Chef Alex Garcia Brings Classic and Nuevo Latino Cuisine to L.A. Hotspot
Jeremy Nisen--Online Editor, HispanicBusiness.com Jan. 30, 2009
For a chef, opening a restaurant is always challenging. But Chef Alex Garcia had some interesting things to take into consideration for Boca that most other restaurants do not. Namely, the noise.
Boca is a new restaurant that is part of the recently reopened, popular Los Angeles music spot The Conga Room, both at the L.A. Live plaza. We spoke with The Conga Room's founding partner Brad Gluckstein shortly after the venue's star-studded grand opening. A little more than a month later, we caught up with Garcia to discuss the culinary component of the venture.
Garcia should be comfortable hosting star-studded affairs, since he's very well-known himself. He caught the culinary world's attention with restaurant ventures such as Yucca in Miami, and Patria and Calle Ocho in New York. Then he became a star on the small screen with his Food Network show, Melting Pot, and a bookstore fixture with "In a Cuban Kitchen." CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Latino group tries to turn around Mexican Heritage Plaza
In search of a new vision for Mexican Heritage Plaza
By Joe Rodriguez Mercury News 01/30/2009
In ancient and modern Mexican cities, plazas splashed by sunlight on warm winter days teem with youngsters, oldsters and everyone in between, running, sitting, reading, flirting and munching on delicacies of every sort. But in East San Jose there is a plaza where not even the Aztec sun gods - there were at least eight of them -- could draw a crowd during this balmy, picture-perfect week.
"It should be alive from eight in the morning to midnight,'' said Olivia Mendiola, an East Side community leader. "There's no reason that plaza should not be buzzing all day.''
Soon, she and 12 others will have their chance to turn around the Mexican Heritage Plaza, one of San Jose's biggest redevelopment and artistic duds. The City Council this week selected the final members of a committee charged with finding a new vision for the cultural complex that opened in 1998 and never became a premiere showcase of Latino arts, economic engine for the low-income neighborhood around it or the cool hangout that City Hall and its operator had hoped for.
While several committee members reached Thursday by telephone said they wanted a significant break from the past, others are going in with open minds and no set preferences.
Alcario Castellano, a Latino philanthropist, said the first thing that should go is the notion that the plaza should be the "Lincoln Center of Latino Arts,'' referring to internationally renown arts palace in New York City. That vision was pushed hard by the Mexican Heritage Corporation, the non-profit that operated the plaza until last year. City Hall, weary of bailing out the group, took back the keys and currently manages the buildings and grounds.
"Let's get off that kick,'' Castellano said. "Nobody outside of New York, maybe Washington, can match Lincoln Center.''
He would like to see more programming that appeals to the local community, which is predominantly working class and of Mexican origin. An example would be a show on low-rider, automotive art he sponsored recently that drew record, mostly Hispanic and local crowds for the plaza.
Mendiola, the director of the Mexican American Community Services Agency, also would like to the focus to remain on the Latino. So would committee member Carlos Perez, a local artist who was among the plaza's earliest supporters who wanted a community-oriented plaza only to lose the battle to the "Lincoln Center'' advocates.
"I feel that the vision was never truly realized,'' Perez said. He supports an arts center with a heavy emphasis on teaching Mexican art, music and dance to youths, but he would also open the center to Asian, African-American and other, ethnic, artistic programming.
At least one member, Moy Eng of the Hewlett Foundation, said she has no preferences.
"I don't have an agenda or a prescribed vision,'' she said. "I'm just looking forward to working with community leader on the plaza's potential.''
Taken as a whole, the 13-member committee represents a diversity of experience in the arts, community involvement and commercial entertainment. In a break from the plaza's past boards of directors, they don't appear to be political hacks or cronies of local power brokers. However, they represent several constituencies and institutions: neighborhood residents, longtime volunteers, contributors, and the city's arts commission and city council.
While neighborhood representative Guadalupe Gonzalez and volunteer representative Linda Snook generally support the idea of a Latino arts and education complex under city or non-profit control, Manuel Fimbres, a private funder representive on the committee, wants to explore private ownership of the plaza.
"What if the center was controlled by a commercial entity, or owned by a non-profit?'' the retired San Jose State professor asked. "The Mexican community really identifies with the center. I don't know why but it's a source of strength. I want them to have a jewel.''
The committee expects to hold it's first meeting in late February or early March. It will seek proposals for the plaza and recommend a winner to the city council and redevelopment agency.
Other committee members include: Chris Esparza, principal of Giant Creative Services; Maria de la Rosa, a teacher and former artistic director of Los Lupenos dance company; Alfredo "Danny" Garza, a director of the Plata Arroyo Neighborhood Association; Erin Goodwin-Guerrero, an artist and retired San Jose State professor; and Roy Hirabashi, artistic director of San Jose Taiko, a Japanese drum ensemble.
Contact Joe Rodriguez at (408) 920-5767 or jrodriguez@mercurynews.com
By Joe Rodriguez Mercury News 01/30/2009
In ancient and modern Mexican cities, plazas splashed by sunlight on warm winter days teem with youngsters, oldsters and everyone in between, running, sitting, reading, flirting and munching on delicacies of every sort. But in East San Jose there is a plaza where not even the Aztec sun gods - there were at least eight of them -- could draw a crowd during this balmy, picture-perfect week.
"It should be alive from eight in the morning to midnight,'' said Olivia Mendiola, an East Side community leader. "There's no reason that plaza should not be buzzing all day.''
Soon, she and 12 others will have their chance to turn around the Mexican Heritage Plaza, one of San Jose's biggest redevelopment and artistic duds. The City Council this week selected the final members of a committee charged with finding a new vision for the cultural complex that opened in 1998 and never became a premiere showcase of Latino arts, economic engine for the low-income neighborhood around it or the cool hangout that City Hall and its operator had hoped for.
While several committee members reached Thursday by telephone said they wanted a significant break from the past, others are going in with open minds and no set preferences.
Alcario Castellano, a Latino philanthropist, said the first thing that should go is the notion that the plaza should be the "Lincoln Center of Latino Arts,'' referring to internationally renown arts palace in New York City. That vision was pushed hard by the Mexican Heritage Corporation, the non-profit that operated the plaza until last year. City Hall, weary of bailing out the group, took back the keys and currently manages the buildings and grounds.
"Let's get off that kick,'' Castellano said. "Nobody outside of New York, maybe Washington, can match Lincoln Center.''
He would like to see more programming that appeals to the local community, which is predominantly working class and of Mexican origin. An example would be a show on low-rider, automotive art he sponsored recently that drew record, mostly Hispanic and local crowds for the plaza.
Mendiola, the director of the Mexican American Community Services Agency, also would like to the focus to remain on the Latino. So would committee member Carlos Perez, a local artist who was among the plaza's earliest supporters who wanted a community-oriented plaza only to lose the battle to the "Lincoln Center'' advocates.
"I feel that the vision was never truly realized,'' Perez said. He supports an arts center with a heavy emphasis on teaching Mexican art, music and dance to youths, but he would also open the center to Asian, African-American and other, ethnic, artistic programming.
At least one member, Moy Eng of the Hewlett Foundation, said she has no preferences.
"I don't have an agenda or a prescribed vision,'' she said. "I'm just looking forward to working with community leader on the plaza's potential.''
Taken as a whole, the 13-member committee represents a diversity of experience in the arts, community involvement and commercial entertainment. In a break from the plaza's past boards of directors, they don't appear to be political hacks or cronies of local power brokers. However, they represent several constituencies and institutions: neighborhood residents, longtime volunteers, contributors, and the city's arts commission and city council.
While neighborhood representative Guadalupe Gonzalez and volunteer representative Linda Snook generally support the idea of a Latino arts and education complex under city or non-profit control, Manuel Fimbres, a private funder representive on the committee, wants to explore private ownership of the plaza.
"What if the center was controlled by a commercial entity, or owned by a non-profit?'' the retired San Jose State professor asked. "The Mexican community really identifies with the center. I don't know why but it's a source of strength. I want them to have a jewel.''
The committee expects to hold it's first meeting in late February or early March. It will seek proposals for the plaza and recommend a winner to the city council and redevelopment agency.
Other committee members include: Chris Esparza, principal of Giant Creative Services; Maria de la Rosa, a teacher and former artistic director of Los Lupenos dance company; Alfredo "Danny" Garza, a director of the Plata Arroyo Neighborhood Association; Erin Goodwin-Guerrero, an artist and retired San Jose State professor; and Roy Hirabashi, artistic director of San Jose Taiko, a Japanese drum ensemble.
Contact Joe Rodriguez at (408) 920-5767 or jrodriguez@mercurynews.com
Latino musicians honor former teacher
Latino musicians honor former teacher
By Jennifer Torres Record Staff Writer January 30, 2009
STOCKTON - At a banquet hall on South Lincoln Street, Consuelo Najera, a singer, paused on stage.
"We are going to continue this memorial for Don Tino Carreon with another song," he said in Spanish. "Let's go."
Faustino "Tino" Carreon, who lived in south Stockton and offered lessons and advice to neighborhood boys who aspired to play conjunto, mariachi and other forms of Mexican and Mexican-American music, died Jan. 23 of cancer. He was 69.
On Thursday, former students - such as Najera - played in honor of their teacher and friend as relatives watched, tapped their feet, hugged Carreon's wife, Marina.
"He played all kinds of instruments," said Roberto Carrasco, Carreon's stepson. "He loved all Mexican music."
Carrasco said his stepfather was born in the United States, close to the Mexican border, in 1939. He grew up in Oxnard, moved to San Jose and then to Stockton.
He gave free music lessons, Carrasco said, because "it was his dream. Because he really loved the music."
Near the stage Thursday, dozens of snapshots were mounted on bulletin boards. They showed Carreon smiling in dark sunglasses, and his students - behind microphone stands, with guitars strapped around their necks, with accordions between their arms.
Carrasco said one of his stepfather's favorite songs was "Renunciacion," which begins, "I don't want to see you crying."
When he found out he had cancer, he told his family he wanted the funeral to be a celebration, Carrasco said.
"He wanted to rest in peace, but with music."
Jennifer Torres at (209) 546-8252 or jtorres@recordnet.com.
By Jennifer Torres Record Staff Writer January 30, 2009
STOCKTON - At a banquet hall on South Lincoln Street, Consuelo Najera, a singer, paused on stage.
"We are going to continue this memorial for Don Tino Carreon with another song," he said in Spanish. "Let's go."
Faustino "Tino" Carreon, who lived in south Stockton and offered lessons and advice to neighborhood boys who aspired to play conjunto, mariachi and other forms of Mexican and Mexican-American music, died Jan. 23 of cancer. He was 69.
On Thursday, former students - such as Najera - played in honor of their teacher and friend as relatives watched, tapped their feet, hugged Carreon's wife, Marina.
"He played all kinds of instruments," said Roberto Carrasco, Carreon's stepson. "He loved all Mexican music."
Carrasco said his stepfather was born in the United States, close to the Mexican border, in 1939. He grew up in Oxnard, moved to San Jose and then to Stockton.
He gave free music lessons, Carrasco said, because "it was his dream. Because he really loved the music."
Near the stage Thursday, dozens of snapshots were mounted on bulletin boards. They showed Carreon smiling in dark sunglasses, and his students - behind microphone stands, with guitars strapped around their necks, with accordions between their arms.
Carrasco said one of his stepfather's favorite songs was "Renunciacion," which begins, "I don't want to see you crying."
When he found out he had cancer, he told his family he wanted the funeral to be a celebration, Carrasco said.
"He wanted to rest in peace, but with music."
Jennifer Torres at (209) 546-8252 or jtorres@recordnet.com.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Behind a Latino rock and roll music legend
Many Latino musicians followed in Valens’ footsteps
By Melissa Rentería - Conexión
Ritchie Valens is considered by many music historians to be the first crossover Chicano rocker, a pioneering musician who blended the sounds of his Mexican roots with American rock ’n’ roll.
Valens, a Mexican-American kid from the barrio who record producers said had to change his name so he wouldn’t be labeled a Latino musician, influenced many other Latino rockers. Some of these musicians did not have to hide their ethnicity, embracing their Latino roots through their name and music.
Here’s a look at some of the mainstream musicians for whom Valens paved the way:
Chan Romero
The part-Apache Indian and part-Mexican-American singer who hitchhiked from his native Montana to Los Angeles to launch a music career was seen as the obvious successor to Ritchie Valens. Romero signed with Del-Fi records months after Valens died, and his song “Hippy Hippy Shake” became a hit in late 1959.
Sunny Ozuna
The San Antonio-born singer was the lead voice behind Sunny and the Sunliners, whose 1963 hit “Talk to Me” earned the band an appearance on “American Bandstand,” making Ozuna the first Tejano musician to appear on the show.
The Premiers
Formed in 1962 in San Gabriel, Calif., by brothers Lawrence and John Perez with their neighbors George Delgado and Frank Zuniga, the group went from popular garage band to national stars with its cover hit “Farmer John.” The single went to No. 19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1964.
Cannibal and the Headhunters
The Mexican-American band from East Los Angeles — founding members were Frankie “Cannibal” Garcia, Joe “YoYo” Jaramillo and Bobby “Rabbit” Jaramillo — had a hit single in 1965 with “Land of a Thousand Dances.” The song’s success earned the band a spot opening for The Beatles during its 1965 American tour.
Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs
Back in the 1960s few audiences probably knew that Sam was really Domingo Samudio, a Mexican-American singer from Dallas. Known for its campy stage outfits — Samudio often wore a robe and turban — the band had a Top 40 hit in 1965 with “Wooly Bully.”
The Pharoahs included two Latinos, Omar Lopez and Vincent Lopez.
Thee Midniters
The rock band from East Los Angeles was among the first Latino rockers to sing about Chicano themes, including its 1965 hit “Whittier Boulevard,” which begins with a grito, and the late 1960s song “The Ballad of César Chávez.” Cesar Rosas, who went on to form Los Lobos in the 1970s, has said he used to watch Thee Midniters perform to try to emulate their playing style.
Carlos Santana
The Mexican-born guitarist started playing music at age 5. He would go on to win 10 Grammy awards and be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, both for his work as a solo artist and with his self-titled band. A performer at the famed 1969 music festival Woodstock, Santana has paid tribute to his Latino roots by including such influences in his music.
Malo
Formed by Jorge Santana, the brother of Carlos Santana, the group had a Top 20 hit in 1972 with “Suavecito,” referred to by some as “the Chicano national anthem.” Like Santana, the group’s music was a fusion of Latin percussion, jazz, blues, rock and salsa.
Linda Ronstadt
The Mexican-American singer from Tucson, Ariz., was one of the biggest female rock stars in the 1970s. She later used her Grammy-winning commercial success to record other musical genres, including country, big band and mariachi. Her 1987 album, “Canciones de Mi Padre,” is the most successful non-English language album in history, selling more than 2 million copies.
Tierra
Originally known as The Jaquars, the R&B band from East Los Angeles also included former members of the rock band El Chicano. The group, led by brothers Steve and Rudy Salas, had a top 10 hit in 1980 with “Together,” which they performed on “Solid Gold” in 1981.
Los Lobos
The Grammy-winning band from East Los Angeles cites Valens as one of its biggest influences. They performed the cover versions of his music for the 1987 biopic “La Bamba,” giving the band its only No. 1 hit with its version of the title song. The band, a frequent performer on “Austin City Limits,” used the fame that followed “La Bamba” to bring traditional Mexican music to the masses with its 1988 album “La Pistola y El Corazón.”
Los Lonely Boys
The trio of Mexican-American brothers from San Angelo — JoJo, Ringo and Henry Garza — calls its style of music “Texican” because it blends rock, conjunto, blues and Tejano. The Grammy-winning group has cited Valens, Santana and Los Lobos as its musical influences.
Source: “La Onda Chicana,” “Chicano Rock: The Sounds of East Los Angeles” and various artists’ Web sites.
By Melissa Rentería - Conexión
Ritchie Valens is considered by many music historians to be the first crossover Chicano rocker, a pioneering musician who blended the sounds of his Mexican roots with American rock ’n’ roll.
Valens, a Mexican-American kid from the barrio who record producers said had to change his name so he wouldn’t be labeled a Latino musician, influenced many other Latino rockers. Some of these musicians did not have to hide their ethnicity, embracing their Latino roots through their name and music.
Here’s a look at some of the mainstream musicians for whom Valens paved the way:
Chan Romero
The part-Apache Indian and part-Mexican-American singer who hitchhiked from his native Montana to Los Angeles to launch a music career was seen as the obvious successor to Ritchie Valens. Romero signed with Del-Fi records months after Valens died, and his song “Hippy Hippy Shake” became a hit in late 1959.
Sunny Ozuna
The San Antonio-born singer was the lead voice behind Sunny and the Sunliners, whose 1963 hit “Talk to Me” earned the band an appearance on “American Bandstand,” making Ozuna the first Tejano musician to appear on the show.
The Premiers
Formed in 1962 in San Gabriel, Calif., by brothers Lawrence and John Perez with their neighbors George Delgado and Frank Zuniga, the group went from popular garage band to national stars with its cover hit “Farmer John.” The single went to No. 19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1964.
Cannibal and the Headhunters
The Mexican-American band from East Los Angeles — founding members were Frankie “Cannibal” Garcia, Joe “YoYo” Jaramillo and Bobby “Rabbit” Jaramillo — had a hit single in 1965 with “Land of a Thousand Dances.” The song’s success earned the band a spot opening for The Beatles during its 1965 American tour.
Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs
Back in the 1960s few audiences probably knew that Sam was really Domingo Samudio, a Mexican-American singer from Dallas. Known for its campy stage outfits — Samudio often wore a robe and turban — the band had a Top 40 hit in 1965 with “Wooly Bully.”
The Pharoahs included two Latinos, Omar Lopez and Vincent Lopez.
Thee Midniters
The rock band from East Los Angeles was among the first Latino rockers to sing about Chicano themes, including its 1965 hit “Whittier Boulevard,” which begins with a grito, and the late 1960s song “The Ballad of César Chávez.” Cesar Rosas, who went on to form Los Lobos in the 1970s, has said he used to watch Thee Midniters perform to try to emulate their playing style.
Carlos Santana
The Mexican-born guitarist started playing music at age 5. He would go on to win 10 Grammy awards and be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, both for his work as a solo artist and with his self-titled band. A performer at the famed 1969 music festival Woodstock, Santana has paid tribute to his Latino roots by including such influences in his music.
Malo
Formed by Jorge Santana, the brother of Carlos Santana, the group had a Top 20 hit in 1972 with “Suavecito,” referred to by some as “the Chicano national anthem.” Like Santana, the group’s music was a fusion of Latin percussion, jazz, blues, rock and salsa.
Linda Ronstadt
The Mexican-American singer from Tucson, Ariz., was one of the biggest female rock stars in the 1970s. She later used her Grammy-winning commercial success to record other musical genres, including country, big band and mariachi. Her 1987 album, “Canciones de Mi Padre,” is the most successful non-English language album in history, selling more than 2 million copies.
Tierra
Originally known as The Jaquars, the R&B band from East Los Angeles also included former members of the rock band El Chicano. The group, led by brothers Steve and Rudy Salas, had a top 10 hit in 1980 with “Together,” which they performed on “Solid Gold” in 1981.
Los Lobos
The Grammy-winning band from East Los Angeles cites Valens as one of its biggest influences. They performed the cover versions of his music for the 1987 biopic “La Bamba,” giving the band its only No. 1 hit with its version of the title song. The band, a frequent performer on “Austin City Limits,” used the fame that followed “La Bamba” to bring traditional Mexican music to the masses with its 1988 album “La Pistola y El Corazón.”
