Tucson native and Pueblo High School alum Angélica Celaya landed a sweet, possibly career-making role in Telemundo’s new Jenni Rivera musical biopic, which premiered Tuesday.
The series runs 90 episodes all told, airing at 7 p.m. weekdays. It concludes days before the fifth anniversary of Rivera’s Dec. 9, 2012, death in a plane crash outside Mexico City.
We’re going to check in with Celaya once a week or so to get some behind-the-scenes insight into the show, the Mexican-American ranchero/banda diva and what it was like for our hometown girl to step into those very beloved shoes.
We’d also like to hear about your memories and impressions of Rivera. Did you see the singer in concert in Tucson in 2011 at the AVA at Casino del Sol — which turned out to be her final Tucson show? What was your lasting impression or the moment that sticks with you to this day?
Or maybe you never saw Rivera live, but you’re a lifelong fan of her music. Share with us why her music touched you.
There also may be folks who grew up with Celaya, who graduated in 2000 from Pueblo and later attended the University of Arizona before leaving school to pursue acting with Telemundo. Did you know Celaya as a kid? Did you go to high school with her? We’d love to share your memories — and photos — in print and online. You can submit them to cburch@tucson.com, and please include contact information so we can include you in our future coverage.
This is the biggest role for Celaya, 34, who spent 10 years doing telenovelas with Telemundo. She also has had guest roles on “Dallas,” “Castle” and “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,” and was cast as a lead in the short-lived NBC series “Constantine.”
