FH Hispania Plaza

Standing Ovation to 2008 Achievements in Art

Flipping through the pages of the latest issue of Poder, I saw a story about a new Norton Anthology on Latino Literature and was reminded about Junot Diaz's great accomplishment of winning the 2008 Pulitzer for the tales of Oscar Wao. He is only the second Latino to earn the top writing recognition. Diaz tells a very good story of acculturation, of displacement, of the Latino experience-- much like other Latino writers. And he contributes the very unique Dominican voice of his characters who are (or think they are) perpetually sieged by the culturally-charged 'fuku': a concept that has many different meanings and words among Latino countries.

But Junot is not alone in his great conquest of the 2008 arts world. Latino Lin-Manuel Miranda took the Tonys by storm earlier this year with In The Heights: the best musical, best score, best orchestration and best choreography winner. Earlier this month, the musical score was nominated for a Grammy, along with The Little Mermaid, Gypsy, South Pacific and Young Frankenstein. Diaz and Miranda, like Nilo Cruz with Anna in the Tropics and Oscar Hijuelos with The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love before them, reached the pinnacle by earning these national top awards in theater and prose. Coincidentally, these four talented individuals are of Caribbean descent (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic).

Earlier this year, the 7th art named Javier Bardem the 2008 Oscar winner for best supporting actor on his role on No Country for Old Men.

As the year wraps and many 2008 "in-review" lists are published, we just wanted to send a nod out to these accomplished Hispanics who contributed to the great cultural total of our present and made a mark in some of the most reputed awards to creative pop expression in modern times.

Here is a link to a good story about Latino arts in 2008: A Year to Remember for Latinos (NY Daily News).

PS: kudos to John Leguizamo and the rest of the cast in Nothing Like the Holidays. Hope the film about a Latino Holiday family reunion does well.

 

 

Olympic Dreams

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing have been a source of pride for the nation and proven to be a historic showing for some of the best athletes to recently don USA uniforms. Securing their place in history are one Michael Phelps-- the most decorated Olympian to date -- and the men's swimming team he represents.  And then there's the story of the women's rowing team first gold since 1984, and not to forget the women's gymnastics team gold for Shawn Johnson and teammate Nastia Liukin securing silver, both on the beam event which is a first for the nation. 

But one singular story caught the attention of Wednesday's El Nuevo Herald after the gold won a cover story for Henry Cejudo, the US wrestling champ born to undocumented Mexican immigrants.  Cejudo proudly pronounced his medal to belong "half to Mexico and half to the US", due to the strong affinity to his family's culture and roots.  Cejudo is from Los Angeles, the nation's #1 Hispanic market.  His story has been picked up by many publications and Google shows more than 400 results to his name.  His rise to fame and the medal did not come easy.  Raised as one of four siblings, his family struggled to make ends meet and moved around quite a bit as he was growing up.  The 21-year old now has secured his name and family's history in the books. 

Along Cejudo, other U.S. Hispanics also are representing the US at the games.  Dara Torres' stellar performance as the oldest swimmer to score a medal, the taekwondo team includes the Los Lopez siblings-- 3 brothers and a sister with roots in Nicaragua that made history as the first sibling team to compete since the early 1900s and Stephen Lopez is a contender for gold.  Then there's Michael Orozco is soccer, distance runners Leonel Manzano and Jorge Torres, many in the boxing team, and others I may not have been able to identify.

But news reports say that there are not enough Hispanics in the US team, in all about 4% of the 600 member team based on a AP estimate.  And while that may be true, kudos to the ones who earned a spot and Cejudo-- enjoy your medal for many years to come! 

A Latino E-Virus

Nothing says that Hispanics are online in full force more than an email virus directed solely at them (and in Spanish).  An item from People en Espanol reports that people have been getting viruses in emails that 'deliver' fatal news about the deaths of Luis Miguel, Shakira and/or Alejandro Fernandez.  The emails appear to come from Televisa or CNN and are in fact vicious viruses.  There is a lot of competing data about Hispanics online and their preferred language for navigation, but we know at least 33% prefer Spanish and market moves such as Impremedia gambling on Impre.com, Univision.com's dominance and million of users, and even People en Espanol's site all attest to the fact that the universe is large (also loyal judging for the growing 'foros' section on Univision.com).  Of course, email is also heavily used among the group since it is a good way to stay connected long-distance. And while I have found no data to prove it, the incidence of hitting 'forward' seems to also be high, based on personal observations, so knowing about this virus can help prevent a further spread.  Keeping in mind that the web has no geographical boundaries and the popularity of these artists beyond the U.S., there is no telling how many people could be taken by these false emails.

The Latin Grammys Come to Houston

The Latin Grammys recognize excellence in Latin music and are one of the most-watched Hispanic shows in the Western Hemisphere; in the U.S. alone, close to 12.5 million viewers tuned in for the 2007 show.

This year, the 9th annual Latin Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from Houston, Texas to more than 100 countries. Hosting the Latin Grammys is a first for Houston and this past Tuesday April 8, all of those involved in bringing the show to the city announced it to music fans all over.

VH1's New Reality Show: Bofetadas, Intriga, y Final Feliz

Reading the trades, I had noticed some coverage about the newest VH-1 reality TV conconction: Viva Hollywood! I glossed over the headlines until I saw it mentioned again today and saw that Latino TV darling Carlos Ponce was hosting-- had to learn more. Turns out, VH-1 is pitting 12 aspiring bilingual actors in a race to become… a Latino novela star!

The premise of the show is that contestants have to master the 7 sins of novelas. They will be showing off their acting skills while living at the "Casa de Locos". But hold on: in what seems like an implausible plot twist from novela madrina Delia Fiallo, astrologer Walter Mercado will provide alerts and predictions of challenges to come during each episode. And in true novela style, contestants will be 'killed off' during the progress of the show until one is crowned with the 'papel estelar' and receives a contract with talent firm LatinWe, a Miami condo, and $100,000 prize.

