by Alden T. Vaughan & Virginia Mason Vaughan and published by Oxford University Press. Also highlighted were Teatro LATEA (and their founders Nelson Tamayo, Mateo Gómez and Nelson Landrieu), which produced multicultural productions of Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, the last of which garnered four (4) HOLA Awards, including one for direction for Mr. Esquea. For more information about the book, click here. (Pictured at left is "The Death of Romeo" featuring Chester Poon and Carissa Jocétt Toro, as it appears in the book. Photo by Joe Macaldo. Click on the photo to make larger.)

Cedric Miró will be performing in A Night of Comedy and Variety. The evening of comedy and variety (natch) is presented by Beverly Bonner and will take place on July 31, 2012 at the Broadway Comedy Club in the Columbus Circle section of Manhattan.

Suni Reyes performed a standup comedy gig at Caroline's Comedy Club in July. She also e-mailed us to say that she was accepted into the Boston Comedy Arts Festival (to take place in September in Boston, Massachusetts, natch), where she will perform two full shows by herself). For more information, click here.

Abraham Makany, Chester Poon and Ugo Chukwu will be acting in Thomas Bradshaw's Job. The play based on the Biblical character and book of the same name, will be directed by Benjamin Kamine and opens the the fall season of The Flea Theater, where it will from late August through October at the namesake theater, located in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood. For more information, click here.

If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join? If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?

U.S. Latinos Well Represented at the London 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad, also known informally as London 2012, began in London, United Kingdom, on 27 July and will continue until 12 August 2012. They will be followed by the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games, officially the Games of the XIV Paralympiad, which will take place between 29 August and 9 September 2012.

A number of the athletes at the Games representing the United States of America are of Latino/Hispanic heritage (that is, from Spanish-speaking Latin America, Brazil, Spain or Portugal). Below is a list of some of those athletes and their respective sports (Olympians are marked in blue while Paralympians are marked in red). The list does not include any of the athletes representing Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa or the United States Virgin Islands, nor does it include any U.S.-born athletes playing for the home nations of their parents (for example, track and field star Félix Sánchez, representing the Dominican Republic).

Diana López and Steven López

Alejandro Albor • Cycling

Carmelo Anthony • Basketball
Tony Azevedo • Water Polo
Lindsey Berg • Volleyball
Donn Cabral • Track and Field
Patty Cisneros • Wheelchair Basketball

Desirée Dávila • Track and Field
Joseph Díaz, Jr. • Boxing
Marlen Esparza • Boxing

Christella García • Judo

Rudy García-Tolson • Swimming

Melissa González • Field Hockey

Loraine Gonzales • Wheelchair Basketball

Melissa González • Field Hockey
Manuel Huerta • Triathlon

Tony Íñiguez • Track and Field

Oz Sánchez

Sarah Robles

Giuseppe Lanzone • Rowing

Carlos León • Track and Field

Danell Leyva • Artistic Gymnastics

Ryan Lochte • Swimming

Diana López • Taekwondo

Steven López • Taekwondo

Leonel Manzano • Track and Field

Gerard Moreno • Fencing

Ryan Lochte

Kyla Ross

John Orozco

Danell Leyva

Jamie Nieto • Track and Field
John Orozco • Artistic Gymnastics
José Ramírez • Boxing
Amy Rodríguez • Football (Soccer)

Ileana Rodríguez • Swimming

Mario Rodríguez • Fencing
Sarah Robles • Weightlifting

Marlen Esparza

Patty Cisneros

Kyla Ross • Artistic Gymnastics

Oz Sánchez • Cycling

Diana Taurasi • Basketball
Brenda Villa • Water Polo

For more information, click here or here.