Los Lonely Boys
The trio of Mexican-American brothers from San Angelo — JoJo, Ringo and Henry Garza — calls its style of music “Texican” because it blends rock, conjunto, blues and Tejano. The Grammy-winning group has cited Valens, Santana and Los Lobos as its musical influences.
Source: “La Onda Chicana,” “Chicano Rock: The Sounds of East Los Angeles” and various artists’ Web sites.
Hispanic NFL fan base unmasked
FACTBOX: Facts about NFL's Hispanic fan base
Reuters Jan 29, 2009
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Hispanics in the United States are the fastest-growing minority and their financial clout is expanding just as rapidly.
The National Football League, along with many other media and entertainment properties, has moved over the last several years to tap into that fan base to fuel its growth.
POPULATION GROWTH AND BUYING POWER:
* Hispanics comprised about 15 percent of the U.S. population in 2007, up from 9 percent in 1990. That is expected to rise to 16.5 percent in 2012.
* The increase in the U.S. Hispanic population from 2007 to 2012 will be 15.3 percent, compared with 4.7 percent in the overall U.S. population.
* In 2004, 34 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population was under the age of 18, compared with 22 percent for the non-Hispanic white population. Meanwhile, only 5.1 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population was older than 65, compared with 14.45 percent for non-Hispanic whites.
* The buying power of U.S. Hispanics is expected to rise from $212 billion in 1990 and $862 billion in 2007 to slightly over $1.2 trillion in 2012. That would represent an increase of 46.3 percent from 2007 to 2012, compared with 29.7 percent for the overall U.S. population.
* In 2012, Hispanics will likely account for 9.7 percent of all U.S. buying power, up from 5 percent in 1990 and 8.6 percent in 2007.
-- Source: Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia
NFL HISPANIC FAN BASE:
* In 2008, 25 million U.S. Hispanics watched NFL regular-season games.
* In 2008, U.S. Hispanics spent on average 13.4 hours a week consuming league content across all media, compared with 10.3 hours for the overall general market.
* The NFL's average U.S. Hispanic viewer at 27 years old is 10 years younger than the average general market viewer.
-- Source: NFL
NFL U.S. HISPANIC TV VIEWERS FOR SUPER BOWL:
* An average of 17.9 percent of all U.S. Hispanics, or about 7.5 million viewers, tuned into Super Bowl XLII in 2008.
* An average of 15.5 percent, or 6.2 million viewers, tuned in for Super Bowl XLI in 2007.
* An average of 15.7 percent, or 6.1 million viewers, tuned in for Super Bowl XL in 2006.
-- Source: Nielsen Co
NFL 2008 HISPANIC TV RECAP:
* Among Hispanics, the top two, and seven of the 10 most-watched shows among all English-language TV programs this fall were NFL games.
* NBC's December 14 New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game was the most-watched English-language show of the broadcast season among Hispanics with 1.9 million viewers.
* NFL games were the five highest-rated English-language shows among Hispanic households this fall and NFL games were the highest rated English-language show among Hispanic households in 14 of the season's 17 weeks.
* The NFL's wild-card games on January 3 and 4 were the most watched wild-card weekend among Hispanics in five years, averaging 1.4 million viewers.
-- Source: NFL and Nielsen Co (Compiled by Ben Klayman, editing by Matthew Lewis)
Reuters Jan 29, 2009
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Hispanics in the United States are the fastest-growing minority and their financial clout is expanding just as rapidly.
The National Football League, along with many other media and entertainment properties, has moved over the last several years to tap into that fan base to fuel its growth.
POPULATION GROWTH AND BUYING POWER:
* Hispanics comprised about 15 percent of the U.S. population in 2007, up from 9 percent in 1990. That is expected to rise to 16.5 percent in 2012.
* The increase in the U.S. Hispanic population from 2007 to 2012 will be 15.3 percent, compared with 4.7 percent in the overall U.S. population.
* In 2004, 34 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population was under the age of 18, compared with 22 percent for the non-Hispanic white population. Meanwhile, only 5.1 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population was older than 65, compared with 14.45 percent for non-Hispanic whites.
* The buying power of U.S. Hispanics is expected to rise from $212 billion in 1990 and $862 billion in 2007 to slightly over $1.2 trillion in 2012. That would represent an increase of 46.3 percent from 2007 to 2012, compared with 29.7 percent for the overall U.S. population.
* In 2012, Hispanics will likely account for 9.7 percent of all U.S. buying power, up from 5 percent in 1990 and 8.6 percent in 2007.
-- Source: Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia
NFL HISPANIC FAN BASE:
* In 2008, 25 million U.S. Hispanics watched NFL regular-season games.
* In 2008, U.S. Hispanics spent on average 13.4 hours a week consuming league content across all media, compared with 10.3 hours for the overall general market.
* The NFL's average U.S. Hispanic viewer at 27 years old is 10 years younger than the average general market viewer.
-- Source: NFL
NFL U.S. HISPANIC TV VIEWERS FOR SUPER BOWL:
* An average of 17.9 percent of all U.S. Hispanics, or about 7.5 million viewers, tuned into Super Bowl XLII in 2008.
* An average of 15.5 percent, or 6.2 million viewers, tuned in for Super Bowl XLI in 2007.
* An average of 15.7 percent, or 6.1 million viewers, tuned in for Super Bowl XL in 2006.
-- Source: Nielsen Co
NFL 2008 HISPANIC TV RECAP:
* Among Hispanics, the top two, and seven of the 10 most-watched shows among all English-language TV programs this fall were NFL games.
* NBC's December 14 New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game was the most-watched English-language show of the broadcast season among Hispanics with 1.9 million viewers.
* NFL games were the five highest-rated English-language shows among Hispanic households this fall and NFL games were the highest rated English-language show among Hispanic households in 14 of the season's 17 weeks.
* The NFL's wild-card games on January 3 and 4 were the most watched wild-card weekend among Hispanics in five years, averaging 1.4 million viewers.
-- Source: NFL and Nielsen Co (Compiled by Ben Klayman, editing by Matthew Lewis)
Latino music shines with Brooklyn Philharmonic
The Brooklyn Philharmonic Loves Latino!
By: Andy Seccombe New York Press
Soft red and lavender lighting gave the Brooklyn Masonic Temple a decidedly sensual feel last night as the Brooklyn Philharmonic kicked off its Nuevo Latino Festival in salsational style.
Amidst the candlelit tables, a troupe of white-shirted musicians emerged in the forefront to the sounds of wood blocks and the thuds of a conga drum. Then, rattles from a chekeré echoed, a wandering guitarist joined the throng and a lone trumpeter appeared on the Temple’s second tier.
The scattered musicians then made their way to the stage, where three violinists and a cello player awaited. It was there that the party really got started as classical strings met with the liveliest of Latin rhythms for two and a half hours of funky, sexy splendor.
Featuring music from Gonzalo Grau and his 12-piece band, La Clava Secreta the evening featured a collection of the group’s Grammy-nominated tunes which spanned Cuban, Venezuelan and Greek traditions as well as smoky jazz, classical, flamenco and funk.
Variety was the key spice of the night as each instrument brought some new and indispensable flavor to the showcase: one moment a saxophone gave the rhythms a hardy push, then a flute piped from the heavens. Next, the plucking of violins met the musings of a trombone, or a piano solo broke out, followed by the groovy utterances of an electric base. It was music characterized by its energy, urgency and escapades – how often do you get the chance to ride a salsa express, mellow out to sultry jazz, then feel like you’re in the middle of string-laden Hitchcockian chase sequence anyway?
And they weren’t even close to being done. Because Greek scatting is the new hip hop, there’s always time for a few Calypso hallelujahs or 4-part harmonies, and a little call and response and some blasts from the brass consistently seal the deal.
Some nights we’re all Latin lovers. Some nights we’re all twenty-one. And it’s always music that makes it so…
By: Andy Seccombe New York Press
Soft red and lavender lighting gave the Brooklyn Masonic Temple a decidedly sensual feel last night as the Brooklyn Philharmonic kicked off its Nuevo Latino Festival in salsational style.
Amidst the candlelit tables, a troupe of white-shirted musicians emerged in the forefront to the sounds of wood blocks and the thuds of a conga drum. Then, rattles from a chekeré echoed, a wandering guitarist joined the throng and a lone trumpeter appeared on the Temple’s second tier.
The scattered musicians then made their way to the stage, where three violinists and a cello player awaited. It was there that the party really got started as classical strings met with the liveliest of Latin rhythms for two and a half hours of funky, sexy splendor.
Featuring music from Gonzalo Grau and his 12-piece band, La Clava Secreta the evening featured a collection of the group’s Grammy-nominated tunes which spanned Cuban, Venezuelan and Greek traditions as well as smoky jazz, classical, flamenco and funk.
Variety was the key spice of the night as each instrument brought some new and indispensable flavor to the showcase: one moment a saxophone gave the rhythms a hardy push, then a flute piped from the heavens. Next, the plucking of violins met the musings of a trombone, or a piano solo broke out, followed by the groovy utterances of an electric base. It was music characterized by its energy, urgency and escapades – how often do you get the chance to ride a salsa express, mellow out to sultry jazz, then feel like you’re in the middle of string-laden Hitchcockian chase sequence anyway?
And they weren’t even close to being done. Because Greek scatting is the new hip hop, there’s always time for a few Calypso hallelujahs or 4-part harmonies, and a little call and response and some blasts from the brass consistently seal the deal.
Some nights we’re all Latin lovers. Some nights we’re all twenty-one. And it’s always music that makes it so…
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Hispanics targeted with eight new networks
SeeSaw Reaches Convenience-Loving Millennials, Moms and Hispanics With Eight New Networks
By: Marketwire Jan. 27, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 01/27/09 -- SeeSaw Networks, a media company offering the most extensive network of place-based digital video advertising, today announced partnerships with eight additional networks. The new networks help consumer packaged goods' advertisers reach the on-the-go audiences of "moms," "millennials" and Hispanic families as they shop in convenience and grocery stores and at other quick snack and shopping destinations.
The eight new networks include Digital Promo Network, InStore Vision, QuickStore24(TM), WNC Checkout, WNC Aisles, RDS Media, BuzzHub Network and Cabco's TV Kart Network. As part of the 50 million weekly impressions delivered by the SeeSaw network, the new networks enable SeeSaw to deliver over 10 million weekly gross impressions at more than 2,500 convenience-oriented locations like convenience stores, malls, grocery stores and snack vending machines located in office buildings, manufacturing complexes, college campuses and hospitals.
"We are thrilled to be selected as one of the newest affiliates to join SeeSaw's diverse and high quality network of place-based digital video advertising partners," said Jim Colony, CEO of Digital Promo Network. "SeeSaw has the most stringent qualification standards in the industry, and with their precision targeting technology, national advertisers are able to leverage digital video advertising to its fullest potential to effectively and efficiently drive brand messages to their target customers."
Each of the new networks offers engaging and captivating digital video advertising venues and techniques into a person's everyday experience. For example, Digital Promo Network and InStore Vision engage convenience store customers with point-of-purchase advertising and in-store promotions. The QuickStore24(TM) At Work Media Network delivers interactive media encompassing advertising and content through video touch-screens centered on high-traffic retail vending systems in a variety of blue-collar and white-collar at-work settings, including break rooms and cafeterias within large offices, manufacturing facilities and health facilities. WNC reaches grocery store consumers where they are primed to make purchase decisions, both in the aisles and at checkout. RDS Media deploys digital video screens in high-end liquor stores. BuzzHub puts interactive advertising kiosks in shopping malls. Cabco's digital shopping carts deliver powerful mobile advertising and touch-point messaging directly to shoppers at grocery stores as they select their items.
SeeSaw provides the industry's most comprehensive place-based digital video advertising solution. Through its extensive network of over 40 digital media partners and its proprietary campaign planning and optimization technology, SeeSaw enables advertisers to plan digital video campaigns that deliver more impressions than a spot on a primetime television program. Using SeeSaw's unique Life Pattern Marketing approach to intercept people in their daily routines -- when they work, play, socialize, run errands and get healthy -- advertisers can reach people when they are most receptive to contextually relevant messages.
Other convenience venues that brand managers and ad agencies are already purchasing through SeeSaw include Transworld Media Inc.'s convenience store network; coffee shops, juice bars and Noah's Bagels with Ripple; and gas stations with network affiliates like PetroTV and PumpTop TV.
"In this challenging economic climate, a cost-effective and highly effective way to reach a very targeted audience is more important than ever," said Peter Bowen, co-founder and CEO of SeeSaw Networks. "We are thrilled not only with all the exciting and innovative new networks that are becoming part of the SeeSaw family, but we are also greatly encouraged by the advertising and brand executives who are increasingly turning to the value of this vehicle."
By: Marketwire Jan. 27, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 01/27/09 -- SeeSaw Networks, a media company offering the most extensive network of place-based digital video advertising, today announced partnerships with eight additional networks. The new networks help consumer packaged goods' advertisers reach the on-the-go audiences of "moms," "millennials" and Hispanic families as they shop in convenience and grocery stores and at other quick snack and shopping destinations.
The eight new networks include Digital Promo Network, InStore Vision, QuickStore24(TM), WNC Checkout, WNC Aisles, RDS Media, BuzzHub Network and Cabco's TV Kart Network. As part of the 50 million weekly impressions delivered by the SeeSaw network, the new networks enable SeeSaw to deliver over 10 million weekly gross impressions at more than 2,500 convenience-oriented locations like convenience stores, malls, grocery stores and snack vending machines located in office buildings, manufacturing complexes, college campuses and hospitals.
"We are thrilled to be selected as one of the newest affiliates to join SeeSaw's diverse and high quality network of place-based digital video advertising partners," said Jim Colony, CEO of Digital Promo Network. "SeeSaw has the most stringent qualification standards in the industry, and with their precision targeting technology, national advertisers are able to leverage digital video advertising to its fullest potential to effectively and efficiently drive brand messages to their target customers."
Each of the new networks offers engaging and captivating digital video advertising venues and techniques into a person's everyday experience. For example, Digital Promo Network and InStore Vision engage convenience store customers with point-of-purchase advertising and in-store promotions. The QuickStore24(TM) At Work Media Network delivers interactive media encompassing advertising and content through video touch-screens centered on high-traffic retail vending systems in a variety of blue-collar and white-collar at-work settings, including break rooms and cafeterias within large offices, manufacturing facilities and health facilities. WNC reaches grocery store consumers where they are primed to make purchase decisions, both in the aisles and at checkout. RDS Media deploys digital video screens in high-end liquor stores. BuzzHub puts interactive advertising kiosks in shopping malls. Cabco's digital shopping carts deliver powerful mobile advertising and touch-point messaging directly to shoppers at grocery stores as they select their items.
SeeSaw provides the industry's most comprehensive place-based digital video advertising solution. Through its extensive network of over 40 digital media partners and its proprietary campaign planning and optimization technology, SeeSaw enables advertisers to plan digital video campaigns that deliver more impressions than a spot on a primetime television program. Using SeeSaw's unique Life Pattern Marketing approach to intercept people in their daily routines -- when they work, play, socialize, run errands and get healthy -- advertisers can reach people when they are most receptive to contextually relevant messages.
Other convenience venues that brand managers and ad agencies are already purchasing through SeeSaw include Transworld Media Inc.'s convenience store network; coffee shops, juice bars and Noah's Bagels with Ripple; and gas stations with network affiliates like PetroTV and PumpTop TV.
"In this challenging economic climate, a cost-effective and highly effective way to reach a very targeted audience is more important than ever," said Peter Bowen, co-founder and CEO of SeeSaw Networks. "We are thrilled not only with all the exciting and innovative new networks that are becoming part of the SeeSaw family, but we are also greatly encouraged by the advertising and brand executives who are increasingly turning to the value of this vehicle."
Film about Latinos captures conflicts
"Mission" captures conflicts of Latino community
By James Greenberg Jan 28, 2009
PARK CITY, Utah (Hollywood Reporter) - A heartfelt production from brothers Benjamin and Peter Bratt about the San Francisco neighborhood where they grew up, "La Mission" is an honest attempt to portray the destructiveness of violence in the Latino community.
Anchored by Benjamin Bratt's charismatic performance, the film offers a compelling insider's view of a culture foreign to most moviegoers. Nonetheless, the Sundance selection will be a tough sell to a crossover audience and might be more at home on diverse cable outlets.
As Che Rivera, Bratt is a patriarch of the Mission district. When not at his day job driving a city bus, he's doing good deeds for his neighbors and upholding the code of honor he learned growing up. Unfortunately, built into that code is a fierce machismo and explosive anger. Bratt is especially good at showing how his character can turn on a dime, going from a gentle soul to a dangerous man.
Che is a single father who has a loving relationship with his teenage son, Jess (Jeremy Ray Valdez), until he learns the boy is gay. Despite the liberalness of the surrounding city, the Mission District is a place of traditional Latino and Native American values, and homosexuality is not one of them.
The revelation brings out the dark side of Che's character, and he reacts the only way he knows -- violently. Father and son fight on the street, and the secret becomes public knowledge. Che is too old-school to accept his son's sexuality, and the rift seems irreparable. His anger creeps into every area of his life and gets in the way of a budding attraction to his new neighbor (Erika Alexander) and even his love for the low-rider cars he custom-builds.
Not everyone in the community is intolerant: Che's brother Rene (Jesse Borrego) is surprised but accepting and takes Jess in. But others in the neighborhood are not as open-minded, and Jess becomes the subject of ridicule and finally an attack.
Most of Che's violent tendencies are just below the surface, channeled into pummeling a boxing bag or kicking noisy kids off his bus. When he finds out his son is gay, it becomes a catalyst for the filmmakers to explore his values and those of a changing community rife with contradictions.
The Mission is presented as a neighborhood in transition, and by sharing its story, the Bratts clearly hope to create a more open environment. Their heart is in the right place, and their tale is colorful, complete with Indian dancers in ceremonial costumes dancing on a street corner. But Peter Bratt's direction is a bit heavy-handed, hammered further by overused music and obvious songs. The film would have been more powerful and effective with judicious cuts to its 117-minute running time.
Cinematography by Hiro Narita and production design by Keith Neely capture the look and feel of the Mission, and local actors are well used. The Bratts obviously know the territory, and the film is bursting with energy -- sometimes too much, in fact.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
By James Greenberg Jan 28, 2009
PARK CITY, Utah (Hollywood Reporter) - A heartfelt production from brothers Benjamin and Peter Bratt about the San Francisco neighborhood where they grew up, "La Mission" is an honest attempt to portray the destructiveness of violence in the Latino community.
Anchored by Benjamin Bratt's charismatic performance, the film offers a compelling insider's view of a culture foreign to most moviegoers. Nonetheless, the Sundance selection will be a tough sell to a crossover audience and might be more at home on diverse cable outlets.
As Che Rivera, Bratt is a patriarch of the Mission district. When not at his day job driving a city bus, he's doing good deeds for his neighbors and upholding the code of honor he learned growing up. Unfortunately, built into that code is a fierce machismo and explosive anger. Bratt is especially good at showing how his character can turn on a dime, going from a gentle soul to a dangerous man.
Che is a single father who has a loving relationship with his teenage son, Jess (Jeremy Ray Valdez), until he learns the boy is gay. Despite the liberalness of the surrounding city, the Mission District is a place of traditional Latino and Native American values, and homosexuality is not one of them.
