Vida de Oro

First online Mexican regional music channel

2011-11-08T10:02:00.000-08:00

Yahoo! en Espanol and Ram Truck Launch 'La Banda Ram' -- First Online Mexican Regional Music Channel
New music website offers Latinos exclusive programming with a mix of music, blogs and video content

MIAMI & AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Yahoo! en Espanol, the premier digital media company, and the Ram Truck brand today announced the launch of La Banda Ram, the first dedicated Mexican regional music channel. Accessed from on Yahoo! en Espanol's omg! site, La Banda Ram offers fans exclusive programming, music news, and lifestyle-relevant Ram Truck brand integration. The site debuts today and can be found at: es-us.omg.yahoo.com/la-banda-ram/

Focused on engaging the U.S. Latino audience with premium content, La Banda Ram connects consumers to an entertaining mix of music, blogs, exclusive photo content, originally produced video programming, and the latest news and updates from established and up-and-coming artists of the Norteno, Banda, Duranguense and Grupero regional music genres.

"La Banda Ram provides an excellent opportunity for our brand to emotionally connect with our Latino consumers in a culturally relevant manner," said Fred Diaz, president and CEO of Ram Truck Brand and Chrysler de Mexico, Chrysler Group LLC. "Music is a universal bond and Ram is proud to team with Yahoo! and be part of the first music channel dedicated solely to the increasingly popular Mexican regional music genre."

"La Banda Ram is a great example of how only Yahoo! can create a unique and compelling content solution to engage a diverse, multi-cultural audience, all in line with Ram's brand needs and advertising positioning to Latinos," said Armando Rodriguez, vice president and managing director, Yahoo! Latin America and U.S. Hispanic. "Every month, more than 75% of the U.S. Latino population turns to Yahoo!(1); this reach combined with our investment in premium content and our ability to deliver truly personalized experiences makes Yahoo! the premier digital media company for the Latino audience."

La Banda Ram is the newest extension of the Ram Truck brand's most comprehensive Hispanic advertising campaign to date, "A Todo, Con Todo", which launched in early October. A Todo, Con Todo, "to everything, with everything," focuses on the important values of hard work, dedication, and commitment to family and community, and captures the consumer mindset and true essence of Ram. Ram will harness the Yahoo! en Espanol website to define and communicate the Ram brand lifestyle as well as deliver information and messages about its products through a seamless integration into programming that is of interest to Latino music fans.

This launch builds on the successful Ram and Yahoo! collaboration for "Ram Country on Yahoo! Music," now in its second year. La Banda Ram creates an association between the Ram Truck brand and Mexican regional music in the hearts and minds of Latino consumers, just as Ram Country does with country music fans.

The Ram brand's A Todo, Con Todo Latino advertising campaign includes television, radio, print, newspaper, and digital media, and features bi-lingual Ram Truck owners providing real-life testimonials. The campaign, running in the 15 top Latino markets was produced in both Spanish and English.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! YHOO +1.34% is the premier digital media company, creating deeply personal digital experiences that keep more than half a billion people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the globe. And Yahoo!'s unique combination of Science + Art + Scale connects advertisers to the consumers who build their businesses. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.com) or the company's blog, Yodel Anecdotal (yodel.yahoo.com).

Yahoo! is the trademark and/or registered trademark of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

About Ram Truck Brand

The Ram Truck brand continues to establish its own identity and clearly define its customer since its launch as a standalone vehicle brand. Creating a distinct brand for Ram trucks has allowed the brand to concentrate on how core customers use their trucks and what new features they'd like to see. Whether focusing on a family that uses its half-ton truck day in and day out, a hard-working Ram Heavy Duty owner or a business that depends on its commercial vehicles every day, Ram has the truck market covered.

The 2011 Ram 1500 was named a Consumers Digest Best Buy and AUTOMOBILE Magazine All-Star. Ram 1500's smooth-riding suspension and 20 mpg, 390 horsepower HEMI(R) V-8 are just two of the reasons it beat the competition. Ram 1500 also was named the Truck of Texas by the Texas Auto Writers Association in 2011.

The Ram Truck brand has the most innovative lineup of full-size trucks on the market. Ram Truck has emerged as a full-size truck leader by investing substantially in new products, infusing them with great looks, refined interiors, durable engines and features that further enhance their capabilities. Ram trucks now boast these segment exclusives:

-- Coil-spring rear suspension on Ram 1500 for best-in-class ride and handling

-- Available RamBox lockable and lighted bedside storage

-- In-floor storage on all Ram Crew Cabs

-- The largest cab in the market -- Ram HD Mega Cab

-- Standard six-speed manual transmission on all diesel models

-- Truck customers, from half-ton to commercial, have a demanding range of needs and require their vehicles to provide high levels of capability. Ram trucks are designed to deliver a total package

(1) Comscore, September 2011

SOURCE: Yahoo! Inc.

Latino music sound turns 40

2011-09-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

40 Years Since the Birth of Salsa: Does Anyone Really Care?

By Izzy Sanabria, Salsa Magazine

Izzy Sanabria

For the majority of Latinos struggling to provide a better life for their families, Salsa music is of little concern and certainly not at the top of their list of priorities. So what's so important and why should they care that August 26, 2011 marked the 40th anniversary of the event many consider to be the birth of Salsa?

Why? If for no other reason, it should provide us all with a sense of Pride. Why? Because Salsa is our greatest cultural art form being embraced today by people of all ages and nationalities around the world. I dare say that Salsa is perhaps our greatest contribution to world culture.

Salsa and the 1970s Latino: Cultural Renaissance in New York City
Starting in the late '60s and into the '70s, Latinos had a major cultural impact on New York City. It was a new generation of English speaking Puerto Rican baby boomers who created a Renaissance in all the arts and even had their own media voice (Latin NY magazine). They expressed their presence in poetry, their clothes, lifestyles and, of course, their most popular art form --- their music!

The new Latino lifestyle started emerging in the 1960s with Latin Soul music (The Boogaloo) in places like the St. George Hotel in Brooklyn. In the 1970s, it was the world famous Cheetah Discotheque that became the showplace of these young Latinos, and they gathered by the tens of thousands every Sunday in Central Park. Their immense presence literally Latinized the park as well as the City itself with a new look and a new sound.

August 26 1971: The Fania All Stars perform at the Cheetah
This was no ordinary performance, it was an explosion of energy no one had ever felt or experienced before. This incredible event was captured on film and released the following year as Our Latin Thing. A few years later, it would have a greater impact than when originally released. Ironically, while many consider this night as the birth of Salsa, there is no mention of the word Salsa in the movie.

In 1973, Latin NY Magazine was launched from the Cheetah. The Fania All Stars' concert at Yankee Stadium draws 44,000 screaming fans. Later that year, I hosted a TV Show called Salsa!

1975: The Spark that Ignited the Salsa Explosion!
Its fire fanned by the Newyorican fervor, the Salsa scene was bursting at the seams. Like dynamite waiting for a spark to ignite it, Salsa was ready to explode. The spark came in the form of Latin NY's First Salsa Awards in May 1975.

This event received greater (pre and post) mass media coverage than was ever given to any Latin music event at that time and thus gave Salsa its biggest push and momentum. The coverage by mainstream media such as The New York. Times, created an incredible worldwide avalanche of interest in Salsa. What made the awards (by American media standards) a "newsworthy" event was that we publicized the event and our intense public criticism of NARAS for ignoring 17 years of repeated requests to give Latin music its own separate category in the Grammys.

Though ignored by local Spanish media, the rest of the world took notice. From Europe (Holland, Germany, France, Italy, England, etc.) and as far away as Japan, journalists and TV camera crews came to New York to comment on and document Salsa; what they perceived as a new phenomenon of high energy rhythmic Latino urban music, its dancing and its lifestyles.

Salsa dancing has created a world-wide industry that is booming. Salsa Clubs and dance studios continue to spring up to meet the demands of the 100s of thousands wanting to learn how to dance Salsa. This growing interest has also led to the growth of local Salsa bands throughout European, African and even Asian countries. They sound like and even dress-up to look like 1970s Latinos.

The question is: How did this 1970s urban NY Latino music acquire such a growing audience? "The Latin NY Salsa Explosion" is a film in progress that addresses that question and provides some answers. If you'd like to see it, contact me at SalsaIzzy@gmail.com and I will send you a copy.

Izzy Sanabria is a creative innovative multi-media artist and publisher of Latin NY Magazine that spearheaded and documented the Latino Cultural Renaissance during the 1970s in New York City. He currently resides in Valrico, Florida and can be contacted at SalsaIzzy@gmail.com. For more detailed information visit: www.SalsaMagazine.com. And join him on FaceBook.

ALMA Awards to be hosted by Eva Longoria, George Lopez

2011-09-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

NBC will televise prime time special to air on Friday, September 16 from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. EDT

NEW YORK—An all-star lineup for the 2011 NCLR (National Council of La Raza) ALMAAwards was revealed today, which features Jessica Alba, Maria Celeste Arraras, Jake T. Austin, Benjamin Bratt, Maria Canals-Barrera, Cote de Pablo, David Henrie, Eva La Rue, Mario Lopez, Oscar Nuñez, Michael Peña, Aubrey Plaza, and Naya Rivera, as well as a live performance by Demi Lovato, for the one-hour prime time special airing Friday, September 16 from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. EDT on NBC. Additional presenters, performances, and talent will be announced shortly.

The NCLR ALMA Awards show is dedicated to honoring the spirit and accomplishments of some of the most prolific Latinos in the entertainment industry, spanning music, television, and film. Co-hosted by Eva Longoria and George Lopez, the telecast will celebrate the entertainers who have upheld and promoted a socially proactive image of Hispanic culture in today’s media.

Winners of the ALMA Awards will be determined by evaluating votes cast; box office, Nielsen, and Billboard rankings; and in consultation with the NCLR ALMA Awards Production Leadership Team. Selection rules and eligibility are posted at www.almaawards.com. Not all awards will be presented on-air during the NBC special; however, viewers can watch the remaining award presentations during the pre-show streamed online via http://telemundo.com/almaawards.

There is still one week left for fans to vote for their favorites. With the newonline voting system, fans have the power to see their favorite stars, musical performers, and shows receive the recognition and prestige that they deserve. Additionally, with the “Vote Your Way to VIP” contest, fans who cast their votes will get the chance to win a VIP experience for two including airfare, hotel, VIP tickets to the show, and an invitation to the VIP Post-Party. To vote, please go to www.almaawards.com.

The executive producers of the ALMA Awards are Bob Bain, Eva Longoria, and Janet Murguía. NBCUniversal and its parent company, Comcast, which has had a national partnership with NCLR since 2006, play a key role as creative partners and investors in the production of the awards show. In addition, PepsiCo is this year’s Presenting Sponsor. Additional sponsors include Target, McDonald’s, State Farm, General Motors Company, Comcast, AT&T, Bank of America and Prudential.

Interview with 'The Irish Soldiers of Mexico' author, Michael Hogan

2011-08-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

Dr. Michael Hogan, Author/Poet

By Nilki Benitez, Contributing Writer

Michael Hogan was born in Newport, Rhode Island in 1943, but lives in Colonia Providencia, Guadalajara, Mexico, with his wife Lucinda Mayo. He is the author of sixteen books, including a collection of short stories, six books of poetry, collected essays on teaching in Latin America, a novel, and a history of the Irish battalion in Mexico which formed the basis for "One Man's Hero," an MGM movie starring Tom Berenger. His book, entitled "The Irish Soldiers of Mexico," has drawn critical acclaim among historians who point out this is the best and most accurate account of history during the Mexican war. One reviewer stated: "...it is not only well-researched and well-documented but his is the only work which draws heavily on Mexican journals, manuscripts and archives."

Hogan's work has appeared in many journals such as the Paris Review, the Harvard Review, Z-Magazine, Political Affairs and the Monthly Review. He is a consultant to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Overseas Schools in Latin America. As an author he has received wide recognition for his work, including a PEN Award, two Pushcart Prizes, an NEA fellowship, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the gold medal of the Mexican Geographical Society.

Recently, freelance journalist Nilki Benitez caught up to Hogan and conducted a powerful interview captured via podcast about his book "The Irish Soldiers of Mexico." Here is that interview:

Documentary about Latino soldier takes Imagen Award

2011-08-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Winners of 26th Annual Imagen Awards announced at gala honoring Latinos in entertainment

John J. Valadez

August 12, 2011 – Beverly Hills, Calif. Winners of the 26th Annual Imagen (Spanish for “image”) Awards, honoring positive portrayals of Latinos and Latino culture in entertainment, were announced tonight at a star-studded dinner ceremony held in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The awards, hosted by actress Maria Canals-Barrera, star of Disney Channel’s Emmy-winning “Wizards of Waverly Place,” were handed out in front of an audience of approximately five hundred attendees representing the entertainment industry and Latino community. Among celebrities in attendance were Edward James Olmos, Kenny Ortega, Esai Morales, Mark Ballas, Cote de Pablo, Eva La Rue, Lupe Ontiveros, Victoria Justice, Alexa Vega, among others. Also in attendance were U.S. Secretary of Labor and former local congresswoman, Hilda L. Solis, and PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger.

Helen Hernandez, president of The Imagen Foundation, said: “We are proud of all the accomplishments that Latinos have achieved thus far throughout all facets of the entertainment industry; however, we must strive for continued progress of inclusion, particularly in decision-making and creative roles throughout the industry. I would like to personally thank all our corporate sponsors as well as Latino community leaders for their continued support of The Imagen Foundation and our mission.”

Winners were selected in 19 different categories from film, television and the internet, and judged by an independent panel of entertainment industry executives and Latino community leaders. Special recognition went to Latino Public Broadcasting, who received the Norman Lear Award, named for the veteran television producer who conceived the Imagen Awards program, and Walt Disney “Imagineer” Alfredo M. Ayala, who was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Following are the winners for this year’s Imagen Awards in their respective categories. Please note that there were no nominees for Best Feature Film Director but a new category, Best Young Actress/Television, was added:

Best Primetime Television Program or Movie-of-the-Week: Law & Order: Los Angeles (NBC)
Best Actor/Television: Freddy Rodriguez, CHAOS (CBS)
Best Actress/Television: Martha Higareda, Lies in Plain Sight (Lifetime Television)
Best Supporting Actor/Television: Carlos Gómez, The Glades (A&E)
Best Supporting Actress/Television: Eva La Rue, CSI: Miami (CBS)
Best Young Actress/Television: Selena Gomez, Wizards of Waverly Place (Disney Channel)
Best Children’s Programming: Dora The Explorer (Nickelodeon)
Best Documentary/Television: The Longoria Affair (Latino Public Broadcasting)
Best National Informational Program: Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One (WGBH)
Best Local Informational Program: Eye on Our Community (KCBS-TV)
Best On-Air Advertising: Dora 10th Anniversary Campaign (Nickelodeon)
Best Variety or Reality Show: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
Best Feature Film: Gun Hill Road (Motion Film Group/SimonSays Entertainment)
Best Actor/Feature Film: Esai Morales, Gun Hill Road (Motion Film Group/SimonSays Entertainment)
Best Actress/Feature Film: Michelle Rodriguez, Tropico de Sangre (Maya Entertainment)
Best Supporting Actor/Feature Film: Miguel Sandoval, Spoken Word (New Mexico Media Partner/Luminaria Films)
Best Supporting Actress/Feature Film: Adriana Barraza, From Prada to Nada (Pantelion Films/Lionsgate)
Best Theatrical Short or Student Film: The Big Deal (Lucy Rodriguez)

Major sponsors of this year’s event included Nielsen, Fox Deportes, PBS SoCal, The Walt Disney Company, Disney/ABC Television Group, NBCUniversal, CBS, The Gas Company, Lear Family Foundation, ABC7, Paramount, Latino Public Broadcasting, Warner Bros. and LATV Networks.

-- Advertisement --

Top Ten reasons Lopez Tonight was cancelled

2011-08-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

TOP Ten reasons Lopez Tonight has been cancelled

By Al Carlos

www.LatinoLA.com

10. Conan had a back door deal for his company to produce the 12 midnight show should Lopez fail.

9. Eric Estrada is now the head of TBS.

8. Lopez was too Hispanically hip for the room.

7. Unlike Conan or Fallon, George’s audience had to get up early for Work the next morning.

6. “Run, Jump or Shuffle, it’s all the same when you do it for the man” -Tommy Smith 1968

5. George knew the minute they bumped him back to 12 it was a set up.

4. Too much Cochicnadas…

3. TBS realized that Conan indeed has a bigger head than George.

2. They are thinking about a late night caveman show to takes his place- Gacho…

1. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Hispanic cowboys to be featured at 49er, Raider football game

2011-08-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

Eliseo Garcia, Jr.

The half-time extravaganza will feature four Charro ropers including whip-master James Barrera.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Cowboy showman, James Barrera, will bring his flashy showmanship, lassos and whips to San Francisco's Candlestick Park where the last true "vaquero" in California will show off his roping, lasso and whip use skills. Scheduled to perform before the 49er-Raider exhibition game on August 20, 2011, Barrera will be joined by three other skilled vaqueros to perform during the half-time show.

Nothing could make Barrera happier, as he has been a feature performer at some of California’s most eclectic venues including the Monterey Cowboy Music & Poetry Festival; the Vida de Oro Folk Art Festival; the Crocker Art Museum’s 125th Anniversary celebration; and the San Francisco Fine Arts Institute Graduation Celebration.

James Barrera

The half-time extravaganza will include Barrera, Eliseo Garcia, Jr. and Eliseo Garcia, Sr. from Woodlake, California; Octavio Perez from Woodland, California; and, will all perform with a mariachi and 60 folklorico dancers.

"I look forward to performing solo at the pre-game entertainment segment," says Barrera. "I will be showcasing some spectacular whip cracking routines before I'm joined by three of the state's greatest trick ropers."

Barrera's trick roping, whip cracking and storytelling skills have won him the respect and friendship of other working performers. Here’s what his peers say:

· Fiddling champion David Rainwater has dubbed him, “The Wildest cowboy in the West!”

“Jimmy is the best whip man in the business,” proclaimes Ernie Sites, nationally touring cowboy folksinger.

· “Intense, hot and very sexy!” raves Alberta Rivera, manager of San Francisco folk dance sensation, Cheyenne Danner. “When James starts cracking those whips, you can’t take your eyes off him. It’s pure macho fun!”

A Central Valley boy, born and raised, Barrera utilizes his unique abilities to tell long forgotten tales about the deep influences vaqueros carved into the California culture. With his quick wit and stage presence, he charms his audiences. While using his lasso to spin butterflies, he explores how the California vaqueros have shaped the image of the American cowboy, and the world-wide image of the American Wild West. While cracking his whips, he brings to life California folk legends such as Joaquin Murrieta and Tirburcio Vasquez. A third-generation Mexican-American, Barrera does not identify himself as a Mexican charro. Rather, he considers himself a California vaquero.

“Naturally, the vaquero, the romantic Mexican cowboy, is hyper ‘macho’ as tradition demands. But with James show, for the audience, the allure is the showcase of masculinity from a bygone era," says Alberta Rivera, a Bay Area Folkdance icon. "His lassoing and fancy trick roping skills are a living history show that appeal to cowboy aficionados and senoritas everywhere. He has refined his skills into a high quality family entertainment. Sure to conjure up iconic images and sounds of the Alamo; the movie Western – ‘Rio Bravo; and for those hopeless romantics out there -- Zorro! I call him -- ‘Sexy Zorro!”

Barrera’s skills can even be a seen over the internet on various MySpace and YouTube sites via Sacramento punk band Red Tape and promising young movie director Todd Wilber. Barrera is featured as a cowboy hero character in Red Tape’s 2007 "El Salvador" music video. Proving to be the baddest vaquero in the Central Valley, El Salvador uses his lasso and bullwhips to dispatch a gang of banditos. The two-and-a-half minute video is tribute to movie director Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi / Desperado movies.

Barrera is also scheduled to perform Saturday, August 13, 2011, at the annual Woodland Tomato Festival held at Freeman Park in Woodland, California.

For more information on cowboy trick roper and whip master, James Barrera, visit his web site at www.trickroperjm.com. For more information about the football event, visit www.49ers.com. For more information, go to: www.woodlandtomatofestival.com

Film about Latino soldier nominated for Imagen, Emmy Awards

2011-08-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

The documentary takes viewers through a widowed wife’s struggle to get a dignified ceremony for the remains of her highly decorated military husband.

