Tag Archive: Raul Esparza

Natalie Toro: From Broadway to (not enough) Television

Natalie Toro has been described as a “Puerto Rican Patti Lupone,” but that doesn’t do her nearly enough justice. This beautiful and supremely talented actress first made her mark years ago when she starred in the Broadway version of A Tale of Two Cities; since then she’s starred in the Pioneer Theater’s production of In the Heights, as well as in national touring companies of Cats, Evita, and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Toro is one of a wide and wildly talented array of Latinos who have made a huge impression on stage but have yet to receive the same level of recognition in television. Karen Olivo (Harry’s Law), Sara Ramirez (Grey’s Anatomy), and Raul Esparza (Law & Order: SVU) all immediately come to mind as proven Broadway stars whose musical theater background seems virtually unknown west of the Rockies. Read the rest of this entry »

Catch All the Good Sunday Night TV with Latinos…On-Line Today

One of the nice thing about the internet and TV networks -at least for the moment–is how generous they’ve become in offering recent episodes for viewing right away–like within twenty-four hours.

Sunday night’s original fare is a good example. You can catch virtually every new hour of network programming that featured Latinos at the appropriate network’s individual dot-com (and most on hulu.com as well).  For instance:

Lana Parrilla is great at being bad in once Upon a Time winter finale, available here at abc.com

Madeleine Stowe serves up her own kind of diabolical manipulation in Revenge with guest star E.J Bonilla available here, also on abc.com

Makenzie Vega on The Good Wife can be seen right here on cbs.com

…and you can watch Raúl Esparza on one of the last episodes of 666 Park Avenue here, on abc.com.

Most of the networks also offer behind-the-scenes bits and interviews as well: bonus footage without the wait and expense of buying the twelve-disc DVD set.

Enjoy!

 

A Little CBS and Lots of NBC for Latinos on TV Wednesday

Jamie-Lynn Sigler plays one of the long-suffering wives on Guys with Kids at 8:30P on NBC (and congrats on the full-season pick-up!). At 9P, Raul Esparza guest-stars with cast member Danny Pino on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC, while Monica Raymund and the boys continue to fight conflagrations on Chicago Fire at 10P, also on NBC. Then over on CBS at 10P, Gonzalo Menendez guest-stars on CSI.

Latinos on CBS: The Mid-Season Scorecard

A rare moment of hope after years of under-performance. And then… 

For years, CBS has had the fewest number of Latinos in front of the camera compared to any of the other broadcast networks–in some recent seasons, even fewer than the ‘mini-nets’ like the CW and Fox. But as this season began, things looked a little better–a little. 

The net’s anemic performance to date was painfully obvious. By the end of last season, Cote de Pablo of NCIS and Makenzie Vega on The Good Wife were virtually alone on the network–the only Latino actors in regular supporting roles on all of CBS. CSI: Miami, with Eva La Rue and Adam Rodriguez, had been cancelled; arcs on other series, like Monica Raymund on Blue Bloods and The Good Wife, Miguel Ferrer on NCIS: Los Angeles and Raul Esparza on the already forgotten A Gifted Man had come and gone, and the late coming NYC 22 with Judy Marte and Felix Solis, delayed until the dog days of Spring, sank without a trace, like Freddy Rodríguez’ Chaos the year before. And the less said about Rob!’s arrival and departure, the better.

Then the pilots for 2012-13 gave us a little hope. CBS has a remarkable eight pilots–half of the total number they authorized–with Latinos in front or behind the camera, including JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Louis C.K., Jay Hernandez, Natalie Martinez and more.

Strangely, of the sixteen pilots CBS made, only four of them actually made it onto the schedule. And of that quartet, two of them had Latinos involved: Tracy Vilar was apparently a supporting-cast member of Partners, the new David Krumholz sitcom, and director/producer Michael Cuesta was involved with the new Sherlock Holmes update, Elementary. Even better, a couple of Latino actors had been added to CBS shows as well: Manny Perez was to be the cop working with Sherlock on Elementary, and Felix Solis was going to be working in a similar capacity on the new legal drama, Made in Jersey. Combine that with the continued presence of Cote de Pablo and Makenzie Vega, and it looked as if things were actually improving at CBS. Read the rest of this entry »

