Archive for March, 2006
Why Aren’t We Watching Spanish Language Movies?
29 Mar 2006
According to an article in today’s New York Times, many Spanish language films from Latin America, like Paréntesis from Chile, are languishing in search of U.S. distributors. Seems that Spanish speakers here are more likely to go home and switch on their favorite novela or drop $10 on an escapist Hollywood flick than they are to support filmmakers coming out of Latin America. So the industry is responding not by pushing quality Latino films but by creating commercial films with telenovela flair like to soon to be released La Mujer de Mi Hermano that features Barbara Mori and Beto Cuevas (yes, from la Ley!).
Turn off your televisions and go see a good movie!
Via / The New York Times
History Channel Celebrates Cesar Chavez
4:32 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Activism| TV| history · Comments Off
28 Mar 2006
This Friday, March 31, marks the birthday of legendary farmworkers’ rights leader Cesar Chavez. To commemorate the date, The History Channel en Español will be featuring a documentary about Chavez’s life, called “La lucha en el campo” (”The Fight in the Fields”):
The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers’ Struggle, produced, directed and written by Rick Tejada-Flores and Ray Telles, covers the full arc of Cesar Chavez’s life.A social history using archival footage, newsreel, and interviews with Ethel Kennedy, former California Governor Jerry Brown, Dolores Huerta, and Chavez’s brother, sister, son and daughter, among others, the documentary traces the remarkable contributions of Chavez and others involved in this epic struggle for safer working conditions, equality, and better pay for farm workers.
The compelling two-hour documentary, which originally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, garnered numerous awards including a CINE Golden Eagle, a Gold Apple from the National Educational Media Network, an ALMA award from National Council of La Raza, and was also named Best Documentary at the San Antonio CineFestival.
It’s nice to see cable networks such as HBO and The History Channel honoring Latino history for once. I’m used to having to rely on PBS for that.
The film airs on The History Channel en Español this Friday at 8:00 pm EST – 5:00 pm PST
Via / Yahoo! Finance
Limbaugh: Undocumented immigrants “unwilling to work”
1:52 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Immigration| Media| radio · 6 Comments
28 Mar 2006
It comes as no surprise to anyone that Rush Limbaugh is anti-immigrant. However, a recent quote has left me in tailspin. Apparently he believes that immigration to the United States is Mexican president Vicente Fox’s way of eliminating a criminal element in Mexico — by exportation. And if that weren’t enough (hold on to your horses) he says that the immigrants that come to the U.S. are “unwilling to work”.
LIMBAUGH: One of the puzzling things about this to me, since President Bush has been in office, is his — you know, he had a very close relationship with [Mexican President] Vicente Fox, and I don’t –
CALLER: Right.
LIMBAUGH: I don’t — I — I think the opposite of what you suggest is actually what’s been happening. But look at it from Vicente Fox’s point of view. I mean if — if you had a — a — a renegade, potential criminal element that was poor and unwilling to work, and you had a chance to get rid of 500,000 every year, would you do it?
I guess that explains the endless lines of workers lined up in Home Depot parking lots in Atlanta or all those guys I see waiting outside of my local hardware store in San Francisco.
Whatever your politics, you have to be an idiot to think that immigrants entering this country illegally are here to do anything other than work. What good are they to their families unless they earn money to send back? Don’t you think the “criminal element” would just as soon stay in Mexico and be lazy than risk their lives crossing the border? Think about it.
Via / Media Matters
Juanes, Carlos Vives, and Alejandro Sanz Say No to Minas
11:42 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism| Celebrities| Colombia| Events| Los Angeles| Music · 1 Comment
28 Mar 2006
Yesterday Colombian singer Juanes announced a star studded lineup, including Carlos Vives and Alejandro Sanz, for a May 24th benefit concert at the Gibson amphitheater in Los Angeles. Colombia sin minas seeks to raise money for children that were victims of anti-personal mines in Colombia. Colombia ranks third for the most activated mines, just behind Afghanistan and Chechnya. Juanes wants to raise awareness and in a statement said:
Many people, including some media, are not informed about how severe this problem is in Colombia, where there is an average of three dead people because of this artifacts.