LOS ANGELES, CA -- While fighting the Japanese in the Philippines during World War II, Pvt. Felix Z. Longoria, a highly decorated member of the U.S. military, was killed. Longoria’s remains were sent to his hometown of Three Rivers, Texas, where his wife, Beatrice, and family lived. When Beatrice was told she could not use the Chapel by the only funeral parlor in town because “the Whites wouldn’t like it,” she sought the help of the American GI Forum, which initiated a campaign that created a national uproar that changed American history.

The series of historical events and political ramifications of this period are delicately told by award-winning director John J. Valadez through his documentary film “The Longoria Affair.” The documentary has been nominated for an Imagen Award as “Best Documentary for Film or Television,” and for an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Historical Program.”

Pvt. Felix Z. Longoria

Valadez is no stranger to making documentaries about Latinos living in the U.S. Some of his credits include: Passin’ It On, Making Peace, Visiones: Latino Arts and Culture, and wrote/directed/produced The Chicano Wave segment of Latin Music USA.

“The Longoria Affair is one of only five documentary films in the entire country to have garnered this coveted nomination,” says Valadez about his Emmy nomination. “There are very few visual documents that record the Mexican American experience in this country.”

Narrated by well-known actor Tony Plana, the documentary takes viewers through a widowed wife’s struggle to get a dignified ceremony for the remains of her highly decorated military husband. Working with Dr. Hector Garcia, founder of the American GI Forum, they brought national attention to the issue. The incident also forged a bond between Texas Senator Lyndon Johnson and Garcia, that later ensured the election of Senator John F. Kennedy as President and the signing of the Civil Rights Act.

John J. Valadez

“The Longoria Affair makes sure we recognize and appreciate the prominent role and contribution Pvt. Longoria made, even in death, to the cause of civil rights for Chicanos in Veterans benefits, education, and many more areas,” says Arnulfo Hernandez, Jr., an attorney and active member of the American GI Forum. “Our hearts pound with pride; our souls joined in solidarity with Dr. Hector P. Garcia and the American GI Forum, which he founded.”

Winners of the Imagen Awards will be announced on August 12, 2011 from Los Angeles, California and the Emmy Awards will be announced September 26, 2011 from New York, New York.

For more information about the film, and the issues involved, visit www.thelongoriaaffair.com.

The Longoria Affair is a co-production of John J. Valadez, WGBH/Boston, and the Independent Television Service (ITVS) in association with Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, and the Houston Endowment. - Vida

Winningest Latino NFL Coach to be recognized

2011-07-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

Tom Flores To Be Honored by National Council of La Raza.
Special To Vida de Oro

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Tom Flores, the first Mexican American to play quarterback for a professional football team, will be honored on Tuesday, July 26, 2011, by the National Council of La Raza with its Roberto Clemente Sports Award.

Flores, who has won four Super Bowl rings (as a player, assistant coach and twice as head coach of the Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders), will be presented the award at ceremonies being held in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, July 26, 2011. The event, which begins at 4:30 PM (Pacific time) will be streamed live from the National Council de La Raza web site as part of the organization's four day conference.

"The leadership team of the Official Tom Flores Fan Club, who nominated Tom Flores for the award, is extrememly proud and excited that Tom is being honored by this prestigious Latino organization," said Joe Ortiz, President of the fan club. "Tom Flores is one of the greatest examples and positive role models for Mexican Americans and other Latinos for the greatness he has achieved in professional football," added Ortiz. "Not only for excelling as a professional quarterback and Super Bowl winning head coach, but for his commitment to youth throughout the nation, especially as the founder of the Tom Flores Youth Foundation based out of his hometown of Sanger, California."

Among his many honors, the football field of Sanger High School has been named the Tom Flores Stadium. Flores has also been inducted into the American Football League's Hall of Fame, as well as the California Sports Hall of Fame, and has been honored by many other institutions including the City of Los Angeles.

"Tom has earned every commendation he has ever received," said Ortiz. "He has also earned the right to be inducted into the National Football League's Hall of Fame. All of his fans know this; it's only the voters of the Hall of Fame who have failed to acknowledge this reality and need to give him the honor he deserves."

"My personal opinion is that when the Oakland Raiders came up with that great slogan for their football team, "A Committment to Excellence," they had to be thinking of Tom Flores," Ortiz beamed.
Flores achievements are monumental, to say the least. He graduated from the University of the Pacific in 1958, but was unable to find a job in professional football. He was cut by the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL in 1958, and then by the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) in 1959. In 1960 Flores finally landed a position as a quarterback with the American Football League's Oakland Raiders, who began play in 1960 as a charter member of the league. Flores became the first Hispanic quarterback in American professional football. He became the Raiders' starting quarterback early in the 1960 season.

Flores had his most productive season in 1966. Although he completed only 49.3 percent of his attempts, he passed for 2,638 yards and 24 touchdowns in 14 games. Oakland traded him to the Buffalo Bills in 1967. After serving primarily as a backup, he was released by the Bills and in 1969 signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he was back up to Len Dawson on the Chiefs' World Championship team, where he earned his first Super Bowl ring. He retired as a player after the 1970 season. He was one of only twenty players who were with the AFL for its entire ten-year existence. He is the fifth-leading passer, all-time, in the AFL.

After stints as an assistant coach in Buffalo and Oakland (he won his 2nd Super Bowl XI ring as an Assistant Coach under John Madden), Flores became the Raiders' head coach in 1979, following John Madden's retirement. Flores then became the NFL's first minority (and Mexican American) head coach to win a Super Bowl, winning his third and fourth Super Bowl rings for Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII.

After a 5-10 finish to the 1987 season, Flores moved to the Raiders' front office, but left after just one year to become the president and general manager of the Seattle Seahawks. He returned to coaching as the Seahawks head coach in 1992, but returned to the front office following three disappointing seasons. Flores resigned from the Seahawks in 1994 following Paul Allen's purchase of the Seahawks.

Flores left Pro Football with a lifetime coaching record of 97-87 (52.7%), as well as an 8-3 playoff record, and with two Super Bowl victories. Flores, Jimmy Johnson, and George Seifert are the only eligible coaches with two such victories, who have not been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Tom Flores has distinguished himself in so many ways in the pro football arena as a player, assistant coach, head coach, President and General Manager of an NFL Football team, and now as a commentator for the Oakland Raiders football team along with Greg Papa on KSFO (560 AM) during the radio broadcasts of Raiders games.

Maybe there are many other football players and coaches who have garnered more wins as a quarterback, or as an assistant coach or as a head coach, but very few professional football players and coaches (as well as fans) who have worked with Tom Flores among his many capacities in football or with numerous civic communities, can never say he isn't deserving to be inducted into the NFL's Hall of Fame!

This coming July 31, 2011, Tom Flores will also celebrate 51 years involvment as a member of professional football community in the United States (not including high school, college and a stint in the Canadian Football League), where he became the first quarterback to play for the old American Football League as the quarterback for the embryonic Oakland Raiders.

"I'm a Raider for life," said the iconic Flores.

15th Annual Latino Film Festival

2011-07-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

The festival’s huge success in attracting visibility to Latino films in spite of some hard economic times, is an achievement in itself.
By LENIKA CRUZ, UCLA Daily Bruin

LOS ANGELES, CA -- On Sunday night, filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts gathered at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood to begin celebrating one of the summer’s biggest quinceañeras, kicking off the 15th Annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.

The nine-day event, which opened with a birthday gala and a screening of the comedy “Aquí Entre Nos,” will feature a total of 76 films – including shorts, features and documentaries – from 14 different countries.

Official festival selections include “Without Men,” “A tiro de piedra (A Stone’s Throw Away),” “¿Alguien ha visto a Lupita? (Have you seen Lupita?),” “Granito: How To Nail A Dictator” and “Capsules.”

“When we first started, there was an initiative for the city of Los Angeles to create a festival that could cater to a fast-growing Latino community. Now we’re no longer a minority,” said Marlene Dermer, LALIFF’s co-founder and programmer.

According to Dermer, Latino filmmakers have risen to earn Academy Awards and direct critical smash hits such as “Y Tu Mamá También,” as well as Hollywood favorites such as “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”

“I think these amazing creative artists have proven to the industry that … we are part of world cinema,” Dermer said.

Dermer also said that the festival’s huge success in attracting visibility to Latino films does not obscure the fact that simply reaching 15 years of putting on the festival, in spite of some hard economic times, is an achievement in itself.

The festival will close with the highly anticipated summer blockbuster “Cowboys & Aliens,” directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”) and co-written and co-produced by Mexican-born Roberto Orci. However, for the most part, the films shown at LALIFF do not yet have Hollywood exposure, much less Hollywood funding.

“(LALIFF) gives the Los Angeles public the chance to see films they would otherwise not have the opportunity to see,” said Randal Johnson, interim vice provost of international studies at UCLA, former director of the UCLA Latin American Institute and professor of Brazilian culture and film. “It’s difficult for foreign films to enter the exhibition market in the U.S. so festivals become important as venues to see films that might otherwise not be available.”

Though this year will mark Johnson’s first absence from the festival since its inception in 1997, his connection and esteem for LALIFF remain strong, he said. Two years ago, Johnson served on the jury that pronounced “Sons of Cuba” best documentary. The film – which follows the training and lives of three young Cuban boxers with their eyes on the Olympics and national glory – went on to win several awards at festivals across the world, spurred on by its initial success at LALIFF.

Johnson said he admired the film so much, he brought it to UCLA for a screening. He also said that resources and inspiration are abundant at LALIFF and UCLA students who are interested in meeting creative film minds merely need to have the confidence to ask.

While LALIFF primarily focuses on Latino artists and themes, Johnson said it does not do so at the expense of cinema’s ability to provide a collective, transcultural experience.

“The best Latino filmmakers tell stories about Latino culture and society, but in a way that also expresses universal values,” Johnson said.

According to Dermer, the festival, while prefixed by the filter “Latino,” offers a visual collection that spans genre and subject matter.

“From historical movies to little independent films, to those dealing with transgender issues, comedy, films about surfing in Cuba … there really is a little bit of everything for everyone,” Dermer said.

She also said that LALIFF owes a great deal to the UCLA community, which has not only screened and held discussion panels on the festival’s films, but also provides the hands and hearts that fuel it. Every year, UCLA students and alumni join the LALIFF team that hangs lights, fields media requests and directs the films that make it to the festival screens.

The films at LALIFF may evoke a sense of cultural pride for L.A.’s Latino community, but they are also a chance for visitors to become open to the experiences of others, said Glenn Dicus, a UCLA alum and a production assistant at LALIFF.

“When you watch a Latino film, usually they don’t have a big $200 million budget, but they do have the stories, and that’s most important,” Dicus said. “That’s why we go see the movies in the first place.”

Enjoy the following promotional video:

Cuisine of Michoacan: Carnitas and Cabernet please...

2011-07-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

Fundraiser to benefit AltaMed's mission to provide access to quality health care in underserved communities.

LOS ANGELES, CA -- AltaMed hosted the sixth annual East LA Meets Napa, one of the nation's most unique festivals that celebrates the Latino community's contributions to California's multi-billion dollar food and wine industry. The event pairs Latino- owned or operated wineries from the Napa Valley with Latino-owned or operated restaurants from the greater Los Angeles area.

The event was attended by more than 1,400 wine and culinary enthusiasts who enjoyed 60 plus pairing stations and live music by Jose Rizo's Mongorama. This year's event featured the flavors of Michoacan, considered by some to be Mexico's soul food.

"We are proud to showcase the regional cuisine of Michoacan, which played a major role in UNESCO's decision to place Mexican cuisine on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2010," said Castulo de la Rocha, AltaMed's President and CEO. "In addition many of our event's vintners hail from the state."

The event also launched AltaMed's publication In Their Own Words, which chronicles Latino's contributions to the U.S. wine industry. The book features the stories of 17 wine makers from the Napa Valley, some of whom began their careers as farm workers and have gone on to own or operate important wineries. Copies of the book were made available at the event and can be purchased at https://donate.altamed.org/book.

President and CEO Castulo de la Rocha's passion for good Latin Cuisine and fine wine inspired AltaMed's East LA Meets Napa, which has become an event that truly showcases the variety that exists within Latino gastronomy and viticulture. "We are proud that East LA Meets Napa has evolved into one of the most popular food events in Southern California," said de la Rocha, "we owe a great deal of thanks to our sponsors particularly Ken Jackson of Camfield Partners who was our Title Sponsor this year." Other sponsors included Richard Gomez of Total Corporate Solutions, Jack Cline Jr. of Lee & Associates, Ricardo Robles of La Reina, Hector Barreto of Barreto Rezinas (who will debut Tributo A Mi Padre a new tequila) and Robin and Jaime Guentert of Trader Joe's.

In addition, wineries, restaurants and chefs who donated their talent and fare included Alex Sotelo Cellars, Ceja Vineyards, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wine, Sequoia Grove Vineyards, Madrigal Vineyards, Robledo Family Winery Inc., Quintessa, Bodegas San Rafael, Cavas Valmar, and Vinisterra Winery, Chef Hugo Molina of Seta, Chef Daniel Salcido of Cities, Chef Alfonso Ramirez of Luna Restaurant and Lounge, Chef John Rivera Sedlar of Rivera Restaurant, Chef Jim Shaw of Loteria Grill, and new to this year's event Chef Robert Luna of Mas Malo, and Annette Starbuck of The Goodie Girls and winner of The Food Network show "Cupcake Wars".

All proceeds from the event benefit AltaMed, which provides critical services including primary medical care, dental clinics, comprehensive senior services, disease management programs, health education, youth programs, HIV/AIDS care, and substance abuse prevention and treatment.

AltaMed, a private nonprofit organization, is a major provider of health and human services in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. AltaMed is the largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in the State of California. The mission of AltaMed is to eliminate disparities in health care access and outcomes by providing superior quality health and human services through an integrated world-class delivery system for Latino, multi-ethnic and underserved communities. AltaMed began as the East Los Angeles Barrio Free Clinic in 1969, a volunteer-staffed storefront providing basic medical services. Currently, AltaMed provides more than 650,000 patient visits annually through its 43 sites in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

SOURCE AltaMed

Sequel planned for Latino soap opera that inspires health

2011-07-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

Associated Press survey showed that thousands of viewers called a help line to ask about issues on the show.
By: IVAN MORENO | Associated Press

DENVER, CO -- The titillating twists and turns of this Spanish-language soap opera captivated Colorado Hispanics.

But instead of stories of forbidden love and revenge, its plot twists involved health issues affecting Hispanics and the services the state provides — all told with the dramatic flair for which telenovelas are famous.

Think soap opera meets after-school special.

Health officials say they got a resounding response from 2009's Denver-area series, titled "Encrucijada: Sin Salud No Hay Nada," or "Crossroads: Without Health, There Is Nothing."

Three surveys provided to The Associated Press this week on its impact showed that thousands of viewers called a help line to ask about issues on the show, and most said they found the show beneficial. One night, 35,000 households tuned in, according to Nielsen ratings.

"We were overwhelmed with the response," said project director Anne Smith. "To receive the call volume that we did, when we weren't trying to give away pizzas. We were asking people to call about a pretty complex issue."

The success has inspired a sequel, "Encrucijada 2," which will begin filming in Los Angeles this fall. The Colorado Health Foundation, which owns the rights to the first season of the show, is trying to make it available in other states, said Kelly Dunkin, vice president of philanthropy at the foundation.

Hispanics are affected by diabetes, obesity and other health issues at disproportionately high rates. For example, they have higher rates of obesity than whites, African Americans, and Asians among children ages 2 to 14, according the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Hispanic adults are also three times more likely to die of diabetes than whites and two times more likely than African Americans.

Language barriers and, for many, living in a new culture, mean they're often hard to reach about their health options, making the telenovela an appealing avenue.

"I think we have to go where the people are," said Dr. Chris Urbina, the executive director and chief medical officer of the Colorado department. "Latinos, particularly first generation Latinos, like to watch telenovelas. I think it's part of our culture."

Other states are using radio soap operas to educate minorities about their health.

Last month, a radio show launched in Alabama titled "Promesas y Traiciones," or "Promises and Betrayals," that educates Hispanics about obesity and smoking. A radio drama for African Americans called "Living Well in Camberwell" also began airing in that state.

"We can help create a narrative that can inspire people to change," said Brenda Campos, the program director for Media Impact, one of the organizations that helped produce the shows.

In Iowa, a weekly radio series just concluded that sought to prevent unintended pregnancies.

"Practically speaking, most people would agree that entertainment is going to engage you more and you're going to pay more attention," said Connie Kohler, a professor of health behavior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Kohler worked on the Iowa program, titled, "La Noche Te Da Sorpresas," or "The Night Gives You Surprises."

The Colorado soap opera featured health workers as its protagonists. Along the way, viewers were immersed with plots they could relate to. There was the case of an expecting couple encouraged to seek prenatal care; there were characters without health insurance. A teenager learned a lesson about driving drunk after getting into a wreck that injured a boy. The boy's family learned he qualified for Child Health Plan Plus, known as CHPP, a Colorado program for uninsured children and pregnant women who can't afford private insurance but earn too much to qualify for Medicaid.

Most viewers surveyed said they learned "a lot" about diseases, including diabetes and cancer. Nearly all said the telenovela gave them ideas on how to improve their lives.

The 12-episode season aired on Denver's Univision affiliate, operated by Entravision Communications Corp., based in Santa Monica, Calif., with stars that included Roberto Medina, who appeared in "21 Grams" and "Frida."

"Encrucijada" sometimes drew comparable ratings to the Spanish-language version of "Desperate Housewives."

A toll-free number during each episode encouraged viewers to call about topics on the show. During its run, from May to December 2009, the health hotline received more than 2,000 calls, according to figures compiled for the Colorado Health Foundation.

One third of callers requested information about the CHPP program, and about a fifth called to learn about low-cost health insurance options. Others sought help for depression, domestic violence and diabetes.

Maria Dolores Jaquez De Silva, 63, was an avid viewer who learned about a place where she could get tested regularly for diabetes. She said she made sure to spread the program's message to her friends.

"Because that show was about advice, not about a soap opera," she said in Spanish. "They're such beautiful messages that the show should never end."

Dunkin, with the Colorado Health Foundation, said the "Encrucijada" sequel will focus on healthy eating and being more active. It will continue to emphasize the availability of public health insurance programs.

"We know that telenovelas are incredibly popular. We've heard that men don't watch telenovelas, but we know that they secretly do," Dunkin said.
___

Ivan Moreno can be reached at: http://www.twitter.com/ivanmoreno_colo

SAMPLE OF SOAP OPERA:

ENCRUCIJADA - Sin Salud No Hay Nada from Olivia Preci on Vimeo.

Latina boxer sets sight on Olympic gold

2011-07-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Marina Ramirez is a young woman with a vision…an Olympic vision.

By Adrian Perez

SACRAMENTO, CA -- With lightening speed, Marina pounds the punching bag as if to knock it from its hook at the Prime Time Boxing gym in Sacramento, California. Anyone standing close by can feel the power punches in the stomach that the number 2 nationally Ranked boxer lands on the bag. Stepping back, she pauses, looks at us, and flashes the smile of a pretty and shy girl.

Marina Ramirez is a young woman with a vision…an Olympic vision. At five-foot even and edging 112 pounds, her 4-hour daily training and hard-body tells you she means business. Her goal? To make the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Boxing Team. So what motivates the 21-year old to become a boxer?

“I really like it,” says Marina while beaming a smile. “It’s what I want to do and I’m good at it.”

And, she’s convincingly believable in the ring.

Born in the small community of Parma, Idaho, about 30 minutes outside of Boise, Marina grew up as an outdoor girl, riding horses (even a bull) and an athlete (running cross-country and playing basketball.) But, it was getting bullied that drove her to learn how to box.

“I learned to box to stop the bullying and found that I liked the sport,” she says. “I also beat up a couple of boys.”

Interestingly, the soft-spoken Latina does not pass as the image of a boxer, especially that created by other women boxers like Laila Ali, who has been inspiration for Marina.

“I work for the HardRock Café in Las Vegas,” says Marina. “I need to provide for myself, and that’s where I live. But, I’m a very nice person when I’m not in the ring.”

In fact, if anyone met Marina in the street, they would see her as a pretty and feminine young girl, unsuspecting of her real skills and power-punching abilities.

“I took karate, but I really like boxing,” she remarks.

Helping Marina in her corner is Cary Williams-Nunez, who is one of only three women in the nation trained to coach Olympic level boxing for women and owner of the Prime Time Boxing gym in Sacramento.

