My Telenovela Journey

So I feel that I have come a long way since the first day I walked into this class. I had heard of telenovelas but had never watched one before. I did not know what I was missing!

After watching my telenovela, Heridas de Amor, and listening to everyone's presentations, I wish I had enough time in my life right now to just watch telenovela after telenovela.

I was so interested in Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso, especially since I saw something about it when I was looking at what telenovela to watch and researched information on different web sites. At first I thought it must be ridiculous because its about boobs, drugs, and prostitution and blew it off right away. After seeing Harper's presentation on it, which was the first of three, I had to start watching it. I was in the middle of it when the second person presented on it, and by the time the third presentation about it rolled around, I had finished it.

It was so addicting! And when I started the first episode and realized there were no subtitles, I was worried about how I was going to understand it. Luckily, it turned out that I did just fine, which made me feel better about my understanding of Spanish in general. Although I could not understand when they spoke so fast and went off on little tirades, I think I did pretty well and I was impressed with myself.

The ending was so abrupt, though with Catalina's dramatic death. It didn't show what happened to her family or to Jessica or anything, which kind of made me annoyed. And the way they killed off Biron was not what I expected either; they just showed Jessica's mom telling Dona Hilda about it and her crying.

I am interested in watching so many other telenovelas, too. I really want to watch Ciudad Bendita and other ones we learned about in class that Dr. A has studied and that Marisa Roman has been in. I have a lot to see!

Rosa

Los Ricos Tambien Lloran sounds ridiculous, so does Corazon Salvaje. Funnily though, they sounds ridiculously interesting. The presentations yesterday got me wondering about the other telenovelas I didn't watch. Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso is NOT a telenovela rosa... its about as far from that as you can get. In fact, some people say it deviates so much from the traditional telenovela mold, that it isn't really a telenovela. That is actually the reason I chose it. Cheesy romance makes me roll my eyes. I thought It would be much more interesting to watch a telenovela ruptura.

Now I'm not so sure. I have a list of telenovelas I'd like to see. Off the top of my head I remember: Corazon Salvaje, Los Ricos Tambien Lloran, Cosita Rica, Ciudad Bendita, and Betty La Fea. Several are comedies, several are hard core telenovela rosas... maybe I just want my trashy novel fix. Maybe I just want a happy ending.

I think this might be one of the largest reasons for telenovelas' success. People love trashy complex drama and they like happy endings. Trashy complex drama makes average people's lives seem more normal. Happy endings would be like watching Sex and the City and knowing that the character's stories would eventually wrap up and all loose ends would be tied (in the way you'd like). It would make tv watching much more enticing for me.

A Lot of Telenovela

In their presentations, a lot of people have been discussing the number of episodes in their telenovela. Most of the telenovelas have between 100 and 150... That's a lot of episodes. Think about this: a television show in the United States usually has between 10-15 episodes per season for about 6-10 seasons, if they are lucky. While the overall time of television produced is about the same, the time period over which the show is produced is not. Telenovelas are continuous for months (and sometimes years), while television shows in the United States have a week between new episodes and season breaks.

The telenovela I am working on is "Nada Personal." Guess how many episodes... 150? 200? 250? 300? 350? 400? 440? Yeah, 440 episodes that were each an hour long. That is really amazing. The amount ideas and creativity needed to fuel 440 episodes is outrageous, but the writing is more than that. It has symbolism, deeper meaning, and a message. Alberto Barrera has set a new standard in the world of writing.

Where are all the races??

I'm surprised at how the telenovelas only represent hispanic/latin people. I don't think there has been one telenovela that was presented in class that has had different races playing a main character. I know that telenovelas are produced by latin countries, but I'm sure Colombia/Mexico/Venezuela/Brazil/whatever have African Americans, Asians, Caucasians, etc. who speak Spanish and act!

Plus, these telenovelas are being exported to countries all over the world (Hungary, Czech Republic, USA, etc.)--why aren't other races being represented??? Wouldn't that increase viewership? Like that one Brazilian actor who looks too caucasian and isn't getting roles despite being talented at his job--what is up with that?

My telenovela had a black woman in it, and she played a very small role for maybe 1 episode. When I saw her, I was so surprised because it wasn't until the moment that I saw her did I realize that no one else in the telenovela was of a different race. It hit me like a ton of bricks of the shortcomings of racial integration in the telenovelas.

Getting hooked onto... presentations?

So my deepest apologies to everyone's presentations that I missed on Wednesday and Friday. I was sick with some kind of stomach bug- not a great way to spend a week, if you ask me. The weather didn't help my gloominess either.

Anyway, being sick really made me a little upset, not just because I was feeling gross, but also because I was missing the presentations. Pathetic? Not gonna lie- just a little bit.

It's been so interesting to see what everyone's saying about the consumption of their telenovelas. Everyone, it seems, has been hooked by their protagonists and feels strongly about the storylines- believable or not. And the intrigue by everyone has made ME interested in watching a few of the telenovelas you all have talked about.

And all this interest is so relevant to the discussion topics we first discussed in class- about how big a part of Latin American culture this is. We've been first-handedly experiencing what a big part of OUR lifestyle it's become- can you imagine watching a telenovela every evening for your entire life? This has only been one semester!

Looking forward to the last week of presentations.

We love to hate.

I have really enjoyed all of the consumption presentations. I love seeing how passionate we are about our telenovelas, as well as other people around the world. One thing that keeps surprising me every time is the love for all of these evil characters.
First, the reaction to Rubi really surprises me. I know Danielle was also shocked when she kept finding post after post about how awesome Rubi is. Why do people get so attached to these evil characters. In almost all of the presentations since Rubi, a lot of people have mentioned how they were surprised that their antagonists are very popular with the viewing audience. As I write this, I am trying to think of all of the shows I have watched and I always hate the evil characters. They ruin everything! Yes, maybe they add a juicy part to the plot line, but I can't stand them! I would think that in Latin America, they would feel so passionate about the evil character and have such immense hatred for them. Latin America is usually thought of as a region with very passionate people and a lot of emotion.
But on the other hand, I love how these evil characters are hated. When a student from our class announces, "I couldn't believe how many people actually loved how evil the antagonist was!!" it really stands out to me. Maybe those people worldwide just truly love to hate the evil in telenovelas.

