Highly Relevant with Jack Rico

It’s Upfronts Week in NYC and all the TV networks are making their annual pitches to sponsors with the intention of obtaining millions of dollars to advertise on their programming. We speak with journalist/blogger Laura Martinez, about how Univision and Telemundo are trying to adapt to the demographic growth of US born Latinos, if we’re ready for English-language novelas and why the next CEO of either network needs to be a woman. Then Mike Sargent joins us to review Deadpool 2 and why he thinks it’s better than the original - from its diversity down to it’s humor. Episode Summary Laura Martinez on Univision/Telemundo Upfront - 1:21How miblogestublog.com was created: 1:47Key takeaways of Univision and Telemundo upfronts: 9:00Why Univision has a better sports portfolio: 11:40Thougorn Lahts on both programming slates: 13:51Why Spanish-language programming no longer resonating with viewers: 16:46Network executives definition of a Latino is wrong: 18:43Why Univision needs a new executive team and why there is a disconnect with programming: 21:54Randy Falco's replacement needs to be a US Hispanic woman: 23:32Why we are ready English-language novelas: 26:58What needs to be included in next year's upfronts: 30:56The dismissal of the U.S. born Latino: 33:54The complexity of figuring out the Latino viewers: 35:51 JackedIN (US Latino Pop News Recap) segment- 41:31 Mike Sargent on 'Deadpool 2' - 43:15 Musical weekend playlist: Sangria Wine - Pharrell Williams (feat. Camila Cabello) Fall In Line - Christina Aguilera (feat. Demi Lovato) Dinero - Jennifer Lopez (falte. DJ Khaled and Cardi B) Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

Culture pundit Mike Sargent joins the show to help us discuss "Avengers: Infiniti War" and how it needs to be watched to maximize its experience, then we talk about Childish Gambino's "This Is America" music video with over 65M already, a review of Gabrielle Union's "Breaking In". Is it like a Lifetime movie or a nice surprise? And an interruption that detoured the whole conversation onto the topic of spam/robo calls. Episode SummaryRewatching (AIF) in IMAX 3D - 2:41Interrupted by a spam call; discussion on how to stop spam calling - 11:47This Is America - 21:46"Breaking In" movie review - 33:16 Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

This week we speak with triple threat star and Tony nominee Ariana DeBose who is currently one of the three stars of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical on Broadway. We discuss the intense vocal preparation in becoming The Queen of Disco, why the show cast women in male roles, equal pay, pansexuality and Hispanic identity on Broadway. Then I chat with Zetna Fuentes, a Latina TV director who has directed some of the biggest shows currently on television - Marvel’s “Jessica Jones,” NBC’s “This Is Us,” ABC’s “Scandal” and Amazon’s “BOSCH” to mention just a few. We discuss why there are so few Latina directors in tv and film and what can be done to fix it, plus, how she uses her Hispanic heritage to influence her tv work. Episode Summary Ariana DeBose interview: 1:29 Zetna Fuentes: 31:45 JackedIN (US Latino Pop News Recap) segment: 29:42 Musical weekend playlist: 55:33 Accelerate - Christina Aguilera Positivo - J Balvin Simples Corazones - Fonseca Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

Comedian Eugenio Derbez stops by the show to discuss his new movie "Overboard," but we really talk about his struggles of becoming a star in an industry that has not fully embraced his culture, his accent nor his stories. We unspool why he’s making English-language movies now after a successful career in Spanish, how he overcame the sellout stigma from Mexican peers and why he believes Hollywood is afraid of creating Latino movie stars. We also analyze Avengers: Infinity War. Is this best superhero of all time? Film critic Mike Sargent don’t think so and we dissect the 3 major problems with the film and why overall we give it a 7 instead of a 10. I’ll also give you a look at the top headlines in US Latino pop culture and recommendations to 3 new tracks I’ve discovered. Keep your volume up, this is the Highly Relevant podcast!

