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LOCKED Is Intense and Entertaining A talk with the Director

We caught up with the director of LOCKED David Yarovesky (Brightburn, Nightbooks), just before we screened the film with no spoilers. The film took nineteen days to shoot. Watch our quick interview. Synopsis: No escape. No …

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At a Screening of Dog Man the Movie

It was an enjoyable screening with two of the grandsons. The five year old said it was happy and sad at the same time. And he loved it! The twelve year old who has read …

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Unstoppable Streaming on Prime Video

Unstoppable is the inspiring true story of Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) who was born with one leg but whose indomitable spirit and unbreakable resolve empowered him to defy the odds and pursue his dreams. With the …

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 The Speed to the BoxOffice

“Sonic 3 will beat out Mufasa, for sure!” — JimmityCritic (12) Sonic the Hedgehog 3, what a fun evening with the grandkids it was. When you have a 12, 10 and 5 year-old clap their hands at the end …

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Mufasa: The Lion King the Prequel

Mufasa: The Lion King was entertaining and the production value was amazing to watch. Set in Africa, all-new film blends live-action filmmaking techniques with photoreal computer-generated imagery.  My 12 year-old grandson thought it was one …

LOCKED Is Intense and Entertaining A talk with the DirectorAt a Screening of Dog Man the MovieUnstoppable Streaming on Prime VideoSonic the Hedgehog 3 The Speed to the BoxOfficeMufasa: The Lion King the Prequel

Se Fija! Caught Up with Writer/Director Chris Weitz

Angela Ortíz and Chris Weitz
Photo: Anselmo S. Ortiz

SeFija!’s Angela Ortíz caught up with Weitz, writer, producer and director of American Pie, About A Boy, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and the acclaimed A Better Life at his Venice office, where we had a chance to sit down and talk about his family’s Hollywood connections and his early industry beginnings. We also chatted about what we can expect from him next—which includes a book.

Listen in on the conversation below.

Special thanks to my assistant, my bro.

The CW Cancels a Bunch of Shows, and Adds a Bunch More, including Gina Rodriguez in “Jane the Virgin”

Gina Rodriguez as Jane

It was a busy day for the execs at CW, with three cancellations, three pick-ups, and four new shows added to the fall ’14 slate. Latino talent did moderately well, especially in Jane the Virgin.

Lindsey Morgan The 100

First came the cancellations: The Tomorrow People, Star-Crossed, and The Carrie Diaries, none of which had a strong Latino contingent on a week-to-week basis. Then came the announcements of three programs that would be returning: Hart of Dixie, Beauty and the Beast, and the 100, the latter including Latina Lindsey Morgan in its large and lovely cast. And finally, the new shows: the much-talked-about The Flash, another DC Comics superhero come to life, alongside iZombie, another comic book concept, but more ‘light horror’ than super stuff, a new science fiction original, The Messengers, about a group of people charged with preventing the coming apocalypse by a mysterious object that crashes to earth, and Jane the Virgin, another equally strange concept about a young woman who’s never had sex but ‘accidentally’ becomes pregnant through a botched medical procedure.

Andrea Navedo
Jane the Virgin

Diane Guerrero
Jane the Virgin

J.D. Pardo
The Messengers

The Messengers cast includes J.D. Pardo, whose regular character in NBC Revolution died just a couple of weeks ago; the big news for Latinos is Virgin, based on a Venezuelan telenovela and starring Gina Rodriguez of Filly Brown, and featuring a large Latino cast that includes Andrea Navedo and Diane Guerrero.

Premiere dates and the actual fall schedule is still weeks away, to be announced at the ‘up fronts’ in the summer. But it’s nice to see a growing contingent of Latinos in CW projects. That’s a fairly new development…

A Couple of Films with Latinos in the Mix in Theaters Friday

Chef was the opener at SXSW Film Festival and is a film by Jon Favreau who also stars in it along with Sofía Vergara, Bobby Cannavale, John Leguizamo, Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson and even Dustin Hoffman begins its run Friday in limited release via Open Road Films.

Lea Michele is the voice of Dorothy in this new animated Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return. The film is also voice by Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, Bernadette Peters and Kelsey Grammer.

FOX Cancels Three Sitcoms with Latinos in the Mix

Tonita Castro Dads

Kevin Hernandez Finding Jack

Dads, Enlisted, and Surviving Jack won’t make it past their first year, and Tonita Castro, Angelique Cabral, and Kevin Hernandez are moving on.

To no ones surprise–unfortunately–Fox has lowered the boom on three of their newer sitcoms, each with a Latino actor in the cast. Dads, a raunchy joke-fest from Seth McFarland of American Dad! and Ted fame, featured Tonita Castro as the only not-crazy character in the cast, while Kevin Hernandez played a part in the especially short-lived family comedy built around Christopher Meloni formerly of Law & Order.

