Another Latino festival 09/15/2009

Live in California? Do you ejoy foreign movies?

Don’t miss the Coachella Valley International Film Festival beginning today, December 4th 2009 at the Indio Performing Arts. Opening night begins with a movie called ‘El Bola,’ a domestiv abuse drama by Spanish director, Achero Manas.  The festival continues Saturday and Sunday. At the end of some movies, there will be appearances by certain actors and an opportunity for the public to ask questions.

People are so used to  Hollywood movies that sometimes forget that there is other talent out there.  I have seen so many great foreign movies that somehow seem to be forgotten in the spectrum.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, Puerto Rico has a cinema theater only dedicated to foreign movies and although it’s more expensive, it has become very popular. It is a drastic change from all those Hollywood comedies and horror films.  French, Spanish and even Portuguese movies have made their debut in our theater.  Some movie even stay there for a year.  Next time you go to a Blockbuster check out the foreign movies section. I gurantee you that something will interest you.

Fidel Castro’s love child tells all 09/15/2009

Alina Fernandez is the love child Fidel Castro had with a Cuban socialite back in the days.  Because of the hardships she had to endure, she ended up leaving Cuba disguised as a tourist.  Today, she will tell all through her new upcoming film: Castro’s Daughter.  Apparently, it will not be a cheap production since Bobby Moresco, the Latino producer behind Oscar-winning films as Crash and Million Dollar Baby, will direct the movie.

There is a lot of secrecy when it comes to the Castros so maybe this movie will shine some light on the background of their life.  I doubt it.  The Castros are a powerful family…not even the love child will be able to put secrets out there that are supposed to be buried forever.

 

Understanding both 09/15/2009

There are certain aspects of my life I never think about in depth.  One of them is how music clearly relaxes me on a daily basis. I listen to music when I shower, when I walk to class and to work and sometimes, even to sleep.  The interesting thing about my Ipod is that it contains as many songs in Spanish as there are in English! I had never thought about it.  Since I speak both languages fluently, I can understand a variety of songs.  I cannot imagine my life without being able to understand half the songs in my Ipod. Obviously, If I didn’t understand English I would probabaly never had put them in the first place. The fusion that my Ipod creates can be one of those “never thought about things” I am proud of.  I can attend american bands’ concerts and know the songs by heart.  How limites can music be when you have no idea what foreign songs say.  I mean…I only speak two languages so I wouldn’t know French songs or Chinese songs, but I feel so privileged being able to understand The Beatles’ songs and immediately switch to understanding Shakira when my songs are in “shuffle mode.”  Being bilingual opens so many doors that sometimes I don’t even think about.  If you see my facebook, the majority of my status updates are in English, but then again if you don’t speak Spanish, I gurantee that you will not understand my wall-to-wall conversations. You may see a few words in English within the posts because we are use the feared “Spanglish,” but most of the words ae part of the Puerto Rican slang, which I admit is crazy!  Nevertheless, I thanks my parents and my elementary and high school for helping me learn both languages to perfection. Who would’ve thought I could become a journalist writing stories in English and Spanish? I have to admit…it’s one of the best feelings in the world.

 

Film festival 09/15/2009

I have always wondered how many international films reach the US movie industry.  Back home in Puerto Rico we have a movie theater destined only to international films and it’s called Fine Arts Cafe.  It brings movies from all over the world and Puerto Ricans have become intrigued with this film extravaganza.  It is definitely more expensive than the regular movie theaters, but you get to experience movies that somehow become forgotten, unless they win an Oscar like the popular Slumdog Millionaire.  I have never entered a movie theater in the United States where I had the option of enjoying an international film. Almost always people have to attend film festivals in order to watch these.

I have seen international films that seriously blow my mind.  The famous “Elsa and Fred” stayed at our Fine Arts theater for many months and it kept attracting people.  “Hemaphrodite” was also one of those movies many saw.  The company in charge of international films in Puerto Rico is called Wiesner Distribution. I learned about them during my co-op at a magazine because I wrote the upcoming films and most of the time I wanted to balance two American movies with an international film.

The San Francisco Film festival features 22 films from the U.S., Latin America, Spain and Portugal.  It also presents the debut of its parent organization, CineMas, which offers a year-round programming in visual, performing and literary arts.  Lucho Ramirez is CineMas’ founder. When asked why he created another Hispanic arts organization, he replied: “I want to go beyond identity politics. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I’d like a wider scope, including international films, operating outside the conventional. We’re working with Mission Cultural Center, Galeria de la Raza, as well as La Peña in Berkeley. There are so many communities — it’s socioeconomic in part — that one size doesn’t fit all.”