“There are only three weight classes for the women in the Olympics, 112 pounds, 134 pounds, and 164 pounds,” says Cary. “She’s fast and very determined and she’s our secret little weapon when we go to the Golden Gloves in Florida.”

Women’s boxing was added to the 2012 London Olympics by the International Olympics Committee, giving legitimacy to the sport, which has had limited exposure having been limited only to the professional ranks.

“I have dedicated my life to boxing,” says Marina. “I used to drive 30 miles from where I lived (in Idaho) to a boxing gym when I first started.”

Marina won her first amateur fight, which gave her additional motivation to continue and has since collected 30 fights, raising the eyebrow of the U.S. Women’s Olympic Boxing team coaches.

“My parents and my friends support me, and that’s very important to me,” says Marina, also sharing that she owns a horse back in Parma where her parents live as well.

Upon turning 18, she moved to Las Vegas, seeking better training and an opportunity to be more competitive. It was here where Cary saw Marina at an amateur tournament and asked if she wanted to train at her Sacramento gym. Spending a week at Prime Time Boxing has helped sharpen Marina’s skills preparing her for the Golden Gloves.

“I think there is going to be a flood of girls, like Marina, who will be coming in when the sport is televised from the Olympics,” says Cary. “I’ve seen a number of girls already and some will be showing up over the next few years with a lot of experience.”

"Team Marina" are still seeking sponsors. Follow Marina’s career through www.primetimeboxing.com Facebook page.

Nuevo Hispania, 27th largest nation on the Earth

2011-07-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

For decades, businesses and cultural institutions could afford to ignore the Hispanic market. Now, they are chasing it aggressively, because that’s where the money is.

By Jon Garrido

With more than 46 million people, Nuevo Hispania is the 27th-largest nation on Earth and the fourth largest in the Western Hemisphere. Its residents wield $1 trillion of buying power in the marketplace. Even as the rest of the economy contracts in the global recession, Nuevo Hispania remains a thriving, even booming, market that’s expected to grow by 48 percent in the next four years.

And it’s not even a real country.

The imaginary “Nuevo Hispania” is actually a substantial segment of the U.S. population. Hispanics now account for more than 17 percent of the U.S. populace as the nation’s largest minority group. And while other demographic sectors are growing only incrementally, the Hispanic population is exploding: The Census Bureau projects 30 percent of Americans will be Hispanic by 2050 and by 2097, 50% of all Americans will be Hispanic.

The Hispanic market’s growing clout comes even as the recession takes a harsh toll on Latino workers. The elimination of tens of thousands of construction jobs has hit the sector particularly hard, sending the national unemployment rate for Latino males to 11 percent.

For decades, businesses and cultural institutions could afford to ignore the Hispanic market. Now, they are chasing it aggressively, because that’s where the money is.

That poses a big challenge. Underrepresented for decades in U.S. commerce and media, Hispanic Americans long ago developed their own commercial, cultural and media channels. And that means companies and institutions can’t just throw open the doors and expect Hispanics to come in.

Those companies and institutions must go to the customer.

“For companies to grow in the coming years, it is critical to understand how to reach and connect with these consumers,” said Reinaldo Padua, assistant vice president for Hispanic marketing for Coca-Cola North America.

Identifying the audience crucial

The word “Hispanic” is misleading. Unlike many other minority groups, “Hispanic” is not a race — it is an umbrella word collecting people of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican and any other Spanish or Latino cultural origin.

They are not united by culture or by history, said Jeffrey M. Humphreys, director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, and Hispanics from different cultures tend to cluster in cohesive urban neighborhoods. What unites them, Humphreys argues in “The Multicultural Economy,” is simply the Spanish language.

That means a generic appeal is not enough, said Lorenzo Lopez, director of multicultural media at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

“It’s not a matter of checking the ‘Spanish’ box” and calling it a day, he said.

The goal is to connect to the culture in a socially relevant way and make sure each community’s specific needs is served. For Wal-Mart, that means tailoring individual stores to meet to the demands of the local market.

The company installed a tortilla machine in its store in Garland, Texas, a heavily Hispanic area, and built a Pollo Campero, a fast-food chicken chain hugely popular in Central America, in a store in nearby Rowlett. It put up bilingual signs, stocked produce geared toward Latino appetites and sold movies and music skewed toward Latino tastes.

More than the Spanish language

AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, began applying the same principle about seven years ago. Today, the organization has 1.2 million Hispanic members.

“Reaching the Hispanic community will continue to be a key focus for us, and we will continue to expand outreach efforts to this demographic,” said Emilio Pardo, AARP’s executive vice president and chief brand officer.

The crucial point, he said, is not just to translate existing programs, publications and services into Spanish. Instead, you have to “transcreate — to be in the community.”

AARP “transcreates” through its magazine Segunda Juventud, or Second Youth. Billed as “the only publication for 50+ Hispanic Americans,” the bilingual magazine tailors AARP’s five universal pillars — health, financial security, community, intergenerational issues and fun — to the needs of Hispanic communities.

Hispanics, for instance, tend to have “stronger intergenerational ties than the general population, with multiple generations living under one roof,” Pardo said. So the AARP’s caregiving and financial advice is geared more toward family-oriented caretaking at home, as opposed to more independent caretaking for its general audience of retirees living alone.

Similarly, as its Hispanic members tend to be younger, AARP may focus more on college advice and tuition management.

In addition to the magazine, AARP also uses an arsenal of podcasts, Spanish-language radio broadcasts and live events to get its message out.

In May 2007, AARP sponsored its first national Hispanic event, drawing 16,400 people to Feria de la Segunda Juventud (the “Festival of the Second Youth”) in Puerto Rico, a two-day event that featured 60 exhibitors, music, food and celebrity appearances by the likes of Gloria Estefan. A similar event is planned for this May in San Antonio, Texas.

“Nearly 8 percent of Hispanics are over 50, but what is much more important is that this number is expected to more than double by 2025, according to the census,” Pardo said. “The considerable population growth dictates that we look at it as a business imperative.”

Hispanic ad firms thrive

One of the biggest beneficiaries of the explosion in Hispanic buying power is the U.S. Hispanic advertising industry, which the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies estimates is growing four times faster than all other sectors of the ad industry.

“Marketers now see that the Hispanic market in the U.S. is a great business opportunity,” said Sergio Alcocer, president and chief creative officer of LatinWorks Marketing Inc. of Austin, Texas, whose accounts include Anheuser-Busch, ESPN and Burger King.

It’s a sharp contrast from only a few years ago, during the first wave of Hispanic advertising in the 1980s and 1990s, when companies invested in the Hispanic market “almost kind of like a good citizen-type thing.”

The competition is especially acute within the cell phone industry.

In 2006, industry research found that Hispanics “over-index” in almost every category: They use more minutes, make long-distance calls, text more and download more ring tones.

“Family and social bonds are stronger than in the general population, and Latinos communicate more with each other,” said Isaac Mizrahi, director of multicultural marketing communications for Sprint Nextel Corp.

Both Sprint Nextel and AT&T Inc. have a wide array of tools with which to attract the Hispanic user. AT&T, for example, has developed 716 Hispanic Intensity Traffic (HIT) stores, where all sales material and staff are bilingual, in high-density Hispanic areas.

In addition to a similar network of bilingual stores, Sprint Nextel last year sponsored the tour of the Colombian rock star Juanes. The company released singles for download before his album “La Vida ... Es un Ratico en Vivo” was released and provided video, ring tones, concert information and the ability to purchase tickets over its Sprint mobile devices.

For Hispanics, Coke is it

Perhaps no other mainstream U.S. company has been building bridges to Hispanic customers longer than Coca-Cola.

Coke’s forays in targeting Hispanics go back more than 30 years. It has been a worldwide sponsor of soccer’s World Cup since 1978, frequently features Latino players in its ads, and it had the advantage of having had a strong presence in Latin America: When immigrants came to the United States, they regarded the brand as an iconic representation of their new homeland.

This month, Coke is launching a marketing campaign centered on the “American dream,” emphasizing the company’s historic role in Hispanic America’s immigrant narrative. The ads will be bilingual, highlighting Hispanics’ growing acculturation and placing Coke itself as a bicultural product.

“As a company, we identified the burgeoning Hispanic market many years ago and have strengthened the bond that exists between Coca-Cola and Hispanics,” Padua said.

“Any company who wants to grow must look at the Hispanic market.”

Coalition of musicians announce boycott of CBS, Grammys

2011-07-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Organizer claimes the reductions unfairly target ethnic music and call the Academy's decision racist.
By Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Huffington Post

NEW YORK -- A coalition of musicians that has protested the Recording Academy's decision to drop 31 categories from the Grammy Awards is stepping up the pressure, calling for a boycott of the Grammys' telecast partner, CBS, and hiring a lawyer to explore legal action.

"We will ask people to stop watching CBS, boycott their sponsors and then write them," said Bobby Sanabria, a Grammy-nominated Latin jazz musician and the leader of the coalition, in an interview Wednesday night. "We're at a critical juncture."

The changes have drawn complaints from the likes of Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon and Bill Cosby. They also have gotten attention from organizations like the National Institute of Latino Policy, which issued a statement Thursday in support of Sanabria's coalition.

Sanabria has claimed the reductions unfairly target ethnic music and called the Academy's decision racist.

In response, the Recording Academy said Thursday evening that while it respected the coalition's right to disagree, it rejected its allegations.

"The Recording Academy's board of trustees and its committees - made up of elected, qualified voting members from The Academy's 12 chapter cities around the country and a broad spectrum of music makers - spent two years researching and ultimately making the decision to restructure the Grammy Awards categories for reasons that had everything to do with recognizing excellence in music and the integrity of our awards and nothing to do with ethnicity or race," said a statement from the organization.

CBS is scheduled to broadcast the Grammys next February from Los Angeles. The network declined to comment, a representative said Thursday.

In a move that came as a surprise to some, the Academy announced in April that it was reducing the number of award categories from 109 to 78. While the changes involve mainstream categories such as eliminating the male and female divisions in the pop vocal category to one general field, the Academy also reduced specific categories, including some of the instrumental categories in pop, rock and country; traditional gospel; children's spoken-word album; Zydeco or Cajun music album; best Latin jazz album; and best classical crossover album. Artists in those categories will now have to compete in more general fields, making the process more competitive.

Sanabria said the Academy made the changes without the knowledge of its members and has not released minutes from its meetings regarding the changes.

Spanish TV news expands as 2012 election nears

2011-06-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

The change comes as the latest Census data shows Hispanics propelled more than half of the country's population growth over the last decade.

By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ, AP Hispanic Affairs Writer

MIAMI (AP) — Spanish-language television news is meeting a surge in Hispanic voting muscle and viewership with greatly expanded domestic coverage this year, just in time for the 2012 election season.

Industry experts say the growth could affect next year's election by increasing awareness of political issues among U.S. Spanish speakers and by encouraging more to vote in a population whose participation has lagged others. Members of bilingual households who prefer English are also expected to be influenced by the newscasts when they watch with parents and grandparents. The change comes as the latest Census data shows Hispanics propelled more than half of the country's population growth over the last decade.

"It's a cycle. You have a growing population that leads to more coverage, which forces more politicians to pay attention, and that leads to better, and more, news coverage and more engagement," said Alejandro Alvarado, head of Florida International University's Spanish-language Master's in Journalism program.

The nation's three top Spanish-language broadcast and cable networks are beefing up their election coverage and increasing get-out-the vote efforts. Of the nation's more than 20 million Hispanic citizens over 18, nearly half are bilingual and about a quarter are more comfortable in Spanish. Meanwhile, less than a third said they voted in 2010, according to Census data analyzed by the independent Pew Hispanic Center. Comparatively, nearly half of their white counterparts said they voted.

Still, the Pew study showed a record number of Hispanics voted in a non-presidential year, boosting their share of votes and showing their increasing political power. Latino turnout could be key in 2012 swing states like Florida, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado.

Univision recently announced it plans to start a 24-hour cable news channel in 2012, along with several local newscasts. It's also created an investigative team and a news documentary division, while hiring reporters to cover the drug war, health care, Wall Street and the White House.

Its primary rival, NBC Universal's Telemundo says its local affiliates are adding 1,000 hours of local news content a year, as well as several all-news digital channels in key markets.

Univision and Telemundo's nightly newscasts, whose audiences are growing, drew a combined average of about 2.5 million viewers nightly last year according to Nielsen Co. That's small compared to the 23 million combined for the big three English-language network newscasts, but it's also a higher proportion of Hispanic households than the big three capture of the general audience.

On cable, CNN en Espanol, which has mostly catered to viewers in Latin America since its 1997 launch, revamped its domestic lineup last fall and added 14 reporters and anchors, several shows and a Miami studio.

Recognizing that many Latinos get their news from their mobile devices, all three networks are beefing up their online news departments.

Telemundo and Univision still fend off criticism for scantily clad women and violence in their non-news programming, but politicians are responding to the enhanced news coverage.

Univision, CNN en Espanol and Telemundo's weekend public affairs programs now regularly draw top leaders. Topics range from immigration to the disproportionate number of uninsured Hispanics. Earlier this year when President Barack Obama held a town hall on education, Univision was chosen for the first time as the network to air it.

It's not just about the big networks. In heavily Latino markets such as Miami and Los Angeles, independent local channels increasingly draw politicians and community leaders to their news talk shows.

For Nina Ocon, a 23-year-old public relations major at Florida International University, watching Spanish-language TV is partly about seeing news subjects who look and sound like her.

"In English, too often the Hispanic being interviewed is still the housekeeper," she said.

Although she mostly gets her news online in English, she watches local news in Spanish with her Nicaraguan mother and catches news about her stepfather's native Colombia from Latin American cable TV.

"I'll come and sit with them to watch the news. It's not so much a habit, it just happens," she said.

Spanish-language TV executives, and increasingly politicians and advertisers, are banking on attracting people like Ocon, who grew up on Spanish-language news but is now more comfortable in English.

Isaac Lee, the new head of Univision's news division, said the network is the choice of many bilingual viewers because they provide coverage through a Latino lens. He pointed to January's shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords as an example.

"The mainstream media focused on what happened to her. We covered that but focused on the fact that it was a Hispanic who saved her and what put him into a position to be able to do that," he said.

During the 2010 California governor debate sponsored by Univision, GOP candidate Meg Whitman was forced to defend her decision to fire her long-time illegal immigrant housekeeper after the woman turned to her for help with her legal status. The scandal had been brewing before the debate, but Univision's airing of Whitman's comments translated into Spanish helped solidify a shift among Hispanic voters to eventual victor and Democrat Jerry Brown, said Fernando Amandi, of the research and consulting firm Bendixen & Amandi, which focuses on the Hispanic market.

Most studies find that Hispanic voters rank jobs, health care and education above immigration as priorities. Yet Spanish-language news skews toward a viewership of newer arrivals who relate directly to the immigration story, which helps give the issue greater resonance in the broader Latino community.

Telemundo news Vice President Ramon Escobar, a former NBC news executive, is unapologetic about the emphasis on immigration. He acknowledges fixing the nation's current system is a complex task but describes the debate as "our generation's civil rights era."

Spanish-language newscasts have a responsibility to lead coverage on the treatment of immigrants, Escobar said. Telemundo anchors spent months in Phoenix around the time of Arizona's passage of its tough 2010 immigration law.

"Arizona was clearly a flashpoint in this country," he said Thursday during the annual conference of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in central Florida. "And we were there from the beginning."

Escobar said the network plans add similar coverage in states that recently passed tough immigration laws like Utah, Georgia and Alabama.

As they expand, executives also face the growing challenge of holding onto second- and third- generation Hispanics who speak little or no Spanish. Language barriers are already beginning to break down as reporters do double-duty for CNN in English and Spanish and for NBC and Telemundo. Univision's news division now tweets in English.

Univision just created a graduate journalism fellowship at Columbia University in New York, while Telemundo created a journalism internship for Florida International students in Miami.

"Our emphasis is to have students be bilingual," Florida International's Alvarado said. "It's becoming a two-way conversation, with more journalists hopping back and forth — just like Hispanics do throughout the country."

Interview with award-winning Latina Poet/Author Lisa Alvarado

2011-06-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

By NilkiBenitez

CHICAGO, Ill – Lisa Alvarado is an award winning journalist, author, and publisher, whose work has been internationally recognized. Some of her work includes: Raw Silk Suture, Sister Chicas, Derriva, Dark Water Speaking, and Housekeeper's Diary. She is also an online publisher on La Bloga, and Blogcritics.org, which feature literary criticism, book reviews, interviews, and cultural commentary. Ms. Alvarado’s awards include: Hispanic Author of the Year, 2009 - State of Illinois, Mariposa International Award for Best First Novel in English (2nd Place), 2007 Latino Literacy Now, and is recipient of numerous nationally recognized scholarships and grants.

Publicist and journalist Nilki Benitez recently caught up to Ms. Alvarado and conducted the following audio interview:

Hollywood's premier Latino PR guru, Gabriel Reyes

2011-06-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

From struggling actor to head of the most prominent and pioneering Hispanic/Latino PR firms in Hollywood, Gabriel Reyes found his true calling.
By Al Carlos Hernandez, Deputy Managing Editor, Herald de Paris

HOLLYWOOD - Reyes Entertainment is one of the most prominent and pioneering Hispanic/Latino driven public relations and marketing groups in the Country. The company is based in LA was founded by Hispanic/Latino public relations Guru, Gabriel Reyes.

Reyes started out as an actor but found his true calling in PR and marketing after a disastrous meeting with a casting agent back in the ’80s.

He said, “I remember having an epiphany one day: These casting directors sit in a room all day with a camera and see 200 to 300 guys for a 30-second commercial. I walked in and I realized that, as I was doing my audition, the casting director wasn’t even looking at me. She was having her lunch. I think that the issue is that American mainstream media doesn’t have any idea of who Hispanics really are. Hispanics ourselves have an image problem. So I thought that the way to do this is for me to get some kind of career in communications, so that I’m able to work on behalf of Hispanics.”

By 1997 Reyes was one of the leading publicists in Hollywood and a Hispanic-market expert. He founded Reyes Entertainment in an effort to offer clients bilingual, all-inclusive campaigns across Spanish and English-language markets.

Gabriel says, “The Reyes Entertainment mission: To transcend cultural and language barriers and secure maximum visibility and value for clients and projects.”

Reyes Entertainment’s list of clients includes the Disney-ABC Television Group, where Reyes designs Hispanic PR initiatives for programs such as George Lopez, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Disney Channel programs High School Musical, Handy Manny, Johnny & The Sprites, and The Wizards of Waverly Place. Additionally, in 2007 Reyes Entertainment organized the first ever Hispanic Media Junket at Disney-ABC Television which was geared specifically to expose the company’s talent to Hispanic media.

Gabriel Reyes was named one of Hollywood’s “50 Most Influential Latinos” by The Hollywood Reporter and the company has received two Prism Awards for Excellence in Multicultural PR Campaigns, as well as five Marcom Awards for Excellence in Public Relations. One of his first clients was Latina Magazine where Reyes was the magazine’s publicist for five years and was responsible for landing Jennifer Lopez her very first magazine cover.

Other clients serviced by Reyes Entertainment are CBS Nickelodeon Networks, Telemundo Networks, Twentieth Century Fox Filmed Entertainment Fox Atomic, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Columbia Pictures as well as many independent film and video releases. This includes “The Other Conquest” whose executive producer was opera legend Plácido Domingo.

Reyes said he is doing his part to unmarginalize Latinos working in Hollywood and share their accomplishments with both Spanish and English language media.

Herald de Paris Deputy Managing editor, Dr. Al Carlos Hernandez , who teaches University Public Realtions management, was honored to speak with Reyes about post modern public relations.

AC: What, in your early years, attracted you to the entertainment business? How did your family react? Who was your greatest supporter?

GR: I was attracted to the arts from an early age but I did not decide to pursue a career in the Arts until I was in college. I believe I am an artist at heart and artistic pursuits make me the happiest. Like many Latinos, my parents were not keen on my pursuing a career in show business but they knew little of my life since I left home at 18 and they were not an obstacle to me. I’ve had great supporters later in my career but very few that I can remember as a kid or teenager. Growing up in South Texas in those days, a gay kid who liked music and dancing could expect to have very few friends or “supporters.”

AC: You were a professional dancer, do you still dance? Tell us about your drawing and painting. You also write under pseudonyms – what kind of writing do you like to do?

