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, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Éric-Dominique Pérez, shown at right, was highlighted in Remezcla for his self-penned solo show El Gringuito (directed by A.B. Lugo and assistant directed by Billy Martín Mejía). The show, which is scheduled for a March run at HERE Arts Center in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood as part of the Downtown Urban Theater Festival (DUTF), was called "funny, honest and a show not to be missed!" For more information, click here.

Caridad de la Luz (also known by her nom de poésie et de musique La Bruja and her Taíno name Kachianao) is scheduled to host the fifth annual Taíno Awards.  The ceremony is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 20, 2013 at the Bronx Museum of the Arts in the Morrisania section of the Bronx and will feature performances by Divine RBG, Cynthia Paniagua, Intikana, Milteri Tucker and El Grito de Poetas. For more information, click here.

Carlos A. González performed a set of standup comedy in February at the famed Standup NY comedy club in Manhattan's West Side.

Gustavo Pace, shown at left, is performing his self-penned solo show Naked Brazilian (directed by Lou Liberatore) in April at Dixon Place, located in Manhattan's Loísaida neighborhood. For more information, click here. In addition, he was the subject of a profile in the Brazilian Voice. To read the interview (which is in Portuguese), click here.

Dinorah Coronado's play Mujeres de febrero con Duarte was presented in February and March at the Comisionado Dominicano de Cultura en los Estados Unidos, located in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. Directed by Coronado, the production starred Roberto Larancuent, Coronado, Yini Rodríguez and Olga Camil in the cast.

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?

WELCOME NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS - JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2013

Below is a list of new (and returning) HOLA members who joined between January 1, 2013 and February 28, 2013. (Note that "returning members" refer to 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): Mauricio Alexander, Javier Ethan Gómez; (second row, left to right): Annie Henk, Félix Hiciano; (third row, left to right): Daniel Anthony Hidalgo, Irma-Estel LaGuerre; (fourth row, left to right): Ana Maldonado, Albania Matos; (fifth row, left to right): Lisette Medina, Rita Ortiz; (sixth row, left to right): Kevin Pérez, Ányela Quiñónez; (seventh row, left to right): Ángel Rosa, Izzy Ruiz; (eighth row, left to right): Will Saldarriaga, Francisco Stanzione; (ninth row, left to right): Ziad Tayeh, Germania Vásquez; (last row): Tairy Ynoa.

Not pictured: David Díaz, Virginia Lizárraga, Bernardo Torres.

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, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. 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) and Loren Escandón, shown above, from left to right, are among those featured in the HBO Latino “Habla Women” campaign. They join Latinas such as Daisy Martínez, Michelle Herrera Mulligan, Vanessa Del Río and Peggy Robles Alvarado in the campaign directed by Alberto Ferreras. A teaser clip can be seen below.



Carlos A. González is starring in the short film Solitaria (written and directed by Nelson Isava). In addition, the actor-comedian-filmmaker is hosting Comedy Night at Niko’s in White Plains, New York on Friday, March 1, 2013, where he will feature comedians Ángelo Lozada, Vladimir Caamano and Sergio Chicón.

Félix Hiciano and María Salas are starring in the play Little City. Written and directed by Richard Thomas Henle, the play will have a run in March and April at Manhattan Repertory Theater, located in the theater district of midtown Manhattan.

The documentary, Latinos Beyond Reel: Challenging a Media Stereotype, shot and produced by Edwin Pagán, will be screened at the National Conference for Media Reform in Denver, Colorado in April. 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?

Family of Lupe Ontiveros Responds to Oscar’s Hurtful Omission

Lupe Ontiveros

Check out this article by Elia Esparza in Latin Heat regarding the double snub that Lupe Ontiveros received from the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences (AMPAS) for neither including her in the televised "In Memoriam" section of the 85th Annual Academy Awards nor in the online slideshow for those not mentioned in the telecast by clicking here.

[BLOGGER'S NOTE: After a huge outcry, the Academy posted Ms. Ontiveros' photo in the online slideshow of people who had passed away in the previous year three days after the Awards telecast.]

For more information about Lupe Ontiveros, click here or click on the video below.

Where Are The Latino Journalists On U.S. English-Language News Networks?

Soledad O'Brien

Soledad O'Brien is no longer a host on CNN (she will remain as a "nonexclusive producer" for the news network).  It made me wonder, Where are the Latino journalists on English-language news networks in the United States? There is Elizabeth Vargas of news magazine "20/20" (ABC), Natalie Morales of NBC's "The Today Show" (although that is more entertainment than news), and... that's about it.

