FAME's Jesse Borrego to Join IT'S SHOWTIME WITH RIKKI LEE

Actor Jesse Borrego, who starred on the television series Fame will be the featured guest on the January 22, 2021 episode of Chicago radio's It's Showtime with Rikki Lee. The radio program airs every Friday at 3 PM Central on 101.5 FM. Those outside the broadcast area can stream the show by going to www.HuntleyRadio.com and clicking on the "Listen Live" graphic.

Host Rikki Lee Travolta credits Borrego's starring performance as Jesse Velasquez on Fame in the 1980s as the reason he wanted to grow up to sing and dance for a living. Which is exactly what he did. Outside of his radio show, Travolta has headlined theatrical productions across the country.

While starring on the hit television show Fame for three seasons brought Borrego to national attention, it was his breakthrough appearance in the 1993 movie Blood In, Blood Out dealing with the Chicano experience in East L.A. that he is most recognized for. In the film, Borrego gives an award-worthy performance as Cruz, a gifted Mexican-American artist who sadly becomes addicted to heroin.

Borrego has an impressive resume of television and film work including being a series regular on the television programs 24, ER, Dexter, American Crime, Fear the Walking Dead, and Vida. In addition to his film and television work, Borrego is also a very accomplished stage actor. He has appeared at the Joseph Papp Theater in New York, the Goodman Theater in Chicago, and the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

For the January 22 radio interview, Travolta and Borrego will discuss the Fame star's influences that led to him wanting to pursue a career as an actor, his work with Debbie Allen as a choreographer and mentor, his film and television career, and his commitment to working with young artists and expanding Chicano performance opportunities through independent film.

"I create radio that I would want to listen to. Jesse Borrego is a master performer, a passionate artist, and a gifted storyteller - which translates to great radio," explains Travolta. Other films Borrego is recognized for include the Nicholas Cage feature Con Air and the television movie Tecumseh: The Last Warrior in which he played real-life Shawnee leader to great reviews.

"Jesse Borrego is the real deal. He can sing, he can dance, he can act, he can direct, and he is committed to making sure the next generation of Hispanic performers have the same or better opportunities as he's had," extols Travolta.

Thanks to streaming and podcasts, It's Showtime with Rikki Lee has gained a national following of listeners interested in film, television and theater. Shortly after broadcast, the January 22 interview with Borrego will be posted as a podcast available at: https://huntleyradio.com/hcr/its-showtime-with-rikki-lee/. Other recent guests have included Adam Pascal who earned a Tony-nomination for his breakout role in Rent and reprised the role on film, and Adam Jacobs who originated the title role in Disney's Broadway adaptation of Aladdin.

Travolta is best known as the first celebrity guest star in Tony n' Tina's Wedding, reviving ticket sales in Chicago production first, then going on to appear in productions around the country. He has headlined such productions as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He most recently appeared in the feature film The Lurker opposite Scout Taylor-Compton and can next be seen in the comedy horror film Vampirus.

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