GR: I started dance classes while still in high school. I continued in college and performed in several classical ballets as well as Modern and Jazz concerts and musicals. When I lived in NYC, I had the life of a “hoofer,” going to dance class every day and auditioning for Broadway, off-Broadway and summer stock. I performed in several off-Broadway shows both as an actor and a dancer and I never wanted to do summer stock because I did not want to leave NYC. I still give myself a class at least three times a week consisting of a 10 min. warm up and 30 mins. of combinations across the floor. When I don’t dance, I do yoga or go running. My weight is my nemesis. I’ve always liked to write and consider myself a decent writer. I enjoy writing about the subtle “back stories” taking place behind our human and institutional facades. I enjoy the Sci Fi genre as a convention because when you take the action out of the known world, you are free to explore closely-held taboos that no one is allowed to speak of.

AC: Why did you give up performance and make the transition to the business side of things so early in your career?

GR: I gave up performing early in my career because I felt that being seen as a “Latino” actor was limiting and I decided to pursue a career communicating to American media the truth about who Latinos really are and especially our American-ness, which has always been and continues to be questioned in the national conversation. I guess I felt I had a “bigger” calling.

AC: As a former performer, does this help or hinder your relationship with the artists with whom you work?

GR: I find that being someone who knows what it feels to get onstage and perform is infinitely helpful to my relationships with artists I work with. It allows me to speak to them in the language of the craft and exercise an empathy that I don’t think they get from someone who’s never done it.

AC: Do you regret not continuing as a performer? PR people are often considered the wind beneath peoples wings and the real unsung heroes. Don’t you miss the adulation?

GR: Sometimes I regret not continuing as a performer but it’s never too late. I can still be a “hoofer” in my old age. And yes, I am and have been the wind beneath many peoples’ wings in my PR career but I think that’s what a good PR person does and so I don’t consider myself an unsung hero. I don’t miss the adulation because it doesn’t drive me. Helping others is what drives me and I daresay I get plenty of adulation for my work and what I accomplish in my career.

AC: Why public relations and not artist management and/or producing?

GR: Because I’m a good publicist and am very successful at it and I’m doing what I’m good at. Although, I don’t discount the other two.

AC: Who was your first big client? When was the moment you knew that your company was going to be successful?

GR: My first client was Nely Galan and her production company Galan Entertainment. She’s still one of my dearest friends and mentors to this day. And, of course, Latina Magazine. I’m proud to have been the magazine’s first publicist and continued on their masthead for over five years. Latina’s founder, Christy Haubegger, is one of my best friends in the world to this day.

AC: You were the one who helped put Jennifer Lopez on the map. What did you see in her that told you she would be big? Who is the next J-Lo?

GR: I met Jennifer Lopez back in the early 90’s when Galan Entertainment was developing an independent film and she was attached to it. I was first struck by her tenacity and strength of character as a rising young actress, navigating the world of show business. She was doing a summer series for CBS called “Second Chances.” Then, I saw her in Gregory Nava’s My Family/Mi Familia. Her performance was so intense and heartfelt and her face was a vision of loveliness up on the big screen. She has that sparkle in the eye that’s unmistakable star quality. When it came time to choose Latina Magazine’s first cover, I felt she was a clear stand out and I’m glad Christy and her editor agreed! It’s hard to say who is the next J-Lo because Jennifer is a triple-threat and veryfew stars have the ability to act, sing and dance very well like she does. I’d like to add that this year Jennifer’s career has hit a new apex with her appearance as a judge on American Idol. She has given America a chance to meet and know the real Jennifer and it been a great benefit for the show.

AC: You work on many platforms: film, TV shows, film festivals. Which platform do you like the most and which are the hardest to facilitate?

GR: Early on in my career, I decided that I wouldn’t be limited to one category but would try to master several in the entertainment and media spaces. Each one is a world unto itself and each discipline has its own set of dedicated media so it’s important to go wide as well as deep. I love all media and don’t have a favorite platform. Although the internet’s versatility and accessibility is undeniably a strong contender. I would say they are all difficult to facilitate because of our relentlessly competitive 24/7 news cycle, which often rewards sensationalism over substance with plenty of air time. As publicists, we are always looking for that link between the news of the day and the client we are promoting.

AC: Early in your career you made the decision to specialize in Latino/Hispanic markets. Why? How has this US based market changed over the years? Good/Bad?

GR: I chose to specialize in the U.S. Latino markets because Latinos were being grossly underserved by mainstream media. Even today, the national conversation is generally negative towards Hispanics and rampant with the stereotypes pushed by media and entertainment. I would say that while there are many more Latinos working in entertainment and media, our image in the national consciousness is more negative today than even a decade ago.

AC: You have always campaigned for changing the way Hollywood views Latinos and for the integration of Hispanics into main steam media. How has that changed over the last 15 years? What needs to happen to make things equitable?

GR: I’ve been working in the Hispanic media and entertainment space for over 15 years. Whereas we’ve seen much more integration of Hispanics into mainstream media, I find that we are still absent from much of the national conversation and when most Americans do think of Hispanics; it is not in a favorable light. As an example: At last year’s Rally to Restore Sanity, Jon Stewart, the darling of political correctness and someone who should know better, opened his speech by noting that the audience “looks like America: 75% white, 20% black and 5% other.” I’m sure he had heard about Latinos being the largest and fastest-growing “minority” group in the U.S., he just forgot, you see. Latinos just were not on his mind, even when talking about the make up of the U.S. population. Invisible.

AC: How did it feel to be considered one of Hollywood’s most influential Hispanics?

GR: It felt great to be chosen one of Hollywood’s most influential Hispanics and I’m grateful to those who consider it so. I also know that, like everything else, it is just for the moment and tomorrow someone else will have that honor. It’s all good.

AC: How has new media, especially the social networks, changed the way public relations is handled? According to Mark Levine there are only two speeds: Fast and Dead. What do you think?

GR: It is true that technology and the advent of social media have changed the practicing of public relations but even before this phenomenon, our growing 24/7 news cycle demands content and it is up to publicists to “think on their feet” to take advantage of every conceivable opportunity to gain awareness for our clients. I also think that competition for attention leads many to playing loose with facts and serve up misinformation.

AC: What is a typical day like for you? Why do you have offices in several states?

GR: On a typical day, I start out by answering emails and updating social media pages. I check in with clients on the day’s projects and progress and follow through on phone calls. I usually have a business lunch and a yoga or dance class break. I spend my afternoons returning phone calls, emails, talking with clients, journalists and attending to the business of the day. On evenings when I don’t have a business dinner or an event, I wind up my day with a light dinner and catching up on readings or doing a bit of writing, drawing or painting.

AC: Do you think that by specializing in Latino/Hispanic media it has limited you or has excluded you from more mainstream projects? Have you, like many actors, been typecast?

GR: In some instances I’ve been typecast as a “Latino” publicist and many have thought that, because I’m Latino and speak Spanish, I only deal with Spanish-language media. That’s a misconception. The most important reason I started my business is to tell our story into the mainstream media world. However, this is the pervasive mindset that still exists today: People think that because we clamor for our place in the sun, Latinos want to be separated as a group, but just the opposite is true. We clamor for a place in the sun, ALONGSIDE the rest of Americans and NOT separate.

AC: What are some of the positive signs Hollywood is showing Hispanic talent? What are some of the lingering negatives?

GR: Almost everyone in Hollywood now knows about the Hispanic market and wants to get into it but there are not enough Latino writers so that the Latino characters in sitcoms especially, can go beyond stereotypical. More advances have been made in dramas than in comedies where your biggest Latino stereotypes are still alive and well.

AC: What are some of your goals for your company? What would you say is your biggest success to date?

GR: My goals for my company are:
1. We want to be around for many more years to come;
2. Secure more Fortune 500 brands as clients;
3. Expand our social media and online communications platforms;
4. Do more business with Latin American brands who want to enter the U.S.Hispanic space and vice-versa.

The biggest success for Reyes Entertainment to date has been our longevity and reputation for excellent work. We are pioneers in this space and were here before the term “Latino” or “Hispanic” was commonly in use and consider our efforts key in the development of the market.

AC: Tell us about your teaching responsibility at UT at Austin? How do you view the post modern student when it comes to their understanding of public relations?

GR: In the Spring of 2011, I taught at a course at The University of Texas at Austin entitled “Integrated Communications in Latino Entertainment.” The course was meant to teach students PR and communications skills, promoting Latino entertainments towards both English and Spanish media. The post modern student is wired for technology and also has a very short attention span. I also notice that women outnumber men in areas of university life these days.

AC: What kinds of things are you working on and what kinds of things would you like to do?

GR: Currently, we are gearing up for the launch of mun2’s new reality series “Beauties & The Boss.” We are also looking forward to the 12th Annual NY Intl. Latino Film Festival. Reyes Entertainment is the festivals agency of record for four years running. This year, the festival takes place Aug. 16-21. We also promote the amazing programming on PBS, as well as work Hispanic media for WWE and consult with Warner Bros. Pictures on the production of press assets for their films.

AC: What kind of advice would you give someone who wants to go into public relations?

GR: My advice for someone entering the PR field:
1. Learn to write a compelling story/press release;
2. Be a media junkie and know what everyone’s doing on their show, column or byline.
3. Learn how to pitch your story via phone in 10 seconds or less.
4. Learn to write a great email pitch.
5. Learn the art of writing an effective email Subject Line
6. Learn tact and manners.
7. Immerse yourself in your clients’ world. Be one of them.
8. Know why you are doing this.

AC: What are some of the things, both personally and professionally, on your “Bucket List” that you have yet to achieve?

GR: My personal and professional bucket list:
1. Spend a month travelling through Asia, Africa and Latin America;
2. Teach more young people the art of PR and Hispanic Market;
3. Produce a hit series and/or a hit film.

Check out; http://reyesentertainment.com/

Why Latinos love facebook

2011-06-09T06:13:00.000-07:00

We Latinos tend to highly value ties that bind - familial or social - and Facebook is a great facilitator.
B y Ruth Manuel-Logan

We Latinos are enjoying a sizzling connection with Facebook. Our Latino population is no longer underrepresented in the U.S. Companies, over the last few years, have sat up and taken huge notice of the largest minority in the U.S. and who will have a major influence on the country as a whole in the coming years.

In the Latino community, Facebook has acted as a unifier of sorts between people of Spanish descent, who typically tend to have family members more geographically dispersed.

We Latinos tend to highly value ties that bind — familial or social –and Facebook is a great facilitator of banter, and also allows for the sharing of precious photos and video that are near and dear.

According to ComScore, Facebook user growth amongst Latinos is stupefying: From April 2010 to April 2011, usage grew 167 percent (versus 21 percent for non-Hispanics). Facebook has a 70 percent penetration rate among Latinos online versus 72 percent for the general population.

Why are we Latinos flocking to the ever-popular friends connection site?

We Are Passionate About Our Feelings

We Latinos love status updating and commenting with a no-holds barred ‘tude. We call it as we see it, with a hands-on-hips way of letting you know, exactly what we think. Since we are very gregarious, Facebook tends to bring out our social butterfly side to the fullest extent. We also don’t mind getting personal and even sharing nitty-gritty intimate details, moreso than other users.

We Have Found Our Online Niche

The bridge from the U.S. to Latin America is now Facebook. Four Latin American countries – Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Peru — are among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of Facebook user growth. For those who have recently arrived in this country, they aren’t really far from home because Facebook keeps them in constant touch with their homeland’s goings-on.

Hablamos Spanglish

Surprisingly, English speaking Latinos rule on Facebook. As a matter of fact, 50.6 percent of Latinos on Facebook are English-preferred, although when researchers checked the conversations on walls, Spanish was also peppered greatly into the mix.

The Weaker Sex

English-preferred males are growing by leaps and bounds on Facebook, si, si. But the website’s penetration and use amongst both sexes and segments is ever-increasing.

Readers, what percentage of your Facebook friends are Latino, like me?

Top ten ways Tower of Power is getting ready for County Fair gigs

2011-06-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

TOP Ten ways Tower of Power is getting ready for County Fair gigs
By Al Carlos
www.Horndrivenradio.com

10.The pig races is not what you think, if you are from Oakland.

9. Eating fried baloney in order to develop a corn dog tolerance.

8. Pat Rains is text messaging bearded lady so there are no conflicting dates.

7. Work on super secret 5 Alarm Oakland Chili recipes, guaranteed to make you move a colon, to enter into competition.

6. Remember, Carnival rides are not Ex Girlfriends.

5. Sensitivity training for newer players who may fear Carney's.

4. New contracts without a “cash or cattle” provision as payment.

3. Remembering that 4 H doesn’t mean; Ho’s, Harleys, Harlots, and Herbs.

2. Remind Tom there is a $10,000 putting contest at the Alameda Fair.

1. Procuring Industrial strength bald head sun block lotion.

Wine industry aims to attract more Latinos

2011-06-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

Research shows wine consumption among Latinos has increased dramatically over the past five years.

By GOSIA WOZNIACKA, Associated Press

Amelia Ceja, Ceja Wines

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Every night at dinnertime, Jose Placencia clinks a glass of wine with his wife or friends. He loves the taste, the socializing that unfurls and how wine brings out or calms the flavors of Mexican food.

Wine was never on the menu when Placencia grew up in California's Central Valley, where his Mexican-born parents picked crops, including grapes. Today, at Placencia's ranch in the Sierra foothills and in the homes of other area Latinos, wine bottles line up next to plates of quesadillas and carne asada.

"When I was growing up, wine was nonexistent for Latinos," Placencia said. "Now I see it's much more popular. Latinos of my generation have wine on a regular basis and make it a staple of their meals."

Research shows wine consumption among Latinos has increased dramatically over the past five years _ much faster than for non-Latinos. The number of glasses of wine consumed by Hispanics per month climbed by nearly 50 percent between 2005 and 2010, while for non-Hispanics the increase was a more modest 16 percent, according to a study by consumer research firm Experian Simmons.

As Latino consumers are uncorking reds and whites, the wine industry is trying to attract more of America's largest ethnic group. Several winemakers are running media campaigns aimed at Latinos. And the wine trade association in California's agricultural heartland is focusing its upcoming wine tasting and competition on them.

Part of what's pushing the increase in consumption is sheer demographics. Hispanics accounted for more than half of the U.S. population increase over the last decade. The other factor: a socioeconomic and cultural shift among the more established Latino generations.

"As the tastes of the Latino consumers get to be a little more acculturated, as their palates change, as they become more affluent and educated, they are turning to wine," said John Hernandez, executive director of the Fresno-based Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Hernandez, a third generation Mexican-American, sees fellow Latinos _ who make up 50 percent of Fresno County's population _ enjoying wine at dinner parties, networking events, wine tastings and family barbeques.

"We've gone from wine pickers to wine drinkers," Hernandez said.

Placencia, who was born in the small farm town of Cutler and picked grapes as a child, wasn't exposed to wine until he moved to San Francisco to attend college. There he met people who introduced him to the Napa and Sonoma valleys. Placencia attended vineyard and cellar tours, talked with winemakers and "fell in love" with wine. He even convinced his parents to try it.

The switch was easier, he said, because wine matches perfectly with Hispanic cuisine. Family favorites include enchiladas suizas with green sauce paired with a Viognier; crispy tostadas with ground beef and salsa with a Chardonnay; or carne asada ranchera style with a Serat or a Zinfandel.

"Add a little chopped cabbage and cilantro on top of the beef and it goes excellent with the Serat, it just melts on your teeth," Placencia said.

Despite the growth, industry experts say the Hispanic market is largely untapped.

"We really have not done a good job of translating our product to that demographic," said Peter Vallis, executive director of the Fresno-based San Joaquin Valley Wine Growers Association. "Given the growth of the Hispanic segment of the market, it seems apropos that we find out what these folks want to drink."

Vallis' group _ which represents over half of California's wine industry _ has teamed up with the Hispanic Chamber to put together a panel of Latino judges to help select California's best wines. The results, Vallis said, will help the industry group better promote wine to that ethnic group.

"We want Latinos to have wine with their burrito," Vallis said.

Some wine makers are already working on that.

Napa Valley-based Beringer Vineyards launched a campaign that includes Spanish-language TV spots and educational programs on Latino television networks in Southern California, sampling events and Spanish-language displays in Latino supermarkets and national chains with a large Hispanic customer base.

"Hispanics are one of the fastest growing segments of wine drinkers, so we wanted to introduce our big iconic wine to them," said Francesca Schuler, Beringer's chief marketing officer.

The company didn't just translate its materials into Spanish, Schuler said. Instead, it tailored its message to revolve around family traditions, an integral part of Latino culture.

After a successful pilot this winter _ sales in some stores outperformed the general market, Schuler said _ Beringer plans to launch the same campaign this spring in California and, later this year, in Texas and New York.

Banfi Vintners, an Italian winemaker that exports wine to the U.S., has put up Spanish-language billboards and in-store displays in southern Texas. The campaign was spurred by growth in the largely Hispanic market around Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, said Charles Dellavecchia, director of the Banfi Vintners European Wines Portfolio.

It resulted in a double digit percentage increase in sales and will be expanded to additional markets, he said.

The biggest outreach to Latino wine consumers has come from Latino vintners, said Sandra Gonzales, founder of Vino con Vida (Wine with Life), a Sacramento-based wine education company. Latino winemakers are tapping their neighbors and families, she said, connecting with Latino organizations and educating Latinos about wine.

"Latino wine consumers are taking pride in seeking out Latino wine makers," Gonzales said. "They feel they know their story because it's like their own family history, the immigrant story they can relate to."

Mainstream wine companies have to work harder to make the connection, Gonzales said, including addressing concerns of labor standards, pesticides and wages for farmworkers _ issues from which some Latino wine consumers are removed only by a generation or two. Highlighting Latinos' contribution to the wine industry is also key.

"If it weren't for Latinos," Gonzales said, "would there be a wine industry?"

TOP Ten things Arnold's Latina baby Mama may be thinking...

2011-05-19T04:47:00.000-07:00

By Al Carlos

www.LatinoLA.com

10. Now she knows how the State of California feels.

9. That’s what she got for being the only Latina that voted for him.

8. He said, I’ll be baaack!

7. He offered a Republican level severance package.

6. Convinced her that Austrians need anchor Babies too.

5. The ex-husband got suspicious when the kid threw a Harley Across the yard.

4. When he said he was Mr. Olympia, She thought he invented the beer.

3. He convinced her she was “The Last Action Hispanic”.

2. Not a Girlie man that’s for sure.

1. Since his Son is half Latino he will be qualified to be California Gubernator.

Hispanic roles at Cannes Film Festival

2011-05-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

"It's ok to be a Hispanic, even if you are a cat," Salma Hayek.

By Associated Press (May 11, 2011)

CANNES, France - Getting older in Hollywood and being Hispanic there are no longer the limitations they once were, say Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek.

After all, they wonder, when have Hispanic actors ever landed such big feline roles as the leads in the animated adventure "Puss in Boots"?

."When I started out, Hispanic roles were very limited," Hayek said Wednesday at the Cannes Film Festival, where she and Banderas joined DreamWorks Animation overseers to show off footage of "Puss in Boots," a "Shrek" spinoff coming this November. "Roles were very limited. There were one or two kinds of characters you used to do. Now we get to play the cats! It's OK to be a Hispanic, even if you are a cat."

"Cats were British, normally," Banderas added at a question-and-answer session alongside Hayek after the footage screened.

"I feel very proud, actually," Banderas said of his role in expanding the types of parts open to Hispanic performers. "I never pretended when I first went to Hollywood to be a guy from Oklahoma. I am what I am. And fortunately, the Spanish community in the United States has grown in the last 22 years that I have been there. There has been an explosion in Hollywood, which is a reflection of the society in which we live."

After the footage showed, Banderas and Hayek headed to a pier along the Mediterranean beach, where they posed for photos on a giant pair of boots bearing the movie's title.

Banderas reprises his voice role from the last three "Shrek" films, providing the voice of Puss in Boots, the tiny cat with the big heart, big ideas and bigger ego.

A prequel chronicling Puss' adventures before meeting ogre Shrek, the movie has the cat as an outlaw, looking to pull off a big score.

But his scheme is interrupted by another calculating cat, Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Hayek), who is in league with Puss' pal-turned-foe Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), as they try to swipe the magic beans of the "Jack and the Beanstalk" fairy tale from beastly bandits Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris).

Age is another Hollywood barrier Banderas and Hayek feel they have skirted.

Banderas proudly called out his age, 50, while Hayek, 44, said this is the best time in her career, with four movies in the works this year and the work more enjoyable than ever.

