Your Opinion on Beauty
June 25, 2008 at 2:46 am | In American Culture, Communication, Latin Culture, Latin Stars, NYC Local, New York City, Pop Culture, Quotes, Recommendations, Survey, World History | 1 CommentTags: age, beauty concepts, beauty secrets, beauty will save the world, Dostoevsky, images, Poll, questions, self-esteem, Survey, the perfect man, the perfect woman
What is beauty for you? Could you tell us? What does this concept represent to you?
The beauty and the Beast:
A definition I like about beauty is the following:
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, place, idea or object; that we as human beings, perceive as an experience of pleasure, satisfaction or meaning.
This widely and controversial term called “Beauty” is studied as part of sociology, aesthetics, social psychology and culture.
Dostoevsky:
What about the phrase: “Beauty will save the world”, by Dostoevsky:
“For a long time now I’ve been tormented by a certain idea, but I’ve been afraid to make a novel out of it, because the thought is too difficult and I’m nor ready for it, though it’s a thoroughly tempting thought and I love it. The idea is to portray a perfectly beautiful man. Nothing, in my opinion, can be more difficult than that, especially in our time”
(Dostoevsky, quoted in the Introduction to The Idiot)
What do you think he means in this quote? Some of the questions I have for you are:
• Does he mean that beauty must be our principle in life?
• Is that beauty he meant not a perception or an influence that we can find outside but rather a principle, which must characterize the way we do everything?
• Can you think in other quotes you like that define the concept of beauty?
El Cachao
April 9, 2008 at 1:39 am | In American Culture, Communication, Contemporary Spanish, Hispanic, Latin Culture, Latin Roots, Latin Stars, Modern Spanish, NYC Local, New York City, New York Spanish, Orgullo Hispano, Orgullo Latino, Pop Culture, Quotes, Sabor Latino, Shakira | Leave a CommentTags: Ahora si, andy garcia, bassplayer, composer, Cuba, Cuba Linda, El Maestro, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Irael Cachao Lopez, links, mambo, musician, resources
Israel “Cachao” López was born in Havana, Cuba, in September 14, 1918 and died in March 22, 2008.
He was known as “Cachao”. A Cuban mambo musician, bassist and composer, he helped bring mambo music to popularity in the United States in the 1950s.
In his last years he became the most important living figure in Cuban music. He was regarded as the most important bassist in twentieth-century popular music. He innovated the Cuban music and influenced the now familiar bass lines of American R&B.
El Cachao has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, won several Grammy Awards and has been described as “the inventor of the mambo”. He is also considered a master of descarga (Latin jam sessions).
The name Cachao is “La Mata”, “The Tree”, from this tree rooted in the deepest traditions of Cuban music everything in modern Cuban music, music known to many as Salsa stems.
Cachao left Cuba in 1962. First he spent two years in Spain and then came to New York City. There he performed with mambo bands led by Tito Rodríguez, José Fajardo and Eddie Palmieri. For decades, he worked almost entirely as a sideman.
Then, he moved to Las Vegas and then to Miami. Cachao made only three albums as a leader between 1970 and 1990.
In 1990, Andy García, who is a longtime fan of Cachao’s music, organized recording sessions with leading Cuban musicians and a tribute concert for Cachao in Miami: “Master Sessions Volume 1” and “Master Sessions Volume 2”.
Afterwards, Andy García produced two more albums for Cachao, “Cuba Linda” (2000) and the Grammy-winning “Ahora sí” (2004)
“He leaves with us a legacy of extraordinary trendsetting music, and an unequaled example of humanity, that was a gift to all of us, who had the good fortune and honor to experience.”
Andy García
With renewed recognition, Cachao spent the 1990’s and 2000’s touring and recording worldwide and collecting awards.
There are two main documentaries about El Cachao, “Cachao, Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos” and was released in the 1990’s and “Cachao: Uno Más” which will be released in April of 2008.
“I consider our collaboration and friendship one of most important accomplishments of my life. Cachao is our musical father. He is revered by all who have come in contact with him and his music and is referred to simply as El Maestro. He has been honored around the world and has his rightful place in the Smithsonian Institute.”
