TELENOVELAS Fall 2009

Fin.

2009-12-05T09:24:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I'm slightly nostalgic that we had our last official class yesterday. Where has the time gone?

As I'm writing up my last paper (which, by the way, THANK YOU DR. A. FOR PUTTING ME IN TOUCH WITH PERLA FARIAS! She emailed me back and I about had a heart attack!), I'm realizing how well-versed we are in telenovelas now. I mean, really- think about it. Not only do we know about all the history, but we know about codes, we know about the different types of telenovelas, we know about production and consumption... we even know people now! From Marisa to Ruxi, all the way to Alberto Gomez and (I pray this works on Sunday) Leonardo Padron and Roque Valero. WE EVEN MET DR. A's MOM!

So let's recap some of the highlights of the semester and what we've gotten out of it:
-Our surprise visit from Marisa: we now know how tricky Dr. A can actually be.
-Watching our own telenovelas (and perhaps falling in love): this actually improved my Spanish skills. I don't know about anyone else.
-The world really is a smaller place (thanks to Skype, etc.): it's been unreal to be able to use technology to talk to people all around the world. We've read blogs from people who live all over the world. You can't say that it's a pretty amazing thing to know how small the world is thanks to all the social media that's around the world.

It's been a whirlwind of a semester and I know that it's only the beginning of telenovelas as a part of our own culture. I'm about to order "Todos Quieren con Marilyn" and "Juana la Virgen" to watch. Anyone wanna come with me?

Thanks for everything, Dr. A. You've made your passion a part of our lives too.

Finding Inspiration

2009-12-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

We have had the opportunity to speak with a couple of writers about the process of creating successful telenovelas. Telenovelas are very demanding on everyone involved in creating them; all of the components (writers, actors, producers) must depend on one another to make a successful telenovela. Writers in particular have a challenging role because if they don't produce anything that it can set back all of production.

Telenovelas air every weekday, meaning writers have to produce a script per day for however long the telenovela lasts. Although there are key elements of a telenovela that they must include in the story, they must be creative and stretch their imaginations in order to keep watchers intrigued. It makes you wonder where they find the inspiration to come up with such crazy stories. What influences them? Do they write in the same place everyday or do they try writing in different settings? Do they incorporate anything from their own lives in the scripts? Do they study the people around them or in the news to develop certain characters?

I know that every writer has their own unique process but I can't help but wonder what kind of struggles they face with trying to push out a script. I have a hard enough time trying to think of something meaningful to write about in blog posts, let alone create something that has to entertain thousands of people. One thing's for sure, writers really have to love the art of telenovelas because so much blood, sweat, and tears has to go in each and every script that they write.

Last Post--So sad!

2009-12-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving Break, I had the great opportunity to go to Southern France. While I was there, I met a ton of interesting new people from all over the world and I couldn't help but to bring up this class and telenovelas to them!

One lady in particular who I had talked to really struck my interest. Her name was Diana and she was from Mexico and from the older generation, about 65 years old. When I brought up telenovelas, boy did she get excited and couldn't believe that someone from my background (haha, I think me being Asian?) and age was talking to her about telenovelas.

She was fairly privileged when she grew up in Mexico as a child and they were fortunate enough to have TVs (not just one!) in her home. As she grew up, she also married into higher society and didn't have to do much except be a regular housewife, so she had a lot of time to watch telenovelas. The few that I remember her mentioning were called "Pecado Mortal" and "Cartas de Amor" and "La Leona". She had mentioned more, but with my broken Spanish and her broken English, we did have some trouble communicating! I wasn't familiar with any of these novelas, but she told me that they came out around 1960 and that "Pecado Mortal" now has a remake that is "Abrazame muy fuerte" I believe, and said she refuses to watch it! I thought it was really funny, because it's just like the consumption we discussed in class--a lot of the originals just simply can't be replaced to the viewers!

I think what I enjoyed the most while talking to her was how we could connect on the same level even though we're from such different backgrounds, which is such a valuable thing! So, I really want to thank Dr. A for everything she's done for us--this was definitely my favorite class and it was an amazing experience for me!

The World of Telenovelas

2009-12-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

I’m really glad we decided to wait until the end of the semester to talk to the writers. We had so many more prying questions than when we first started in this course and so much more appreciation for what a telenovela is. I have not seen any of Alberto’s telenovelas, but it was so exciting to get to hear from him and hear about his experiences as a writer. Being a writer seems like it would be really hard; he said that at times he was responsible for 4 tevenovelas. I had no idea that the networks pretty much tell them what to write, and they have to follow these guidelines. Also, it was good to hear that if the writer hates where the direction of the telenovela is going, he usually is passionate enough to stop writing because it is not what he envisioned. They work so hard to write these stories, and they shouldn’t let the networks rewrite what they have spent so much time developing.

I think one of the most surprising things that I learned from taking this class was the globalization and popularity of the telenovela. Millions of people watch them, and not only in Latin America but all over the world. We even got the really popular series Ugly Betty from a telenovela. There are SO many that have been made, both remakes and originals, and they dominate Latin television. There are a lot of factors to why people love them, but in my opinion any good television show has drama and a strong love story. One of my favorite shows, The Office, has a lot of humor but also still manages to incorporate a love story between two of the main characters. Their love story is one of the reasons I have continued to watch the show from season to season. This idea of love forever and a one true love really keeps viewers watching.

Last Episode Lessons

2009-12-04T17:02:00.000-08:00

I found the lecture on last episodes to be very interesting today. What interested me most were the telenovelas that had the conversations with the audience at the end. I have noticed this sort of thing happen in shows here in the US. I am by no means a fan of gossip girl; I find the show extremely annoying, but nonetheless my roommate Melissa is obsessed with it. Generally we watch tv together at night, so I tried to watch for a few episodes. The show ends always with gossip girl sort of summing up either a lesson or conniving remark, followed by "xoxo, gossip girl."

The similar thing happens at the beginning and end of Grey's Anatomy. Eeach episode beging and ends with a character, usually Meredith, giving some sort of life lesson. For example,
Meredith: [narrating] Everyday we get to give the gift of life, it can be painful, it can be terrifying, but in the end it's worth it. Every time. We all have the opportunity to give. Maybe the gifts are not as dramatic as what happens in the operating room, maybe the gift is to try and make a simple apology, maybe it's to understand another person's point of view, maybe it's to hold a secret for a friend. The joy supposedly is in the giving, so when the joy is gone, when the giving starts to feel more like a burden, that's when you stop. But if you're like most people I know, you give till it hurts, and then you give some more.

I feel as though this summary can also be a summary to a telenovela. It's so interesting to me to see the similarities and differences in the telenovelas and shows here.

The Final Episode...or blog entry

2009-12-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

Wow- I cannot believe how this semester has flown by! Watching clips from final episodes today made me realize how many telenovelas there are that I want to watch. I think that I want to watch pretty much every single one of Leonardo Padron's novelas. This man is a genius, and I can't believe how lucky we are to interview him (hopefully) on Sunday! I love the way that he breaks from the "traditional" ending and in its place has an original yet equally exciting fin. The ending to "La vida entera" was especially cool. The disassembling of the set was such a neat way to express the end of the story and of the show. The artistic element behind it was impressive as well. Showing the camera men in the mirror, and just the logistics of filming the filming, was really cool. It seems like the mixing of the fiction with reality, and jumping from one to the other is common in Padron's novelas, at least at the end of the telenovela. Speaking to the public, the audience, is also an interesting approach. I wonder what it feels like as a viewer, to watch 160+ episodes as a complete spectator to this fictional show, and then to be addressed directly by the actor, or the character. I can't wait to watch Cosita Rica, Ciudad Bendita, and La Vida Entera, even though I already know the endings!

The Final Goodbye

2009-12-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

As the semester wraps up, I can’t believe that this is already my last blog post. It has flown by and this class has absolutely exceeded my expectation levels. The last episode presentation in class today was a great way to end the course. I found it extremely interesting to see how many different endings a telenovela could have. Like almost everything else, it is completely up to the discretion of the writer to decide how to end it. I wonder if writers start to develop a reputation for having a particular type of ending?

The final episode of La Vida Entera was the best example that showed me how unique a writer could make it. That ending in particular was a great way to say goodbye to the viewers and the cast. I can definitely understand how it could be emotional, when the set was literally getting taken apart, but I also think it could be a time of celebration and looking back on their accomplishments. One question that occurred to me was this: Since they literally took the set down during the filming process, what would they do if the scene was not 100% satisfactory? Did the director check the film to see if it was good? This question led me to think back to the chaotic production process. Because the actors are on a strict time schedule and must film an episode a day, does this sometimes hinder the quality of their work? I wonder if there are instances in which this has happen…

In conclusion, I just wanted to say thanks to Dr. A for teaching such an incredible course! I have enjoyed every minute of it and am so glad I had the opportunity to learn about such a unique subject.

My Inspirational Blog Post: Gracias!

2009-12-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

I wanted to wait until after today’s class to write my final blog post. I was waiting for inspiration because I have to admit that this last post is somewhat bittersweet and sentimental. The inspiration that I was looking for did not come when I thought it was going to come. I thought I would be immediately inspired by the “final episode” lecture and hop right on the internet to blog about it.

Although the lecture was extremely interesting and I especially liked learning about Padron’s unique endings, my true inspiration came when I was writing my course evaluation. Because my on-campus job primarily consists of typing up student evals for the UNIV courses, I normally do not write anything on teacher evals if given the opportunity. This is just because I know that students typically say the same thing over and over and I frankly empathize with the people who have to sit and type all of those up. However, I knew without a doubt that I was going to write today because even if all the comments are going to say the same thing, I guarantee its all good things. Those are my favorite evals to type, the positive ones, the ones where students love the teachers and feel that they have benefited from the class.