Incorporating Telenovelas in America

I got a general feeling that everyone liked their telenovela enough, as I liked mine. But it is hard to watch something that makes everything so dramatic and everything is so over the top. Granted we watched the abridged versions which pack all the dramatic parts into a short representation of the show. There are plenty of American television shows that fit into the melodramatic category and are unbelievable. However, I think we all take that with a grain of salt and understand that it’s over the top. Maybe it’s just me, but I do not have any friends or know of anyone who watches melodramatic stuff and really enjoy it. The shows I sit down and watch, while they are fiction, do not seem merely as dramatic as telenovelas. With all the support in the consumption reports pointing to high ratings, it seems that Latin Americans in general really love the over dramatic telenovela. Maybe I’m just watching the wrong stuff.

One aspect of my telenovela that I failed to elaborate on (but was mentioned in class) was the idea of the reception of Sin Tetas in the U.S…So basically, what if America tries to do a version of this.. is it going to turn out well? The producers at NBC seem to think so. They think that the network can make a spinoff of Sin Tetas no Hay Paraiso show and that it will do well. I have to disagree on this idea. The premise of the show revolves around prostitution, drugs, and lots of cleavage, things that I don’t think America is ready for. Sure, we are supposed to be more opened minded and nontraditional than Latin America. It seems ironic for us to be opposed to such an idea but with all the laws enforced by the FCC, a show like this would face many problems. Nudity is common in Latin American newspapers, magazines, ect…at least more so than here. Such books like “Harry Potter” and the classic “To Kill a Mockingbird” are being banned from American school/public libraries because their content is controversial. Why would a racy show about prostitution on a major network be ok? I think parents would have a fit and refuse to let their children watch. Unless NBC tones the content down and changes the plot (thus pretty much changing the telenovela), it will not work. Maybe it can air on HBO, or a similar network, but not on such a popularly watched network as NBC

trend followers?

I would like to write about something that's been on my mind since the beginning of class, but haven't asked yet. Do Telenovelas follow trends set in the United States? Would the be popular, or shunned, if they did? Let me explain what I mean. Today in class we discussed a telenovela that faced the issue of homosexuality, although it didn't really go into detail with the matter. Why not? Here in the United States, it is finally acceptable for shows to have homosexual (Will and Grace, Weeds) or bisexual (House) characters. What would be the thoughts in Latin America if these trends begin there? We have also discussed a couple telenovelas that have magical/mystical fantasy... but what about vampires? I'm sure everyone is well aware of the trend going on in the United States right now- there are more vampire tv shows/movies/books than I can count with all my fingers. How would a telenovela that focused on fantasy be taken in Latin America? Do you think it would be successful? Or is it too far fetched? If it would be successful, what audience do you think the show would be targeted to?

Race, Representation and the Beauty Myth

I am going to expand on Janice’s previous entry on light-skinned actors because it’s something that has been bothering me. I was watching some Jerry Springer type show yesterday on Univision and it became evident that the race issue isn’t only present in telenovelas; it is apparent on nearly every program on the Spanish language television stations in the United States. While watching Univision, I started to become angry. Do the light-skinned anchors on the news programs and the light-skinned hosts on the Jerry Springer inspired shows represent the audience that watches them? I don’t believe they do. Of course this is not only the case with the Spanish language channels. We see this false representation every day in our society. We see the ideal image of what we should look like and what we should aspire to look like. The beauty myth is present all the time, and it is nearly impossible to escape. I see the beauty myth as a serious problem, and while it does indeed affect both boys and girls, I believe it becomes most detrimental to girls. From a young age, we see unrealistic portrayals of women and we are told that this is what we should aspire to look like. But this issue is being addressed. Chris Rock’s new movie, Good Hair, addresses this very important issue facing black women and girls. And I think that if commentators like us continue to scrutinize and examine the representation in telenovelas, awareness will hopefully be generated and the young Latina girls watching their favorite telenovelas will understand that these light-skinned actors do not constitute the only definition of beauty.

Telenovelas: Links Around the World

It has been really interesting to hear about everyone’s telenovela over the last few weeks, even the repeat telenovela presentations. The repeat telenovelas (like Sin Tetas, La Usurpadora, and even my own Rubi) have been interesting because everyone did such a great job focusing on different aspects of their telenovelas. I think one thing that has really stuck out to me through the process of watching other peoples presentations and doing my own presentation is how internationally popular they really are. I remember Dr. A. said that consumption of these telenvelas is most popular in places where poverty exists alongside extreme wealth, like in Latin America. When I was researching my telenovela Rubi I was surprised to find that the show, and the actress Barbara Mori, had so many fans in Serbia. This was interesting to me because I am studying the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and the following International Criminal Tribunal in my Geography of Human Rights class. The study of war crimes and genocide seem so irrelevant and unrelated to telenovelas, however I think it is interesting that some of the telenovelas we have studied have enjoyed such success in countries of the former Yugoslavia like Croatia and Serbia. I wonder if the countries recent and tragic histories have made people more eager to watch telenovelas like Rubi which provide opportunities to escape everyday life and also dream of climbing the social ladder, just like the typical rosa Cinderella of the telenovelas that they watch.

Maria Mercedes and the consumption of Thalia

Despite my criticisms of Marimar, I gotta admit I enjoyed rewatching it. So I decided to move on and watch the telenovela that started it all, Maria Merecedes. This telenovela launched Thalia's acting career and is the first of the "las tres Marias" or the Maria triology. It of course stars Thalia and features Arturo Peniche as the male lead.
Honestly, I don't think my criticism of this Thalia novela will end any time soon and I'm already on the third disc of the three disc abridged DVD version. There is no chemistry whatsoever between the main couple. Whereas with Marimar I enjoyed watching after her transformation, there seems to be none in Maria Mercedes and I'm still having to force myself to watch this novela. I'm not really sure how this was a "telenovela de gran exito" or how this was able to launch Thalia's career. Getting ready for my consumption report, I keep reading comments that this is the worst of the three and so far I have to agree. This telenovela pales in comparison to Marimar and it's making me rethink Arturo Peniche as a decent male lead. Let's hope Maria la del Barrio ends the three Marias on a good note.

Is it Just Me?

