Posted by Elena del Valle on March 15, 2010
Batista debut album cover
Brooklyn born singer song writer Batista must be feeling pretty good. Batista, his bilingual debut album, is due for national release by Wu Latino very soon. The New York artist of Dominican background described the album as having “scores fused with elements of tropical rhythms favoring bachata, as well as elements of pop/rock and U.S. urban tendencies.” The new recording has 12 tracks in Spanish and English. Scroll down to listen to Todos Unidos, a single from Batista’s album.
The music ranges from bachata, experimental, tropical, bolero and reggaetón. The first single released is the track Dame Tu Amor, a Spanish language variation of the classic Bee Gees hit How Deep is Your Love, rewritten and arranged to a bachata rhythm by Batista. Batista relies on traditional bachata instrumentation, electric guitar and bass, bongó and güira as well as technology via sequences and samples to modernize the bachata sounds, according to promotional materials. The single Todos Unidos was designed to be a tribute to Coldplay’s Viva La Vida.
Batista
“I follow the music, what’s in my heart; I write what I hear internally. One day my inspirations may direct me to write a romantic love song or a bachata and another time an R&B score or a more upbeat composition. It’s all about how I feel at the time and not about using a particular formula to create a song or bind myself to a specific style or form of music,” said Batista. “In this recording, most of the selections that I included are geared towards the tropical market and to the Latin world’s music audiences. In reality, this production is a tribute to my Dominican culture and the music of my parents, which is also a big part of me. As I continue to grow as a songwriter/singer, my other musical colors and flavors will surface, taking me to other stages in other markets.”
As a young man Batista built his own recording studio and learned about the business of music before becoming a producer for local artists. He was influenced he says, by rock, pop, urban and Latin genres and artists such as BonJovi, Inxs, Leo Dan, Camilo Sesto, Social Club and Juan Luis Guerra.
Although the album is not for sale yet,
Dame Tu Amor, a previously released single, which was in the top position on the pool charts for two weeks is available for purchase on iTunes.
Click on the play button to listen to
Todos Unidos from the
Batista album.
Posted by Elena del Valle on March 12, 2010
Click on image to enlarge
Photos, video: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Our Family Wedding, a new Fox Searchlight Pictures film, opens today in theaters nationwide starting a black and Latino cast and a family theme. Some of the actors are America Ferrera, Carlos Mencia, Forrest Whitaker, Diana Maria-Riva, Regina King, Anjelah N. Johnson, Lupe Ontiveros, Taye Diggs, and Charles Q. Murphy. Scroll down to watch a video with film premier highlights and film moments.
Marcus (Lance Gross) and Lucia (America Ferrera)
Lucia (America Ferrera) and Marcus (Lance Gross) are newly engaged. As they plan their union they learn the hard way that the path to the wedding involves family related challenges. Saying “I do” can be rife with familial strife. According to promotional materials, their fathers (Forest Whitaker and Carlos Mencia), two highly competitive men with big egos, stand between them and their special day.
Lucia’s mother (Diana Maria Riva) is busy planning the wedding of “her” dreams. Only Angela (Regina King), the groom’s father’s best friend and lawyer manages to keep her cool when the madness reaches a crescendo.
The film was directed by Rick Famuyiwa from an original screenplay by Wayne Conley and Malcolm Spellman and Rick Famuyiwa with story by Wayne Conley. It was produced by Edward Saxon and Steven J. Wolfe.
Posted by Elena del Valle on January 8, 2010
Alice in Alice in Wonderland
The Red Queen
Photos, video: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
With the exception of Edward Scissorhands and Bettle Juice, I’m not much of a Tim Burton (film director) fan. His dark quirky style makes me want to run away from the theater. And Alice in Wonderland is a bit of an acquired taste. Having said that, Disney’s soon to be released Alice in Wonderland in 3D looks colorful and intriguing in the trailers (no screener was available). It makes me think of Cirque du Soleil. Scroll down to watch a trailer.
A scene from Alice in Wonderland
The cast includes familiar faces like Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Marton Csokas, Tim Pigott-Smith, Lindsay Duncan, Geraldine James, Leo Bill, Jemma Powell, Mairi Ella Challen and Mia Wasikowska as Alice.
Linda Woolverton based her screenplay on the Lewis Carroll classics Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. In the modern day tale, a 19-year-old Alice returns to the fantasy world she first encountered as a young girl to find her childhood friends, the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat and Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter.
