It has not been a good year for Latino images on television. Considering that the year hasn’t even completed two full months, this can’t be a good sign.
First, there was the transphobia and tired Rican stereotyping of the now cancelled ABC sitcom Work It. Then there is the not yet cancelled but should be CBS sitcom ¡Rob! centering around a white man’s (played by Rob Schneider) sudden marriage into a Mexican-American family. That family is filled with every Spanish accented caricature possible, weal attempts to counter those portrayals, and plenty of hot blooded innuendo. Two nights ago I watched Glee and the debut episode of The River, and I was reminded why I generally avoid television unless it’s the news and even that pisses me off.
11:48 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Celebrities|TV · 4 Comments
25 Mar 2009
At a time when late night talk shows are in a period of transition — what some might call a renaissance — a familiar Latino face is emerging to shake up the genre even more. George Lopez is getting his own late night talk show, which is set to air on TBS and seems to be much more than just a monologue and a guy behind a desk:
Lopez and his producers approached TBS with a pilot episode filmed on an outdoor soundstage, with Eva Longoria, Dane Cook and Samuel L. Jackson as guests. Lopez sat audience members close to the stage, let them ask questions and didn’t sit behind a desk.“The music was from salsa to Led Zeppelin,” he said. “Look, you can either go to Nieman Marcus or you can go to a flea market. When you go to a swap meet, there’s just a ground-level feel that you can find anything there. At Nieman Marcus, you’re not going to find tube socks and pliers. This will be a flea market feel.”
TBS was sold by the pilot, said Michael Wright, the cable network’s programming chief.
I’m not a huge fan of Lopez’s comedy, but I appreciate what he’s trying to do: represent some diversity in late night, so I’ll be watching. I must admit I’m also attracted by what he said he’s shooting for:
He said he wants to be inclusive, not divisive, in much the same way as Arsenio Hall’s early-1990s talk show.
I loved me some Arsenio!
Via / Yahoo Entertainment News
Did anyone watch Cane last night? Billed as the 1st all Latino primetime drama, I thought it was pretty good. They certainly packed alot of drama into the first episode, maybe too much because it reminded me a little of a novela minus the cheesy music and silicone. I loved seeing so many incredible Latino actors on screen. I loved that fact that Jimmy Smits’ character is complex. I loved the fact that Spnaish was spoken on the show with English subtitles and yeah the music was hot. Hopefully the show will stay around for awhile. What did you all think?
Don’t ask why I was watching NBC’s The Apprentice last night but I tuned in just in time to watch Donald Trump (who seems meaner this year no?) axe Cubano via Miami, Jose aka “Pepi”. Jose (I’m sorry, I cannot call him “Pepi” especially the way everyone on the show pronounced it ,like the adjective “peppy” ) is touted on the official Apprentice website as “the American dream in action”. If only you could see roll my eyes. Jose does have an impressive background regardless of how it’s labeled for ratings. He’s an attorney, was the first “Hispanic” to earn the title of Florida College Student of the Year and is Ivy league educated pero sorry mujeres, according the website, he is in a relationship.
VivirLatino is a daily publication published by Mamita Mala Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse Latin@ diaspora.
About | Advertise with us | Contact | Twitter