No statement could have been said better. Hispanic communities and groups have varied roles; one cannot do the job of all the other ones.  Having organizations like these foster learning through entertainment, which I believe is a very important aspect of adjusting to new cultures.

Musical Show 09/15/2009

“In The Heights” is a Tony award-winning musical on Broadway created by Lin-Manuel Miranda.  It has brought millions of people to see it and has been as successful as West Side Story once was.  It follows a community of Latino-immigrants trying to live the American dream while striving for a better life. Hip Hop and latin music has been incorporated to create this piece of art that has won numerous awards. It has portrayed the exact snapshot of what is it like to live in Washington Heights, once home of famous faces like Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and Freddie Prinze.  It goes back to these people’s roots and it makes me so proud that my community, being Latinos, not that I am from Washington Heights, can be portrayed as a family that helps every member pursue his or her dream. Jose Luis Lopez, dancer and actor who had a role heavy on dance, said the musical gives total respect to other musicals that came before it on Broadway, but that the audience will enjoy something new and groundbreaking.

Learning about the Latino culture through the living arts can be fascinating whether you visit certain communities, enjoy a salsa dancing class or experience the fusion of different food. Small, but unforgettable details are the ones that can change the vision of the outsiders to the community.  Respect and tolerance for other cultures emerges from learning.  Give everyone a chance to get to know the real Latinos and what they are made of.  You may be surprised as to what you may find.

Read the complete article here:

http://www.thetelegraph.com/articles/america-32796-louis-microcosm.html

Latin Grammys 09/15/2009

The long-awaited and 10th-annual Latin Grammy Awards will take place on November 5, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Many Puerto Ricans are nominated, including Calle 13, although he has been criticized in the past weeks for outrageously bashing Puerto Rico’s governor in the MTV awards.  The government even cancelled his presentation at a Halloween party in Puerto Rico. Of course, he decided he would go to Colombia and perform in a free concert for everyone to enjoy.  He has always stated that he is not in the business for the money.

The Latin Grammy Awards is the type of event the whole family sees.  The same happens with the Miss Universe and Miss Puerto Rico contests.  They’re fun and for all the family members to enjoy.  Latinos always feel so proud when one of their own wins, especially Puerto Ricans because we are such a small island.

It will be aired on Univision so stay tuned.

Tito Puente festival 09/15/2009

Tito Puente was a Latin jazz and mambo musician known as “The King of Latin Music”. He passed away on May 2000, but it is fair to say that he accomplished many things in his life.  His music career lasted about 50 years and he even guest starred in sitcoms such as The Cosby Show and The Simpsons.

In July 2009, Berklee College of Music, located in Boylston street, Boston, put together a festival in his honor.  The festival was in a commonly known park in Jamaica Plains, community full of Latinos from many countries.  It was a huge success.  People from all ages attended the festival and danced every single song that was put together by Berklee students. Telemundo was there covering the event, so the camera crew captured the real essence of a well-organized Latin fiesta.  My roomate Adriana, who is also from Puerto Rico, joined me.  Two of our friends, both students from Berklee, participated in the festival.

Let me just say that Latinos were not the only ones there.  Americans visiting Jamaica Plains let the music take ahold of their body and mind.  There were professional salsa dancers on the dance floor and there were citizens like you and me stomping their feet to the sound of the music.

Enjoy the pictures

Professional dancers.

More people dancing while the band was playing.

Musica 09/15/2009

So, do you like Latin music?

I’m not talking specifically about “perreo” or “reggeaton” if you know what that is.  This music genre has grown out of proportion over the last years.  It started out as being highly controversial because of its lyrics and music videos, but somehow it has gained world-wide acceptance. Puerto Rican rappers have traveled the world and whether we like it or not, they are as rich as they can be.  Enough about “reggeaton”.  There is other music too, such as salsa and merengue, which is really nice!  It may be hard to learn how to dance at first, but hey you can easily take a few classes in order to wake up that rhythm!

Here is another blog containing the best music. It has been divided into categories and even the best songs of each year. It is called ‘La Onda Tropical’.

http://laondatropical.blogspot.com/