Posted by Elena del Valle on January 4, 2010
Marked 4 Life album cover
Photos, song: HardKandy Records Inc.
L.J. (Stephen Sebastioa) and D-cypl (Chris Collins) were born in Livingston, New Jersey into broken homes. Little did they know that years later life would bring them together. L.J. began rhyming in the Portuguese section of Newark he called home with his friend Vic at the age of 15. D-cypl loved music since he was a little boy and began rhyming when he was 14. Scroll down to listen to Bandeiras Remix, a song from Marked 4 Life, their debut album.
L.J. and D-cypl
In 2000, L.J. and D-cypl teamed up. That same year they met Murdock, a rap entrepreneur that influenced their music, before L.J. went off to college. Two years later, soon after L.J. and D-cypl got together again, they got a break from a record label. They were featured in In The Name of Hip Hop Vol.1. The duo believe in “brotherhood, kindness, and truth.”
Click on the play button to listen to Bandeiras Remix.
Posted by Elena del Valle on December 21, 2009
Jude Law, Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey, Jr. on the set
Photos, video: Warner Bros.
That eccentric British detective is at it again. This time Robert Downey Jr. plays the famous fictional character and Jude Law his faithful sidekick. The latest reincarnation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is brought to the screen this Christmas Day by Director Guy Ritchie in the simply titled Sherlock Holmes, a Warner Bros. release. Scroll down to watch a film clip.
After a string of brutal, ritualistic murders, Holmes and Watson arrive in time to save the latest victim and uncover the killer, Lord Blackwood. He has terrorized inmates and jailers with his seeming connection to dark and powerful forces. As he approaches his scheduled hanging, Blackwood warns Holmes that death has no power over him. And when, by all indications, Blackwood makes good on his promise, his apparent resurrection panics London and confounds Scotland Yard. Fortunately for fans of the detective to Holmes, the game is afoot.
“He was probably the first superhero, an intellectual superhero,” said Downey Jr. “He was, and probably still is, one of the most recognizable icons on Earth, so much so that a lot of people actually thought that Sherlock Holmes was a real person. The more you look into Arthur Conan Doyle’s books, the more you see what a rich character Sherlock Holmes is. He’s very adept at so many things: he plays violin, he’s a martial artist, a boxer, an expert single stick fighter and a swordsman of sorts. He has a strong moral code in helping good guys catch bad guys, so he has dedicated his life to being a consulting detective. He doesn’t do it to show everyone how smart he is, or that he has figured everything else out when they haven’t; he’s actually a crusader.”
A scene in Sherlock Holmes
“We’ve tried to take him back to what we believe to be his origin, which is essentially a more visceral character,” said Guy Ritchie, who has been a Holmes fan since childhood. “We’ve tried to integrate that and make him more streetwise. He is inquisitive about chemistry, martial arts, and the human condition. Yet he managed to percolate through all the different echelons of English society, which was tremendously complex. But then, as now, Sherlock Holmes is unique; there’s really no one else like him. I think that’s why his appeal has stuck. And while our story is rooted in London of the 1890s, we have tried to make it as contemporary as we possibly can.”
Although a spokesperson indicated by email that “The studio will not be sending screeners for this film,” according to promotional materials, Holmes and Watson fight to bring down “a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.” Other cast members include Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, and Kelly Reilly in the dark looking story. Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg are responsible for the screenplay.
Posted by Elena del Valle on November 16, 2009
The Signal album cover
Photos, song: HardKandy Records, Inc.
Singer Eva Natal, whose father is from Spain, considers herself Latina. She describes her music as an eclectic mix of alternative rock, electronica, and trip hop. Her self written lyrics are designed to intrigue and keep listeners guessing whats next. She plays guitar, keyboards, violin and bass.
Her debut album, The Signal, on HardKandy Records Inc. is scheduled for release in early 2010. Late last month the record label made a special fan track available. Scroll down to listen to Pulse from The Signal.
Singer Eva Natal
Born March 28, 1987 Natal is described as a very quite and polite girl who spent most of her time reading, dancing in front of her mirror, fearfully playing sports alongside girls with way too much aggression, and practicing the violin.
