La Gringa Productions creates telenovela comedy sketch

 Latina actor takes comedy sketches to new heights on YouTube

Watch her latest video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gTgSBVOmOs

From Michelle Rose's website, www.michellerose.net:

    Michelle could barely walk when her mother, Carmen, put her in her first pair of ice skates. That moment would pave the way for her daughter’s passion to perform. A native of La Jolla, CA, Michelle joined forces with Olympic figure skating coach Yuri Ovchinnikov, enjoying an eighteen-year competitive skating career.

    While sports and dance held a big place in Michelle’s heart, her parents stressed the importance of education. She went on to study film and Spanish at the University of California, Santa Barbara where she earned her bachelors degree. During her years at UC Santa Barbara, Michelle took the opportunity to study abroad, living in Barcelona, Spain for one year and traveling across Europe visiting over eight different countries.  It was Michelle’s exposure to the arts from all over Western Europe, along with classes such as Italian and French cinema that had a profound influence, further solidifying her desire to pursue a career in the film industry.

    Upon graduating, Michelle moved to Los Angeles, and began training at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Hollywood. She immediately landed a job at Universal Studios performing in the Waterworld and Zorro live stunt shows. She quickly booked her first Spanish National Commercial for Allstate, acquiring her SAG card. Other commercial credits would follow including Bud Light (nominated for TBS’s Funniest Commercial of 2010), Mervyn’s, and Banco Popular. She began garnering roles on television including CSI:NY, Parenthood, CSI, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, and All My Children.  Michelle has appeared in music videos for musical giants Fall Out Boy and Bone Thugs N’ Harmony. Her athletic background would also prepare her for stunt work, doubling lead actress Giselle Itie in the Stallone blockbuster The Expendables and In Time starring Justin Timberlake. Michelle currently lives in Los Angeles and continuous to train and pursue her dream.

    In 2012, Michelle founded La Gringa Productions and is currently writing, directing, producing, and starring in her own sketch comedy web series, The Michelle Show, due out April 2013 along with producing live action shorts The Beardo and Bloody Cherry. 

    During her free time, Michelle enjoys painting.  Her artwork may be viewed at www.mrosecreative.com.

VARIETY: Latina to launch talent agency in L.A.

Mexican talent agency CEO Fabiola Pena to lead World Talent House
By Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety

Good news for Latino talent in the U.S.: A Latino talent agency dubbed World Talent House (WTH) is setting up shop in Los Angeles, California.

Fabiola Pena, founder and CEO of the first talent agency in Mexico, Talent on the Road, will be at the helm. Pena plans to continue shuttling between Mexico City and LA and is grooming two staffers for the Santa Monica-based office.

Pena founded Talent on the Road in 1998 in a bid to professionalize the casting process in Mexico. Up to 10 talent agencies of varying sizes followed suit.

"It's important to establish a niche in this big business," Pena said."We expect to be packaging TV series for the likes of Univision, Telemundo, MundoFox, Televisa, etc."

WTH's content division, run by Mexico City-based Samara Ibrahim, offers a team of inhouse scribes to develop and provide analysis of new content for television, film and the theatre.

WTH launch comes at a time when demand for Latino talent is on the rise in the U.S. as studios and television networks respond to the growing clout of the U.S. Hispanic market. WTH will rep thesps, scribes and helmers from Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina in its initial growth phase. Current client roster includes Vanessa Bauche ("Amores Perros"), Jan Cornet ("The Skin I Live In"), Damian Alcazar ("La Ley de Herodes"), Manolo Cardona ("The Snitch Cartel") and Paulina Gaitan (ABC's "The River," "Sin Nombre").

For some Latino talent already inked with U.S.-based tenpercenteries, WTH will rep them solely for Latin American productions. This client roster includes Edgar Ramirez ("Zero Dark Thirty"), Leonor Varela ("Dallas") and Elena Anaya ("The Skin I Live In").

Official launch presentation of WTH is slated for Tuesday at the Soho House in West Hollywood.

