Latest news with #Velasco
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Law & Order: SVU Season 27: Everything We Know So Far
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 is DUN-DUN, so you know what that means: It's time to look toward the next season of NBC's long-running procedural! More from TVLine Grosse Pointe Garden Society Plants Seeds for Possible Season 2 as Fate Remains TBD - Read Recap Law & Order: SVU Finale Recap: Some Surprising News Has Major Impact on a Member of Liv's Team - Grade It! Did Law & Order's Maroun Exact Deadly Revenge for Her Sister's Murder? Read Finale Recap and Weigh In! SVU's season finale didn't offer much in the way of cliffhangers or hints at what will go down at the precinct in the near future. Capt. Benson and her team investigated a case involving therapists and a man who wanted to rape and kill them, gouging out their eyes in the process. (Yes, it was as gross as it sounds.) Meanwhile, Velasco got promoted to detective second grade, an achievement that his co-workers celebrated both at a bar and at the New York Police Department's official ceremony. (Read a full recap here.) The Peacock net renewed SVU in May, albeit with a bunch of casting and behind-the-scenes changes. So who'll be around when the squad returns for Season 27? And when can we expect that return to happen? Read on for everything we know so far about Benson & Co.'s next chapter. We'll update this post with information about the new season as soon as it becomes available, so make sure to come back often. Mariska Hargitay (Capt. Olivia Benson), Ice-T (Sgt. Odafin Tutuola), Kevin Kane (Det. Terry Bruno) and Peter Scanavino (Assistant District Attorney Dominick 'Sonny' Carisi) will be back as series regulars next season. However, Octavio Pisano (Det. Joe Velasco) and Juliana Aidén Martinez (Det. Kate Silva) will not return for Season 27. Pisano had been part of the cast since Season 23, and Martinez joined ahead of Season 26. Neither Velasco nor Silva was written out of the story in the Season 26 finale; in fact, Velasco was promoted to detective second grade at the end of the hour. (Read a full recap.) No new cast members have been announced yet, but Kelli Giddish, who plays Sgt. Amanda Rollins, will once more be a series regular in the coming season. Giddish joined SVU at the start of Season 13 and left in Season 24, but recurred as Rollins in Seasons 25 and 26. Hargitay has been a vocal supporter of Giddish's full-time return. The relationship between Hargitay's Benson and Rollins 'was one of the most powerful relationships in television, because you saw these two badass women, so flawed and so there for each other,' Hargitay said in a 2024 interview. Behind the scenes, Michele Fazekas (Gen V) will take over as showrunner, the role held by David Graziano in Seasons 24-26. The move marks a return to SVU for Fazekas, who — along with former writing partner Tara Butters — was a writer/producer on the show in Seasons 4 through 7. Additionally, writer/executive producer Julie Martin and EP Norberto Barba will not return in those capacities in Season 27, though Barba will stay on as a director, our sister site Deadline reports. Law & Order: SVU Season 27 will be released in fall 2025, but NBC has not yet announced an exact premiere date. We'll update this post with that information as soon as it becomes available. NBC hasn't yet announced how many episodes will be in Season 27. For context, most of the show's regular seasons (aka not affected by pandemics or strikes) have consisted of roughly 22 episodes. There is not yet a trailer for the new season, but we'll be sure to post it here when there is. Law & Order: SVU Season 26 is streaming on Peacock, as are all previous seasons of the procedural. Best of TVLine Young Sheldon Easter Eggs: Every Nod to The Big Bang Theory (and Every Future Reveal) Across 7 Seasons Weirdest TV Crossovers: Always Sunny Meets Abbott, Family Guy vs. Simpsons, Nine-Nine Recruits New Girl and More ER Turns 30: See the Original County General Crew, Then and Now
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Law & Order: SVU Finale Recap: Some Surprising News Has Major Impact on a Member of Liv's Team — Plus, Grade It!