By her teens she began expressing her likes through fashion and dance and stopped taking violin lessons. As a young adult she rebelled against the what she considered suppression in a private catholic school environment by dropping out of college, enraging her parents; and pursuing a life of what she calls a struggling creativist through various stabs at the modeling and dance industry, and most recently as a budding recording artist. Her 12-track album should be available at major online retailers next year.
Click on the play button to listen to Pulse from The Signal album
Posted by Elena del Valle on November 13, 2009
Los Simuladores
Photos, video: Cinelatino
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) will premiere Los Simuladores, a Mexican series, in the United States on November 15 exclusively on Cinelatino, a Spanish-language movie channel. Based on an Argentine series of the same name, Los Simuladores centers on the adventures of four men operatives, trained and prepared to carry out sting operations. Scroll down to watch a preview of Los Simuladores in Spanish.
Shot in high definition, the show features a cast of Mexican actors, including Tony Dalton (Matando Cabos, 13 Miedos, Sultanes del Sur), Arath de la Torre (La Parodia, La Hora de La Papa), Ruben Zamora (7 Dias, Pasion) and Alejandro Calva (The Producers, The Pillow Man, Sin Memoria). They dedicate their efforts and skills to solving human-interest conflicts for their clients, including troubled marriages, dangerous loan sharks, swindling agents and broken hearts.
The team features Mario Santos (Tony Dalton), the brain, who comes up with the plans; Emilio Vargas (Arath de la Torre), the chameleon, who plays different characters in the operations; Pablo Lopez (Alejandro Calva), the go-to man, in charge of logistics and technical aspects; and Gabriel Medina (Ruben Zamora), the researcher, who finds the necessary information for Santos to come up with the plans.
“This is the highest-caliber premium series currently available to U.S. audiences in Spanish, and we’re excited to offer it exclusively to our viewers,” said Jim McNamara, chairman of Cinelatino. “The superb production values, excellent cast, and compelling story lines make this THE must-see series of the season.”
The series also features Natalie Esperon (Por un Beso, La Esposa Virgen and El Nombre del Amor), Rafael Amaya (Las Dos Caras de Ana and Amor Letra Por Letra), Silverio Palacios (Morirse en Domingo, Amor a Morir, Matando Cabos) and Adal Ramones (Otro Rollo con Adal Ramones).
Los Simuladores
In late 2008, Los Simuladores debuted in Mexico on Televisa and throughout Latin America on Sony Entertainment Television. After a successful first season, a second season of the series began production earlier this year.
Los Simuladores is the second premium series to air on Cinelatino. The channel premiered the series Tiempo Final in the spring of 2009. The first two episodes of Los Simuladores are scheduled to premiere on Cinelatino on Sunday, November 15, at 7 p.m. EST and repeat at 11 p.m. EST (4 p.m. and 8 p.m. PT). A new episode of the 13 episode series will air every Sunday at 7 p.m. EST and will repeat at 11 p.m. EST (4 p.m. and 8 p.m. PT) during the season. Cinelatino plans to air Season Two in early 2010.
According to promotional materials, Cinelatino has more than 3.6 million subscribers on major cable, satellite and telephony providers throughout North America. Cinelatino offers Spanish-language programs and titles from Mexico, Latin America, Spain and the U.S. Cinelatino is jointly-owned by Grupo MVS, InterMedia Partners and Panamax Films.
Sony Pictures Television produces and distributes varied programming including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment around the world and for every platform: broadcast and cable television, first-run and off-network syndication and digital distribution.
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 19, 2009
Julio Chavez, Cecilia Roth and a victim in Epitafios
Photo, video: courtesy HBO
When the second season of Epitafios, an HBO Latino and HBO2 suspense series in Spanish, began last month detectives Renzo Marquez (Julio Chávez) and Marina Segal (Cecilia Roth) were tracking another killer. This one replicates previous slayings as if they were works of art and photographs the crimes for posterity. Scroll down to watch a short video of Epitafios.
The 13-episode second season, written by twin brothers Walter Slavich and Marcelo Slavich, is scheduled to air Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HBO Latino and Tuesdays, at the same time, on HBO2 with English subtitles. The series will also be available on HBO On Demand in Spanish with English subtitles.