SOURCE: Variety

Kennedy Center Honors establishes Latino Advisory Committee

The Kennedy Center Announces Review of Kennedy Center Honors Selection Process

WASHINGTON, D.C -- Michael M. Kaiser, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, today announced a review of the Kennedy Center Honors selection process. This review is part of a thorough and extensive process to improve the process so the Honors program continues to reflect the full range of artistic excellence in the years ahead. In addition, the Kennedy Center will also form a Latino Advisory Committee to establish a more open and collaborative engagement with the Hispanic community.

In September of last year, the Kennedy Center board of trustees formed a committee co-chaired by Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein and Elaine Wynn to identify improvements to the Honoree selection process. Additionally, an 11-member artist advisory panel has been created and has begun work. This panel includes Gabriel Abaroa, President and CEO of the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; actress Debbie Allen, Roberto Bedoya, Executive Director of Tucson Prima Arts Council; Maria de Leon, Executive Director of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture; Broadway actor Rául Esparza; cellist Yo-Yo Ma; former congressman and Cabinet secretary Norman Mineta; Joseph Polisi, President of The Juilliard School; Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel of MALDEF; Carlton Turner of Alternate ROOTS; and Damian Woetzel, dancer and member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

The Kennedy Center expects these committees to complete their work and make recommendations to the Center's full board of trustees in advance of the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors selection process. "Over the course of 35 years, the Kennedy Center Honors has grown in stature and importance to become the preeminent award for cultural achievement in the United States," stated Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser. "While the Center has a strong track record of diversity throughout its other performance, education and arts education programs, it is important to undertake this review process to ensure the Honors reflect the diversity of those who have contributed to American culture."

In addition to the Honors process, the Kennedy Center is committed to bolstering both its track record on diversity and its relationship with the Hispanic community. To this end, the Center will form a Latino Advisory Committee which will meet quarterly to focus on these key goals.

As the national center for the performing arts, the Kennedy Center embraces its mandate to present the very finest in the performing arts, locally, nationally, and internationally. Since its earliest days, the Center has featured preeminent artists and a full range of programming from around the world. Like so many other cultural heritages and traditions represented on Kennedy Center stages, Latino arts and programs have enjoyed a consistent and dynamic presence. Beyond its own stages, the Kennedy Center has included Hispanic artistic cultural organizations in outreach and educational programming, which reaches millions of people of all ages in every U.S. state each year.

Since 2001, the Kennedy Center Arts Management Institute, now named the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center, has mentored and trained thousands of arts managers at all levels of professional development. To date, the Institute has worked with more than 50 Latino arts organizations in order to strengthen and build these groups which are so important to the cultural tapestry in the United States and abroad.

For more information about the Kennedy Center, visit www.kennedy-center.org.

Please visit facebook.com/kennedycenter for behind-the-scenes news, special offers, advance notice of events and other related Kennedy Center Facebook pages.

Patrons 30 and under and active-duty members of the military are invited to join the Kennedy Center's MyTix program for special discount offers and chances to win free tickets. For more information, visit www.kennedy-center.org/mytix. MyTix is part of the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Latino challenges The Kennedy Center Honors

2013 may be the year for Latinos at The Kennedy Center Honors

By Adrian Perez, Publisher

This past week The Kennedy Center Honors, presided by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, recognized several individuals with what is perhaps most prestigious distinction an artist can receive in America today.  Recognized for their lifetime artistic contributions were Dustin Hoffman, David Letterman, Buddy Guy, Natalia Makarova, and rock group Led Zeppelin. Overlooked for their lifetime achievements, again, were Rita Moreno, Carlos Santana, and many other Latino American artists.

This has been an ongoing issue for Felix Sanchez, Chairman of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA), whose battle with The Kennedy Center Honors goes back a couple of years when he initiated a letter writing campaign.  However, it wasn’t the letter writing that may bring change to the annual event, but a telephone conversation that was heard across the nation.

Founded in 1997 by Actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Merel Julia and Sanchez, the purpose of NHFA is to advance the presence of Latinos in the media, telecommunications, and entertainment industries.   Sanchez, an attorney and former Congressional staffer, serves as Chairman on a pro bono basis and has lead the organization to produce an annual quantitative review of how Latinos are portrayed on primetime network TV.  In addition, the NHFA has awarded over one million dollars in scholarship grants to Latino students pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.