Adrian Martinez and Allison Strong join the show today to chat about going at it in Hollywood as Latinx actors. Adrian is in Amy Schumer’s controversial new film “I Feel Pretty,” out in theaters now. We talked why the movie’s premise has angered some women, if he thinks “beauty” is a fact or an opinion, and his #1 advice for any Latinx actor wanting to break into the business. Allison is a proud Colombian-American actress who has a new movie “The Week Of” coming out on Netflix April 27th with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock, plus, she discusses her personal experiences of what acting in Hollywood is like for a bilingual actress; and she reveals the best lesson she learned from Steve Buschemi…  EPISODE SUMMARY Adrian Martinez discusses his role in Amy Schumer's new movie "I Feel Pretty" - 1:04How many movies has he been in - 1:56Why he still has to prove himself after 100 acting credits in Hollywood - 2:33Playing the game Hollywood wants you to play with them - 3:27Summary of "I Feel Pretty" - 5:03Why the movie doesn't use the word "ugly" - 7:55Is beauty fact or opinion? 9:18Personal story on people's view of him and his wife -10:02Social commentary of “I Feel Pretty" - 11:54How he overcame rejection in Hollywood - 14:10Why he hasn't done Spanish-language movies - 16:21 JackedIN Segment (recap of pop culture stories) - 20:16 Allison Strong discusses her new movie on Netflix, "The Week Of" - 22:19How she got the part in the movie - 23:10What getting the role meant for her - 26:50What it was like working with Adam Sandler - 29:36What she learned from working with Steve Buscemi - 30:54The pros of being a bilingual actor in Hollywood - 33:09Being "ethnically ambiguous" in Hollywood - 34:32Challenges of being a Latinx actor during the audition process - 35:41Her love for Colombian culture - 40:59Speed Round Q&A - 42:26 Musical weekend playlist: 44:27 100 Grados - Lali and Achal Let Me ZAYN -  Guerrera - DellaFuente, C Tangana Tease of Eugenio Derbez episode next week - 45:34 Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

Ecuadorian-American actress and singer Michelle Veintimilla joins us on this episode to discuss her role as the villainess FIREFLY on FOX’s GOTHAM series. She has a solid resumé which includes performing on Broadway with legendary icon Chita Rivera, working in film opposite Russell Crowe, Octavia Spencer, and Aaron Paul, as well as TV credits in “Blue Bloods” and “The Goodwife”. She joins me today to talk how she got the part of FIREFLY, why identifying as Hispanic is crucial in Hollywood and why she doesn’t like… telenovelas.  Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

Ben Lopez, Executive Director of NALIP joins us to discuss the rock-bottom depths Hispanic actors have reached in Hollywood. What is the African-American community doing differently than the Hispanic community? Also, Randy Falco, the CEO of Univision, recently announced he’s retiring early. What type of person should replace him? Is it time for a U.S. born Hispanic to run it and should it be a woman? Should they look into doing English-language programming? And we also chat about how NALIP’s whole mission is to help Hispanic creatives break into Hollywood. Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

You've heard them - Miguel, Demi Lovato, Becky G, Jennifer Lopez - all US Latino pop stars who randomly decided to sing in Spanish. Why? What were the reasons behind it? Is it a money grabbing business move or is it a genuine rediscovery of their cultural roots? Music journalist Isabela Raygoza and myself explore whether Latino music listeners buy into their strategy to reach them in their language or if it stinks of commerce. “Language - it doesn’t define your identity, but it reinforces it.” - Isabela Raygoza Episode Summary -Miguel and Demi Lovato singing in Spanish -Cultural differences between US Latinos and Latin Americans -Reasons why US Latino pop stars sing in Spanish -Phoniness vs Authenticity -Criteria for being a Spanish-language Latino artist -American accents in Spanish singing -Selena and her bilingualness -Jennifer Lopez first Spanish album -Beyonce Spanish album -Music and identity politics Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

There’s a new horror movie out in theaters called “The Strangers: Prey At Night” directed by Johannes Roberts. He joins the show to discuss why he feels horror movies are such a thrill for moviegoers and why his new movie is different than many others. Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

Latinos win big at the 2018 Oscars, but will anything really change? We also tackle Steven Spielberg’s Latino reboot of the movie musical - West Side Story - and discuss all the reasons this is a bad idea. Mike Sargent, national film contributor for FOX Business, PBS Newshour and chief film critic for WBAI Radio joins us to deconstruct it all. Episode Summary Mike Sargent talks about why Shape of Water was a safe choice by the Academy Why Mudbound didn’t win one award After the diversity of the Oscars, is Hollywood changed forever? Inclusion Rider and strong-arming Hollywood. Will it work? Spielberg's West Side Story Latino reboot and the foreseeable problems it will have Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

On this week’s episode, Hilda Garcia, VP of Digital Entertainment at Univision, returns to the podcast to discuss how Univision.com has planned a MASSIVE digital event for the 30th Anniversary of ‘Premios Lo Nuestro’ airing this week. For the first time, the #1 Spanish language network will simulcast the live TV award show on Univision.com. But will it cannibalize television viewers?  And we talk to UK director Alex Garland whose new movie ANNIHILATION premieres this week, and he cast 3 of the biggest Latinx names for it - Oscar Isaac, Gina Rodriguez and Tessa Thompson - and somehow still managed to get criticized by the press for allegedly whitewashing star Natalie Portman’s character. We’ll ask him why he cast Latinx actors and why it has nothing to do with the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s protest at the Oscar’s next month. 

