Jane Villanueva's family keeps growing on "Jane the Virgin."

Legendary actress Rita Moreno has joined the cast as Jane's paternal grandmother, or rather Glam-ma, as she'll be called, Access Hollywood has confirmed.

Jane (played by Golden Globe winner Gina Rodriguez) was raised by her single mom (Andrea Navedo) and maternal grandmother (Ivone Coll).

Earlier in the season, Jane learned her biological father is telenovela star Rogelio De La Vega (Jaime Camil).

Rita will portray Rogelio's fiercely protective mom in the hit series. She's set to appear in Episode 118.

Gina Tweeted that she was feeling under the weather on Wednesday, but the news helped to lift her spirits.

"Sick in bed trying absolutely every remedy to get better because guess who is playing my new grandma on #JaneTheVirgin!? Legend #RitaMoreno," Gina Tweeted.

Gina won the Golden Globe earlier this month for Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy. Rita – one of only 12 EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winners in history – was nominated in that very same category back in 1983 for "9 to 5."

Over the course of her illustrious career, Rita won a Golden Globe and Oscar in 1962 for Best Supporting Actress in "West Side Story," two Emmys – one in 1977 for "The Muppet Show and another in 1978 for "The Rockford Files" – and a Grammy in 1973 for a children's recording she did with Bill Cosby on the album "The Electric Company."

"Jane the Virgin" airs Mondays at 9/8c on The CW.

-- Paige Feigenbaum @ Access Hollywood

by Andrew S. Vargas @ REMEZCLA

A Latino director has just made history at Sundance. Following up his moderately well-received horror debut, The Town that Dreaded Sundown, with a tear-jerking dramedy about an adolescent friendship and a terminal cancer patient aptly titled Me & Earl & The Dying Girl, Tejano helmer and Javier Bardem look-alike Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has struck a landmark deal with distributors Fox Searchlight and Indian Paintbrush for a whopping $12 million. It doesn’t take a Film Studies B.A. to realize that that’s a whole boatload of money, but for a little perspective here’s an interesting detail: it’s the largest sum of money ever paid for a distribution deal at Sundance. To quote the timeless words of Keanu Reeves: “Whoa.”

After moving a dewy-eyed audience to rise in standing ovation at the film’s world premiere last weekend, the distribution details were hashed out at an after party held at the Grey Goose Blue Door Lounge, where all sorts of famous people were drinking Grey Goose-related cocktails and talking about movies. Oddly, I’m not surprised. More importantly, our homeboy John Leguizamo was also spotted on the premises celebrating the success of his latest Sundance hit, The Experimenter.

Read more @ REMEZCLA.com

By Angelica Das @ CMSI

Whether PBS and WNET will feature the TV seriesIndependent Lens and POV in primetime on primary channels was brought up at the Sundance Film Festival Panel "DOCBUSTERS: Your Creative Vision and the Power of the PBS Audience," hosted byWNET and PBS on Saturday, January 24.

Although WNET VP Stephen Segaller kicked off the discussion with a reminder that this was not an official stop on the #PBSlisteningtour--and even had people remove flyers the Indie Caucus had placed on seats about the listening-tour issues--questions about it were front and center.

The PBS listening tour, originally planned after PBS' meetings with indies at the International Documentary Association conference Getting Real, became a far more closely-watched process as a result of filmmaker outrage last December. NewYork public TV station Thirteen announced just before Christmas that two weeks later it would bump Independent Lens and the series that follows it in spring, POV, from their primetime spot on its primary station, WNET. and move the primetime broadcast to its secondary channel. Running it on that secondary channel required PBS approval. Independent Lens and POV were only notified at the same time the affected filmmakers were, just before the holiday break and two weeks before airdate. Within days, 1,200 filmmakers and public TV supporters had signed a petition demanding retraction, and PBS and WNET agreed to postpone a decision on the fate of the series and to expand its listening tour over the next few months. A decision is likely to be released by the annual PBS meeting in May.

At Sundance, WNET, which is a sponsor of the festival this year, is heralding its role as a champion of indies. Its panel featured Segaller as moderator, Marie Nelson of PBS and filmmakers: Rachel Grady (Detropia), Stanley Nelson (The Black Panthers: Vangaurd of the Revolution), Aaron Woolf (King Corn), and Julie Goldman (3 1/2 Minutes).

They all agreed on a number of fronts:

• PBS is unique in broadcast because it engages in community building.
• PBS has been a bastion of support for many significant documentaries, including those featured on the panel.
• Filmmakers look to PBS for broadcast because they want to do outreach for their films. Rachel Grady said if she was doing something on popular culture she would go to A&E or HBO
• PBS has the largest broadcast audience has for independent documentary and is the gold standard for documentary distribution.