 

Athletes of Latino/Hispanic descent representing Puerto Rico at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics include Eric Alejandro, Héctor Cotto, Javier Culson, Enrique Llanos, Miguel López, Jamele Mason Vargas, Beverly Ramos, Carol Rodríguez, Samuel Vázquez, Wesley Vázquez (track and field); Jeyvier Cintrón, Enrique Collazo, Jantony Ortiz, Francisco Vargas Ramírez, Félix Verdejo (boxing); Lorena Quiñones, Tommy Ramos (artistic gymnastics); Melissa Modica (judo); José Torres Laboy (shooting); Raúl Martínez Colomer, Vanessa García (swimming); Lely Gómez (weightlifting); Franklin Gómez, Francisco Soler, Jaime Espinal (freestyle wrestling). For more information, click here. There are no known Olympians nor Paralympians of Latino/Hispanic descent representing American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands or the United States Virgin Islands.

Please Submit All Ethnicities: The Tricky Business of Writing Casting Notices

Check out Nina Shen Rastogi's article in Slate regarding casting and race (complete with interviews from the point of view of an agent, an actor and the people behind Breakdown Services) by clicking here.

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting and performance gigs. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Francis Mateo, shown at left, was featured in a newspaper article for The Hudson Reporter, where his poetry was highlighted. For more information, click here.

Florencia Lozano, shown at right, will be one of the playwrights whose work will be highlighted at the annual MixFest presented by the renowned Atlantic Theater Company. Other playwrights include Kristoffer Díaz, Rogelio Martínez and Brian Otaño. The festival will take place August 8-13, 2012 at the Atlantic's eponymous theater space in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. For more information, click here.

Elaine Del Valle booked a national Spanish language Totinos Pizza Rolls commercial and a spot for the television series "Cake Boss" (TLC).
 

Jeannie Sol will be singing the Star-Spangled Banner (the national anthem of the United States of America) and La Borinqueña (the national anthem of Puerto Rico) at The Boricua Festival in the Sunset Park area of Brooklyn. The event will take place on Saturday, July 28, 2012 in the early afternoon at the 58th Street Pier just off First Avenue.

If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join? If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?

HOLA Legends: Lupe Ontiveros

Lupe Ontiveros (September 17, 1942 – July 26, 2012) was an American film and television actress. Ontiveros acted in numerous films and television shows, most often playing a maid or, more recently, an all-knowing grandmother; she once estimated that she had played a maid between 150 and 300 times onscreen.

She was born Guadalupe Moreno Castañón in El Paso, Texas, U.S.A., the daughter of Luz "Lucita" Castañón and Juan Moreno, middle-class Mexican immigrants who overcame a lack of formal education and were owners of a tortilla factory and two restaurants in El Paso. She graduated from El Paso High School and went on to study at Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas, U.S.A., where she received a bachelor's degree in social work.

After getting married, she and her husband moved to California to realize his dream of starting an automotive business. During a period of professional dissatisfaction with her social service career, she was trying to decide whether to go back to school for a nursing degree when she saw an article about a need for local film "extras." With her husband's encouragement, she began with that simple job and parlayed it into a long stage and screen career. Prior to acting, she had worked for 18 years as a social worker.

After deciding she wanted an acting career, she began in earnest, following up full-day sessions at her first career with evening work at Nosotros, a community theater in Los Angeles. In 1978, she was cast as Dolores in Luis Valdez’s historic play Zoot Suit in her first major theatrical role. She went on to reprise the role on Broadway — the first Mexican American theatrical production ever to play there — and in the 1982 film version. She was a founding member of the Latino Theater Company.

Ontiveros stated that she wanted to see more diverse roles available to Latina actors, but that she was proud of the work she did: "I'm proud to represent those hands that labor in this country. I've given every maid I've ever portrayed soul and heart." In part because of her history in this role, she was chosen as the narrator for the documentary Maid in America.

One of her most prominent early movie roles was in the 1983 Gregory Nava film El Norte, in which she played a seamstress and maid who acts as mentor to a newly arrived immigrant girl from Guatemala. In a 2004 interview with the Dominican newspaper Listín Diario, she called El Norte "the film that always will remain in me... [it] tells the immigrants' story" when asked to name her favorite film from her long career.