The revelation brings out the dark side of Che's character, and he reacts the only way he knows -- violently. Father and son fight on the street, and the secret becomes public knowledge. Che is too old-school to accept his son's sexuality, and the rift seems irreparable. His anger creeps into every area of his life and gets in the way of a budding attraction to his new neighbor (Erika Alexander) and even his love for the low-rider cars he custom-builds.
Not everyone in the community is intolerant: Che's brother Rene (Jesse Borrego) is surprised but accepting and takes Jess in. But others in the neighborhood are not as open-minded, and Jess becomes the subject of ridicule and finally an attack.
Most of Che's violent tendencies are just below the surface, channeled into pummeling a boxing bag or kicking noisy kids off his bus. When he finds out his son is gay, it becomes a catalyst for the filmmakers to explore his values and those of a changing community rife with contradictions.
The Mission is presented as a neighborhood in transition, and by sharing its story, the Bratts clearly hope to create a more open environment. Their heart is in the right place, and their tale is colorful, complete with Indian dancers in ceremonial costumes dancing on a street corner. But Peter Bratt's direction is a bit heavy-handed, hammered further by overused music and obvious songs. The film would have been more powerful and effective with judicious cuts to its 117-minute running time.
Cinematography by Hiro Narita and production design by Keith Neely capture the look and feel of the Mission, and local actors are well used. The Bratts obviously know the territory, and the film is bursting with energy -- sometimes too much, in fact.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Hispanic youth invited to learn orchestra music
Youth orchestra's third season underway
Press Release January 26, 2009
The 3rd season of the Cornelius Youth Orchestras instrumental music program is underway. CYO is currently excepting new youth musicians from 1st – 12th grade into this exciting full orchestra program. Do your children play a string, brass, woodwind, piano or percussion instrument? Have they just started to play an instrument and want to perform with a group? Do they long to perform at public events? If so, Cornelius Youth Orchestras is your answer! CYO has 2 programs available to challenge your youth musician. CYO would like to invite all youth musicians to attend a free rehearsal this coming Tuesday evening!!
Special Call for Auditions! Through a Latino & Neighborhood Grant provided by the Arts & Science Council Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the CYO is excited to offer scholarships for student musicians of Hispanic or Latino heritage to participate in the CYO Spring 2009 program. Our Spring Program will include a public performance highlighting Latin American music to document the cultural story of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Latino community and Latino culture. Please contact Eduardo Cedeño 317-289-4984 for more information. Se Habla Español.
The Cornelius Youth Orchestra is available to youth musicians with three or more years of music instruction and is intended for those musicians that can perform moderate to concert level musical compositions. This program includes 45 minutes of sectional instruction from qualified music instructors, 90 minutes of group orchestra rehearsal and the opportunity for public performances. Rehearsals are Tuesdays from 6:30pm - 8:30pm, at Bailey Road Recreation Center (Bailey Middle School) located at 11900 Bailey Road.
The Cornelius Cadet Orchestra is available for youth musicians with 6 months to 3 years of music instruction and is intended as a beginning orchestra program. This program is 90 minutes of orchestra instruction and the opportunity for performance in a group setting. Rehearsals are Tuesdays from 6:30pm – 7:45pm, at Bailey Road Recreation Center (Bailey Middle School) located at 11900 Bailey Road.
Space in each program is on a first come basis and is limited to the first 60 youth musicians enrolled in each orchestra program. For additional program information, or to register, please contact Nanette Haraden, Program Director at (704) 765-1258 or visit us online at www.corneliusyouthorchestras.camp7.org
Press Release January 26, 2009
The 3rd season of the Cornelius Youth Orchestras instrumental music program is underway. CYO is currently excepting new youth musicians from 1st – 12th grade into this exciting full orchestra program. Do your children play a string, brass, woodwind, piano or percussion instrument? Have they just started to play an instrument and want to perform with a group? Do they long to perform at public events? If so, Cornelius Youth Orchestras is your answer! CYO has 2 programs available to challenge your youth musician. CYO would like to invite all youth musicians to attend a free rehearsal this coming Tuesday evening!!
Special Call for Auditions! Through a Latino & Neighborhood Grant provided by the Arts & Science Council Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the CYO is excited to offer scholarships for student musicians of Hispanic or Latino heritage to participate in the CYO Spring 2009 program. Our Spring Program will include a public performance highlighting Latin American music to document the cultural story of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Latino community and Latino culture. Please contact Eduardo Cedeño 317-289-4984 for more information. Se Habla Español.
The Cornelius Youth Orchestra is available to youth musicians with three or more years of music instruction and is intended for those musicians that can perform moderate to concert level musical compositions. This program includes 45 minutes of sectional instruction from qualified music instructors, 90 minutes of group orchestra rehearsal and the opportunity for public performances. Rehearsals are Tuesdays from 6:30pm - 8:30pm, at Bailey Road Recreation Center (Bailey Middle School) located at 11900 Bailey Road.
The Cornelius Cadet Orchestra is available for youth musicians with 6 months to 3 years of music instruction and is intended as a beginning orchestra program. This program is 90 minutes of orchestra instruction and the opportunity for performance in a group setting. Rehearsals are Tuesdays from 6:30pm – 7:45pm, at Bailey Road Recreation Center (Bailey Middle School) located at 11900 Bailey Road.
Space in each program is on a first come basis and is limited to the first 60 youth musicians enrolled in each orchestra program. For additional program information, or to register, please contact Nanette Haraden, Program Director at (704) 765-1258 or visit us online at www.corneliusyouthorchestras.camp7.org
Latino happenings in NY
This week's Latino happenings
Viva@NYDailyNews.com January 26th 2009
TUESDAY 27
MUSIC: Singer Claudia Acuña and pianist Arturo O’Farrill at Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St., 8 p.m. Tickets $15, call (212) 475-8592.
JAZZ: Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s Quintet at Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St., 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets $30, call (212) 576-2232. Through Jan. 31
MUSIC: Argentine-born Pedro Giraudo’s Jazz Orchestra at Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., 9:30 p.m. Tickets $15, call (212) 239-6200.
WEDNESDAY 28
FILM: Latin Horror hosts "The HORRORphiles," featuring the work of emerging Latino filmmakers in the genre of horror, at Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave., at Second St., 7 p.m. Tickets $6, visit www.latinhorror.com.
SALSA: Music director Michael Christie, Gonzalo Grau, La Clave Secreta, and members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic at Brooklyn Masonic Temple, 317 Clermont Ave., 8 p.m. Part of the 2009 Brooklyn Philharmonic Nuevo Latino Festival. Tickets $15 - $25, call (718) 488-5913.
READING: Spanish authors Eugenio Fuentes and Alicia Giménez Bartlett hold roundtable on European crime books, at Riverside Branch Library, 127 Amsterdam Ave., between 65th and 66th Sts., 6 p.m. Free, call (212) 870-1810.
FOLK: Trova York, featuring nueva canción songs from Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés and Víctor Jara, at Camaradas, First Ave. and 115th St., East Harlem, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets $5, call 212- 348-2703.
MUSIC: Soprano Agueda Fernández Abad and pianist Jorge Parod in tribute concert to poet Alfonsina Storni, Consulate General of Argentina, 12 W. 56th St., 6:30 p.m. Free, call (212) 603-0440.
SALSA: Cita Rodríguez y su Orquesta at LQ New York, 511 Lexington Ave. at 48th St. Tickets $10-$15, call (212) 593-7575.
THURSDAY 29
BOOKS: Launching of Jesús (Tato) Laviera’s "Abraham, Mixturao and Other Poems" and professor Laura Lomas’ "Translating Empire: José Martí, Migrant Latino Subjects and American Modernities," at Nuyorican Poets Café, 236 E. Third St., 7 p.m. Tickets $7, call (212) 505-8183.
READING: Authors Raúl Zurita, Lina Meruane (Chile) and Sergio Chejfec (Argentina) at BOMB Magazine’s "Americas Issue" 10-year anniversary, NYU’s King Juan Carlos Center, 53 Washington Square South, 6:30 p.m. Free, call (212) 998-3650.
FRIDAY 30
MUSICAL: Premiere of "Puro Tango," with Latin Grammy winner Raúl Jaurena, at Thalia Spanish Theatre, 41-17 Greenpoint Ave., Queens. Tickets $30, call (718) 729-3880.
Viva@NYDailyNews.com January 26th 2009
TUESDAY 27
MUSIC: Singer Claudia Acuña and pianist Arturo O’Farrill at Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St., 8 p.m. Tickets $15, call (212) 475-8592.
JAZZ: Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s Quintet at Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St., 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets $30, call (212) 576-2232. Through Jan. 31
MUSIC: Argentine-born Pedro Giraudo’s Jazz Orchestra at Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., 9:30 p.m. Tickets $15, call (212) 239-6200.
WEDNESDAY 28
FILM: Latin Horror hosts "The HORRORphiles," featuring the work of emerging Latino filmmakers in the genre of horror, at Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave., at Second St., 7 p.m. Tickets $6, visit www.latinhorror.com.
SALSA: Music director Michael Christie, Gonzalo Grau, La Clave Secreta, and members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic at Brooklyn Masonic Temple, 317 Clermont Ave., 8 p.m. Part of the 2009 Brooklyn Philharmonic Nuevo Latino Festival. Tickets $15 - $25, call (718) 488-5913.
READING: Spanish authors Eugenio Fuentes and Alicia Giménez Bartlett hold roundtable on European crime books, at Riverside Branch Library, 127 Amsterdam Ave., between 65th and 66th Sts., 6 p.m. Free, call (212) 870-1810.
FOLK: Trova York, featuring nueva canción songs from Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés and Víctor Jara, at Camaradas, First Ave. and 115th St., East Harlem, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets $5, call 212- 348-2703.
MUSIC: Soprano Agueda Fernández Abad and pianist Jorge Parod in tribute concert to poet Alfonsina Storni, Consulate General of Argentina, 12 W. 56th St., 6:30 p.m. Free, call (212) 603-0440.
SALSA: Cita Rodríguez y su Orquesta at LQ New York, 511 Lexington Ave. at 48th St. Tickets $10-$15, call (212) 593-7575.
THURSDAY 29
BOOKS: Launching of Jesús (Tato) Laviera’s "Abraham, Mixturao and Other Poems" and professor Laura Lomas’ "Translating Empire: José Martí, Migrant Latino Subjects and American Modernities," at Nuyorican Poets Café, 236 E. Third St., 7 p.m. Tickets $7, call (212) 505-8183.
READING: Authors Raúl Zurita, Lina Meruane (Chile) and Sergio Chejfec (Argentina) at BOMB Magazine’s "Americas Issue" 10-year anniversary, NYU’s King Juan Carlos Center, 53 Washington Square South, 6:30 p.m. Free, call (212) 998-3650.
FRIDAY 30
MUSICAL: Premiere of "Puro Tango," with Latin Grammy winner Raúl Jaurena, at Thalia Spanish Theatre, 41-17 Greenpoint Ave., Queens. Tickets $30, call (718) 729-3880.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Hispanic immigrant student struggled to reach the top
Grand Prairie teen beat language barrier to rise to top of his class
By STELLA M. CHÁVEZ / The Dallas Morning News schavez@dallasnews.com January 26, 2009
Knowing only Spanish wasn't the only obstacle Ruben Jauregui faced five years ago when he left Mexico to start a new life in Texas. He had to put up with Latino classmates who ridiculed him for wanting to speak English.
Ruben, now a 17-year-old senior at Grand Prairie High School, didn't let the teasing stop him. He mastered English, rose to No. 1 in his class and is deciding whether to accept a full scholarship from prestigious Rice University or ultraprestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"I think whatever you want to do is possible, and if you work hard, you can do it," he said, sitting in front a computer in the school library. "It's about believing in yourself."
Ruben's transition from native Spanish speaker to stellar student provides solid clues to one of the most vexing mysteries in Texas public education: How do schools teach English to Spanish-speaking kids to prepare them for success? And what should the child and his family do to support the school's curriculum?
More than half a million public school students in Texas carry the "limited English proficient" label. The vast majority are Latino. And many of them understand little of what they hear in class from their English-speaking teachers.
Like many immigrants, Ruben's father came to this country in search of better wages and job opportunities. He would later become a U.S. citizen. In 2003, he arranged for Ruben, his daughter and Ruben's mother to come to the U.S. Two summers ago, Ruben and his sister also became U.S. citizens.
Tabatha Sustaita, Ruben's seventh-grade ESL teacher, remembers the day he walked into her classroom during a school tour. He looked around the room, soaking in the glossy posters on the wall.
"Excuse me, what class is this?" he asked in Spanish.
"We are going to learn how to read. We are going to teach you how to write and speak in English," Sustaita responded.
Something was different about Ruben, she thought. Usually, students peeked inside the room during a tour, but they didn't linger.
Starting in ESL
Ruben was placed in level one of the English as Second Language program, or ESL, at Kennedy Middle School. He was too old for bilingual education classes in elementary school, where teachers speak mostly Spanish at first and gradually transition their students to English over the years.
As a seventh-grader, Ruben would have an ESL teacher for reading, writing, math, technology and physical education. ESL students learn survival English such as: Where's the restroom? May I sharpen the pencil? They learn basic English grammar and about American traditions such as Thanksgiving or Halloween.
Ruben quickly showed progress. By the end of the six weeks, he had advanced to a level two of ESL. In fact, he did so well that teachers placed him in regular science and social studies classes alongside native English speakers. Usually, ESL newcomers remain at level one for their entire first year, Sustaita said.
As his teachers point out, Ruben is driven and a self-starter who doesn't let obstacles get in his way. Along the way, teachers and advisers who took notice of his ambition and talent challenged him and didn't let him falter.
"I would give him something different to do," Sustaita said. "I would ask him questions orally or I would give him a more challenging worksheet and if he had problems, he would ask me."
By eighth grade, Ruben had moved up to Level 3 ESL. He audited a regular English class, all taught in English. It seemed he was ready, Sustaita recalled.
"After about a month or two, that teacher came up to me and said, 'He's doing just as good as those kids who have been born and raised here,' " she said.
Ruben encountered difficulties, Sustaita said, but he didn't mind raising his hand and asking questions.
Work ethic
Ruben lives with his mother and sister in a modest home on a street named Winners Row. His parents are separated, but he stays in close contact with his father, a swimming pool repairman also named Ruben Jauregui (pronounced how-reh-gee). He takes his son to work with him every summer to instill a strong work ethic.
Ruben said he doesn't want a career in the construction business, and he has a message to other immigrant children who might believe a blue-collar job is the only possible path.
"I respect his job, but I don't want to do that," he said. "You don't have to do what your parents do."
Ruben's mother, Juana del Rosio Jauregui, said her son has always been interested in learning. When he was younger, she said, he showed interest in reading her magazines at home. She never had to tell him to do his homework because Ruben seemed to understand that homework is necessary for good grades and success.
Ruben's father, speculating about the reasons for his son's academic success, had no easy answers. He said Ruben reads a lot – even when others around him are playing video games – and that he retains what he learns. He also is not afraid to take challenging aptitude tests even though he risks failure.
"Maybe it's hereditary, but a lot of it also has to do with how he approaches school," he said. "He enjoys it."
The family speaks Spanish at home. But to improve his English, Ruben used a bilingual dictionary to look up words when he read books in English. He watched cartoons in English and would reread school lessons several times until he understood them.
"Practice is the key for proficiency," he wrote in an essay for one of his college applications.
Ruben rejected the idea that learning to read, write and speak well in English somehow amounted to a rejection of his Mexican culture – the allegation hurled at him by some Latino classmates.
In fact, Ruben continued to excel in Spanish. As an eighth grader, he scored the highest possible grade on the Advanced Placement test in Spanish, which most students take as juniors or seniors.
Debbie Midkiff, Grand Prairie ISD's director of advanced academics, said it might not seem unusual for a native Spanish-speaker to ace a Spanish test. But she provides this analogy:
"It's like we grew up knowing English, too, but we couldn't all take the AP English test in the eighth grade," she said. "They have to be proficient in speaking, writing and reading. ... It's very, very hard."
Debbie Dobbs Vernon, who teaches English and Ruben's academic decathlon class, said Ruben is modest about his accomplishments.
But everyone who knows him likes to brag for him.
"I knew he just had that inner drive," she said. "He has literally poured all his effort into education."
By STELLA M. CHÁVEZ / The Dallas Morning News schavez@dallasnews.com January 26, 2009
Knowing only Spanish wasn't the only obstacle Ruben Jauregui faced five years ago when he left Mexico to start a new life in Texas. He had to put up with Latino classmates who ridiculed him for wanting to speak English.
Ruben, now a 17-year-old senior at Grand Prairie High School, didn't let the teasing stop him. He mastered English, rose to No. 1 in his class and is deciding whether to accept a full scholarship from prestigious Rice University or ultraprestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"I think whatever you want to do is possible, and if you work hard, you can do it," he said, sitting in front a computer in the school library. "It's about believing in yourself."
Ruben's transition from native Spanish speaker to stellar student provides solid clues to one of the most vexing mysteries in Texas public education: How do schools teach English to Spanish-speaking kids to prepare them for success? And what should the child and his family do to support the school's curriculum?
More than half a million public school students in Texas carry the "limited English proficient" label. The vast majority are Latino. And many of them understand little of what they hear in class from their English-speaking teachers.
Like many immigrants, Ruben's father came to this country in search of better wages and job opportunities. He would later become a U.S. citizen. In 2003, he arranged for Ruben, his daughter and Ruben's mother to come to the U.S. Two summers ago, Ruben and his sister also became U.S. citizens.
Tabatha Sustaita, Ruben's seventh-grade ESL teacher, remembers the day he walked into her classroom during a school tour. He looked around the room, soaking in the glossy posters on the wall.
"Excuse me, what class is this?" he asked in Spanish.
"We are going to learn how to read. We are going to teach you how to write and speak in English," Sustaita responded.
Something was different about Ruben, she thought. Usually, students peeked inside the room during a tour, but they didn't linger.
Starting in ESL
Ruben was placed in level one of the English as Second Language program, or ESL, at Kennedy Middle School. He was too old for bilingual education classes in elementary school, where teachers speak mostly Spanish at first and gradually transition their students to English over the years.
As a seventh-grader, Ruben would have an ESL teacher for reading, writing, math, technology and physical education. ESL students learn survival English such as: Where's the restroom? May I sharpen the pencil? They learn basic English grammar and about American traditions such as Thanksgiving or Halloween.
Ruben quickly showed progress. By the end of the six weeks, he had advanced to a level two of ESL. In fact, he did so well that teachers placed him in regular science and social studies classes alongside native English speakers. Usually, ESL newcomers remain at level one for their entire first year, Sustaita said.
As his teachers point out, Ruben is driven and a self-starter who doesn't let obstacles get in his way. Along the way, teachers and advisers who took notice of his ambition and talent challenged him and didn't let him falter.
"I would give him something different to do," Sustaita said. "I would ask him questions orally or I would give him a more challenging worksheet and if he had problems, he would ask me."
By eighth grade, Ruben had moved up to Level 3 ESL. He audited a regular English class, all taught in English. It seemed he was ready, Sustaita recalled.
"After about a month or two, that teacher came up to me and said, 'He's doing just as good as those kids who have been born and raised here,' " she said.
Ruben encountered difficulties, Sustaita said, but he didn't mind raising his hand and asking questions.