Andy García
Needless to say, Andy García is a proud member of the Cachao Orchestra.
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Related Links, Resources, and Other Points of Interest:
* The King of Mambo experiences a career revival-at age 89!
* Israel “Cachao” López dies
* Cachaito López biograhpy
* Mambo Jumbo
* “Cachao” gets Star on Walk of Fame
* Cachao discography
* El Cachao filmography
* Gloria Estefan biography
* La vida es un carnaval! Celia Cruz
* The Latino Vote, who do you prefer?
* Latin American Music
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Celia Cruz! La vida es un carnaval!!
February 15, 2008 at 11:04 pm | In American Culture, Communication, Contemporary Spanish, Hispanic, Hola Mundo, Latin Culture, Latin Roots, Latin Stars, Modern Spanish, NYC Local, New York City, New York Spanish, Orgullo Hispano, Orgullo Latino, Pop Culture, Sabor Latino | 1 CommentTags: Afro-Cuban rhythms, biography, Celia Cruz, Cuba, Cuba-American singer, images, La Sonora Matancera, life is a carnival, salsa, the queen of salsa
Life is a carnival!
Born in October 21, 1925, she was a Cuban-American singer who spent most of her career living in New Jersey, working in the United States and several Latin American countries.
Some have said that she is indisputably the best known and most influential female figure in the history of Cuban music. The New York Times called her “one of the world’s great singers” and various specialized publications have named her the best female vocalist in the United States on a number of years. She is called “the queen of salsa”, with her catchy Afro-Cuban rhythms she won several generations of listeners.
In 1966 Cruz joined the orchestra of Tito Puente, with whom she has performed many times. Before that, she also worked with other bands, including the Cuban top dance band La Sonora Matancera where she was hired, in 1965, to be the lead singer. The band and Cruz left the island soon before Fidel Castro took power. She never came back. After leaving Cuba she decided to settle in the United States.
She found the style that would define the rest of her career in the 1970s, when she worked with an independent label called Fania. Stars like Rubén Blades, Ray Barretto, Johnny Pacheco and Hector Lavoe were some of the Fania All Stars. At that time the term “salsa” was coined and Celia earned the respect of its players and its fans as well.
Gloria Estefan
February 4, 2008 at 7:31 pm | In American Culture, Communication, Contemporary Spanish, Hispanic, Hola Mundo, Latin Culture, Latin Roots, Latin Stars, NYC Local, New York City, New York Spanish, Orgullo Hispano, Orgullo Latino, Pop Culture, Sabor Latino, Spanglish | 2 CommentsTags: actress, biography, Cuba, discography, Emilio Estefan, Gloria Estefan, Latin music, Miami, Miami Sound Machine, music, singer, Sony BMG/Epic, The Miami Latin Boys, writer
I have great admiration for this wonderful artist. I have grown up with her music and had enjoyed it up to today. I think that indeed she is one of the biggest new stars to emerge during the mid-eighties. It is my pleasure to have an entry of her in my blog.
Gloria Maria Milagrosa Fajardo García, her maiden name, was born on September 1, 1957 in Havana, Cuba.She is a wonderful singer-songwriter, and actress and a writer. When singing her genre is pop music, rock music, and pop rock, dance pop, Latin pop and dance music.
Gloria Estéfan plays the guitar, percussion and vocals. She has been active since 1977 to present and she is associated with Emilio Estéfan Jr. and Miami Sound Machine. Her label is Sony BMG/Epic.
Gloria is known as the “Queen of Latin Pop” and she is a five-time Grammy Award-wining Cuban American singer and songwriter. She has also a number of hits on the pop, dance, adult contemporary, and Latin and salsa charts.
She and her parents moved to Miami, Florida, when she was 16 months old, following the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Gloria was raised primarily in Miami and attended the University of Miami. She graduated in 1978 with a degree in communications and psychology.