A notable role for her was that of housekeeper Rosalita, a Hispanic maid hired to assist in the packing and moving of the Walsh family in the hit adventure film The Goonies (1985). She worked with Nava in subsequent films, including My Family/Mi familia (1995) and Selena (1997). In the latter film, she portrayed Yolanda Saldívar, the convicted murderer of Tejano singer Selena. She also appeared in the Academy Award winning film As Good As It Gets (with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt).

In 2000, she was featured in the film Chuck & Buck, in which she played Beverly, a tough theater director who puts on a play written by one of the film's main characters. She has said in multiple interviews she accepted the role even before seeing the script, solely on the basis of being asked to play a character who was not defined by Hispanic ethnicity. For that role, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the 2000 Independent Spirit Awards.

She co-starred with America Ferrera in the 2002 film Real Women Have Curves as the overbearing mother of Ferrera's character. Her performance received excellent reviews and earned her and her co-star a Special Jury Prize at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. She and Ferrera appeared together again in the family comedy Our Family Wedding.

Ontiveros had a recurring role in the 2004-05 season of the ABC prime time soap opera "Desperate Housewives" as Juanita Solís, Gabrielle's suspicious mother-in-law. She received an Emmy nomination as Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for this role. In 2004 she also began a role as Abuela Elena, the grandmother of the title characters in the animated PBS children's series "Maya & Miguel." The multicultural and bilingual series later introduced a deaf character, Marco, after a sign-language-themed episode was suggested by the actress, who has two hearing impaired adult sons.

The actress was one of the stars of The WB's "Greetings From Tucson", playing the grandmother in an upwardly mobile family of mixed Irish and Mexican heritage. She previously had recurring guest roles on the series "Veronica's Closet", for which she won an ALMA Award in 1998, and on the short-lived soap opera "Pasadena." She also has been a guest star on "Hill Street Blues", "Red Shoe Diaries", "Resurrection Blvd.", "Cory in the House" and "King of the Hill", among many other series.

She passed away in Pico Rivera, California, U.S.A. on July 26, 2012, after a battle with liver cancer, leaving behind her husband and three sons. She was 69 years old.

2010 NALIP Lifetime Achievement Award Video

 Celebrity Habla

Are Actors More Emotionally Vulnerable?

Check out this article by Daniel Lehman in Back Stage about a study looking into the well-being of an actor by clicking here.

(Photo credit: Shuttershock.)

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting and performance gigs. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Caridad De La Luz (also known by her nom de poésie et de musique La Bruja), shown at left, can be heard as a featured guest vocalist on the opening track of bachata artist Prince Royce's second album Phase II. In addition, she will be performing in two places on Friday, July 27, 2012. First, she will be at the Festival Santiago Apostol de Loíza a El Barrio in Manhattan's El Barrio neighborhood. She will then be one of the headliners at the second anniversary show of Babble in the Bronx at the Mi Gente Café in the Bronx's Castle Hill neighborhood. For more information on where she will perform next or news on this multitalented artist in general, click here.

Marco Antonio Rodríguez booked a national Spanish-language commercial for Sprint. 

Dominican Republic-based company Otro Teatro is presenting César Brie's play Frágil as part of the Casa de la Cultura Navarette U.S.A.'s sixth annual International Theater Festival. Directed by the company members, the play will have a July run at the Sala Don Iván García Guerra in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood and features Angie Regina, Stuart Ortiz, Paloma Palacios, Miguel Antonio Maldonado, Karina Váldez and Licelote Nin in the cast.

A.B. Lugo, Mahammatt Baba and Jeannie Sol were among the models of a photographic exhibition of the works of Luis Carle. The solo exhibition is part of the My FÊTE Series (curated by Carlos Valentín) and presented at the Michael Mut Gallery in the Loísaida neighborhood of Manhattan. For more information, click here.