"What makes you feel old is when you are not excited about life. You are not excited anymore about what you do, and you cannot do it as well," Hayek said. "I do feel my body beginning to - like, I need glasses now when I read my scripts. I wear them, but I'm happy to wear them and happy that I still get to read my scripts.

"So it's not been so bad. They scared me. They told me, 'Forget it. At 30, it's over for you.' And it has not been the case. It feels great to age in Hollywood."

Latino national museum commission issues report

2011-05-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

National Museum of the American Latino Commissioners Eva Longoria and Emilio Estefan join Secretary Salazar, to Celebrate Release of Final Report.
Washington, D.C. — During separate ceremonies today at the White House and on Capitol Hill, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joined bipartisan members of the National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) Commission and activist/actress Eva Longoria and Emilio Estefan to celebrate the delivery of the NMAL Final Report to President Obama and Congressional leaders.

“Today marks a milestone for the rich and diverse history of our nation, and is a proud moment for the Latino Community,” said Secretary Salazar. “With the creation of a national museum rooted here, in our nation’s capital, the contributions of Latinos will forever be recognized and woven into the American story. I thank the Commission for their thorough report and service to our country.”

Under the leadership of Chairman Henry R. Muñoz III, the congressionally-established and presidentially-appointed NMAL Commission was tasked to study the potential of a national museum dedicated to the art, culture, and history of the Latino Community in the United States. In the course of its work, the Commission consulted with the Smithsonian Institution, the National Capital Planning Commission, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and the Department of the Interior

“We provide to you a plan for a national museum that preserves and shares a vital part of our nation’s heritage for the benefit of all people interested in the richness of the American experience,” said Chairman Henry R. Muñoz III. “Over the past year, we have undertaken an exhaustive process to prepare and deliver a comprehensive report in response to the Act of Congress that created the Commission. We have done this with the assistance of a long list of experts across the nation.”

Following the Commission’s first meeting in 2009, the 23 members held eight public forums across the country to engage communities in a conversation which generated valuable input, ideas, and sentiments regarding the feasibility of an American Latino museum in Washington, D.C.

Since its conception, the creation of the National Museum of the American Latino has been a bipartisan effort. The authors of the original legislation in the House were U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra of California and U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, and in the Senate, former Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado, now serving as the Secretary of the Department of Interior and Senator Mel Martinez of Florida. The legislation was signed into law by former President George W. Bush on May 2008 and is being implemented by President Barack Obama.

The Commission’s Final Report includes:

o a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a national Latino museum in Washington, DC;
o a fundraising strategy;
o a report on availability of collections;
o an examination of the impact on regional Latino-related museums;
o a site assessment and recommendation;
o a determination whether the museum should be located within the Smithsonian Institution;
o a governance and organizational structure for the operation of the museum;
o engagement with the American Latino community in the development of the plan.

Cinco De Mayo USPS Stamp celebrates Latino music legends

2011-05-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Video of new stamps show five Latino music legends
By fox4kc.com

KANSAS CITY MO - While Cinco de Mayo celebrations served as a tribute to the Latino community across the nation, the United States Post Office unveiled a new series of stamps featuring five Latino musical legends. The stamps feature Selena, Carlos Gardel, Carmen Miranda, Tito Puente, and Celia Cruz.

"While each dynamic performer was a unique personality and came from unique backgrounds, they were all charismatic entertainers and made a lasting impact on American music," said a USPS spokersperson.

The "Forever Stamps" are now on sale. People at the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta appreciate the recognition that Hispanics are a vibrant part of the community.

'Born To Loose' tattoo, or not to...

2011-05-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

It's seems self evident that a skin touch-pad does not have spell check.

By Dr. Al Carlos Hernandez, www.LatinoLA.com

Edited by Susan Aceves

Publisher's Note: Dr. Al Carlos Hernandez is Contributing Editor for Latino LA and a regular contributor to Vida de Oro.

I remember one September there was a guy in high school who was surreptitiously proud yet had violently mixed emotions after that summer’s vacation. All the drama was because he had a new tattoo. The tattoo was supposed to say “Born To Lose,” but it read “Born Too Loose.”

Now this seems like an old joke but I saw the tat with my own eyes. I don’t know if the guy was inebriated when he had the work done or if the error was a result of a language problem, but from that point on he demonstrated a proclivity for long-sleeved shirts. It seems self evident that a skin touch-pad does not have spell check.

My brother had a friend who, let's say, was on hiatus from society for a while and came back with a jailhouse tattoo on his forearm. This one was supposed to be of a girl, but the tattooist (I cannot say artist) messed up the lips quite badly. All the neighborhood thugs agreed that the tattooed "woman" looked exactly like rock pioneer Little Richard.

I don’t have anything against body art. Members of my family have a certain affinity for such. What an adult wants to do in decorating or modifying his/her body is his/her own business. If, however, they place something on their body for public view then as a journalist, a professor of mass communications, and professional insulter, I am compelled to comment.

On several occasions - fortuitously, when I was chronically broke - I considered getting a tattoo but then remembered a speech from a Brown Beret commander. He advised us street soldiers not to get any tattoos because that is the best way for police to identify a person. He didn’t stop to consider that they (the police) had all of our pictures on file and that probably several undercover cops were passing the chicharones (pig skins) while listening to his inspirational speech.

Many OG’s (Original Gangsters) still wear a faded green cross between the thumb and the forefinger. This should be a vivid reminder to youngsters not to try to car jack someone like that. You may find yourself in special education.

In deciding to get a tattoo, three things need to be taken into consideration: 1) what to get, 2) where to put it and 3) why you are getting it in the first place?

I understand that many tattoos are a spur-of-the-moment liquored-up decision. They, like Las Vegas marriages to cocktail servers, tend to prove to be lifestyle mistakes rather than a stroll towards happily ever after.

What to have personally immortalized on ones body can go all the way from a name to a flower to a scene from the Lord of Rings on someone’s back. There are tribal symbols, Sanskrit-writing, pictures of heroes, loved ones, and I may have seen a NBA player with a full-face portrait of Aunt Jemima on his shoulder.

I know a guy who had his girlfriend’s name placed on his chest only to have it purposely and painfully obscured after an argument by having a picture of a two-headed Latina drawn over it. A word of caution: tattoo artists do not need a college degree or even a decent credit score.

Where to put it goes from the ridiculous to the sublime. Some chrome domes have the names of their cliques scrolled up to six inches high on the back of their bald heads. You'll see scary looking guys with green cobwebs fanning out from the sides of their eyes. Then the sublime: like a rose on the top of a babe's ear or Michael Jackson-styled permanent eyeliner. Once you go there, there is no going back.

I always thought it would be funny to get a picture of your own face placed on your arm or tattoo a sign that reads This space for rent on your neck. Tattoo-lovers consider the skin a canvas to color and to decorate. This is a militant and subjective statement to society saying that you are permanently committed to looking different, not necessarily multi-cultural as much as multi-colorful, the rest of your life. Some folks I’ve seen on line look like 3D meat comic books…

I just interviewed legendary cartoon artist of the New Yorker magazine Liza Donnelly. Who knows? Maybe I can get her to do a caricature of me and maybe I can get it tatted on my arm. Certainly a conversation starter at the next faculty get-together.

In the biker tradition, many display the Harley Davidson logo with orange and black. This type of brand loyalty is unparalleled in history. Talk about a walking advertisement! You never see anybody with a Honda or Yamaha tattoo and, if you did, you would not be able to scream, "Dork!" loud enough.

I have to confess that when I was 19, I actually planned to get a tattoo. It was going to be of an AK-47 assault rifle and, underneath, the word "Venceramos." This means "Victory." I am glad I didn’t because we didn’t win. A generation "born too loose," indeed.

Top Ten signs your dentist used to be a Cholo...

2011-04-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

TOP 10 Signs Your Dentist Used to be a Cholo

By Al Carlos, www.LatinoLA.com

10. For anesthesia, a Homeboy jumps out the closet, knocks you out while you are counting backwards.

9. Every time you tell him “It hurts!”, he slaps you in back of the head and calls you a punk.

8. Also does tattoos, piercings, and fade haircuts.

7. Chair is on hydraulics; it goes up, back, side to side...

6. When you ask, "Why a root canal?", tells you he needs new 24 inch rims for his ranfla.

5. Everyone leaves with gold bicuspids, no matter what.

4. Primers your face, bondos your fillings.

3. While he is working on your mouth, he yells at you, “Stop smiling at me like you know me fool!”.

2. Wears a XXX flannel shirt buttoned to the top over his surgical gown pajamas.

1. His receptionist does nails and is the gum cracking champion of the world.

National Latino Broadcasting to launch new channels on Sirius XM Radio

2011-04-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

National Latino Broadcasting has been selected to operate four new Latino themed channels.

MIAMI, FL -- National Latino Broadcasting, LLC. (NLB), a newly formed subsidiary of Eventus, the leading national multicultural experiential marketing, sports and entertainment company, announced today it has been selected by SiriusXM to lease four channels on a long-term basis on the Sirius and XM satellite radio platforms. The media entity will provide programming targeting the Latino market.

NLB was selected from a wide array of qualified applicants after a thorough RFP process and review. The satellite broadcaster was required by the FCC to enter into long-term lease agreements with entities not affiliated with the company to help ensure programming options that are relevant to otherwise underserved communities. This expansion of choices was requested by the FCC as a condition for approval of the SiriusXM merger. NLB was selected based on the strength of its proposal for the development of Latino-focused programming.

Commenting on the selection, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, "This marks a valuable step in increasing the diversity of programming available to satellite radio listeners, while promoting access for new entrants and independent satellite radio programming." In a statement released earlier, FCC Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn remarked, "Through this endeavor, groups that have been historically underserved will be able to enjoy a wider variety of creative and entertaining options on a national platform, and I am looking forward to the launch of these new stations as soon as possible."

"We applaud SiriusXM's rigorous management of the RFP process, ultimately creating the space necessary for new media entities to be able to cater to traditionally underserved communities. Our selection validates our vision of filling a void by creating compelling programming for today's diverse Latino communities. We expect Latino consumers will react positively to this new and exciting offering, which has not been available to them before," said Nelson Albareda, President & CEO of NLB. "The launch of NLB marks a significant milestone for Eventus. The formation of this new media company allows us to deliver on our long-term business strategy of becoming a provider of culturally relevant content for the underserved Latino market in the United States. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with SiriusXM."

NLB's corporate and sales office will be based in Miami with satellite offices in Boston, New York City, Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles. Additionally, the company is building a broadcast studio facility that will accommodate audio, video and digital production at its Miami headquarters. In the coming weeks, NLB will announce programming and launch details for its satellite radio channels.

About National Latino Broadcasting, LLC.
National Latino Broadcasting, LLC. (NLB) is a media company focused on serving Latino communities across the United States through the development of compelling entertainment content. NLB's multi-platform distribution channels allow the company to deliver entertaining and informative programming while creating innovative marketing solutions for marketers seeking to engage Latino consumers. The company's flagship media properties include four satellite radio channels on SiriusXM Radio. NLB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eventus.

For more information on NLB, visit www.NLBlive.com.

ALERT! Latin Jazz eliminated by Grammy Awards

2011-04-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

After fighting for decades to be recognized by the GRAMMY Awards, Latin Jazz is eliminated, disrespecting Latin Jazz legend Eddie Palmieri's efforts to get it recognized.
By Adrian Perez

NEW YORK, NY - If it wasn't bad enough to be bad-mouthed by Republicans and ignored by Hollywood, Latinos have now come under attack by the music industry. On April 6th, 2011, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) announced that they were eliminating the category of Latin Jazz GRAMMY as part of a "restructuring" whereby the total number of categories to be recognized was reduced to 78 from 109. But, the number of distinct artist entries was increased from 25 to 40 in each category.

"Every year, we diligently examine our Awards structure to develop an overall guiding vision and ensure that it remains a balanced and viable process," said Neil Portnow, President and CEO of The GRAMMYs. "After careful and extensive review and analysis of all Categories and Fields, it was objectively determined that our GRAMMY Categories be restructured to the continued competition and prestige of the highest and only peer-recognized award in music. Our Board of Trustees continues to demonstrate its dedication to keeping The Recording Academy a pertinent and responsive organization in our dynamic music community."

The NARAS' decision immediately drew fire from numerous Latin Jazz artists and organizations, including the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance.

"The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance is shocked and disappointed by the news that the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has chosen to eliminate the Latin Jazz category from the GRAMMY awards," read a statement issued by the organization. "We are deeply disappointed to find today that this progress will not be reflected in our country's most important musical award, where the message now seems to be, "Latin Jazz musicians need not apply."

The NARAS' decision comes on the heels of the 2010 U.S. Census that shows Latinos now comprise over 50 million people, or 16 percent of the total population. It is the nation's second largest population, yet continue to be treated as an insignificant part of America.

Latin Jazz evolved in the 1930s from the fusion of big band, jazz improvisations, and Afro-Cuban rythms by performers like Machito and the Afro Cubans, Tito Puente, and Mario Bauza. Machito inspired jazz legends like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Kenton, who brought the Latin Jazz sound to mainstream American.

In 1993, Latin Jazz performer Eddie Palmeiri was appointed Governor of the New York NARAS and through his efforts, Latin Jazz was recognized as a GRAMMY Award in 1994. Now Palmeiri is leading a letter writing campaign to have the NARAS overturn their decision.

"I call upon everyone now, as a whole, to come together, in UNITY, by starting with your own communities and supporting your local artists and telling your friends and loved ones about a great band you just heard that has that swing, because without the support of the fans, we are not able to record as often as required by NARAS and to the entrepreneurial indie labels," said Palmeiri in a written statement. "Make sure that you file all of the necessary criteria online to NARAS’ website as per submissions, and to all of my fellow musicians out there, (young and old), please become a member of NARAS and get involved with your local Chapter."

The impact of not being recognized by the GRAMMYs is very significant to Latin jazz performers, composers, arrangers and producers because they will not receive the recognition enjoyed by their peers. It will impact these talented individuals' livelihood.

Latino scripted bilingual series to debut May 1st

2011-04-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Sneak peak of mun2 and Telemundo studies new bilingual series "RPM Miami" will debut on May 1st at 10pm ET/PT.
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA -- mun2, Telemundo's bilingual cable network and Telemundo, a leading producer of high-quality content for Hispanics in the U.S. and around the world, presented their new Latin-flavored drama series with novela roots, "RPM MIAMI," during NBC Universal's Summer Press Day on Friday April 15 at The Langham Hotel in Pasadena, California. Shot on location in Miami, and packed with adrenaline-pumping action, RPM MIAMI follows a group of young Latino friends as they struggle to make something of themselves by day and conquer the underground racing scene by night. The new collaboration between Telemundo Studios and mun2 will make its much-anticipated debut on Sunday, May 1, 10pm ET/PT, on mun2. Click http://mun2.tv/fastpress for a sneak peek.

"mun2 continues to develop provocative, original programming that reflects our uniquely American stories," said Diana Mogollon, General Manager, mun2. "We feel very proud to present our most ambitious original production to date which incorporates a 360 degree approach where viewers get to interact with the show and talent both onscreen and online, marking a milestone in U.S. Hispanic television history."

Featuring an all-Latino cast with some of today's sexiest young new actors, the weekly series revolves around ALEJANDRO (Salvadorian heartthrob Adrian Bellani), a top U.S. Army Ranger who reunites with his family in Miami after his discharge, only to find out that his father is missing and his family has fallen into financial hardship. Determined to uncover the truth about his father's disappearance, Alejandro enters the dangerous world of Miami's underground street racing, a lifestyle full of action and drama. At the center of the storm is LUISA (Mexican actress Fernanda Romero), a woman trying to find herself and move away from a tormented past. Alejandro will meet and befriend the owner of the RPM car shop, RAMON, played by award-winning Latin-recording artist Frankie J.

The series will also feature cameo appearances by some of Latin music's top names, including De la Ghetto, Lenny Santos of Aventura, Flex, and Alexis y Fido.

Combining car races, complicated relationships, original music produced for the show by "Latin Hip Hop's Platinum Child" Scoop Deville, the 13 episode original drama series will take viewers on a thrilling visual ride of the highest production values as RPM MIAMI's characters cope with threats from the organized crime world and the hardships of love on the edge.

Viewers can also ride along with the series through a 360 degree interactive experience at mun2.tv/rpm. Viewers will be prompted to go online throughout the series, where they will be able to watch scenes that provide character insights and upcoming plot clues, test their driving skills through a retro-arcade game set to music and images from the series available on the web and on mobile devices (iPad, iPhone, Touch and Android), and change a significant plot line by voting after the penultimate episode, with the winning alternate scene posted online. Viewers can also catch up on the series at any time through four special web recaps and view behind-the-scenes slideshows on the making of the series.

RPM MIAMI was written by Juan Camilo Ferrand (also known for penning over 100 episodes of Telemundo's acclaimed show "Decisiones," and "El Cartel" novela) and directed by award-winning director, Jacobo Rispa. Renowned film director Jessy Terrero served as the show's executive creative consultant. Terrero's original short film "Los Bandoleros" revealed the events leading up to the beginning of "Fast & Furious," written and directed by Vin Diesel. Alonso Galvez serves as Co-creator and Producer of the series.

About Telemundo:
Telemundo Communications Group, LLC & Subsidiaries ("Telemundo"), a division of NBCUniversal, is a world-class media company, leading the industry in the production and distribution of high-quality Spanish-language content across its multiplatform portfolio to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world. Telemundo's multiple platforms include Telemundo, a Spanish-language television network featuring original productions, theatrical motion pictures, news and first-class sports events, reaching 94% of U.S. Hispanic viewers in 210 markets through its 14 owned stations, 1 independent station (WKAQ in Puerto Rico), 46 broadcast affiliates, and over 1,000 cable affiliates; mun2, the preeminent voice for bicultural Hispanics in the U.S., reaching over 35 million U.S. TV households nationwide on digital and analog cable, satellite and free television; Telemundo Digital Media, which leverages Telemundo's original content for distribution across digital and emerging platforms including mobile devices and www.telemundo.com and www.holamun2.com; and Telemundo Internacional, the company's international distribution arm which has positioned Telemundo as the second largest provider of Spanish-language content worldwide by syndicating content to more than 100 countries in over 35 languages.

About mun2:
mun2 (moon-dos) is the lifestyle cable network for today's culture connectors (C2s) – bicultural Latinos 18-34. As the bilingual network that amplifies the Latino experience, mun2 is culturally-grounded and reflects the best of both worlds – mun2 is uniquely American. From reality to music, on-air to digital, mun2 creates original content across a multi-screen platform. As the only nationally measured bilingual cable network by Nielsen NTI, mun2 has an increased distribution to over 36 million households, and is a part of the Telemundo Communications Group, a division of NBCUniversal.

SOURCE mun2 Television

Comedic actor reaches out to Latino audiences

2011-04-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

Will Ferrell to Star in Spanish Speaking Role ‘Casa de Mi Padre’

Comedy actor Will Ferrell will be starring in a new movie being filmed in Spanish, including all his lines, with English subtitles. Entitled “Casa de Mi Padre” (House of My Father), the film takes a swipe on both Telenovelas and the drug problems now confronting many South American countries. Ferrell plays a common rancher named Armando who goes against a powerful drug lord (Mexican award winning actor Gael Garcia Bernal) for the love of a woman. The film is produced by Gary Sanchez Productions and is being directed by Matt Piedmont.

Will it work in both markets? You be the judge - check out the trailer:

Top 10 Signs you should no longer be a parade Samba dancer...

2011-04-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

As Samba dancing and competition greet the Spring...

By Al Carlos Hernandez, www.LatinoLA.com

Publisher's Note: Dr. Al Carlos Hernandez is a regular contributor to Vida de Oro and is Contributing Editor for Latino L.A.

10. During a parade, you shook your hips too hard and launched a Smart Car into a Starbucks.

9. Only way to slap your conga for six hours is to paint the face of ex lover on it.

8. You accidently stepped on a cat’s tail and killed it.

7. Your tall feathered headdress includes GPS.

6. Your bikini top broke loose and you knocked yourself out.

5. People applaud your huge papier-mâché comic head, but you're not wearing one.

4. You dressed up like Oakland Raider fan and scared the heck OUT of the Voodoo dudes.

3. Your dancing shoes broke; A float ran over your maracas.

2. You painted yourself red and accidentally samba your way into blue gang turf.

1. Every block, your hip gets stuck, and they have to taser you to keep going.

Latina Orchestra Conductor will showcase musical event

2011-04-14T04:34:00.000-07:00

Sonia Marie De Lèon de Vega, who has been exposing children to classical music in the Los Angeles area, will present a México Sinfónico Event to Showcase Music of Great Mexican Composers.