As a child Gloria liked to write poetry and she took classical guitar lessons. She once said: “When my father was ill, music was my escape. I would lock myself up in my room for hours and just sing. I wouldn’t cry..I refused to cry..Music was the only way I had to just let go, so I sang for fun and or emotional catharsis”
Brazilian music
January 16, 2008 at 1:27 am | In Communication, Hola Mundo, Latin Culture, Latin Roots, Latin Stars, NYC Local, New York City, New York Spanish, Orgullo Hispano, Orgullo Latino, Pop Culture, Sabor Latino, World History | 1 CommentTags: Afro-Brazilian music, Axe music, Baiao, Bebel Gilberto, Bossa Nova, Brazilian funk, Brazilian link, brazilian music, Carimbo, Chico Buarque, Joao Gilberto, joy, Lambada, Lundu, Mangue Beat, Maria Behtania, Maxixe, Pagode, passion, Roberto Carlos, samba, sentiment, Vinicius de Moraes
Brazilian music in my opinion is amazing; it is one of the most beautiful music I have ever heard.Since Brazil has a diverse musical heritage, the Brazilian music comes from many parts of the world.
It is a result of an Amerindian; Portuguese, and African sources meeting global influences.
There are also very popular regional music styles influenced by African and European forms. Samba is one of the best-known forms of Brazilian music worldwide. Other genres including Bossa Nova are well known as well.
Among the unique styles from Brazilian music we can find Brazilian rock, axé, choro, sertanejo, samba, forró, breja and MPB; among others. According to what I have read Brazil has a growing community of modern/experimental composition as well, including electro acoustic music. Brazilian genres formed a solid tradition in general.
In the following picture there are 37 names of Brazilian music; can you find them?
Among the Afro-Brazilian music genres we can hear about are:Lambada,Baiäo,Pagode,Axé music,Brazilian Funk,Carimbo,Lundu,Mangue Beat, and Maxixe.
Brazilian music transmits sentiment, joy and most of all, passion. The following is a fantastic website for Brazilian links. It has many Brazilian artists listed as well as their information. I hope that you find it interesting as well:
There is too much information and categories to talk about in this type of music, the Brazilian music. I could spend weeks writing in my blog about this topic. So, by now, I can tell you that some of my favorite singers; the ones that I have listen to more often and love more and more every time I do it are:
María Bethânia
Chico Buarque
Roberto Carlos
Bebel Gilberto
João Gilberto
Vinicius de Moraes
If you would like to learn more about the singers from Brazil and their subcategories you can take a look at the following link from wikipedia. It has a great page to learn about that. Here it is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Brazilian_singers
Have you heard music from Brazil? Do you like it? Do you have any other singer you like? Let us know!!
Shakira: Latin Pop Sensation
November 22, 2007 at 4:24 am | In American Culture, Business & Marketing, Communication, Contemporary Spanish, Hispanic, Latin Culture, Latin Roots, Latin Stars, Modern Spanish, Orgullo Hispano, Orgullo Latino, Pop Culture, Sabor Latino, Shakira, Spanglish, Television & Film | 15 CommentsTags: , , actress, Arabic, Colombia, dancer, el oasis, Emilio Estefan, English, Gloria Estefan, instrumentalist, Latin America, Laundry Service, Lebanese, philanthropist, record producer, rock&roll, Shakira, songwriter, Spanish
Her real name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll. She was born in February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, into a poor family. Her mother was a native Colombia and her father was of Lebanese descent. As a child, Shakira soaked up music from both cultures and listened heavily to English language rock & roll. Within her favorite rock & roll bands are Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Police, The Cure and Nirvana.