Cast members for the series, filmed Buenos Aires, Argentina, include: Julio Chávez as Renzo Márquez; Cecilia Roth as Marina Segal; Leonardo Sbaraglia as the murderer; Daniel Fanego as Mazzoni; Alejandro Awada as XL; Natalia Lobo as Gabriela Friedman; Villanueva Cosse as Marcos Márquez; Nahuel Perez Biscayart as Pablo; and Carlos Belloso as Díaz.
In 2005, a 13-episode season of Epitafios first aired on HBO Latino in the United States. In 2006, the series had its HBO Signature debut with English subtitles. The series is described as HBO Latin America’s first fictional dramatic series written and filmed in Latin America, by Latin Americans, and for the Latin American audience. A suspense story inside a love story, the Spanish-language series made its TV premiere on HBO Latin America in 2004.
Also filmed in Buenos Aires, the first season followed the cat-and-mouse game between a morose police detective (Julio Chávez) who was looking for a reason to live and a psychotic serial killer (Antonio Birabent) who was bent on revenge.
HBO Latino is a dedicated Spanish-language premium channel targeting Spanish speaking Latinos in the United States. The channel features U.S. premieres of Spanish-language series, music videos, original short-form programming, films, and documentaries from North America, Latin America and Spain. HBO Latino also shows Hollywood movies, HBO boxing and HBO original programming from the network’s main channel in Spanish.
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 14, 2009
7 Mujeres
Photos: WSBS
In the past, Mega TV, owned by SBS Broadcasting, has offered its Spanish language dominant audience Brazilian programming with success (see WSBS airs Brazilian telenovela) so once again the company will air a made-in-Brazil serialized program. Beginning at 6 p.m. EST and 7 p.m. PST September 21, Mega TV started airing a new Brazilian soap opera, 7 Mujeres based on the romantic novel written by Leticia Wierzchowski by the same title.
The serialized program takes place in the 19th century in southern Brazil, in a town where people, enraged by forced ideals, fight for liberty against the dominion of an empire. One of the central characters is Bento Gonçalves, one of the leaders of the revolution who is married to Uruguayan Caetana. The war has forced Caetana and her daughter, Perpétua, with her three children, and María who is Bento’s younger sister and her three daughters, Rosario, Manuela and Mariana to take refuge.
Cast of 7 Mujeres
The women are joined by Ana Joaquina, Bento’s carefree and spiritual sister, and the owner of the place where they must remain in confinement for many years. These seven women play fundamental roles during the war as they are able to uphold their social structure at the cost of their physical and mental integrity.
Anita and Giuseppe
7 Mujeres will air on Mega TV Channel 22, Channel 57 in West Palm Beach, Channel 32 in Las Vegas, Channel 28.2 in Orlando, Channel 36.2 in Tampa, Florida and Channel 405 on DirecTV Más in the rest of the country.
Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. is one of the largest publicly traded Hispanic-controlled media and entertainment companies in the United States. SBS owns and operates 20 radio stations located in Hispanic markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco and Puerto Rico. The Company also owns and operates Mega TV in Miami.
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 5, 2009
Bruno Ascenzo (”Alonso”), Gisela Ponce de Leon (”Mirkala”), Jason Day (”Sebastian”) and Carolina Cano (”Viviana”) of Esta Sociedad
Photo: Lucia Arana, Zul Studios
Last month mun2 (moon-dos), a bilingual cable network, began airing Esta Sociedad (Spanish for This Society) nationally Thursday nights, beginning September 10, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The Spanish language a 17-episode series will be subtitled in English and air weekly through December. Repeat episodes will air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The network portal, holamun2.com, will stream full episodes with English subtitles.
According to promotional materials, Esta Sociedad has been a success in Latin America, particularly among young adults. The series showcases two families in Lima, Peru who deal with issues of interest to youth including sexuality, addiction and fitting in society.
The series features Jason Day (Mancora 2008) and Gisela Ponce de Leon in the role of the new girl in town. She is outspoken and follows her heart although she finds herself among wealthy and the privileged strangers.
“This acquisition will be a great fit for mun2’s slate of original programming as we’ve seen our audience asking for more of this edgy, scripted material,” said Flavio Morales, vice president, Programming for mun2.
Esta Sociedad was produced by Timeline Producciones in Lima, Peru. The bilingual youth oriented network has purchased other foreign programs in the past including El Cartel, which began airing three nights a week this summer, and Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso, which aired earlier this year. Twenty-five percent of the network’s programming is in Spanish with English subtitles, according to a company representative.
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