If you tuned into Thursday's Law & Order: SVU season finale to find out how the show handled the exits of cast members Octavio Pisano and Juliana Aidén Martinez, you'll have to wait until Season 27 for that reveal. (Sorry about all the bloody eye sockets you had to witness in the meantime!) The Season 26 finale instead focuses on a gruesome serial killer who preyed on mental health professionals. The case of the week kicks off with an attack on a therapist, Gretchen (played by Breaking Bad's Betsy Brandt), who was bludgeoned and raped in her brownstone. Pages from the notebook in which she keeps her session notes were ripped out, causing Olivia & Co. to theorize that a patient or former patient was behind the crime. More from TVLine Law & Order: Organized Crime Recap: Why Is Stabler Purring? and Other Episode 6 Thoughts Poker Face: Natasha Lyonne Explains Steve Buscemi's Surprise Role (and Their Long History Together) Law & Order: SVU Is Bringing Kelli Giddish Back as a Series Regular Benson's team think they know who did it, and they attempt to corner the guy (who, yep, is a former patient) while he's trapped in traffic on a highway on-ramp. But the man sees them coming and starts shooting at them as he hops out of his car and runs. Eventually, Velasco and Bruno get him to put down the weapon… but then the guy hops over the roadway's railing, falling to grievous injury on a car below. He dies on the way to the hospital. Only problem: The guy who died had an alibi, and he wasn't the person who attacked Gretchen. Even worse, another therapist is attacked in the same manner, only the new victim's eyes are gouged out. (Eew.) After an investigation that stretches to Connecticut, the squad finds its guy, who's working as a manager at a rental-car company in Manhattan. Bruno literally hops buildings to follow the perp as he runs, but he and Velasco eventually corner and arrest the man, who is, indeed, in need of serious psychiatric help. In other news, Velasco gets promoted to Detective Second Grade, an occasion that the squad marks with a surprise gathering at a nearby bar. And at the end of the episode, Benson and her officers don their dress blues and attend the ceremony in which Velasco is officially promoted. Now it's your turn. What did you think of the episode? Grade it, and the season as a whole, via the polls below. Then, hit the comments with your thoughts! Best of TVLine Mrs. Maisel Flash-Forward List: All of Season 5's Futuristic Easter Eggs Yellowjackets Recap: The Morning After Yellowjackets Recap: The First Supper
CBS News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Opponents of Colorado immigration bill warn it will cost the state billions in federal funding: "We are sitting on a powder keg"
Opponents of Colorado immigration bill warn it will cost billions in federal funding Opponents of Colorado immigration bill warn it will cost billions in federal funding Opponents of Colorado immigration bill warn it will cost billions in federal funding A bill aimed at protecting undocumented immigrants in Colorado has created a firestorm at the Colorado State Capitol. Supporters say it's about protecting the constitutional rights of everyone regardless of citizenship. Opponents, including Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, say it would protect dangerous criminals. He says if the bill becomes law, his deputies will have to choose between enforcing state law and losing federal funding or enforcing federal law and facing thousands of dollars in fines. Mikesell says lawmakers are presenting a false narrative. "I want to dispel rumors and myths that really the legislators are presenting in testimony," he said. He says he has worked with federal immigration agents for nearly three decades and has never seen them go into schools or target children. Instead, he says they go after the worst criminals and he says under Senate Bill 276 his deputies could no longer help them. "If we have a known terrorist or known cartel member, am I not to give that information anymore to our federal partners? Are we to allow them to continue to prey on innocent people here in Colorado?" Mikesell said. State Rep. Elizabeth Velasco -- one of the bill sponsors -- says local authorities could still cooperate if immigration agents have a warrant. "We're just elevating that constitutional rights of everyone must be respected," Velasco said. The bill prohibits all peace officers in the state from arresting or detaining a person based on an immigration detainer request, bars local governments, courts, and schools from disclosing personally identifying data -- including immigration status and visas -- to federal agents, and prevents those agents from entering non-public areas in jails, health care and child care facilities, libraries, hospitals, churches, and schools -- including colleges and universities -- without a warrant. Employees who violate the law could be fined up to $50,000. "We're telling you we are sitting on powder keg. It is not an option to walk away from the federal government," said Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams. He says the bill will cost the state billions in federal funding. Velasco says that's already happening. "We're already in multiple lawsuits when it comes to funding. So, it's important for us to stand up to any breach of our constitutional rights and make sure our communities are safe." The bill passed the state Senate. Debate in the state House is expected to be explosive after a committee hearing where some Democrats compared the recent immigration crackdown to the Holocaust. Republican state Rep. Ron Weinberg, who lost his great-grandparents in the Holocaust, called the comparison disgusting. "I'm tired of people diluting one of the biggest tragedies in the history of the world," Weinberg said. He says he's not opposed to immigration. He and his family immigrated from South Africa and his brother is still a "Dreamer" but, he says, Colorado is spending $544 million on undocumented immigrants and the bill ignores federal laws. "The expansion of sanctuary state has gone out of control and this bill is a further expansion that would handcuff law enforcement," Weinberg said. A spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis says he has concerns about the bill and has been working with lawmakers on amendments to gain his support.
