The Incomparable Rita Moreno, 2014 SAG Award Life Achievement Honoree

Rita Moreno received the SAG Award for Life Achievement last night. To get a quick sketch of the breadth and duration of this iconic, ageless performer, click on the first video below. 

To read an interview she gave to Variety just a few days before the SAG Awards, where she spoke about sexism, ageism and racism in Hollywood, click here. 

To read an interview she gave to Variety backstage after receiving her SAG Award, where she spoke on "living in the moment, at age 82, and loving it", click here.

To see her speak to reporters backstage after her speech, where she dropped several bits of wisdom, click on the second video below.

Ms. Moreno attended the HOLA Awards in 1999. HOLA shortly thereafter renamed an award the Rita Moreno HOLA Award for Excellence.


CONGRATULATIONS, RITA MORENO!!

Post by DigiBunch.

Does Hollywood have a Latino problem? Yes, Says CNN Online Editorial

Juan Pablo Galavis
of ABC's "The Bachelor".

Check out this blog by Cindy Y. Rodríguez in CNN.com on whether ABC's reality series "The Bachelor" (which recently added its first Latino to be the titular character) is a step forward or just another way to perpetuate stereotypes by clicking here.

Meet Ben Silverman, The Man Mining English-Language Latino Content for U.S. Television

Producer Ben Silverman.

As the fastest growing U.S. demographic, U.S. Latinos, which have an estimated $1.5 trillion dollar spending power. Networks are trying to cater to the burgeoning population, as are film studios (confer Paramount's recent Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones).

Ben Silverman, with his production company, Electus, has known about this for quite some time; he's even been ahead of the curve. 

Back in 2006 he teamed up with Salma Hayek and Silvio Horta to produce "Ugly Betty" (based on the Colombian telenovela "Betty La Fea"), which ran for four years on ABC from 2006–2010.  He also extends his interest of Latino themed projects to film. Silverman is also currently producing Hands of Stone, about the life of legendary Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán.

To read more of his latest projects, check out Bel Hernández's article in Latin Heat by clicking here.

Rita Moreno on Fighting Ethnic Stereotypes

Check out this article by Stacey Wilson of The Hollywood Reporter regarding the iconic Rita Moreno (winner of the Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy, Tony and HOLA awards), where she discusses fighting stereotypes, winning the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Life Achievement Award and why she didn't do another film after winning the Academy Award (for West Side Story) 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. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.

Elaine Del Valle, shown at right, just booked a role in A Change of Heart, a comedy feature starring James Belushi, Kathy Najimy, William Levy and Gloria Estefan. The film is written by Luis Santeiro and directed by Kenny Ortega. The feature starts shooting in Miami, Florida in late January.

Daphne Rubin-Vega will be presenting her self-penned show, Frequently Unanswered Questions (FUQs) at the Cutting Room (in Manhattan's Rose Hill/Koreatown area) on Monday, February 3, 2014. For more information, click here.

Éric-Dominique Pérez, shown at left, has been garnering a lot of press for the Puerto Rican debut of his self-penned solo show El Gringuito. Directed by A.B. Lugo (and assistant directed by Billy Martin Mejía), the production is taking place in mid-January at El Corralón de San José in Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico as part of the Festival de la Calle San Sebastián. He has appeared in the Puerto Rican newspapers El Nuevo Día and El Vocero, respectively, and had a radio interview (with Mr. Lugo) for "El Programa de Susa y Epifánio" on WAIC 740AM. To read the articles (which are in Spanish) or for more information about the production, click here, here [page 33], and here.

Michael Díaz, also known by his nom de comédie Juan Bago, shown at right, was featured in Remezcla, where his recent viral video spoof, "Lotion Girl" was featured and highlighted. To read the article (and to see the video), click here.

Mónica Delgado scored a radio commercial voiceover for McDonald's, and as a result, became a SAG-AFTRA member.

Martín Untrojb voiced the storyboard version of a voiceover for M&M's commercial, which will in its completed form be voiced by J.K. Simmons and premiere during the NFL Super Bowl.

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 live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?

Cuarón Scores Two Academy Award Nods, Plus Other Latinos Who Nabbed 2014 Oscar Noms

Actor Chris Hemsworth and Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences president Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the 2014 Oscar nominations on Thursday morning from Los Angeles. The nods come in advance of the 86th annual Academy Awards, which will take place on Sunday, March 2, 2014 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. Ellen DeGeneres will emcee the event.

Alfonso Cuarón, shown at right, nabbed a nomination for Best Direction for the film Gravity. He also received a second nomination for Best Film Editing (with Mark Sanger) for the same film. Other Latinos nominated include Emmanuel Lubezki for his cinematography of Gravity; Esteban Crespo for Best Live Action Short Film for Aquel no era yo (That Wasn't Me); and Daniel Sousa for Best Animated Short Film for his work Feral. In addition, Mexican-born Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work on 12 Years A Slave. Finally, Areito Echevarria will receive (along with the team of Colin Doncaster, Johannes Saam, Janne Kohtkanen and Chris Cooper will receive a Special Academy Certificate of Technical Achievement, which will be presented as part of the Academy Awards Annual Scientific and Technical Awards presentation, to take place on Saturday, February 15, 2014, also in Hollywood, California.

The Academy Awards, commonly known as The Oscars, are U.S. awards for achievements in the film industry. Winners are awarded the statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit. The awards, first presented in 1929, are overseen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Mark Burnett Bringing Lucha Libre Wrestling to Robert Rodríguez's El Rey Network

Producer Mark Burnett.

Read Lesley Goldberg's article in The Hollywood Reporter about "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett's plans to bring lucha libre wrestling to Robert Rodríguez's new network, El Rey, by clicking here.