There was so much I wanted to say but just didn’t have the time or space on the page. This is the first class that I have taken that has been truly inspiring. I wanted to come to class each and every day and I was eager to absorb as much as humanly possible. I learned so much more than I expected to learn and that is so satisfying. I could come to class and simply listen and ask questions and take it all in because I loved the topic; not just the telenovela stories themselves but the impact they have on the culture, the viewers and the Latin American society as a whole. I would come home and share things I learned in class with my friends, roommates and family members. This is how I know that I was really learning, because I felt myself wanting to educate others around me. I wanted everyone I knew to love the class even if they were not taking it. Anyone who crossed my path that may have been in Grady or in Latin American Studies I felt compelled to tell them about my “Spanish soap opera class” and how they HAD to take it if they were given the opportunity. I am so happy to have had the experience of taking this class and I know that it will continue to have an impact on me. I have a renewed interest in the Spanish language and more importantly the culture. I can take so much away from this class and that is what makes it truly inspirational. So even though this is cheesy I would just like to thank you, Dr. A, for making this class one of the best I have ever taken and thanks to all the actors, writers, youtubers , message boarders and everyone else that furthered my learning experience!

Parting shots

2009-12-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

As the semester winds up, I have a confession to make.

You've all heard me bitch about Los Ricos También Lloran and the horrible way in which Televisa royally screwed the editing. How bad it was. How it was unbearable.

But I confess: I was still a bit hooked.
The accelerating and increasing plot, the dramatic twists and turns, all of the insanity packed into 13 hours...it was a roller coaster that I was still hooked to. I realize this now when I look back at how I talk to my roommates about the plot of this telenovela and others that we've discussed in class. How my hand gesturing goes wild. How I get intense in talking about it.

I confess: I, too, am hooked.
The emotional race catches me and I MUST know what happens. I'm grateful for not having a TV, otherwise I may find myself stuck in front of the television every day like millions across the globe.

But nevertheless, I am hooked.

Hi, my name is Zak, and I'm a recovering telenovelaholic.

Final Thoughts

2009-12-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

I really have loved our skype conversations in class this week!! You should have heard me try to explain this concept to my mom over the phone. This is a condensed version of how it went:

My mom: “sky?, skippy? what did you say?

Me: “no mom, Skype”

(then my father in the background) “Honey, its like Twitter”

My mom: “oh, Twitter! Cool!”

Me: “um… no its not like twitter at all actually”

When they finally let me explain, they thought what we are doing in class this week is really amazing. I am not just making fun of my parents here, I think it is really amazing what technology lets us do as students now that my parents didn’t get to enjoy when they were in school. And I, like my parents, also think it’s been really amazing to get to talk this week with our guests.

I really enjoyed our conversation with Alberto Gomez because it got me once again thinking a lot about the consumption side of telenovelas. Gomez mentioned that he needed to make Telenovelas that the audience will enjoy and receive well and I immediately wondered if it was as simple as that in terms of audience consumption. I definitely agree that audiences play a huge role in the success or failure of a telenovela, but I also wonder if writers and networks, who so often play it safe with telenovela themes and plotlines, can really know if an audience would reject a more daring telenovela.

It seems like such a never-ending circle between production and consumption that it is difficult, or maybe impossible, to discover who shapes who more. Do audiences choose their plot lines or are their preferences dictated by what is available on TV? I know its not that simple but I wish I could dissect this relationship further. I want to know if one of Leonardo Padron’s telenovelas would be successful in Mexico or in the United States, even though the telenovlea tastes of these countries are labeled as more rosa. I think that Ruxi proved to us in our discussion on Monday that these more daring telenovelas are not just a Venezuelan taste and that people all over the world enjoy a telenovela that is as ruptura as Padron’s telenovelas.

On Despecho

2009-12-03T22:19:00.000-08:00

I'd been wanting to post on this since I learned about it.

I love the idea of despecho. Absolutely love it.

Having this concept of full-blown grief, of drinking yourself stupid and singing songs of "You-bitch-how-could-you-do-this-to-me-I-love-you-no-come-back-I'll-kill-you"...MAN, we Americans can't stack up to that!

Despecho is something I would describe as a superemotion. It's emotion to its most extreme, so involved and intense that the idea of it involves specific actions on top of specific feelings. If you haven't wanted to grind broken glass into your bare palms to substitute the pain of your broken heart...you're not there yet.

The most interesting thing to me is that in a way we DO have that sort of emotion here. However, instead of being embraced as it has in Latin culture...we pass it off as being emo. It has negative connotations, and when people are experiencing it they're told to "suck it up."

America will never fully understand the concept of despecho until we can learn to embrace emotion the way Latin culture does.
And until then, American soap operas do not stand a chance of being anything NEAR telenovelas.

Telenovelas Overseas

2009-12-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

Speaking with Ruxana in class was an interesting experience.

I was relatively uninformed when I walked in to class, so imagine my surprise when we begin talking to a woman, not much older than we students are, that lives in Romania and has a deep passion for telenovelas.

I had been prepared to speak to Hispanics, Latinos, South Americans, and the like.
I must admit: I wasn't expecting Romania.

We had been speaking again and again about how telenovelas travel to non-Latin countries. We had examples in all our presentations and lectures (the "Betty La Fea" of Greece and Norway, for instance).
But I suppose it never really sank in just HOW MUCH the telenovela can travel until Ruxana spoke with us. It was then that I truly got the picture:

Telenovelas are EVERYWHERE.

They're more than entertainment. They're more than a force localized to the countries of origin. They're a global force that travels far and doesn't stop, reaching all corners it can.

And it's fascinating. I may never fully understand why telenovelas spread to so many varying countries, but I'll never ceased to be amazed by it either,

End of the Season

2009-12-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

During the middle of the semester every year, I usually think to myself, " I am so ready for this class to be over.", but somehow I have yet to think that way about this class. No matter how tired or hungry I have been on certain days, I have no hesitation in walking back to the 2nd floor of the SLC for our Telenovelas class. And, I get excited to be there five minutes early to watch those intense random five minutes of a telenovela before class starts.
I'm not ready for this class to end yet. Dr.A was so right when she said there just isn't enough time for class. While I feel we have covered so many topics from the days of consumption, representation, regulation, production, and all the juicy details in between, I feel as if there is so much more we could discuss, and that is my favorite part about our class. It seems every day I walk out of class telenovela, or latin culture struck. Questions that others in the class ask are often questions I'm thinking in my mind too. I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity of getting to know so much about the various aspects of telenovelas from someone so tied to the telenovela industry. I am so much more intrigued by the Latin Culture. This class has hands down been one of the most interesting and exciting classes at UGA.

2009-12-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

I love advertising...well the good kind. The kind that makes you giggle to yourself, post it as your Facebook status, or Tweet about it to your friends.

I heard a terrible radio spot the other day. Taco Bell, which makes a mockery, out of Mexican culture and becomes ammo for anyone who can say four words in Spanish did it. The radio ad was called a "Taco Novela." What?

The ad, which I wasn't able to find online, highlighted the interaction of a protagonist who wanted Taco Bell. The male protagonist wooed her with his words...to be honest I was so dumbfounded with the ad it was hard to get the strategy. Bottom line: Taco Bell wants to align itself with the Telenovela. But think about it: besides the 24 of us...there really isn't the demographic for people wanting cheap fake Mexican food and who understands the relevancy.

As you can tell I'm offended by the use of our dear dear dear telenovelas. I'm protective.

But then after Googling the ad for several minutes I found someone's tweet. Mayito Gomez says, "lmao taco Novela's? hahaha thanks taco bell." So someone finds it amusing.

I'm glad, I guess?

Creative vs. Commercial

2009-12-03T05:38:00.000-08:00

One thing that intrigued me in the talk with Alberto Gomez was the conversation about the conflicts between his creativity and what the industry wants. He mentioned that he writes to please audiences which completely makes sense. As I've been thinking about it, I suppose there would be no TV/movie industry if writers just did whatever they wanted.

I think this applies to actors and actresses, as well. One thing that I remember about Marisa Roman is that she would put her creative twists on her roles that Padron did not initially write. This is an example of when the actress can take the role and make it her own. And it made her character even more loved!

One thing that I hope is that the telenovela industry doesn't overshadow the creativeness of the telenovela, especially telenovelas de ruptura. I think that telenovelas rosas will always be popular. As we talked about yesterday, there are some things that just work every time with every audience. However, telenovelas de ruptura are different and more progressive. I hope this genre keeps getting bigger and appealing to more people. I think that telenovelas de ruptura have the potential to take the creativity of telenovela-making to another level.

A look back...

2009-12-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

As I am sitting here writing my final paper, I have begun to really think about the semester.

I'm not going to lie... I was pretty hesitant when I decided to take a class on Telenovelas, but as the semester has continued, I have developed a completely new understanding and interest for them.

Looking at it all, I have thought more about telenovelas than most other subjects in my regular life. I have really dissected and analyzed all of the aspects from representation to identity to consumption to regulation to production. My fascination lies in the intricacy of the world of telenovelas, especially their social impact and representation, something we were very successful at exploring this semester.

These skype conversations we have been having are really quite insightful. We have talked with viewers and writers, and we are about to talk with an actor. While studying them from the outside has taught me so much, direct question and answer have really topped off the semester.

2009-12-02T19:43:00.001-08:00

Words cannot begin to describe how I excited I was to listen to Alberto Gomez talk today! He wrote one of the first telenovelas that I ever watched on Univision (back before Dish Network entered my life): Gata Salvaje.

But here's what seemed so interesting to me: if I had not been in this class I would have never known that the writer of this guilty-pleasure telenovela was Venezuelan. Not that Gata Salvaje was loyal to any particular culture or accent, I remember being surprised that everyone seemed to have a different accent and that the scenery reminded me of Miami (that because it was filmed in Miami!). I think that Alberto Gomez's ability to write telenovela's rosas that appeal to all cultures is why his works like Gata Salvaje do so well outside of the spanish-speaking world.

If I recal correctly, someone does give away a child and, though we griped and tried to act disinterested, my entire household was always near the television when it was time for Gata Salvaje!

Will the telenovela ever die?