When I finished watching my novela I was not all impressed. Honestly, I was just ready to get it over with so I could start working on my projects and papers for class. I watched Amigas y Rivales for my report and consumption analysis. I present my consumption presentation today in class, and boy is it different from the paper that I wrote about my thoughts on this novella a week ago. After reading the comments on message boards, blogs and such I have a much better liking of this novela.

I purchased Amigas y Rivales on DVD, which was produced by Televisa. It took me a while to select a novela that I thought I would like because there are just so many to choose from that I had no idea where to start. I began searching sites for popular novelas and weeded out the sappy love stories that I knew would make me sick to my stomach if I were forced to watch 20 hours of nothing but peace, love, and smooching. I ran across Amigas y Rivales on telenovela.es and thought it was the perfect match for me. It was racy, sexy, talked about real issues and had a decently attractive cast—exactly what I was looking for.

So I started watching… I was amused in the beginning by all of the horrible acting (mainly one character that I’m sure Dr. A and Robyn know who I am talking about), and trying my best to stay with the drama filled plot while working my brain to understand the Spanish. In the end, I just got frustrated and stopped caring. Even though some parts were better than others, I forced myself to finished and knocked out the report.

Then we started our consumption presentations… As everyone presented their novelas they seemed so proud to say that there’s was a success and gawked over how much they liked it. I was just listening to them talk while thinking in my head, “Man am I the only one who didn’t like her novela? Am I going to be the first one to have to report that the audience hated my novela?”

So, I started researching… I was amazed that there was so much to be said about my novela, I was shocked that people actually liked it, and I couldn’t believe that it aired in different countries! I was so bewildered by all this that I couldn’t wait to start reading comments. I couldn’t understand why people liked it so much. The men weren’t all that good looking to me, the one actor mentioned before drove me crazy and I was lost the entire time.

Turns out I missed a lot by watching the novela on DVD and not every night like the rest of the world. People who had even watched the novela air on primetime were confused when re-watching it on DVD. The actor that I thought was absolutely horrible was making everyone else crack up hysterically. I wasn’t the only one who thought the novela seemed to drag out too long, but while I had to watch it for hours at a time they had other novelas to help them make the time go by. While I was sitting at home lost with no one to answer my questions, they had hundreds of people to help clear up any confusion and to gossip with about the juicy parts.

I learned that I was not alone. The parts that I didn’t like, the audience didn’t like. When I was confused, some of them were confused. When I was frustrated with a character, they were frustrated too. After going through the message boards I realized that I just didn’t understand the culture of novelaworld when watching my novela. I didn’t get the humor, didn’t know the background behind the story, wasn’t familiar with the actors, and watched the abridged novella so I missed a lot of important parts. All that being said, I feel like I learned a lot by listening to the audience. Before I felt like an outsider for hating and not understanding my novela, but now I feel accepted into the community and I think that if I hadn’t watched Amigas y Rivales on DVD I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more. Now I know that it’s not just me. :-)

*I mainly read comments from telenovela-world.com

the global view

At the beginning of the semester when we started talking about the components of a telenovela, one thing I pondered about was the global popularity.
I understood that the telenovelas were practically part of the culture of Latin America. But, since telenovelas can often be less on the conservative side , and more on the racy side, I considered some of the regulations on the eastern world.
An important factor of what draws in an audience is the physical appearance of the telenovela actors and actresses. I know in parts of the middle east and southeast asia, many scenes that are portrayed in telenovelas would not be as likely to be broadcasted. In my opinion, the racy scenes are part of the telenovela because the scenes show the intimacy and chemistry between the actors. When i was growing up, even if a show like Full House or Saved by the Bell had kissing scenes, my dad would cover my eyes or turn the channel. I was fascinated that young children can watch these telenovelas, and was shocked that the ratings were so high.

In Bollywood ( the Hollywood of India ) the actors and actresses never share an onscreen kiss or passionate love scene, the most passionate the movies get are through romantic gestures, words, and musical type scenes. As I was researching for fan ratings of La Usurpadora, I noticed that many fans were from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and even a few from India. I found this interesting to see that telenovelas really are addicting all over the world.
It was fun to read the comments of viewers all over the world. Telenovelas truly are addicting. Not only because of one component , such as a beautiful cast, but the story, suspense and acting quality that draws in the audience.

The Many Faces of Telenovelas

At the beginning of this semester, I wasn't sure what direction this class would take. I remember in high school, when I was first taking Spanish classes, I wanted to expose myself to as much of the language as possible. I began watching one of the Spanish channels in my area. I found a show called Clase 406. Little did I know that this was my firsts exposer to a Mexican telenovela. I knew nothing of this genre of television and I could barely understand what they were saying.
It wasn't until we first began to discuss telenovelas in class that I realized that what I had been watching was in fact a telenovela. At first when we were assigned to choose a telenovela, I didn't put much thought into the choice of my telenovela. I thought they were all the same, plus or minus a few characters and of course the actors would be different. I didn't know that each telenovela depended on the writer and the country that it would be aired. However, just from these few presentations on the different telenovelas, it was so clear how different one telenovela could be from another.
I realized how different my telenovela was from the rest during the first day of presentations. Each telenovela had its own plotline.... and some like Sin Tetas no Hay Paraiso and Rubi, were so intriguing that I've even made it a goal to watch both. From these presentations I've realized that each telenovela can and does tackle a wide range of issues that one would not necessarily connect to that type of show. These issues range from drugs, prostitution, violence against women, and Alzheimer's.
With this realization, it is easy to see how important telenovelas are to not only Latin American countries, but countries around the world.

It's What's on the Inside that Counts...and then how it's reflected on the Outside

For all you that endured my incoherent, cold-ridden, congested presentation yesterday, thank you. Although I ran well beyond the suggested amount of presentation time, there were still so many things I had to say about "Betty la Fea" or "La Fea Más Bella." One of those key points I hope I hammered in was the representation of beauty in 'La Fea Más Bella" and the implications of Lety's makeover. 

On the whole, people love transformations. In America, we have Extreme Makeover, ridiculous beauty pageants for Ugly Duckling's turned Swans like Fox's "The Swan," and general makeover features like "What Not to Wear" and "10 Years Younger."

In Mexico, they have "Mexico's Next Top Model" and a slew of telenovelas with a cast of the most impeccable, flawlessly spray-tanned and plastic surgery induced actresses and actors. In general, you're not going to find an ugly tele star, that is, unless the premise of the show is to introduce a ugly character, who without a doubt, will transform into the divine beauty hiding somewher in there all along. 