By Susie Albin-Najera The MEXICO Report
“The Good News About Mexico, Travel & Culture”

Sonia Marie De Lèon de Vega

LOS ANGELES, CA - Sonia Marie De Léon de Vega is the music director and conductor of the Los Angeles-based Santa Cecilia Orchestra (SCO), the only orchestra in the nation with a specific mission to expose classical music to Latino communities. Maestra De Léon de Vega is celebrated in education circles for creating the Discovering Music Program in 1998, a two-year program that is currently offered in 18 elementary schools throughout Los Angeles. The program has touched the lives of more than 40,000 students in 35 schools through the power of music education. Due to its success, Discovering Music has been expanded to include a string program that offers free violin lessons throughout the school year and a mentorship program in middle schools.

Sonia, of Mexican descent, was born in San Antonio, Texas and is the daughter of actress/producer Sonia De Léon and singer/guitarist Reynaldo Sanchez, who are San Antonio natives. At the age of four De Léon de Vega moved to Los Angeles, California, where she was raised and began her musical training becoming an accomplished pianist and organist. While always distinguishing herself academically her graduate studies led her to love and specialize in conducting studies with Dr. David Buck. She also trained at the Herbert Blomstedt International Institute for Instrumental Conductors and at various American Symphony Orchestra League workshops with Otto Werner Mueller, Maurice Abravanel, Pierre Boulez, Andre Previn, Zubin Metha and Ricardo Muti.

Recognized as a noted symphony and opera conductor, Sonia Marie De Léon de Vega has achieved distinction as the first woman in history to conduct a symphony orchestra at a Vatican Papal Mass. Sonia was also the first Hispanic classical artist ever featured internationally on the Univision network’s signature Orgullo Hispano, which highlights the most successful Hispanics in the world. Her musical talents have inspired a large following in Southern California through live orchestral presentations, as well as an international audience through televised performances in the United States, Latin America and Europe. She is also the Producer and Music Director for the annual Opera Under the Stars concert in Los Angeles, a venue credited with launching the careers of many young operatic vocalist

On May 22, 2011, Santa Cecilia Orchestra will play México Sinfónico! This 80-piece symphony orchestra event will showcase the music of great Mexican composers and with great pride, will present Daniel Catán, Mexico’s pre-eminent living composer. The symphony orchestra will also include 14 percussionists to perform Silvestre Revueltas’s La Noche de los Mayas. “The Night of The Mayas” hurls itself at an audience like a Mexican Rite of Spring. Extravagant sonorities, panoramic scene-painting, and driving rhythms abound in this magnificent work. Que Viva México!

México Sinfónico
May 22, 2011, Sunday 4pm
Occidental College • Thorne Hall 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles
Prices: $26, $20, $7 (youth)
Purchase Tickets

An interview with Latina singing sensation Lila Downs

2011-03-16T06:14:00.000-07:00

Lila is a citizen of the world who brings a message of healing and wonderment.

By Dr. Al Carlos Hernandez

, Herald De Paris

LOS ANGELES, CA - Lila Downs is an enigmatic singer who has transcended international boarders with her unique vocal styling. She has gained critical acclaim and legions of fans from throughout the world. She sings from her heart. Her honesty is ethereal, her performances dramatic and viscerally challenging. Lila is a citizen of the world who brings a message of healing and wonderment.

Lila grew up with the culture of her father, a professor from the United States, but eventually turned her back on this to explore the traditions of her mother, a Mixteca Indian from Mexico. In doing so she has created a very individual strain of song that has indigenous Mexican roots and North American sonorities. Born in 1968, she spent her early years in Mexico. After her parents split up she was shuffled off to live with a relative in California.

She grew to love music, specifically classical and opera, and began studying both in college. After two years, however, she experienced a crisis. She began questioning why she was singing. Lila dropped out to become a "Deadhead" following the Grateful Dead around the country in a VW bus and earning money by making and selling jewelry - and not singing at all.

Though she was not particularly moved by the Dead's music, she enjoyed the lifestyle for a short time. Soon she headed back to college in Minnesota where her father lived. When she finally graduated she had degrees in both anthropology and voice. Lila had a renewed enthusiasm for her Mexican heritage and singing.

Settling in her mother's hometown of Oaxaca, she began vocalizing again and exploring her roots while realizing that she was still half Yankee. She met up with Philadelphia-based jazz pianist Paul Cohen and the pair began a professional and personal relationship. Their first fruit was the self-released (cassette only) Ofrenda in 1994. That was followed two years later by another cassette, the live Azuláo: En Vivo con Lida Downs, one of whose songs won "Best Original Latin Jazz Composition" in a Philadelphia poll.

Along with jazz she was slowly developing a more intense, folkloric style that began to rear its head on 1997's La Sandunga (released in the United States on BMG in 1999). The title track and "La Llorana" offered a hearty passion showing her jazzier efforts. That vocal promise was fulfilled in 2000 with the release of Tree of Life, the lyrics of which were largely derived from the religious codices of the Mixteca and Zapotec people. The album was recorded in Oaxaca, where Downs and Cohen were sustained by a foundation grant, although their home base remained in Mexico City. Tree of Life was her first recording for the Narada label, where she would remain for eight years. The next year Downs issued Border (La Linea). In 2004 Una Sangre (One Blood) was released, followed by 2006's La Cantina, whose song "La Cumbia del Mole" presented the singer with the opportunity to make her first music video. Downs and her band released her final album for the Narada imprint, Ojo de Culebra, in 2008,. She followed it up with Lila Downs y la Misteriosa en Paris - Live à FIP on World Village in 2010.

Herald De Paris Deputy Managing Editor Dr. Al Carlos Hernandez (thanks to an introduction by A Train Entertainment CEO, Al Evers) had the pleasure of talking to Lila Downs in a candid one on one.

What are the best and worst parts of growing up the way you did? What was the moment when you knew you were going to make music your life's work?

The spirituality of my Indian background is important to me. Being proud of being Mexican is also important, especially in these times. Being honest and searching for the truth is something I inherited from my American father. It took me a long time before I chose music. After I studied in college I did weaving. I learned about weaving Native American textiles from the south of Mexico. After that I came back to music. I had to let go of it for a while. I ignored it to really appreciate it.

What was the whole Grateful Dead period all about? Has their music or lifestyle influenced your music?

It was really about dropping out of society, just being fed up with order. I had been a classical music student through my college years and didn't want to get up early every day I so dropped out of school and became a Deadhead - one of those people feral to the music part of the Dead; rather a merchant traveling, just learning to survive on the road. This taught me about life, not worrying so much about the material world. Yes of course the music influenced me - the attitude, the philosophy of kind of making your own family, surrounding yourself with people who hold true to the same belief systems that you do and really living these ideals.

here does your music muse come from? What inspires you to write and perform? Is your musical thematic view of death therapeutic or cathartic?

Sometimes it comes from reading things that affect me in a deep way. Recently I read about a terrible and tragic death here in Long Island - a crime - a very dark subject. I usually find that I'm good at converting these subjects into light and trying to make it into a song that is incredibly funny or very melancholic. I am inspired by people with beautiful strength who smile in spite of possible bitterness, but decide they don't want to go down that route. I am inspired by amazing events where people can come together and move mountains in spite of their differences. My music is both therapeutic and cathartic, I think this is what is magnificent about the Mexican interpretation of death - it can be highly tragic, sad and melancholic, but it can also be festive, happy, with the people laughing at it. This is something I am grateful for having.

You are embraced by the world jazz scene. Do you consider yourself a jazz artist? If so, what about pop, rock and other genres? You seem to do it all very well.

Jazz has taught me to believe in no boundaries for music in any sense. Whether I would call that jazz I don't know. It's the original notion as to what jazz means, I believe. Pop is very important to me but I don't listen to the radio everyday. Rock is more amazing and more profound in its various incarnations through time, I am particularly in love with the music of the 60's and 70's. One can hear it in our music.

Which is your dominant culture? Do you prefer to work in Spanish or English and why?

I love Spanish because Spanish has all of the vowels that are so beautiful in which to sing. But I am leaning to love English as well - the beauty of sarcasm and the fun you can have by writing songs in English. Now that we are working on our musical theater it's really fun.

Have you ever been racially profiled? What do you think about what is going on in Arizona?

I probably have been profiled (ha ha) but I try not to focus on these issues. I think sometimes things need to get worse and right in your face. People who have been hiding behind an issue when their opinion is a racist one, and the reasons for them not coming out and talking about it, have not been discussed openly. It's a good thing to be able to discuss this on a national level.

You are an internationally acclaimed artist. Why do Paris and Europe appreciate what you do?

Wow! I'm glad that you have that impression. I hope that they do and I'm happy to translate certain cultural differences that we have in Mexico. In native American communities, as opposed to our national Mexican culture and also in relation to the US, what we have is preconceived notions as to what it means to be Mexican or Latino or Indian or native. I think that Europe has a great appreciation of culture for the different layers of meaning that this carries.

How has fame and various awards effected you?

Oh, well, I don't believe that I have fame. But I believe in working hard at what I do and I insist on being heard. I believe that I've been rewarded in my lifetime for things I stand for. I have been very proud to stand in my native American wipplil dress at the Oscars.

What do you like to do in your spare time? Would you consider settling down someday and have a family?

I like to read and to spent time out doors connecting to the trees. Being near water is important to me because it lets me shed my melancholy which I find very important as a woman. And the moon, of course, is very important. Yes I would like to start a family. In fact I am heading into this next phase of life because we are trying to adopt a little child. This is going to change our life I'm sure, and I'm looking forward to that.

What do you think your dad would say about your fabulous success?

My father would be so proud that I am fighting for the true expression of my heart. I am so connected to my grandmother, a woman he deeply admired and respected as a wise lady - a wise native woman.

What is the ultimate goal of your career?

I hope that people can understand more about where we come from and why we are here. I will never get tired of fighting for that. Hopefully people will learn to care about each other more - respect each other and remember that we all had some parent or grandparent that worked the fields, swept the floor, or produced and cultivated lettuce or strawberries - any of our beautiful food which we so comfortably eat everyday.

What would you like people to know about you that no one knows?

I do love to watch TV (laughing).

Grateful Dead Fans adored Jerry. How do you think your fans esteem you?

I think there is so much love out there - so much support. These are the people who have turned me around at those times when I am at a very dark point. I believe they make me come back and keep doing what I'm doing. It hasn't all been easy.

What do you hope for your legacy to be?

I hope than one day people look back and say, "Oh! This singer changed the way I look at things and opened me up!" Maybe they will remember that it was me. Perhaps it will be something in a song that I sang or something that I wrote that they carry in their hearts.

http://liladowns.com/

Edited By Susan Aceves

More Spanish TV for Hispanic community

2011-03-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

Xfinity TV Now Brings Customers More Hit Spanish–Language TV Shows, Movies, Music Videos and Sports on TV, On Demand and Online for Free to Comcast Digital Customers

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) today announced the launch of Xfinity TV in Spanish, a cross-platform entertainment experience that delivers the widest array of Spanish-language choices available anywhere, anytime – on TV, On Demand and online. As part of this comprehensive offering, the company has introduced www.XfinityTV.com/latinoTV, a new Internet destination with access to hundreds of Spanish-language movies and shows online free to Comcast digital customers. In addition, Comcast has more than tripled the number of Hispanic television choices available On Demand.

These new features for the Hispanic community complement the robust Spanish-language programming tiers Comcast is already rolling out nationwide, which include more than 50 of the most popular Hispanic networks along with hundreds of On Demand choices in Spanish. In summary, these enhancements include:

Newly launched www.XfinityTV.com/latinoTV, a Spanish-language entertainment Internet portal with access to more than 500 Hispanic video choices online, including movies, music videos and shows from television and movie partners including Univision, Cine Mexicano, Gran Cine, Caracol TV, Discovery Familia, ¡Sorpresa!, Tr3s, select content from HBO Latino®, Starz and many more.
A tripling of On Demand programming in Spanish to nearly 700 video choices for customers to watch anytime, plus new content from broadcasting partners including Telemundo, Galavisión, TeleFutura and mun2.
Additional Spanish-language HD content On Demand on TV.
More movies that are available the same day as DVD in Spanish than ever before.

“Offering products and services designed specifically for the Spanish-language audience in a rich and compelling way demonstrates again our commitment to bringing our customers the best entertainment choices across multiple platforms,” said Marcien Jenckes, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Comcast Video Services. “We’re continually enhancing our Xfinity TV service with more content and features to meet the diverse interests of the Hispanic community.”

To help raise awareness about the company’s Xfinity services among Spanish-speaking consumers, Comcast recently signed Emmy®-, Golden Globe®-, and SAG-nominated actress Sofia Vergara as its spokesperson. Vergara will be featured in a series of ads in Spanish to help further extend Comcast’s message of access to entertainment anytime, anywhere, among Hispanic consumers.

Upon signing in with their Comcast ID and password at www.XfinityTV.com/latinoTV, Comcast customers with a digital subscription can watch their favorite shows and movies in Spanish. Xfinity Internet service is not required to access this site. To switch to Spanish mode, customers only need to click the “Español” button on the top right hand corner of the screen.

About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services. Comcast is principally involved in the operation of cable systems through Comcast Cable and in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and other content for global audiences through NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential and business customers. Comcast is the majority owner and manager of NBCUniversal, which owns and operates entertainment and news cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, local television station groups, television production operations, a major motion picture company and theme parks.

Hispanic college student video contest by United

2011-03-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

United Airlines and Hispanic education organization sponsor video contest on Latin America

CHICAGO, Il -- United, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL), and the Adelante! U.S. Education Leadership Fund today announced their 2011 video contest, "Destino: Latinoamerica" ("Destination: Latin America"), for Hispanic college students.

To enter, students must submit a two-to-three-minute video highlighting five reasons to visit one of the Latin American or Caribbean countries where United flies. The first-place winner will receive four tickets good for travel to any United destination in the continental U.S., Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean. The second-place video maker will get two tickets.

"Latin America and the Caribbean are major markets for United as we focus on our expanded global network," said John Slater, United's vice president of sales-Americas. "Our goal is for 'Destino: Latinoamerica' to increase Hispanic college students' awareness of the cultural, historical and commercial ties between the U.S. and Latin America and the Caribbean – knowledge that will serve them well for careers in a global marketplace."

The deadline for the video submission is May 27. Videos, which may be submitted in English or Spanish, must be no more than three minutes long. Videos will be judged on clarity of expression, originality and creativity. Winners will be announced at Adelante's! Leadership Institute for Hispanic college students in San Antonio, Texas, on Oct. 17; the first-place entry will be posted on the Adelante! website and YouTube page (http://www.youtube.com/user/AdelanteFund).

"The 'Destino: Latinoamerica' video contest gives students a great opportunity to see a part of the world with similar cultures and ancestry to their own," said Jay Zambrano, executive director, Adelante! Fund, whose mission is to increase Hispanic college graduation rates. "We hope that the travel experience can lead to a better understanding of themselves, plus a stronger connection to their own backgrounds."

Prior to the merger, Continental Airlines sponsored "Destino: Latinoamerica" since 2007. The contest is open to legal U.S. residents of Hispanic descent currently enrolled in college. Participants must have at least a 3.0 GPA. Videos should be sent on DVD with supporting documents (name, address, telephone, college, major, date of graduation, proof of enrollment and GPA) to Sarah Ramos, Program Coordinator, Adelante! U.S. Education Fund, "Destino: Latinoamerica," 8415 Datapoint Drive, Ste. 400, San Antonio, Texas 78229.

United also provides tickets for 10 Adelante! scholarship recipients from around the U.S. to attend the organization's October Leadership Institute in San Antonio.

"The Adelante! Fund is preparing the next generation of Latino leaders with the knowledge, skills, mindsets, and dedication needed to succeed in the corporate world and beyond," Zambrano added.

SOURCE United

Afro-Latinos celebrate "Black History Month" and "Cinco-de-Mayo"

2011-02-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

Afro-Latinos in New York celebrate with a multi-media arts show.

Olmec figure with African features

NEW YORK, NY -- Many historians use the term “Afro-Latino” when describing a Latino whose ancestral roots are tied to Black Africans, even partially. As Europeans colonized the Americas in the 15^th and 16^th Centuries, they brought thousands of slaves from Africa thus, Afro-Latinos can be found throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. However, there is also a different school of thought that argues the indigenous peoples of the Americas already had trade with Africans, long before the colonists arrived, and the cultural influence can be found especially among Olmec art and sculptures.

Afro-Latino multimedia arts exhibit

Today, many Afro-Latinos in the United States enjoy the freedom of celebrating the two cultures, which many see as one, while others choose to identify with one or the other. Being "Black History Month," the Afro-Latino American Crossroads, a multimedia arts show, celebrated both cultures through live music, painting and poetry performances as well as a traditional blessing ritual. It took place February 16^th through February 25^th, at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Educational Center - Abrazo Interno Gallery in NYC.

Angel Rodriguez and Mia Roman Hernandez

The exhibit was a Cultural Introspection Into the Afro-Latino American Diaspora through the arts in all mediums including but not limited to music, handcrafts, altars, visual arts in 2d and 3d, live performances, video, poetry and a tasting of cultural foods. The exhibit’s multimedia installation linked Afro-Latino she-roes & heroes with a traditional ancestor worship of the Afro-Latinos within the diaspora.

Carmen Mojica Fabian

The exhibit depicted the diversity of the Afro-Latino diaspora and its rich and colorful history. Politics, religion, culture, and tradition were some of the subjects expressed and conveyed through the arts. The object of the exhibit was to bring the community together and share the rich history and values of the Afro-Latino diaspora while paying homage to Afro-Latino ancestors that fought so bravely and created the history.

Curator of the exhibit was Mia Roman Hernandez, A Puerto Rican-American (NuyoRican) New York based artist, teaching artist, lecturer, entrepreneur, founder of the women’s creative network Chamaca Arts and participant of the Afro – Latino American Crossroads Art Exhibit. Exhibiting artists included: Dylcia Pagan, Mia Roman Hernandez, Yasmin Hernandez, Helene Ruiz, Pete Rodriguez, Juan Carlo Suazo, Ezequiel Jimenez, Amanda Mathews, Nia Siacara Andino, Jose Rios, Marthalicia Matarrita. Performing artists included: Peggy Robles Alvarado, Carmen Mojica Fabian, Angel Rodriguez, with Spiritual Blessings by Maximus.

About Mia Roman Hernandez
To learn more about curator Mia Roman Hernandez and see more of her work, visit her website at www.artsbymia.com.

Meet Daisy Sanchez, the new Mariachi music diva

2011-02-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

Daisy Sanchez takes Regional Mexican Mariachi into new era.

By Adrian Perez, Publisher, Vida de Oro

Daisy Sanchez

BAKERSFIELD, CA - Mariachi music is hundreds of years old and can be traced back to the traditional theatrical productions in Spain. Typically consisting of six to eight violins, two trumpets and a guitar, the sound has evolved, reflecting the many regions of Mexico today. The most admirable component of mariachis is the vocalist, whose operatic style of singing relies on no amplification and is able to move enthusiasts emotionally.

The most famous mariachi vocalist have been male and from Mexico, like world renown crooner Vicente Fernandez, the late master of romantic rancheras Pedro Infante, and even pop-star Luis Miguel. But, women have also added their influence including Ana Gabriel, Chayito Valdez and American born pop-stars like Linda Ronstadt and Vicki Carr.

Now, from an agricultural and petroleum town called Bakersfield, California, which produced the late country singing ultra star, Buck Owens, comes a new mariachi singer, Daisy Sanchez. A 24-year old Latina mariachi singing sensation who grew up being influenced by soul singer Whitney Houston and has just completed recording a new album, produced by those who have helped Vicente Fernandez.

Vida de Oro recently had the opportunity to interview Daisy Sanchez as she prepares to release her new album.

VIDA: Tell us, how did you get into singing mariachi?

Daisy with her idol, Vicente Fernandez

My mother must have been singing a lot of Rancheras when I was in the womb because ever since I can recall singing has been a passion of mine. Growing up I would ask her to teach me songs and I would spend hours singing along to my favorite artists including Vicente Fernandez, Selena, and Whitney Houston among others. When I was 8 I got the courage to sing with 2 of my 6 sisters at weddings, quinceaneras, church choir and anywhere we were given the opportunity to sing. By the time I was 11 I started recording demos as a solo artist.