2009-12-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

It's safe to say American soap operas have seen better days. Although far from dead, they aren't getting the ratings they used to. Could the same ever happen to the telenovela industry? With such a gigantic following in Latin America alone, it seems telenovelas may outlive humans, maybe even planet Earth.

Now with new markets opening up all around the world, telenovelas have situated themselves alongside U.S. entertainment giants. But unlike the American TV and film industries, the telenovela world is somewhat unique. American movies are known for their over-the-top special effects (and budgets), and their TV shows are notably catchy with high production values and beautiful actors. But telenovelas don't rely on deep pockets or blow-you-away effects... so what puts them along front runners of the globalization train?

Beautiful people way be one reason, but I think people are suckers for the story. One thing that a housewife in Venezuela and a teenager in Romania can both relate to is a story with as many twists and turns as the highways between them. Sure, some cultural and societal themes may translate perfectly or not at all, but a story line with hooks, cliffs, and train wrecks will leech onto anything and everything in its path.

It takes a strong will to look away. And it's going to take "the big bang" to kill the telenovela.

An Open Minded Industry

2009-12-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

Today's talk with Alberto Gomez really showed me how different the telenovela industry is from Hollywood. Its amazing to me that people from the telenovela industry are so willing to talk to the class. I feel like it would take so much more money and time and effort just to have an actor or actress from Hollywood talk to the class. I think telenovela writers and actors are so much more open to the idea of being studied and observed. I wonder if this could be evidence of the difference in the two cultures. While Americans are so much more private and individualistic, Latin Americans are much more open about their culture and their lives.

Alberto's happy demeanor made it easy to relax and ask questions. This is how it was when Marisa came to visit the class. What I also enjoyed much more is that he was so willing to give potential writers a chance. The fact that he asked about writers in the class at the end of the talk made me realize how open the industry is. Although being in this industry does not guarantee success, it is open to new writers and ideas.

Romania: A World Away that Hits So Close to Home

2009-12-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

Before this class, I knew what telenovelas were, but had a very vague understanding of their worldwide implications. From my time spent in both Spain and Costa Rica, I thought telenovelas were the epic and universal love stories, but at the same time were very culturally exclusive. Being an outsider for such a short amount of time, I came to the conclusion that telenovelas weren't overarching productions that broadcast in countries outside of Spanish speaking ones. Obviously, I was wrong.

On Monday, we talked to Ruxandra Ciobanu, a telenovela junkie all the way from Romania. Ruxi says she started watching telenovelas about six years ago, when she was 17 years old. I'm about Ruxi's age, and six years ago, I was watching melodramatic teen dramas like "The O.C." Come to think about it, the similarities between "The O.C." and the typical telenovela are incredible.

For one, both have gorgeous protagonists. Secondly, the primary love story involves two lovers from extremely different backgrounds; the girl, a model-esque beauty queen from wealthy Newport Beach, and the boy, a bad-boy gone good from the outskirts of L.A., Chino. Also, the antagonists in the show were typical representations of the average telenovela. Whereas both the protagonists were blond, and fair-skinned, the antagonists were their complete opposites. Dark-haired, tan beauties. It never once occurred to me until now that the shows I was watching at 17 weren't authentically "American." Rather, I'm learning now, that the melting pot I live in adapted a structure from the Latin American world that appeals equally to my generation: the telenovela.

Ruxi said that she does watch some American shows, but mostly she watches telenovelas. At first this surprised me. I mean, what does Romania have in common with Latin America? But then again, what does Romania have in common with the United States? Nevertheless, I guess it goes without saying that our conversation with Ruxi changed my "American Arrogance." Above all, Ruxi said that she related to the telenovela world better than other shows because the much of latin american culture reflects Romanian culture-something I had no clue of until now.

So, before I go into anymore mindless rambling, I'll end with saying that I now know that the Telenovela world is much more prevalent than I initially anticipated. Instead of being only relevant to their home countries, I now know that Telenovelas are just as popular as much as American shows abroad, and in fact, some of the most popular American shows derive themselves from a telenovela format. Hmmm...I wonder if Ruxi likes "The O.C" too...

Viva Hollywood!

2009-12-01T01:42:00.000-08:00

Has anyone watched "Viva Hollywood" on VH1 a couple seasons back? I think it aired last year, but I can't completely remember. It was a "reality" TV series that was looking for the next hot and new telenovela star, and the prize was a contract with Telemundo for the winner (Dr. A, do you know if this really happened?). I never watched it, but I remember skimming through channels and seeing it a few times while being really confused. At that time, I hadn't really been exposed to the telenovela world and so I thought it was pretty random that VH1 was airing a show about telenovelas. I'm wondering about this show, because I suddenly stumbled across it again and started thinking about consumption. Telenovelas have gotten to the point where American owned companies are making reality TV shows about them (a pretty big deal, I'd say!), but at the same time I'm assuming the show didn't do too well since it was only on for one season.

Either way, the episodes are online and I think I might start watching them! Supposedly, the situations are even more over the top than regular telenovelas so we'll see!

Consumption. mm..mm...good

2009-11-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

Learning about how other people consume telenovelas is interesting. It was interesting to hear Ruxi speak of her personal experiences with telenovelas. She's a very dutiful telenovela viewer who goes to great extent to get access to her beloved telenovelas. The way people consumed telenovelas was so interesting to me that I actually interviewed three of my Hispanic friends and asked them about their perosnal experiences/perspectives about telenovelas. These 3 Hispanic female college students who have varying telenovela viewing habits and who have came to the States at different stages in their life. I believe there is some sort of correlation between the amount of time they spent in the States to their telenovela viewing habits. One girl who was born and raised here never watches telenovelas. The other girl who grew up in South America watches telenovelas dutifully when she was there and still watches them to this day. Another girl who has spent half of her life in South America and the other half of her life in the States watches them on occassion. This is what I am writing about for my final paper. It's interesting stuff!

The World Wide Web

2009-11-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Our class interview with Ruxandra Ciobanu concluded on a note of illegality... the globally accepted kind that governments are having a hard time nailing: free distribution of copyrighted materials online.
I am currently in the Grady Communication Law class and our professor and author of the course text book, admits that current U.S. copyright laws are insufficient for regulating open forum websites such as YouTube. The early law did not foresee a medium such as YouTube being so public and common for anyone to post nearly any video/audio, available for viewing and downloading.
Dr. A mentioned a time when telenovela studios deleted files of many, many full episodes previously available online, and now there are viewing restrictions according to country. Certain novelas are available in certain locations around the world.
And yet, the public will find a way to watch what they want to watch. Dr. A admits that it is sometimes with a thin hope that the industry won't find out. On the other hand, Ciobanu said she waited YEARS for Ciudad Bendita to become available for her, in Eastern Europe, to watch online.
What is the standard? The Internet is global, so should the standards for illegal downloading be global as well?
Nearly all the popular U.S. TV series are now available to watch on sites like Hulu and even YouTube, despite the fact that our government is perhaps the most strict in regulating copyright practices, performances and technology. Could it be that a global trend towards immediate post-broadcast online availability has begun?

Global Distribution

2009-11-28T19:12:00.000-08:00

Why is it that telenovelas are so unevenly distributed?

Is it due to who has the better content? Do some countries really just make better telenovelas, so good that the whole world wants them? Many countries would rather you believe that. Why wouldn't Country X want you to believe that its telenovelas are the most superior? It makes for great easy marketing. But it's more than that.

Politics can play into it--sometimes countries just don't like each other, and because of whatever controversy or issue they simply don't want to share their toys.
It can come down to cost--maybe some networks can't afford to export their product too much, so they get stuck behind borders.

But in all honesty, I believe it ultimately comes down to presuppositions. People have stereotypes in their head that certain groups in certain countries make telenovelas "better." So they stick to those ones, and hardly give others a chance. And when they do, they still don't change their opinion too much.

The networks are the worst about this--it's the same reason that rosa is pushed harder than de ruptura. Somewhere along the line, everyone got it in their heads that rosa sells better. So no matter how good de ruptura can be, rosa always gets the push and leaves de ruptura behind in the dust. Likewise, countries like Mexico get stereotyped as the "best-selling" telenovelas. Thus, everyone takes them in. Other countries that don't have as much of a push or a precident get left behind.

It's impossible to change the minds of the people up at the top. Thus, it's up to the individual viewer to search out telenovelas of various origins to learn what is truly best to their taste.

Telenovelas: Better than Rosetta Stone?

2009-11-25T14:09:00.000-08:00

The thought of someone religiously following a telenovela in non-Spanish speaking countries didn’t really connect with me until today. My brother’s girlfriend is from Ukraine and today we were talking about which classes we’re taking in school. I mentioned the telenovela class and she exclaimed “Ohhh man! My grandma in Ukraine loooooooves those! And she learned Spanish from them! It’s crazy!” It made me laugh, and really appreciate how Spanish has become a global language in part because of novelas. She said her grandma and mom both watch a block of novelas from 8 to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday, always. They don’t even watch dubbed/subtitled versions anymore – they bought Spanish dictionaries to help whenever they don’t understand something.

I’m so impressed at the dedication! And again blown away by whatever addictive quality they put into storylines that manages to cross cultural bounds. It's funny because so many people I know would never see telenovelas as an opportunity to learn Spanish. Everyone flips straight past them without a second thought. They're passing up free Spanish lessons apparently!

Which came first?

2009-11-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

As Americans 100 percent of our popular tv-shows are made in the U.S. We don't even like to have accents in our shows (think Hugh Laurie in House). We like what we watch because it caters to us. Similarly, each Latin American country caters to certain characteristics and national desires in regards to telenovelas.

So for me the different telenovela powerhouses are really interesting. It is a sign of the global world that Mexican telenovelas have become so definitive in the genera. Almost every country gets a large percentage of their telenovelas from Mexico. Could you imagine getting one third of our t.v. shows from Australia? At the most, I think we might get 1% of our shows from Britain and the majority of those are weird and on PBS.

Apparently, Latin Americans are broadening their world view far more then Americans.

