Still looking

Lourdes COLON doesn’t sing or play an instrument. She’s an actress with only one professional credit. But until recently, Colon was counting on making her Carnegie Hall debut earlier this week.

That’s when and where CBS executives introduced their upcoming fall prime-time lineup. The unveiling was part of a gala weeklong presentation to advertisers in New York by broadcast TV networks vying for upfront purchase of commercial time on new and returning shows.

Colon had visualized walking across the Carnegie Hall stage as a new member of the CBS family. Her hopes were boosted after executives, impressed by her performance at a CBS-sponsored showcase for Latino actors and actresses last October, signed her and another showcase participant, Veronica Diaz, to exclusive talent deals binding them to the network. Novice performers are rarely signed to such agreements.

The showcase, like other network-hosted forums, was part of an effort by the four major networks to recruit more minorities in front of and behind the camera after years of criticism that the landscape of network prime-time TV was too white.

In addition to Colon’s and Diaz’s being positioned as prime contenders for a role on one of the 18 comedy and drama pilots developed for the fall season, CBS -- the only broadcast network last season without a minority in a lead or co-lead role on a series -- heavily promoted the actresses, publicizing their deals and making them available for interviews during January’s gathering for national TV writers in Los Angeles.

But Wednesday, when the casts of the CBS lineup schmoozed with advertisers, Colon and Diaz were not among them. Despite the hoopla, numerous auditions and interviews, neither actress scored a role on any of the CBS pilots under consideration or in the five new series picked up for the fall season.

Their deals are scheduled to expire next month, and the future is uncertain.

The failure of Colon and Diaz to win regular roles underscores the shortfalls of the minority showcases held over the last few years by the networks. Although dozens of black, Asian American, Native American and Latino showcase performers have received increased exposure and representation through showcases and several have been cast as guest stars on “The Practice,” “My Wife and Kids” and other series, none has won a role on a major network prime-time series, one of the primary objectives of the showcases. Only a few have landed recurring roles on current series.

Instead of the showcases, the networks have largely turned to more seasoned minority performers to make their casts more diverse. Blair Underwood (“L.A. Law”) and Sharif Atkins (“ER”) star in new NBC dramas “LAX” and “Hawaii,” respectively. Eva Longoria (“Dragnet”) is one of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.”

Still, despite their disappointments, Colon and Diaz are anything but disillusioned or discouraged. Both say they are grateful for opportunities they believe they wouldn’t have received without the deals, and both remain convinced that stardom is just around the corner.

“There’ll be plenty of other chances,” said Colon, who lives in Burbank. “A lot of these shows will be recasting or looking for recurring characters. This is not the end. The door is definitely not shut.”

In fact, the same week that Colon performed in the showcase, she won a guest role as an anguished immigrant mother on “Without a Trace,” a CBS series. The show’s producers are submitting the performance for Emmy consideration.

Fern Orenstein, CBS’ vice president of casting, said she still had confidence that both actresses would soon score major roles, even if they don’t wind up on CBS.

“We were so highly impressed with them, that’s why we took the unusual step of signing them,” Orenstein said. “We didn’t want them to go anywhere else.”

But although Orenstein supports the actresses, and some black and Latino performers have supporting roles on new shows, CBS remains the only major broadcast network without a minority in a leading or secondary lead role in any of its series, five years after the lack of cultural diversity on prime time was first blasted by the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People and several other ethnic advocacy groups.

More competition

Before the showcases, some industry executives had maintained that although they wanted to cast more minorities in comedies and dramas, the talent pool was not large enough. But the added depth of the minority talent pool resulting from the showcases has also increased competition across the board in the acting community, at a time when most actors and actresses still find it difficult to get work. Up to 85% of the 120,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild are unemployed at any given time, according to the union.

Mitsy Wilson, Fox’s diversity chief, said that even though she admires the showcase process and progress has been made in finding more minority talent, Fox will soon be seeking other ways to find minority talent.

“Yes, showcases are a fine way to identity new and upcoming talent, and some of it works, but some of it doesn’t,” she said. “We did them for two years, but now we’re going to try something different that is still in the formative stages. Our outreach is going to be a little more extensive.”

One top executive at a rival network questioned CBS’ strategy of hyping Colon and Diaz before they were hired. “It’s kind of dangerous when you make a big deal out them, but you don’t yet have the right show or vehicle for them. To blow your horn when you haven’t done anything yet is a little wacky. You run the risk of demoralizing them.”

But Colon, who says she’s in her early 30s, says she does not feel she was exploited to promote diversity efforts.

“I don’t believe I was used by CBS,” she said. “But even if they were, it’s working for me too, because I got all these opportunities and met all these people.”

Jerry Velasco, president of Nosotros, an organization that works to improve the image and employment of Latinos in the entertainment industry and a co-sponsor of the Latino showcase, said he will be “very disappointed if their deals are not renewed. We were all very excited about this.”

Added Diaz, 27, of North Hollywood: “Of course I’m disappointed, and there were certain expectations, but this has changed everything. There are casting directors who now know who I am, and I feel things will change.”

Diaz, who has been in a few commercials and the independent film “Vatos,” said she had auditioned for roles including that of a best friend in a sitcom. Colon said her audition list ranged from a mother to a computer whiz.

She added that she tried out for roles that she knew she wasn’t right for, but she was grateful for the opportunity.

Orenstein added that her network is committed to the showcases, which are attended not only by network executives but also by studio heads, producers and casting agents from rival studios. CBS hosted a showcase for performers with disabilities a few weeks ago.

“There’s no question that the showcases are working because we see the results and so many of these people would not have been seen otherwise,” Orenstein said.

Colon said she will spend the next few weeks waiting for offers. She already has a few commercials in the wings.

“It’s all about baby steps,” she said. “I do feel it’s getting better. Slowly but surely. It’s about watering the seeds so they can grow.”