The film Elliot Loves (helmed by G. Terracino) continues to do well at film festivals around the world. It's next stop is The New York International Latino Film Festival, where it will anchor the Dominican Night red carpet event on Thursday, August 16, 2012 at the Columbia University Medical Center Alumni Auditorium in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. The film, produced by Terracino and Elizabeth Gardner and co-produced by Juan Cáceres, stars Robin De Jesús, Elaine Del Valle, Alfredo Narciso, George Ruiz, Dalia Davi, Monte Bezell, Judy Torres, Bobby DeJesús and Fabio Costaprado in the cast. For more information, click here. The film also made its European debut in July at the Giffoni Film Festival in Giffoni, Italy. For more information, click here (the text is in Italian and English).

If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join? If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?

SAG-AFTRA Recommends Unified Health & Retirement Funds

Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. -  The National Board voted overwhelmingly (99.47%) to approve a motion urging the union and industry trustees of the SAG Producers Pension and Health Plans (“P&H”) and the AFTRA Health & Retirement Funds ("H&R") to undertake expeditious and appropriate action to create a unified Health Plan for performers, broadcasters and others working under SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreements, and to implement immediately a reciprocity agreement between the two existing Health Plans.

The Board also urged the Plan Trustees to review the feasibility and advisability of creating a unified Defined Benefit Retirement Plan and reciprocity agreement between the existing Pension and Retirement Plans.

The Board specifically directed the Union-appointed Trustees of the Plans to treat as priorities the creation of a unified Health Plan and the immediate implementation of an interim reciprocity agreement between the existing Health Plans and to meet for the purpose of discussing the actions necessary to create a unified Health Plan and a unified Defined Benefit Retirement Plan.

The Board also received an update on SAG-AFTRA’s comprehensive organizing strategy from Assistant National Executive Director for Organizing Philip Denniston, whose team was instrumental in focusing intense member attention and activity around the music video industry and the negotiations on that contract.

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting and performance gigs. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

J.W. Cortés, shown at left, was written up in The Starr Report (written by Michael Starr) column in The New York Post. He is highlighted for his upcoming gig as an operative in the upcoming NBC reality competition series "Stars Earn Stripes." The show, created by famed producers Mark Burnett ("Survivor") and Dick Wolf (the entire "Law and Order" franchise), pairs up military and first responder service members with celebrities who compete for money that will benefit national veterans, service and first-responder charities. The celebrities for the series are Laila Ali, Dean Cain, Terry Crews, Nick Lachey, Todd Palin, Picabo Street, Dolvett Quince and Eve Torres. Cortés booked the gig based on an HOLA referral. To read The Starr Report column, click here and scroll down.

Marco Antonio Rodríguez, shown at right, had his first article (of two) published in Latino Leaders magazine. The article, entitled, "One Foot Forward With A Potato Chip on My Shoulder Part I", talks about his journey in producing a critically acclaimed, award-winning hit play off-off-Broadway. That show, which he wrote and directed, is La luz de un cigarrillo, which after its premiere engagement at Teatro LATEA is transferring to Lehman Stages. To read Rodríguez's article, click here.

Marisel Polanco, shown on the bottom of the photo above, booked an Olay advertorial that will appear in the Siempre Mujer magazine for four issues (between August 2012 and March 2013) after receiving the casting notice in an e-mail announcement HOLA sends to its members and self-submitting. To see the video and the first advertorial, click here. 

Éric-Dominique Pérez nabbed a role in an episode of "Caught Red Handed" (truTV), due to premiere in September.  

Jeannie Sol will be performing in a cabaret in August at Teatro LATEA, located in the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center (home to HOLA). Special guests include Yanderie Gutiérrez, Advocate of Wordz [sic], Lydia González and Andrés Chulisi Rodríguez. For more information, click here.

If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join? If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting and performance gigs. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Johanna Ramírez, shown at left, e-mailed us to let us know that she nabbed the role of Perla, a weather and traffic reporter, in Bromas pesadas, a film directed by Domingo Ramos. She booked the gig after seeing the casting notice in the e-mail announcements that HOLA sends to its members and self-submitting. She adds, "I had an awesome time and I'm happy to be an HOLA member."