Work ethic
Ruben lives with his mother and sister in a modest home on a street named Winners Row. His parents are separated, but he stays in close contact with his father, a swimming pool repairman also named Ruben Jauregui (pronounced how-reh-gee). He takes his son to work with him every summer to instill a strong work ethic.
Ruben said he doesn't want a career in the construction business, and he has a message to other immigrant children who might believe a blue-collar job is the only possible path.
"I respect his job, but I don't want to do that," he said. "You don't have to do what your parents do."
Ruben's mother, Juana del Rosio Jauregui, said her son has always been interested in learning. When he was younger, she said, he showed interest in reading her magazines at home. She never had to tell him to do his homework because Ruben seemed to understand that homework is necessary for good grades and success.
Ruben's father, speculating about the reasons for his son's academic success, had no easy answers. He said Ruben reads a lot – even when others around him are playing video games – and that he retains what he learns. He also is not afraid to take challenging aptitude tests even though he risks failure.
"Maybe it's hereditary, but a lot of it also has to do with how he approaches school," he said. "He enjoys it."
The family speaks Spanish at home. But to improve his English, Ruben used a bilingual dictionary to look up words when he read books in English. He watched cartoons in English and would reread school lessons several times until he understood them.
"Practice is the key for proficiency," he wrote in an essay for one of his college applications.
Ruben rejected the idea that learning to read, write and speak well in English somehow amounted to a rejection of his Mexican culture – the allegation hurled at him by some Latino classmates.
In fact, Ruben continued to excel in Spanish. As an eighth grader, he scored the highest possible grade on the Advanced Placement test in Spanish, which most students take as juniors or seniors.
Debbie Midkiff, Grand Prairie ISD's director of advanced academics, said it might not seem unusual for a native Spanish-speaker to ace a Spanish test. But she provides this analogy:
"It's like we grew up knowing English, too, but we couldn't all take the AP English test in the eighth grade," she said. "They have to be proficient in speaking, writing and reading. ... It's very, very hard."
Debbie Dobbs Vernon, who teaches English and Ruben's academic decathlon class, said Ruben is modest about his accomplishments.
But everyone who knows him likes to brag for him.
"I knew he just had that inner drive," she said. "He has literally poured all his effort into education."
Latina violinist embarks on solo career
Former winner Elena Urioste to solo at Sphinx competition
BY MARK STRYKER • FREE PRESS MUSIC WRITER • January 25, 2009
At 22, violinist Elena Urioste is still studying at the Juilliard School, but she's on a fast track. With professional management behind her, she has embarked on a solo career. This week Urioste returns to Detroit for the 12th annual Sphinx Competition for young African-American and Latino string players, the launching pad for her success.
Urioste won the Sphinx junior division in 2003 and the senior division in 2007. At this year's event, she'll team up with another former Sphinx winner, Melissa White, at next Sunday's Finals Concert. The pair will perform part of Prokofiev's Sonata for Two Violins.
The Sphinx competition, founded by MacArthur fellow Aaron Dworkin, has become a signature national event for its efforts to promote minorities in classical music. The competition doles out more than $100,000 annually in prizes, scholarships and performance opportunities.
Urioste, raised near Philadelphia and of Hispanic descent, is one of Sphinx's biggest success stories. She won the Sion International Violin Competition in Switzerland in 2007, landed on the cover of Symphony Magazine in 2008 as young artist to watch and is working her way up the ladder in 2009 with upcoming professional engagements with the New Mexico Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony and others. She spoke last week from Manhattan.
QUESTION: What does it mean to you to return to the Sphinx Competition as a soloist?
ANSWER: It's a huge honor. It's also really fun because inevitably the competition week -- really any amalgamation of Sphinx people -- is like a party. I know so many of the competitors and other Sphinx people that it's like a family reunion.
It's a unique competition in that sense. They really encourage this sense of community. There are always these events planned and dinners. You meet someone once at the competition or one of the Carnegie Hall galas, and the next time you see them, everyone's hugging.
Q: What was it like to win at 16?
A: The competition happened to fall a week and a half before my college auditions. I didn't have a feel for Sphinx at that point, and I was understandably very, very stressed, particularly about the auditions. I thought I should be at home practicing.
But then when I got to the competition, the stress completely melted away. Everyone I met was so friendly. There's a stigma associated with competitions that the competitors are very unfriendly to one another or at the least unsocial. But I remember thinking that it was just like an amazing vacation. ...
At the same time, I got to play for the judges, and one of them gave me a lesson and I played at a master class. Winning was just sort of a bonus.
Q: Was there a special feeling for you to be surrounded by an orchestra comprised of only minority musicians?
A: Definitely. I was very much taken by surprise by that at the first competition. I had never thought of myself as a Hispanic violinist and sort of thought that idea was silly. But as soon as I got to the competition and looked around and saw people who looked like me -- it's not every day you see an all African-American and Hispanic orchestra in classical music -- it took my breath away. I can't explain it. I felt very connected with these people. I felt proud and a new responsibility.
Q: How influential has Sphinx been in the relatively fast start to your career?
A: Oh my gosh, if it weren't for Sphinx I would be nowhere. I had always known I wanted to be a soloist ever since I was 6 years old. Soon after I began playing the violin, I had these elaborate fantasies of waltzing out on stage in pretty dresses and being in front of an orchestra. Sphinx gave me my first steady taste of what it would be like, throwing me out in front of huge orchestras.
My first concert for Sphinx was with the Atlanta Symphony. I said to myself, "You've got to be kidding me! They can't start me off slow?" They threw me in the pool, and I adored it.
And if it weren't for the 2007 competition, I wouldn't have met my manager. She happened to be in the audience, and she approached me at the reception afterward.
Q: What made you want to play violin in the first place?
A: "Sesame Street." When I was 2 years old, I saw Itzhak Perlman on the show playing his violin I believe with Elmo. After that I began harassing my parents for a violin.
Q: Have you met Itzhak?
A: I occasionally play in the Iris Chamber Orchestra in Memphis, Tenn., and the first concert I was asked to do, Perlman was the soloist. I had never met him. During the concert, I lost it and broke down crying. I was thinking to myself, "If it weren't for this man, I wouldn't be here at all, and now he's standing 5 feet away from me." Afterward, I tearily went up to shake his hand, and I couldn't even get the words out. But he signed my copy of the Beethoven Violin Concerto.
Q: A lot of young violinists are chasing the same dream of becoming a soloist. Not all of you will make it. Do you think about that?
A: I think about it, but I don't dwell on it. You can only control what you do. I feel like so much of it is luck and being in the right place at the right time, but if opportunity falls into your lap and you're not prepared, then you have no one to blame but yourself.
All you can do in this profession is practice and be prepared and be professional.
Contact MARK STRYKER at mstryker@freepress.com.
BY MARK STRYKER • FREE PRESS MUSIC WRITER • January 25, 2009
At 22, violinist Elena Urioste is still studying at the Juilliard School, but she's on a fast track. With professional management behind her, she has embarked on a solo career. This week Urioste returns to Detroit for the 12th annual Sphinx Competition for young African-American and Latino string players, the launching pad for her success.
Urioste won the Sphinx junior division in 2003 and the senior division in 2007. At this year's event, she'll team up with another former Sphinx winner, Melissa White, at next Sunday's Finals Concert. The pair will perform part of Prokofiev's Sonata for Two Violins.
The Sphinx competition, founded by MacArthur fellow Aaron Dworkin, has become a signature national event for its efforts to promote minorities in classical music. The competition doles out more than $100,000 annually in prizes, scholarships and performance opportunities.
Urioste, raised near Philadelphia and of Hispanic descent, is one of Sphinx's biggest success stories. She won the Sion International Violin Competition in Switzerland in 2007, landed on the cover of Symphony Magazine in 2008 as young artist to watch and is working her way up the ladder in 2009 with upcoming professional engagements with the New Mexico Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony and others. She spoke last week from Manhattan.
QUESTION: What does it mean to you to return to the Sphinx Competition as a soloist?
ANSWER: It's a huge honor. It's also really fun because inevitably the competition week -- really any amalgamation of Sphinx people -- is like a party. I know so many of the competitors and other Sphinx people that it's like a family reunion.
It's a unique competition in that sense. They really encourage this sense of community. There are always these events planned and dinners. You meet someone once at the competition or one of the Carnegie Hall galas, and the next time you see them, everyone's hugging.
Q: What was it like to win at 16?
A: The competition happened to fall a week and a half before my college auditions. I didn't have a feel for Sphinx at that point, and I was understandably very, very stressed, particularly about the auditions. I thought I should be at home practicing.
But then when I got to the competition, the stress completely melted away. Everyone I met was so friendly. There's a stigma associated with competitions that the competitors are very unfriendly to one another or at the least unsocial. But I remember thinking that it was just like an amazing vacation. ...
At the same time, I got to play for the judges, and one of them gave me a lesson and I played at a master class. Winning was just sort of a bonus.
Q: Was there a special feeling for you to be surrounded by an orchestra comprised of only minority musicians?
A: Definitely. I was very much taken by surprise by that at the first competition. I had never thought of myself as a Hispanic violinist and sort of thought that idea was silly. But as soon as I got to the competition and looked around and saw people who looked like me -- it's not every day you see an all African-American and Hispanic orchestra in classical music -- it took my breath away. I can't explain it. I felt very connected with these people. I felt proud and a new responsibility.
Q: How influential has Sphinx been in the relatively fast start to your career?
A: Oh my gosh, if it weren't for Sphinx I would be nowhere. I had always known I wanted to be a soloist ever since I was 6 years old. Soon after I began playing the violin, I had these elaborate fantasies of waltzing out on stage in pretty dresses and being in front of an orchestra. Sphinx gave me my first steady taste of what it would be like, throwing me out in front of huge orchestras.
My first concert for Sphinx was with the Atlanta Symphony. I said to myself, "You've got to be kidding me! They can't start me off slow?" They threw me in the pool, and I adored it.
And if it weren't for the 2007 competition, I wouldn't have met my manager. She happened to be in the audience, and she approached me at the reception afterward.
Q: What made you want to play violin in the first place?
A: "Sesame Street." When I was 2 years old, I saw Itzhak Perlman on the show playing his violin I believe with Elmo. After that I began harassing my parents for a violin.
Q: Have you met Itzhak?
A: I occasionally play in the Iris Chamber Orchestra in Memphis, Tenn., and the first concert I was asked to do, Perlman was the soloist. I had never met him. During the concert, I lost it and broke down crying. I was thinking to myself, "If it weren't for this man, I wouldn't be here at all, and now he's standing 5 feet away from me." Afterward, I tearily went up to shake his hand, and I couldn't even get the words out. But he signed my copy of the Beethoven Violin Concerto.
Q: A lot of young violinists are chasing the same dream of becoming a soloist. Not all of you will make it. Do you think about that?
A: I think about it, but I don't dwell on it. You can only control what you do. I feel like so much of it is luck and being in the right place at the right time, but if opportunity falls into your lap and you're not prepared, then you have no one to blame but yourself.
All you can do in this profession is practice and be prepared and be professional.
Contact MARK STRYKER at mstryker@freepress.com.
Hispanic doll comes with immigrant story
Miami-based doll has Hispanic look and immigrant story
BY ELAINE DE VALLE edevalle@MiamiHerald.com
Girls across the country are playing with a new doll that may look like one of the American Girl doll figures -- but she's not.
Maru is similar to the New York-based icon -- with trendy outfits, pets and a book about her life. But her story is closer to home for many South Florida girls: Maru is Hispanic.
She came to the United States alone to learn a new language, make new friends and live with her aunt and uncle until she is reunited with her parents, who are in another country.
''Finding courage from within, she will soon learn that she is not alone on this journey,'' starts the Forever Friends book that introduces her.
''It is my story,'' said, Maritza Gutierrez, a marketing professional with many awards in her 20-some year career, who wrote the book and created the doll.
Gutierrez and her family fled the Fidel Castro revolution in Cuba and went to Spain. She came to New York to live with her aunt and uncle in 1965 when she was 4.
''My parents couldn't get a visa; but I did,'' said Gutierrez, adding that they joined her more than a year later.
''At that age, you really don't know how to tell time, so it seems a lot longer,'' she said recently, sitting in her office, twirling Maru's hair. ``That is a typical story of immigration and the sacrifice our parents make to try to make a life for their children.
''It's pretty scary living with two people you've never met before,'' Maru narrates in the story's first chapter.
“Each night before I go to sleep, I look out the window and count the shiniest stars. I pretend that the biggest and closest ones are my parents watching over me.''
Gutierrez, who lives in Coral Gables and is chair of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority and wife of well-known political consultant Armando Gutierrez, says the doll company is a labor of love.
''What I'm trying to do with the doll is not just encourage safe play, imagination and reading,'' Gutierrez said, because each of the three dolls come with a book and there are more books in store.
''But most importantly, it promotes the celebration of cultural diversity. Because that's what America is today,'' she added.
In that vein, the Maru and Friends line already has two other dolls -- girls Maru meets at school. ''They become BFFs,'' Gutierrez said. Jamie is blonde with blue eyes and freckles. Tanya is browner-skinned and has long curly brown hair.
All three were designed by award-winning artist Dianna Effner, better known for her one-of-a-kind collectible porcelain dolls. Each face has a different mold, Gutierrez said. And they have several outfits to choose from, including a jeans and espadrilles set, a coat and hat and pajamas. More outfits are in the works, as is a dog that Maru's aunt and uncle give her ''to help ease her pain,'' Gutierrez said.
Next on the agenda is an Asian-American doll and babies, a line called Happy Twins developed by a different award-winning designer. Quality is very important to Gutierrez, who has about 200 dolls in her own personal collection.
Not one of those, however, is an American Girl doll.
''Because I don't have little girls,'' said the mother of two boys, who are now 25 and 20. ``I had never seen an American Girl until one day, because I collect dolls, I received a catalog.''
She didn't buy one.
''They're not collectables. I don't buy dolls to play with. I buy dolls to collect,'' she said. ``My dolls are for playing, but they look like collectables.''
The idea, brewing in her head for many years, started taking form in February of 2006 when she went to conduct ''research'' at a toy convention.
''OK,'' she admits. ``At first, it was an excuse to see all the dolls.''
But she was disappointed with what she saw.
''There wasn't anything like this out there,'' she said, referring to her line and the dolls' childlike features.
''When I looked at the dolls out there, I thought, they don't look like the dolls I used to play with,'' she said. ``They don't really look like kids.''
It took more than two years of design and development to create Maru and her friends and Gutierrez admits they look like the American Girl product, which has become a national phenomenon and a craze among pre-teen girls, spawning two recent major motion pictures.
''Americans have American Girl. Now Latinas have Maru,'' said Gutierrez, adding that there are some differences.
Maru and friends are less ''bulky'' than the AG line and they have one item of clothing their more famous predecessor doesn't have: underwear. It was something girls noticed at a recent toy fair where children were allowed to play with new toys as part of a market test.
'Some of the comments were that they owned American Girl dolls but that she [Maru] was more flexible. She can sit and turn her head around. And one girl said, `She even had underwear,' '' Gutierrez said. “Incredible that such a small thing makes a big deal.''
Gutierrez launched Maru and Friends on the Internet in October. In November, Maru was one of the gifts given to celebrities arriving for the 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. The dolls have already won the 2008 Greatest Products Award by iParenting Media.
And the website has already sold thousands of dolls at $110 a pop.
Demetrio Perez, Jr., the former school board member and vice president of the Lincoln Marti schools, bought two of them. A friend of Gutierrez, he first pre-ordered one as a favor and put it under the Christmas tree for his 5-year-old daughter, Sofia.
But when she opened it and he saw how delicate the doll was and how it came tied with white ribbon -- rather than the twisted wire that had already made a mess of his hands -- his wife told him to order another as a collectable.
That one stays in the box while the other one goes everywhere with Sofia.
''My daughter goes to sleep with her. My daughter brings her in the car with us,'' Perez said. ``She dresses her up and changes her outfits. She plays with Maru more than the American Girl doll or Barbie.
“She loves her. And everywhere we go, she's with Maru.''
BY ELAINE DE VALLE edevalle@MiamiHerald.com
Girls across the country are playing with a new doll that may look like one of the American Girl doll figures -- but she's not.
Maru is similar to the New York-based icon -- with trendy outfits, pets and a book about her life. But her story is closer to home for many South Florida girls: Maru is Hispanic.
She came to the United States alone to learn a new language, make new friends and live with her aunt and uncle until she is reunited with her parents, who are in another country.
''Finding courage from within, she will soon learn that she is not alone on this journey,'' starts the Forever Friends book that introduces her.
''It is my story,'' said, Maritza Gutierrez, a marketing professional with many awards in her 20-some year career, who wrote the book and created the doll.
Gutierrez and her family fled the Fidel Castro revolution in Cuba and went to Spain. She came to New York to live with her aunt and uncle in 1965 when she was 4.
''My parents couldn't get a visa; but I did,'' said Gutierrez, adding that they joined her more than a year later.
''At that age, you really don't know how to tell time, so it seems a lot longer,'' she said recently, sitting in her office, twirling Maru's hair. ``That is a typical story of immigration and the sacrifice our parents make to try to make a life for their children.
''It's pretty scary living with two people you've never met before,'' Maru narrates in the story's first chapter.
“Each night before I go to sleep, I look out the window and count the shiniest stars. I pretend that the biggest and closest ones are my parents watching over me.''
Gutierrez, who lives in Coral Gables and is chair of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority and wife of well-known political consultant Armando Gutierrez, says the doll company is a labor of love.
''What I'm trying to do with the doll is not just encourage safe play, imagination and reading,'' Gutierrez said, because each of the three dolls come with a book and there are more books in store.
''But most importantly, it promotes the celebration of cultural diversity. Because that's what America is today,'' she added.
In that vein, the Maru and Friends line already has two other dolls -- girls Maru meets at school. ''They become BFFs,'' Gutierrez said. Jamie is blonde with blue eyes and freckles. Tanya is browner-skinned and has long curly brown hair.
All three were designed by award-winning artist Dianna Effner, better known for her one-of-a-kind collectible porcelain dolls. Each face has a different mold, Gutierrez said. And they have several outfits to choose from, including a jeans and espadrilles set, a coat and hat and pajamas. More outfits are in the works, as is a dog that Maru's aunt and uncle give her ''to help ease her pain,'' Gutierrez said.
Next on the agenda is an Asian-American doll and babies, a line called Happy Twins developed by a different award-winning designer. Quality is very important to Gutierrez, who has about 200 dolls in her own personal collection.
Not one of those, however, is an American Girl doll.
''Because I don't have little girls,'' said the mother of two boys, who are now 25 and 20. ``I had never seen an American Girl until one day, because I collect dolls, I received a catalog.''
She didn't buy one.
''They're not collectables. I don't buy dolls to play with. I buy dolls to collect,'' she said. ``My dolls are for playing, but they look like collectables.''
The idea, brewing in her head for many years, started taking form in February of 2006 when she went to conduct ''research'' at a toy convention.
''OK,'' she admits. ``At first, it was an excuse to see all the dolls.''
But she was disappointed with what she saw.
''There wasn't anything like this out there,'' she said, referring to her line and the dolls' childlike features.
''When I looked at the dolls out there, I thought, they don't look like the dolls I used to play with,'' she said. ``They don't really look like kids.''
It took more than two years of design and development to create Maru and her friends and Gutierrez admits they look like the American Girl product, which has become a national phenomenon and a craze among pre-teen girls, spawning two recent major motion pictures.
''Americans have American Girl. Now Latinas have Maru,'' said Gutierrez, adding that there are some differences.