Enter "La Fea Más Bella."  The Mexican adaptation of "Yo Soy Betty La Fea," presents us with Lety, our homely awkward protagonist, and by the end of the show, presents us yet again with Lety, the transformed stunner whose true self finally shines through with her new look. 

Now, I'm slightly confused. What is exactly is the message of this telenovela? I was moderately, no make that very surprised, that the protagonist Lety went through such a drastic makeover so late into the show. She went through a radical transformation AFTER two gorgeous male suitors fall head over heels in love with the old, plain Lety. They loved Lety for Lety. Mustache, glasses, facial twitches and all. So why was the change necessary?

According to one of the show's character's Luigi, the made-over protagonist represents“ the real Lety that has found her real beauty”. In response, Lety replies “ I was only able to find me after I commanded respect from others.” 

Am I missing something? Could Lety have found herself and commanded respect from others as an Ugly Duckling? What message is this sending to other girls? You have to be beautiful to command respect? You can find yourself and your inner beauty, but once you find that inner beauty it MUST shine on the outside?

Ok, ok. I'm being a tad cyncial. I get it, Lety found her confidence. She found her true beauty. And I won't lie. I wouldn't have been satisfied if she remained the same dorky Lety. I wanted her to be beautiful by the end, so does that make me a brainwashed product of society? Ok, I'm reading too much into it again. 

BUT--the reactions I found on the internet about Lety's appearance were startling. While there were people that loved Lety's makeover, many loathed it. They said she wasn't pretty enough, wasn't thin enough, etc, etc. I got the impression that the viewers were waiting for Salma Hayek to radically appear underneath Lety. As if that would have made the show more spectacular. In some ways, I sensed the main letdown for most viewers of the original was that the second show's protagonist, just wasn't hot enough. Wow. 

Maybe I missed the ball on this one, but I thought "La Fea Más Bella" was supposed to be a show about showcasing your INNER beauty, a show to prod at the outdated ways of thinking and to help girls everywhere gain an insy-teensy ounce of self-confidence. Maybe that was the case. But to countless viewers, I think the real message was, " inner beauty is great and all, but just as long as you can prove you have a little on the outside!"

Today I am on my way to Denver, CO for a Teach for America Recruitment visit. Dr. A mentioned Denver's telenovela stint with the Colorado Health Foundation and I can not wait to go get some field reviews of what people on the ground actually think.

Teach for America is sending me to visit along with a cohort of graduating Latino students from across the country's top universities in an effort to reach their impoverished school system, where Latinos are the most under-performing minority. I will learn more about their vision and get to experience a predominantly Latino schools for the first time in my life. We will be visiting middle school and high school students whose lives I am sure...are melodramatic.

I will be sparking up dialogue about the students' telenovela experiences and perhaps asking the Teach for America corps members if they've considered re-organizing their own teaching format to model telenovela success. Maybe with a little more creativity and a message that would resonate with their audience these students could be trapped in a world of telenovela learning. Think about it...they could learn about geography (through telenovela exports) or basically ANYTHING culture related. It could create dialogue about domestic abuse and maybe it could be that dialogue that could save a life.

I'm a little telenovela messenger this weekend and boy is it a message to give!

Enjoying presentations so far!

One thing I forgot to mention in my presentation...
Additionally contributing the failure of the sequel of my telenovela, La usurpadora, was certainly the illogical propositions of the plot. Paulina, the protagonist, gets diagnosed with cancer in Más alla de la usurpadora. Later, the audience can breathe a sigh of relief...turns out she didn’t have cancer, she’s just havin’ a baby! I can see where the writer found the inspiration for this storyline, happens all the time...

I’m glad to see that this sort of illogical dramatization doesn’t typically fly with the viewers. Simply reading the plot summary was enough for me to reject it. I’m confused as to whether this was because of a change in writers or not. IMDB lists Alberto Gomez as the writer for this novela, and attributes Inés Rodena (the writer of the original) for the story (idea original). What is the difference between the story and the writer here?

I did also want to provide you guys with the entrada in case you wanted to see it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywG-X_1iU84


I have enjoyed the other presentations so much so far – especially because it gives us all a preview of what else is out there. I love seeing how everyone attaches themselves to the plot, even if it isn’t their favorite, and how we as a class are becoming more familiar with the actors/actresses. I’m able to recognize so many more faces on the cover of People en Español! The consumption presentations help us connect to the overarching implications of the production of telenovelas and their significance in Latin American and worldwide.

I’m glad we’re only half-way through and excited to see what else we discover.

Providing tools for the future or limiting future roles?

It is amazing to see how much goes into a telenovela, and in return, how much the actors get out of it. For example, not only do the consumption and production play a large role in a successful telenovela, but as I learned with “La Mentira,” the actors themselves are also imperative to the success. Although both Kate del Castillo and Guy Ecker had multiple past telenovela roles, it wasn’t until their undying success in “La Mentira” that made their careers take off.

However, as the interview with Leonardo Patron on Dr. A’s blog suggests, there is a paradox to all telenovelas. While the rigorous work schedule of shooting over forty scenes a day is important to the actors’ learning and work ethic, do the various protagonist roles ever become too repetitive? And does it hinder their chances of becoming involved in other types of acting?

I found this topic prevalent in an article by the Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-delcastillo2-2009aug02,0,3455193.story). I suggest checking it out because it made me think about how an active participation and success in the telenovela world can affect someone’s future career goals.

It is interesting to see how involvement with telenovelas has either advanced the careers of actors or worsened them. Kate del Castillo has been lucky that her career in other genres of acting has taken off, even after her long-term involvement with telenovelas. Starring in nine telenovelas that have been aired in more than 100 countries worldwide, she found it difficult to break out of the telenovela world in Mexico, so she moved to Los Angeles to begin film acting. She describes her new career path as “starting over.” If she gets a job in the United States, it is solely for her acting and not because of her telenovela past or because of her father’s fame in Mexico.

Kate del Castillo is known as the “Jennifer Aniston of Latin America,” and her Latin American beauty is very obvious in her roles. I liked the part where Kate says, “I love playing the powerful Latina woman…[as opposed to the] seductive, slutty women or the maids we usually play,” in describing her role as Pilar on Weeds.