The Kennedy Center Honors was established in 1978 and is comprised of six Honorary Chairs (the current and former First Ladies), six Officers (including Kaiser), and a Board of Trustees.  The Trustees are comprised of 53 individuals, with 32 members appointed by the President of the United States, and 21 serve as Ex-Officio members representing key government departments and Congress.  The only Latina is Giselle Fernandez who was appointed by the President, otherwise there are no other Latino Americans on the Board. 

The Center receives $37 million in federal funds, raises millions of dollars each year to develop and promote its programs, and is named after late President John F. Kennedy.  Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors has recognized over 170 honorees, of which only two have been Hispanics - Placido Domingo, the Spanish tenor, in 2000; and Chita Rivera, the actress, singer and dancer of Puerto Rican descent, in 2002. 

Many would figure that any organization with the late President’s name, whose photo can be found in many Latino households across America and whose brother walked with Cesar Chavez for the plight of farm workers, would be sensitive to Latinos.  But the Kennedy Center Honors’ management appears out of touch.  Couple that with a nebulous selection process and a Board of Trustees that doesn’t reflect America today, it is no wonder why we have not seen more Latino honorees.

When the 2012 Honorees were announced on September 12, 2012, and no Latinos were named, Sanchez called the President of The Kennedy Center Honors Michael M. Kaiser to complain.  To his surprise, Kaiser actually called him back and shared a few choice words that expressed his dislike of Sanchez’ call.

Sanchez described their conversation as blunt, lasting only three minutes, asking Kaiser “How can you continue to exclude Latinos from the Kennedy Center Honors?”  Kaiser responded “hotly,” according to Sanchez, defending his record of promoting Latino arts and artists and ended the conversation by telling Sanchez to “go f--- yourself.”

Sanchez, being well connected to the media, shared his conversation with them and within days, major outlets, like the Washington Post, carried the news that Kaiser had told one of America’s Latino leaders to “go f--- yourself.”  Over the following two weeks Kaiser did not deny the accuracy of the discussion and by then, 30 leading Latino national organizations were demanding an apology.  Kaiser was pressured to issue an apology, which continued to display his ignorance of the contributions made by Latino American artists.

"One of the challenges with Latino artists is that so many are so young and it's a lifetime achievement award," Kaiser said. "I believe you're going to see more and more and more because the Latino contribution to the arts has been growing and growing and growing."

Kaiser’s apology prompted a meeting between Sanchez and The Kennedy Center Honors Board Chairman David M. Rubenstein.  Although their discussion was not made public, it is known that at its next Board of Trustees meeting it was agreed to establish a committee to review the selection process for honorees.  In addition, two members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Representatives Charles Gonzalez and Ruben Hinojosa both Texas Democrats, who served as Chairman and First Vice Chairman respectively, wrote to Kaiser, expressing their "concern with the lack of Hispanic representation."

Perhaps in the next couple of years The Kennedy Center Honors will recognize the lifetime contributions of Rita Moreno, Joan Baez, Carlos Santana, Ruben Blades, Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Cristina Saralegui, Raquel Welch, Edward James Olmos, Luis Valdez, or Pedro Almodovar, all recommended over the years by the NHFA.

Open letter from Hispanic artists to the Kennedy Center

Open Letter to the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) & Being Latino, Inc.

Washington Square · 1050 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. · Tenth Floor

Washington, D.C. 20036

Office 202-293-8330

www.Hispanicarts.Org

December 29, 2010

Mr. David M. Rubenstein

Chairman

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

2700 F St NW,

Washington, D.C.

Mr. Leslie Moonves

President & CEO

CBS Corporation

CBS Headquarters

51 W. 52nd Street

New York, NY 10019-6188

Ms. Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg

Trustee

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

Columbia Point

Boston, MA 02125

RE: Kennedy Center Honors

Dear Messr. Rubenstein, Moonves and Ms. Kennedy Scholossberg:

The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) was founded in 1997, by actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Merel Julia, and Washington, D.C. attorney Felix Sanchez to provide both outreach and graduate scholarships to Latinos interested in careers in the entertainment and telecommunications industry. NHFA in partnership with Being Latino --- founded by Lance Rios --- the largest online Latino community on face book, have embarked on an impact project to address the glaring absence of Latinos on television and in film.