Maru and friends are less ''bulky'' than the AG line and they have one item of clothing their more famous predecessor doesn't have: underwear. It was something girls noticed at a recent toy fair where children were allowed to play with new toys as part of a market test.
'Some of the comments were that they owned American Girl dolls but that she [Maru] was more flexible. She can sit and turn her head around. And one girl said, `She even had underwear,' '' Gutierrez said. “Incredible that such a small thing makes a big deal.''
Gutierrez launched Maru and Friends on the Internet in October. In November, Maru was one of the gifts given to celebrities arriving for the 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. The dolls have already won the 2008 Greatest Products Award by iParenting Media.
And the website has already sold thousands of dolls at $110 a pop.
Demetrio Perez, Jr., the former school board member and vice president of the Lincoln Marti schools, bought two of them. A friend of Gutierrez, he first pre-ordered one as a favor and put it under the Christmas tree for his 5-year-old daughter, Sofia.
But when she opened it and he saw how delicate the doll was and how it came tied with white ribbon -- rather than the twisted wire that had already made a mess of his hands -- his wife told him to order another as a collectable.
That one stays in the box while the other one goes everywhere with Sofia.
''My daughter goes to sleep with her. My daughter brings her in the car with us,'' Perez said. ``She dresses her up and changes her outfits. She plays with Maru more than the American Girl doll or Barbie.
“She loves her. And everywhere we go, she's with Maru.''
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Latino publication launched in New Mexico
Más New Mexico launched for Latino readers
Hispanic publications buck the declines in newspaper industry
New Mexico Business Weekly - by Kevin Robinson-Avila NMBW Staff
Launching a new publication, especially with the newspaper industry facing chronic declines in circulation and advertising revenue, hardly seems ideal in this economy.
But Clara Padilla Andrews predicts her new paper — a bilingual (Spanish-English) weekly dubbed Más New Mexico (“More” New Mexico) — will weather the current crisis and buck industry trends.
Padilla launched the publication on Jan. 7 with an initial 20,000-copy distribution in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
“I did a lot of research on New Mexico and concluded it’s a good market for us because there are no bilingual papers here,” Padilla Andrews said. “There’s no good time to launch a newspaper, but I strongly believe there is a need for this in New Mexico.”
Hispanic publications buck the declines in newspaper industry
New Mexico Business Weekly - by Kevin Robinson-Avila NMBW Staff
Launching a new publication, especially with the newspaper industry facing chronic declines in circulation and advertising revenue, hardly seems ideal in this economy.
But Clara Padilla Andrews predicts her new paper — a bilingual (Spanish-English) weekly dubbed Más New Mexico (“More” New Mexico) — will weather the current crisis and buck industry trends.
Padilla launched the publication on Jan. 7 with an initial 20,000-copy distribution in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
“I did a lot of research on New Mexico and concluded it’s a good market for us because there are no bilingual papers here,” Padilla Andrews said. “There’s no good time to launch a newspaper, but I strongly believe there is a need for this in New Mexico.”
Latino musical prodigy schedules performances
Dudamel unveils LA Phil's 2009 concert season
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic will begin their first season together with a free concert at the Hollywood Bowl to introduce classical music's current it-boy to the city.
Dudamel gave a news conference Thursday to announce the orchestra's 2009-10 season. The classical music world has been eagerly anticipating the Venezuela native's debut as music director in Los Angeles, hoping his star power and Spanish-language skills will generate interest in the Philharmonic and orchestral music.
"This is a beautiful challenge and second, it's a wonderful opportunity to make great music with my new LA Phil family," said Dudamel, who turns 28 on Monday. "The most important thing is to enjoy our time together."
Dudamel will conduct Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 on Oct. 3 at the Hollywood Bowl. The free concert is titled, "Bienvenido Gustavo!"
The season officially begins Oct. 8 with an international telecast from the Walt Disney Concert Hall featuring the world premiere of "City Noir" by composer John Adams, who was recently appointed creative chair for the orchestra.
Adams said "City Noir" was commissioned by the orchestra and "inspired by the peculiar ambiance and mood of Los Angeles "noir" films, especially those produced in the late '40s and early '50s."
The season also will include a three-week multidisciplinary festival called "West Coast: Left Coast" to celebrate California's distinct musical culture, with the Kronos Quartet as ensemble-in-residence.
Another festival will be dedicated to music of the Americas, one of Dudamel's passions.
"This is our music," Dudamel said. "It is the language which links us as a people — borders dissolve, colors emerge and mix, and we find those voices which unite North, Central and South America as one."
The orchestra and its new music director will also tour the country in May, making stops in cities including San Francisco, Chicago and New York.
Dudamel, a charismatic and gifted conductor who was educated in Venezuela's far-reaching classical music education program, also said he is looking forward to expanding Los Angeles' youth orchestras.
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic will begin their first season together with a free concert at the Hollywood Bowl to introduce classical music's current it-boy to the city.
Dudamel gave a news conference Thursday to announce the orchestra's 2009-10 season. The classical music world has been eagerly anticipating the Venezuela native's debut as music director in Los Angeles, hoping his star power and Spanish-language skills will generate interest in the Philharmonic and orchestral music.
"This is a beautiful challenge and second, it's a wonderful opportunity to make great music with my new LA Phil family," said Dudamel, who turns 28 on Monday. "The most important thing is to enjoy our time together."
Dudamel will conduct Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 on Oct. 3 at the Hollywood Bowl. The free concert is titled, "Bienvenido Gustavo!"
The season officially begins Oct. 8 with an international telecast from the Walt Disney Concert Hall featuring the world premiere of "City Noir" by composer John Adams, who was recently appointed creative chair for the orchestra.
Adams said "City Noir" was commissioned by the orchestra and "inspired by the peculiar ambiance and mood of Los Angeles "noir" films, especially those produced in the late '40s and early '50s."
The season also will include a three-week multidisciplinary festival called "West Coast: Left Coast" to celebrate California's distinct musical culture, with the Kronos Quartet as ensemble-in-residence.
Another festival will be dedicated to music of the Americas, one of Dudamel's passions.
"This is our music," Dudamel said. "It is the language which links us as a people — borders dissolve, colors emerge and mix, and we find those voices which unite North, Central and South America as one."
The orchestra and its new music director will also tour the country in May, making stops in cities including San Francisco, Chicago and New York.
Dudamel, a charismatic and gifted conductor who was educated in Venezuela's far-reaching classical music education program, also said he is looking forward to expanding Los Angeles' youth orchestras.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Latino actor/writer to conduct special performance
Award-Winning Actor/Writer Rick Najera Debuts Newest Comedy DADDY DIARIES One Night Only Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 7pm at San Diego Repertory Theatre
PRESS RELEASE
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego REPertory Theatre will present a one-night only special performance of actor/writer and native San Diegan RICK NAJERA's new comedy, DADDY DIARIES on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 7pm. A local favorite, RICK NAJERA is an award-winning playwright and the father of three young children, including a one year old. DADDY DIARIES explores life as a father through his eccentric and comedic point of view. San Diego REP has previously hosted Najera's four original productions, A Quiet Love, Latins Anonymous, Latinologues and Sweet 15 Quinceanera. DADDY DIARIES is written and performed by RICK NAJERA and directed by GARY BLUMSACK.
"A new play from Rick Najera is always of immediate interest to San Diego REP. We are thrilled to once again host Najera's unique comic point of view and talent on our stage," said San Diego REP Artistic Director SAM WOODHOUSE.
Najera is one of the most powerful voices in the Latino world today, honored twice as '100 Most Influential Latinos in America' by Hispanic Business Magazine. He is the writer of the current feature film in theatres nationwide, NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS starring John Leguizamo, Debra Messing and Freddy Rodriguez. Najera, an established playwright, published author and award-winning writer/actor/director/ producer, is one of the most produced Latino playwrights in the country. His nationally recognized comedy Latinologues ran on Broadway for 137 performances, a historical achievement for a Latino-oriented show. Najera is co-creator of KartoonTV.com and currently developing original programming for Mio.TV. His writing credits include comedies such as MAD TV and In Living Color. For the last four consecutive years, Najera has directed CBS' Multicultural Sketch Comedy Showcase.
The one-night only performance of Rick Najera's DADDY DIARIES will take place on Tuesday, January 27 at 7:00 p.m. at San Diego Repertory Theatre (79 Horton Plaza, San Diego). Tickets are $15 each or two for $25 and available at REP's box office, 619-544-1000, or online at http://www.sdrep.org.
PRESS RELEASE
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego REPertory Theatre will present a one-night only special performance of actor/writer and native San Diegan RICK NAJERA's new comedy, DADDY DIARIES on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 7pm. A local favorite, RICK NAJERA is an award-winning playwright and the father of three young children, including a one year old. DADDY DIARIES explores life as a father through his eccentric and comedic point of view. San Diego REP has previously hosted Najera's four original productions, A Quiet Love, Latins Anonymous, Latinologues and Sweet 15 Quinceanera. DADDY DIARIES is written and performed by RICK NAJERA and directed by GARY BLUMSACK.
"A new play from Rick Najera is always of immediate interest to San Diego REP. We are thrilled to once again host Najera's unique comic point of view and talent on our stage," said San Diego REP Artistic Director SAM WOODHOUSE.
Najera is one of the most powerful voices in the Latino world today, honored twice as '100 Most Influential Latinos in America' by Hispanic Business Magazine. He is the writer of the current feature film in theatres nationwide, NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS starring John Leguizamo, Debra Messing and Freddy Rodriguez. Najera, an established playwright, published author and award-winning writer/actor/director/ producer, is one of the most produced Latino playwrights in the country. His nationally recognized comedy Latinologues ran on Broadway for 137 performances, a historical achievement for a Latino-oriented show. Najera is co-creator of KartoonTV.com and currently developing original programming for Mio.TV. His writing credits include comedies such as MAD TV and In Living Color. For the last four consecutive years, Najera has directed CBS' Multicultural Sketch Comedy Showcase.
The one-night only performance of Rick Najera's DADDY DIARIES will take place on Tuesday, January 27 at 7:00 p.m. at San Diego Repertory Theatre (79 Horton Plaza, San Diego). Tickets are $15 each or two for $25 and available at REP's box office, 619-544-1000, or online at http://www.sdrep.org.
Latinos and Rappers perform in Ontario arena
Rappers and Latino performers at Ontario arena
Liset Márquez, Staff Writer 01/23/2009
ONTARIO - Citizens Business Bank Arena will be mixing up its musical lineup in the next couple of months to include rappers and Latino performers.
Rapper Pitbull and hip hop artist Baby Bash on March 24 will perform at the arena.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. this morning.
The concert will provide a couple of firsts for the arena. The show will be the first time that the arena will host performers outside of the country and rock genres as well as multiple acts in one night
The Hollywood Live promoted concert will be called "March Madness" and will also feature performances by E-40, MC Magic and Lala, arena spokeswomen Sue Oxarart said.
"We anticipate it to be a popular show and for it to sell out," Oxarart said.
To date, the arena has had success with several of its concerts. Performances by pop singer Carrie Underwood and heavy metal band Metallica sold out, Oxarart said.
"So far we've received a great response," Oxarart said. "This type of entertainment venue in the Inland Empire is something we've all needed for a long time," Oxarart said.
The city-owned, 225,000-square-foot arena in the 4000 block of Ontario Parkway can hold up to 11,000 seats, depending on how a stage is set up, she said.
Oxarart said the arena will be bringing in more acts to attract different audiences.
Earlier this month, arena officials took notice when San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland held a sold-out show featuring Mexican recording artist Jenny Rivera.
Oxarart said the arena is working to host two different shows in the near future with a well-known Latin performer and a variety of Latino acts. Additional details were not provided.
In the next year, arena officials will look to put on more shows to draw in the Latino community such as boxing and rodeos, she said.
"It's not only us. The promoters and agents know its a great site and are contacting us," Oxarart said. "We're on their radar too."
liset.marquez@inlandnewspapers.com (909) 483-8556
Liset Márquez, Staff Writer 01/23/2009
ONTARIO - Citizens Business Bank Arena will be mixing up its musical lineup in the next couple of months to include rappers and Latino performers.
Rapper Pitbull and hip hop artist Baby Bash on March 24 will perform at the arena.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. this morning.
The concert will provide a couple of firsts for the arena. The show will be the first time that the arena will host performers outside of the country and rock genres as well as multiple acts in one night
The Hollywood Live promoted concert will be called "March Madness" and will also feature performances by E-40, MC Magic and Lala, arena spokeswomen Sue Oxarart said.
"We anticipate it to be a popular show and for it to sell out," Oxarart said.
To date, the arena has had success with several of its concerts. Performances by pop singer Carrie Underwood and heavy metal band Metallica sold out, Oxarart said.
"So far we've received a great response," Oxarart said. "This type of entertainment venue in the Inland Empire is something we've all needed for a long time," Oxarart said.
The city-owned, 225,000-square-foot arena in the 4000 block of Ontario Parkway can hold up to 11,000 seats, depending on how a stage is set up, she said.
Oxarart said the arena will be bringing in more acts to attract different audiences.
Earlier this month, arena officials took notice when San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland held a sold-out show featuring Mexican recording artist Jenny Rivera.
Oxarart said the arena is working to host two different shows in the near future with a well-known Latin performer and a variety of Latino acts. Additional details were not provided.
In the next year, arena officials will look to put on more shows to draw in the Latino community such as boxing and rodeos, she said.
"It's not only us. The promoters and agents know its a great site and are contacting us," Oxarart said. "We're on their radar too."
liset.marquez@inlandnewspapers.com (909) 483-8556
Hispanic viewers enjoy MMA
New MMA League Goes For Submission Hold on Hispanic Viewers
Daniel Soussa--HispanicBusiness.com Jan. 23, 2009
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is rapidly gaining popularity in the U.S., particularly, it seems, among Hispanics. A newly launched MMA league, the Bellator Fighting Championships, trying to capitalize on this trend, betting that the largest growing demographic in the U.S. will continue to be intrigued by the action-packed sport.
"We believe very strongly that there is amazing opportunity in the sport and business of mixed martial arts in the Hispanic market," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney.
Bellator has announced it will air the fights on ESPN Deportes with weekly TV broadcasts starting in April 2009. "Our target coming out of the box with this partnership with ESPN Deportes, our advertising, our marketing budget, and our promotions is the Hispanic market," Mr. Rebney told HispanicBusiness.com. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
Daniel Soussa--HispanicBusiness.com Jan. 23, 2009
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is rapidly gaining popularity in the U.S., particularly, it seems, among Hispanics. A newly launched MMA league, the Bellator Fighting Championships, trying to capitalize on this trend, betting that the largest growing demographic in the U.S. will continue to be intrigued by the action-packed sport.
"We believe very strongly that there is amazing opportunity in the sport and business of mixed martial arts in the Hispanic market," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney.
Bellator has announced it will air the fights on ESPN Deportes with weekly TV broadcasts starting in April 2009. "Our target coming out of the box with this partnership with ESPN Deportes, our advertising, our marketing budget, and our promotions is the Hispanic market," Mr. Rebney told HispanicBusiness.com. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
Some HIspanic homes not ready for DTV
Nielsen: 5.7 Pct of Homes Aren't DTV-Ready
by Geoff Duncan | January 23, 2009
Market research firm Nielsen reports that 6.5 million U.S. homes - that's about 5.7 percent of American households - aren't ready for the DTV transition.
Research and ratings firm Nielsen has unveiled new estimates indicating some 6.5 million U.S. households—or about 5.7 percent of U.S. homes—aren't ready for the digital television transition, scheduled (for the moment!) to take place on February 17, 2009. These numbers are actually an improvement over similar estimates released in December (which indicated from 7.8 million U.S. homes weren't ready for the transition) but still represent a stunningly high number for a technology transition that has been increasingly publicized for over two years.
Among local markets, Nielsen found that Albuquerque, New Mexico is the least prepared for the transition, with some 12.4 percent of households unequipped for digital television. The best-prepared markets were Hartford and New Haven Connecticut, where only 1.8 percent of homes aren't prepared for the transition.
Nielsen's estimates also include some demographic breakdowns: interestingly, fewer TV viewers over age 55 (just 4 percent) aren't ready for DTV, while 8.8 percent of viewers under 35 aren't prepared. The estimates also find higher percentages of African-American, Hispanic, and Asian households aren't prepared for the transition (9.9, 9.7, and 6.9 percent, respectively) than white households (where just 4.4 overall aren't ready).
"It is imperative that we operate at an accelerated pace to educate those who are at the greatest risk of losing their television service—low- income households, large numbers of senior, minority and disabled viewers," said Cynthia Perkins-Roberts, Nielsen African American Advisory Council (AAAC). "These viewers rely on traditional television the most and can least afford to lose their television lifelines."
The estimates are based on 56 local markets that Nielsen monitors with electronic metering technology television users voluntarily use in their households.
by Geoff Duncan | January 23, 2009
Market research firm Nielsen reports that 6.5 million U.S. homes - that's about 5.7 percent of American households - aren't ready for the DTV transition.
Research and ratings firm Nielsen has unveiled new estimates indicating some 6.5 million U.S. households—or about 5.7 percent of U.S. homes—aren't ready for the digital television transition, scheduled (for the moment!) to take place on February 17, 2009. These numbers are actually an improvement over similar estimates released in December (which indicated from 7.8 million U.S. homes weren't ready for the transition) but still represent a stunningly high number for a technology transition that has been increasingly publicized for over two years.
Among local markets, Nielsen found that Albuquerque, New Mexico is the least prepared for the transition, with some 12.4 percent of households unequipped for digital television. The best-prepared markets were Hartford and New Haven Connecticut, where only 1.8 percent of homes aren't prepared for the transition.
Nielsen's estimates also include some demographic breakdowns: interestingly, fewer TV viewers over age 55 (just 4 percent) aren't ready for DTV, while 8.8 percent of viewers under 35 aren't prepared. The estimates also find higher percentages of African-American, Hispanic, and Asian households aren't prepared for the transition (9.9, 9.7, and 6.9 percent, respectively) than white households (where just 4.4 overall aren't ready).
"It is imperative that we operate at an accelerated pace to educate those who are at the greatest risk of losing their television service—low- income households, large numbers of senior, minority and disabled viewers," said Cynthia Perkins-Roberts, Nielsen African American Advisory Council (AAAC). "These viewers rely on traditional television the most and can least afford to lose their television lifelines."
The estimates are based on 56 local markets that Nielsen monitors with electronic metering technology television users voluntarily use in their households.
Hispanic heritage photography and essay contest
Bayonne High student places third in Hispanic Heritage contest
by Bayonne Now January 23, 2009
Bayonne High School sophomore Michelle Sandhu recently placed third in the 2008 Hispanic Heritage Photography and Essay Contest.
The contest, sponsored by Ford Motor Company and Community Services and the New York Times Newspapers in Education Program, challenged students in grades 9 through 12 to select a person, place or event that represents Hispanic culture and has either impacted them personally or been significant to the community.
Sandhu, who studies Spanish at Bayonne High, won third place honors for her photographs and essay about Rincon de Espana Restaurant on Broadway in Bayonne.
by Bayonne Now January 23, 2009
Bayonne High School sophomore Michelle Sandhu recently placed third in the 2008 Hispanic Heritage Photography and Essay Contest.
The contest, sponsored by Ford Motor Company and Community Services and the New York Times Newspapers in Education Program, challenged students in grades 9 through 12 to select a person, place or event that represents Hispanic culture and has either impacted them personally or been significant to the community.