It is odd, considering the growing demographic that is Latinos/Hispanics in the United States (one of every six people have Latino/Hispanic ancestry according to the 2010 Census). And while there are many Latino journalists on television, they are too often relegated to working only on Spanish-language networks such as Telemundo or Univision. (Also interesting to note is the way Latina journalists in particular are presented in Spanish-language media versus English-language media.)

Check out this article by Julio Ricardo Varela of Latino Rebels on how mainstream U.S. television continues to ignore the growing Latino demographic (which starts off with the HOLA Award-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien) by clicking here.

Mansur Gidfar of Upworthy calls Soledad O'Brien "CNN's best journalist" in his blog which you can read here. You can also see a corresponding video there or by clicking on the video below.

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, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Inma Heredia, shown at left, will play Claudia in the first ever film adaptation of Ramón del Valle Inclán’s play Luces de Bohemia. Now titled Bohemian Lights, it is produced by Rémy Saint-Denis, written by The Live Source Collective and will be directed by Tyler Mercer. For more information, click here. She booked the work through a casting notice that HOLA sends to its members and self-submitting.

Caridad de la Luz (also known by her nom de poésie et de musique La Bruja), shown at right, wrote and performed the opening track (“Prelude”) on Prince Royce’s second album, Phase II, which just won the Premio Lo Nuestro Award for Tropical Album of the Year.

¡Madre Mía!, the SAG-AFTRA webseries written and directed by Francisco Lupini Basagoiti and produced by Francisco Fuertes is an official entry of the Hollyweb Film Festival. The webseries stars Soledad López, Juan Villarreal, David Vega and Alfredo Huereca. For more information on the project, click here or here.

Éric-Dominique Pérez appeared with Christine Suero and Verónica Caicedo on the talk show “Open” (hosted by Rhina Valentín). Pérez was there promoting and doing an excerpt of his self-penned solo show El Gringuito (directed by A.B. Lugo and assistant directed by Billy Martín Mejía) which is scheduled to be presented in March at HERE Arts Center in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood as part of the Downtown Urban Theatre Festival. For more information, click here. To see Pérez in action, click on the video below (he appears starting at about 08:15 into the video).



Tony Rodríguez appeared in the first of a series of fitness segments on the television program “La revista semanal” (MundoFox). To see the segment (which is in Spanish), click here.

Daniel Anthony Hidalgo is currently filming the short film Downtime (written and directed by Amos Efrat).

Mike Smith Rivera (also known by his nom de clown Mister Clown) conducted “clown on the street” interviews in New York’s world famous Times Square to comedic results. Take a look at “What Up?” by clicking on the video below.



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?

Latinos Who Have Won The Academy Award

Over the 85-year history of the Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars), Oscar nominations have been given to Latino/Hispanics from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay and the United States... and not just in acting.

• For a list of Argentine Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Brazilian Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Chilean Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Colombian Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Mexican Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Puerto Rican Academy Award winners and nominees, click here. (This list technically includes Joaquin Phoenix, who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.)

• For a list of Spanish Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Uruguayan Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Latino/Hispanic Academy Award winners and nominees from the United States, click here. (This list includes an Mexican-American, an American of Mexican-Czech heritage, an American of Mexican-Basque heritage, a Cuban-American and a Puerto Rican born in Brooklyn. This list does not include Margaret O'Brien, of Irish-Spaniard descent, who was awarded a Juvenile Academy Award in 1944.)

The list of Academy Award winners (as of press time) from Latin America and Spain is below. Anthony Quinn, Gustavo Santaolalla, Emile Kuri, Robert Amram and Gil Parrondo are multiple Oscar winners.

ARGENTINA
Eugenio Zanetti (art direction); Gustavo Santaolalla [twice] and Luis Enríquez Bacalov (original score).

CHILE
Claudio Miranda (cinematography).

MEXICO
Anthony Quinn (acting) [twice]; Emile Kuri [twice], Brigitte Broch, Eugenio Caballero and Pilar Revuelta (art direction); Robert Amram (short subject and documentary short subject; the first and only time a film was given Oscars in both categories in the same year); Guillermo Navarro (cinematography); Beatrice de Alba (makeup).

PUERTO RICO
José Ferrer, Rita Moreno and Benicio Del Toro (acting).