The event is sponsored by the Mines Observatory from the Colombian Vice-presidency, UNICEF Colombia, and the United for Colombia Foundation, and the Adopt-a-minefield foundation.
Via / Que Pasa
Bush : Unifying Latin America?
8:00 am By Maegan La Mala · Latin America| Politics · 1 Comment
28 Mar 2006
Is U.S President G.W. Bush helping push forward the Bolivarian dream and the ideal of Pan-Latino cooperation? While here in the U.S. Bush’s popularity is falling fast among Latinos thanks to his postion and the positions of his Republican buddies on immigration, our hermanos and hermanas in Latin America have a laundry list of reasons to dislike Bush and this seems to be bringing the diverse countries that make up Latin America together. And it’s not just radicals that aren’t happy with el presidente Bush.
In a recent Zogby poll, fewer than 20% of Latin American elites (typically the most politically conservative voters in the region) gave Bush a favorable approval rating. Only 6% said Bush’s policies were better than those of his predecessors.
Argentina: 30 Years Later
2:05 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Activism| Argentina| Politics · Comments Off
27 Mar 2006
Where were you thirty years ago? I was just being born. Seems like a long time ago that an important chapter in the history of Latin America was being written, but the fact is it’s still as fresh in the minds of many as if it were yesterday.
On Friday, Argentines commemorated the 30th anniversary of the military coup that would mark the beginning of a dictatorship and claim the lives of tens of thousands of innocent people. It all started on a normal day in Buenos Aires’ Plaza de Mayo, a porteño symbol and a place whose name has become synonomous with oppression and death.
Thitry years ago, on March 24 1976, a military commitee headedup by Jorge Rafael Videla and comprised of Admiral Eduardo Massera and Brigadier Ramón Orlando Agosti gained power through a coup de etat.
There began a dictatorship that is said to have claimed between 9000 and 30,000 victims, and that didn’t end until October of 1983, with the election of Raúl Alfonsín as president of Argentina.
Tancredo Keeps On Spitting Hate
1:44 pm By Maegan La Mala · Immigration| Magazines · 1 Comment
27 Mar 2006
In the April 3 issue of Newsweek, on newsstands today, everyone’s favorite hatemonger, I mean Congressman Tom Tancredo keeps on keeping on with his anti-immigrant (and let’s not play, anti-Latino) rhetoric. Not only does he call so called illegal immigrants “a scourge that threatens the very future of our nation,” (read the white-nation), he tried , unsuccessfully, to have a a high school honors student and his family deported after the Denver Post ran a human-interest story about the student. Nice guy no? But don’t call him racist. Tancredo says:
I don’t like it when people call me a racist or xenophobe. In my heart, I know that I’m not.
Who knew he even had a heart?
Via / PR Newswire
FHM’s Top 10, sin Latinas
12:46 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Celebrities| Magazines| Media| Women · 3 Comments
27 Mar 2006
Men’s magazine FHM has revealed its list of the “100 Sexiest Women in the World” as chosen by FHM readers. Of course, no one ever really cares about the picks beyond the top ten. The sexiest woman in the world, according to American readers, is Scarlett Johansson. It’s interesting to note that there is only one Latina in this select bunch (as follows):
Angelina Jolie is No. 2 on the list, followed by Jessica Alba, Jessica Simpson, Keira Knightley, Halle Berry, Jenny McCarthy, Maria Sharapova, Carmen Electra and Teri Hatcher
Contrast that to the list chosen by men in Spain:
1: Scarlett Johansson, actress2: Jessica Alba, actress
3: Elsa Pataky, actress
4: Angelina Jolie, actress
5: Kira Miró, TV host
6: Carmen Electra, actress
7: Pampita, Argentine actress
8: Shakira, Colombian singer
9: Paz Vega, Spanish model
10: Ariadne Artiles, model
While Spanish men still think Scarlett is the hottest, they also show love to at least three Latinas, in addition to their national faves. (Now you know where to go on your next vacation…)
My question: where the hell is Salma?