Even if the majority of shows being imported are Mexican, Ecuador had a fascinating pie chart. Ecuador has no preconceived notions of what a telenovela should be, because they don't make any shows of their own. Thus, they get the best telenovelas from all over South America. They are inundated with globalization. I wonder what the Ecuadorian world view is like, I'd guess pretty broad. They must understand quite a bit more about other cultures, I'd even bet that telenovelas have improved tolerance.

I wonder if telenovelas going international are a cause of a global world or a symptom. It's a bit like the chicken and the egg. Does understanding lead to globalization or globalization lead to understanding?

La Musica

2009-11-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

In learning about telenovela musical accompaniment, it stands out as completely unique and potentially more creative to me than most American soap operas (though we have, as a class, clearly established how different these two industries really are). The Grey's Anatomy (though not a soap opera, the following is similar to that of telenovelas) soundtrack is a compilation of popular artist's songs. Every season the soundtrack could be a substitute for the "NOW ...87" CD.
Telenovelas, on the other hand, have artists create unique songs specifically for a telenovela. I think this reflects the overlapping circles in latinamerican culture of actors, musicians and models, for example. Roque Valero, like many telenovela actors before him, became a musical performer, two times famous for his talent.
Each telenovela has a characteristic song that sets the tone for the telenovela's theme or a specific lead character in it. Good directors put much timem and energy into choosing an artist for this song, and Pedron even went so far as to write his own poetic lyrics for one such song.
While some American shows do have a catchy tune for the intro, it hardly every repeats in the middle of each episode, and never will an artist take the song on musical tour.
Granted, the "suspense" and "romance" musical segments produced for each episode of a telenovela seem somewhat immature, the shows put more energy into creating unique complete songs for their shows than American series do.

New respect for production

2009-11-16T08:03:00.000-08:00

I always imagined that making a movie or TV show would be demanding and stressful at times, but I never really grasped the extent to which that is true. When I think of a TV show production, I tend to just think about the script, the direction and the acting. But since I began my own film production, me eyes have been opened a bit wider.

A few friends and I have been putting together a short film for Latin American Cinema class. We've had basically all semester to get the script together and start filming. It's a lot more work than I ever fathomed. Finalizing the script was hard enough, then comes the real production. Nailing down locations, coordinating schedules, building props, and trying to keep everyone believing in the project. Then once everything is organized, it's hard to find enough daylight when everyone can shoot.

Our film is supposed to be five minutes. I simply can't imagine shooting 30-40 scenes a day. They would have to fun like fluid machines, but I know that's not the case. A trillion things can go wrong, and some do, but they manage to grind it out anyway. Bravo, telenovela world.

Invaluable Insight

2009-11-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

I think the production part of the class has been the most interesting topic for me. The globalization and consumption of telenovelas certainly made me reconsider my initial judgment of them, but the production aspect has changed my point of view even more. It shows all of the hard work and planning that goes into creating each chapter, and I am able to appreciate the creative aspects more fully now that I understand the tremendous pressure the writers, actors, and producers endure to meet industry demands. It's amazing how everything comes together in this environment.
I love Dr. A’s videos from observing production – it almost feels like we’re there with the crew.

I also thought it was interesting that the professor we mentioned in class denounced telenovelas. I get the same anti-novela vibe from my aunt and cousins, and my high school Spanish teacher also. Before this class I assumed their opinions were right – that every telenovela was a low quality, high drama form of entertainment for passive viewers. I am so glad to see that change in myself. Although some industry-driven novelas do still fit that category in my mind, I can recognize the exceptions and look forward to seeing the progression in quality as the genre expands.

I’ve started making a list of telenovelas I want to watch. I’m graduating in December and will just be working next spring – I know exactly what I’ll be doing in my free time! I feel like I mention this in every post, but I absolutely love this class. It isn’t exactly what I expected, in a good way, and it’s an opportunity that most people don’t even realize exists!

Models turned Actors

2009-11-13T20:32:00.000-08:00

I find it interesting that actors are able to start up singing careers, and vice versa, so easily in the telenovela world. Dr. A has told us about several models who have been brought into telenovelas simply because they needed another pretty face to attract viewers. Although it is usually clear that they are models and not actors by their lack of acting abilities, they are still accepted as telenovela stars.

I know that in the telenovela I studied, Amigas Y Rivales, there were a couple of actors who were former members of singing groups. One character in particular, Johnny, was played by an actor who was brought on simply for his looks. Even though the audience knew that Johnny was not a true actor, they still followed his love story intensely. I'm not saying that Johnny was the most popular character by any means, but he did have an important role in the telenovela and the audience accepted him as that character. In the United States I think that people would have had a harder time taking him seriously. We typically associate characters with actors, not the other way around.

There have also been several cases in which the telenovela star has been converted into a singing sensation because of their role in telenovales. I feel that we are very pessimistic in the United States by always assuming that someone can't do something before they prove that they can. We are so amazed when someone does have the ability to act, sing and dance that we even gave these people a special name, triple threat.

Overall, I would say that it is much easier to cross over into a different field in the world of telenovelas than in the United States. When a telenovela airs, it's not just a select few people watching, it's the whole country most of the time. It's easier for singers to carry over their fan base from acting to help them jump start their new career. As for models turned actors, I think we all know that beauty is one of the most important aspects of a telenovela. I think that when production decides to select a model to be a member of the cast they are living according to this philosophy: You can never have too many beautiful people in a telenovela.

Telenovelas on E! Network's "The Soup"

2009-11-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

I love E! Network's "The Soup" with Joel McHale. Two weeks ago he made fun of a clip about the dramatic music and facial shots in a telenovela. In the clip what appeared to be the antagonist was clipping coupons from a newspaper with the incidental music blaring. Then the shot went to see the what I believed to be the protagonist for her response to the clipping. It was SO funny, but I think the experience in this class made it even funnier.

Check out this clip he did of another telenovela covered by "The Soup" in the past:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lxka9kfsvU

The premise of the show is to cover all the bases of television (reality, morning show anchors, game shows, etc.)...telenovelas included. Although in this context it's funny, even E! realizes the importance and reach of telenovelas and can appreciate their quirks.

Out of control

2009-11-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

I love how going over production in this class has perfectly aligned with my Tele3210 film project! Seeing behind the scenes footage of the telenovela shootings has actually helped me while filming for my own short, since I'm just a beginner. My group has just started filming recently, and oh my goodness, it is EXHAUSTING. You would never think that so much work actually goes into making a film/show/whatever until you actually experience it, and I can only imagine how stressed the entire production team gets! I've only had a small taste of what production is supposed to be--our class is only making a 3 minute short, and my stress levels are already off the scales.

I think the hardest thing about this job is that a lot of times, there are just things that you can't control during production--an actor might get sick, some equipment might break during the set, a prop is forgotten--all while you have a deadline to meet. It's not a job like being a scientist where everything can be calculated for you and you can prepare to the fullest extent. In these filming crews, there is only so much that you can prepare for and the rest you have to leave to God and pray for the best. I honestly have no idea how these people do this as their profession, but I definitely have a new respect for them and I definitely understand how Dr. A said that a lot of the people involved sprout grey hairs early on!

Gossip Girl

2009-11-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

The talk about gossip magazines today was very intriguing today. How is it possible for an entire group of noteworthy publications to write the same story about a totally made-up telenovela without a reliable source? I can understand the gossip magazines writing "sources say this actor is writing a telenovela named so and so with the following plot..."

Gossip magazines like that even exist here. Generally, though, there is no guessing as to the plots, necessarily, except for "someone is going to die." Our gossip magazines always leave it up to chance-- "our sources say that a characer will die tonight on Flash Forward," but would never have an entire plot of an entire show or series.

I am not one to read gossip magazines; I don't care who's dating whom, who got liposuction where, who's in rehab. Because of this, I could be totally wrong about my entire post, but this is just what I have been led to believe. I also feel like our magazines tend to not focus necessarily on the show itself, but rather the actors who are on the show. Why the difference in the two cultures?

Telenovela Characters and the Actor

2009-11-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

What I have always found interesting for Hollywood actors, Latin American actors, actors all over the world is the fascination the public has in their personal lives. I have to admit I love knowing the down low on actors/actresses for some reason, so I do not have a huge problem with the press and paparazzi. I also think that knowing about an actor or actresses life, allows the public to feel more connected to a character they play. However, I am entertained by the way an audience can have a hard time distinguishing the role the character is playing and the real actor.

For example, in this class we have discussed many times how a fan base falls in love with a certain character in a telenovela. I was so troubled by the one Brazilian actress who was shot by her telenovela "lover" in real life.
I thought it was amazing when we talked about Dainella from La Vida Enterra, recovering from cancer and coming back to the telenovela to finish her role.
It is interesting to see how characters roles can influence their real life and how real life can influence characters.

Censorship

2009-11-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

After talking about censorship in telenovelas, I wish the networks in Venezuela wouldn't censor so much of the scripts. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with addressing social/economic issues in telenovela episodes. Why not push the limit and see how far they can go instead of act in fear and change the scripts. Especially when today we saw how tiny the statements were. None of the statements came out and said "I dislike Chavez and his government." All the statements did were talk about how sometimes food can be scarce or that cities can have crime. They would be so much more real if they would stop beating around the bush and not edit the scenes they think will cause controversy.

I looked up the topic of censorship as it relates to Chavez and found an interesting newspaper article. This particuar article, "Chavez denies TV, license, stoking censorship debate" by Simon Romero, talks about the television company RCTV. Apparently, RCTV was a very popular, well known station in Venezuela. However, in early 2007, Chavez shut this network down by choosing not to renew their contract. The article talks about how Chavez thought RCTV was personally attacking his government with their programming and shows, and this is ultimately why he decided to shut them down. I guess he felt that they could influence the people, and did not like how he and his government were being portrayed. He caught a lot of controversy, because many thought he was abusing his power and acting unjustly.
Instances like this could explain why networks are hesitant to include material that may offend the government. I guess it goes to show that maybe pushing the limits isn't always the best idea, especially with someone like Chavez in charge.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/01/world/americas/01iht-venez.html

Brrrrrrrrrrr...