Ayanery Reyes, shown at right, booked two projects recently. She booked the role of Angie Díaz in Mel Nieves' double bill of one-act plays (Midnight Mass and Los Embrujados/The Haunted Ones), collectively entitled By The Dawn's Early Light. This production will be the show's West Coast premiere and is presented by Working Artists Lab at the Missing Piece Theater in Burbank, California. She got the gig after seeing the casting notice in the e-mail announcements that HOLA sends to its members and self-submitting. For more information, click here. She will follow this up with a lead role in Farah Alhashim's short film La Fraise.

Rodney Roldán will be seen in the episode of "The FBI Files" (Investigation Discovery) airing Monday, July 23, 2012. For more information, click here.
 

Fernando Gamarra will play the roles of Poseidon and Menelaus in the Euripides classic Greek tragedy The Trojan Women. Directed by Sarah Chichester, the show will have an August run in the Sargent Theater at the American Theater of Actors in the Columbus Circle area of Manhattan.

Caridad De La Luz (also known by her nom de poésie et de musique La Bruja), shares the cover of Spoken Vizions [sic] magazine's first ever Latin Issue with spoken word poet Advocate of Wordz [sic]. The magazine is geared towards the lifestyles and culture of spoken word artists/poets and indie artists in the efforts to bear awareness to those innovative and empowering art forms. The magazine covers can seen at left (click on the image to make it larger). For more information, click here.

If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join? If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?

The Next Media Jackpot: The Fight For The $1 Trillion Hispanic Market

Check out this article by Jeff Berovici and Dorothy Pomerantz of Forbes magazine discussing how various media outlets are fighting for a piece of the $1 trillion Latino market by clicking here.

Louis C.K. Receives 2012 Seven Emmy Noms + Other Latinos Nominated This Year

Louis C.K. received a staggering seven (7) Primetime Emmy nominations for this year's ceremony. The Mexican-American actor-comedian-writer-director-editor received his nominations for his FX television series "Louie" and for his comedy special "Live at the Beacon Theater." It is the most Primetime Emmy Award nominations for an individual in a single year in Emmy history. The categories for which he is nominated are listed below.

• Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

• Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series

• Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series

• Outstanding Special Class Programs (along with Dave Becky and M. Blair Breard)

• Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special
• Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special

• Outstanding Picture Editing For Short-Form Segments and Variety Specials

For more information on his amazing year at the Emmy Awards, click here.

Other Latinos who are nominated for Emmy Awards this year include Sofía Vergara (Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series for ABC's "Modern Family") and Bobby Cannavale (Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series for Showtime's "Nurse Jackie").