Via / MSNBC and 20 Minutos
VL en Casa : Walkout on HBO . Fidel on DVD
27 Mar 2006
Jennifer previewed the HBO Films movie Walkout produced by Moctesuma Esparza and directed by Edward James Olmos earlier this month. This past weekend I had a chance to sit down and watch the story of the 1968 Chicano led student high school walkouts in East Los Angeles in 1968. I watched with my 8 year old daughter because considering the growing immigrant debate happening as demonstrated by the hundreds of thousands demonstrating this weekend in Los Angeles , I felt the connection was relevant and obvious.
The film, starring Alex Vega and other Latino actors, was in my opinion extremely well made and moving. I recommend it strongly for all familias. It serves as a reminder of where the Latino struggle for rights has come from. My daughter was especially shocked by the images of students being paddled by white teachers for speaking Spanish in class and the images of police beating up on the protesting students. It is being shown repeatedly on HBO and digital cable subscribers can catch it on HBO on Demand.
Rocio Durcal dies at 61
6:24 am By Blogs Media · Celebrities| Music · 2 Comments
26 Mar 2006
Rocio Durcal, a Spanish singer and actress, died yesterday at her home in Madrid. Durcal was diagnosed with womb cancer in 2001.
A star since childhood, Durcal acted in many films but was also famous for her singing, particularly Mexican “rancheras”.
Born into a family of six, Durcal’s success in various radio shows quickly attracted film makers in the 1960s and 1970s. In all, she made some 15 films, including “Cancion de Juventud”, (Song of Youth) and “Rocio de La Mancha” and “Marianela”, in which she acted, sang and danced.
She made her first trip to Mexico when she was 17 and has been popular there and throughout Latin America, as well as Spain, ever since.
She performed along side stars such Juan Gabriel, Julio Iglesias, Joan Manuel Serrat, Luis Miguel, Ricky Martin, and Alejandro Sanz.
Via / El Mundo and El Paso Times
Hola!
VivirLatino is a daily publication published by 2 Mujeres Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse and influential Latino and Latina community in the U.S.
About | Advertise with us | Contact | Twitter
- AmeRICAN: http://www.abc.es/20091111/internacional-iberoamerica/regimen-castro-anuncia-despido-20091111.html [...]
- AmeRICAN: Calle 13 is a bad luck charm brought on Puerto Rico ex-Boxing Champion Miguel Cotto a BEATING by Pac [...]
- AmeRICAN: Venezuela, and its Bolivarian Revolution and Puerto Rico connection: MIAMI HERALD Sun, Nov. 15, 2 [...]
- Maegan La Mala: I don't think so [...]
- Maegan La Mala: I was thinking about this...how the two are connected [...]
- Pedro Julio Serrano on the Murder of Lopez Mercado
- Bay Area Community Members to Hold Vigil and Release Statement about Murders in Maryland and Puerto Rico
- Transgender Day of Remembrance and Latin@s
- Dear Troll(s):
- Puerto Rican, Latino Clergy, Theology Professors, Community Members To Condemn Brutal Hate Killing of Gay Puerto Rican Man
- Vigils for Justice y en Memoria de Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado
- Russell Athletic rehires fired union organizers
- When Things Go Wrong…Terribly Wrong.
- Official VivirLatino Statement on Lou Dobbs Leaving CNN
- Sexual Violence Against Women in Immigrant Detention
VivirLatino RSS Feed
- Pedro Julio Serrano on the Murder of Lopez Mercado
- Bay Area Community Members to Hold Vigil and Release Statement about Murders in Maryland and Puerto Rico
- Transgender Day of Remembrance and Latin@s
- Dear Troll(s):
- Puerto Rican, Latino Clergy, Theology Professors, Community Members To Condemn Brutal Hate Killing of Gay Puerto Rican Man
- Vigils for Justice y en Memoria de Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado
- Russell Athletic rehires fired union organizers
- When Things Go Wrong…Terribly Wrong.
- Official VivirLatino Statement on Lou Dobbs Leaving CNN
- Sexual Violence Against Women in Immigrant Detention