VIDA: When did you get your first break singing mariachi?

It was May 31st, 2008 when Vicente Fernandez was in concert at the Rabobank Arena in my hometown of Bakersfield, Ca. I sent a letter to Don Chente asking him for the opportunity to sing with him and a copy of my first Ranchero album. I flung a couple of notes to the stage just in case he didn’t receive my letter. To my surprise, he did receive it and called me on stage to join him during the concert. Eventually leading me to record my latest album “Flor De Hoguera” in his studio located in his ranch in Ja. Mx., then participating as the opening act for various concerts from this last year’s U.S. tour.

VIDA: That’s unique and interesting. Can you tell our readers a little about yourself? Do you have support at home? Are you single? How do you see yourself?

Daisy Sanchez

I was born in Bakersfield, Ca. November 27th, 1984. I have been blessed with parents who have supported me, and my decision to pursue a career in the music industry. I have wholeheartedly dedicated myself to fulfilling my dreams and aspirations putting forth much time and effort. Due to the opportunities I have received there has been a time constraint to follow through with my education. I have attended Bakersfield College and hope to one day, continue my studies in Music. My status? I am married to my career. I am now seeing the fruits of my labor, which still require a lot of work and dedication. I believe timing is everything, and when the time is right I hope to have a family of my own and dedicate myself to them as I have in other aspects of my life.

VIDA: How hard was it to reach this point in your music career?

There was a time period, your classic scenario of small town girl moves to the big city of L.A. knocking on doors and searching for opportunities. I can remember the frustration of trying so hard and seeing how some things didn’t come through. My faith, family and friends some of whom were dealing with the same frustrations helped me stay positive and encouraged me to keep trying. I am now grateful because this experience taught me life lessons of never giving up and believing in my dreams. I also cherish and value my achievements even more, had I not had obstacles along the way.

VIDA: So you took a tough road at first, do you think you’ve reached your goal?

I have fulfilled many goals and unexpected things like singing with a legend, and someone I grew up admiring. I still let my dreams run wild, so yes there are more stages I have yet to perform on, more albums to be produced, and places to take my music to.

VIDA: Yes, we can see that. So, what type of music or songs, motivate you the most?

I am overall proud of my genre of Regional Mexican Mariachi music, which represents my culture, the native country of my parents. I feel proud when I sing songs like “Viva Mexico” and “Cancion Mixteca” and look at the joy and sometimes sadness in the eyes of those who have left their country behind, some of which presently can’t go back. It inspires me that through music you can bring back a sense of home with songs that speak of Mexico and its traditions. I’ve made a promise to my Dad that when he is around and there is a mariachi present I have to sing “Mi Ranchito” because it reminds him of the ranch he grew up in, Zacatecas, Mexico.

VIDA: Which songs usually get the best reaction?

The songs I have previously mentioned that speak of Mexico bring so much pride and are always a crowd favorite. I must say I have a great following with women when I sing songs of men who have been unfaithful, uncaring, and do not value a good woman. Many women sing along with me to songs like “El Farsante” “Inocente Pobre Amiga” and “Te Parto el Alma” just to name a few. Women, and I include myself, feel attracted to these types of songs because they are empowering, a great outlet when you’ve gone through a similar situation, and remind us not to deal with injustices and unloving relationships. That’s not to say there aren’t any great men out there! As contradicting as this may sound romantic songs like “Sabor a Mi” always grab much attention with the lovebirds in the audience. That is the great thing about Mariachi music it allows you to be versatile and express different emotions whether its melancholy, joy, resentment, or tenderness. Long notes always attract the audience and boy do you need vocal power to interpret a Ranchera!

VIDA: Many of our readers are going to want to know more about you and your career, how can they keep track of you?

Your readers can visit my web page at www.DaisySanchezmusic.com, which has links to all my social networks. My music including my latest album “Flor de Hoguera” is now available through iTunes, Amazon, and www.morenamusic.com.

Daisy Sanchez performing at the Gibson Theater

Hispanics irked by BBC show racist comments

2011-02-02T14:52:00.000-08:00

Popular car show insults Mexicans and pokes fun at Mexican Ambassador

LONDON - The modern British people have often touted their capacity of having tolerance for other ethnic groups by adopting the Equality Act last year, which consolidated their numerous anti-discrimination laws. A key component is that broadcasters are forbidden from sharing racist thoughts since broadcasting is a service and it is illegal to provide racist services. Yet on a recent show of “Top Gear” its hosts took freedom in stereotyping and blatantly demonstrating discrimination toward Mexicans.

In last week’s broadcast of the BBC show “Top Gear,” the hosts made disparaging remarks about Mexicans, describing them as “lazy, feckless, flatulent, and overweight.” The comments drew an immediate response by Mexican Ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora who wrote a letter to the BBC calling the remarks “xenophobic” and “humiliating,” demanding an apology. Now the BBC may also face a lawsuit.

Iris de la Torre, a 30-year old jewelry design student in London has accused the BBC of using racism to boost ratings and is demanding an investigation of the BBC as well as suspension of the Top Gear show.

"I was shocked at what the BBC allowed to be broadcast," De la Torre said. "I have never had a bad experience in the UK due to my nationality. I do not understand how such ignorant people hold such high-profile jobs."

De la Torre has instructed her lawyers to file the lawsuit under the new Equality Act, which alleges the comments made on the show violate the Act’s component prohibiting discrimination by public entities. She decided to take action after seeing and listening to the show’s Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May making fun of a new sports car being made in Mexico and how the Mexican Consulate would not complain because he was too lazy to take any action. In his official complaint the Mexican Ambassador called the broadcast content “xenophobic” and “offensive.”

"These remarks were probably calculated and deliberate to fuel anger and hence boost ratings – the presenters apparently feel that they are fighting a battle against political correctness," said Lawrence Davies, De la Torre's lawyer (solicitor) from Equal Justice.

Equal Justice has previously brought a suit against another broadcaster for making discriminatory remarks about a popular Indian actor, Shilpa Shetty in the “Celebrity Big Brother” reality show. However, the De la Torre case could be the first case involving the Equality Act.

De la Torre's lawyers have written to the BBC delineating the allegations, a mandatory process before they can file with the county court. The BBC will then be allowed to address the issue before appearing in court. Last month, two male broadcasters were fired for making off-air sexist remarks, which were leaked. Clarkson, who has previously made offensive comments, condemned the firing, calling it “heresy by thought.”

The video taped portion of the show where the remarks were made was released on Youtube and immediately withdrawn by the BBC alleging copyright violations.

TOP Ten Signs Your Prima will get cut from American Idol

2011-01-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

TOP Ten Signs Your Prima will get cut from American Idol

By Al Carlos, Latino LA

10.She sang a "La Lupe" tune in English, with a Black-scent.

9. Told Steve Tyler, He is the Dude that looks like a lady.
8. Walked out with an accordion and they tackled her.

7. Once she sang "Volver", they knew she wouldn't.

6. Told Randy, "The only 'Dogg' in here is your wifey".

5. Told J Lo, her man looks like Skeletor.

4. Wore a Queincera dress and did Pit Bull freestyle.

3. Stopped in the middle of a tune to answer cell phone and fight with case worker.

2. Called Ryan Seacrest "Ellen DeGeneres".

1. Refused to sing. Didn't trust anybody to hold her purse.

Open letter from Hispanic artists to the Kennedy Center

2010-12-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

Open Letter to the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) & Being Latino, Inc.

Washington Square · 1050 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. · Tenth Floor

Washington, D.C. 20036

Office 202-293-8330

www.Hispanicarts.Org

December 29, 2010

Mr. David M. Rubenstein

Chairman

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

2700 F St NW,

Washington, D.C.

Mr. Leslie Moonves

President & CEO

CBS Corporation

CBS Headquarters

51 W. 52nd Street

New York, NY 10019-6188

Ms. Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg

Trustee

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

Columbia Point

Boston, MA 02125

RE: Kennedy Center Honors

Dear Messr. Rubenstein, Moonves and Ms. Kennedy Scholossberg:

The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) was founded in 1997, by actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Merel Julia, and Washington, D.C. attorney Felix Sanchez to provide both outreach and graduate scholarships to Latinos interested in careers in the entertainment and telecommunications industry. NHFA in partnership with Being Latino --- founded by Lance Rios --- the largest online Latino community on face book, have embarked on an impact project to address the glaring absence of Latinos on television and in film.

Since 1978, when the Kennedy Center Honors began, only 2 Latinos have received your prestigious honor: Placido Domingo in 2000; and Chita Rivera in 2002. After 32 years, 160 artists have received the Kennedy Center's lifetime achievement award. Gone are some of the true virtuosos of our community: Rita Hayworth; Fernando Llamas; Ricardo Montalban; Celia Cruz; Anthony Quinn; Raul Julia; Fernando Bujones; Kathy Jurado; Lalo Guerrero, Jose Ferrer; Luis Buñuel; and Jose Limon, who while they lived could have been honored with your award.

It is with great disappointment that we note how few U.S. and International Latinos have been singled out for your award. We note the following artists have made an enormous artistic contribution both within the U.S. and International stage. They are but a few who are more than worthy of your award.

Literature: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Sandra Cisneros, Nilo Cruz, Isabel Allende, Victor Villaseñor, Oscar Hijuelos, Junot Diaz

Music: Julio Iglesias, Gloria & Emilio Estefan, Jose Feliciano, Joan Baez, Carlos Santana, Linda Ronstadt, Willie Colon, Ruben Blades

Dance: Kenny Ortega, Amalia Hernandez, Rita Moreno, Priscilla Lopez, Jose Manuel Carreño

Actors/Film/TV: Cristina Saralegui, Sonia Braga, Rita Moreno, Raquel Welch, Edward James Olmos, Antonio Banderas, Hector Elizondo, Luis Valdez, David Valdes, Gregory Nava, Pedro Almodovar

We hope that this will be the last year Latinos are absent as honorees on your show. We note that a number of current Latino performers would undoubtedly welcome the opportunity to pay tribute to the above-mentioned icons of the Latino community, including: Jennifer Lopez; Marc Anthony; Jimmy Smits; Salma Hayek; Eva Longoria; Esai Morales; Shakira; Christina Aguilera; Adam Rodriguez; Los Lobos; Los Tigres del Norte; Javier Bardem; Benicio Del Toro; Lin-Manuel Miranda; Roberto Orci; Juanes; George Lopez; Penelope Cruz; John Leguizamo; Jessica Alba; Mario Lopez; Lynda Carter; America Ferrera; Rosie Perez; Eva Mendez; Sofia Vergara; Fergie; Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias; Don Omar; Alejandro Fernandez; Juan Gabriel; Los Lonely Boys; Ozomatli; and Luis Miguel to name but a few.

The Kennedy family has a long history of working alongside the Latino community, and valuing the contributions of the Latino community in building and strengthening our nation. From the moment the Latino community was first galvanized as a voting bloc in the 1960 presidential race electing John F. Kennedy as President of the United States, to the late seventies when Robert Kennedy worked with Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and other Latino leaders during the civil rights movement, and most recently as Senator Edward Kennedy fought valiantly to his final days working on immigration reform and health care reform, the Kennedy family have been allies, partners and true friends to the Latino community. It's time for the Kennedy Center Honors to carry forward the legacy of the family name extended in the Kennedy Center Honors, by also acknowledging and including the artistic contributions made by both U.S. Latinos and International Latinos.

We hope that you will move to address this matter and make the Kennedy Center Honors a truly modern day inclusive American Award event. We also welcome the opportunity to discuss with you any ways we can support your efforts to get there.

Sincerely,

Felix Sanchez

Chairman

National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts

Lance Rios

Founder & President

Being Latino, Inc.

Latino Organizations Supporting this Letter

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities

Hispanic Federation

Hispanic War Veterans of America

Labor Council for Latin American Advancement

League of United Latin American Citizens

MANA--A National Latina Organization

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

National Association of Hispanic Federal Employees

National Council of La Raza

National Hispana Leadership Institute

National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators

National Hispanic Media Coalition

National Hispanic Medical Association

National Institute for Latino Policy

SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc.

U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute

U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce

United States-Mexico Cultural and Educational Foundation

Top Ten Reasons Santa wants to avoid Oakland, CA

2010-12-23T15:46:00.000-08:00

TOP Ten Reasons Santa Wants to Avoid Oakland

Way to close to Alameda and Emeryville

By Al Carlos Hernandez, Contributing Editor, LatinoLA
Published on LatinoLA: December 16, 2010

10. He always gets sleigh-jacked and they spray paint his rig silver and black.

9. The naughty outnumber the nice 757,000 to 1.

8. The Hell's Angels motorcycle club thinks he is one of theirs, and get him wasted in the clubhouse on Foothill Blvd.

7. Those who have chimneys can afford to buy their own presents.

6. Every time he parks on a roof he accidentally runs over someone hiding from OPD.

5. Anyone who wears that much red is considered gang affiliated.

4. The pit bulls find the reindeer attractive and attempt to date them.

3. Every time he yells "Ho, Ho, Ho" he gets sued for sexual harassment.

2. Santa don't want no Baby Mama, drama...

1. Warrants.

Latino ancestors gave America Poinsettias for Christmas

2010-12-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

It has become an American Christmas tradition of decorating homes and offices with poinsettias. The beautiful green and red leaf shrub is commonly sold at variety stores including drugstores, hardware stores and supermarkets. Had it not been for an American Ambassador to Mexico, the shrubs given as gifts to office coworkers, families and friends may have never been.

Called “Cuetlaxochitl” (quet-la-so-chill) by the Aztecs, poinsettias bloomed wildly each December in the lower lands of what is now central Mexico. The shrub was harvested for Aztec royalty where the sap was used to control fevers among the ill and the red leaves were used to make red dye.

In the 1820s, Joel Roberts Poinsett was American Ambassador to Mexico under President John Quincy Adams. On a December trip to Mexico City, which was once the Aztec capital, he noticed the red flowered shrub decorating a nativity scene in a Taxco church. Being a botanist, he had plants and cuttings sent back to his green house in South Carolina. It was there where William Prescott, a historian and horticulturist, saw them, later naming the plant “Poinsettia” after his friend.

It was not until the early 1900's when the Paul Ecke family of Southern California began growing poinsettias for use as landscape plants and as cut flowers, did the public begin to take notice. Recognizing that they only bloomed in late-fall season and the colors accented the red and green associated with Christmas, poinsettias became an American tradition.

Paul Ecke III

Today, the Ecke family grows 80 percent of the poinsettias sold, which are priced according to the number of blooms (the more blooms, the more expensive). In nature, this perennial shrub can grow up to ten feet tall and the red, white, and pink colors many believe are flowers, are actually leaves. There are over 100 varieties of this non-poisonous shrub, making it safe to have around kids and house pets.

In Mexico, December 12 of each year is known as El Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe (Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe), a day commonly celebrated with red roses. But in the U.S. it is known as National Poinsettia Day, where the over $220 million dollar business takes hold for an average of six weeks. Red Poinsettias are favored by 74 percent of Americans, followed by white (8 percent) and pink (6 percent). Women 40 and older are the most common purchasers of the plant (80 percent).

Not to be out done, the NCCA has an annual Bowl game in San Diego named…the Poinsettia Bowl. Happy Holidays!!!

Top Ten things a barrio turkey is thinking

2010-11-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

TOP Ten things a Barrio Turkey is thinking

By Al Carlos

10.Sabes Que, I'll just front like I'm a Shicken...

9. Fool stupid enough to eat me will be hung over (Crudo) for a week.

8. Given my background, I'm qualified to run for local office.

7. The Latin Grammys were the bomb.

6. Mi Vieja is the Hen, I'm a Tomas, Y Que?

5. I wonder which end they light, when they smoke a turkey?

4. Yeah, I’m a Turkey, just like Tu Mama; Su bald headed Girlfriend and the Chancho that did your hair.

3. Hit me with that Pinata stick, and I’m going to bite your lip.

2. I heard Eva is single again, I'm going to Tweet the heck out of her now.

1. Actually, it was The Aztecs who domesticated The Turkey, and look what happened to them.

Top Ten reasons Latin Grammy's need to be canceled

2010-11-17T14:15:00.000-08:00

TOP Ten reasons Latin Grammy’s need to be canceled
By Al Carlos, www.LatinoLA.com

10. The real/legitimate Grammys has many Latin categories.

9. We know from politics, Separate is not equal.

8. Same Circus, different Clowns.

7. High Honor, or, hood ornament?

6. The GED of music award shows, laugh at it, not with it.

5. Advertisers are bigger buffoons then presenters.

4. English speakers win for Spanish songs, that can’t win a real Grammy.

3. Authentic Latino bands like Tierra, Malo, El Chicano are ignored.

2. The Latin Recording Academy, is more like "Police Academy".

1. It’s obvious that they are deporting the wrong foreign nationals.

Latino filmmaker tells about historic account

2010-11-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

The Story of a GI, the American GI Forum and Civil Rights

By Adrian Perez, Publisher

Pvt. Felix Longoria

Mexican Americans have been in the forefront of the civil rights movement since the 1940’s and 50’s, yet little is known about how exactly they were involved. In the new documentary film “The Longoria Affair,” veteran writer-director John J. Valadez captures the series of incidents that lead up to the signing of the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964, from a Latino perspective. Although the events took place over sixty years ago, the feelings and reactions to “The Longoria Affair” are still very much alive today.

“The Longoria Affair” actually tells the story of the evolution of the American GI Forum through three distinct sub-stories that changed the course of American history. It chronicles the series of events that brought justice to a Latino veteran who gave his life for his country; the actions taken by a Latino civil rights leader; and, the effect it had on a Texas Senator who would become President of the United States.

The film begins by telling viewers about Felix Longoria, a resident, husband and father from Three Rivers, Texas, who was killed in action during World War II in the Pacific. His remains were returned to his family for burial, but the only funeral home in town refused to hold a wake because, as his widow was told, “The whites wouldn’t like it.” This brought rage among Latinos living in Three Rivers, and Longoria’s wife was told to contact Dr. Hector P. Garcia.

Dr. Garcia was a physician who practiced medicine in Corpus Christi, Texas, many times donating his services to the needy. A World War II veteran, Garcia made a name for himself in Texas as a fighter for the rights of Mexican American veterans whose government benefits were denied because of discriminatory practices. Garcia established an organization called the “American GI Forum,” which grew into a network for Mexican American veterans, fighting for their rights. Upon learning about the incident at Three Rivers from Longoria’s widow, Garcia took immediate action ensuring full media coverage and requesting the assistance from Senator Lyndon J. Johnson.

Senator Johnson had taught elementary school in a town near Three Rivers and was very much aware of the poverty and discrimination Mexican American families endured in that region. In response to Garcia’s request, he arranged for Felix Longoria to be given a full military burial in Arlington, W. Virginia, and although he was there, the Senator from Texas was absent from all print and film news clips. He feared being seen by his support base in Texas, which consisted of many who discriminated against Mexican Americans.

The film shows viewers the love-hate relationship that was established between Johnson and Garcia, especially after the American GI Forum delivered the Mexican American vote to elect John F. Kennedy as President. What happened next was a surprise that teaches viewers a different perspective of what lead to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the appointment of Mexican Americans to federal posts.

John J. Valadez

In creating the story, writer and director, John J. Valadez, uses news clips and interviews that shape a different perspective on that period of American history. A founding member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, Valadez has a string of films to his credit, including: The Chicano Wave (PBS, 2009), The Last Conquistador (P.O.V., 2008), High Stakes (CNN, 2005) Matters of Race (PBS 2001), and Passin’ It On (P.O.V., 1994).

“Since we showed the film, some of the residents from Three Rivers have sent me emails denying that this was an accurate account of what took place,” says Valadez. “I do ask the viewers to please share their comments with us once they see the film.”

“The Longoria Affair” is scheduled for broadcast on November 9, 2010 on PBS. Check your local listings for specific times.

Latinos not reflected on Spanish TV

2010-10-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

Blonde, Blue-Eyed, Euro-Cute Latinos on Spanish TV

Has Spanish language TV violated its trust to maintain American Latino cultural identity?

Dr. Al Carlos Hernández, www.LatinoLA.com

Edited by Susan Aceves

For second and third generation Latinos living in the USA, Spanish language TV is as foreign and disingenuous to our lifestyles as Jersey Shore. Everything portrayed on Univision, Galavision, and Telemundo reflects a "Euro-Cute" opinion of beauty; a visual that has tormented normal-looking Latinos for generations. To me, light skinned, light eyed, wealthy people represent the patron, not the peon.