Family, Animals, Crime and Conflagration on Wednesday Night–Latino Style

It begins with one of the last appearances of JoAnna Garcia Swisher’s already cancelled Animal Practice at 8P on NBC; Sofía Vergara and Rico Rodriguez are up for more Modern Family on ABC at 9P, then at 9:30P, Bunnie Rivera continues her arc as Carmen on  Suburgatory. Opposite Danny Pino and Raúl Esparza on Law & Order: SVU on NBC at 9P. And come 10P, you can choose Monica Raymund, Mo Gallini and Joe Minoso on Chicago Fire or check out Mark Consuelos in American Horror Story: Asylum down the dial on FX.

Big Night on TV: “Modern Family,” “Suburgatory,” “Criminal Minds,” “CSI,” “Animal Practice,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Chicago Fire”

You’ll find Latinos in supporting roles on every network at almost every hour tonight. At 8P: a last look at Animal Practice with JoAnna Garcia Swisher on NBC; 9P: Paul Sanchez, Regina Saldivar, and Heleya de Barros all guest-star in Criminal Minds on CBS, opposite the increasingly legendary Sofía Vergara and Rico Rodriguez on Modern Family on ABC and Danny Pino, Raul Esparza as the new DA, and guest star Liza Colón-Zayas on Law & Order: SVU’s 300 episode on NBC. Then at 9:30P, Bunnie Rivera continues her character work on ABC’s Suburgatory. 10P NBC brings us Monica Raymund, Joe Minoso and Mo Gallini are all part of the crew on Chicago Fire, while Enrique Murciano has returned as one of the team on CSI, over on CBS. We’re exhausted just thinking about it!

Sarah Shahi welcomes Tony Award-winning Josefina Scaglione to “Fairly Legal”

Direct from West Side Story to USA Network, another Broadway Latina shows up on your TV

Karen Olivo, Raul Esparza, Sara Ramirez, Lana Parilla…the list of incredibly talented Latinos who have made their way from The Great White Way to your flatscreen continues to grow. You can catch a glimpse of one of the most recent (and most beautiful) emigres, Josefina Scaglione, in a recent episode of Fairly Legal, Sara Shahi’s just-completed, light-legal dramedy on the USA Network.

Shahi, of Iranian/Mexican descent herself, shone as the spunky and inspired mediator in the re-invigorated series for two seasons now, and one of its last episodes, “Force Majeure” featured Scaglione, who won the Tony just a few years ago for an amazing performance as Maria in the Broadway revival of West Side Story. It’s an interesting role, with the usual mixed-up ethnicities: an Argentinian actress playing a renowned Brazilian singer who is framed for drug possession while performing in San Francisco–with Shahi’s character and her ex-husband smack in the middle of the mess.

Scaglione, all of 25, has had an interesting life already: born in Argentina, she spent a summer in the U.S. as a teenager, returned to her native land, performed in live theater, and did a little recording. Veteran stage director Arthur Laurents saw a YouTube video of Scaglione singing “Libertango” and had her flown to New York City to audition for–of all things–the role of Maria in a revival of the Leonard Bernstein musical. Its first performances were in Washington D.C.; soon it made its way to Broadway; in 2009 she won the Tony for her work. Just like that. (You can still see that original YouTube video here…and understand easily what Laurents saw in her.) Read the rest of this entry »

CBS: Continuing Disappointment

Year after year, we hear how CBS, under the continuing leadership of Latina programming exec Nina Tassler, is developing great new Latin series, rolling out great new Latino initiatives…and every year, we see very, very little.

Of the Big Three, CBS continues to be a distant third. It began last season with two series–two–that had Latinos in the cast: CSI: Miami with Adam Rodriguez and Eva La Rue in supporting roles, and NCIS, with Cote de Pablo as part of the ensemble. Over the course of the year, we saw Monica Raymund come and go in arcs on Blue Bloods and The Good Wife, Miguel Ferrer’s arc on NCIS Los Angeles, Raul Esparza showed up for a few episodes of the now-cancelled A Gifted Man, and who even remembers NYC 22 with Judy Marte and Felix Solis, also cancelled and of course there was ¡Rob! The less said about that, the better. Read the rest of this entry »

» Newer posts