Behind the scenes people also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award this year include Michael Cuesta (Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series for Showtime's "Homeland"), Gustavo Dudamel (Outstanding Special Class Programs for PBS' "Herbie Hancock, Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic Celebrate Gershwin - Great Performances"), Fred Armisen (Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series for IFC's "Portlandia"), Gus Domínguez (Outstanding Cinematography for Reality Programming for Lifetime's "Project Runway"), Conan Castro (Outstanding Costumes For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special for FX's "American Horror Story"), Eduardo Castro (Outstanding Costumes For A Series for ABC's "Once Upon A Time"), Yvette Rivas (Outstanding Hairstyling For A Miniseries Or A Movie for HBO's "Hemingway & Gellhorn"), Mónica Lisa Sabedra and Terri Vélazquez Owen (Outstanding Hairstyling for A Multi-Camera Series Or Special for Nickelodeon's "Victorious"), Mary Guerrero and Jennifer Guerrero-Mazursky (Outstanding Hairstyling for A Multi-Camera Series Or Special for ABC's "Dancing With The Stars"), Arturo Rojas (Outstanding Hairstyling for A Single-Camera Series for AMC's "Mad Men"), Rosalia Culora (Outstanding Hairstyling for A Single-Camera Series for HBO's "Game of Thrones"), Oscar Domínguez (Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Series for NBC's "The Voice"), Juan Ruiz Anchia and Gabriel Díaz (Outstanding Main Title Design for FX's "American Horror Story"), Javier Navarrete (Outstanding Music Composition For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special-Original Dramatic Score for HBO's "Hemigway & Gellhorn"), Gustavo Santaolalla (Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music for AMC's "Hell On Wheels"), Julián Gómez (two nominations; Outstanding Picture Editing for Reality Programming and Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming-Single- Or Multi-Camera, both for CBS' "The Amazing Race"), Ruy García (Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series for HBO's "Boardwalk Empire"), Gabriel J. Serrano (Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Miniseries Or A Movie for HBO's "Game Change"), Pablo Munguía (two nominations; Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special for CBS' "The 54th Annual Grammy Awards" and with Kristian Pedregón, et al., Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special for ABC's "The 84th Annual Academy Awards"), Diego Galtieri and Anthony Ocampo (two nominations; Outstanding Special Visual Effects for ABC's "Pan Am" and, along with Nicole Zabala and Meliza Fermín, et al., Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Supporting Role for Fox's "Touch"), Christian Cardona (Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Supporting Role for Fox's "Bones"). 

Note that the above list does not include every member of a team that was nominated, just the Latinos within each team. 

In addition, the Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special category features Danny Bonilla and Héctor Ramírez (both with three nominations within the same category for CBS' "The 54th Annual Grammy Awards," CBS' "The Kennedy Center Honors" and ABC's "The 84th Annual Academy Awards"), Manny Bonilla (two nominations within the same category for CBS' "The 54th Annual Grammy Awards" and ABC's "The 84th Annual Academy Awards"), Randy Gómez (for CBS' "The 54th Annual Grammy Awards") and Jofre Rosero (for ABC's "The 84th Annual Academy Awards"). Héctor Ramírez picked up a fourth nod for Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Series for ABC's "Dancing With The Stars" while Ray Gonzales is also nominated in the same category for CBS' "The Big Bang Theory." 

Note that the above list may be incomplete due to the daunting number of categories.

The Primetime Emmy Award is a television production award and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards for film, the Tony Awards for theater and the Grammy Awards for music. The list does not reflect this year's Daytime Emmys, nor any regional or international Emmy Awards. Three related but separate organizations present the Emmy Awards: the Academy of Television Arts & Science (ATAS), the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), and the International Academy of Television Arts Sciences. Each is responsible for administering a particular set of Emmy award shows.

The 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2011 until May 31, 2012, will be held on September 23, 2012 at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, California, USA. Comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will host the Emmys for the first time. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony, presented in recognition of technical and other similar achievements in American television programming, will be held on September 15, 2012.

For more information, click here.

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting and performance gigs. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Ed Trucco, shown at left, is part of the cast of Tango Fever. Written by Meri Wallace and directed by José A. Esquea, the play also features Esteban Domenichini, Mariana Parma and Nelson Landrieu in the cast. The production will have a run in  September and October at LATEA's namesake theater in the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center (home to HOLA) in Manhattan's Loísaida neighborhood. Trucco booked the gig through an HOLA referral. For more information, click here.

Mauricio Alexander, shown at right, booked a voiceover for the stage production My Last, Best Spouse (or, How Lance Loud Saved My Life). Written and performed by Raoul Daniel Luna, the solo show is directed by A.B. Lugo and will perform in July as part of the HOT! Festival at Dixon Place (located in Manhattan's Loísaida neighborhood. Alexander booked the gig through an HOLA referral.

Edwin Pagán, shown at left, was selected as one of the winners of the Puerto Rico Sun Communications Awards. He joins Julio Pabón of Latino Sports and Michelle Cruz of the East Harlem Café, among others. Puerto Rico Sun Communications (PRSUN) is an independent online media organization (founded by multimedia journalist Clarisel González) which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year with an event on July 21, 2012 at Joe's Place, located in the Parkchester section of the Bronx. The awards are given to leaders who exemplify the mission of informing, empowering and building community. For more information, click here.