2009-11-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

I love the 1st Amendment.

Why? Because it initiates thought.

Free Speech is more than just opinions, its a catalyst for change. What one person may say to 10000 people can be interpreted 10000 ways.

Today we talked about how Telenovelas are often censored. What's even worse is that they are not even necessarily being censored by only the government, they are being censored by the networks. How is this worse - it creates a chilling effect. At least when the government tells you what you can and cannot do, there is a much more rigid set of standards/rules. When the networks are censoring themselves, they have to err on the side of caution, thus keeping things that may not be censored off the air.

Telenovelas are one of the most powerful mediums of mass media. People follow them more religiously than the news, so it is a very good way to send messages.

These writers are incredibly intelligent people who have a message to send, and it's a shame that some of their writing is censored.

Production is so COOL!

2009-11-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

Learning about telenovela production over the last couple of weeks has been amazing! It's really hit me what an incredible opportunity this class has presented. Dr. A is so knowledgeable, and thanks to all her research and connections, we have seen telenovelas from all sides -production, consumption, representation, and we've even met an actress!

One of the things that I enjoy when learning about telenovelas, is the contrast to American television. Of course, I haven't been given an inside look at television in the U.S., but from everything I know about "American" culture, I have a hunch. When considering production for instance, there are major differences. We've heard about the chaos often involved in the making of a telenovela - the shooting of a scene that must be aired the same night and the camera that was forgotten a plane ride away from location. Can you imagine this happening here? The immediacy prevalent in so many aspects of American culture must pervade television production as well. I can't imagine that an American program, shot under that kind of deadline without pristine equipment could ever result in an episode later watched and LOVED by millions of people.

This is something I really envy about Latino culture. The sense of urgency that I feel every day here is toned down in Latin America, and life is just a little more laid back.

P.S. Roque Valero is so cute

2009-11-13T07:40:00.001-08:00

I have always had one single complaint with most of my favorite telenovelas: the music.

For me this is where American dramas beat out my beloved novelas. For example, Grey's Anatomy has new music every week, sometimes it's an artist I've heard of and other times it's a tune that has me running to Google to try to figure out who it is by. Telenovelas on the other hand like to keep to the same stash of music for the entire novela. So by episode 93 I feel like screaming every time I hear the soft piano intro of the main character's love theme.

Most of the time my complaint isn't the music itself (unless we're talking about Pasion de Gavilanes and then yes, oh yes my complaint is about that music). As we saw in class many novelas comision their own specific music that will fit well with their theme. It's just how predictable it becomes after awhile.

Has this been the case for anyone else?

Production Stress

2009-11-13T07:13:00.000-08:00

learning about all of the tensions that surround telenovela production has given me a whole new respect for the final product. I wonder how well our hollywood A-list actors would do under all the pressures of a telenovela shoot, it seems that the telenovela actors and crew are prepared for, or at least able to handle, anything! I think that the constraints between creativity of the artists and time/money is especially interesting. I also am amazed that the crew and cast are able to make it through so many months of stress and hours of working. I noticed in my telenovela Rubi that about halfway through Rubi started to look a little worn out. Barbara Mori is beautiful, but half way through watching, I noticed that her skin had some breakouts and her eyes had slight bags around them. I wondered if this was from the stress and long hours of telenovela production. I think it would be really interesting to get to visit a telenovela set, but also maybe a little stressful even just to watch.

Presentations, Production, and Pleasing the fans!

2009-11-12T21:33:00.000-08:00

So many things have been going on in our class recently that I could talk about. Dr. A is right: our class could really be a telenovela! I first must say that this is the first class in which I have been completely engrossed in everyones' presentations. I felt like I really learned something interesting from every presentation. I talked to a couple other people in the class about it, too. Everyone agreed that these presentations were different from any others we have seen in other classes!

I also have to comment about my fascination with the production process. I do not know how the people in the production crew deal with the high stress and time restraints of the telenovela world. I am stressed just listening to Dr. A telling the story about the scene that was turned in just hours before it aired. The great thing is that the cast and crew have a lot of faith in each other. They really don't have another option. I've learned that making a telenovela is a heck of a lot harder than it looks. And to get to the glitz and glamor, you must go through those high-stress times first.

As we've learned about production, I see the sets, cameras, etc and it seems to me like quite a grand production. It seems as though it takes a lot of money to make these Venezuelan telenovelas. However Dr. A mentions over and over again that their budgets are extremely low. This makes me think how much money the American soap operas must have! I'm sure nothing is off-limits for them or cuts too much into the budget. I think the bottom line though, is that the Venezuelans love their telenovelas. I think they'd watch their telenovelas whether the budget was a million dollars or a thousand dollars. After all, all of this production is for the fans.

Wrapping Up

2009-11-12T16:02:00.000-08:00

So it is hard to believe that this semester is coming to an end, along with this amazing class. I think we can all agree that Dr. A is an amazing teacher that has so much to offer. There is so much to learn about telenovelas and we are all fascinated by this world that so many of us, including myself, hardly knew one thing about before entering this class. Basically, I love this class and look forward to going to it (which is more than I can say for some of my other classes). It is enjoyable and I love learning about this aspect of culture and society for Latin Americans and for everyone else all over the globe who enjoys telenovelas so much.

I am looking forward to writing my final paper about what I have learned from this class and am interested to see how it will look all typed up and spit out, so to speak. From representation and identity to consumption and production, there is so much I have learned these past few months. From Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso to Ciudad Bendita, telenovelas have so much to offer, especially for students studying Latin American culture and communications.

I would HIGHLY recommend this class to everyone. One of the best parts for me, other than my enjoyment of the class and my learning, is that this class counts for me as a Grady elective, a multicultural class, and a class towards my Spanish minor. Could it get any better?

2009-11-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

So, a couple of weeks ago, a student in my Latin American geography class mentioned a lecture given by Dr. A in one of Dr. Sergio Quesada's classes. Of course this lecture was about telenovelas and how they reflected what was/is happening in Latin American. After this comment, my geography professor proceeded to tell us why he didn't think that anyone should watch telenovelas. Since I've been taking this class, this comment bothered me.

The fact that he didn't like telenovelas is not what struck a nerve because everyone is entitle to his or her likes and dislikes. What bothered me was that he seemed to deny that telenovelas have any cultural importance at all. I think this professor demonstrated to me a kind of close-minded view of the way that culture should be expressed. Now that I think about it, this professor has kind of baffled me. He always talks about the different areas of Latin American culture, but at the same time, ALL aspects of Latin American culture do not seem to be valid to him.

I think what is most intriguing about his stance on telenovelas is that he himself is a Latin American. This has made me realize that it is not necessary to embrace EVERY aspect of your culture. There may be some things that you do not support and that you are not proud of. While on one hand, I think it is important to acknowledge the importance of things that make up your culture; on the other hand, it is good for us to have our own unique points of view.

100 candles

2009-11-12T09:25:00.000-08:00

So, this past weekend I did a photoshoot for the Infusion magazine for the cover photo. It’s Infusion magazine’s 20th anniversary, and for the cover shot, so we bought a birthday cake and candles and placed the 20 candles on it and had someone hold the cake. As we were taking the photos, the candles quickly diminished. As the photographer, I became really worried if I was able to capture the photo I needed before the candles became wax. We only had exactly 20 candles, and the fact that candles shortened quickly when lit slipped our mind. The photoshoot incident was a little frustrating, but I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be without extra candles for shooting a scene with 100 candles. With a photoshoot, I could just quickly snap photos and edit it if needed. Shooting a scene is different. Scenes take more time which means there’s more room for actors to err and other things to go wrong, and this means candles may already start to become wax if more time is needed to re-shoot scenes. You’ve got to have the candles lighted from the beginning to the end of the scene, and so the time pressure can get stressful without extra props. Additionally, there is rapid production pace and episodes need to be aired that night or the following day. With these factors, there is potential for the production process to get crazy chaotic and stressful. The production team must all be sharp people since they need to think quickly and creatively It’s amazing to me how telenovelas always deliver the episode. No matter the circumstance, the show must go on.

A little confused.

2009-11-10T13:14:00.000-08:00

Estoy confundida. How is it that my favorite U.S. shows run only a season long and air only a handful of episodes while telenovelas, but the Venuezuelan one we have recently discussed in class, "La Vida Entera,: runs for an entire year--sin interrupciones?? I understand that unlike primetime shows in the U.S., telenovelas have a much lower budget, thus limiting the amount of time-consuming special effects and location changes (and hence explaining the cold-weather clothing worn on set to preserve lenses). Likewise, I understand that the demand for telenovelas is more rampant in other parts of the world than primetime favs in the U.S., but I still don't see how the equation adds up. Perhaps, it's my ignorance, or maybe it's my amazement by the work ethic of the telenovela crew. Don't get me wrong though. I'm not saying that our t.v. crews in here aren't hard-working. I'm just pointing out the inconsistencies in the telenovela v. american t.v. show production equation.

Before I thought, mucho dinero + great writers and actors= high quality show, with a good number of episodes...as in, maybe 12 hour sagas.

Now, after studying the production process of "La Vida Entera," I see that a well-produced show can take much less moola on far less time, and still give its audience what they want, plus a run of 150+ episodes of non-stop drama.

And it's not that telenovela actors simply read cue-cards, and then techs slap together whatever scenes are shot with little regard to the end result. No, no no.

Telenovela crew's are crazy hard workers. As I observed in our discussion about "La Vida Entera," execs don't allow for mistakes in production. And with a lower budget than American soaps and t.v shows, this makes the shooting process entirely more time consuming.

For example, when we discussed the sequence shot scene, we see how careful the crew had to be when filming, and then how a simple drop of one item in the shot forced an entire re-do of the entire scene.