Unfortunately, Guy Ecker has not had as much luck with film roles, even though his acting career basically took off at the exact same time as Kate’s. Although, he has moved to the United States to try to break away from the telenovela scene, the interview with Leonardo Patrón shows that he is not noticeably recognized as a Latin American because his Latino physical features are not as distinct. Therefore, he is not being hired in the US.

The question will continue to remain: Do telenovelas provide tools for the actors’ future or do they limit their chances of obtaining future jobs?

 

 

So much to say, so little time

So I was the second student to present my consumption presentation and I like I said during my ten minutes, there were so many topics to choose from I had to just pick one and run with it. Fully aware of my extremely indecisive nature, I was surprised at how easy it was for me to decide on the topic of transformation. Because there were so many mixed emotions on it I decided to focus on only the positive because I am an optimistic person. However, after thinking more on my topic I feel like I slighted my audience by spinning the presentation to make it look like everyone loved Dame Chocolate. I want to take the time to discuss some of the negative aspects I noticed in consumption of my telenovela and sum it up with some other opinions of why people chose to watch it in the first place.
The first would be the negative comments stemming from "the transformation". There were those viewers (like myself) who thought Violeta was beautiful and confident but there were others who thought Violeta wore WAY too much make-up, tight clothes and walked around with her nose in the air. There was also an entire thread just on Violeta's eye color, criticizing how the producers must associate blue eyes with beauty. I saw it as all a part of the disguise but their were many viewers who took personal offense to this.
Secondly, viewers did not like Bruce Remington (Carlos Ponce) because they claimed he was a singer not meant for the television screen. I personally thought he did a very good job and that his looks made up for any weaknesses in his acting! People also complained about the random lines of English between Bruce and his mother, as if this was so unnecessary. Once again, I was thankful for these aspects of the novela!
Finally, there was an overwhelming discontent for the last few episodes leading up to the ending. Rosita was being held captive by Grace and Angel for FIVE months. Once Bruce finally arrives, its like they have to make up in about 30 seconds and then she has their baby. Many viewers called it very unrealistic and I would have to agree. I would have loved to see a longer "repair" period instead of the five months of Rosita in captivity.
The last tid bit I wanted to include is not negative, just interesting. There were a number of people who wanted to watch this novela because of the antagonist Grace Remington. People absolutely LOVED her as an actress and her evil character. Everyone was asking for more. Some people even sympathized with Grace making excuses for her actions. Just goes to show how different personalities consume the same storyline.

Now I feel like the complete consumption of Dame Chocolate has been exposed...not just the happy parts!!

Voy a ir a Chile!!

I applied to do the student exchange program at Universidad de Desarrollo in Santiago, Chile to go next semester, and I have been recently accepted. I have been waiting for this opportunity for awhile now, and now it's finally here! I am very excited. I am a telecommunication arts major, and so I will be taking classes under their cine department. I told Dr. A about this opportunity and asked if we ever have studied Chilean telenovelas because I don't recall that we have. She told me that there are Chilean telenovelas but are hard to find for those of us outside of Chile. She then recommended me the Chilean telenovela Valerio Fuenzalida. The Chilean accent is suppose to be really difficult to understand and they use a lot of slang in their language. So to gear up for my semester abroad and to continue future telenovela adventures, I will get this telenovela and probably try to get my hands on other Chilean telenovelas and watch them! I can't wait until next semester, and I just thought I'd share the news :)

Fans for life

Even though it was aired in 1993, Corazon Salvaje continues to have a very strong fan base. As I searched the internet I stumbled across dozens of pages dedicated to the story and kept running across comments that held the same sentiment: despite its age, this telenovela continues to have very dedicated fans.

I’ve noticed that certain telenovelas have this effect. For example, today someone did a presentation on Rubi and noted that even five years later, the fans still eagerly defend their flawed protagonist and demand the hinted second part to the story. While watching new telenovelas, I've often heard adults grumble about how nothing compares to whatever story they adored years ago.

Corazon Salvaje’s fans are no different, and when the remake of the telenovela was announced fans were sent into a sort of frenzy. Some seemed genuinely excited , while other’s seemed completely horrified. Like with many telenovelas we’ve discussed, I have seen no middle ground.

Telenovelas seem to turn consumers into lifelong costumers who don't seem to mind as long as they continue being entertained.

Gross Love Triangles

"Sin tetas no hay paraiso" still freaks me out a little. The mom, Dona Hilda, is sleeping with Catalina's boyfriend, Albeiro. I was watching Super-Nanny last night and I am pretty sure that is a BIG parenting no-no. Super nanny might even put Dona Hilda in the naughty chair.

It grosses me out more then anything else. Albeiro sleeps with Catalina's mom and then Catalina. Although the whole thing is completely sordid, people love it. But it just makes me hate Albeiro because he has no backbone and Dona Hilda because she is such a terrible mother. I guess I really do fall in the Catalina camp. She is annoying and a lair, but is terribly naive. She hasn't got a father and as we see, her mother isn't the best role model.

It makes me wonder what the writer was thinking. I know telenovelas are far-fetched, but I really feel like this could never happen. Couldn't the writer make a less sordid love triangle? Or just one that doesn't use mother and daughter? I just feel like this goes against every philosophy I have about motherhood. In class we talked about Dona Barbara's love triangle with her daughter and Santos. But unlike "Sin tetas", Dona Barabara obviously doesn't care for her daughter. In "Sin Tetas," Dona Hilda worries non-stop about her children. It just doesn't make sense to me. How could a mother who raises, loves, cares for, and worries about Catalina betray her?

I have to remember that it isn't real. It is the writer's creative license. I know people love watching train wrecks, but really???

I'm so Excited, I'm so... SCARED!

I would like to add on to Friday's lecture about Lou Dobbs and his anti-Hispanic attitude. Personally, I do not understand what the issue is regarding the telenovela that is aiming to help Latinos become familiar and less afraid of the Census.

What is brainwashing? The telenovela is portraying a census worker who is trying to show to illegal immigrants that they should not be afraid of the government census. They should tell the government that they are here and not be afraid of persecution. Where is the brainwash? They are wanting watchers to "change" for the good of the nation, for the good of their people. for good in gerneral.