Jean-Marc Berne booked a Spanish-language voiceover for McDonald's.

Agüeybaná Productions is presenting King of Cans/El rey de las latas. Written by Tato Laviera and directed by Evelyn Carrillo (with musical direction by Sergio Rivera), the show has extended its run through the rest of July at the Red Carpet Theater in the Taíno Towers, located in Manhattan's El Barrio neighborhood. The cast include Arnold Acevedo, Eddie Conde, Gary Cruz, Rafael Morales, Jorge Quevedo, Suni Reyes and Cita Rodríguez. For more information, click here.

Yanelba Ferreira will be seen playing the female lead in the television series "Happily Never After" (Investigation Discovery). Her episode, the program's season premiere, airs Saturday, July 21, 2012. For more information, click here.

Julissa López can be seen in the below commercial for Hyundai Sonata. The Spanish language commercial is currently airing.



If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join? If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?

Puerto Rico Woos Hollywood With More Tax Breaks

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Associated Press) — Puerto Rico's governor has signed another package of tax breaks aimed at luring more Hollywood film crews to the Caribbean island.

Gov. Luis Fortuño says the additional incentives will make the U.S. island territory among the most attractive locales for film production crews.

The incentives announced Monday will provide film studio tax credits for money spent on non-resident actors, writers, directors and other talent. Previous legislation already created tax credits for hiring Puerto Rican residents.

Many U.S. states have similar programs to entice film crews.

Fortuño says incentives in place since March 2011 have resulted in about 30 productions coming to the island, generating about $80 million in investment. Recent examples include television episodes for Showtime's "The Big C" and the movie Runner, Runner with Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake.

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting and performance gigs. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Ismael Cruz Córdova, shown at right, was the subject of a profile in the Puerto Rican online magazine Noticel. To read the article (which is in Spanish and in which HOLA gets a special mention), click here.

Patty Cake Theater presented Mr. Amoeba and the Geos, an improvisational interactive children's theater piece. Directed by Rubén Dario Cruz II, it took place in July in Highland Park in the East New York area of Brooklyn and featured Mariana Buoninconti, Fabián González, Hudson Oliveira and Blanca Vásquez in the cast. 

Julián Juaquín has just finished wrapping a film project called What Happened To Sarah? Based on a true story, it was written by Eleanor Gaver, produced by Schuyler Quinn and directed by Michael Rossetti, it is primed to hit the film festival circuit. For more information, click here or here.

Laura Riveros will be performing in Take a Ride. The production (co-produced by Fluid New Media Lab, Mashup Train Ride and Interactive Projection) is an interactive show that is being used to launch The Subway Issue of eL Paper Magazine. The show will feature poetry, performance, interactive projections and music and will take place on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority train ride between Local Project Art Space in Long Island City, Queens and the NARS Foundation in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Jeannie Sol will be bringing her vocal stylings to Coney Island as she performs at one of the famed Coney Island Boardwalk Parties. On a bill that includes Tyrone Corley, Ray Vázquez, DJ Bruno and DJ Justice, she will perform on Saturday, July 21, 2012 near West 10 Street at the Boardwalk in Brooklyn's Coney Island.

Richard Mazda and The Queens Players are presenting William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Directed by Alberto Bonilla, it will be presented in August at The Secret Theatre in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. For more information, click here.

The film Elliot Loves (helmed by G. Terracino) continues to do well at film festivals around the world. Its next stop is OutFest, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in July. The film, produced by Terracino and Elizabeth Gardner and co-produced by Juan Cáceres, stars Robin De Jesús, Elaine Del Valle, Alfredo Narciso, George Ruiz, Dalia Davi, Monte Bezell, Bobby DeJesús and Fabio Costaprado in the cast. For more information, click here.

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