Sandhu, who studies Spanish at Bayonne High, won third place honors for her photographs and essay about Rincon de Espana Restaurant on Broadway in Bayonne.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Latina performer returns to Chicago
Ana Gabriel set for trio of shows next month; Feb. 8 show at Rosemont Theatre to mark first Chicago visit since 2004
PRESS RELEASE
Following the tremendous success of her U.S. and Latin America tours last year, Mexican singer/songwriter Ana Gabriel has announced a trio of stateside shows for the early part of 2009.
The versatile artist, whose latest recording, “Arpeggios De Amor: Requiem Por Tres Almas,” was nominated for the 2008 Latin Grammy (Best Female Pop Vocal Album), has scheduled shows in New York at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday, Feb. 7, at Chicago’s Rosemont Theatre on Sunday, Feb. 8 and in Miami at the James L. Knight Center on Saturday, Feb. 14 for a special Valentine’s Day performance.
The artist’s visit to the Windy City will mark her first since October 2004, when she performed alongside Vicente Fernandez at the Allstate Arena. Tickets for all three shows are now available by calling Ticketmaster or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
PRESS RELEASE
Following the tremendous success of her U.S. and Latin America tours last year, Mexican singer/songwriter Ana Gabriel has announced a trio of stateside shows for the early part of 2009.
The versatile artist, whose latest recording, “Arpeggios De Amor: Requiem Por Tres Almas,” was nominated for the 2008 Latin Grammy (Best Female Pop Vocal Album), has scheduled shows in New York at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday, Feb. 7, at Chicago’s Rosemont Theatre on Sunday, Feb. 8 and in Miami at the James L. Knight Center on Saturday, Feb. 14 for a special Valentine’s Day performance.
The artist’s visit to the Windy City will mark her first since October 2004, when she performed alongside Vicente Fernandez at the Allstate Arena. Tickets for all three shows are now available by calling Ticketmaster or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Televisa/Univision settle suit
Televisa and Univision settle lawsuit
LA Times Jan 22 2009
A lawsuit brought by Mexico media giant Grupo Televisa against Univision Communications Inc. has been settled, averting a potentially costly outcome that could have hobbled the dominant Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S.
The settlement came shortly before Grupo Televisa Chairman Emilio Azcarraga Jean was to take the stand in a Los Angeles federal courtroom in an effort to sever his company’s ties with Univision by cutting off the pipeline of Televisa’s popular soap operas, called telenovelas, that drive Univision’s huge ratings.
Televisa sued Univision nearly four years ago for breach of contract, contending that Univision had cheated it out of royalties. Azcarraga Jean had planned to ask a jury to allow his company to terminate its 25-year commitment to provide programs to Univision.
LA Times Jan 22 2009
A lawsuit brought by Mexico media giant Grupo Televisa against Univision Communications Inc. has been settled, averting a potentially costly outcome that could have hobbled the dominant Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S.
The settlement came shortly before Grupo Televisa Chairman Emilio Azcarraga Jean was to take the stand in a Los Angeles federal courtroom in an effort to sever his company’s ties with Univision by cutting off the pipeline of Televisa’s popular soap operas, called telenovelas, that drive Univision’s huge ratings.
Televisa sued Univision nearly four years ago for breach of contract, contending that Univision had cheated it out of royalties. Azcarraga Jean had planned to ask a jury to allow his company to terminate its 25-year commitment to provide programs to Univision.
Latino film drawing is free
Win a copy of a Latino film
My San Antonio
Conexión is celebrating Latinos in film by giving away copies of two independent films recently released on video.
Readers have a chance to win copies of ‘Amexicano,' staring Tejano singer Jennifer Peña, and ‘August Evening,' which was shot in San Antonio in 2005 and stars local actor Pedro Castañeda.
Send an e-mail marked ‘Indie Film Giveaway' in the subject line to jbarroso@conexionsa.com by 5 p.m., Monday, Jan. 26, to have your name entered in a drawing. Please include your full name, address and phone number.
My San Antonio
Conexión is celebrating Latinos in film by giving away copies of two independent films recently released on video.
Readers have a chance to win copies of ‘Amexicano,' staring Tejano singer Jennifer Peña, and ‘August Evening,' which was shot in San Antonio in 2005 and stars local actor Pedro Castañeda.
Send an e-mail marked ‘Indie Film Giveaway' in the subject line to jbarroso@conexionsa.com by 5 p.m., Monday, Jan. 26, to have your name entered in a drawing. Please include your full name, address and phone number.
iTunes Latino offers radio friendly hits
iTunes Latino offers best-of digital collection of current radio-friendly hits
by Ian Malinow, Latin Music Examiner January 22
If you’re curious about what’s getting radio airplay out there in the Latin music scene, earlier this week iTunes Latino released a best-of digital collection featuring a handful of the most radio-friendly Latin tracks in the market today.
“Best of the Store Latino” showcases 10 songs ranging in style from Luis Fonsi’s latest single “Aquí estoy yo” (joined by Aleks Syntek, Noel Schajris and David Bisbal) and Melina León’s new cut “No seas cobarde” to Cristian Castro’s 80’s inspired new single “No me digas” from his new CD “El Indomable.”
León, a once merengue superstar in the '90s, has reinvented herself and is back on the music scene with an updated new sound and a new disc.
Also included is “Que te queria” by Spanish pop rockers La Quinta Estación, whose upcoming fourth studio album, “Sin Frenos,” is set for release in March; Playa Limbo’s “Así fué;” Los Potrancos de Sinaloa’s “La jaiba” and Franco de Vita’s “Cuando tus ojos me miran,” the second cut from his newest album “Simplemente la verdad.”
Rounding up the set is the hypnotic reggaeton mix by Puerto Rican rapper Tego Calderón, who dives back into the urban scene with “Pegaito a la pared,” the first cut from his upcoming new disc “Mr. T.”
Truth is, the song's beat is way too repetitive, bordering on the boring side. With his masterful mixing ability and knack for blending the best elements of old and new genres, it's fair to say that he could have done better. Its lyrics, though, reflect more of the Calderon that his fans originally embraced.
It’s a varied selection, though for a commercial music taste.
by Ian Malinow, Latin Music Examiner January 22
If you’re curious about what’s getting radio airplay out there in the Latin music scene, earlier this week iTunes Latino released a best-of digital collection featuring a handful of the most radio-friendly Latin tracks in the market today.
“Best of the Store Latino” showcases 10 songs ranging in style from Luis Fonsi’s latest single “Aquí estoy yo” (joined by Aleks Syntek, Noel Schajris and David Bisbal) and Melina León’s new cut “No seas cobarde” to Cristian Castro’s 80’s inspired new single “No me digas” from his new CD “El Indomable.”
León, a once merengue superstar in the '90s, has reinvented herself and is back on the music scene with an updated new sound and a new disc.
Also included is “Que te queria” by Spanish pop rockers La Quinta Estación, whose upcoming fourth studio album, “Sin Frenos,” is set for release in March; Playa Limbo’s “Así fué;” Los Potrancos de Sinaloa’s “La jaiba” and Franco de Vita’s “Cuando tus ojos me miran,” the second cut from his newest album “Simplemente la verdad.”
Rounding up the set is the hypnotic reggaeton mix by Puerto Rican rapper Tego Calderón, who dives back into the urban scene with “Pegaito a la pared,” the first cut from his upcoming new disc “Mr. T.”
Truth is, the song's beat is way too repetitive, bordering on the boring side. With his masterful mixing ability and knack for blending the best elements of old and new genres, it's fair to say that he could have done better. Its lyrics, though, reflect more of the Calderon that his fans originally embraced.
It’s a varied selection, though for a commercial music taste.
Latino activities in the OC
Latino Notebook: Latina writers gather in Seal Beach
Check out the online slide show of Latino heroes.
By RON GONZALES The Orange County Register
Writers gather: A Latina writers panel takes place Sunday, Jan. 25 in Seal Beach.
The free event, which begins at 3 p.m., features Mary Castillo, Margo Candela, Jamie Martinez Wood, Margo Candela, Sandra Lopez and Sarah Rafael García.
It takes place at 3 p.m. at the Los Alamitos/Rossmoor Library, 12700 Montecito, Seal Beach. Call 562-430-1048
For information, visit http://www.sarahrafaelgarcia.com/.
Latino Educational Attainment: See a slide show and story showcasing the efforts of a countywide group that helps Latino parents better see to the educational needs of their children. See ocregister.com/latinolife.
Latino heroes: Stay Connected OC this month released its annual 2008 Latino OC 100 list for 2008, which includes the influential as well as unsung heroes of the Latino community in Orange County.
See our growing slideshow of honorees, now with Leticia Vargas of Saddleback High and Joni Ruelaz, a Santa Ana housing official, at ocregister.com/latinolife. And if you want to send in a photo of an honoree or a recently held reception honoring the Latino OC 100, email rgonzales@ocregister.com.
— Ron Gonzales rgonzales@ocregister.com
Check out the online slide show of Latino heroes.
By RON GONZALES The Orange County Register
Writers gather: A Latina writers panel takes place Sunday, Jan. 25 in Seal Beach.
The free event, which begins at 3 p.m., features Mary Castillo, Margo Candela, Jamie Martinez Wood, Margo Candela, Sandra Lopez and Sarah Rafael García.
It takes place at 3 p.m. at the Los Alamitos/Rossmoor Library, 12700 Montecito, Seal Beach. Call 562-430-1048
For information, visit http://www.sarahrafaelgarcia.com/.
Latino Educational Attainment: See a slide show and story showcasing the efforts of a countywide group that helps Latino parents better see to the educational needs of their children. See ocregister.com/latinolife.
Latino heroes: Stay Connected OC this month released its annual 2008 Latino OC 100 list for 2008, which includes the influential as well as unsung heroes of the Latino community in Orange County.
See our growing slideshow of honorees, now with Leticia Vargas of Saddleback High and Joni Ruelaz, a Santa Ana housing official, at ocregister.com/latinolife. And if you want to send in a photo of an honoree or a recently held reception honoring the Latino OC 100, email rgonzales@ocregister.com.
— Ron Gonzales rgonzales@ocregister.com
Hispanic TV viewers watch American Idol, CSI, The Mentalist
Hispanic Viewers Again Crown 'American Idol' as Most-popular Show, Followed by 'CSI', 'The Mentalist'
Richard Kaplan--HispanicBusiness.com Jan. 22, 2009
Mightier than any broadcast of NFL playoffs, more powerful than any situation comedy, stronger than the nightly news, American Idol's Season Eight has started and immediately claimed the top ratings among all English-language shows watched by U.S. Hispanic viewers.
With its broadcast of the singing competition, Fox network seized the top two spots on the 10-most-watched programs for the week of January 12-18. American Idol's Wednesday telecast attracted 1.8 million Hispanic viewers and earned a 8.4 rating, while Tuesday garnered a 7.0 rating and 1.7 million fans, according to numbers released by the Nielsen Media Group.
The show's premiere featured the usual round of emotional drama queens, ingratiating ingenues, and embarrassingly inept wannabes, along with a few genuine talents. But probably the most-watched tryout was that of new fourth judge Kara DioGuardi. Most commentators pronounced her competent. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
Richard Kaplan--HispanicBusiness.com Jan. 22, 2009
Mightier than any broadcast of NFL playoffs, more powerful than any situation comedy, stronger than the nightly news, American Idol's Season Eight has started and immediately claimed the top ratings among all English-language shows watched by U.S. Hispanic viewers.
With its broadcast of the singing competition, Fox network seized the top two spots on the 10-most-watched programs for the week of January 12-18. American Idol's Wednesday telecast attracted 1.8 million Hispanic viewers and earned a 8.4 rating, while Tuesday garnered a 7.0 rating and 1.7 million fans, according to numbers released by the Nielsen Media Group.
The show's premiere featured the usual round of emotional drama queens, ingratiating ingenues, and embarrassingly inept wannabes, along with a few genuine talents. But probably the most-watched tryout was that of new fourth judge Kara DioGuardi. Most commentators pronounced her competent. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Latino comedian to have his own TV show
American Latino Syndication Breaks New Ground with First Syndicated Sitcom in Two Decades
PRESS RELEASE
NEW YORK, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- American Latino Syndication, a fully-owned division of LATV Networks and producers of the nationally syndicated shows American Latino TV and LatiNation, announces the launch of a new scripted comedy, Treviño. The series is set to debut via broadcast syndication this Fall. The half-hour weekly program stars comedian Steve Treviño, 28, who hails from South Texas and has written for such established comedians and TV stars as George Lopez (The George Lopez Show) and Carlos Mencia (Mind of Mencia).
"The show is a completely fresh take on cross-cultural humor, and relies on Steve's ability to make you laugh whether he's playing himself or any of the other characters he portrays on the show," said David Morales, co-Creator and Executive Producer of Treviño. "From our writer, Michael A. Ajakwe Jr. who wrote for the Fox hit Martin, to our director Leonard R. Garner, Jr. who directed on NBC's hit Just Shoot Me, our creative team has experience moving standup comics like Martin Lawrence and David Spade on their paths to scripted TV stardom. We all believe that Steve is on that same track to success," continued Morales, who is also Vice President of American Latino Syndication.
The national debut of Treviño marks the first time since syndication's heyday in the late 1980s that an original sitcom has premiered in broadcast syndication. This groundbreaking project is also the first time that an American Latino comedian has starred in a first-run syndication series.
"Scripted entertainment is a logical next step for our successful model of targeting the largest underserved market today (U.S. born, American Latinos) with culturally relevant, crossover friendly content," stated Robert G. Rose, Founder of American Latino Syndication. "Treviño complements our existing programs while offering our affiliates first-run, scripted entertainment to premiere on their stations. We feel strongly that this program offers the stations a potential new revenue stream that they so desperately need in these economic times. As syndication has shrunk, we've grown."
"Bringing out a new show at this time may seem like a risk, but this creative team has put together a project we could not pass up," says Howard Bolter, President and COO of LATV Networks. "We are convinced that now is the right time for a fresh young American Latino perspective to be heard and Treviño delivers like no one else does."
American Latino Syndication will screen the pilot presentation at Booth #1103 at the NATPE convention in Las Vegas, January 27-29. Steve Treviño will be on hand on Tuesday, January 27th and Wednesday, January 28th to greet potential affiliates and the press. Go to http://www.Trevino.tv for more information.
PRESS RELEASE
NEW YORK, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- American Latino Syndication, a fully-owned division of LATV Networks and producers of the nationally syndicated shows American Latino TV and LatiNation, announces the launch of a new scripted comedy, Treviño. The series is set to debut via broadcast syndication this Fall. The half-hour weekly program stars comedian Steve Treviño, 28, who hails from South Texas and has written for such established comedians and TV stars as George Lopez (The George Lopez Show) and Carlos Mencia (Mind of Mencia).
"The show is a completely fresh take on cross-cultural humor, and relies on Steve's ability to make you laugh whether he's playing himself or any of the other characters he portrays on the show," said David Morales, co-Creator and Executive Producer of Treviño. "From our writer, Michael A. Ajakwe Jr. who wrote for the Fox hit Martin, to our director Leonard R. Garner, Jr. who directed on NBC's hit Just Shoot Me, our creative team has experience moving standup comics like Martin Lawrence and David Spade on their paths to scripted TV stardom. We all believe that Steve is on that same track to success," continued Morales, who is also Vice President of American Latino Syndication.
The national debut of Treviño marks the first time since syndication's heyday in the late 1980s that an original sitcom has premiered in broadcast syndication. This groundbreaking project is also the first time that an American Latino comedian has starred in a first-run syndication series.
"Scripted entertainment is a logical next step for our successful model of targeting the largest underserved market today (U.S. born, American Latinos) with culturally relevant, crossover friendly content," stated Robert G. Rose, Founder of American Latino Syndication. "Treviño complements our existing programs while offering our affiliates first-run, scripted entertainment to premiere on their stations. We feel strongly that this program offers the stations a potential new revenue stream that they so desperately need in these economic times. As syndication has shrunk, we've grown."
"Bringing out a new show at this time may seem like a risk, but this creative team has put together a project we could not pass up," says Howard Bolter, President and COO of LATV Networks. "We are convinced that now is the right time for a fresh young American Latino perspective to be heard and Treviño delivers like no one else does."
American Latino Syndication will screen the pilot presentation at Booth #1103 at the NATPE convention in Las Vegas, January 27-29. Steve Treviño will be on hand on Tuesday, January 27th and Wednesday, January 28th to greet potential affiliates and the press. Go to http://www.Trevino.tv for more information.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Latinos rock out at inaugural concert
Latinos 'Rock' At Kids' Inaugural Concert
Entertainment
Hollywood’s biggest Latin celebs and a slew of Disney stars gathered at Washington, D.C.’s Verizon Center for one of the hottest tickets in town: the ‘Kids’ Inaugural: We Are The Future’ concert.
The event took place on the eve of President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration and featured appearances by actors George Lopez, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah.
According to reports, the inaugural was an invitation-only concert for military families and select local residents. Guests rocked out to music by Demi Lovato, the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus, amongst others.
The biggest stars of the night, however, were Barack Obama’s daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. Cameras captured the girls rocking out to tunes and even snapping pictures of the musical performers. The highlight of the night? When the Jonas Brothers invited the Obamas onstage to dance with them!
The one-and-a-half hour special aired on the Disney Channel and the network’s website. Bow Wow, Billy Ray Cyrus, Corbin Bleu and Usher also appeared on the show.
Entertainment
Hollywood’s biggest Latin celebs and a slew of Disney stars gathered at Washington, D.C.’s Verizon Center for one of the hottest tickets in town: the ‘Kids’ Inaugural: We Are The Future’ concert.
The event took place on the eve of President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration and featured appearances by actors George Lopez, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah.
According to reports, the inaugural was an invitation-only concert for military families and select local residents. Guests rocked out to music by Demi Lovato, the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus, amongst others.
The biggest stars of the night, however, were Barack Obama’s daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. Cameras captured the girls rocking out to tunes and even snapping pictures of the musical performers. The highlight of the night? When the Jonas Brothers invited the Obamas onstage to dance with them!
The one-and-a-half hour special aired on the Disney Channel and the network’s website. Bow Wow, Billy Ray Cyrus, Corbin Bleu and Usher also appeared on the show.
Latino Theatre group looks for home
Theater Group Homeless After Zipper Shuts
by DAVE ITZKOFF January 20, 2009
The Latino theater group Intar is seeking a permanent home after the sudden closure of the Zipper Theater last week. The company said in a release that it had begun rehearsals on two one-act plays scheduled to begin performances in February, “In Paradise” by Eduardo Machado and “She Plundered Him” by Nick Norman, when it learned that the Zipper Theater, a performance space and tavern on West 37th Street in Manhattan, had closed. Mr. Machado, the company’s artistic director, said in a statement: “Tickets were about to go on sale, the cast is in rehearsal, and we are suddenly out on the street.” Intar was previously seeking to move into the Clinton Green performance space on 10th Avenue, but withdrew as the project’s costs grew.
by DAVE ITZKOFF January 20, 2009
The Latino theater group Intar is seeking a permanent home after the sudden closure of the Zipper Theater last week. The company said in a release that it had begun rehearsals on two one-act plays scheduled to begin performances in February, “In Paradise” by Eduardo Machado and “She Plundered Him” by Nick Norman, when it learned that the Zipper Theater, a performance space and tavern on West 37th Street in Manhattan, had closed. Mr. Machado, the company’s artistic director, said in a statement: “Tickets were about to go on sale, the cast is in rehearsal, and we are suddenly out on the street.” Intar was previously seeking to move into the Clinton Green performance space on 10th Avenue, but withdrew as the project’s costs grew.