Angelique Cabral Enlisted

The greatest surprise is the cancellation of the well-received but low-rated Enlisted, a gentle comedy about a life in the stateside army; Angelique Cabral played the non-nonsense officer in the series. Angelique and the rest of the cast were deeply committed to the series, to the point of leading grassroots “Renew Enlisted” campaigns and even staging live Twitter events for each episode to try and attract viewers. Even after its suspension, the cast complained that the Nielsen ratings for the show didn’t take into the account the high viewership at military bases, and that the program deserved some time to grow. Clearly the execs at Fox didn’t agree.

This is far from the end of the road for any of these talented Latinos. Hernandez is just finishing up a co-starring role in the feature film Sex Ed, Cabral has already appeared in an episode of The Mentalist this season and will next be seen in a rom-com TV movie, Two to Go, while Tonita Castro, who lost her spot on Go On just a year ago, is one of the voices in Jorge R. Gutierrez’ innovative animated feature The Book of Life. There’s a good chance we’ll see more from all of them in the near future.

Friday, May 9

More talk than TV drama on Friday: Zoë Saldaña is Live with Kelly and Michael…Marisa Ramirez support on Blue Bloods at 10P on CBS…then you’ll find Eugenio Derbez on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Cameron Diaz on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Photo: Eugenio Derbez, Zoë Saldaña and Patrick J. Adams “Rosemary’s Baby”

Vampires, Doctors, Saints and More on a Busy Thursday Night

  • Kevin Hernandez Finding Jack

    Michael Trevino kills and thrills on The Vampire Diaries8P on The CW

    Diana Maria Riva
    St. George

  • Sara Ramirez is the best Latino surveon on TV on Grey’s Anatomy,9P on ABC
  • Jennifer Lopez shares the news on the American Idol results show at 9P on Fox
  • Kevin Hernandez enjoys the last few episodes of Surviving Jack at 9:30P on Fox
  • George Lopez’ newest sitcom St. George also brings us the comedy stylings of David Zayas, Diana Maria Riva, Danny Trejo and more at 9:30 P on FX

Wednesday, May 7

Latinos singin’, dancin’, and acting on Wednesday. Read the full post. PLUS: Zoë Saldaña on Good Day L.A., John Leguizamo on Wendy Williams and George Lopez on The Talk. Check local listings

Photos: Zoë Saldaña, John Leguizamo and George Lopez

Music and Mayhem for Latinos on TV this Wednesday

  • L-r: Ryan Seacrest, Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez
    and Harry Connick Jr.

    Jennifer Lopez judges and enjoys on American Idol, 8P on FOX

  • Mat Vairo on Revolution, 8P on NBC
  • Congratulations to Kevin Alejandro now (secretly Latino!) Mayor of Starling City on Arrow, 8P on The CW

    Lindsey Morgan The 100

  • Lindsey Morgan is challenging on The 100, 9P on The CW
  • Sofía Vergara and Rico Rodriguez on Modern Family, 9P on ABC
  • Danny Pino and Raúl Esparza are the best thing about a strong show: Law & Order: SVU, at 9P on NBC
  • Our friend Romi R Dias is guest starring along with Esai Morales on a new episode of Criminal Minds, at 9A on CBS
  • America Olivo and other Latino guests join Jon Seda on Chicago PD, 10P on NBC

A Rich Night on Many Nets for Latinos on TV Tuesday

Daniella Pineda The Originals

Action, horror, comedy, and music all at once

  • Shakira winces with the rest of us during The Voice Live Eliminations at 8P on NBC
  • No matter what you read Naya Rivera and Lea Michele are both still performing for all they’re worth on Glee, 8P on FOX
  • Jessie Garcia, Eiza González, Wilmer Valderrama, D.J. Cotrona and others on From Dusk Till Dawn series, 9P on El Rey Network (if you get it) or check it out on iTunes tomorrow

    Natalie Morales Trophy Wife

  • Daniella Pineda continues to enchant–literally–on The Originals at 8P on The CW
  • Miguel Ferrer keeps on growlin on NCIS: Los Angeles at 9P on CBS
  • Al Madrigal is great fun on About a Boy, a good candidate for renewal at 9P on NBC
  • Hayley Orrantia is an 80s teenager on The Goldbergs, 9P on ABC
  • Just a couple more chances to see Natalie Morales in Trophy Wife, 9:30P on ABC
  • Guest star Joseph Melendez joins Sarah Shahi who is totally cool, totally dangerous on Person of Interest at 10P on CBS
  • Monica Raymund and Joe Minoso in a new episode of Chicago Fire 10P on NBC

“Castle,” “The Voice,” “Bates” and More on Monday

  • Benjamin Bratt and Gbenga Akinnagbe
    24 Live Another Day

    The top 8 perform live with Shakira cheering them on: The Voice, 8P on NBC

  • Benjamin Bratt is a key player in the 24 revival, 24: Live Another Day. It premieres at 8P on FOX
  • Nestor Carbonell is a good guy? Bad guy? Trapped guy? In the Bates Motel finale, marvelously named “The Immutable Truth.” 10P on A&E
  • Jon Huertas is still solving crimes, making quips, and kickin’ ass on Castle at 10P on ABC
  • Louis C.K. Louie is back, at 10P on FX

Or go all-action with John Ortiz and an impressive cast in Alien vs. Predator: Requiem at 10P on FXM

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