"Black Panther" is out and already has broken records and movie myths. On this episode, we talk to three African-American guests: Soraya Nadia McDonald, a culture critic for ESPN's The Undefeated, Mike Sargent, filmmaker and pioneering Afrofuturist, and Wilson Morales, EIC of Blackfilm.com, about the film's significance, the social commentary on race and politics that lies beneath the whole film, and its chances at Oscar gold come 2019. Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

Author David Peisner joins the show to discuss his new book “Homey Don't Play That! The Story of In Living Color and the Black Comedy Revolution”. What you'll hear today is David speaking about why this book was so important for him to write, the significance of "In Living Color" today, the discovery of talented cast members such as Jamie Foxx, Rosie Perez, Jennifer Lopez and Jim Carrey, why an English-language Latino sketch comedy has never been successful, and the reasons why so many people love Black entertainment. Episode Summary Why David wrote the book How race played a huge part in the comedy of the show The cultural significance behind the show How popular culture today is informed on Black culture The recruitment of the talented cast such as Jamie Foxx, Rosie Perez, Jennifer Lopez and Jim Carrey Why the show ended Will "In Living Color" ever return? Why Latino sketch-comedies haven't worked on mainstream television If you’d like to listen to more episodes with this format, leave us your thoughts on Twitter @jackricofficial. Thanks to Simon & Shuster and author David Peisner. His new book “Homey Don't Play That! The Story of In Living Color and the Black Comedy Revolution” is out now. Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

Natalia Lafourcade, 33, is a highly acclaimed Mexican singer/songwriter who was recently nominated for Best Latin Pop Album at the 60th Annual Grammys for her album, Musas Vol.1 (Un homenaje al folclore Latinoamericano en manos de Los Macorinos), and is also the singer for the Oscar nominated song “Remember Me” from Pixar’s hit film “Coco”.  In this episode, Natalia and I sit down to talk about her upcoming album “Musas Vol. 2,” out February 9th. We tackled the question…what’s better… a Grammy or a Latin Grammy?  We then strayed into the subject of the music business, reggaeton, Broadway and how that song “Remember Me” came into her life. Episode Summary Potentially performing at the Oscars How Disney approached her about Coco's "Remember Me"  Working with R&B star Miguel Is a Grammy more important than a Latin Grammy Musas Vol. 2 album "Hu Hu Hu" album  Dreaming of Broadway  Music business and reggaeton  Natalia Lafourcade explains her concert experience  If you’d like to listen to more episodes with this format, leave us your thoughts on Twitter @jackricofficial. Thanks to Sony Records and Natalia LaFourcade. Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

We’re discussing the Oscar nominations this week with our good friend Wilson Morales from Blackfilm.com. We will get to the deeper meaning of how these nominations are influencing our society, and of course, do some predictions on who will win. Also, the New York Times wrote an article this week called “After #OscarsSoWhite, Hispanics Seek Their Hollywood Moment”. It makes the point that Hispanic actors are in dire need for some needed on-screen inclusion in Hollywood. I talk Brooks Barnes, the media and entertainment reporter who wrote the article about what led him to write the piece and what solutions he can impart after one year of working on it.  And finally, the 60th Annual Grammy Awards are Sunday the 28th and Matt Fish, a hip-hop connoisseur will help me make sense of how hip hop and Latino music owned 2017, and what it will it mean for the mainstream music industry if the mostly Spanish-language song DESPACITO wins Record or Song of the Year? That plus music suggestions for your playlist and the latest news and in US Latino and mainstream pop culture. Keep your headphones on, this is the Highly Relevant podcast! EPISODE SUMMARY Wilson Morales on Oscar nominations and diversity impact - 1:34 JackedIN (recap of pop culture stories) - 15:29 Brooks Barnes of the New York Times discusses his article “After #OscarsSoWhite, Hispanics Seek Their Hollywood Moment” - 17:23 Weekend playlist: 34:58 Dont’ Make Me Wait - Sting (feat. Shaggy) Imagem - Mahmundi  Sunshine - Kyle (feat. Miguel) Matt Fish from The Hip-Hop Classics Podcast - 46:27 Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media: Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe! Ways to subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico:      • Click here to subscribe via iTunes    • Click here to subscribe via Spotify    • Click here to subscribe via Stitcher