Los Angeles Times
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
New film ‘Cocodrilos' honors missing and murdered journalists in Mexico
Killing journalists can't kill the truth — or can it? This chilling question comes to mind in the new film 'Cocodrilos,' a Mexican thriller that takes a fictionalized approach to highlighting the real-life dangers that journalists and media workers face when covering organized crime. Directed by Mexican filmmaker J. Xavier Velasco, the drama made its world premiere on Sunday at the 41st Chicago Latino Film Festival and is the director's first feature-length film. 'I believe fiction is a medium that can reach more people than a documentary,' said Velasco in a Zoom interview ahead of the film's debut. Set and filmed in the coastal state of Veracruz, Velasco's home state — a hotbed for journalist assassinations — the tropical noir flick follows budding photojournalist Santiago Ortiz (played by Hoze Meléndez) as he unravels the details surrounding the assassination of his beloved mentor, Amanda González (Teresa Sánchez). As Ortiz begins to pull the threads of her final investigation, he risks everything, including his own life, to uncover the truth. '['Cocodrilos' is] an homage to the journalists, these folks that risk their lives, who dedicate themselves to a job that can truly lead them to death,' said Meléndez. To prepare for the gravitas of the lead role, Velasco handed Meléndez the book 'Romper el Silencio,' a collection of testimonies by living journalists who delineate the risks involved in uncovering the violence and corruption inherent in the narcotic trafficking world. 'I get goosebumps thinking of that book, because it's very difficult to digest,' said Meléndez. 'The courage of journalists is something that needs to be recognized, not just because it's a job in which you risk not only your own life, but also the lives of those close to you.' While the 'Cocodrilo' storyline is not based on any one journalist's story, it is inspired by the various real-life threats that continue to plague Mexican media in the present day. According to a joint 2024 report by nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists and Amnesty International, at least 141 journalists and other media workers have been killed in Mexico since the turn of the century, making it the most dangerous country for journalists in the Western Hemisphere. Mexico is also the country with the highest number of missing journalists in the world. Born in Xalapa, the deadliest Mexican city for journalists, Velasco was especially moved to action by the murders of two local journalists: crime reporter Regina Martínez, who was killed in her home in Xalapa in 2012, and photojournalist Rubén Espinosa, who was killed in Mexico City along with four women in 2015, an investigation that has been dubbed the Narvarte case. 'What really caught my attention was how the discourse was being handled. Due to questions of empathy and the impact of violence, it occurred to me to talk about the subject,' said Velasco, whose 2011 short, 'Juan y la Borrega,' touched on similar themes of organized crime violence. In 2019, Velasco penned the script for 'Cocodrilos' with the help of his sister and author, Magali Velasco, who later wrote a 2024 book by the same name. Though the film touches on a delicate subject matter, it does not expose the public to the specifics of such grisly acts associated with the cartels. Instead, the film transmits threats through symbolism in objects left behind such as shoes, pieces of tattered clothing and other elements that Mexicans can identify with. Said Velasco, 'Imagine the worst that's behind that, right?' 'I was interested in approaching the topic from a position of respect, not a position of revictimizing,' said Velasco. 'To avoid this sensationalism, the over-exploitation of violent images had to be avoided at all costs.' While Velasco and Meléndez know that the killing of journalists will resonate deeply with Mexican nationals, they hope the subject matter will speak to the dangers faced by storytellers around the world. Velasco took care to mention the Israel-Gaza war, in which at least 173 journalists and media workers have been killed since October 2023 — marking the deadliest period for journalists since the Committee to Protect Journalists began tracking violence against journalists in 1992. ' There is an attack on the mediums, nonprofit news outlets, on the truth. There is an attempt to coerce the communicators who are trying to say the facts,' said Velasco. 'There are tremendous issues that are happening globally, not just in Gaza, but also in the United States.' Before the film premieres elsewhere, there will be an additional screening of 'Cocodrilos' on Tuesday, April 8 at the Landmark's Century Centre Cinema in Chicago. It will be followed by a Q&A session with Velasco and Meléndez.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What 'The Bottoms' meant to Topeka and how a film and art exhibit are featuring it