SPAIN
Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz (acting); Gil Parrondo [twice] and Antonio Mateos (art direction); Néstor Almendros (cinematography); Yvonne Blake and Antonio Castillo (costume design); Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay); David Martí and Montse Ribé (makeup).

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
1982 - Volver a empezar (Spain)
1985 - La historia official (Argentina)
1993 - Belle Époque (Spain)
1999 - Todo sobre mi madre (Spain)
2004 - Mar adentro (Spain)
2009 - El secreto de los ojos (Argentina)

• For a list of Academy Award winners and nominees in the category of Best Foreign Language Film, click here.


In the case of the Best Foreign Language Film category, the director accepts the award, but the award goes to the producing nation(s).

The 85th Annual Academy Awards... A Mixed Bag For Latinos

The 85th Academy Awards ceremony (referred to as The Oscars), presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place February 24, 2013 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Oscar winner Claudio Miranda

While the Oscars of the previous year had eight nominees who were Latino (including acting nods for Demián Bichir and Bérénice Bejo), this year's batch of nominees had no Latinos in the acting categories (nor in direction nor screenplay in what the Oscars call the "Big Five" categories). The only Latino nominees were Paco Delgado (Costume Design for Anna Karenina), José Antonio García (co-nominee for Sound Mixing for Argo), the Chilean film No (directed by Pablo Larraín and nominated for Best Foreign Film) and Chilean-born Claudio Miranda (Cinematography for The Life of Pi). Of these nominees, only Miranda won an Oscar (and denying now 10-time nominee Roger Deakins from picking up his first Oscar).

And yet, Latinos were present in the ceremony, from presenters Salma Hayek (herself a former Oscar nominee) and Zoë Saldaña to Fátima Ptacek (star of the Oscar-winning live action short film Curfew) to the subjects of the Best Documentary Oscar winners.

Inocente, star of the Oscar-winning
documentary short of the same name

This year's Academy Award winner for Best Documentary - Short Subject was Inocente (directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine), which tells the story of a 15-year-old homeless girl in California who aspires to be an artist. The film was part-financed by the crowdfunding website Kickstarter (an Oscar first). The filmmakers brought up their subject when they accepted the award and spoke about the need to support artists in general. If you would like to see the documentary short, click here.

Rodríguez, star of the Oscar-winning
documentary Searching for Sugar Man

This year's Academy Award winner for Best Documentary - Feature was Searching For Sugar Man (directed by Malik Bendjelloul), which tells the story of two South African fans trying to find the whereabouts of their favorite musican, Rodríguez. The film was originally shot on 8mm film to record the film, but when the director ran out of money for more film to record the final few shots. The remainder of the shots were shot on the director's smartphone using an application called 8mm Vintage Camera to complete the film.

And of course, Argo, based on the life of Antonio "Tony" Mendez, won Best Picture (as well as Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay).

This year was also the second year where Puerto Rico was declared ineligible in the Best Foreign (Language) Film category after being considered and having films submitted since 1986. The Puerto Rican film Lo que le pasó a Santiago (What Happened to Santiago), directed by Jacobo Morales, was an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film in 1989.

Lupe Ontiveros

Another thing to note (and a very important one as well) was that many people were omitted in the annual In Memoriam tribute to the artists who have passed away in the previous year. One of the most glaring omissions was that of the much beloved character actress Lupe Ontiveros. Several people were omitted this year from the telecast, but included in a slideshow on the Oscars website; she was also snubbed there as well. Ms. Ontiveros had an illustrious long career in film, television and theater and her omission is highly disheartening for those who knew her, worked with her or enjoyed her work. [Ms. Ontiveros was among the artists remembered in the In Memoriam section of the 2012 HOLA Awards this past October.]

All in all, this year's Academy Awards were a mixed bag for Latinos. Latinos are in the film industry and always has been. Heck, even the statuette of the Academy Award is modeled on a Latino actor-screenwriter-director. And with the growing number of Latinos in the United States, it is about time that Hollywood actually wakes up and takes more notice.

 

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, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Lorraine Rodríguez was originally supposed to be performing in the title role of a workshop presentation of the play Julia de Burgos: Child of Water (written by Carmen Rivera and directed by Cándido Tirado), to be held on what would have been the 99th birthday of the famous Puerto Rican poet. Rodríguez, who incidentally was quite pregnant at the time, started feeling contractions the day before the reading. As a result, on the same day as Julia de Burgos’ birthday, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Meet the newest collaboration of Rodríguez and and husband Marc Reyes, daughter Julia Helena Reyes (or Julia Helena Reyes Rodríguez al estilo latino), shown at left. She was born at 9:54pm on Sunday, February 17, 2013, weighing 7.6 lbs and measured 19 ¾ inches long. She joins big brother Marcus Joaquín in the family. El Blog de HOLA is happy to report that mother, father, big brother and daughter and are all doing well.