How is that any different from anti-drug campaigns? Saved by the Bell is one of my favorite shows of all time; I still watch it every morning when it is on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bflYjF90t7c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO73-WlOHhM

These two videos (I wish I knew how to embed videos!) were immediately brought to my mind during the lecture. I feel as though they are the same thing as the telenovela: a show that sends a message to its target audience. The Saved By the Bell clips: Aimed to stop drug abuse among tennagers, for their own good and for the good of the country. The telenovela: Aimed to deminish the fear of the census in Latinos, for their own good and for the good of the country.

Really, what's wrong with that?

Heridas de Amor - little snippet

So I have been pretty busy and never really got the chance to write about what I thought of my telenovela.

Basically, I loved it! There was so much drama. I even got my roomate hooked too! by the end we were both singing the song (heridas de amor), which comes on every time the protagonists have a love song. It was awesome...and hilarious at the same time.

I don't want to ruin it for those who want to watch it (you should!). It has an evil aunt (instead of stepmother or mother) and has so many twists and turns. You are surprised every other minute practically!!

Here is an introductory summary to grasp your attention but not to give too much away:

Miranda is engaged to Fabricio Beltran, who has been studying in Germany for a PhD. Fabricio returns to Mexico with his friend Alejandro Luque, who wants revenge against Gonzalo, whom he believes is the murderer of his father Alfredo. Fabricio tells Miranda that he will not marry her. He is in love with her sister Florencia, who is dying of a genetic heart disease and does not know it yet. Alejandro Luque is actually the male protagonist. He falls in love with Miranda and has an internal battle between his love for her and his desire for revenge against her father.

On the other hand, the girls' mother, Fernanda, meets Florencia and Miranda while she is working as the cardiologist at the hospital they go to because of Florencia's heart condition. She lies about her identity so they won't find out she is their mother (another story I will cover later). All of the daughters end up finding out she is their mother, but they all end up being close, especially because Fernanda becomes Florencia's caretaker. The youngest daughter, Renata, falls in love with Juan, Fernanda's godson who lives in the barrio.

Berta is the evil aunt. She does everything in her power to hurt her sister and take away everything and everyone that she loves...

Admitting that I have a problem

So I thought that my telenovela Rubi was a little well…ridiculous. I was entertained throughout but I thought that it was fairly slow moving and really campy. I have gotten addicted to various television shows like Dexter, The Sopranos , and True Blood but I wasn’t feeling the same about Rubi as I did about my other favorite shows. I just felt like I never got addicted to Rubi and that Telenovela’s could never be as addicting as premium cable channel shows.

However, I found my self with an empty feeling after finishing Rubi. I wanted to watch more. When I am watching TV I find myself flipping to Univision and Telemundo looking for another show to replace Rubi, or even to find Rubi. I have now started watching a fairly steady diet of reruns of Betty La Fea and other popular telenovelas. So, even though I haven’t been able to admit it until now, I really like telenovelas and there is something really addictive about them. I try to explain all the twists and turns of my telenovela to people, like my boyfriend, who really have no interest in knowing anything about Rubi.

Yesterday, while flipping between channels, I stopped on a Spanish language gossip show. I was SO excited because I saw paparazzi style photos of Eduardo Santamarina, who plays Alejandro in Rubi, and photos of Jacqueline Bracamontes, who plays Maribel in Rubi. I was excited for two reason.1) because other people care that these people exist and 2) because these actors can be found on other telenovelas. I am so excited to try to and find them and also to find my next telenovela.

As we gear up for a big football weekend in Athens, I observed random LSU fans yelling obscenities from their car windows to pedestrians. That is exactly how I felt when I watched my telenovela "Amarte es mi Pecado."

One of the antagonists, Isaura, absolutely disgusted me. Every time she was a part of a scene my stomach dropped and I wanted nothing more than to shout at my TV. She continuously ruined the life of the beautiful protagonist, Nora. Her manipulative, conniving, and selfish ways were characteristic of most telenovela antagonists, but her ability to get under my skin with her long wispy whistles was crazy. I can't get her image out of my head.

So, when you read my description did you picture her to be unattractive? Quite frankly, you should have. She is. Her teeth are eroded and every time she opens to tell her lies it is clear that she is the bad "guy." So, her beauty or lack thereof represents her personality.

Consumption Issues

Alright, so I'll be honest... as we've been talking about consumption these past couple of class periods, my mind's been wandering about what I'm going to talk about for my presentation and how the telenovela that I watched is going to play into consumption issues.

My first question was discussed a bit by Dr. A in class- I asked how fans of telenovelas react to their protagonists in other telenovelas. For instance, I watched how Edith Gonzalez stole the heart of Juan del Diablo and the entire audience of Corazon Salvaje in that specific telenovela. As Dr. A discussed Edith's new telenovela, Doña Bárbara, I found myself relating to the "Barbaritas." I haven't even watched the telenovela yet!!!! So I'm safely assuming that this will play into other telenovelas and the audience consumption. Once they relate to a character in one telenovela, it'll be hard to go against them in another. We all have our favorites.. let's face it. And at this point in the semester, I'm pretty sure we're all hooked onto the protagonists in the telenovela we've watched. I'm looking forward to purchasing Doña Bárbara and seeing how I react to Marisela and Santos. Not very highly, I'm already thinking....

I wonder if that's what I should talk about in my consumption presentation, though I've already got an issue in Corazon Salvaje that Dr. A and I discussed. She's talked about this in class too, but apparently Juan del Diablo isn't the typical "hunk" for a protagonist in the telenovela. I'll admit- when I first started watching, I wasn't that into him either. By the end of the telenovela, I thought he was just perfect- especially for Monica. But apparently I'm not the only one with initial apprehension about Eduardo Palomo playing Juan del Diablo- other people had the same hesitations too! I've been looking it up online (through blogs, message boards, etc.) and I've been interested to see that people only starting thinking Juan del Diablo was attractive further along into the telenovela, once he showed his soft side and his love for Monica. Interesting....

The last topic I might discuss for my consumption presentation is the upcoming remake of Corazon Salvaje. People have made SUCH a big deal about the casting for the new show, and I'll be interested to see how that perspective changes once the telenovela is aired. So maybe I can do some research about all those hesitations now and compare it to what people thought when the 1993 version came out and then make predictions about how this new consumption issue will play out...

So many things to choose from... So little time...