Latino market provides right ingredients in Boston
Latin major: Hi-Lo is Hub hot spot for Hispanic ingredients
By Mat Schaffer January 21, 2009
Planning a Latin meal? Then a visit to Hi-Lo Foods is a must - the Jamaica Plain supermarket has the largest selection of hard-to-find Caribbean, Central and South American ingredients in the Boston area.
Manager Bill Jordan began working at the store when it first opened - in November 1963.
“The neighborhood at the time was mostly Eastern European and Irish,” he recalls. “That’s how I first got the idea to bring in products relative to the ethnicities of the people that lived around the store.”
As the neighborhood changed, so did the products on the shelves.
“It was 35 or 40 years ago,” Jordan says. “We had a large influx of Hispanic customers. So we decided to do the same thing. Find out what they buy, find the companies that make those products and go from there.”
Today, Hi-Lo is a treasure trove of Hispanic and West Indian foods.
Walk down the crowded aisles and you’ll find Bolivian quinoa, Peruvian purple corn, Argentine chimichurri and Colombian panela sugar. There are foodstuffs from Venezuela, Uruguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
The Mexican section has everything you need to cook Mexican - from dried chilies to bottled salsas and mole pastes.
Hi-Lo also stocks dozens of fresh Latin American-style sausages, cheeses and tortillas. The produce department is filled with boxes and bins of Caribbean roots and vegetables - from malanga to batata .
All of which are priced considerably less than almost anywhere else.
“We get the sales volume,” Jordan explains. “We find that as long as we promote the products that people are looking for - whether it’s a specific culture or country - and we sell it at a reasonable price or very good price, they’ll come.”
For socializing as well as shopping. Hi-Lo Foods is as much a community center as a market.
“Everybody knows everybody else,” Jordan says. “I’ve seen people come in and talk to people for two to three hours. It’s like a meeting place. We have people coming from everywhere.”
Hi-Lo Foods, 450 Centre St., Jamaica Plain. 617-522-6364.
ARROZ CON CHORIZO Y PASAS
One 7 1/2 oz mild Mexican chorizo
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 to 2 T canola oil, as needed
1 1/2 c converted rice
1/3 c seedless golden raisins
3 c hot water
1 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1 c frozen peas
2 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 large ripe (yellow) plantain
2 hard cooked eggs, peeled and cut into wedges, for garnish
Pimento strips for garnish
Remove the chorizo from its casing and place in a heavy 10-inch skillet with a cover. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the chorizo with a wooden spoon. When the chorizo starts rendering its fat, 3 to 4 minutes, stir in the onion. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring a few times, until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. If there is not enough fat and the onion starts sticking, add up to 1 tablespoon of the oil to finish cooking the onion.
Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute to coat the grains with the fat. Add the raisins, water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over the lowest possible heat for 15 minutes. Scatter the peas and cilantro on top, cover, and finish cooking until all the water has been absorbed and the peas are heated through, about 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, cover and set aside to dry for 5 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, peel the plantain and cut into thirds, then cut each third lengthwise into three slices. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over low heat in a medium size nonstick skillet. Add the plantain, cover, and cook until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.
Transfer the rice mixture to a serving platter and arrange the plantain slices, egg wedges and pimento strips on top.
Serve with a tossed salad.
By Mat Schaffer January 21, 2009
Planning a Latin meal? Then a visit to Hi-Lo Foods is a must - the Jamaica Plain supermarket has the largest selection of hard-to-find Caribbean, Central and South American ingredients in the Boston area.
Manager Bill Jordan began working at the store when it first opened - in November 1963.
“The neighborhood at the time was mostly Eastern European and Irish,” he recalls. “That’s how I first got the idea to bring in products relative to the ethnicities of the people that lived around the store.”
As the neighborhood changed, so did the products on the shelves.
“It was 35 or 40 years ago,” Jordan says. “We had a large influx of Hispanic customers. So we decided to do the same thing. Find out what they buy, find the companies that make those products and go from there.”
Today, Hi-Lo is a treasure trove of Hispanic and West Indian foods.
Walk down the crowded aisles and you’ll find Bolivian quinoa, Peruvian purple corn, Argentine chimichurri and Colombian panela sugar. There are foodstuffs from Venezuela, Uruguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
The Mexican section has everything you need to cook Mexican - from dried chilies to bottled salsas and mole pastes.
Hi-Lo also stocks dozens of fresh Latin American-style sausages, cheeses and tortillas. The produce department is filled with boxes and bins of Caribbean roots and vegetables - from malanga to batata .
All of which are priced considerably less than almost anywhere else.
“We get the sales volume,” Jordan explains. “We find that as long as we promote the products that people are looking for - whether it’s a specific culture or country - and we sell it at a reasonable price or very good price, they’ll come.”
For socializing as well as shopping. Hi-Lo Foods is as much a community center as a market.
“Everybody knows everybody else,” Jordan says. “I’ve seen people come in and talk to people for two to three hours. It’s like a meeting place. We have people coming from everywhere.”
Hi-Lo Foods, 450 Centre St., Jamaica Plain. 617-522-6364.
ARROZ CON CHORIZO Y PASAS
One 7 1/2 oz mild Mexican chorizo
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 to 2 T canola oil, as needed
1 1/2 c converted rice
1/3 c seedless golden raisins
3 c hot water
1 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1 c frozen peas
2 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 large ripe (yellow) plantain
2 hard cooked eggs, peeled and cut into wedges, for garnish
Pimento strips for garnish
Remove the chorizo from its casing and place in a heavy 10-inch skillet with a cover. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the chorizo with a wooden spoon. When the chorizo starts rendering its fat, 3 to 4 minutes, stir in the onion. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring a few times, until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. If there is not enough fat and the onion starts sticking, add up to 1 tablespoon of the oil to finish cooking the onion.
Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute to coat the grains with the fat. Add the raisins, water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over the lowest possible heat for 15 minutes. Scatter the peas and cilantro on top, cover, and finish cooking until all the water has been absorbed and the peas are heated through, about 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, cover and set aside to dry for 5 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, peel the plantain and cut into thirds, then cut each third lengthwise into three slices. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over low heat in a medium size nonstick skillet. Add the plantain, cover, and cook until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.
Transfer the rice mixture to a serving platter and arrange the plantain slices, egg wedges and pimento strips on top.
Serve with a tossed salad.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Latino entertainers bring the house down at gala
Hispanic stars wow inaugural gala
BY SUZANNE GAMBOA/The Associated Press
WASHINGTON January 18, 2009 — Latino entertainers Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony graced "la alfombra roja" — the red carpet — at Union Station to give a Hispanic flair to the inauguration pre-celebration Sunday.
They posed quickly for cameras with no visible signs of the marital distress that tabloids have been buzzing about recently. The two were to entertain the crowd at the end of the night.
Anthony traded a hug with Miami-born Wilmer Valderrama, star of "That '70s Show," as he swiftly moved off the carpet.
Valderrama actively promoted registration and voting among young Latinos during the presidential election.
"All of us performers, not until this election did we really understand what we could do," Valderrama said.
Though focus of the night was entertainment, the music quickly mixed with politics. Members of Congress filtered in and mixed in the VIP room with some of the stars.
Tony Plana, who plays Betty's father in the television series "Ugly Betty," said he was ecstatic about President-elect Barack Obama's victory. He said an Obama administration could improve the lives of all minorities.
But he also said Hispanics deserved a better spot on the inaugural festivities list.
"It's a concern this event tonight is not an official event of the administration. It's a little sad for me Latinos had to organize their own event," Plana said. He said he hoped it did not mean Hispanics would be relegated to a back seat. The event was organized by the National Council of La Raza and other Hispanic organizations.
"American Idol" runner up David Archuleta kicked off the night with "The Star-Spangled Banner" and he was quickly followed with music by War.
Other entertainers at the event included Mexican singer Lila Downs, comedian George Lopez, actress Rosie Perez, telenovela actress Angelica Vale and others.
BY SUZANNE GAMBOA/The Associated Press
WASHINGTON January 18, 2009 — Latino entertainers Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony graced "la alfombra roja" — the red carpet — at Union Station to give a Hispanic flair to the inauguration pre-celebration Sunday.
They posed quickly for cameras with no visible signs of the marital distress that tabloids have been buzzing about recently. The two were to entertain the crowd at the end of the night.
Anthony traded a hug with Miami-born Wilmer Valderrama, star of "That '70s Show," as he swiftly moved off the carpet.
Valderrama actively promoted registration and voting among young Latinos during the presidential election.
"All of us performers, not until this election did we really understand what we could do," Valderrama said.
Though focus of the night was entertainment, the music quickly mixed with politics. Members of Congress filtered in and mixed in the VIP room with some of the stars.
Tony Plana, who plays Betty's father in the television series "Ugly Betty," said he was ecstatic about President-elect Barack Obama's victory. He said an Obama administration could improve the lives of all minorities.
But he also said Hispanics deserved a better spot on the inaugural festivities list.
"It's a concern this event tonight is not an official event of the administration. It's a little sad for me Latinos had to organize their own event," Plana said. He said he hoped it did not mean Hispanics would be relegated to a back seat. The event was organized by the National Council of La Raza and other Hispanic organizations.
"American Idol" runner up David Archuleta kicked off the night with "The Star-Spangled Banner" and he was quickly followed with music by War.
Other entertainers at the event included Mexican singer Lila Downs, comedian George Lopez, actress Rosie Perez, telenovela actress Angelica Vale and others.
Latino artist gets limelight with Obama portrait
The art of politics
Artist's portrait of Obama being displayed in nation's capital
By Leslie Berestein (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer January 19, 2009
Last fall, Rafael López's wife urged him to paint a portrait of then-candidate Barack Obama. (Nancee E. Lewis / Union-Tribune) -
The portrait, titled "Nuestra Voz," or "Our Voice," is being displayed at an inauguration-themed art exhibit in Washington, D.C. (Nancee E. Lewis / Union-Tribune)
The portrait, titled "Nuestra Voz," or "Our Voice," is being displayed at an inauguration-themed art exhibit in Washington, D.C. (Nancee E. Lewis / Union-Tribune)
Packing up last week before boarding a plane to Washington for the presidential inauguration, graphic artist Rafael López was still pinching himself.
When he picked up his paintbrush last fall to paint a portrait of then-candidate Barack Obama, he didn't realize he would be creating one of the lasting images of the 2008 presidential campaign.
Originally titled “Nuestra Voz,” Spanish for “Our Voice,” the portrait was first circulated as a poster by artists and grass-roots Obama supporters, then adopted by the campaign as a tool for fundraising and outreach.
With its bright yellow background and distinctively Latin American feel, it is the Spanish-language counterpart to Shepard Fairey's iconic red, white and blue “Hope” portrait, recently acquired by the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution.
On Wednesday, López prepared to fly with his wife to the capital for an inauguration-themed art exhibit, in which his work will be exhibited alongside Fairey's and that of other artists.
“It has been a wild ride,” said López, who divides his time between his East Village loft and a home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. “The last three months have been crazy, but really rewarding.”
López, a native of Mexico City, is an accomplished artist whose work includes U.S. postage stamps, murals, children's books and editorial work, including for The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Last fall, he was already bogged down with other projects when his wife, Candice, asked him to paint her favorite candidate.
“My wife loved Obama's message from the beginning,” he said. “She had been insisting that I do a portrait of Obama, but I kept telling her I was too busy.”
She finally left him a note in his studio, insisting “please, do it for me.”
“We need to use the gifts we have,” Candice López said at home recently. She teaches graphic arts at San Diego City College.
Rafael López got to work, studying the way Obama appeared in speeches. In the portrait, he looks as if he's about to speak.
“I wanted to capture him as a dreamer,” López said. “He is about to open his mouth and say something really inspirational.”
Friends chipped in to get some initial posters printed, and Candice López lobbied fellow artists in swing states to distribute them. Before long, they attracted the attention of the campaign.
Prints of the portrait, retitled “Voz Unida” or “United Voice,” were sold along with other donated art through the Artists for Obama online store, which raised money for the campaign. They quickly sold out.
“What was really attractive to a lot of us about the Obama campaign is that they needed us,” said Yosi Sergant, a Los Angeles-based publicist who worked for the campaign and is among the organizers of “Manifest Hope: DC,” which will showcase original art by López, Fairey and others. “The creative community felt there was an open door for us.”
Sergant, who worked closely with Fairey to disseminate his now-famous piece, called López's posters “bright and uplifting and powerful. They don't feel like a traditional political piece in any way.”
Since the election, López has made additional prints of “Nuestra Voz,” including a sold-out limited edition of giclées and smaller offsets. He has also created a new portrait of the president-elect titled “Unidad,” or “Unity.”
The Lópezes, who are not official inauguration invitees, plan to celebrate in the street with other revelers tomorrow when the new president takes office.
After receiving hundreds of e-mails from Obama supporters, many of them Latino voters, López is glad he listened to his wife.
“I think some Latinos felt disenfranchised until they saw this image,” he said. “I like to dream that I contributed just a tiny little grain of salt to swing some of the Latino votes that were undecided.”
Leslie Berestein: (619) 542-4579; leslie.berestein@uniontrib.com
Artist's portrait of Obama being displayed in nation's capital
By Leslie Berestein (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer January 19, 2009
Last fall, Rafael López's wife urged him to paint a portrait of then-candidate Barack Obama. (Nancee E. Lewis / Union-Tribune) -
The portrait, titled "Nuestra Voz," or "Our Voice," is being displayed at an inauguration-themed art exhibit in Washington, D.C. (Nancee E. Lewis / Union-Tribune)
The portrait, titled "Nuestra Voz," or "Our Voice," is being displayed at an inauguration-themed art exhibit in Washington, D.C. (Nancee E. Lewis / Union-Tribune)
Packing up last week before boarding a plane to Washington for the presidential inauguration, graphic artist Rafael López was still pinching himself.
When he picked up his paintbrush last fall to paint a portrait of then-candidate Barack Obama, he didn't realize he would be creating one of the lasting images of the 2008 presidential campaign.
Originally titled “Nuestra Voz,” Spanish for “Our Voice,” the portrait was first circulated as a poster by artists and grass-roots Obama supporters, then adopted by the campaign as a tool for fundraising and outreach.
With its bright yellow background and distinctively Latin American feel, it is the Spanish-language counterpart to Shepard Fairey's iconic red, white and blue “Hope” portrait, recently acquired by the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution.
On Wednesday, López prepared to fly with his wife to the capital for an inauguration-themed art exhibit, in which his work will be exhibited alongside Fairey's and that of other artists.
“It has been a wild ride,” said López, who divides his time between his East Village loft and a home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. “The last three months have been crazy, but really rewarding.”
López, a native of Mexico City, is an accomplished artist whose work includes U.S. postage stamps, murals, children's books and editorial work, including for The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Last fall, he was already bogged down with other projects when his wife, Candice, asked him to paint her favorite candidate.
“My wife loved Obama's message from the beginning,” he said. “She had been insisting that I do a portrait of Obama, but I kept telling her I was too busy.”
She finally left him a note in his studio, insisting “please, do it for me.”
“We need to use the gifts we have,” Candice López said at home recently. She teaches graphic arts at San Diego City College.
Rafael López got to work, studying the way Obama appeared in speeches. In the portrait, he looks as if he's about to speak.
“I wanted to capture him as a dreamer,” López said. “He is about to open his mouth and say something really inspirational.”
Friends chipped in to get some initial posters printed, and Candice López lobbied fellow artists in swing states to distribute them. Before long, they attracted the attention of the campaign.
Prints of the portrait, retitled “Voz Unida” or “United Voice,” were sold along with other donated art through the Artists for Obama online store, which raised money for the campaign. They quickly sold out.
“What was really attractive to a lot of us about the Obama campaign is that they needed us,” said Yosi Sergant, a Los Angeles-based publicist who worked for the campaign and is among the organizers of “Manifest Hope: DC,” which will showcase original art by López, Fairey and others. “The creative community felt there was an open door for us.”
Sergant, who worked closely with Fairey to disseminate his now-famous piece, called López's posters “bright and uplifting and powerful. They don't feel like a traditional political piece in any way.”
Since the election, López has made additional prints of “Nuestra Voz,” including a sold-out limited edition of giclées and smaller offsets. He has also created a new portrait of the president-elect titled “Unidad,” or “Unity.”
The Lópezes, who are not official inauguration invitees, plan to celebrate in the street with other revelers tomorrow when the new president takes office.
After receiving hundreds of e-mails from Obama supporters, many of them Latino voters, López is glad he listened to his wife.
“I think some Latinos felt disenfranchised until they saw this image,” he said. “I like to dream that I contributed just a tiny little grain of salt to swing some of the Latino votes that were undecided.”
Leslie Berestein: (619) 542-4579; leslie.berestein@uniontrib.com
Monday, January 19, 2009
Firm targets Hispanic radio listeners
New Spanish rep firm
RBR.com 16 January, 2009
Former executives from Azteca America Spot Television Sales and Hispanic Independent Television Sales today announced the formation of a new Hispanic Television representation company, to be known as Spanish Television Sales or STS. Rick Schwartz, General Manager, reports that STS already has several affiliate groups lined up for representation agreements. Tom Marsillo is President of STS.
Marsillo, Schwartz and Brian McCullough had previously been slated to remain with the former Interep operations as they were purchased from the bankruptcy trustee by Cross MediaWorks. However, Marsillo told RBR/TVBR that the three determined that the new owner “was not a good fit for us…or our clients.” So, they have launched STS as a direct competitor to their former rep firms.
STS will be competing directly with the former Interep firms to sign clients as well. “Yes, we will be pursuing the same affiliates and I believe we have a great chance at re-signing most of them,” Marsillo said. STS has not yet named any of its clients.
Two primary clients of the former Interep TV rep firms – Azteca America and its largest affiliate group, Una Vez Mas – have already announced their intention to take national sales in-house with a new rep firm called Azteca America Spot TV Sales. In its contract to buy the Interep firms Cross MediaWorks had listed other major clients it was seeking as Dish Network, DirecTV, Pappas Telecasting, McGraw-Hill Broadcasting, Spanish Broadcasting System and TVC Broadcasting.
RBR.com 16 January, 2009
Former executives from Azteca America Spot Television Sales and Hispanic Independent Television Sales today announced the formation of a new Hispanic Television representation company, to be known as Spanish Television Sales or STS. Rick Schwartz, General Manager, reports that STS already has several affiliate groups lined up for representation agreements. Tom Marsillo is President of STS.
Marsillo, Schwartz and Brian McCullough had previously been slated to remain with the former Interep operations as they were purchased from the bankruptcy trustee by Cross MediaWorks. However, Marsillo told RBR/TVBR that the three determined that the new owner “was not a good fit for us…or our clients.” So, they have launched STS as a direct competitor to their former rep firms.
STS will be competing directly with the former Interep firms to sign clients as well. “Yes, we will be pursuing the same affiliates and I believe we have a great chance at re-signing most of them,” Marsillo said. STS has not yet named any of its clients.
Two primary clients of the former Interep TV rep firms – Azteca America and its largest affiliate group, Una Vez Mas – have already announced their intention to take national sales in-house with a new rep firm called Azteca America Spot TV Sales. In its contract to buy the Interep firms Cross MediaWorks had listed other major clients it was seeking as Dish Network, DirecTV, Pappas Telecasting, McGraw-Hill Broadcasting, Spanish Broadcasting System and TVC Broadcasting.