Caridad de la Luz (also known by her nom de poésie et de musique La Bruja), shown at right, wrote and performed the opening track (“Prelude”) on Prince Royce’s second album, Phase II, which just won the Premio Lo Nuestro Award for Tropical Album of the Year.


Inma Heredia will be performing at Estrellas de Cabaret, produced by Hispanic Unlimited Entertainment Studios (HUES). The live variety event will feature other artists and will take place on Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at González & González, located in the NoHo area of Manhattan. For more information, click here.

Jean-Marc Berne’s composition “Canta por ella” is getting published by Sony Music Entertainment and will be performed by Christian Daniel for his upcoming album.

Annie Henk is starring in the Migdalia Cruz play Lucy Loves You. Directed by Lou Moreno, the show is produced by and will take place at INTAR, located in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen/Clinton neighborhood and will star Gerrardo Rodríguez and Bertha Leal. For more information, click here.

Iván Goris is starring in the play Kings (written and directed by Anna Governali) will have a March and April run in the Nuyorican Poets Café, located in Manhattan’s Loísaida neighborhood.

Francisco Ramos booked a role on the television series "South Brooklyn" (Bounce TV).

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?

Hispanics Rare In Hollywood Despite Numbers

Antonio "Tony" Mendez, at left,
and Ben Affleck, at right.

Check out this article by Hilary Costa in Sky News regarding the rising population of Latinos in the United States while the number of Latinos in the media remain woefully low, in which A.B. Lugo and María F. Nieto are quoted and the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) prominently mentioned 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, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Marco Antonio Rodríguez, shown at left, and his play Barceló con hielo, was named the winner of Repertorio Español’s Nuestras Voices (Our Voices) playwriting competition and will receive a full production in New York sometime in 2014.


Éric-Dominique Pérez, shown at right, was interviewed for NYTheatre regarding his self-penned solo show El Gringuito (directed by A.B. Lugo and directed by Billy Marín Mejía, scheduled to take place as part of the Downtown Urban Theater Festival (DUTF) on Saturday, March 9, 2013 at HERE Arts Center in the SoHo neighborhood in Manhattan. To read the interview, click here.

Liche Ariza, shown at left, received rave reviews for his role of Cousin Julio in the Stephen Adly Guirgis play The Motherf***er With The Hat (directed by Serge Seiden), that is currently performing in Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. To get more information on the production, or to buy tickets, click here. To read the reviews, click on the numbers in between the following set of parentheses (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).

Ziad Tayeh is shooting the film Wallets (written and directed by Cyril Mahe) and just wrapped up work on a music video for Napoleon Da Legend and Sean Price.

Caridad de la Luz (also known by her nom de poésie et de musique La Bruja) will be performing as a special guest at the record release of the Reyes + DJ O-Zone collection We Are. The event will take place on Friday, March 1, 2013 at Lokal in Chicago, Illinois.

Josean Ortiz and Amneris Morales will star in La última plena que bailó Luberza. Based on the short story by Manuel Ramos Otero, and adapted and directed by Ortiz, the production was brought back by popular demand and deals with the life of Isabel La Negra, a madam of a brothel in Puerto Rico and will have a February run at the Corralón de San José in Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Claudio Marcel Weisz will be singing on February 21, 2013 with the Raf Astor Band at Havana Central Long Island, located in the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York.

Monte Bezell booked a role on the television series “Person of Interest” (CBS).

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?

Report: Prime Latino Media Salon - Business Fundamentals 101: Winning Strategies to Succeed Workshop (February 2013)

HOLA (through its HOLApanels aegis), Tío Louie and NALIP New York presented a special Prime Latino Media Salon workshop on the fundamentals of business and finding strategies on how to succeed in it on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at New York's Pace University, located right by City Hall and the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Moderated by Louis Perego Moreno (also known as Tío Louie), the panelists were Jorge Silva, City University of New York Professor, Distinguished Lecturer at Hostos Community College and a former Small Business Administration (SBA) Regional Administrator; Don'Angelo Bivens, Founder and Chief Maestro of MAESTRO, an entity dedicated to helping small and growing business excel through education and executive coaching services; and Ira Davidson, Director of Pace University Small Business Development Center, which provides pro-bono assessment for start-ups and small business.