Also, we discussed how intelligent the actors and actresses must be. Most of the time, they are given just a few minutes to go over their scripts before shooting the real deal, and most of the time they ace their lines sin problemas. And if it wasn't hard enough to memorize lines a few minutes before filming, actors are monitored by crew members with scripts in hand to make sure each line is delivered correctly. Talk about pressure.

Above all, with such a small frame of time to work with, telenovela's don't always shoot an episode in a few days time. Sometimes, it could take nearly an entire to day to film just one scene lasting only a few minutes. And yet, each episode is still whisked away to editing in time for it's debut the next night.

So, dímelo. Why do I have to wait eight months for my favorite show to air, only to be delighted with about 10 episodes? In the meantime while I'm waiting, maybe I'll switch to Telenovelas. For good.

Cheap Production

2009-11-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

The production aspect of telenovelas is my favorite by far. I think it would be so fascinating to be a fly on the wall like Professor A and just watch a telenovela be made. I especially would like to compare the production of a low budget telenovela with one of a high budget telenovela and those with high budget American tv shows. I know next to nothing about Hollywood's big budget production, but I can imagine that it is much more organized and elaborate (especially if they only film 10 shows max a season).

Watching the show at the beginning of class and the telenovelas written by padron, I understand that there is a wide range of show quality. Padron's plot lines are interesting, his characters are complex and his show does not remind me of the stereotypical telenovela. The show before class screams stereotypical at the top of its lungs, in the most stereotypical way of course.

I think that a lot of this has to do with budget. Obviously a telenovela aired in the middle of the day is not going to have the same resources poured into it as one aired at primetime. But I want to know how the environment changes in the studio of a low budget telenovela. Do they know their product is inferior? Are people motivated differently? How does the studio cut costs? Does the inferiority cause a lack of funding does the the lack of funding cause sub-par programs. I suspect it is a little of both.

Memorization-How hard is it?

2009-11-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

I always thought that I wanted to be an actress until I took 10th grade English with Mr. Hamling who made us memorize Shakespeare monologues for test credit. Memorizing those long passages was always so difficult for me and even if I knew it perfectly the hour before, once I tried to deliver it in front of him I would always leave out a word here or there or even miss an entire phrase. I decided that I would try to overcome my Shakespeare memorization nightmares when I signed up for acting 1101 my freshman year at UGA. I enjoyed the class very much, but it was a lot harder than I expected because memorizing lines and delivering them in a certain fashion are two very different things. Ever since we started talking about telenovela production, I have been so interested in the memorization process. I decided to do a little research on the technique of memorization and how different actors use certain methods to learn and deliver lines.

Many questions come to mind when thinking about acting out a scene. How do actors and actress memorize all of those lines so quickly and keep them straight? How do you know when your line is and when the person beside you is supposed to speak? Here are a few bits of insight I found:

1)First of all, I found that it is a two step process, some actors choose to work on their acting first and worry about the memorization later, others want to memorize everything first so they can then work on their acting.
2)Instead of reading lines to yourself, it helps to always read them out loud over and over again. Some actors even write each line down three times, until it is stuck in their head.
3)If there is a line that an actor just can’t seem to get right, they may need to review the profile of their character and learn more about his or her personality.
4)To remember cues, actors usually memorize the last phrase of the actor’s line before theirs and that way they know when they have to speak next.

The most important thing to know when you are trying to pursue a career in acting is that when it comes to learning lines- it gets easier the more you do it!

A-game all the time

2009-11-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

After talking about the production aspect of telenovelas, I realized that this is one of the aspects that most intrigues me. Filming is a whole different world—no matter what you are filming—and it was so interesting to watch the process. Dr. A’s videos felt like I was actually there, and it was amazing to see how different the actors look as opposed to how they look on screen. The kissing scenes are especially interesting because there is no cue for them to begin kissing. It just happens, even though they are in silent room full of a large crowd.

I realized what a time consuming (even life consuming) job it is for the actors. With minimal to no breaks, they must constantly be on their “A-game.” There is no room for “off” days, which is why I could see the process being very discouraging for the actors. We talked in class how they usually finish a script a day, so the actors study more than one script at a time.

Everything that goes into the telenovela production process is extremely complicated, but my question is how does the process differ from that of an American soap opera or movies? Dr. A called it an “ulcer-ridden industry” and I’m guessing that it is because telenovela production is much more fast-paced than American productions. This is the reason why everyone involved, from the writer to the floor manager to the actor, has to be on their A-game.

The Crazy Life of a Telenovela Set

2009-11-02T21:54:00.000-08:00

¡Cinco y acción!

For the life of me, I can't wrap my head around how a telenovela set works.

It's been explained to me relatively thoroughly through Dr. A's lecture. I see all the steps.

But it's the PACE that confounds me. To go through so many steps in one day, to have everyone doing everything at every minute. Actors learning lines almost on the spot, directors and writers running about putting everything into place, tearing it apart and doing it again, firing off scene after scene after scene. Reviewing, double-reviewing. And la pauta...I can't even BEGIN to comprehend la pauta.

It's a world of its own, the telenovela set. It puts other film and TV groups to shame with the sheer pace and intensity of it all.

¿Queda?

No more social life- thank you, telenovelas.

2009-11-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

It's official- I really don't have much of a social life anymore... ask me why. BECAUSE OF TELENOVELAS.

I've been watching my second telenovela "Dame Chocolate," and I'm starting to wonder if borrowing it from Caroline was a good or bad choice. I've literally been in my room for too many hours for too many days watching the lives of Rosita (or Violeta?) and Bruce unfold. And the drama has officially sucked me in.

This telenovela is very different than my original (and first love) "Corazon Salvaje." There are elements of mysticism (which was not present in "CS), but the rosa pattern is obvious. Cinderella story at its finest. It's so interesting to compare and contrast all the elements of the telenovelas I've watched, which I find myself doing all the time. They (the telenovelas) both are insistent on representing patriarchy, they both have a couple who has to face all obstacles to save their love, they both have evil stepmothers... Then I start comparing what differs between the two telenovelas. These actors are American-born or bilingual and fluent in English and Spanish, but these actors are not. These actors have crossed over to American TV/films, these actors have not... ON & ON & ON.

It even got so bad that I started researching the consumption of this second telenovela. I think I'm going to need therapy soon.

Last Wednesday, after all my classes ended, I literally came home to watch the telenovela, and didn't stop until much later in the evening. No phone calls were taken during this time. I brought my laptop to GA/FL this weekend in hopes for a free moment to watch (which I did on the car ride home). I watched it all last night... and am about to go watch it again now.

"Hi, my name is Nicole, and I am a telenovela junkie." There, I said it.

Anyway, really goes to show what a big part of a person's life these telenovelas can become. Can you imagine if you've been exposed to this your whole life?? CRAZY.

Okay, off to watch more... see y'all later today!

My Telenovela Journey

2009-10-22T13:07:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-22T05:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

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??

2009-10-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-10-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-17T06:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-10-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-16T17:58:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-10-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T23:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

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!"

2009-10-15T04:40:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-10-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-10-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

"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!

2009-10-05T05:54:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-04T16:12:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-10-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

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.

The Perfect Imperfection

2009-10-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Advertising creates identity. This does not necessarily mean the actual advertisements in the media, but the way in which they portray our society today. The media has a heavy influence on people’s behaviors and actions, and within the popular culture, meanings are fighting with each other and giving off different vibes and motives.

For many young adults who are still learning about themselves and the world, this could be an extremely frustrating thing. For example, young adults---whether it be from their parents, professors, peers, or the modern culture in general---are offered a wide-range of opportunities. They are taught to “Make good grades. Do everything. Be Involved. Get a top job when you graduate.” While these are all ambitious and encouraging messages, they are also taught to “Be yourself. Have fun. Don’t work too hard.” Clearly, these are contradictory messages. Both pieces of advice are beneficial on their own, but not when they are put together.

Media and advertising are also throwing out clashing messages by showcasing flawless perfect women, while at the same time, warning against the dangers of eating disorders and being obsessed with appearances.

As we wrap up our discussions on representation and identity, I think this concept applies to many of the characters in telenovelas. The more that the characters are influenced by contradictory culture ambitions, the more they become someone they are not. The antagonist in La Mentira, Virginia, goes through this process as she changes from what appears to be a sweet, innocent woman, to an evil vengeful liar. She is influenced by the terrible pressures of the outside world, which ultimately cause her to lose her identity. She goes so far, that eventually her family does not want to associate with her.

The bar for achievement continues to rise for each generation, and so do the hypocritical pressures of the media world. We must be stable with who we are so we are not susceptible to these negative changes.

Consumption and Identity in My Telenovela

2009-09-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

It's human nature. We love to pick and prod and pit one against the other. Conflict fascinates us. So, it only makes sense that as consumers of pop culture we'd gravitate towards programs that do the same thing. In America, we're no strangers to the cat-fight culture. Here, we're either "Pro-Jennifer" or " Team Angelina" in the battle for Brad. And for avid Grey's fans everywhere, there's not a single viewer that didn't pledge their allegiance to either Dr.McDreamy or the endearing George in the quest for Meredith's love and affection.

Today, in class we learned how the same type of fascination exists in the telenovela world. For one, in the telenovela adaptation of Doña Barbara we discussed the vast distinction between those viewers who were "Barbaritas" and those who were "Mariselistas." The fans, much like here in the states, take an almost quasi-political view in favor of whom ever they side with. For example, as we saw today, those who are " Barbaritas" take offense to those who favor the "manipulative" Marisela. Likewise, those who favor Marisela don't understand the mentality of someone on the "Barbarita" side. Afterall, in their eyes, Barbara was a cruel, murderous person.

At first thought, it seems that my telenovela has no such tryst. Afterall, in "La Fea Más Bella", Lety, the show's protagonist (or the adaptation of Colombia's "Betty") is the only female to root for. We can't pit Lety against the fiance of her lover, Marcia. Marcia is not relatable and an overall evil character. We also can't pit Lety against Alicia, her competitor as secretary at the PR firm Conceptos because likewise, Alicia is mean and conniving.