Latinos, Somalis and Burmese focus of language forum
Latinos, Somalis, Burmese attend language forum
By Chris Casey ccasey@greeleytribune.com
The number of languages spoken by Greeley residents continues to grow.
That was evident at the Language Forum, hosted by Realizing Our Community, the local nonprofit organization that works to build community and make connections between cultures. About 35 people attended the event Saturday morning in the University Center at the University of Northern Colorado.
Not only were Latino and Somali representatives on hand at the forum — designed to help them learn about local English as a second language classes and other language resources — but Burmese as well.
In the past three months, about 200 Burmese refugees have taken jobs on the second shift at the JBS Swift & Co. plant in Greeley, said Drucie Bathin, community education specialist for the Spring Institute, a Denver nonprofit that works with refugee populations.
So far, most of the Burmese commute to Greeley to work. They’re coming north because their jobs in Denver have disappeared in the withering economy.
“We have 11 (Burmese) families who live here permanently right now,” Bathin said. “I would assume they will be coming more because they lost their jobs in Denver.”
Jobs on the meatpacking plant’s second shift — which runs mid-afternoon to late evening — have attracted hundreds of Somali and East African refugees in the past two years.
Bathin said she met with members of the local Somali community last week. They said they’ve had no problems with the Burmese — although there are language barriers — joining them in the plant.
She said there are about 800 Burmese refugees living in Denver.
Maria Sanchez, director of Realizing Our Community, said the purpose of the Language Forum was to match local English as a second language resources to the needs of residents. A dozen local organizations participated in the event.
By Chris Casey ccasey@greeleytribune.com
The number of languages spoken by Greeley residents continues to grow.
That was evident at the Language Forum, hosted by Realizing Our Community, the local nonprofit organization that works to build community and make connections between cultures. About 35 people attended the event Saturday morning in the University Center at the University of Northern Colorado.
Not only were Latino and Somali representatives on hand at the forum — designed to help them learn about local English as a second language classes and other language resources — but Burmese as well.
In the past three months, about 200 Burmese refugees have taken jobs on the second shift at the JBS Swift & Co. plant in Greeley, said Drucie Bathin, community education specialist for the Spring Institute, a Denver nonprofit that works with refugee populations.
So far, most of the Burmese commute to Greeley to work. They’re coming north because their jobs in Denver have disappeared in the withering economy.
“We have 11 (Burmese) families who live here permanently right now,” Bathin said. “I would assume they will be coming more because they lost their jobs in Denver.”
Jobs on the meatpacking plant’s second shift — which runs mid-afternoon to late evening — have attracted hundreds of Somali and East African refugees in the past two years.
Bathin said she met with members of the local Somali community last week. They said they’ve had no problems with the Burmese — although there are language barriers — joining them in the plant.
She said there are about 800 Burmese refugees living in Denver.
Maria Sanchez, director of Realizing Our Community, said the purpose of the Language Forum was to match local English as a second language resources to the needs of residents. A dozen local organizations participated in the event.
Hispanic immigrant life depicted in photo exhibit
Photos Exhibit depict everyday lives of Hispanic immigrants living in MS
By Danielle Thomas Jan 17, 2009
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) - The people behind an upcoming exhibit say they hope to use art as a way to break down barriers that divide our community. Volunteers spent today working on a photo project called "Opening doors: A photographic look of what we all have in common."
Organizers say Hispanic immigrants living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast were asked to take pictures depicting their every day lives like working, shopping and spending time with family. Some of the pictures will be on display at an exhibit is planned for Sunday night. Organizers say they hope to show people how much we all have in common.
Anne Kotleba is one of the organizers.
"I think everyone deserves a voice. I think this is an opportunity to bridge that gap using a language like art. It doesn't matter who is behind the lense, but it's what you're seeing and what you're viewing that is really important," Kotleba said.
Organizers say the photo project is a partnership between the Ohr-O'Keefe museum, El Pueblo and about a dozen community members.
The exhibit will be Sunday night at PJ's Coffee House in Gulfport at 6 p.m.
By Danielle Thomas Jan 17, 2009
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) - The people behind an upcoming exhibit say they hope to use art as a way to break down barriers that divide our community. Volunteers spent today working on a photo project called "Opening doors: A photographic look of what we all have in common."
Organizers say Hispanic immigrants living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast were asked to take pictures depicting their every day lives like working, shopping and spending time with family. Some of the pictures will be on display at an exhibit is planned for Sunday night. Organizers say they hope to show people how much we all have in common.
Anne Kotleba is one of the organizers.
"I think everyone deserves a voice. I think this is an opportunity to bridge that gap using a language like art. It doesn't matter who is behind the lense, but it's what you're seeing and what you're viewing that is really important," Kotleba said.
Organizers say the photo project is a partnership between the Ohr-O'Keefe museum, El Pueblo and about a dozen community members.
The exhibit will be Sunday night at PJ's Coffee House in Gulfport at 6 p.m.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Hispanic TV topples major English Networks
Latino TV station tops US ratings
Spanish-language TV channel Univision topples the major networks as viewing habits reflect a cultural shift among the young
Christopher Goodwin The Observer 18 January 2009
For those brought up on a diet of Friends, Cheers and ER, it may come as something of a shock: the viewing habits of America are not only changing but the top-rated programmes in the nation are now being broadcast in Spanish.
America's most popular shows for viewers aged 18 to 34 - the advertisers' most coveted demographic - are now programmes such as Fuego en la Sangre (Fire in the Blood) and Cuidado Con el Angel (Don't Mess with the Angel), which are broadcast by Univision, the biggest Spanish-language television network in the US.
Univision has just released a set of remarkable figures showing that on crucial Wednesday and Friday nights their ratings outscore those of the big four English-language networks, CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox.
Hispanics now make up around 15% of the US population, some 47 million people, but are expected to number around 133 million - 30% of the population - by 2050.
Most of the top-rated shows on Spanish-language television are telenovelas - soap operas - such as Sin Tetas No Hay Paraíso (Without Breasts There Is No Paradise) and Las Tontas No Van al Cielo (Dumb Girls Don't Go to Heaven), imported from Mexico and Colombia.
Sin Tetas ... is adapted from a best-selling Colombian novel about a young prostitute who becomes involved with drug gangs and believes she needs to have breast enhancement surgery to become more attractive. Telenovelas are far more than mere entertainment in Spanish-language cultures; many deal with social and cultural issues of real concern to Hispanics, particularly those in the United States, such as class and body image.
"It's a dream story of upward mobility that resonates strongly with the social reality of inequality in Latin America," says Thomas Tufte, author of Living With the Rubbish Queen: Telenovelas, Culture and Modernity in Brazil. "It becomes the fuel of hope and social aspiration."
Perhaps the most successful imported telenovela is Yo Soy Betty la Fea (I am Betty, the Ugly One), a Colombian telenovela that was a massive hit throughout Latin America and on Spanish-language television in the US. The English-language remake rights were bought by Mexican actress Salma Hayek, and the show has become the very successful Ugly Betty, starring America Ferrara.
Indicative of the increasing cross-fertilisation between Hispanic and English-language culture in today's multicultural America, NBC will now be remaking Sin Tetas ... in both Spanish and English for the US market.
"We recognise that the telenovela phenomenon is here to stay and we want to take advantage of one that's a proven hit," says Marc Graboff, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment. "It will be fascinating to see how American viewers embrace this kind of unique storytelling."
But it's not just telenovelas that are popular in America. Reality shows such as Bailando por un Sueño (Dancing for a Dream), a Mexican-produced version of Strictly Come Dancing, are also huge hits. Other top-rated Spanish-language shows include Mexican imports Sábado Gigante (Big Saturday), Don Francisco Presenta, Cristina and Aqui y Ahora (Here and Now).
In many American cities, Spanish-language TV news shows, such as that of KMEX in Los Angeles, outscore their English-language rivals, not just in ratings but in scope and depth.
"There's no comparison in the coverage," says Josh Kun, a communications professor at the University of Southern California. "For people here, there are two places to look for better news: BBC News and Spanish-language news."
The increasing importance of Spanish-language television in the US is evident from a huge lawsuit now in the courts between Univision and Televisa, the Mexican television company that produces many of Univision's shows.
Televisa wants to end an agreement that gives Univision exclusive rights to its telenovelas and other shows. Univision, which was bought by a private group for $12.3bn in 2006, is vigorously fighting the suit. Univision owns and operates 64 TV stations and 70 radio stations in the US. Its revenues top $2bn a year.
"The programming that Televisa provides gives Univision a dominant position in the marketplace," says José Cancela, author of The Power of Business en Español. "If they were to lose that or it unravels, it has a huge implication for their financial circumstances."
Spanish-language media dominance extends far beyond television. Radio hosts, such as the fiery Renán Almendárez Coello, known as el Cucuy - the Boogeyman - with his show El Cucuy de la Mañana on KLAX-FM in Los Angeles, also rule the American airwaves. For six years, until he resigned at the end of last year to focus on his new TV show, el Cucuy had the top-rated show in Los Angeles and 10 other American cities, beating much better-known English language figures such as Howard Stern. Appealing to a largely working-class audience with a show that the New Yorker described as "a seven-hour torrent of puns, pranks, and play-acting, with the loopy mood and cacophonous, somewhat forced hilarity of a drunken office party", figures such as el Cucuy have been very influential in rallying Latinos to press for immigration reform and to support candidates such as Barack Obama. They'll be waiting to see if their support will be reciprocated by the new administration.
Spanish-language TV channel Univision topples the major networks as viewing habits reflect a cultural shift among the young
Christopher Goodwin The Observer 18 January 2009
For those brought up on a diet of Friends, Cheers and ER, it may come as something of a shock: the viewing habits of America are not only changing but the top-rated programmes in the nation are now being broadcast in Spanish.
America's most popular shows for viewers aged 18 to 34 - the advertisers' most coveted demographic - are now programmes such as Fuego en la Sangre (Fire in the Blood) and Cuidado Con el Angel (Don't Mess with the Angel), which are broadcast by Univision, the biggest Spanish-language television network in the US.
Univision has just released a set of remarkable figures showing that on crucial Wednesday and Friday nights their ratings outscore those of the big four English-language networks, CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox.
Hispanics now make up around 15% of the US population, some 47 million people, but are expected to number around 133 million - 30% of the population - by 2050.
Most of the top-rated shows on Spanish-language television are telenovelas - soap operas - such as Sin Tetas No Hay Paraíso (Without Breasts There Is No Paradise) and Las Tontas No Van al Cielo (Dumb Girls Don't Go to Heaven), imported from Mexico and Colombia.
Sin Tetas ... is adapted from a best-selling Colombian novel about a young prostitute who becomes involved with drug gangs and believes she needs to have breast enhancement surgery to become more attractive. Telenovelas are far more than mere entertainment in Spanish-language cultures; many deal with social and cultural issues of real concern to Hispanics, particularly those in the United States, such as class and body image.
"It's a dream story of upward mobility that resonates strongly with the social reality of inequality in Latin America," says Thomas Tufte, author of Living With the Rubbish Queen: Telenovelas, Culture and Modernity in Brazil. "It becomes the fuel of hope and social aspiration."
Perhaps the most successful imported telenovela is Yo Soy Betty la Fea (I am Betty, the Ugly One), a Colombian telenovela that was a massive hit throughout Latin America and on Spanish-language television in the US. The English-language remake rights were bought by Mexican actress Salma Hayek, and the show has become the very successful Ugly Betty, starring America Ferrara.
Indicative of the increasing cross-fertilisation between Hispanic and English-language culture in today's multicultural America, NBC will now be remaking Sin Tetas ... in both Spanish and English for the US market.
"We recognise that the telenovela phenomenon is here to stay and we want to take advantage of one that's a proven hit," says Marc Graboff, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment. "It will be fascinating to see how American viewers embrace this kind of unique storytelling."
But it's not just telenovelas that are popular in America. Reality shows such as Bailando por un Sueño (Dancing for a Dream), a Mexican-produced version of Strictly Come Dancing, are also huge hits. Other top-rated Spanish-language shows include Mexican imports Sábado Gigante (Big Saturday), Don Francisco Presenta, Cristina and Aqui y Ahora (Here and Now).
In many American cities, Spanish-language TV news shows, such as that of KMEX in Los Angeles, outscore their English-language rivals, not just in ratings but in scope and depth.
"There's no comparison in the coverage," says Josh Kun, a communications professor at the University of Southern California. "For people here, there are two places to look for better news: BBC News and Spanish-language news."
The increasing importance of Spanish-language television in the US is evident from a huge lawsuit now in the courts between Univision and Televisa, the Mexican television company that produces many of Univision's shows.
Televisa wants to end an agreement that gives Univision exclusive rights to its telenovelas and other shows. Univision, which was bought by a private group for $12.3bn in 2006, is vigorously fighting the suit. Univision owns and operates 64 TV stations and 70 radio stations in the US. Its revenues top $2bn a year.
"The programming that Televisa provides gives Univision a dominant position in the marketplace," says José Cancela, author of The Power of Business en Español. "If they were to lose that or it unravels, it has a huge implication for their financial circumstances."
Spanish-language media dominance extends far beyond television. Radio hosts, such as the fiery Renán Almendárez Coello, known as el Cucuy - the Boogeyman - with his show El Cucuy de la Mañana on KLAX-FM in Los Angeles, also rule the American airwaves. For six years, until he resigned at the end of last year to focus on his new TV show, el Cucuy had the top-rated show in Los Angeles and 10 other American cities, beating much better-known English language figures such as Howard Stern. Appealing to a largely working-class audience with a show that the New Yorker described as "a seven-hour torrent of puns, pranks, and play-acting, with the loopy mood and cacophonous, somewhat forced hilarity of a drunken office party", figures such as el Cucuy have been very influential in rallying Latinos to press for immigration reform and to support candidates such as Barack Obama. They'll be waiting to see if their support will be reciprocated by the new administration.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Hispanic TV viewers watched football, Golden Globes
Football Playoffs, Golden Globes Were Tops with Hispanic Viewers
Richard Kaplan--HispanicBusiness.com Jan. 16, 2009
Live, hard-fought competition for a golden, glistening trophy and boasting rights dominated the television airways and captured the Hispanic viewing audience for the week of January 5-11.
Approximately 1 million Hispanic film fans tuned in to watch Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lopez and others present the Golden Globe awards, but what really grabbed top ratings was football, football, football.
Playoff action took the top-four ratings as the National Football League continued its march through post-season play towards the final AFC vs. NFC face-off in the 43rd Superbowl, to be held in Tampa on February 1st. In this week's football action, Fox broadcast the NFC divisional playoffs on Saturday with the Arizona Cardinals decisively triumphing 33-13 over the Carolina Panthers in a blow-out offensive battle. The game was the most-watched English-language show, earning a 7.8 rating among 1.4 Million Hispanic viewers, according to numbers released by the Nielsen Media Group. Click Here for More.
Richard Kaplan--HispanicBusiness.com Jan. 16, 2009
Live, hard-fought competition for a golden, glistening trophy and boasting rights dominated the television airways and captured the Hispanic viewing audience for the week of January 5-11.
Approximately 1 million Hispanic film fans tuned in to watch Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lopez and others present the Golden Globe awards, but what really grabbed top ratings was football, football, football.
Playoff action took the top-four ratings as the National Football League continued its march through post-season play towards the final AFC vs. NFC face-off in the 43rd Superbowl, to be held in Tampa on February 1st. In this week's football action, Fox broadcast the NFC divisional playoffs on Saturday with the Arizona Cardinals decisively triumphing 33-13 over the Carolina Panthers in a blow-out offensive battle. The game was the most-watched English-language show, earning a 7.8 rating among 1.4 Million Hispanic viewers, according to numbers released by the Nielsen Media Group. Click Here for More.
Hispanic insider illustrated novel is brilliant
There is Magic in the Streets -- Illustrated Novel is a Brilliant Story of Compassion in the Hispanic Inner City of America
MSNBC
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 15, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One of the universal things of mankind is the spirit of compassion. What makes it magical is when you can find such emotion from the most unexpected people in the neighborhood. Author Nadel Harvey's The Magic Bridge is an illustrated novel of the human passion that can be found in unlikely places, with this story set in the corners of a Hispanic section.
The story takes place in the Kensington neighborhood, which is lost in the midst of the Philadelphia commercial districts in Pennsylvania. It is largely populated by the youth, mostly Hispanic. If you were Hispanic, probably everyone on the block would be a relative to some degree. However, bloodlines still leave room for many other differences that keep everyone a bit wary. The Magic Bridge is about the youth of Kensington, subject to diversity in racial and generational aspects. They grow up in search for an identity and purpose while battling for acceptance and esteem on a daily basis. But on the tough streets of life, when life really has you in a fix, help may suddenly - and magically - appear in the most unlikely places.
Visual and aural, The Magic Bridge is a captivating story about human compassion hidden in the unsuspecting shadows of street life. Author Nadel Harvey's tale and its illustrations capture the crisp detail, and even ambiance, of a typical Hispanic suburb in America.
Story continues below Å´advertisement | your ad here
Click Here!
This book will be featured in the Beijing International Book Fair this September 2009. Watch out for it! For more information, go to www.xlibris.com.
About the Author
Nadel Harvey is a civil engineer living and working in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He enjoys reading, playing the piano, and traveling with his wife, Diana, and two sons, Javier and Gabriel. He knows Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood very well, having worked there for over twenty years. Ellen Baer is an illustrator who teaches in Philadelphia public schools.
The Magic Bridge * By Nadel Harvey
Publication Date: September 13, 2004
Picture Book; $12.99; 24 pages; 978-1-4134-3075-2
To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7876.
For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.
MSNBC
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 15, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One of the universal things of mankind is the spirit of compassion. What makes it magical is when you can find such emotion from the most unexpected people in the neighborhood. Author Nadel Harvey's The Magic Bridge is an illustrated novel of the human passion that can be found in unlikely places, with this story set in the corners of a Hispanic section.
The story takes place in the Kensington neighborhood, which is lost in the midst of the Philadelphia commercial districts in Pennsylvania. It is largely populated by the youth, mostly Hispanic. If you were Hispanic, probably everyone on the block would be a relative to some degree. However, bloodlines still leave room for many other differences that keep everyone a bit wary. The Magic Bridge is about the youth of Kensington, subject to diversity in racial and generational aspects. They grow up in search for an identity and purpose while battling for acceptance and esteem on a daily basis. But on the tough streets of life, when life really has you in a fix, help may suddenly - and magically - appear in the most unlikely places.
Visual and aural, The Magic Bridge is a captivating story about human compassion hidden in the unsuspecting shadows of street life. Author Nadel Harvey's tale and its illustrations capture the crisp detail, and even ambiance, of a typical Hispanic suburb in America.
Story continues below Å´advertisement | your ad here
Click Here!
This book will be featured in the Beijing International Book Fair this September 2009. Watch out for it! For more information, go to www.xlibris.com.
About the Author
Nadel Harvey is a civil engineer living and working in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He enjoys reading, playing the piano, and traveling with his wife, Diana, and two sons, Javier and Gabriel. He knows Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood very well, having worked there for over twenty years. Ellen Baer is an illustrator who teaches in Philadelphia public schools.
The Magic Bridge * By Nadel Harvey
Publication Date: September 13, 2004
Picture Book; $12.99; 24 pages; 978-1-4134-3075-2
To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7876.
For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.
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