From the press release, it seems VH-1 was able to plot every single cliché of the Latino novela culture into one big reality TV show (or should we call it 'spoof'?). Sofia Vergara, Daisy Fuentes, Angelica Vale, Charo, Christian De La Fuente, Lorena Rojas, Maria Celeste Arraras and Perez Hilton all have signed on as celebrity guests on the show that premieres this Sunday.

La Misma Taquilla

Flipping through El Nuevo Herald's movie listings the other day, I ran across ads for Bajo la Misma Luna --a well-publicized movie and first big screen vehicle for Mexican soap opera darling Kate del Castillo. According to a recent news report, Hispanics are the USA's fastest-rising demographic of movie ticket buyers. But from all accounts, this movie's story line is relevant beyond ethnicity. With a Mexican cast led by Del Castillo and Eugenio Derbez, the plot is about a boy who decides to cross the border to look for his mom who crossed a few years before him. The sensibility to immigration is very palpable in today's society and with widespread media coverage and accounts of personal stories, the story is very captivating.

Could This Be the Beginning of a Tectonic Media Shift?

And I thought I would never see the day - but times do change. The Miami Herald reported this morning that Telemundo and Televisa have reached a 10-year agreement to have Televisa distribute Telemundo programming in Mexico. The deal itself probably won’t have a major immediate effect on the US media market, but combined with Televisa’s ongoing legal feud with Univision, it could signal a fundamental realignment of the forces that have governed Spanish-language television in the US over the past decades.

Univision’s ratings dominance has been anchored on the Mexican soap operas to which they have had exclusive rights as Televisa’s partner. Whether Televisa severs its programming relationship with Univision now as a result of their legal battle or down the road when their agreement expires, it could represent a huge windfall for Telemundo who have long languished in second place without access to the Mexican programming that is so popular among the immigrant population.

Latino Stars Take a Stand

We read all the time about pop stars' efforts to alleviate problems in different parts of the world: Bono has long been an advocate for Africa, Darfur and AIDS education, also a cause of concern for Elton John, Sting has taken a stand for peace, and Shakira has fought to end child poverty.

As tension rises between Colombia and Venezuela following increasing evidence that links Chavez to the FARC rebels in his neighbor to the West, a Colombian native with star power is calling on his friends to join together for peace. In a press conference this week, Grammy-award winner Juanes announced plans for a peace concert to be performed right on the border of the countries where the two Latin American powers meet.  The site also is symbolic because it also is where Ecuador meets with the two -- the country recently broke ties with Colombia. The concert is scheduled for March 18 and also will feature leading Latino music talent such as Juan Luis Guerra, Mana, Alejandro Sanz and Ricardo Montaner.

This A-list group is increasingly influential far beyond music.  And many Latino pop artists are being more active about wearing their beliefs on their sleeves. 

Univision Music has a new owner

Universal Music reached an agreement last week to purchase Univision Music Group for an estimated $140 million, according to an L.A. Times report. With the purchase, Universal will become the undisputed Latin music market leader with more than 50% of the U.S. Hispanic market share—a spot that Univision Music currently holds as the No. 1 selling Latin label in the country.

Q&A with the Houston Film Commission

Oscar had its chance to celebrate 80 years last night, and it was the first big awards show of the season following the aftermath of the writers' strike. In his monologue, Jon Stewart said that the Golden figurines served as a catalyst to reach an agreement. Now that the strike is behind us, what impact, if any, did it have for Latinos in Hollywood? To get more insight on that and perspective on the future of Latinos in film, Ray Fohr conducted the following Q&A last week with Alfred Cervantes, Deputy Director for the Houston Film Commission:

With the recent writers' strike now over, how did this affect Latino writers?

It affected everyone who relies on scripted material and was devastating for some. It's reported that the work stoppage had a more than 700 million dollar impact in loss of spending by those feature films and television productions that didn't happen in those three months.

ABC's Ugly Betty and CBS' Cane are two recent examples of a Latino-branded television shows with wide appeal. Would you credit these to better-made shows or part of the rise in Latino and Latin American influence on the country?

Both. Ugly Betty has been well received by audiences and critics alike. It's also an example of something we might see more of:  successful Latin American shows being adapted for American audiences.

The crossover works both ways, what are you thoughts on American filmmakers tapping Latin America for talent and locations?

The movie "Vantage Point," which opened this past weekend, was shot entirely on location in Mexico but the story was set in Spain. And it was only last year that Latino filmmakers had a great presence at the Oscars.

What's your take on NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) and the talent they showcase each year?

NALIP member and Texas filmmaker Chris Eska's debut feature film "August Evening" won the John Cassavetes Award at the Spirit Awards this past weekend. It's a Spanish- language film that was shot in Gonzales, Texas. As a member, NALIP has been supportive of his project and instrumental in helping get the word out and finding resources. I'm a member!

What would you say are some of the drivers helping Latinos in the industry?  Has there been a visible change with regards to Hispanic representation?

The success of recent past Spanish-language films and television shows bodes well for creating more [content] for receptive audiences. This in turn makes more advertisers create commercials for the same market, which contributes to the production industry creating opportunities for crew and talent.

Do you have any Oscar favorites?

Texas has a great presence this year in the Best Picture category with both "There Will Be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men," both shot in Marfa, Texas, but I think "There Will Be Blood" will take it!

Editor's note:  While “No Country for Old Men” took the night’s biggest award, "There Will Be Blood" garnered two prizes:  Best Cinematography and Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis).  Congratulations also go to Javier Bardem on his Best Supporting Actor win and his candid thank you to his country and recognition of his heritage.