Rodriguez, Higareda win Imagen Awards

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Freddy Rodriguez and Martha Higareda were among entertainers honored at the Imagen Foundation Awards ceremony in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The black-tie gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Friday recognized positive portrayals of Latinos and Latino culture in entertainment.

Rodriguez took home the award for Best Actor/Television for "Chaos" and Higareda picked up the prize for Best Actress/Television for "Lies in Plain Sight."

The winner of Best Primetime Television Program or Movie-of-the-Week was "Law & Order: Los Angeles."

Carlos Gomez of "The Glades" and Eva La Rue of "CSI: Miami" won the honors for Best Supporting Actor and Actress/Television respectively.

"Dora the Explorer" earned the award for Best Children's Programming and "The Longoria Affair" garnered the trophy for Best Documentary/Television.

"Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" was named Best Variety or Reality Show.

"Gun Hill Road" was declared Best Feature Film and its star, Esai Morales, presented with the award for Best Actor/Feature Film. Michelle Rodriguez won the award for Best Actress/Feature Film for "Tropico de Sangre."

Maria Canals-Barrera served as host of the 26th annual Imagen Awards ceremony, which was attended by about 500 guests, including Edward James Olmos, Hilda Solis, Kenny Ortega, Mark Ballas, Cote de Pablo, Lupe Ontiveros, Victoria Justice, Paula Kerger and Alexa Vega.

"We are proud of all the accomplishments that Latinos have achieved thus far throughout all facets of the entertainment industry; however, we must strive for continued progress of inclusion, particularly in decision-making and creative roles throughout the industry," Helen Hernandez, president of The Imagen Foundation, said in a statement Monday.