However, after thinking it through, I realized that "La Fea Más Bella" didn't altogether steer away from the love games that the telenovela adaptation of "Doña Barbara" exhibited. In Lety's story, two lovers constantly vie for the ugly duckling's attention with equal sincerity and affection for Lety. Here, I can see where the viewer distinctions may be made into two groups; one group rooting for the lovesick chairman Don Fernañdo who once betrayed Lety but now holds undying love, and the other advocating the triumph of Aldo Domenzain, Lety's sweet and generous fiance. Watching " La Fea", I found myself torn between choosing the two characters, but my choice was Aldo. I chose Aldo, even knowingly, that he would likely not be with Lety in the end. However, because of his initial sincerity and genuine love for Lety right from the get-go, he became the character I saw most deserving of her love.

By the end of the Tele, we find out that Aldo is in fact a saint brought from the heavens to save Lety and ensure that she ends up with the true love of her life, Don Fernando. Nonetheless, I still remain apart of "Team Aldo" in my tele's audience.

Too much too fast, but still addictive

2009-09-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

I truly enjoyed watching my telenovela, La usurpadora, but I think the abridged version definitely took away from the experience. The fast paced scenes left little room for character development. For example, it didn’t show the transformation of Paulina into her role as Paola as it happened. In one scene she was a shy, long haired girl in modest clothing and the next she had a bob haircut with a sleek, sexy dress. Of course you understand what happened even with these scenes edited out but jumping from one major event to the next with no bridge feels less satisfying. Your emotions need a break once in a while!

I do admit that the abridged version held my attention well – I was so afraid I’d miss something if I turned around for even a second. I became pretty attached to the characters, and hope Paolina would eventually get over her naivety and pursue her own happiness.

I am curious to see how the abridged versions of telenovelas are consumed differently than those currently on air. I wonder if viewers watch DVD versions in installments or if they sit down for marathons.

Another interesting part of this experience is that my DVD didn’t have English subtitles. If my friends were over while I had it playing they would try to guess what was happening and then what would happen next and then what happened before....they got into it without having a clue as to what the characters were saying. I suppose this gives testimony to the globalization of telenovelas!

Sprinkle in some fair tale elements and see what you get

2009-09-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

Telenovelas take the Latin American audience away from a dismal, gloomy reality for a short period of time. This applies to kid/teen telenovelas too, and in addition, fairy tale elements are added in the mix to kick it up a notch.

My telenovela Lola...Érase una vez is a cinderella fairy tale story with magical elements (talking fairies, magical tree, magical vines) and of course, the romantic fair tale ending, typical of the telenovela dramatic structure and most fairy tale stories.

Before I start researching about the consumption and reception of my telenovela, I am thinking about why and how magical fairy tales are able to suck the young girls in so much.

Fairy tales take the viewers to many places of fantasy, allowing them to see many things that they wouldn’t normally see in real life. Magic is attractive and enthralling. Young girls around the world love magical-mystical happenings and want to believe in happy love. They want to star as a princess in their own life movie.
Girls idealize romance and love, and so they eat up the Cinderella princess stories!
So, in Latin America where reality is difficult and trying, I suppose with these two factors combined it’s one of the reasons why the Cinderella telenovela (Lola...Érase una vez ) was so successful and receptive among Latin American teens. This is just my hypothesis..more to come as I do consumption research!

para la Navidad

2009-09-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

Already on my Christmas list is the dvd set of Ciudad Bendita. It seems to be entertaining, I fell in love with Marisa Román (in an admiring fan sort of way), and I greatly respect the work both her and Leonardo Padrón. Ciudad Bendita seems to be one of the best productions of both the actress and the writer. Dr. A's research reveals the strong following this particular telenovela acquired from its fans, and for good reason.
I am drawn to watch the same telenovela that swept up hearts across Venezuela, but I am surprised by the awareness most latin american viewers lack. They are unaware of the social messages underlying carefully crafted novela scripts, specifically those by Padrón, and yet they watch and wait for his next novela release. They have not realized that it is Padrón's scripts' intelligent, wholesome qualities that attract them as consumers.
As much as Padrón tries to use tv to speak real messages to latinamericans, there is a disconnect. Dr. A said viewers are more hyper-sensitive to political messages written in novelas, and yet in real life it seems they are unaware of ways in which Chávez is mistreating the poor. The people accustom themselves to the "below model par" looks of the male protagonist in Ciudad Bendita, yet they cannot grasp the same message for the female protagonist--her physique (including her limp) is beautiful even with its "imperfections."
Makes me wonder, how many U.S. media messages are we missing? How far do we disconnect from the script-writer's intent? Are we so obsessed with our own political stances and social expectations that we refuse to change and see change in our own television shows?

Wait... pay attention.

2009-09-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Sin tetas no hay paraíso evokes laughter whenever translated.

Preparing for the worst, I expected a low production quality, C-class acting and a story held together by paperclips and duct tape. A couple beers might take the edge off, so my roommate and I made the best of the telenovela to come. To his misfortune, no subtitles. Brace yourself.

The spectacle that followed could be described as a low-grade, soft-core porno dubbed with music from Who Wants to be a Millionaire, laced with blatant boob-bias that made any onlooker's jaw drop to the floor.

Once we realized a show was taking place behind the montage of silicon and bronzed, busting flesh (seriously, at one point a side-boob shot was literally half the screen), the protagonist appeared and the looming issue was soon apparent. Her breast size was probably a third of every other female on screen.

What a way to begin a show. The director obviously was trying to engrain the small-boob complex into the mind of every viewer in the first 5 minutes. And the first two episodes were an orgy full. It honestly made it hard to concentrate on the dialogue.

Can't Stop Thinking About It

2009-09-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

I finished my Telenovela over the weekend and although the entire thing was enjoyable, the last eight hours were by far the best. There is just one thing that keeps nagging me to the point where I am thinking about it and analyzing it over and over. I was so torn when Bruce decided he never wanted to see Rosita ever again. He hated her, his words we so hurtful and spiteful. His pride was crushed. He acted as if he couldn't stand the sight of her, when really her still loved her. It took me a while to figure this out. Whenever the two were in a room together, he would start on a rampage and I would think to my self "Wow, they really are never going to end up together because Bruce just won't give in and listen." Bruce who I once compared to Edward in Twilight, was now the epitome of hatred.

The actor did a really good job of portraying his feelings of hate for Rosita, almost too good of a job. I never knew that jealousy could drive a person that mad but it makes sense. He loved Rosita so much. He grew to lover her as Rosita when she was only beautiful on the inside, and he loved Rosita as Violeta when she was beautiful on the outside. It was an undying love, so strong and so passionate. His heart never wavered in another direction, even when he was married he could barely make love to his wife for he was constantly thinking about Rosita. I had to interpret all of this myself because unless they cut it out, there was never a scene where Bruce verbalized all of this. He just basically found out that Rosita was pregnant with his child and went soft. I would have liked for him to have had a conversation with her expressing all of this because even in the last scene, it was hard for me to be convinced that he was truly past all of his hatred.

I am tempted to go back to the beginning and watch the scenes where he is in love with Rosita and Violeta just to make myself feel better about the ending. I wanted to be convinced that he was truly in love with her the whole time and his hatred was driven by jealousy of Fabian and his pride which was crushed. I guess I should realize that not all love stories are like that of Edward and Bella, where Bella could basically do anything and still have Edwards unconditional praises. The reality of it is, people get mad and angry and jealous all the time, and even though they can still love a person sometimes those feelings are so strong that they impede everything else. I think I will go back and watch those beginning episodes, then maybe I can finally stop thinking about it!

La transformación

2009-09-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

The change came. And not a moment too soon. Honestly, I was so tried of Marimar and her tribulations in the first DVD of the three part two-sided DVD set that I was more or less forcing myself to watch the telenovela. The drama was high and as melodramatic as I remember it, but like I wrote in my last blog post, Marimar was just too annoying. I honestly did not like her character, and maybe its just me and my cold, cold heart but I thought she more or less deserved all that happened to her because of her naiveté. But thankfully Marimar was put in jail for a whole ten minutes, came out, met her long lost father, and he transformed her into todo una dama in less than five minutes.
(After some searching, I found the three minute transformation of Marimar on youtube in Greek. I didn't know Greeks also liked this telenovela, but either way here it is. The montage I'm talking about starts two minutes in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys50Q71i7K4&feature=related).
This Marimar, well this new Marimar is someone I can root for. Sure she's rude at times, selfish a lot times, and way too high strung for my taste, but at least she's not helpless and whining all the time. After la transformación, I was able to finish watching my telenovela within a couple of days, as I no longer had to force myself to watch it, but was actually interested in Marimar and all her melodrama.

Music to Who's Ears?

2009-09-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

Music is a key aspect in setting the mood. It can turn a scene of mild emotion into a gripping scenario of passion and zeal...

...if done properly.

If you have music like Los Ricós Tambien Lloran, then a scene of mild emotion turns into a mass confusion.

Los Ricós Tambien Lloran is a story filled with conflict and emotional rollercoasters. Lies and distrust fill the plot, coupled with class conflicts and conspiracy.

So why is it that the music can't seem to match the plot? Music cues at incorrect instances, swells that overshadows the dialogue...incidental music becomes almost accidental, and the effect is lost.

Because Televisa is.....CHEAP.

When a company doesn't want to pay royalties for music they used in a television show...they put their own in instead. And because of that, this telenovela--which I'm sure was once a magnificent piece--becomes hokey and difficult to watch at times.

Music is an important accent to emotion. It is not to be tossed about lightly, for the wrong music at the wrong time can ruin an entire mood.

on those characters we love to hate

2009-09-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

So what makes a villain?

The telenovela I’m watching has all sorts of antagonists all bent in some form or another of keeping Monica and Juan del Diablo apart. But I’m having difficulty choosing that big-bad character to dislike. For example there’s Aimee, Monica’s sister and Juan’s former lover. Aimee is very free-spirited for her time, which won her points for me, but who ends up forsaking Juan to marry Andres, Monica’s former fiancé. She seems like the typical spoiled sister until Monica means to marry Juan, then she seethes with jealousy and doesn’t miss a chance to taunt her sister with the fact that she loved and had Juan first. Yet, Aimee is still a relatable character, she is silly but her jealousy is justified (if annoying).