Known as Shakira, her first name; she is a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, record producer, dancer, philanthropist and she is also an occasional actress. As an actress she played the role on a Colombian telenovela: “El Oasis”.Shakira, her main name, is a Spanish name that came from the Arabic word for “graceful”.According to her biography, she wrote her first song at age eight and speaks English, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese and Italian. She is a perfectionist and spends hours in the studio. Her career started in Latin America where she has been a major figure; approximately in the mid-1990s. With her album Laundry Service she conquered the English–speaking world. She is the only artist from South America to reach the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, the Australian ARIA chart. The United World Chart and the UK Singles Chart.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote once: “Shakira’s music has a personal stamp that doesn’t look like anyone else’s and no one can sing or dance like her, at whatever age, with such an innocent sensuality, one that seems to be of her own invention”
An interesting note about her album LAUNDRY SERVICE is the way she was able to translate her Latin American sensibility into a new language. Shakira’s partnership with Emilio and Gloria Estefan gave her the idea to do songs in English. The first song that was translated in English by Gloria Estefan was “Ojos Así”, a great hit written originally by Shakira! That song appears in Shakira’s album ¿Dónde están los ladrones? or Where are the thieves?She has dyed her long brown hair blonde and has romanced Antonio de la Rua, who is son of the former president of Argentina)Shakira’s discography includes:
- Magia (Magic;1991)
- Peligro (Danger;1994)
- Pies Descalzos (Barefeet;1995)
- The Remixes (1997)
- ¿Dónde están los ladrones? (Where are the thieves?;1998)
- MTV Unplugged (2000)
- Laundry Service (2001)
- Grandes Éxitos (Greatest Hits; 2002)
- Live Off the Record (2004)
Shakira’s DVDs and films:
- MTV Unplugged (2000)
- Live Off the Record (2004)
If you would like to buy or to download some of her music, this is a great site to do so:http://music.aol.com/artist/shakira/174707/discography So, what do you think of Shakira? We would like to see what you have to say!
Latin Pop
November 19, 2007 at 9:11 pm | In American Culture, Latin Culture, Latin Stars | 2 CommentsTags: Beyonce, cumbia, flamenco, Gloria Estefan, hip hop, Hispanic American, Italian, Italy, Julio Iglesias, Latin America, latin pop, Madonna, merengue, pop Latino, Portugal, Portuguese, reggae, regular pop, remixes, salsa, samba, Spain, Spanish, tango, tex-mex, vallenato
Latin Pop, or Pop Latino, covers pop music from Latin America, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Pop Latino includes languages spoken in Latin America, mainly Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. There are two main “worlds” when speaking about Latin Pop or Pop Latino. The first world is regular pop performed in Spanish, Spanglish, Portuguese or English languages for international audiences. The second world mixes pop with a wide variety of Latin American or Iberian rhythms. Some common musical genres are salsa, merengue, cumbia, samba, tex-mex, flamenco, tango, vallenato and reggae. Hip-hop and it’s close cousin, reggaeton, are more recent contributions to the Latin Pop.
Three main artists that helped Latin Pop reach global audience in the last century were Julio Iglesias, from Spain, and the versatile Gloria Estefan, from Cuba. Before them Ritchie Valens, in 1950, started the wave. Menudo, a group of teenagers from Puerto Rico, reached big popularity in several countries around the world.
Major Latin Pop songwriters include Richard Daniel Roman, Estefano and Emilio Estefan.A lot of artists without any Hispanic or Latin background have some Latin Pop hits; for instance Beyoncé’s “Irremplazable” and Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita”. Some artists have Latin remixes in their singles, the songs that are mixed by DJ’s with a Hispanic background. These “remixes” could be classified as Latin Pop. Some of the singers who have remixes are Will Smith, Jamiroquai, Britney Spears, and Mariah Carey among others.
Some of the Latin singers well known in the United States and currently popular are:
• Enrique Iglesias
• Shakira
• Paulina Rubio
• Thalia
• Daddy Yankee
• Ricky Martin
• Chayanne
• Celia Cruz (dead now but an amazing artist from Cuba)
So, do you listen to Pop Latino? Who is your favorite singer? We would love to hear what your favorite genre is!!
Who is America Georgine Ferrera?
October 25, 2007 at 5:51 pm | In American Culture, Colloquialisms, Communication, Contemporary Spanish, Engrish, Hispanic, Latin Culture, Latin Roots, Latin Stars, Modern Spanish, New York City, New York Spanish, Orgullo Hispano, Orgullo Latino, Pop Culture, Sabor Latino, Spanglish, Stories, Television & Film | Leave a CommentTags: America Ferrera, american television, beauty, Betty La Fea, betty suarez, La Fea Mas Bella, latin actress, latin crossover, movies, popularity, soap opera, soaps, spanish crossover, spanish television, telenovela, Television & Film, Ugly Betty, Ugly Bety
Have you seen Ugly Betty? She stars in that popular television program that everyone talks about.