Everyone also agreed that broadcast is the essential and still primary mode of distribution for documentary.

Then why drop indies from WNET primetime?

Given all this, filmmakers in the audience wanted to know if, given WNET's earlier attempt to drop the series from their primetime slot, PBS and WNET would make a statement of support for them now.

Stanley Nelson said he had an obligation to speak to the issue, despite Segaller's desire to steer the conversation away from the listening tour. "The decision to move Independent Lens and POV to channel 21 was devastating," he said. It's not that independent filmmakers don't understand what WNET was trying to do, "we just don't agree." For Nelson and many others, the secondary channel is a really tough sell. He went on to say that In New York City, PBS is WNET.

Gordon Quinn, founder and artistic director of Kartemquin Films (home of Hoop Dreams, Stevie, The Interrupters, Milking the Rhino and many others),  weighed in from the audience to emphasize that the scheduling question matters. Indie doc filmmakers bring in a lot of foundation funding to the table, he said, and funders really value broadcast. "You all keep talking about Independent Lens and POV and how important they are; you need to understand we are even more passionate than you about all those things, including PBS. That's why we are here, raising our voices; we value public TV because it serves the public and so you have to listen to us, and you are." Quinn is also a founding member of the Indie Caucus, a group of independent filmmakers committed to public television.

No commitment to Independent Lens and POV was forthcoming. But PBS Vice President Marie Nelson, in charge of news and public affairs for the service, welcomed the open conversation, saying that she hoped to strengthen the partnership between PBS, the stations and indies, with a fuller understanding of everyone's concerns and needs. Segaller made it a point to say that WNET never intended to take the programs off the air entirely and that the decision was motivated by an attempt to broaden the reach.

Filmmakers found it hard to credit that the decision had filmmakers' interests in mind. "You don't do something like that two weeks before airdate and not expect the filmmakers to freak out," Quinn said. On the panel, Rachel Grady agreed with Stanley Nelson that for New Yorkers, the home of one of the largest community of documentary filmmakers, PBS means Channel 13. It's what they grew up on.

Fighting for crumbs?

The role of indies in shaping public TV continued as audience members tried to figure out the Rube Goldbergesque pathways of public TV production and acquisition. Amid discussion of the many points of entry, Quinn commented, "I want to remind everybody that ITVS and the minority consortia are a product of indie demands; they were born out of struggle. And they are a great way for new filmmakers to get into the system."

More audience members spoke up to say that despite the hard work of programmers at Independent Lens and POV, filmmakers still feel like they're fighting for crumbs. They want to be on PBS because it's a national town square. There are enough quality films on the market to fill several more hours a week and then some. At a time of growing interest in documentaries and serious competition for some filmmakers' work by commercial cable, filmmakers noted, why wouldn't PBS and the stations expand available timeslots? National Association of Latino Independent Producers director Alex Caballero wanted to know why there was no Latino director on the panel.

Segaller volleyed to Chris Hastings of the PBS WORLD Channel, also in the audience. Hastings emphasized that WORLD Channel is growing and actively working with the National Minority Consortia, but sees itself as an enhancement to the existing programs. "We still look to PBS as the primary channel for independent documentary," he said. WORLD channel's America Reframed is meant to complement the broadcasts of Independent Lens and POV.

Filmmaker Aaron Woolf wrapped up the conversation with a reminder that we should all push for better public funding for public TV. Meanwhile, the Indie Caucus is growing the ranks with outreach at Sundance including #PBSneedsindies swag, a media advisory on the ongoing debate, and a resolution for sympathetic viewers and filmmakers to sign, calling on PBS and WNET to honor the primetime slot for Independent Lens and POV.

Check this out at CMSI.

by Natalie Jarvey

Fullscreen has set its sights on films. 

The digital media company, known primarily for its network of more than 60,000 YouTube stars, has launched the Fullscreen Films division to develop and produce feature-length projects starring YouTubers, Viners and other digital talent. The initiative launches with three titles currently in the works that feature YouTube supergroup Our2ndLife and Vine stars Cameron Dallas and Nash Grier. 

"There's been an insanely voracious appetite among fans to see these creators do bigger and better things," chief executive George Strompolos explains to The Hollywood Reporter. "Fans get really excited about feature films. They become these tent-pole moments."

To help build out Fullscreen Films, Strompolos hired digital veteran Michael Goldfine in October last year as chief content officer. Goldfine was the producer behind Camp Takota, a film made with YouTube comedians Grace Helbig, Hannah Hart and Mamrie Hart that was released online in February 2014. The film's success has been touted as an example of how digital stars can build an audience around an original, off-YouTube project. 