Men Cry Too

A few days ago, I was watching an episode of my telenovela, Verano de Amor. As I watched, I was searching for something unusual within the episode. During my search, I was surprised to find a scene where one of the lead characters, Federico, was crying. In between the time that I had first begun to watch the noveela and that particular episode I had seen tons of "masculine" behavior. For example, one character, Vito, is a wealthy elderly man. He has a wife, Aura and two grandchildren, Enzo and Isa, that are staying with him and his wife for the summer. Although Vito and Aura are very loving towards each other, it is clear who has the more masculine role in the family. The Aura is a stay at home wife and basically does everything that involves taking care of the house, while Vito takes care of business outside of the home. Aura is always crying about a problem that is going on in the community or with her son. On the other hand, Vito seems more like the level headed one who is there to comfort Aura in these "intense" moments. These are the kinds of scenes that are frequently a part of the show.
This particular episode was interesting because in class, we've talked about the different roles that are portrayed by men and women in telenovelas. However, this scene did not fit the script. Dylan, the son of a seemingly happy couple, finds his father, Federico, outside crying right before he and his wife are to go to Miami for a vacation. In this couple, both the husband and wife are working, however, the wife, Frida, takes her work much more seriously. When Dylan asks his father what is wrong, his father explains to him that things are not going well between him and Dylan's mother. The father feels that the mother values her job over their marriage and that he suspects that there may be someone else. This is a totally untypical view of the male's role in the relationship. So far, I had seen nothing but men who either felt nothing about the women they were with, or men who were portrayed as the leader of the household. I feel that most of the time, the woman is the one that is fretting over the future of the relationship. However, I like how the show portrays the other side of the coin. Although women may cry more, it's nice to know that men cry too.

Powerful Influences

Looking at consumption, I thought it was so interesting that Dona Barbara had the power to separate an audience. The audience was so strongly connected to these fictional characters that it actually affected real life for them, and that is mind-boggling to me. Then in class today, the effect of telenovelas on people came up again when we talked about using telenovelas as mediums for social messages (like the census topic).

Telenovelas are obviously very effective in influencing the Latin population. If this is so, can't that also reinforce negative aspects? For example, if children as young as 4 years old are watching telenovelas, do they start believing in that type of "fairy tale" love story? I understand that most people use telenovelas as an escape from reality, but if these telenovelas are starting to affect reality then how is that line defined?

And why isn't something like telenovelas so prevalent in American culture? What makes a telenovela so addictive and significant in Latin American society?

A Less Controversial Love Triangle

Doña Barbara had a key element that was represented in Sin Tetas no hay Paraíso: the mother- daughter love triangle. In the case of Doña Barbara, everyone took a side and took a liking to either the mother or daughter. The "Barbaritas", whom supported the mother, saw her as a strong woman who has been through a lot and deserved this man. The opposing side, the "Mariselitas", saw the mother as evil and wanted the daughter to find true love. The feud was intense.

In the story of Sin Tetas, the main character (Catalina) has a boyfriend, and they are in love. In the first few episodes everything is going well, and they are happy. However, as she begins to become more involved in prostitution, their love changes. She disappears for days at a time, leaving her boyfriend alone. (This is a side note, but I did think it was weird how much the boyfriend hung out at the house, even when Catalina was not at home. I understand that he had a difficult home life, but none the less it weirded me out. Maybe it's a cultural thing, I do not know). So while Catalina is gone, the boyfriend and mother begin to form a bond. They both need each other and slowly begin to fall in love. Although Catalina continues to enter the picture, sleeping with Albeiro and upsetting the mother, Hilda and Albeiro remain a couple in the end. They even discover that they have a baby on the way in the final episodes.

I was not sure if there were the same kind of feelings as in Doña Barabara. Were there "Catalinistas" and "Hildists"? Did the audience have a strong feeling for who should be with Albeiro and hate the other?

I went on the Sin Tetas facebook to find my answer. Among the comments about how beautiful the women are and how great the novel was, I found some information. I did not see any fighting or any direct hatred toward either Catalina or the mother. In the comments I read, it was not really mentioned. I did see, however, a lot of people use words like "triste" or "pobre" to describe Catalina. A lot of the comments revolved around her beauty, and an overall love for her; they wanted her to succeed. They thought her tragic ending was a "lastima" and wanted it all to turn out better for her. Some people were sad that the love story between Catalina and Alberio did not work out; she never found her Prince charming. In telenovelas a happy ending for the protagonist is something to look forward to, but Sin Tetas did not provide this for the viewers. I definitely agree with the majority of viewers in that the ending was very sad, and I felt for Catalina. She had good intentions and was a sweet girl, and her downfall was indeed saddening.

Personally, I was in favor of the relationship between Hilda and Alberio. At first, yes, it was weird. It was her daughter's boyfriend, why would she think sleeping with him would be ok? But as the televnovela progressed, the feelings between Catalina and Alberio declined. She was off sleeping with other men and being unfaithful. That is not love. After awhile, every time she would come back home and back into the picture I got angry. She was deceiving Albeiro and not taking the relationship seriously. The mother, on the other hand, really cared for Albeiro and never strayed.

"Of Mice and Men" as a Telenovela?

Imagine you step into Lit class and your professor says, "We are going to start studying Of Mice and Men." Immediately, you are excited that you are going to be watching a Telenovela, but wait, Of Mice and Men is a novel.

Doña Bárbara is a Venezuelan novel, just like Of Mice and Men, which students read while in high school. A small difference is that Doña Bárbara was made into a Telenovela. For some younger Venezuelans, they only know Doña Bárbara as a telenovela. How do this affect the education system, and what does it say about the culture that comes with Telenovelas?

Now, it's obvious that many novels have been made into films, but a film generally follows the main storyline, and it doesn't have too much time to add multiple subplots to dilute the heart of the novel. If anything, novels made into films can't fit enough into of their storyline.

By adapting a classic novel into a Telenovela, what category does it fall into? Can we analyze it as an adaption? Should we analyze it as an adaption? Is it its own entity? These are hard questions to answer, but the fact is, all of the above are important aspects and need to be looked at. It is a one-of-a-kind telenovela. It has done something others haven't. Also, it may be a little too soon to determine how this could affect young minds, but it will definitely be an interesting study.

The cultural aspect is an intriguing one. The first page to come up when searching for Doña Bárbara through Google is the Telenovela, followed by the novel. Also, the amount of time people devote to telenovelas through the years is amazing. They hang on every episode and make it their top priority.