Then there’s Doña Sofia, Andres’ mother and Juan’s stepmother. She sent Juan away as a young boy for being the bastard son of her deceased husband, ignoring his final wish that Andres and Juan grow as brother. Doña Sofia is calculating, shrew, and a very protective mother. But even at her worst the facts make her a redeemable character. Would you want the kid your husband had out of wedlock running around your house? Wouldn’t you want what’s best for your only son, whatever the cost?

Finally there’s the local army commander, Capitan Espíndola. He is the chief of prison and is, during his brief stay in the story, the closest we get to the big-bad-wolf. Capitan Espindola is as deplorable as they come. He arrests Juan because he’s bribed into doing so and sees no issue in selling whatever pretty girl is brought into the prison to the local brother owner. He takes advantage of his position of power but comes to a quick end.

That’s another thing about these villains and attagonists, their tragic endings. Aimee, the former wild child, ends up dying in a riding accident; Doña Sofia ends up losing the thing she spent her whole life protecting, her son. Capitan Espindola is the unmourned victim of Juan’s escape from prison. It would seem that coming between the protagonists is a very hazardous decision.

The Cinderella Cliche

2009-09-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

Marisa Roman's surprise visit was such a treat. Having her answer questions about telenovelas and the industry really brought it to life for me. I tried to find her on google, but it was very hard. It's amazing how in Latin America she's such a superstar, and in Athens and the united states people do not recognize her at all. To find her I had to be really specific and use the name of some of her telenovelas like Ciudad Bendita. I told all me friends about it and how exciting it was that a famous telenovela actress came to our class, but they did not share my excitement. It makes me wonder if there is the same standard in Latin America. What if someone pretty famous, such as George Clooney traveled to Venezuela. Would many people recognize him? I guess a lot of it has to do with the type of work that particular actor or actress does. Marisa has primariley done telenoveals, which are not popular in mainstream America. However, actors that produce movies that are widely spread and dubbed are of course going to receive more attention world wide.

We talked a lot this week about the "Cinderella story" being the basis for most telenovelas and how they all have key elements which make them this way. The more you think about it, the truer it gets. Pretty much all the telenoveas that we have been learning about or seeing clips of live up to this stereotype. It is so weird that this theme has been successful over and over, and with such a basic plot line. My telenovela has many of these elements; the poor girl, living in the rural area who just wants to live a rich and comfortable life. Oh, and of course, she's very beautiful. My protagonist cannot be qualified as pure, however, because she is trying to use prostitution as a way of overcoming her poverty...so it has a little bit of a twist on the average telenovela.

America does the same thing in many of it's movies/tv shows, ect. The term Cinderella comes from one of our very own Disney classics, where the poor girl finally over comes poverty because of a persistent prince. All of the Disney movies follow these same guidelines. There is always a girl who needs rescuing and always a competent man waiting to save her. It's interesing how genders are portrayed in these medias. Why does the girl always need a man to save her? And how come she always seems to be strangely attractive and always very sweet and caring. The same continues with the story of Betty, La Fea. Here, the girl had the smarts and the personality, however she is lacking in appearance. She has great attributes, she just does not have the looks. It is only when she begins to become attractive and a beautiful woman does she finally win the guy. Being herself and being a good person is not enough. I think it's good how some of the newer telenovelas are touching on this subject of the over-importance of beauty. In countries where beauty reigns, we need a reminder that there is so much more to women, and people in gender.

Remembering Marimar

2009-09-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

I underestimated Marimar yet at the same time I totally overestimated her. The telenovela is not quite what I remembered from having watched when I was six.
Certain things pop out now that I am older, wiser, and of course more critical of telenovelas thanks to Dr. A's class. For example, Marimar is annoying as hell. I just can't put it any other way. She is sickeningly naive and at times just stupid. Everyone in the telenovela, even the love of her life, has at some point called her salvaje, or savage. But what annoys me the most about Marimar is how she will fall into her wicked mother-in-law's evil plotting every time. You'd think she'd learn after the fifteenth time...
Of course, Sergio, prince charming, is simply too good to be true; but though he too is annoyingly naive, next to Marimar, he looks like a genius (and of course he is her savior).
But those glaring annoyances aside, some things that I totally forgot about Marimar are also some of the most entertaining. For example, the dog talks. How could I forget that Marimar's loyal companion talks? Like Marimar, he has an accent of those from la costa, or the coast, which everyone in Mexico makes fun of (well, at least my family does... maybe we're just mean). And Plugoso (which literally translates as the flea-ridden one), the dog, usually has one liners, which are suppose to provide comic relief, but to me are the equivalent of Alice's, the maid, zingers in the Brady Bunch. And again how could I forget that Marimar has a rich-soon-to-be-dead-father-who-left-her-at-birth? Of course, she would, and at the end of the telenovela she will have both Sergio's love and her father's money.
But despite all my Marimar cynicism, there's still something there with Marimar. I told one of my Latina friends this week that I was studying Marimar for a class and she started singing the entrada, which is honestly the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Marimar also. Not only that but Marimar has a whopping 1,845 fans on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=marimar&init=quick
Although that may not seem much compared to Kanye West (he's just been everywhere this week), you have take into consideration that this telenovela is 14 years old and I don't know many Latinos who have the courage to admit that they're a fan of Marimar... I know I don't... yet.

Cinderella Gone Evil

2009-09-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

So Rubi is really entertaining, she is just sooo BAD!! She is almost completely evil you don’t even want her to end up with the love of her life Alejandro. It is really interesting to compare Rubi to the typical telenovela Rosa because it is completely Rosa but with a new twist. Rubi is Cinderella and the evil step-sisters all in one. Rubi is from a lower middle class family and becomes rich when she marries a prince, but to do so she has to steel him from her best friend Maribel! On Maribel’s wedding day! (told you she was bad). So there are lots of interesting twists to the classic Rosa telenovela, with out really doing any major renovation on the original format. I think that the gender roles are really interesting to look at in Rubi because they are REALLY traditional. The women are really stereotypical Rubi is like the “prostitute” because she uses her body and looks to get her way. Her mother, her sister and her ex-bestfriend Maribel are all virginal and pure characters. The men are good looking, strong and know how to control their women (there is a lot of shaking women around like rag dolls which is disturbing to me). Overall it is interesting to see that although Rubi may seem like a new kind of protagonist, she really is just an old formula re-mixed in a new way-but still really entertaining.

Production Value

2009-09-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

5-6 shows per week for months... that's a lot of episodes. Feature film production takes close to the same amount of time, but only has between 1-2 hours worth of the final film. A big difference: production value.

Films will take days setting up for one shot or waiting hours for the sun to be in the right place. It's not something you see so much in Telenovelas. Can you blame them? No way! Again... 5-6 shows per week for months, maybe even over a year. That is insane. Think about this:

1) Pick your favorite show on NBC, ABC, etc. How often do they have a new episode? A safe assumption would be once a week.

2)Now, is it shown continuously for months? Most shows come in seasons and definitely don't play year-round. My all-time favorite show is "The Sopranos," not really the best example, but each season had about 13 episodes. A telenovela does that in about 2-3 weeks.

Honestly, the biggest problem for me to overcome when watching telenovelas is the production value. As a telecommunication arts major, my professors spend all semester stressing production value, but we also spend all semester producing something that is generally less that 10 minutes. We are supposed to analyze everything in the shot from lighting to camera angles so that each element enhances the story.

It took me time to realize, this isn't film. This is a Telenovela, one of the most beloved types of media in the world. There are telenovelas for everyone: telenovelas roasas, telenovelas rapturas, telenovelas para los ninos, etc. People follow Telenovelas because of the stories.

2009-09-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine is recovering form a bad break-up. Like most break-ups, it hit her after a few days and she really didn't want to talk about it...just to wallow. So, I offered her the best distraction I could...my rosa telenovela "Amarte es mi Pecado." I clicked on the English subtitles and watched her consume my telenovela.

The despecho she feels isn't quite as extreme as the one the protagonist Nora felt. My friend isn't pregnant, in a love triangle, or seeking revenge on all men because of her loss. But she does have a broken heart. She, myself, and all other telenovela consumers who ever have had a broken heart can relate to Nora, too. My friend found comfort in having more control over her life than Nora and I found comfort seeing the way that telenovelas have healing powers even if only for just a few minutes.

Roller coaster ride

2009-09-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

First of all: I love, love, LOVE my telenovela!!!

It's so exciting, and even though the graphics and acting aren't amazing and I've definitely laughed at how silly some of the situations are, the plot is so thick and completely absurd that I can't stop watching it. After I popped the first disc in, I literally sat in front of my laptop for the next 4 hours non-stop.

After Monday's lecture, I immediately started piecing together which elements fit the telenovela I'm watching, which is Mariana de la noche.

I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but I'm getting a lot of different Cinderella elements/twists mixed up in the characters. For example, the protagonist is Mariana (obviously) and she fits the Cinderella prototype by being naive, kind, virginal, etc. The only thing that doesn't quite match up is she's the one who's rich. Her "prince" is the poor one who comes from out of nowhere with an obscured past, and since he is also good could he be a male Cinderella too? Are they a Cinderella couple? There are also several antagonists--Mariana's evil "father" who can be the equivalent of the evil step-mother, an evil "sister", and evil "aunt". They're all enemies to Mariana in a different way--the father wants to keep Mariana for himself, the sister is jealous that Mariana gets all the attention, and the aunt wants Mariana's "prince," or Ignacio.

I put all of the relatives in quotes, because in truth none of them are related by blood and that's where things get really crazy. If I try to even explain what the actual relationships are between the characters, I think I'd just confuse myself. I still have about 2 hours left of the discs, so I'm anticipating what kinds of twists and turns are going to happen next--super excited!!!