In a conference room that rapidly became standing room only, attendees learned about business structures (d/b/a vs. sub-chapter S vs. LLC), business planning, assembling the right team and articulating your mission statement, vision and values. The discussion also brought about healthy discourse and alternative ways of doing things depending on the situation.

A spirited question-and-answer session followed and, as is de rigeur for a Prime Latino Media Salon event, ample time before and after event for networking. HOLA would like to thank Mssrs Silva, Bivens and Davidson, Pace University and all of the attendees for making this event a highly successful one.



To see more photos from this event, 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, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Éric-Dominique Pérez, shown at right, was highlighted in an article on Remezcla regarding his self-penned solo show El Gringuito (directed by A.B. Lugo and assistant directed by Billy Martín Mejía, see below) and several other shows occurring this year’s Downtown Urban Theater Festival (DUTF), taking place in February and March at HERE Arts Center, located in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. To read the article, click here.

Billy Martín Mejía, shown at left, was highlighted in an interview for Acento online magazine with acclaimed Dominican actress Laura Guzmán. Guzmán dubbed Mejía (also see above) as one of the new, up and coming prominent theater artists with the ability of leaving behind a lasting legacy. To read the interview (which is in Spanish), click here.

The award-winning film Elliot Loves (written and directed by G. Terracino) was recently screened on February 16, 2013 at the Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD!). The film starred Robin De Jesús, Elaine Del Valle, Cedric Leiba, Monte Bezell, Judy Torres, Johnathan Cedano, Denia Brache, Alfredo Narciso, George Ruiz, Dalia Davi, Bobby DeJesús and Fabio Costaprado.

The documentary, Latinos Beyond Reel: Challenging a Media Stereotype, shot and produced by Edwin Pagán, will be screened on Saturday, February 23, 2013 at the Bronx Documentary Center, located in the Hub district of the South Bronx. For more information, click here.

Manuel A. Morán and Jesús E. Martínez will star in El encuentro de Juan Bobo y Pedro Animal/The Encounter Between Juan Bobo and Pedro Animal In commemoration of Dominican Heritage Month (February). Written and directed by Morán, the production will take place at SEA’s eponymous theater, located in the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center (home to HOLA) in Manhattan’s Loísaida neighborhood. For more information, click here.

The Poets Den Theater (located in Manhattan’s El Barrio neighborhood) presented a workshop presentation of Julia de Burgos: Child of Water in commemoration of the Puerto Rican poet’s 99th birthday. Written by Carmen Rivera and directed by Cándido Tirado, the workshop starred Caridad de la Luz, Mariana Parma, Luis Antonio Ramos, Ed Trucco and Rénoly Santiago. After the workshop presentation, de Burgos’ famous poem “Río Grande de Loíza” was read by 12 people, including Basil Rojas, J.F. Seary and Susanna Guzmán. The play is scheduled to be produced next year in time for the poet’s centennial.

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, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface.

Elaine Del Valle, shown at right, is pleased to announced that her award-winning self-penned solo show Brownsville Bred (her autobiographical story of growing up in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn) will have its Brooklyn debut in a one-night-only benefit performance. The show is being presented by Danny Simmons, Annabella Sciorra, Nelson George and Carl Hancock Rux and all the proceeds will go towards the Brownsville, Brooklyn-based charity Resident.Connect.Care and will be presented on Thursday, May 2, 2013 at the Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts (at Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus). For more information, click here.

Marlene Forté will shoot a national commercial for HomeGoods and she booked a guest starring appearance on the television series “Vegas” (CBS).

Howard Collado will be acting in a production of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Produced by Snapped Productions, the play is directed by Gregory Couba and will have a February and March run at the 133rd Street Arts Center in the Harlem area of Manhattan. For more information, click here.

Javier Ethan Gómez is in pre-production for the film Don’t Look (written by Jessica Boucher from a story by Luciana Faulhaber), in which he will star and is a producer (with Enuff Productions). The feature thriller will also star Bella Plotkin, Lindsay DiFulvio, Faulhaber, Shane White and Adam Lim. For more information, click here or here.

Edwin Pagán is wrapping up production on The Talisman, the film he helmed and photographed. Written by Drew Daywalt, the film stars Ross Beshear, Adela María Bolet, Paul Bosche, Bárbara Jiménez and Adel L. Morales. Upon completion, the film will hit the film festival circuit. For more information, click here or 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?