Is this demonstrating a strong emphasis of Telenovelas in the Venezuelan culture? Does this show an emphasis on Telenovelas over classic novels?

...It sure seems that way.

We're Addicts!

Sometimes I wonder how we get addicted to TV shows. It is the strangest phenomenon to me. All we know is that when it's 8pm...we have "our shows."
Take this Telenovelas class, for instance. A large majority of us had never seen telenovelas before. In addition, I think it is safe to say we had stereotypical telenovela ideas in our minds. We get into this class, learn about telenovelas, watch one on our own, and boom! We're addicted. When I went home to Atlanta one weekend, I only brought discs 1 and 2 (out of 4) with me. What a mistake! I finished the first two so quickly and couldn't wait to get back to Athens and finish the rest.
As I have mentioned before in an earlier post, I love TV. I can watch marathons like a pro! I don't know what it is about TV shows and series that keep us wanting more. But I feel like having a commitment to a specific show is comforting. Similarly, a person with an addiction to smoking cigarettes probably feels better after a smoke break.
I love listening to everyone in class talk about "their" telenovelas. It's so great and amusing to see the impact this class has had. One person even has a telenovela DVD set on her Christmas wish list. So at least our parents are probably much happier knowing our drug of choice is telenovelas.

My Issues with Consumption

We have recently started our discussion on consumption and so far I have found this topic to be one of the most interesting topics that we have discussed. I enjoy reading about the telenovela audience just as much as I enjoy actually learning about the telenovelas themselves.

There are several aspects of consumption that intrigue me. For example, it’s extremely hard for me to wrap my head around the thought of a man watching a telenovela everyday and being just as consumed and wrapped up in it as women are. In the States, men who watch soap operas are thought to either be homosexual or "in the closet." Simply watching a soap opera makes people view you as less of a man.

Now, I am one of those people who is very against stereotypes. I understand that we all, in some form or fashion, are guilty of stereotyping others but I try very hard to see people for who they are and not who society tells me they are. I think this comes from people stereotyping me so much—people assume that because I’m a black woman that I am loud, from the ghetto (or know someone from the ghetto), and that I like to say things like “What’s up my home skillet,” so I really try to go out of my way to look past stereotypes. I am also an equal rights advocate. I despise the double standards between men and women that exist in our culture, and I know that as a double minority I have to work twice as hard to get half as far as my Caucasian counterparts. I am kind of going on a tangent now but I suppose equality between the sexes could make for another blog topic…

All that being said, for some reason I still have a hard time picturing guys gossiping about the most recent episode of the telenovela they’ve been watching. I know that this is society keeping me from grasping this idea but I’m working on overcoming it. Maybe if I actually spoke with a group of guys and included myself in the conversation then it wouldn’t be so hard for me to picture. All in all I guess that I’m glad that men are free to engage in deep conversation about telenovelas if they want to. Equality between the sexes, whoop whoop!

Something else that I find interesting about the consumption of telenovels is that although everyone has an opinion about what they like and dislike about a telenovela, they still write their thoughts anonymously. Message boards dedicated to dialogue concerning telenovelas rarely display someone’s actual name. If so many people are openly voicing their opinions in everyday conversation, I don’t understand why the need to hide online? The beauty of the internet is that it has the ability to connect people from all over and allows them to communicate according to their interests.

For some people, participating in discussions under a pseudonym may be in their best interest (let’s say for researchers, directors, and actors this would be appropriate) but I do not see the need for the general public to hide their identities as well. Is it because they are afraid of what their governments will do? Or do people simply feel like they can be more candid if they use a pseudonym?

Maybe some of you have thoughts on why so many people hide their identities because I just don’t get it.

Rubí vs. Bárbara

After watching my telenovela, Rubí, I understand how viewers of telenovelas often have a hard time separating actors from the characters they play. In my telenovela, the main character, Rubí, is outrageously evil. Bárbara Mori, the actress who plays her, is magnificent in her role and perfectly embodies the cruelty of the character. By the final episode, I was so disgusted with Rubí, that I found it difficult to look at her.

Even after researching for my consumption presentation and finding Bárbara Mori in her other roles, I still can’t imagine her as anything but evil, and I know that if I watch another telenovela with her in it, I am going to automatically dislike her. These actors assume their roles to such a great extent, it seems impossible that they would be able to shed the character and assume a new, and often completely opposite role; but they do. And this is where I have to express my admiration for actors. It makes me think of what Marisa Román said about the process of assuming new roles: it takes a long time and a lot of preparation, and sometimes she becomes invested in the character so completely that she has to make a conscious effort to separate fiction from reality.

Contemporary Issues

Last Wednesday’s class about the representation of certain contemporary issues really made me realize how a telenovela can connect with the hearts and minds of its audiences. We discussed the issues of domestic abuse, alzheimers disease, and plastic surgery.The issue that really struck in my heart was Peligrina’s story of alzheimers from Ciudad Bendita. One of my grandmothers in the past five years has struggled with her memory. About five years ago, my grandmother started to forget minute things, like how to cook certain dishes she had been preparing for the past fifty or sixty years, or forgetting to turn the stove off , or turn the water in the washer on but forget to add the clothes. My grandfather started to get a little frustrated with her forgetfulness. But, about a year ago my grandmother’s memory really began to fade away. She has trouble remembering and identifying her own husband and children. Maybe she knows the names of people close to her, and she says she remembers after she is told, but the same lack of recollecting occurs about every day.

I can tell that it hurts my grandfather, my mom and her siblings the most. Even as a one of ten grandchildren, it hurts that a grandmother who I only get to see every few years probably does not even know I exist anymore. Peligrina's action of getting a tatoo with the names of her loved ones, was a great idea.

This past summer I wrote a poem thinking of my grandmother.

If one day I may lose my memory

Please still sit and stand by me.

I can’t remember now.

So, if I hurt you , just say “ow”.

The pain I don’t feel,

To those around me it will seem surreal.

The detailed memories all seem so vague

Everyday to me you might say:

Have you me forgotten?

Is your past now rotten?

My words and actions are unintentional

My memories have become alloy and therefore null.

But you are my life and will always be.

Please don’t let my life leave me.

Deep down I do remember

In my heart you will be forever.