A multimedia art exhibition and a documentary film, both highlighting the former, mostly racial minority part of downtown Topeka known as "The Bottoms," will make their public debuts April 4 and 5 in the capital city. An exhibition featuring than two dozen tabletop models of homes — created to evoke childhood memories and capture the essence of that lost community of mostly Black and Hispanic residents by F. Maria Velasco, a University of Kansas faculty member — will go on display beginning at 5:30 p.m. April 4 at Arts Connect, 909 N. Kansas Ave., where Velasco will speak at 6:30 p.m. The exhibition, titled "Reclaiming Home: Remembering the Topeka Bottoms," will remain on display through May 31, the University of Kansas said in a news release. A documentary film with the same title will then premiere April 5 at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, 1515 S.E. Monroe, where project contributors will be recognized at 2:30 p.m. and the film will start at 3 p.m. Afterward, questions from the audience will be answered by filmmaker Matt Jacobson, professor of film and media studies at KU, and Neill Esquibel-Kennedy, archivist and visiting assistant professor of American studies at KU. The Bottoms, given that name because of its proximity to the Kansas River, was located to the north and east of S. Kansas Avenue and 6th Street. About 2,000 people lived there, with most being lower income. The area was old, rundown and blighted, but former residents tend to recall their time there fondly, former Bottoms resident Tom Rodriguez wrote in his 2012 book, "The Bottoms: A Place We Once Called Home." Rodriguez died last year. Topeka's city government between 1956 and 1964 carried out a federally funded Urban Renewal program through which it forced those in the Bottoms to leave their homes and businesses, many of which were minority owned. The city bought the properties, razed almost all the buildings and sold the land to be used for economic development and as the site of an elevated stretch of Interstate 70. The art project and documentary film highlighting the The Bottoms resulted from nearly three years of work, which included considerable gathering of oral history, according to KU's news release. "This project hopes to offer some measure of relief to the communities displaced by urban renewal and, at the same time, to celebrate a local neighborhood that was a true model of global diversity and solidarity," Velasco was quoted as saying in the release. It said the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation was among sources that provided financial support to enable Velasco, a professor of visual arts at KU, to partner with Jacobson, Esquibel-Kennedy and public historian Valerie Mendoza. The project involved collecting stories from former Bottoms residents and their descendants, the KU news release said. "Velasco has created more than two dozen tabletop models of homes, which she said are 'small enough to evoke childhood memories of the last neighborhood,'" it said. "Each one represents a different person's story. In addition, for each of the 39 storytellers, the artist created a portrait and a postcard that includes a QR code leading to a video of the person's story. Visitors can take one of the cards home with them." The exhibition includes a large wall display featuring those cards and artwork based on an old Sanborn fire insurance map, which Sanborn said is "the only map that exists of the neighborhood — the only thing the residents have where they can still find their home, rekindle memories of those days and everything that was prior to the demolition." The art project "has so many parts to it" and "is very cool," Velasco said in the KU news release. "The small house models are made of wood and have hand-silkscreen maps on their roofs and excerpts of quotes from former residents on their sides," the release said. "Velasco involved doctoral and master's students from the KU Department of Visual Art and freshmen from the Emerging Scholars Program to help with everything from 3D modeling to manual fabrication to designing catalog layouts." Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@ or 785-213-5934. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Art works, film to debut focusing on Topeka's lost 'The Bottoms' area