"We think Michael and the team behind Camp Takota did an incredible job of transferring a fan base into a movement that drove interest and awareness for a movie before it even came out," says Strompolos. "They did such a great job creating social media content and marketing materials. All that did was really build buzz and anticipation for the release. We plan to employ a lot of the same tactics and more."

One of Fullscreen Film's first projects is a documentary about now-defunct YouTube supergroup Our2ndLife that Goldfine shot over the summer while the group toured the country as the headlining act for DigiTour. Called#O2LForever, the film mixes video diaries, skits and music to tell the story of the six-person group and the modern-day Beatlemania that followed them from town-to-town. Fullscreen executive produced the project with DigiTour Media. 

Also on the docket is Lazer Team, a film from production company Rooster Teeth, which Fullscreen acquired in November. The film follows four small town losers who stumble upon an alien crash site, where they become bound by a battle suit that forces them to save humanity against a powerful enemy. The project was directed by Matt Hullum and written by Burnie Burns, Chris Demarais and Joshua Flanagan. 

Fullscreen is also set to go into production on The Outfield, a story of three varsity baseball players who learn to navigate choices on (and off) the field during their senior year of high school. Vine star Grier makes his acting debut in the project, which also features Viner Dallas. Goldfine wrote the script and will direct the project with Eli Gonda. Both Grier and Dallas are repped by WME, which packaged the project. 

Strompolos won't disclose budgets for the projects but says that they "stand toe-to-toe" with films that currently receive theatrical release. To give some sense of the budget that they're working with, Rooster Teeth raised a record $2.48 million on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo for Lazer Team. 

Although Fullscreen has yet to announce distribution for these films, Strompolos says that the company will explore multiple avenues, including online VOD release and theatrical distribution. Should the company look for theatrical distribution, it could pull from the resources of Peter Chernin's The Chernin Group, which owns a majority interest in the company via Otter Media, it's collaboration with AT&T. 

Fullscreen, which has a number of other films in the works, is one of the first YouTube multi-channel networks to put significant resources behind the development of film projects, but a number of others have also entered the space. In December, AwesomenessTV premiered Expelled, a film with Dallas that was available for purchase online. And in November, a pair of digital veterans started Supergravity, an independent studio dedicated to producing projects with online stars. It's first film, Chosen, stars former O2L member Kian Lawley. 

Strompolos chalks the activity up to more attention on the digital community, adding that "it's caused a lot of new players to get involved."

Fullscreen Films will be MCN agnostic, meaning that Strompolos hopes to work with creators from across the community. "We want to work with the best creators," he says. "We plan to be one of the most prolific producers of features for this generation." 

 Check this out at HollywoodReporter.com

(Photo : Getty)

By Paul John Rivera

Boxing Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya will launch his own network called De La Hoya TV in spring 2015, the former boxing world champion announced at the National Association of Television Program Executives annual conference on Wednesday in Miami, Florida. 

According to De La Hoya, the network will feature Spanish-language contents as it will target Latino audiences, particularly the more than 50 million Latinos in the United States, Tha Boxing Voice reports.

"De La Hoya TV will be the premiere authority on boxing and other combat sports, providing fans with a behind-the-scenes look into the world and lifestyles of their favorite athletes," De La Hoya said. "The network aims to inspire all to live the life of a champion, delivering exceptional insight into the athletes and featuring entertainment, global destinations, news and more."

De La Hoya said his network will provide an in-depth look on different combat sports, hoping to inspire the audience by informing them about the lifestyle and usual routine of their favorite athletes.

The network, which will also provide English contents in the future, will initially be offered as a free video-on-demand service and will turn into a traditional cable network that offers content for a certain subscription fee.

The boxing legend will launch his cable in channel in partnership with well-known television and cable executive Victor Hugo Montero, who expressed confidence that the network will enjoy success in the future. Montero was responsible for launching Sun Channel Tourism TV, which is Venezuela's first cable channel, and also helped revive Fashion TV Latina America.

"In my decades of working in television, I've seen few opportunities to connect with an untapped market with such an exponential opportunity for growth," Montero said. "For over a year we have worked on this project and are focused on expanding content from Spanish to include English and make it available to a larger audience."

Hispanic audiences have reportedly been looking for a cable channel that focuses on combat sports like boxing and mixed martial arts. A recent survey revealed that boxing is now the second most popular sport among Latinos -- next to soccer -- and Latino audiences comprise more than 50 percent of the total MMA fan base.

De La Hoya is also the president of Golden Boy Promotions, which handles the careers of several big-name fighters like Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

Check this out at LatinPost.com