Since 1978, when the Kennedy Center Honors began, only 2 Latinos have received your prestigious honor: Placido Domingo in 2000; and Chita Rivera in 2002. After 32 years, 160 artists have received the Kennedy Center's lifetime achievement award. Gone are some of the true virtuosos of our community: Rita Hayworth; Fernando Llamas; Ricardo Montalban; Celia Cruz; Anthony Quinn; Raul Julia; Fernando Bujones; Kathy Jurado; Lalo Guerrero, Jose Ferrer; Luis Buñuel; and Jose Limon, who while they lived could have been honored with your award.

It is with great disappointment that we note how few U.S. and International Latinos have been singled out for your award. We note the following artists have made an enormous artistic contribution both within the U.S. and International stage. They are but a few who are more than worthy of your award.

Literature: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Sandra Cisneros, Nilo Cruz, Isabel Allende, Victor Villaseñor, Oscar Hijuelos, Junot Diaz

Music: Julio Iglesias, Gloria & Emilio Estefan, Jose Feliciano, Joan Baez, Carlos Santana, Linda Ronstadt, Willie Colon, Ruben Blades

Dance: Kenny Ortega, Amalia Hernandez, Rita Moreno, Priscilla Lopez, Jose Manuel Carreño

Actors/Film/TV: Cristina Saralegui, Sonia Braga, Rita Moreno, Raquel Welch, Edward James Olmos, Antonio Banderas, Hector Elizondo, Luis Valdez, David Valdes, Gregory Nava, Pedro Almodovar

We hope that this will be the last year Latinos are absent as honorees on your show. We note that a number of current Latino performers would undoubtedly welcome the opportunity to pay tribute to the above-mentioned icons of the Latino community, including: Jennifer Lopez; Marc Anthony; Jimmy Smits; Salma Hayek; Eva Longoria; Esai Morales; Shakira; Christina Aguilera; Adam Rodriguez; Los Lobos; Los Tigres del Norte; Javier Bardem; Benicio Del Toro; Lin-Manuel Miranda; Roberto Orci; Juanes; George Lopez; Penelope Cruz; John Leguizamo; Jessica Alba; Mario Lopez; Lynda Carter; America Ferrera; Rosie Perez; Eva Mendez; Sofia Vergara; Fergie; Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias; Don Omar; Alejandro Fernandez; Juan Gabriel; Los Lonely Boys; Ozomatli; and Luis Miguel to name but a few.

The Kennedy family has a long history of working alongside the Latino community, and valuing the contributions of the Latino community in building and strengthening our nation. From the moment the Latino community was first galvanized as a voting bloc in the 1960 presidential race electing John F. Kennedy as President of the United States, to the late seventies when Robert Kennedy worked with Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and other Latino leaders during the civil rights movement, and most recently as Senator Edward Kennedy fought valiantly to his final days working on immigration reform and health care reform, the Kennedy family have been allies, partners and true friends to the Latino community. It's time for the Kennedy Center Honors to carry forward the legacy of the family name extended in the Kennedy Center Honors, by also acknowledging and including the artistic contributions made by both U.S. Latinos and International Latinos.

We hope that you will move to address this matter and make the Kennedy Center Honors a truly modern day inclusive American Award event. We also welcome the opportunity to discuss with you any ways we can support your efforts to get there.

Sincerely,

Felix Sanchez

Chairman

National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts

Lance Rios

Founder & President

Being Latino, Inc.

Latino Organizations Supporting this Letter

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities

Hispanic Federation

Hispanic War Veterans of America

Labor Council for Latin American Advancement

League of United Latin American Citizens

MANA--A National Latina Organization

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

National Association of Hispanic Federal Employees

National Council of La Raza

National Hispana Leadership Institute

National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators

National Hispanic Media Coalition

National Hispanic Medical Association

National Institute for Latino Policy

SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc.

U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute

U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce

United States-Mexico Cultural and Educational Foundation