Why, when I travel down south to the Motherland, is it always the Festival of St. Cara de Burro? I have never seen anyone even close to novella-quality walking the streets or even working the hotels.

Spanish-language TV has made a strangely twisted, anti-affirmative action effort to hire any Spanish-speaking white person on the planet who can over-act on cue. I have never seen a Benito Juarez-looking leading man or a leading lady like Freda. Brown is bad and guiro is always good.

Spanish TV ambitiously perpetuates this Arian beauty myth. People go to church with these novellas five times a week to learn the value of racial misinformation. No one says anything about it because these people happen to be speaking Spanish. Speaking Spanish doesn’t make one Latino. I met several Spanish speaking Chinese folks at Popeye’s Chicken.

Cortez spoke Spanish and taught it to La Malinche - then she turned around and sold out the Aztecs. Her name is remembered when you bang your thumb with a hammer, stub your toe on a bedpost or realize that your brother-in-law won the lottery.

Is Spanish TV selling out American Latinos and indoctrinating them into a universal Anglo ideal of beauty? Of course they are. It's all about giving the advertisers what they want: our money not our cultural integrity. This, via foreign-programmed Spanish TV, is for sale. I cannot relate to Spanish TV. It has even less quality than Network TV and we are excluded from that media as well.

I was amused to find that Captain Crunch, Colonel Sanders, and the Cocoa Puffs bird could speak Spanish. Advertising in Spanish media is now a multi-billion dollar-a-year industry, which seems redundant. Real numbers indicate that at least 70% of Latinos living in this country can communicate in English and prefer English as the language of commerce.

What concerns me, are the visual image values that are conveyed on the novellas and the variety shows night after night. Few Latinos have light hair, light eyes, and are draped in designer labels. The irony is that those whose actual lives mirror that description would never be caught dead watching Univision. Those who do pass for Anglo avoid the sting of American racism. We should continue to reject the American notion of "Euro-Cute" beauty as it is inherently colonial and racist. Many of us would protest such caricature on Network TV. On the other hand, they hired Blair Underwood to be a Black Cuban President. Seriously? It seems like they go around the block to avoid us.

Why do we accept caricature as legitimate? Is it just because the racist message is in Spanish? Our kids should not be subjected to situational values (assumed as truth from birth) that tell them that the Anglo ideal of beauty is good and ideals of color are wrong.

I find it also true that most of Spanish TV programming is a corny, cheap knock-off of what we American Latinos call, "played out." That being said, my monolingual sons watch Spanish TV to see the babes, TV volume down, while listening to rap. I like the guy who blows the horn on the whacked singing contestants on Sabado Gigante.

We rant. We boycott about the conspicuous lack of real Latinos on Network TV, as well we should. They don't even pretend to respect us. What we don't realize is that while the viewing numbers of Spanish TV soar into the hundreds of millions of households, they dwarf network ratings worldwide. And speaking of dwarfs, I saw a Mexican midget rodeo and almost laughed my way into the emergency room. I sincerely hope that the program was a comedy. If not, I volunteer my sincerest apologies.

Spanish networks, especially the local affiliates, should be held incredibly accountable to the community. They have a sacred trust to maintain and sustain Latino cultural integrity. It was second and third generation Latino activists who rallied and demanded a bigger Latino presence in modern media. We built the house. Spanish TV foreclosed on us. Now we have no real community presence on Network T.V. They pitch their commercials to the advertising agencies claiming to speak for the people. But how many Castilian-speaking, blonde-haired, green-eyed busboys have you met in the barrio?

And if you have never been to the Barrio, you are unqualified to comment.

A Latino's interview of Social Diva, Peg Samuel

2010-10-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

INTERVIEW: The Social Diva, Peg Samuel
By Al Carlos Hernandez, Herald de Paris, October 17, 2010

HOLLYWOOD – A native New Yorker, Peg Samuel likes to say that she was pretty much born with the ‘fabulous’ gene embedded in her DNA. However, no one ever said that ‘fabulous’ was mutually exclusive with ‘diva’ Peg spent many years fine tuning her diva skills for which she is so well known. So well known in fact, she wrote the book on it.

Peg’s journey began in 1995 as an internet pioneer working in digital advertising at well known sites such as Weather.com, Disney’s Info seek/Go.com, Value Click Media and Travel Ad Network. Peg was becoming affectionately known around town as ‘The Diva’ and the go-to girl for connecting, promoting and socializing. Friends say that her social butterfly personality made her situationally aware of the hip happenings on the social scene.

Peg wanted to combine her internet savvy with her love of lifestyle and her people skills. Armed with her personal mantra of “More Everything,” Peg launched Social Diva.com in 2000, a lifestyle and entertainment website and blog which answers the age-old dilemma: Where can a girl go to have some fun? MORE.

Top Ten Reasons Latinos live longer than other Americans

2010-10-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

TOP Ten reasons Latinos Live longer than other Americans
By Al Carlos, www.LatinoLA.com

10.We live longer but, we are sicker, we do this to irritate our Spouses.

9. We can't die, until we pay off credit cards by making the minimum payment.

8. We don't jump out of airplanes, windsurf, ski jump, or climb outside of buildings.

7. Our only use of a bungee cord is to hold stuff down in the pick up truck.

6. Because of surprise and random family visits we will never be bored to death.

5. Latino cuisine is the oldest in mankind, there would still be Aztecs, if Cortez didn't kill them.

4. We never abandon our elders to Old Folks homes, we honor them.

3. We never jog alone at night in the wilderness, thinking we have rights.

2. Latinos outlive whites by two-and-a-half years and blacks by more than seven years.

1. Out living them is one thing, out running them, is quite another thing.

Latina trailblazing Tejano music

2010-10-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

Promesa Mortal keeps it in the family
Joey Guerra, 29-95.com, October 5, 2010

Publisher's Note: This article first appeared on www.29-95.com.

HOUSTON - Tina Vega first picked up a bajo sexto (12-string guitar) at 9 years old. She probably didn’t realize it at the time, but it made her a bit of a trailblazer.

“It just caught my attention,” she says. “I love challenges. Even my dads friends were like, ‘Your hands are too little.’”

Now in her early 20s, Vega fronts Promesa Mortal, a norteño outfit featuring her two brothers and a female cousin on drums. Vega handles lead vocals and strums her bajo sexto.

And she’s still a rarity in a male-dominated field.

“It’s hard to be taken seriously as a female,” Vega says. “I’ve had a few promoters not give us jobs because I was playing the bajo. They wanted me to sing only and hire a male musician.

“I use it as motivation to keep moving forward. At my shows I always say, ‘Tambien las mujeres pueden.’ Women can do anything a man can do, especially in the music industry.”

Vega says she’s had unwavering support from her parents and sees the late Selena, who seamlessly combined Tejano and pop, as an inspiration. Linda Esobar, a well-respected conjunto singer, is also a mentor.

Promesa Mortal’s own sound is a hybrid of norteño and rock, influenced by everyone from Paramore, AC/DC and Spanish rock band Mana to more traditional acts Los Tigres del Norte and accordion legend Tony de la Rosa. The group released its debut CD, featuring tracks in Spanish and in English, earlier this year.

“Most conjunto bands, Tejano bands stay in their zone. They don’t want to venture out,” Vega says. “They’re scared to because they don’t know how the public will react.

“We want to show rock and pop fans that you can play anything with bajo sexto y acordeon.”

The Vega clan might look familiar to local fans of conjunto music. Promesa Mortal was formerly known as Tina y Los Gallitos, who appeared four times at the Festival Chicano and performed throughout Houston. Vega fronted that incarnation from 10-20 years old.

“We were young, and it was something new, an adventure,” she says. “We traveled a lot. We recorded three albums. We won about four awards.

“Playing with family has its pros and cons. I’m the bandleader, and my older brother doesn’t really like that I’m in charge. We butt heads over a few things. But we all kind of have things were in charge of and our specialties. It balances out.”

Remodeled museum to reopen on 101010

2010-10-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

New museum is family friendly, community rooted

A museum to be proud of

The renovated and expanded Crocker Art Museum and Gallery is the city’s newest pride and joy.

By Adrian Perez, for the SacLatino, September 29, 2010

SACRAMENTO - It has been several years since a concept was floated around for renovating and expanding Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum. Finally, on October 10, 2010 (10-10-10) the public will get to enjoy one of northern California’s most modern and finest museums.

When looking at it from the outside, it is clear that there are two distinct buildings that now house the Crocker Art, but once inside, there is almost a completely seamless transition from one building to the other. The $100 million addition compliments the old building by adding 125,000 square feet for art displays, classrooms and even a modern theater auditorium.

As the public enters the first floor of the new building, they are greeted at a round kiosk that serves as an information and admission booth. However, anyone wanting to attend a class, visit the souvenir shop, or just have lunch in the Café can do so at no cost. But, once inside, the feel and knowledge that you are in a museum will entice you to pay admission and enjoy hours of art displays that include paintings, sculptures, pottery, and rare exhibits. Well worth the price of admission.

The new extension houses the art galleries on the second and third floors, which are reached by very large elevators and stairwells. Once inside, museum goers will notice glass windows in virtually each gallery that serve an aesthetic value and as a navigation tool to let people know where they are located. (Unlike many windowless museums that emit a claustrophobic feeling of being lost.)

The layout on the third floor is designed to create a reenactment of history of paintings and sculptures collected by the Crockers over the last 140 years. It also includes contemporary art loaned or donated by world-renowned artists and private collectors. In addition, the colors and sizes of each room were designed to accommodate the size and era of the paintings.

For pottery and ceramic art lovers, the second floor provides a trip back in time to the 18th and 19th Centuries that include “meissen” porcelain dishware. This floor also features an Asian and African art exhibit.

Finally, there’s the Museum Café, operated by local chef and restaurateur Patrick Mulvaney, from “Mulvaney’s” on the corner of 19th and L Streets. According to his wife Bobbin Mulvaney, the Café will offer a range of salads, snacks (including health children snacks), sandwiches, daily hot-lunch specials and their own freshly baked pastries. In addition to soft drink refreshments, beer and wine will also be served, but not until January 2011. The Café is the museum’s official caterer as well, offering small and large private groups an extensive menu.

There is no question that Sacramento should be proud of the new Crocker Art Museum as a destination point for locals and vacationers alike. Its grand opening is a free community celebration featuring art, music, food, dance and magic.

For more information about the Crocker Art Museum visit their website at www.crockerartmuseum.org or call them at (916) 808-7000.

Top Ten reasons Latinos don't see UFO's

2010-09-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

TOP Ten reasons Latinos don’t see UFO’s

By Al Carlos

www.LatinoLA.com

10. If you spend your time looking up someone will steal your wallet.

9. The only real threatening flying object is a Chancla, (Slipper)

8. We find the word, “Alien”, pejorative and didactic. (Don’t hate PhD’s)

7. We have proof; anything shaped like a tortilla can only soar across a kitchen.

6. If we are alone on a deserted road in the middle of the night we have larger problems.

5. If they are not hiring baggage handlers, we are not interested.

4. We maintain a cultural "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy about anything embarrassing.

3. Too busy finding Religious icons on window shades and dinner entrées.

2. We invented Tequila, therefore a credibility problem when is comes to hallucinations.

1. ICE is more of a threat than ET

The Rose of Spanish Harlem

2010-09-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Rose of Spanish Harlem, Actress & Executive LYDIA NICOLE
By Al Carlos Hernandez, Herald de Paris, September 26, 2010

HOLLYWOOD – Tenacity, courage, audacity and motivation are trademarks of Lydia Nicole. These qualities have served her from a Harlem childhood to the present. She lives a very diverse life: mother, actress, writer, comedian, motivational speaker, and executive. At the age of 13 she was given a job at New York’s number one radio station and creator of urban contemporary, WBLS-FM in New York City. There she apprenticed under radio legends Frankie Crocker and Hal Jackson. She was promoted to music director by the age of 18. In Los Angeles her experience landed her a job working at Neil Bogart’s legendary Casablanca Records whose roster included Donna Summer, the Village People, Parliament, Kiss, Cameo, and Cher.

Lydia traded her executive hat for a career in acting. Over the years she has been featured in various notable television shows and feature films: The Jeffersons, Hill Street Blues, Indecent Proposal starring Robert Redford, Hollywood Shuffle starring Robert Townsend and Stand and Deliver with Edward James Olmos. More.

Top Ten Reasons why J Lo is good for American Idol

2010-09-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

TOP Ten reasons it is good for J Lo to be on Idol

By Al Carlos, www.LatinoLA.com

10. We don't have to worry about her doing movies for a while.

9. Folks can be pitchy and she won't be able to tell.

8. She is just Jenny, who owns the block.

7. Only Latino who makes 12 million without playing for the Yankees.

6. Maybe the Vieja Malas on The View will get a clue and hire a Latina.

5. She makes Steven Tyler look less gayer than Ellen.

4. Able to teach Randy real Hip Hop terms other than Dogg.

3. Had to find a Diva bigger than Simon to keep the show going.

2. Ms. Lopez will finally be eligible for the prestigious Imagen Award.

1. She can say no to anyone from Arizona.

Latino baseball expert featured in film

2010-09-20T16:51:00.000-07:00

Sacramento's Breton featured on PBS Baseball film special

SACRAMENTO, CA - Baseball: the Tenth Inning is a new documentary film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, co-producers and co-directors of the project that will air on KVIE Channel 6. It features numerous interviews and discussions with players and the game itself, and features a portion of the impact Latino ball players have had on America’s pastime game.

Sacramento’s own Marcos Breton is also featured in the film, providing a perspective on Latinos in baseball. He also published a book in 1999 entitled “Home Is Everything - A Latino Baseball Story.” In the film, Breton talks about the impact the late great Roberto Clemente had on him when after winning the World Series and Clemente spoke to the watching audience in Spanish.

“For me, it was the start of the love of the game and the connection to my late father taking me to a Giants game,” Breton said on a recent PBS Radio interview. “I quickly realized that it was a sport where there were people with Spanish surnames who spoke the language of my parents, so that meant a great deal to me.”

Breton also shares in the film his perspective about Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants' hitter, whose character changed before the public’s eye.

“Bonds understood human nature,” Breton says. “He understood that if he (Bonds) performed, that was his ticket, he could do anything, say anything, and he did.”

Ken Burns was the focus of protests a couple of years ago when he omitted the contributions of Latinos in World War II in his 2007 documentary, “The War.” Although he responded to the pressure, especially from members of the American GI Forum, many Latinos still have hard feelings toward Burns.

Baseball: The Tenth Inning is a four-hour, two-part film that covers the period between 1990 to today. It is scheduled to air on PBS KVIE Channel 6 on Tuesday, September 28 at 8 pm and Wednesday, September 29 also at 8 pm.

Latina Actor reflects on The George Lopez Show

2010-09-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

INTERVIEW: Belita not “Benny” Moreno
One of the most recognizable women in the history of Network TV
By Al Carlos Hernandez, Herald de Paris

Belita Moreno

HOLLYWOOD - Actress/acting coach Belita Moreno is one of the most recognizable comedic actress on television and probably the most recognizable Latinas in the history of network TV. She can be seen on televisions around the world and is best known for her television roles as George Lopez’s mother on “The George Lopez Show” now in syndication. She also starred and had a long network run as Lydia Markham on “Perfect Strangers.”

Belita was born in Plano, Texas after her parents came to the U.S. from Mexico. They raised her in Dallas where she majored in theatre at Southern Methodist University. She continued her acting studies at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, California where she appeared on stage in the play Once Upon A Mattress.

Soon after Moreno arrived in Los Angeles to pursue her acting career, she met director Robert Altman and landed roles in three of his films: 3 Women, A Wedding, and A Perfect Couple. She has also appeared in many other films including Mommy Dearest, Swing Shift, Oh God! You Devil, Nobody’s Fool, Men Don’t Leave, Clear and Present Danger, and Grosse Pointe Blank. More....

Top Ten ways Latinos celebrate Labor Day

2010-09-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

TOP Ten ways Latinos celebrate Labor Day
By Al Carlos, www.LatinoLA.com

10.Happy to have a meaningless no future minimum wage job because Mexico sucks.

9. Wonder how Jerry Lewis still finds Tres Flores for his hair.

8. Intentionally going into Labor to have an anchor baby.

7. Moms take a day off of work, so they can cook and clean up for 14 people.

6. Go to Indian Casinos and get scalped by slot machines.

5. Sitting in the park waiting for youuuuuu...

4. Raider Nation tailgaters practice slapping each other for no apparent reason.

3. Local politicians come by and ruin Union picnics on purpose.

2. Justice Department Sues Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, big pachanga...

1. Stealing dishwasher, gardener, busboy, nanny, street orange and paleta sales jobs from Americans.

Vida de Oro

First online Mexican regional music channel

Latino music sound turns 40

ALMA Awards to be hosted by Eva Longoria, George Lopez

Interview with 'The Irish Soldiers of Mexico' author, Michael Hogan

Documentary about Latino soldier takes Imagen Award

Top Ten reasons Lopez Tonight was cancelled

Hispanic cowboys to be featured at 49er, Raider football game

Film about Latino soldier nominated for Imagen, Emmy Awards

Winningest Latino NFL Coach to be recognized

15th Annual Latino Film Festival

Cuisine of Michoacan: Carnitas and Cabernet please...

Sequel planned for Latino soap opera that inspires health

Latina boxer sets sight on Olympic gold

Nuevo Hispania, 27th largest nation on the Earth

Coalition of musicians announce boycott of CBS, Grammys

Spanish TV news expands as 2012 election nears

Interview with award-winning Latina Poet/Author Lisa Alvarado

Hollywood's premier Latino PR guru, Gabriel Reyes

Why Latinos love facebook

Top ten ways Tower of Power is getting ready for County Fair gigs

Wine industry aims to attract more Latinos

TOP Ten things Arnold's Latina baby Mama may be thinking...

Hispanic roles at Cannes Film Festival

Latino national museum commission issues report

Cinco De Mayo USPS Stamp celebrates Latino music legends

'Born To Loose' tattoo, or not to...

It's seems self evident that a skin touch-pad does not have spell check.

By Dr. Al Carlos Hernandez, www.LatinoLA.com

Edited by Susan Aceves

Publisher's Note: Dr. Al Carlos Hernandez is Contributing Editor for Latino LA and a regular contributor to Vida de Oro.

Top Ten signs your dentist used to be a Cholo...

TOP 10 Signs Your Dentist Used to be a Cholo

By Al Carlos, www.LatinoLA.com

National Latino Broadcasting to launch new channels on Sirius XM Radio

ALERT! Latin Jazz eliminated by Grammy Awards

Latino scripted bilingual series to debut May 1st

Comedic actor reaches out to Latino audiences

Top 10 Signs you should no longer be a parade Samba dancer...

As Samba dancing and competition greet the Spring...

By Al Carlos Hernandez, www.LatinoLA.com

Latina Orchestra Conductor will showcase musical event

An interview with Latina singing sensation Lila Downs

More Spanish TV for Hispanic community

Hispanic college student video contest by United

United Airlines and Hispanic education organization sponsor video contest on Latin America

Afro-Latinos celebrate "Black History Month" and "Cinco-de-Mayo"

Meet Daisy Sanchez, the new Mariachi music diva

Hispanics irked by BBC show racist comments

TOP Ten Signs Your Prima will get cut from American Idol

TOP Ten Signs Your Prima will get cut from American Idol

By Al Carlos, Latino LA

Top Ten Barrio post holiday workouts

Open letter from Hispanic artists to the Kennedy Center

Top Ten Reasons Santa wants to avoid Oakland, CA

TOP Ten Reasons Santa Wants to Avoid Oakland

Way to close to Alameda and Emeryville

Latino ancestors gave America Poinsettias for Christmas

Top Ten things a barrio turkey is thinking

Top Ten reasons Latin Grammy's need to be canceled

Latino filmmaker tells about historic account

Latinos not reflected on Spanish TV

A Latino's interview of Social Diva, Peg Samuel

Top Ten Reasons Latinos live longer than other Americans

Latina trailblazing Tejano music

Remodeled museum to reopen on 10*10*10

New museum is family friendly, community rooted

Top Ten reasons Latinos don't see UFO's

The Rose of Spanish Harlem

Top Ten Reasons why J Lo is good for American Idol

Latino baseball expert featured in film

Latina Actor reflects on The George Lopez Show

Top Ten ways Latinos celebrate Labor Day

Remodeled museum to reopen on 101010