I wanted to talk about her in my blog because I think that she is an amazing actress; with a natural and spontaneous personality and energy. For her age, 23, she has achieved a lot in my opinion.
The following is a brief biography of America Ferrera:
She is an American actress whose real name is America Georgine Ferrera; she was born in April 18th, 1984 in Los Angeles, California to Honduran immigrant parents. Started acting when she was eight years old in school plays and community theater.
For having only 23 years old this woman has an exceptional career. Among her movies are Gotta Kick It Up; Real Women Have Curves; The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Lords of Dogtown.
For television she has worked in Touched by an Angel and of course the famous comedy-drama series Ugly Betty which is an adaptation of the Colombian hit “telenovela” “Betty La Fea”.
She has already won a Golden Globe in 2007 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical.
She has already become a role model for young Latin Americans and is currently studying in the University of Southern California where she is majoring in International Relations.
If you would like to follow some news for America Ferrera; you may visit this link:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1065229/news
or
So, why do we like America Ferrera?
Some people say that, when playing Ugly Betty she may has the mission to modify perceptions of beauty.
As an actress she is a real person; beautiful, smart and ambitious. Some men find her a very attractive woman as well.
But, why do you like America Ferrera? Let us know!!
By the way, if you missed episodes of Ugly Betty or want to see them again, you may visit the following link:
Let us know your opinions!
Mexican actors in Hollywood
October 8, 2007 at 10:36 pm | In American Culture, Hispanic, Hola Mundo, Latin Culture, Latin Roots, Latin Stars, Orgullo Hispano, Orgullo Latino, Pop Culture, Sabor Latino, Television & Film | 2 CommentsTags: , Diego Luna, films, Gael Garcia, Hollywood, Mexican actors, Mexican artists, Mexican movies, Mexico, Natalie Portman, peliculas, Robert Rodriguez, soap operas, telenovelas, Texas
There are many Mexican actors or with Mexican roots working in Hollywood since at least five decades ago. We might not recognize the names of a lot of them; or at least I don’t. But there is a good amount of them.
I would like to talk about three well-known Mexican actors currently working in Hollywood.
Gael García Bernal
He was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in 1978.
Began acting as a child, working with his parents in a variety of plays and studied acting in London.
Among his films are “De tripas Corazón”, “Ojo en la nuca”, “Amores perros”, “Y tu mamá también”, “El crimen del padre Amaro”, “Diarios de motocicleta”, and “Mala educación”, among other films.
Another great film: “El Che Guevara”.
His TV credits include “Fidel”, “Teresa” and “El abuelo y yo”.
Also, is director of his first feature film “Deficit”, which was scheduled to release in 2007.
Bernal has dated Natalie Portman in 2003-2004 and is a real-life close friend of Diego Luna.
He speaks English, Portuguese, French and Italian; besides Spanish.
If you would like to check out Gael’s fan site here it is:
http://www.senorbernal.com/
Do you think Gael García is a good actor? What is your favorite movie?
Ugly Betty – Why is this program so popular in the United States?
September 24, 2007 at 7:06 pm | In American Culture, Latin Stars, Survey, Television & Film | 11 CommentsTags: american television, Betty La Fea, betty suarez, La Fea Mas Bella, latin crossover, soap opera, soaps, spanish crossover, spanish television, telenovela, Ugly Betty, Ugly Bety
Betty La Fea returns once again but, this time, as Ugly Betty! This program has become very popular in American television. I have not followed all the episodes but I have seen some of them. It is quite entertaining, though it does deviate quite a bit from the original spirit of the telenovela. In fact, this show would be considered more a sitcom than a soap.
From what I understand the main character of this program, Betty Suarez, has always wanted to be successful in the publishing business and has worked hard for her opportunity to break into the industry. However, despite the fact that she is very smart, productive and hard-working she has had big problems and bad luck since she isn’t the best looking young woman in the industry.
As the story progresses one can see how she, Betty Suarez (played by America Ferrera), is determined to do whatever it is necessary to achieve her dream.
Continue reading Ugly Betty – Why is this program so popular in the United States?…
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