‘Ugly Betty,’ ‘Wizards’ stars among honorees at 2009 ALMA Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The stars of “Ugly Betty” and “Wizards of Waverly Place” will be among those lauded at next month’s ALMA Awards, which celebrates Latino achievement in entertainment.

Honorees in film, TV, music, sports and behind-the-scenes categories will be feted at the revamped ceremony, with one person in each category receiving a special-achievement award.

“Ugly Betty” stars America Ferrera, Ana Ortiz, Mark Indelicato and Tony Plana as well as “Wizards of Waverly Place” cast members Selena Gomez, Maria Canals-Barrera and Jake T. Austin will be among those honored at the Sept. 17 ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

Other honorees will include Javier Bardem, John Leguizamo, Penelope Cruz and Rosario Dawson.

Salma Hayek will be given the Anthony Quinn Award for Industry Excellence, and Oscar De La Hoya will receive the Special Achievement in Sports Television. Rita Moreno will present a tribute to the late Ricardo Montalban.

The show, televised by ABC on Sept. 18, will be hosted by comedian George Lopez and “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria Parker, who also serves as executive producer. Performers will include David Archuleta, Nelly Furtado, Gomez, Sean Kingston, Pitbull and Luis Fonsi. Adam Rodriguez, Benjamin Bratt, Michelle Rodriguez, Oscar Nunez and Rey Mysterio are among the show’s presenters.

The ALMA Awards was created in 1995 by the National Council of La Raza, a national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, as part of its effort to promote diverse and fair portrayals of Latinos in the media.

ALMA stands for American Latino Media Arts and also means “soul” in Spanish.